SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 11/29/2019 Detroit Red Wings 1163732 Ducks center Sam Steel learning big lessons while taking 1163759 Last-place Detroit Red Wings wonder 'how much further small strides rock bottom is' 1163733 Finding gratitude with the Kings and Ducks, even as the 1163760 NHL-worst Red Wings can't score but insist they're not teams are struggling getting outworked 1163761 Red Wings ‘close to rock bottom,’ but say effort not lacking 1163762 Amid the (many) losses, what we’re thankful for on the 1163734 The 5: Things to be thankful for as an Arizona sports fan in Detroit sports scene 2019 1163735 Christian Dvorak’s big game lifts Coyotes to win on Edmonton Oilers Thanksgiving Eve 1163763 Oilers forward Nugent-Hopkins getting treatment on hand 1163764 Oilers are gobbling up points at U.S. Thanksgiving 1163765 Lowetide: Oilers deployment shuffle will continue with 1163736 Brendan Gaunce, making Bruins debut, does his part in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins still sidelined win at Ottawa 1163766 One-on-one with Ken Holland, who is facing his first 1163737 Brendan Gaunce, Jack Studnicka, make impact on Bruins deadline in the Jesse Puljujarvi saga road trip 1163767 Willis: Should the Oilers go short or long term on Ethan 1163738 For Bruins, the traditional Black Friday game is part Bear’s next contract? showcase, part celebration Florida Panthers Buffalo Sabres 1163768 Despite losing streak, the Florida Panthers are grateful for 1163739 Sheldon Keefe has had immediate impact behind Leafs' a playoff spot at Thanksgiving bench 1163740 Sabres looking to avoid dubious slice of history against Los Angeles Kings Leafs 1163769 Kings look for better ending against Sharks 1163770 Finding gratitude with the Kings and Ducks, even as the teams are struggling 1163741 'Misleading, insincere and concerning': Akim Aliu responds 1163771 WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: NOVEMBER 28 to statement from Flames coach 1163742 Flames are handling Peters saga ‘precisely the right way’: Minnesota Wild legal expert 1163772 Ottawa travels to play the Wild 1163743 Bell: Last-ditch stab trying to kill Flames arena deal 1163773 Gameday preview: Wild vs. Ottawa 1163744 With ’ future in doubt, can Geoff Ward save the 1163774 Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk takes time to deal with wife's Flames’ season? medical condition 1163775 Wild’s Devan Dubnyk focused on ailing wife, Jennifer 1163776 Devan Dubnyk returns to practice as his wife deals with 1163745 Aliu calls Flames coach’s apology ‘misleading, insincere’ uncertain medical issues Canadiens 1163746 Former Blackhawks prospect Akim Aliu calls Flames 1163777 In the Habs' Room: 'I'm frustrated as hell,' Julian says after coach’s apology for alleged racial slur ‘misleading, insince 6-4 loss 1163747 Blackhawks have started dipping into their pipeline for 1163778 Women's game will be part of a hockey doubleheader in reinforcements. Who might be the next up from the Rock Laval 1163748 Blackhawks finally testing forward depth with Matthew 1163779 Liveblog replay: Devils beat Habs, losing streak continues Highmore, Anton Wedin call-ups 1163780 Stu Cowan: Canadiens winger Charles Hudon battling to 1163749 Connor Murphy’s Midas touch now making Olli Maatta remain in NHL golden for Blackhawks 1163781 Canadiens Game Day: This is getting ridiculous as Habs 1163750 Chicago hosts Colorado after shutout win lose again 1163751 Dynamic duo: Hawks thankful to have Lehner, Crawford 1163782 Flush with cap space, Canadiens could be a fit for Devils' going strong Taylor Hall 1163752 Where Blackhawks playoff hopes stand at American 1163783 Canadiens vs. Devils: Five things you should know Thanksgiving 1163784 A reminder to the Canadiens of what makes them good 1163753 Powers Points: 10 games in, it looks like ’s and how they’ve gotten away from it system change is working for the Blackhawks 1163785 Video Review: The Canadiens reach the tipping point with a poor effort against the Devils 1163786 Rocket Rundown: Gustav Olofsson changed his game so 1163754 Calle Rosen is getting his chance with the Avs. What will he can stay where he’s most effective, on the ice he do with it? 1163755 Avalanche hold NHL’s top two scorers off the scoresheet in dominating victory over Edmonton 1163756 Avs Game 24 Grades: Thankful for a win Columbus Blue Jackets 1163757 Michael Arace | Blue Jackets’ best move? Stand pat 1163758 As NHL signing deadline nears, Julius Honka maintains positive outlook in Finland Nashville Predators 1163787 David Poile addresses Kyle Turris’ benching: ‘It’s just a 1163833 Patrick Johnston: November numbers reflect real reasons roster decision. … He wants to be here’ to worry for cooled-off Canucks 1163834 Canucks at 50: When scorer Sedlbauer got sent to the New Jersey Devils Hawks for some muscle 1163788 Nikita Gusev, Blake Coleman pace Devils in frantic win 1163835 Canucks at 50: Lordy, lordy, Sedlbauer didn't expect to over Canadiens score 40 1163789 Devils’ lines, pairings vs. Canadiens (11/28/19) | Pavel 1163836 Canucks prospect Tyler Madden is producing like a Zacha, Jesper Bratt back in first-round pick but how high is his NHL ceiling? 1163790 Devils outgun reeling Canadiens 1163837 How injuries to Brandon Sutter and Jay Beagle have drastically shifted the way Vancouver deploys its lineup New York Islanders 1163791 Barry Trotz says Islanders must look forward after winless Vegas Golden Knights California trip 1163821 Grading the Golden Knights one period into the 2019- 2020 season New York Rangers 1163822 Golden Knights make major change to defensive-zone 1163792 Rangers itching for veteran Marc Staal’s return coverage 1163793 Brendan Lemieux follows dad’s footsteps despite Claude’s 1163823 Grand bold age early resistance 1163794 Rangers will be thankful if events from a year ago don't Washington Capitals repeat themsselves 1163824 Still a young rookie, Ilya Samsonov continues to adapt on and off the ice 1163825 Thanksgiving for a decade of amazing D.C. sports 1163795 Coach D.J. Smith looks at new combinations as Senators moments head on road 1163826 One thing every DC team can be thankful for this 1163796 SNAPSHOTS: Marcus Hogberg will get a chance to start Thanksgiving for Senators 1163827 Former Capitals and Washington-area native Jeff 1163797 GAME DAY: Senators versus Wild Halpern now climbs the NHL’s coaching ladder 1163798 Senators show signs of improvement while hanging in with league’s best Websites 1163799 Down Goes Brown: Get ready for holiday shopping regret 1163838 .ca / Canadiens must follow Claude Julien's plan with the NHL’s all buyer’s remorse team to break free from losing streak 1163839 Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: New Team Slogans Philadelphia Flyers Edition 1163800 Flyers coach Alain Vigneault giving tough love to demoted 1163840 Sportsnet.ca / Analyzing Carey Price's play and the winger James van Riemsdyk defensive support in front of him 1163801 What should Flyers fans be thankful for on Thanksgiving? 1163841 Sportsnet.ca / Why Sheldon Keefe is giving Hutchinson a second chance Pittsburgh Penguins 1163842 Sportsnet.ca / What American Thanksgiving mark says 1163802 Minor league report: Nailers shut out by Komets about Canadian clubs' playoff hopes 1163803 Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel thriving as linemates for 1163843 Sportsnet.ca / Oilers focused on finding consistency after Penguins NHL's Thanksgiving milestone 1163804 Making the case that Jake Guentzel is the Penguins' team 1163844 Sportsnet.ca / 8 Oilers trade targets to help improve the MVP through the first quarter of the season club's depth scoring 1163805 Pittsburgh can be thankful for Penguins’ fortitude (and 1163845 TSN.CA / Keefe: Leafs’ win streak more about players’ Evgeni Malkin) emotions than new tactics 1163846 TSN.CA / Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe San Jose Sharks breaks Mike Babcock’s goaltending rotation 1163806 After hitting ‘wall,’ Sharks’ lineup may have more 1163847 TSN.CA / winning as Blake Wheeler’s role traditional look changes 1163807 Takeaways: The Sharks are missing Tomas Hertl 1163848 TSN.CA / Akim Aliu responds to Bill Peters' letter of apology to Brad Treliving and Calgary Flames St Louis Blues 1163849 USA TODAY / Ex-NHL player Akim Aliu: Flames coach Bill 1163808 Blues outlast Lightning, but lose Sundqvist to injury Peters' apology for alleged racist remarks 'insincere' 1163809 Blues notebook: Parayko to replace Faulk on power play 1163810 Sundqvist scores 2 before injury, Blues beat Lightning 4-3 Winnipeg Jets 1163828 Jets' November to remember 1163829 Hockey's long-overdue #MeToo movement 1163811 How Anthony Cirelli drives the Lightning 1163830 Maurice, Jets find dialogue works best without the malicious intent 1163831 GAME DAY: Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks 1163812 Maple Leafs coach Keefe says backup goalie will start 1163832 How are our preseason predictions holding up after 25 opener of back-to-back games? We decided to find out 1163813 Friday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres 1163814 Michael Huchinson will draw the Friday afternoon start for SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 the Leafs in Buffalo, breaking with the club’s 1163815 Scratch that earlier usage, Spezza knows he can be an asset for the Maple Leafs 1163816 Hutchinson's start on Friday another new path Leafs are taking under Keefe 1163817 Maple Leafs at Sabres game day 1163818 Surprise, surprise -- backup Hutchinson in goal as Leafs open back to back with Buffalo 1163819 Q&A: Zach Hyman on Sheldon Keefe, his favourite books and becoming fantasy football ‘GM of the year’ 1163820 After a lost season, William Nylander is finally giving the Maple Leafs their money’s worth 1163732 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks center Sam Steel learning big lessons while taking small strides

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | PUBLISHED: November 28, 2019 at 2:14 pm | UPDATED: November 28, 2019 at 2:14 PM

The evolution of Sam Steel continued Thursday, just as it did Wednesday, just as it did Tuesday, just as it did Monday, and so on and so on. It takes a good deal of time to mold a standout NHL center and patience is perhaps the most important part of the process.

Progress can be measured in small steps, although no one is going to frown on the big ones. As part of a group of talented young players who someday might comprise the foundation of the Ducks’ franchise, the 21- year-old Steel is moving steadily in the right direction.

So say Dallas Eakins, his coach, and Troy Terry, his teammate.

“I think he’s learning great lessons every day, whether it’s in the weight room or at practice and, most importantly, in the games,” Eakins said recently. “He’s progressing really, really well, and quietly well. Those little things in games usually turn into big things.”

Said Terry: “Especially for a young guy trying to play in the , it’s all about confidence and I think he’s been slowly building it. You’ve seen it, especially the last few games. I’m glad he was able to get one there so he didn’t have to think about it anymore.”

Terry referred to Steel’s first goal of the season, in the Ducks’ loss last week to the Washington Capitals. He added a second goal in their 4-3 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. Terry, 22, and Brendan Guhle, 22, had the Ducks’ other goals, indicating the youth movement is advancing.

Overall, Steel has two goals and eight assists in 22 games this season. Steel, a first-round draft pick in 2016 (30th overall), had six goals and five assists in 22 games last season, most coming after a late-season recall from the Ducks’ AHL team, the San Diego Gulls.

Steel’s playmaking is what draws the eyes to him, but he’s mastering other parts of his game, too. The center position can be a difficult one to master for a young player making a rapid ascent from junior-level hockey to the AHL and then to the NHL.

“He’s doing a lot of little things well right now,” Eakins said. “I think he fully understands that this league is a different beast than anything that he’s had to go through before. The one thing I’ll always say about that kid is when you give him something he tries to implement it right away.

“I think he is his best teacher. He’s one of those kids who’s really invested in his career. I know he really takes great pride in the details. My experience with him through a couple of development camps and, obviously, coaching him, this kid usually figures it out mostly on his own.

“I think he’s quietly going about his business very well right now.”

Said Terry: “You see him making these skilled plays that I’m, obviously, accustomed to seeing him do. It wasn’t that he wasn’t before, but he’s just doing it consistently and on a nightly basis. He’s going to keep making plays. He’s just going to keep building. He’s a fantastic hockey player.

“There’s definitely more responsibility as a center. You’re playing down low a lot defensively and you’ve got faceoffs. So, he’s done a really good job of balancing it. He’s been a good two-way player, and now you’re starting to see his offensive side coming to fruition every night.”

GETZLAF SIZZLES

Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf assisted on Guhle’s first-period goal Wednesday against the Coyotes, giving him at least one point in six consecutive games. Getzlaf has recorded two goals and six assists during his streak, and he also has a defensive rating of plus-four.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163733 Anaheim Ducks Plus the fact that he continued to wear it long after the Ducks’ Star Wars Night, which he missed due to injury, was phenomenal.

As for Getzlaf, I think how much he cares about our community is Finding gratitude with the Kings and Ducks, even as the teams are completely underrated. He loves it here and is willing to do whatever he struggling can to make Orange County and Southern California a better place.

If you want a Kings equivalent of the same age group, Jeff Carter and his By Lisa Dillman, Eric Stephens and Josh Cooper Nov 28, 2019 wife, Megan, are similar. When Carter hit 1,000 games I thought what the Carters do with the charity Wags and Walks and how much they (as a couple) have ingrained themselves in the South Bay.

Gratitude and thankfulness can come in unexpected forms. Eric Stephens

It’s easy to say, “I’m grateful for my family and friends,” but dig a little Though we should be thankful throughout the whole year for the good deeper. Try to look at all the good things you truly have in life. things that come our way — and I try my best to do so — American Thanksgiving is always a good holiday to take a step back and reflect on It could be something as simple as seeing a hummingbird on a walk or waking up each morning, breathing and being alive. We think of how we laughing uncontrollably at your favorite movie or TV show — the latter can impact others, the impact others make on us and having the daily was me (Josh) at the latest episode of “Silicon Valley,” and a friend called opportunity to be the best version of ourselves. the next day to talk about it. We then chuckled even harder while discussing it. Let’s just say Russ Hanneman is our favorite character and And I remain thankful for being able to prove my chops as a hockey we’re all in on “Russ-Fest.” writer and focus particularly on the same team for the last 15 years. Fifteen years. As I noted in my introductory piece for The Athletic, I If you follow Sharks broadcaster Jamie Baker on Instagram, you can thought I’d get six months before an editor would decide it’s time to pull learn a lot about what he calls “radical gratitude” and how gratefulness the plug on the experiment. The Ducks have given me plenty to write can show up in every form of life. Baker, who opened up to Katie Strang about over that span. And between the two local teams, I’ve been in the of The Athletic about his mental health, is one of the more inspirational house to personally witness the being hoisted three times. follows in hockey. But it isn’t just covering Cup teams. It has been chronicling the highs of [ Listen to Point Breakaway for more Kings and Ducks coverage ] remarkable playoff victories and lows of Game 7 defeats. It has been In this context, as we head into the season of thankfulness — telling a ton of personal stories. Jersey retirements and Hall of Fame Thanksgiving is Thursday in the United States — we decided to look at enshrinements. The Comeback on Katella. Teemu Selanne playing his what Kings fans and Ducks fans should appreciate about their teams. In final regular-season game and pulling a soon-to-be retiring Jean- all honesty, there doesn’t seem like a lot from the last year but really Sebastien Giguere onto the ice with him for his victory lap as Paul Kariya there has been, which is why we — Kings beat reporter Lisa Dillman, and an adoring crowd showered them with a chilling, never-ending Ducks beat reporter Eric Stephens and myself, staff editor and Point standing ovation. Breakaway co-host Josh Cooper — wanted to put together this story. In that vein, there are some current things about covering the Ducks that We wanted to talk about the stuff that maybe you don’t see within these I’m grateful for. Watching Jakob Silfverberg go into a corner with little teams. Hopefully, we can pull back the curtain a little and offer our chance to come out of it with the puck and still managing to do so. glimpse. Listening to the fans up in the 400 section of Honda Center chant “Ooh Aah” when the sweet, two-way Swede scores. Seeing Ondrej Kase have So here we go! the biggest smile whenever he puts the puck in the net. Having Rickard Rakell speak with candor and being the easiest and quickest to Josh Cooper transcribe when I listen to the tape recorder. (I wouldn’t wish the job of I’ll start with the Kings. I’m grateful for how they continue to try to push tape transcription on anyone.) boundaries from an in-game entertainment experience perspective. The jury is still out on whether Dallas Eakins will be a good NHL coach, Are they a so-so product on the ice? Yes, but I think they know this and but you can see why people laud his communication skills. It certainly because of that they’re trying to push the right buttons off the ice to makes a scrum or a one-on-one interview much more interesting. And ensure that fans are both heard and also have a great time at Staples I’m thankful that I’ve built up enough of a working relationship with Ryan Center. Getzlaf for him to feel like he can easily go beyond captain-speak and clichés on a variety of topics on the ice and away from it. I’m glad to have They’ve made organist extraordinaire Dieter Ruehle more visible. They a Cam Fowler be unfailingly accessible through good times and bad, and covered the Taylor Swift banner — which was one of the funniest things just be a straight-up nice guy. I’ve seen in recent years in this sport — because their fans believed it was a curse on the team. Mostly, I’m grateful to have a wife and three children throwing all their support behind me and the great job that I have, while also pushing me Their laser light shows have somehow gotten bigger and better, if that to reach heights I never imagined I’d get to. Even if it the trade-off is the was possible. They may have gone a little hard into bringing in too many grief they feel is worthy to dish my way, for being away from home and at celebrities last year, but when they got it right, they created some the Michelin restaurants they assume I dine at without them. The truth is, hilarious viral moments with Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell. Both brought I don’t. All right, maybe I’ll stumble into a Morton’s or a Ruth’s Chris once some positive publicity to what was a downright dismal season. every few years.

All signs indicate they’ve learned from this and are primed to create Lisa Dillman some more interesting tidbits off the ice. Just for fun, I decided the other day to re-read my initial offering for The I’m also grateful that Kyle Clifford let me into his home to indulge me with Athletic, detailing why I joined in June 2018 and what we were planning dad talk. I truly love talking to athletes who are young fathers — like on doing in Los Angeles with hockey coverage. myself — and it gave me a unique perspective on Clifford, who has been a heart-and-soul player for the Kings. One line made me chuckle: “If you want 5,000 words on a prospect and it’s a worthwhile story, we will do it.” As for the Ducks, I’m grateful for the two Ryans – Miller and Getzlaf. The way they speak about the game, the way they continue to give us a Now my recent story on the Kings’ top prospect, Alex Turcotte, written glimpse into who they are, is tremendous. after going to see him in Madison, Wis., almost cracked the 3,000-word barrier, but the bigger point is that we are doing these stories. Getzlaf’s Q&A with our Eric Stephens, in which he looked back at his life and career in Anaheim, was a window that few athletes even crack open. It is Thanksgiving, yes, but I feel fortunate on the other days of the year Miller’s openness to talk about any topic — even if it’s political — is rare to work at a place where you get the support, time and resources to do in hockey. these pieces.

Plus, Miller has a great sense of style. I love his current mask, and his Continuing the theme of gratitude, it’s important to give thanks to the “Star Wars” one from last year is arguably one of my favorites of all time. players and their families for allowing us into their lives to tell their stories. I’ve been thinking a lot about Frank and Lynne Martinez in the aftermath of their son Alec’s wrist surgery this week.

Now my dealings with them pre-dated The Athletic. They were incredibly generous with their time when I wrote a story after Alec surprised them at Thanksgiving in 2017, making good on his promise to get his degree at Miami (Ohio) University. This was 13 years after he first stepped foot on campus.

That story helped set the template for future reporting at The Athletic by speaking more often to multiple family members to help provide broader perspective. For starters, there’s Fran and Nancy Anderson-Dolan, Megan Carter, Alfie Turcotte, Craig Johnson, Dana and Gerry Anderson and Lisa Lizotte, among others.

Yes, I’m the go-to Mom and Dad correspondent at The Athletic.

One of my favorite stories of last season was Fran Anderson-Dolan’s inspired dash across , leaving Calgary in the morning to get to Montreal in time to see her son, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, play against her beloved Canadiens.

She was able to see his first NHL point, an assist, and texted me, “I’m in tears.”

Family matters above all else, and the holiday season annually reinforces that point for me.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163734 Arizona Coyotes A pickup in a trade with Seattle, Marte has now played most of three seasons with the D-backs, batting .290 in that span. He took off in 2019, making his first All-Star team, finishing fourth in National League MVP The 5: Things to be thankful for as an Arizona sports fan in 2019 voting, hitting a whopping 32 home runs and driving in 92 runs. His .981 OPS is impressive and gives hope for a bright future with a player that’s only 26.

BY ARIZONA SPORTS NOVEMBER 28, 2019 AT 9:03 AM By the way, Marte is signed to a team-friendly five-year, $24 million contract that runs through 2022, per Spotrac.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.29.2019 If you’ve been a sports fan in the Valley of the Sun the last few years, you might see why this year is one to be especially thankful for.

There’s been a lot of change — for the better — since last Thanksgiving in Arizona sports. And as another fall is upon us, it’s time to reflect on what we’re thankful for.

There’s plenty there.

We looked at five things Arizona sports fans should be thankful for in 2019, and it was nice to find it so easy:

Kyler and Kliff

The tandem of No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury has worked out well in 2019 for the Cardinals, who have improved drastically on their offensive production and have been competitive in just about every game they’ve played.

Arizona’s NFL team (3-7-1) isn’t exactly vying for a playoff spot this year, but the more important matter at hand is that the Cardinals seem to have a franchise quarterback in the fold.

In 11 games this year, Murray has completed 64.6% of his passes for 2,703 yards, has thrown 14 touchdowns, five interceptions and rushed for 418 more yards and three scores. The Cardinals entered their bye week ranked 11th in the NFL in yards after finishing dead last in that statistic last year.

A new era of Suns

The Phoenix Suns got off to a good start this season and appear to be trending in the right direction thanks to new head coach Monty Williams, some offseason moves by general manager James Jones and, notably, a legitimate starting point guard in Ricky Rubio.

Whether the Suns get back to the playoffs this year is questionable, but as it stands, it looks like they’ll at least compete for a spot.

Coyotes on the upswing

The Arizona Coyotes had one of their best seasons in several years in 2018-19 and are looking to build upon that in 2019-20.

Nick Schmaltz, Conor Garland, Phil Kessel, Darcy Kuemper and Clayton Keller are part of what should make fans optimistic for what’s ahead with the Arizona club, which is looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12. Getting the offense going while sticking to an identity of strong defensive hockey will be part of the formula.

While we’re at it: Be thankful for not one but two goaltenders, as Arizona boasts one of the best goalie tandems in the league with Kuemper and Antti Raanta. The Coyotes will need both if they want to reach their goals.

Promising young Sun Devils

College sports gives us the annual bittersweet sendoff of key players. Last year, wide receiver N’Keal Harry went onward to the NFL, and it looks like running back Eno Benjamin could do the same.

The good news now is that a Herm Edwards-led ASU football program has attracted some solid recruits, so those players — along with the young talent that’s already on campus — could comprise a strong Sun Devil squad for a few years in a row starting next year.

This year’s squad started out 5-1 before going on a disappointing losing streak, but the point remains the same: quarterback Jayden Daniels headlines an attractive core of young players in Tempe.

The emergence of an All-Star

The Diamondbacks are looking to build a perennial contender, but while they do that, there is this great bit of good news: Ketel Marte looks like the real deal. 1163735 Arizona Coyotes On the season, Arizona’s power play is at 18.4%, good for just 20th in the NHL.

That power play goal was a tip-in off a shot from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Christian Dvorak’s big game lifts Coyotes to win on Thanksgiving Eve whose assist on the play moved him into 11th place in franchise history in points, passing Radim Vrbata.

BY MATT LAYMAN | NOVEMBER 27, 2019 AT 11:32 PM UPDATED: Dvorak’s second goal was a back-hander past Gibson after Vinnie NOVEMBER 27, 2019 AT 11:39 PM Hinostroza’s initial shot resulted in a loose puck in front.

The pair of goals were Dvorak’s seventh and eighth of the season; he now is second on the team in goals behind Conor Garland, who has 10. GLENDALE, Ariz. — American Thanksgiving is often cited as a key date on the NHL schedule. The Arizona Coyotes have played their last game Garland, by the way, also had a shootout goal on Wednesday night. before that key date in 2019. Ondrej Kase scored the Ducks’ only shootout goal.

Wednesday night’s contest with the Anaheim Ducks saw Christian Arizona Sports LOADED: 11.29.2019 Dvorak score twice in regulation, followed up by the game-deciding shootout goal as the Coyotes won, 4-3. It was the eighth game in a row against a Pacific Division team that the Coyotes got at least a point.

“It’s nice to eat turkey when you’re winning,” head coach Rick Tocchet said.

Last year, hockey journalist Nick Alberga noted that in the previous five seasons, 62 of the 80 teams in playoffs spots by Thanksgiving went on to make the playoffs. That statistic might even be more notable in 2019 as Thanksgiving comes particularly late in the month of November.

The Coyotes will enjoy a Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, thankful that they’re in second place in the Pacific Division. That’s a playoff spot, and they trail first-place Edmonton by only two points. Three other teams are tied for the third and final divisional playoff spot in the Pacific.

Dvorak was the latest key difference-maker in Arizona’s win on Wednesday night.

COYOTES BEAT DUCKS IN THE SHOOTOUT

Arizona (15-8-3) and Anaheim (11-12-3) played a back-and-forth game that saw the Ducks rally back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, eventually taking their first lead of the game in the third period. After the Ducks went up 3- 2, though, the Coyotes answered right back with a goal from Alex Goligoski just 0:38 later.

Goligoski’s point total increased to 15 on the season, tying him for second on the team. He leads all Coyotes defensemen in points this year.

The goals from Dvorak and Goligoski were all the Coyotes would get in regulation, as Anaheim goalie John Gibson made saves on multiple quality scoring chances by Arizona. One of those was maybe the best save made against the Coyotes this season, as Michael Grabner was robbed on a chance in front.

“We were generating,” Dvorak said of the offense. “I think there’s still room for improvement, something we’ve got to work on in practice, things like that. But it was decent offensively. But first and foremost, we’ve got to work on our D-zone.”

Indeed, the Coyotes were in their own zone a lot on Wednesday night as they were outshot 34-28. Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves for Arizona.

“We’ve got some guys, you’ve got to play some defense,” Tocchet said. “You’ve got to get in front of people. This is a tough league. They played a hard game. We’re going to play teams that are going to play hard against us. We’ve got to play harder. And it is what it is.”

Anaheim goals by Brendan Guhle, Sam Steel and Troy Terry forced overtime for the two teams, and the Coyotes didn’t score in the five- minute 3-on-3, despite getting all of a 4-on-3 power play.

“I liked our start. Got a little sloppy,” Tocchet said of the game as a whole. “We’ve got to work on some details. I don’t know if — and I keep bringing up — the non-practices for the last three, four weeks is catching up to us, because the details of some guys is not good. And we’ve got to get it squared. But it’s nice when you’re winning games to square these things up.”

The good news: Dvorak’s power play goal not only gave the Coyotes a 1- 0 lead in the first period, but it also meant Arizona went 1-for-2 on the power play on Wednesday, meaning that group is 5-for-12 (41.6%) going back to a game last Monday against the Kings. 1163736 Boston Bruins year, with a $1 million signing bonus, and makes $4.5 million in the final three years. He will be 34 at the end of his deal.

Wagner, according to PuckPedia, will make $1.525 million in base salary Brendan Gaunce, making Bruins debut, does his part in win at Ottawa the next two seasons, and $1 million when his deal expires in 2023, at age 32.

By Matt Porter Globe Staff, November 28, 2019, 11:06 a.m. McAvoy, who signed a three-year bridge deal, will be looking for a raise on a $7.3 million salary in the summer of 2022. Carlo, who will also be well into his prime, will be making $3.5 million.

Brendan Gaunce played 9:10 against Ottawa. ■ Finally, Jaroslav Halak could rest easy.

Here’s some notes and quotes as Zdeno Chara makes his annual The veteran goalkeeper ceded the net to Tuukka Rask on Wednesday, delivery of pies around town . . . the night after he stopped 36 of 37 shots against Montreal in the , a building where his name used to ring through the halls. Had the ■ Solid Bruins debut for Brendan Gaunce, who logged 9:10 Wednesday Bruins not won by a touchdown, his effort might have been the story. night at Ottawa, assisting on Chara’s third-period winner and adding two hits in a 2-1 win. “Jaro was strong [Tuesday],” Rask said after making 33 stops of his own against the Senators. “Obviously we scored eight goals, but they had a “In the first period, I was trying to anticipate everything instead of just lot of chances, a lot of shots.” reacting,” said Gaunce, who replaced rookie Jack Studnicka in the lineup. “In the second, I remembered it’s just hockey, and I had my game For Halak, it came after a month of sour finishes. He allowed two goals in from there.” each in his previous two starts, but lost in shootouts to Washington and Philadelphia. Before that, he was a 6-4 winner against Pittsburgh, a Gaunce, 25, produced a 6-5—11 line in 14 games in Providence, and game in which he splintered his stick after allowing a go-ahead goal with was appearing in his 118th NHL game. The Vancouver first-rounder seconds left in the second period. (26th overall in 2012), who signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with Boston July 1, was up and down with the Canucks and AHL Utica the last four In late October, he was a 7-4 winner over the Rangers, but allowed three seasons. strikes in the third. He also was part of the two-disallowed-goals night in Denver, taking his only regulation loss of the year so far. A left shot, he plays center and wing. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Gaunce (6 feet 2 inches, 216 pounds) was as advertised. Halak, now 5-1-3, boosted his save percentage to where it was in the opening weeks of the year: .930, with a 2.40 goals-against average. “He’s hard on pucks,” Cassidy said. “When he gets there first, he can protect it. He can make plays — it was a great play to Z — when he has His play in the first period (12 saves) lifted the Bruins, who were finding time. their way without the injured Patrice Bergeron.

“It’s just the pace of this league. Guys are stronger. You have to bring “He was excellent,” said Cassidy. “I think he’s had a real good year. A that mentality. The more you play, the easier it is to do that. Your first few nights, we didn’t score in the shootout, but that’s for both guys. game, you’re typically surprised by some of that stuff.” That’s not our strength right now. Hopefully we have games like [Tuesday] and we don’t have to worry about it.” On Oct. 18, Gaunce left a game at AHL Laval on a stretcher when Montreal farmhand Michael McCarron blindsided him in the neutral zone. ■ Though their heavy legs made it slow going, the Bruins had the He said he sustained his first concussion and had a badly broken nose. necessary level-headedness to forget about Tuesday’s blowout win and He was off the ice for 18-20 days, he estimated. focus on the Senators.

“I was lucky,” he said. “I didn’t have any symptoms for four or five days “We can enjoy it tonight,” Pastrnak said after the Montreal win, “get some after. My nose wasn’t in a great spot, so I had to have surgery.” confidence, and you know, wash it off tomorrow, just like we would lose, and be ready for tomorrow night.” Given eight weeks to wear facial protection, he chose a wire cage, which he donned Wednesday. He tried a plastic bubble (in the style Sean The Bruins kept mashing the pedal in Montreal, after going up, 6-1, after Kuraly and Noel Acciari wore last year) but it kept fogging up. 40 minutes. That was Cassidy’s focus during his intermission chat. Even last year, he said, he might not have addressed the need to keep pouring “Everyone chirps me,” he said. “But I feel comfortable with it.” it on, but this is the new-new NHL. Related: With David Pastrnak being shadowed, Bruins finally strike in According to the NHL, through the first quarter of this season (317 third period games; a point reached early last week), the number of goals (1,956) ■ The Senators raised eyebrows in the visiting locker room by was the highest since the post-lockout year of 2005-06. shadowing David Pastrnak. Along with that, some 44 percent of games have featured a comeback of “You don’t see that often in the NHL,” Brad Marchand said. “I think it some kind. The Bruins, who choked away a four-goal edge Nov. 12, speaks volumes about how well Pasta’s playing. didn’t want to become the first team this year to blow a five-goal lead.

“They’re a young team. They don’t have anything to lose. They’re playing “We learned from our mistake against Florida,” Cassidy said. “And that’s well. They’re playing very fast. Why not try something different? If you what good teams do.” shut Pasta down, you shut down a big part of our offense.” ■ The Senators (11-13-1) were scrapping harder than many expected It was a slow night for Pastrnak, who leads the NHL with 23 goals (23- from a team that still might finish loaded with lottery Ping-Pong balls. 16—39 in 25 games). He landed two shots, saw two attempts blocked, They had been 7-3-0 in their last 10, and allowed one goal in each in and missed the net twice. He also had David Krejci as his center for the their three previous games. Leading scorer Jean-Gabriel Pageau (13-6— first half of the game, Charlie Coyle for the latter. 19 in 25 games), a pending UFA, was shooting at 21.7 percent.

If another team tries the Sticky Pasta strategy, Marchand sounded like he “No professional athlete wants to get walked on,” said “Hockey Night in would be prepared. That would include route changes and crosses to set Canada” analyst Garry Galley, a Bruin from 1988-92. “They’ve got pride. legal picks on defenders. They know it’s not a playoff team . . . but you want to be a guy they want to build around.” “When that happens,” Marchand said, “other things open up.” Boston Globe LOADED: 11.29.2019 ■ Unlike Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, who are due a raise in salary in the final years of their deals, both Chris Wagner and Coyle will have hit their salary peak when their deals expire.

Coyle, whose cap hit is $5.25 million for the six-year deal, will earn $8 million in salary next season, a source with knowledge of the deal told the Globe, then $6 million in 2021-22. He drops to $3 million in the third 1163737 Boston Bruins

Brendan Gaunce, Jack Studnicka, make impact on Bruins road trip

By MARISA INGEMI | November 28, 2019 at 5:35 PM

OTTAWA — Without Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins still won back-to-back road games in Canada.

Part of that had to do with the overall depth of the group, with secondary scoring stepping up along with their best players. But part of it was the play of the newcomers, who held their own in their first games as a member of the Bruins.

In Montreal, Jack Studnicka played second-line minutes centering Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle, and picked up his first career NHL assist on Danton Heinen’s goal to make it an 8-1 game.

Brendan Gaunce wasn’t making his NHL debut, but it was his first regular-season contest donning black and gold; he earned the primary assist on Zdeno Chara’s game-winning goal in the Bruins comeback win in Ottawa.

“He’s hard on pucks,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “If he gets there first, he’ll protect it. He can make plays. It was a great play to (Chara) when he has time. It’s just the pace of this league, it’s just different than the . Guys are stronger so you have to bring that mentality.”

Gaunce played in 117 career games at the NHL level with the Canucks with varied success before signing with the Bruins on July 1. He’s been in Providence since the end of training camp, but once the Bruins center depth got hit, they’ve had to get creative.

Last season, it was the blue line that was struck by injuries, but this year it’s been the forwards. They’ve survived with the versatility of Par Lindholm and the ability to move Coyle throughout the lineup, but without Bergeron, that entire dynamic changes.

Gaunce did everything they’d hope for out of a guy who’s been in the league, and then some in helping grab the win.

Midway through the third in Ottawa, he slid a pass from the right faceoff dot to Chara up high, who blasted in the go-ahead goal in a game where the Bruins offense was shut down until the third period.

“It was a good forechecking shift from our line,” said Gaunce. “(Joakim Nordstrom) found me in the middle and I felt some pressure from my backside so I assumed that my guy was coming down from (Chara)’s point so he was in the right spot, and obviously he hammered it home.”

Bergeron has a shot at returning soon from the lower body injury that has lingered this month, so that would send Studnicka — who leads Providence in scoring — and Gaunce back to the AHL.

But, given the way they performed when the team was in need, it’s likely not the last stints they’ll have with the varsity this season; especially with the way the injuries have seemed to go.

Both of them proved they can handle the workload, though, in their limited time with the Bruins, but it came when they needed someone to step up in Bergeron’s absence; it’s safe to say they both did.

Boston Herald LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163738 Boston Bruins “Typically, guys don’t want to eat too much the night before, so after a 1 o’clock game (Friday) you get out of there and go eat some leftovers and enjoy your Thanksgiving tradition,” Krug said.

For Bruins, the traditional Black Friday game is part showcase, part Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk went to plenty of Bruins games as a celebration kid growing up in Charlestown and always enjoyed the matinee games, especially the day after Thanksgiving.

By Joe McDonald Nov 28, 2019 “I love it,” he said. “It’s usually some kind of rivalry game. It’s certainly fun to be part of it now. I love afternoon games, too, so to be able to play in those is fun.”

After indulging in turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, The game is back in its familiar matinee start time this year, after shifting libations and football on Thursday, hockey fans will be given a sizable to a night start last year. helping of Pasta and the King on Friday. When NBC started broadcasting the Black Friday matinee game to a The Bruins will renew a tradition that has been running for three decades national audience earlier this decade, the network decided to rotate it in Boston: their annual home game on Black Friday. The team began among other cities. That did not go over too well in Boston, because playing the day after Thanksgiving in 1986, and it became a yearly staple many felt the Bruins’ tradition merits the afternoon game every year. in 1990. This season it will feature a matchup between David Pastrnak’s Bruins and Henrik Lundqvist’s New York Rangers. That has led the Bruins to playing evening games on Black Friday three times (2014, 2016 and 2018). In some of those years, the Celtics have Since the game’s inception, the Bruins are 14-7 with one tie and three scheduled a matinee to make for a vibrant post-holiday Garden overtime losses in 25 Black Friday games (Due to NHL labor disputes in doubleheader. 1994, 2005 and 2012, the game was not played) The contests have become fan favorites, and a national showcase opportunity for NBC and “It’s one of the brilliant things that Boston’s able to do, because they have the NHL. When NBC put together its new broadcast deal in 2011, Black two elite franchises in the two sports,” Flood said of the Bruins-Celtics Friday was seen as an important opportunity to show off Boston and the doubleheader. NHL to a larger audience. But this year the Bruins return to their familiar afternoon home, where the “We think the Boston fan base is unique to hockey and they love to go to game was traditionally held for more than two decades. games, any time, any day and there’s something about the day after From a production standpoint, NBC brings its top talent and crew to Thanksgiving, maybe being over served turkey the day before,” said Sam Boston for the game. The legendary Mike “Doc” Emrick will lead the play- Flood, executive producer and president of production for NBC and by-play, while Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher will add analysis. NBCSN. “It’s a perfect opportunity to work it off yelling at the opponent and cheering for the mighty Bruins.” Studio hosts Kathryn Tappen, Keith Jones and Mike Milbury will also be on site, plus all the engineers, camera crew and everyone who works Bruce Cassidy is a lifelong Bruins fan and a traditionalist. To him, idea behind the scenes will spend a couple of days in Boston to make sure the of watching, playing, or coaching a game every Black Friday has the production is as close to perfect as possible. become a unique feature of hockey in Boston. “If I have to miss Thanksgiving dinner with the family, there’s nowhere “I love it,” Cassidy said. “It would be good if we played the same team else I’d rather be than Boston — where I lived for 11 years, and calling every year.” an game — with the hockey fans who embraced me as one Even with the teams rotating, there is usually some significance to the of theirs when I was a young sports broadcaster,” said Tappen, who will matchup, and this season the game returns to the league’s roots with a also host a few cancer survivors at the game. pair of Original Six organizations facing off. Speaking of cancer survivors, Olczyk, who beat colon cancer, will For Cassidy, the entire weekend is a sportsperson’s dream, starting on promote NBC’s Black Friday game by participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions each Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. hosting an opponent. “It’s the sacrifice of the people who work in this business,” Flood said. “I’m a big fan of the NFL and Dallas, Detroit playing on Thanksgiving. I “They’re going to miss Thanksgiving with their families to make sure don’t care if (Cowboys and Lions) are good or bad, they should play,” they’re in place, ready to go and ready to create the best-in-class hockey Cassidy said. “I don’t like the late (NFL) game anymore; it’s a money telecast on Friday at 1 o’clock. They are sacrificing the greater good for grab. I’ve watched football all day. I’ve eaten turkey. I’ve had some wine the hockey audience.” and now it’s time to go to bed. But now I’ve got to watch another game? I The Bruins will sport their new alternate sweater on Friday, which is a see why they do it. Why not put another game on because people aren’t tribute to the organization’s rich heritage, dating back to the 1940s and moving off the couch by then.” ’50s.

Then, after the Black Friday game, it’s on to one of college football’s The tradition continues, and it won’t disappoint. biggest rivalries between Ohio State and Michigan on Saturday. What did you think of this story? “It’s a great weekend,” Cassidy said. The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 This will be Torey Krug’s seventh Black Friday game. Even though hockey players typically say they’re only focused on one game at a time, the veteran defenseman admits this is a game that’s circled on the schedule for a variety of reasons.

“I really enjoy it, to be honest,” Krug said. “I like afternoon games, to begin with, but after Thanksgiving a lot of people have family in town, everyone typically has the day off and we have a rowdy crowd, which is always fun. People wake up with a Thanksgiving hangover, whether that’s from eating too much, or drinking too much, and they jump right back in. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great tradition and we try to enjoy it.”

While fans are enjoying family, friends and the time off from work, this game means that Thanksgiving itself will always be a bit different for Bruins players, Krug explained. Even though the team has Thanksgiving off, players generally don’t indulge because of the looming matinee game. 1163739 Buffalo Sabres The Sabres will announce the starter Friday but coach Ralph Krueger did say he plans to split the two games between Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton.

Sheldon Keefe has had immediate impact behind Leafs' bench Buffalo News LOADED: 11.29.2019

By Mike Harrington Published Thu, Nov 28, 2019|Updated Fri, Nov 29, 2019

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their last six games under Mike Babcock before he was fired Nov. 20. They're 3-0 under Sheldon Keefe with 14 goals in the three wins. Talk about a huge new coach bump.

The Buffalo Sabres will be facing a team with all kinds of momentum Friday afternoon in KeyBank Center and Saturday in Keefe's home debut in Scotiabank Arena.

"I'm trying not to get too caught up in my role in this," Keefe said Thursday after the Leafs practiced downtown. "A lot of things have worked out in my favor. Just coming in as a new voice has given the players what some have called a new lease on life and they're feeling good. We have really good players, so when they're feeling good and confident, we feel like good things can happen."

Keefe, 39, was in his fifth year with the before getting the call across town to replace Babcock. The biggest differences he's seen?

"There's more of you," Keefe joked to a crowd of more than a dozen reporters.

"It's really felt normal. It's felt like hockey. The arenas are bigger, the crowds are bigger, all those types of things, but it's really felt normal and that's a credit to the players for making it feel normal. They've come in every day open-minded, they've listened and responded well."

"He's personable, likes to get feedback from the players," said Leafs center Auston Matthews. "Everybody is different. I don't know how much we can go on with comparisons and differences, but no coach is the same. We've got a new coach now and things are going to be different. You've got to move forward and expect changes."

With Kyle Dubas in charge and the team struggling, Mike Babcock was toast in Toronto

Keefe has the Leafs playing with more motion, especially in the offensive zone, and avoiding Babcock's trademark chip-and-chase style. They rolled Wednesday in Detroit, pasting the hapless Red Wings, 6-0, and outshooting them, 54-25.

"You always think you can be better, but we really had it going last night," Matthews said. "Lots of offensive possession time, lots of shots we created. When you end up with 50-plus, you're spending a lot of time in the offensive zone."

The Leafs got three goals in the first 10 minutes, but Keefe said the team hit a lull in the second half of the first period. They immediately took charge again in the second with three goals in the first seven minutes.

"I really liked how we established it from the drop of the puck in the second period again," Keefe said. "The game was virtually over from there and those are really good signs. The nice thing was it wasn't just one line or two lines. It was all four lines and all six defensemen contributing."

***

Keefe said backup Michael Hutchinson will get the start in goal Friday with starter Frederik Andersen going Saturday. It's another departure from Babcock, who exclusively started Andersen in the opener of back- to-backs.

The Leafs are just 0-5-1 this year when using backup goalies in Hutchinson and rookie Kasimir Kaskisuo. Columbus is the only other NHL team without a win from its backups. Andersen is 12-5-3.

Hutchinson is being brought back from the Toronto Marlies after Babcock decided he no longer wanted to play him and had him shipped to the AHL. Hutchinson is 0-4-1 with a 4.44 goals-against average and .879 save percentage. 1163740 Buffalo Sabres "The rivalry will bring emotion into the building. We know there will be a mix of people from Canada and Buffalo supporting both sides, which will create that bit of an atmosphere like I'm used to often in Europe where Sabres looking to avoid dubious slice of history against Leafs there's lots of road fans. It will certainly give a spark to the game."

The Sabres have played the Leafs 214 times in their history, winning 115 and getting a tie or overtime/shootout loser point in 27 other games. By Mike Harrington Published Thu, Nov 28, 2019|Updated Fri, Nov 29, That's a lifetime points percentage of .600, their best against any Atlantic 2019 Division opponent.

The Leafs enter this set two points ahead of the Sabres, although Buffalo has a game in hand. After a 3-7 start on the road, the Leafs have posted Through five decades of hockey, the Buffalo Sabres have always had wins at Arizona, Colorado and Detroit on this trip after Babcock was fired plenty of success against the Toronto Maple Leafs. From the Aud to following last week's 4-2 loss in Vegas. Maple Leaf Gardens and now from KeyBank Center to Scotiabank Arena, wins and goals have been plentiful. And so has the byplay in the "I don't really think about other teams too much but I saw they got a new stands. head coach so they're probably excited and trying to get back on track," Ristolainen said. "It's always a tough game and it's nice to have some The Sabres once scored 11 goals in a game in Toronto in 1975 and Leafs fans here with the Sabres fans." battered the Leafs, 14-4, in an 1981 game at the Aud that saw them explode for a nine-goal second period that still stands as an NHL record. Auston Matthews leads the Leafs with 16 goals and 30 points while In 33 of the games, they've scored at least six goals against Toronto. Eichel, his former World Junior teammate, tops the Sabres at 14-17-31. They even beat the Leafs in five games in the 1999 Eastern Conference Matthews burned Buffalo with an overtime goal here last December in finals to earn their last trip to the Stanley Cup final. the final three seconds of the extra session.

But as they try to emerge from yet another slump that has dogged their "It's always good," Eichel said. "We always bring out the best in each recent history, the Sabres face a dark reality this weekend: They other and it's good competition." suddenly can't beat their fiercest rival. Buffalo News LOADED: 11.29.2019 A loss in Friday afternoon's matinee against the Leafs downtown would be Buffalo's sixth straight against Toronto, something that has never happened since the Sabres entered the NHL in 1970. And that figure could quickly get to No. 7 as the teams meet again Saturday night in Toronto.

"That gives us motivation but just the game overall gives me motivation," defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen said after the club's Thanksgiving Day practice in the arena. "We haven't got too many wins lately so we need it bad."

The Sabres were swept by the Leafs last year for the first time (going 0- 3-1) and haven't beaten them in more than 20 months, since a 3-2 win in Toronto on March 28, 2016. Buffalo's last five-game losing streak against Toronto dates to 1972, as does the last time it dropped as many as the current three in a row at home.

Throwback to last season when Auston Matthews scored this beautiful OT goal in Buffalo with the arena full of Leafs fans: pic.twitter.com/RR4MPw71rV

— Mœ (@MoezK89) November 29, 2019

The timing for this home-and-home set isn't great. The Leafs are 3-0 under new coach Sheldon Keefe and letting their talent fly all over the ice with the shackles of Mike Babcock now on the unemployment line. They're coming off Wednesday's 6-0 win in Detroit that saw them unleash a 54-shot barrage at the Red Wings. The Sabres, meanwhile, are just 3-9-3 in their last 15 games.

Ristolainen often seems to be in the center of things against the Leafs but longtime adversary Nazem Kadri is no longer part of the rivalry after he was traded to Colorado following last season.

Still, when asked if the absence of Kadri put a crimp on the rivalry for him, Ristolainen said no way.

"I like it a lot. They all look the same," he said of the Leafs. "Same sweater. Same helmets. They're all enemies. Just get a win."

Captain Jack Eichel stayed to a similar party line.

"They're the next team on our schedule and it's important to get divisional wins," Eichel said. "We have to start finding wins against everyone and the Leafs are a team we play a lot in our division."

Coach Ralph Krueger knows rivalries, having been a part of some Edmonton-Calgary games during his three seasons with the Oilers as both an assistant and head coach. He said he's looking forward to his first chance at this one, even though it will not be against former Canadian Olympic team partner Babcock.

"We're really excited about it. It's been highlighted on the calendar for a while, this back to back," Krueger said. "You can feel the energy in the room. We're going to make the picture nice and small and do our best to play some strong hockey here. 1163741 Calgary Flames Calgary City Councillor Evan Woolley planned to go before City Council on Thursday and put forth a motion to reconsider its decision to provide $290-million of public funding for the Flames new arena, and instead 'Misleading, insincere and concerning': Akim Aliu responds to statement redirect much of the funding to the Green Line LRT project. from Flames coach We can only assume that the team will come forward, at some point, as a unified organization and make a strong statement regarding racism and a commitment to ridding it from the game. Kristen Anderson, Postmedia How much did Flames management know about Peters before hiring him?

The Calgary Flames are set to hit the ice on Friday, for their first practice Bill Peters issues statement addressing use of racial slurs at home and their first skate at Scotiabank Saddledome since the allegations towards head coach Bill Peters surfaced. Former NHLer alleges racist comments by Flames coach Bill Peters

Questions loom and uncertainty swirls around the franchise as the team We can only assume that terminating Peters’ contract is all but a returns home following a four-game road trip which saw them go 2-1-1. formality, and associate coach Ward will be promoted to interim head coach of the team. We can only assume that this, likely, will occur Amid off-ice distractions, they wrapped things up with Wednesday’s 3-2 sometime before Saturday’s game. overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center as associate coach Geoff Ward ran the bench along with assistant general manager We can only assume that Treliving has already informed the players Craig Conroy, assistant coach Ryan Huska and eye-in-the-sky assistant what, exactly, is happening, what to expect, and what to prepare for. coach Martin Gelinas. And we can only assume the players are able to block out the noise and But what happens now? focus on improving their 12-12-4 record which, before Thursday’s action, had them sitting ninth in the Western Conference and, technically, behind It’s business-as-usual, in theory, for the team who is set to host the Vegas (12-11-4) who also has 28 points but have played one less game Ottawa Senators on (Saturday at 5 p.m., City than Calgary. TV, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet West). The on-ice stuff? It’s what they do best. But, right now, we wait.

Yet, on paper — as of Thursday evening — the Flames are still coached Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.29.2019 by Peters.

The assumption is that there are legal proceedings taking place behind closed doors between the 54-year-old Three Hills native, the Flames and the National Hockey League, addressing the racial slurs he used towards former NHL-er Akim Aliu from nearly a decade ago and properly determining the next steps.

In case you missed it, this the statement #Flames head coach Bill Peters sent colleague @EricFrancis — an apology. pic.twitter.com/xNfzBiuMCU

— Kristen Anderson (@KdotAnderson) November 28, 2019

General manager Brad Treliving — and the media — received a letter of apology and a statement from Peters during Wednesday’s game while Aliu released a statement of his own on Thursday, responding to the apology and calling it “misleading, insincere and concerning.” pic.twitter.com/F1JdMLbAt6

— Akim Aliu (@Dreamer_Aliu78) November 28, 2019

There also is the lingering issue of what happened when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015-16, as former Hurricanes player Michal Jordan revealed through Twitter that Peters had kicked Jordan and punched an unnamed player in the head during a game.

1) Never wish anything bad to the person but you get what you deserve Bill.After years making it to the NHL had experience with the worst coach ever by far.Kicking me and punching other player to the head during the game…

— Michal Jordan (@TheBigCzech23) November 26, 2019

On Wednesday, then-assistant coach and current Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour corroborated Jordan’s account of the event, but also said that it was immediately brought to the attention of general manager Ron Francis and the club dealt with the matter internally.

This has been a difficult month for the organization.

The Flames have struggled to score goals. They suffered through a six- game losing streak. A 5-0 blowout loss at St. Louis prompted a closed- door meeting between players then, to make matters worse, the team was grounded that evening as there were mechanical problems with the team’s charter plane.

Then, of course, there was the traumatic medical situation involving TJ Brodie who collapsed at practice and started convulsing on Nov. 14. (Brodie, of course, returned on the team’s road trip and has played in the last two games).

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse . . . 1163742 Calgary Flames Peters was head coach of the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs in 2009-10. At that time, Aliu was a rookie forward on that team, an affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Flames are handling Peters saga ‘precisely the right way’: legal expert Many fans have questioned whether the Flames can fire their coach based on an incident that occurred a decade ago in another league and while he was working for another organization. Wes Gilbertson “In a case like this, it really doesn’t matter,” Macramalla answered. “The ‘N’ word is so toxic and so damning that the Flames can allege that your use of that word, even though it was 10 years ago, has brought our According to a legal expert, the Calgary Flames are sticking to the proper organization into disrepute, has made our lives very difficult and makes it game-plan. unable for you to lead. While hockey fans may be wondering why it’s taking so long for the “Every case is different, but in this specific circumstance, with the use of Flames to determine the future of coach Bill Peters after explosive that specific word a number of times, it doesn’t really matter.” allegations of a racial slur directed toward a former player, the team is handling this controversial case the way any business would be advised. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.29.2019 “An investigation is absolutely part of the employment law playbook,” said Eric Macramalla, an Ottawa-based partner for Gowling and a sports legal analyst for Forbes. “The Flames are doing a good job on this.”

Ever since Monday’s startling accusation from Akim Aliu that Peters had “dropped the N bomb several times towards me” while working as a minor-league coach during the 2009-10 National Hockey League season, the sports world has been waiting on what seems inevitable — a press release from the Flames announcing that they’ve parted ways with the 54-year-old skipper.

Peters was not on the bench for Wednesday’s overtime win in Buffalo. Instead, during the second intermission, he issued an apology through Sportsnet and TSN. Sharing a letter addressed to general manager Brad Treliving, Peters seemed to confirm the locker-room slur, writing: “I am aware that there is no excuse for language that is offensive. I meant no disrespect in what I said, and it was not directed at anyone in particular. But, that doesn’t matter; it was hurtful and demeaning. I am truly sorry.”

In case you missed it, this the statement #Flames head coach Bill Peters sent colleague @EricFrancis — an apology. pic.twitter.com/xNfzBiuMCU

— Kristen Anderson (@KdotAnderson) November 28, 2019

Treliving received the letter at the same time as the media. Speaking post-game in Buffalo, he stressed the club is “not trying to stall or take time or drag our feet” but again reiterated the importance of being thorough in their investigation.

“What’s happening right now is absolutely par for the course. The Flames are doing this precisely the right way,” Macramalla said. “When you have an event like this that involves an allegation like this, the first thing you do as an employer is you initiate an investigation. And then if the allegations are so damning and so offensive, as they are here, you have the option to put the employee on leave, because if he is not on leave, then that might create a stress on the business and on other employees there. The Flames have done that, too.

“The Flames have to do their due diligence here. They have to make sure, as best they can, they determine whether Bill Peters said what he said. Now, Bill Peters seemed to concede (in his letter Wednesday) that he used that language, but now the Flames need to just figure out, ‘OK, is there enough here from a legal standpoint, as well, to fire him without paying him out?’ That is, to allege just cause. If they fire him without cause, then they would owe him what is left on his deal.”

Peters is believed to be signed through the end of next season at a salary of approximately $2 million per year.

“If (Treliving) went in and fired him merely based upon an allegation, and the allegation turns out to be wrong, then Bill Peters could sue for defamation, plus what is owed on his deal, plus loss of future earnings. It would be a multi-million-dollar proposition for Bill Peters,” Macramalla said. “So as an employer, you do what every employer does — you do it the right way. And it takes time. This is going quickly, but you still have to make sure that you have all your ducks in a row before you do something as dramatic as firing somebody.”

'Misleading, insincere and concerning': Akim Aliu responds to statement from Flames coach

Bill Peters issues statement addressing use of racial slurs

How much did Flames management know about Peters before hiring him? 1163743 Calgary Flames Davison goes on offence. He says Woolley and Farkas “have a history of rinse, recycle, repeat.” They’re fighting old wars.

The councillor is not surprised. City hall is never surprising because Bell: Last-ditch stab trying to kill Flames arena deal surprises are how they roll.

As he often does, Davison points to the arena as part of a total makeover Rick Bell of Vic Park into a culture and entertainment district.

At the moment, Vic Park is home to some of the world’s least impressive parking lots. We’re at the eleventh hour. One more play left on the clock. What does Davison think are the chances Woolley will get a Yes for his But I thought a Hail Mary pass was in football, not hockey. plan and the arena deal will be toast?

Well, we’re into another story about the Flames and this one is not about “Zero,” says Davison. the coach or the lousy season. But zero isn’t zero. This is a tale where the hockey team and city politicians meet and that combo always promises the possibility of a circus. “He’s getting what he wants. He wants to get into the media.”

Calgary city council heads into Judgment Day deciding how hard they will For Davison it’s ditto for Farkas as the west-side councillor defends hit small businesses and homeowners with higher taxes and charges. against the Hail Mary pass.

Four months ago, almost to the day, council voted Yes to a deal for a He stands by the arena deal. new arena. The city is in for $290 million. “This is a no-brainer. If these guys had any lick of experience in business A minority on council wanted more time before voting. The Flames said they would understand that.” No. Some didn’t like to vote in the dog days of summer with so many Calgary Sun: LOADED: 11.29.2019 Calgarians away or not paying attention.

They lost. But the city and the Flames are still talking about the fine points of the agreement. Nothing is signed. There’s an update on the talks next week.

Evan Woolley, one of four No votes back in the summer, wants council to kill the not-yet-inked agreement. He wants to open up the debate. He needs two-thirds of council to agree.

Now that’s a Hail Mary pass.

Woolley wants to kill the deal and take the dough for the Green Line LRT, a project that’s now becoming a for a joke of a city council. He wants a downtown cop shop and more low-cost housing.

Jeromy Farkas agrees with Woolley about having a council chinwag. But then they part company.

Farkas wants to kill this particular arena deal but not necessarily some arena deal, one he thinks would be better.

The councillor says there are no sacred cows, not even the arena.

Farkas is not interested in giving the Green Line more scratch.

“I’m not keen doubling-down on the biggest cheque city council has written,” he says.

Farkas says the world has changed, the province is tightening their belt and city hall will have to tighten theirs.

The fiscal hawk would like to rework the timing of when the city pays its share of the arena and how much they pay. He’d also like to nail down what goes on in the officially-named event centre.

In his words, he wants a more public place, a more leisure centre sort of facility rather than just a hockey facility.

Farkas believes sentiment has soured to the deal. He says people didn’t like how council rammed it through in July as a limited time offer.

He says if Calgarians voted on the arena agreement today it would be close but he admits some in the city support the deal because they think council is going to blow money somewhere so they might as well spend it on an arena rather than on ugly public art and more bike lanes.

Jeff Davison is a councillor who played a big part in making this arena deal happen. The man is not interested in getting into a big debate on Thursday.

He says the deal is done. City hall and the Flames shook on it. He says there was a time handshakes meant something in Calgary.

Davison says Woolley is about an “incessant re-looking into files.”

“It’s grandstanding and he knows he doesn’t have the votes to do it.” 1163744 Calgary Flames Ward was in the running for the Flames’ head coaching job back in 2016, which ended up going to Glen Gulutzan. He was an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils at the time. Calgary brought Ward on as an With Bill Peters’ future in doubt, can Geoff Ward save the Flames’ associate coach — a promotion — to work alongside Peters in 2018. He season? immediately helped improve the Flames powerplay from 29th in the league to 18th.

Ward also appears to be well-liked by his players. He is close with Milan By Dan Robson Nov 28, 2019 Lucic, from their time together in Boston.

There was a clear sense of relief amongst the few players remaining in the Flames locker room after beating the Sabres. The team has BUFFALO, N.Y. — It was a difficult time to realize a dream — but it underperformed all season and the Peters scandal has threatened to put finally happened for Geoff Ward, nonetheless. them further off course. Standing in for the Calgary Flames embattled head coach Bill Peters, Captain Mark Giordano praised the way Ward has stepped in while the Ward won his first game as an NHL head coach with a 3-2 overtime win investigation into Peters continues. over the Sabres on Wednesday night. “Awesome. Wardo’s been a great guy,” Giordano said after the win in For Ward, it was the culmination of a three-decade journey. The Flames Buffalo. “Can’t say anything bad — just great things.” players gave Ward the game puck after the win. Earlier he received text messages from players from the very first team he coached — the Jr. B Earlier in the day, Ward spoke about the importance of fostering a sense Waterloo Siskins. of family in the locker room, particularly when there is so much distraction and uncertainty swirling around the teams. Ward’s history suggests that That was in 1994. Ward was a 32-year-old elementary school teacher. it’s more than a cliché. His calming presence can be traced back to his His players hoisted him on their shoulders when they won the first career. Ward grew up in a small village in Northern Ontario, where provincial championship. At the time, Ward said his dream was to one he taught physical education and science at a local high school before day coach in the NHL. He spent decades journeying through hockey’s moving south to teach Grade 5 in Waterloo. coaching ranks — through major junior, the minors and in Europe — before landing as an assistant coach in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup He started his hockey career as an assistant coach with the University of with the Bruins in 2011. Waterloo Warriors in 1989 — became head coach of the Siskins a few years later while supporting himself as a teacher. Along with his old But now, a 57-year-old father of four, Ward can add his own NHL win to players with the Siskins, he still texts with some of the teachers he his resume. It was a long time coming. worked with in Waterloo. “Yeah it’s a long way,” Ward said, outside the Flames locker room. “A He says he still uses a lot of the same skills he learned as a teacher, way long, long way.” back then, as he does today as an NHL coach. But the moment was overshadowed by the turmoil surrounding the “I get a fair amount of teaching in what I do now,” he said. Flames, as an internal investigation into alleged racist and abusive behaviour by Peters when he was the head coach of the Carolina Like the way he interacts with players, and the way he presents ideas Hurricanes and the Rockford IceHogs. and information.

During the third period, Peters released a statement apologizing for the “It’s all of that,” Ward says. “It’s a little bit of psychology — it’s “offensive language I used in a professional setting a decade ago.” His everything.” letter was addressed to Flames GM Brad Treliving and was sent to members of the media. That psychology has seemed to be working since Ward’s first head coaching experience. Peters, who was back in Calgary, did not specifically address Akim Aliu, who alleged on Twitter that his former coach had used racist language “I’ve never seen anyone captivate an audience like Geoff could,” the towards him while he was a member of the IceHogs. Nor did Peters Siskin’s general manager, Keith Gingerich said after the team won the Jr. address subsequent allegations of abusive behaviour made by Michal B provincial championship in 1994. “The players would listen to him for Jordan, who played for the coach in Carolina. Rod Brind’Amour, who was 45 minutes … They would follow him into a furnace.” an assistant coach with the Hurricanes at the time, confirmed Jordan’s And with the Flames under fire, Ward might be the guy to guide them account. through it. But right now, there are too many what-ifs for Ward to In Peters’ letter, he said that he “immediately returned to the dressing consider. He’ll take the win — and whatever comes next. room to apologize to the team” after he was confronted about his use of “The fact that it was my first win in the NHL, it will be something I racist language in the IceHogs dressing room. remember,” he said. “But outside of that, it’s over now — and we have to “I meant no disrespect in what I said, and it was not directed at anyone in move on.” particular,” Peters wrote. “But, that doesn’t matter; it was hurtful and The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 demeaning. I am truly sorry.”

He added that he supports the review being done by the Flames organization.

After the Flames beat the Sabres in overtime, Treliving briefly addressed the media.

“It’s been a difficult three days for everyone,” he said. “We’ve tried to be as open and transparent as possible …We are not trying to stall or take time or drag our feet. It’s a serious matter.”

Treliving said that he would review Peters’ letter and that he hoped to have an update on the investigation on Thursday.

“I hope you can appreciate that we’re just trying to do everything we possibly can and that we do this right and we get all the information that needs to be gathered.”

If the Flames investigation ends with the termination of Peters as the team’s head coach, they might have a seamless replacement in the guy who just picked up his first NHL win. 1163745 Carolina Hurricanes

Aliu calls Flames coach’s apology ‘misleading, insincere’

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NOVEMBER 28, 2019 05:42 PM

Akim Aliu is not happy with the apology Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters issued for a racial slur he allegedly used when both were in the minors 10 years ago.

The former NHL player released his own statement Thursday on Twitter, saying he found Peters' statement a day earlier acknowledging that he used offensive language to be "misleading, insincere and concerning."

Aliu said he has accepted an invitation from the NHL to discuss the situation and would not comment further until after the meeting.

Peters issued a letter Wednesday night to multiple media outlets, apologizing to the Flames and general manager Brad Treliving. The letter did not mention the Nigerian-born Aliu or specify the words Peter used. He called it an "isolated and immediately regrettable incident."

The statement drew criticism on social media.

Former NHL player Georges Laraque tweeted: "The @NHLFlames and the @NHL can now finally conclude their investigation and fire him, what more can they need after this...?”

Aliu tweeted Monday that Peters directed racial slurs toward him when both were with the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks' top farm team, in 2009-10. Aliu, who was born in Nigeria but raised in and Canada, said Peters "dropped the N bomb several times" because he didn't like the player's choice of music.

Peters did not coach the Flames on Wednesday night when Calgary won in Buffalo against the Sabres. Afterward, Treliving said the Flames' investigation was ongoing.

The Flames were scheduled to be off Thursday before returning to practice Friday in Calgary. Their next game is Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

New Jersey teammates Wayne Simmonds and P.K. Subban, who are both black, were asked about the Aliu-Peters situation before the Devils faced the on Thursday night.

“I can guarantee you every single black hockey player has been called a racial slur at some point in their career, whether it's been younger or older,” Simmonds said. “It's something people don't like to talk about because it makes them uncomfortable. In light of this coming out, hopefully this can do some good for the hockey community and shed some light on it.”

Simmonds was part of a racist incident in 2011 when a fan threw a banana on the ice during his shootout attempt during a preseason game in London, Ontario, when he was playing for the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Aliu-Peters incident raises its own set of concerns, Simmonds said.

"You never want to hear things like that," he said. "Those things are extremely discouraging for people of African descent and of color. Something like that happens to you and (the) one person that's doing it to you controls kind of your destiny, it's definitely something that needs to be explored. It's extremely disheartening and I definitely feel for Akim."

Subban got to know Aliu growing up in Toronto and called him a "good kid."

"Until I get all the info I can't really comment on what exactly happened," Subban said. "But I can tell you this right now, the first thought of it is it leaves a bitter taste in everybody's mouth. It just doesn't look good."

News Observer LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163746 Chicago Blackhawks

Former Blackhawks prospect Akim Aliu calls Flames coach’s apology for alleged racial slur ‘misleading, insincere’

ASSOCIATED PRESS | NOV 28, 2019 | 5:05 PM

Former Blackhawks prospect Akim Aliu is not happy with the apology Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters issued for a racial slur he allegedly used when both were in the minors 10 years ago.

The former NHL player released his own statement Thursday on Twitter, saying he found Peters' statement a day earlier acknowledging that he used offensive language to be "misleading, insincere and concerning."

Aliu said he has accepted an invitation from the NHL to discuss the situation and would not comment further until after the meeting.

Peters issued a letter Wednesday night to multiple media outlets, apologizing to the Flames and general manager Brad Treliving. The letter did not mention the Nigerian-born Aliu or specify the words Peter used. He called it an "isolated and immediately regrettable incident."

The statement drew criticism on social media.

Former NHL player Georges Laraque tweeted: "The @NHLFlames and the @NHL can now finally conclude their investigation and fire him, what more can they need after this...?"

Aliu tweeted Monday that Peters directed racial slurs toward him when both were with the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks’ top farm team, in 2009-10. Aliu, who was born in Nigeria but raised in Ukraine and Canada, said Peters “dropped the N bomb several times” because he didn’t like the player’s choice of music.

Peters did not coach the Flames on Wednesday night when Calgary won in Buffalo against the Sabres. Afterward, Treliving said the Flames' investigation was ongoing.

The Flames were scheduled to be off Thursday before returning to practice Friday in Calgary. Their next game is Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

New Jersey teammates Wayne Simmonds and P.K. Subban, who are both black, were asked about the Aliu-Peters situation before the Devils faced the Canadiens on Thursday night.

"I can guarantee you every single black hockey player has been called a racial slur at some point in their career, whether it's been younger or older," Simmonds said. "It's something people don't like to talk about because it makes them uncomfortable. In light of this coming out, hopefully this can do some good for the hockey community and shed some light on it."

Simmonds was part of a racist incident in 2011 when a fan threw a banana on the ice during his shootout attempt during a preseason game in London, Ontario, when he was playing for the Flyers.

The Aliu-Peters incident raises its own set of concerns, Simmonds said.

"You never want to hear things like that," he said. "Those things are extremely discouraging for people of African descent and of color. Something like that happens to you and (the) one person that's doing it to you controls kind of your destiny, it's definitely something that needs to be explored. It's extremely disheartening and I definitely feel for Akim."

Subban got to know Aliu growing up in Toronto and called him a "good kid."

“Until I get all the info I can’t really comment on what exactly happened,” Subban said. “But I can tell you this right now, the first thought of it is it leaves a bitter taste in everybody’s mouth. It just doesn’t look good.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163747 Chicago Blackhawks Philip Holm, defenseman

Blackhawks defenseman Philip Holm (48) handles the puck during a preseason game against the Red Wings at the United Center on Blackhawks have started dipping into their pipeline for reinforcements. Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019. Who might be the next up from the Rockford IceHogs? Holm has some NHL experience and, at 27, wanted to take one more crack at making it after playing in Russia last season.

By JIMMY GREENFIELD CHICAGO TRIBUNE |NOV 28, 2019 | 2:20 PM Holm signed in August and has been one of Rockford’s top defensemen when Boqvist hasn’t been around. He leads the IceHogs with eight assists in 18 games. With Drake Caggiula and Dylan Strome both out with concussions, the Blackhawks called up forwards Matthew Highmore and Anton Wedin Brandon Hagel, forward from Rockford this week. Blackhawks prospect Brandon Hagel practices Monday, July 15, 2019, at Caggiula is on long-term injured reserve and isn’t eligible to return until Fifth Third Arena during development camp. Dec. 5. He spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time since leaving the One of the more noticeable players at September’s prospect tournament lineup Nov. 13 against the Golden Knights. He had last played three days in Traverse City, Hagel seems to be the kind of physical, high-energy earlier against the Maple Leafs when he was hit in the head by a slap forward who can fit into the kill or play on the fourth line if shot but didn’t feel concussion symptoms until a couple of days later. needed.

“Started to feel the effects on the flight to Vegas and woke up the next Hagel, who had 102 points (41 goals, 61 assists) last year with Red Deer morning in Vegas and obviously didn’t feel too good,” Caggiula said. “I’ve of the Western Hockey League, has four goals and five assists in 17 had these injuries before, just wanted to be safe, and I’m glad that myself games with the IceHogs. and the team have taken it seriously and looking after my health instead of just trying to play through something you’re not sure about.” Dennis Gilbert, defenseman

The Hawks have been cautious when it comes to concussions. Caggiula Blackhawks defensman Dennis Gilbert hits the boards in the second missed a month last season after getting boarded by the Ducks’ Rickard period Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. Rakell, and Kirby Dach didn’t make his NHL debut until Oct. 20 following his concussion at the Traverse City Prospect Tournament five weeks Gilbert was sent to Rockford after playing in the season opener then earlier. returned briefly in late October after Connor Murphy’s injury.

While Strome isn’t on IR and can return anytime, he didn’t practice Gilbert is an option as a seventh defensemen in case of injury, but Holm Thursday and isn’t likely to play Friday against the Avalanche at the might get an opportunity ahead of him the next time an extra blueliner is United Center. If Strome ends up on long-term injured reserve it will be needed. retroactive to Nov. 23 and he would be out at least until Dec. 18 when the Kevin Lankinen, goalie the Hawks host the Avalanche again. Collin Delia is having a miserable season at Rockford with an .863 save The Hawks haven’t had to turn to the IceHogs often, but now that the percentage and 4.09 goals-against-average in seven starts. He hasn’t rigors of an NHL season are starting to take their toll the Rockford played since Nov. 15. pipeline likely will be more active. If either Corey Crawford or Robin Lehner goes down with an injury, Here’s a look at possible call-ups later this season: Lankinen likely is in line to get his first NHL call-up. He has a .919 save Adam Boqvist, defenseman percentage and 2.69 GAA in seven starts with the IceHogs.

Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist (27) looks to score against Chicago Tribune LOADED: 11.29.2019 Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson (30) in the first period Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, at the United Center.

The Hawks’ top pick in 2018 had a very encouraging six-game NHL stint earlier this month to help fill in while Connor Murphy was out with a groin injury. He’s an elite skater with high-end offensive skills and was better defensively than expected.

The question isn’t if he is ready to play in the NHL now but how long until there’s an opening for him. He’s almost certainly the first defenseman to get called up in the event of another injury.

It’s doubtful the Hawks will move Erik Gustafsson, who is an unrestricted free agent after the season, as long as they’re in the playoff picture. But if Boqvist continues to progress at Rockford — he had five assists in a two- game span last weekend — and the Hawks find an offer for Gustafsson they like, a spot could open up soon.

Dylan Sikura, forward

Blackhawks right wing Dylan Sikura (95) passes the puck during the third period of a preseason game against the Red Wings at the United Center on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019.

Sikura’s drop on the depth chart is becoming noticeable now. Highmore and Wedin were called up before Sikura even though he’s tied for the team lead in points (12), is second in goals (7) and his team-leading 72 shots on goal are 28 higher than the next player.

At 24, Sikura has had chances to prove himself in the NHL but went 38 games without a goal in previous stints with the Hawks. He’s not a fourth- line type and the Hawks have more than enough options already on the roster to join the top six forwards if there’s an injury.

Sikura’s a good depth player to have available, but right now it’s hard to see where he fits going forward. 1163748 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks finally testing forward depth with Matthew Highmore, Anton Wedin call-ups

By Ben Pope Nov 28, 2019, 12:27pm CST

Matthew Highmore had played only NHL preseason games over the last two seasons before playing Tuesday against the Stars. AP

For the first month and a half, the Blackhawks had a healthy group of forwards.

That has changed with Drake Caggiula and Dylan Strome sidelined with concussions. The Hawks’ replenished depth, a much-mentioned subject by coach Jeremy Colliton and general manager Stan Bowman throughout the offseason, finally will be tested.

“The guys who go in have to bring energy and give us positive shifts,” Colliton said after practice Thursday. “[Matthew] Highmore came in, and he didn’t get a ton of ice, but the ice he got he did well with. So there’s no reason why Anton [Wedin] can’t do the same thing when he gets in.”

Highmore’s call-up Monday proved prudent and effective Tuesday, when Strome took the morning skate but reported concussion-like symptoms in the afternoon and became a late scratch.

Highmore made his first NHL appearance since March 2018 and played so well on the fourth line with Ryan Carpenter and Zack Smith that he briefly led the league in Corsi percentage (72.7 percent, with eight shots for and three against).

“It had definitely been awhile, but I did feel comfortable, especially after the first couple of shifts when I settled in,” Highmore, 23, said Thursday. “My linemates were great. They were very informative with a lot of talk on the ice, so that made my job a lot easier.”

Wedin joined the Rockford-to-Chicago pipeline Wednesday and could potentially make his NHL debut in the home-and-home series against the Avalanche, though Colliton implied the call-up was more precautionary, and he wasn’t sure if Wedin, 26, would actually crack the lineup.

Despite his productivity in the AHL (11 points in 17 games), Wedin, signed as a European free agent this summer, probably didn’t cross the Atlantic to play minor-league hockey, so the news was well-received.

“Obviously, you want to get a chance to play here in the NHL,” Wedin said. “Just happy to be here, and I’ll do my best if I get the chance.”

Wedin impressed in the preseason thanks to his versatility, showing he could play center and wing and also make an impact on the penalty kill, but he needed some time to adjust to the smaller North American rinks.

“Strong skater, strong on the puck, he’s got just enough skill, he gets his nose dirty and he’s a versatile player,” Colliton said. “We can plug him in in a lot of different spots.”

There are several other depth forwards in Rockford who could see time with the Hawks, including familiar names Dylan Sikura and Jacob Nilsson, plus promising rookie grinder Brandon Hagel.

But the preferred outcome obviously would be to get Caggiula and Strome back as quickly as possible.

Colliton said he had no update on Strome, whose absence has promoted Kirby Dach onto Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat’s high-flying line.

Caggiula, however, has skated on his own for four consecutive days and said he’s close to rejoining team practices.

He has been out since accidentally blocking a friendly-fire slap shot Nov. 10 against the Maple Leafs, although (like Strome) his symptoms didn’t emerge until two days later in Vegas. But he’ll be eligible to return from long-term injured reserve next Thursday against the Bruins.

“If it was any other injury, I’d probably be out there playing, but with something like this, you just want to be as safe as you can,” Caggiula said. “You’re going to need [your brain] once your hockey career is done.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163749 Chicago Blackhawks Together, the Ohio native and Finland native are growing into a responsible defensive duo that Colliton can rely on. They clearly showed that Tuesday.

Connor Murphy’s Midas touch now making Olli Maatta golden for “Exiting [the defensive zone], we were skating a lot to try to move it back Blackhawks to the [neutral zone], and that helped us from having too long a shift in Murphy can seemingly fix everything for the Blackhawks, including any our own end,” Murphy said. “We were making more confident plays with fellow defenseman he’s paired with. the puck. When you skate and talk and use outlets, I think it makes your life a lot easier.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 11.29.2019 By Ben Pope Nov 28, 2019, 7:50am CST

Connor Murphy excelled alongside Olli Maatta in the Blackhawks’ home- and-home against the Stars. AP

Connor Murphy is making one part of coach Jeremy Colliton’s job — creating and maintaining the Blackhawks’ defensive pairs — very easy.

No matter whom Colliton puts with Murphy, the broad-shouldered, wide- smiled defenseman magically transforms the pairing into a consistent, reliable shutdown duo.

Olli Maatta is the latest beneficiary.

After the Hawks’ 3-0 victory Tuesday against the Stars — a shutout thanks in part to Murphy and Maatta locking down Dallas’ explosive first line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski — Colliton gave the duo a great review.

“They took the [toughest] matchup, for the most part, and they were good,” Colliton said. “They were clean with the puck when they needed to be. You can’t just defend — you get the puck back, then we’ve got to get out.

“They’re two big bodies, and they’re playing against big bodies, and they did a really good job.”

In the last two games, Murphy-Maatta had shot, shot-on-goal and scoring-chance ratios all above 50 percent despite consistently playing against the Stars’ best forwards.

Thanks to the pairing’s effectiveness, the Hawks allowed only one goal in the home-and-home set against the Stars, who had won 12 of their last 14 games.

Murphy alone equaled that scoring total with his 180-foot empty-net goal, sealing the win Tuesday. It might not have required as much offensive instinct as his first goal of the season (last week against the Hurricanes), but it was certainly well deserved, giving Murphy a little dose of good luck and a box-score reward in exchange for suffering through two groin injuries already this season.

“I have to tip the rink guys for funneling the ice,” he joked afterward. “I think they’ve been digging out a trench for that one.”

When he has been healthy, Murphy has developed nothing less than a Midas touch when it comes to making the Hawks’ haphazard pairings turn golden.

Last season, he made his pairing with Carl Dahlstrom seem like a legitimate shutdown duo for a while — yet Dahlstrom is now nothing more than a healthy scratch for the Jets.

Earlier this season, he made Duncan Keith look like he was back in his prime, forming a dominant No. 1 pairing with the 36-year-old.

Now he has revived Maatta, whose early success alongside Brent Seabrook had long faded.

Murphy’s defensive statistics have become miles better than anyone else in the Hawks’ defensive core. He’s allowing only 51.6 shots per 60 minutes — everyone else is between 56 and 70. He’s allowing only 24.0 scoring chances per 60 minutes — everyone else is between 28 and 34. Same for shots on goal, expected goals and so forth.

With that constant supply of stifling defense, it’s no wonder Murphy provides such a stabilizing effect on the unit overall.

But Maatta merits some credit, too. The former Penguin boasts the second-lowest scoring-chance-against rate on the team and has been excellent since his return to Pittsburgh on Nov. 9 with a 50.7 Corsi rating in the nine games since after limping to a 42.2 rating before then. 1163750 Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago hosts Colorado after shutout win

By Associated Press

Colorado Avalanche (14-8-2, fourth in the Central Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (10-9-5, sixth in the Central Division)

Chicago; Friday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche visit Chicago after the Blackhawks shut out Dallas 3-0. Corey Crawford earned the victory in the net for Chicago after recording 32 saves.

The Blackhawks are 2-1-2 against Central Division opponents. Chicago has scored 10 power-play goals, converting on 13.7% of chances.

The Avalanche are 3-4-0 against the rest of their division. Colorado ranks sixth in the league shooting 10.8% and averaging 3.5 goals on 32.8 shots per game.

The matchup Friday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Patrick Kane leads the Blackhawks with 12 goals, adding 19 assists and totaling 31 points. Kirby Dach has scored four goals over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 15 goals and has recorded 35 points. Andre Burakovsky has seven goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Colorado.

LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.7 assists, 4.3 penalties and 9.1 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game with a .904 save percentage.

Blackhawks: 6-2-2, averaging 3.6 goals, 6.2 assists, 3.4 penalties and 7.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game with a .945 save percentage.

Blackhawks Injuries: Dylan Strome: day to day (concussion).

Avalanche Injuries: Andre Burakovsky: day to day (upper body).

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163751 Chicago Blackhawks Coach Jeremy Colliton isn't sure when either player might return.

By the numbers

Dynamic duo: Hawks thankful to have Lehner, Crawford going strong High danger chances allowed per game during 5-on-5 play.

Team Chances

John Dietz 1. Blackhawks 10.6

2. N.Y. Rangers 10.5

It's time for all Blackhawks fans to give thanks. 3. San Jose 9.4

Thanks to Robin Lehner. Thanks to Corey Crawford. And thanks to Stan 4. Florida 9.38 Bowman for putting together the best 1-2 goalie punch in the NHL. 4. Winnipeg 9.38 Lehner and Crawford are without a doubt Reasons 1 and 2 why the Hawks are 10-9-5 overall, 6-2-2 in their last 10 and staying relevant in the SOURCE: naturalstattrick.com playoff picture. Standing tall

"It's unbelievable," defenseman Connor Murphy said after a 3-0 victory Robin Lehner's numbers: over Dallas in which Crawford turned away 32 shots for his first shutout since March. W-L-OL Sv% GAA

Unbelievable. Incredible. Sensational. Phenomenal. Miraculous. 5-4-3 .938 2.38

We could go on trying to find adjectives that aptly describe how Lehner Corey Crawford's numbers: and Crawford have performed most of this season. W-L-OL Sv% GAA And they've defied the odds in two different ways: 5-5-2 .920 2.77 • Both have stayed red hot despite flip-flopping starting assignments for SOURCE: NHL statistics nine straight games. Such a strategy is rarely used because goalies generally thrive when given consistent work. Daily Herald Times LOADED: 11.29.2019 "I don't know," Crawford said when asked how he's staying in the zone. "Lenny's been playing really well and it's just kind of worked in our favor right now that he's playing so good. And I get in there and play pretty well.

"It's hard for me to answer. It's not my choice. I just try and be ready when I get the call."

• Also incredible is how Lehner and Crawford are both in the top five in save percentage since Nov. 3 despite facing a whopping 125 high- danger scoring chances, according to naturalstattrick.com. Only the Rangers are allowing more chances per game since that date.

Despite seeing a host of odd-man rushes, breakaways and missed assignments in their own zone, Lehner is second in the league in save percentage (. 938), and Crawford is 4-1-1 with a .948 save percentage and 1.82 goals-against average his last six games.

"Both are veterans and the presence they have every day (of) being there for us is fun," Murphy said.

Even if the uneven play in front of them is giving their coach heartburn at times. Still, the Hawks are able to take a few more chances because they know whomever is in net will likely save the day when a misplay occurs.

"I don't think (we) play different, but certainly it gives us the confidence that we know they're going to make the save for us if we need one," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "It's important for our team.

"Obviously we're still learning how to play. We've got some young players who are improving away from the puck, (so) it's definitely a comfort factor for us."

Up next for the Hawks are four tough games: A home-and-home with Colorado (14-8-2), a home game against the division-leading Blues (15- 5-6) and a road game against Boston (17-3-5). Each opponent figures to severely test the Hawks, none more so than the Bruins, who are 9-0-4 at home and have outscored opponents by a league-best 31 goals.

The Hawks figure to be in every game, though, thanks to their rock-solid goaltenders.

"They've both been unbelievable all year," said Patrick Kane. "I can't even remember either of them having a bad game or just and OK game.

"It's been a huge boost for us and our team and (our) record. I think (we're) showing a little more confidence because of those guys and the way they're playing in net."

Injury update: Dylan Strome (concussion protocol) did not take part in Thursday's practice at Fifth Third Arena. Drake Caggiula, who is also recovering from a concussion, did drills on the arena's second rink. 1163752 Chicago Blackhawks

Where Blackhawks playoff hopes stand at American Thanksgiving

By Charlie Roumeliotis November 28, 2019 12:30 PM

At the beginning of every season, all 31 teams stress the importance of getting off to a strong start because it's hard to make up ground in today's NHL. The Blackhawks saw that first-hand last season after stumbling out of the gates and playing catch-up all season long.

But a fast start is also crucial because American Thanksgiving is viewed as a key date as far as playoff hopes go, and the stats back it up.

Over last six seasons, 76 percent (73-of-96) of teams in a playoff spot at American Thanksgiving have gone on to secure postseason berth. Last season, five of eight teams in the Eastern Conference got in (Boston, Columbus, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Washington) while three fell out (Buffalo, Montreal and N.Y. Rangers) and six of eight teams in the Western Conference made the dance (Calgary, Colorado, Dallas, Nashville, San Jose and Winnipeg) while two missed the cut (Anaheim and Minnesota).

The Blackhawks woke up on Thursday with 25 points and find themselves three points out of the final wildcard spot in the West with five teams to jump. That seems like a difficult task to overcome considering they're also only three points from the basement of the conference.

But if you sort the standings based on points percentage, the Blackhawks are only one point away from the second wildcard position with just one team to leap (Nashville, 26 points in 24 games) because they have two games in hand on San Jose (27 points) and Anaheim (26), three games in hand on Vegas (28) and four games in hand on Calgary (28). screen_shot_2019-11-28_at_10.32.34_am.png

So while a quick glance at the standings may seem like there's still a lot of work to be done, the Blackhawks are knocking on the door of a playoff spot and not far away from controlling their own destiny. Their playoff percentage is at 43.8, according to Money Puck, but things can change quickly. And it could start with a successful home-and-home series against Colorado on Friday and Saturday.

"We’re right there," head coach Jeremy Colliton said. "Obviously we didn’t have the start we wanted but put together a good stretch in November and climbed back in the race. We’re right there. the challenge now is, can we stick our nose above the pile and get on the right side of it?

"We don’t want to be chasing. It’s hard to make up points when everyone’s going to overtime. So these are big games for us. It’s fun, though. Last year, December and January, they were very important games for us, but we were so far away. Then we finally climbed back in the race and started to play big games and that was fun. We want to be in that situation now and just carry on."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163753 Chicago Blackhawks For now, the Blackhawks are surviving and even thriving because their offense has awakened and they have one of the best goaltending tandems. Crawford and Lehner have a combined 94.12 save percentage Powers Points: 10 games in, it looks like Jeremy Colliton’s system in 5-on-5 play, which is second to the Arizona Coyotes, and an overall change is working for the Blackhawks save percentage of 92.53, which is third in the league. Over these last 10 games, Crawford and Lehner have a combined 95.05 save percentage in 5-on-5 play and 94.01 overall.

By Scott Powers Nov 28, 2019 Goaltenders Robin Lehner (shown here) and Corey Crawford have been essential to the Blackhawks’ success. (David Banks / USA Today)

3. Much has been made of the Blackhawks’ goaltending duo as Crawford It’s been 10 games since Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton made a and Lehner have been outstanding. But as one source recently said, a lot dramatic change in his system. It’s time to start gauging the results. of cap space was put into making sure the goaltending was great. As we discussed before, Colliton began the season seeking to defend If the Blackhawks hadn’t signed Lehner, that’s $5 million that could have with four players low in the defensive zone. The goal was to give up gone elsewhere. If Collin Delia had been chosen as the No. 2, the fewer scoring chances than they did last season by bringing in more Blackhawks would still have had $4 million free. But Bowman and his defensive-minded forwards and defensemen, but the reality was that was staff spent on Lehner because they thought it was important. They only a partial fix. Colliton thought a full fix was adjusting the system to weren’t wrong. It’s been the difference this season. meet the team’s needs. The $11 million cap hit between Crawford and Lehner is the second-most That worked in some ways, and it didn’t in others. What surprised any NHL team has devoted to goaltending this season. The Montreal Colliton and his staff the most was how much having four defenders low Canadiens are at $12.25 million, and that’s due to Carey Price’s $10.5 impacted the offense. The Blackhawks just couldn’t get out of the million cap hit. The Florida Panthers are third at $10.85 million, thanks to offensive zone quickly and smoothly. So while the Blackhawks were Sergei Bobrovsky’s $10 million cap hit. often defending better with four players low, they were spending more time in the zone because they couldn’t escape it. The teams that are paying two goalies each a significant sum are the New York Islanders with Semyon Varlamov ($5 million) and Thomas There had been discussions to loosen up the defense and Colliton had Greiss ($3,333,333), the Ottawa Senators with Craig Anderson ($4.75 made some small changes over time, but it wasn’t until after the million) and Anders Nilsson ($2.6 million), the Dallas Stars with Ben Blackhawks lost to the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on the road on Nov. 5 that Bishop ($4,916,666) and Anton Khudobin ($2.5 million) and St. Louis Colliton really made changes. A source said Colliton met with his Blues with Jordan Binnington ($4.4 million) and Jake Allen ($4.35 coaching staff at the team hotel that evening and began detailing how million). they were going to play going forward. The Islanders had a lot of success with a similar model last season. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had been discussing with Lehner was at $1.5 million and Greiss was at his same cap, and the Colliton about possible changes to the system leading up to that Islanders had the league’s best save percentage at 92.47. Lehner started decision, a source said, but it was not much different than the normal 43 games and Greiss started 39. The Stars were second in save communication Bowman and Colliton often have about the roster, results percentage last season, and they did with Bishop starting 45 games and and tactics. Bowman and Colliton often sit on the team’s charter together Khudobin starting 37 games. and talk. 4. I believe the Blackhawks may have made the playoffs last season if Whether Colliton was feeling heat from above is not completely clear, but their penalty kill had been better. They allowed 63 goals on 231 chances Colliton had the final say on how the team played. for a 72.7 percentage. It was the lowest percentage since Toronto Maple What Colliton did 10 games ago was remove one winger from defending Leafs had the exact same percentage during the 1988-89 season. It’s low in the zone and play with three defenders low and two high. It put tied for the 16th worst percentage since the NHL has tracked the stat. more defensive responsibility on the three low defenders and the goalies, There was only way to go but up from there. but Colliton was especially confident Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner could withstand whatever came their way based on early performances. This season started out on a rough note as the Hawks allowed five Most importantly, that switch provided the Blackhawks more outlet power-play goals in their first 13 opportunities. But since then, it’s been a options to get out of the zone quickly and spend less time in the difference-maker. The Blackhawks are 61 of 75 on the penalty kill for an defensive zone. 85.5 percentage since then. For the season, they’re 16th in the league with an 81.3 percentage. Whether the way the Blackhawks are playing now can lead to long-term success is yet to be determined. It sounds like internally the Blackhawks The difference in penalty kill from season to season has always been aren’t even sure. But it’s definitely an improvement and it’s hard to argue massive for the Blackhawks. Colliton talked about that after Chicago with the results. There is some optimism within the organization that the killed off both of the Dallas Stars’ power plays in a 3-0 win Tuesday. players will get more comfortable and will improve in defending in that system. It’s why you can expect the Blackhawks to practice a lot of 3-on- “I think we’re doing a good job of being predictable to each other,” 3 drills in the coming months. Colliton said. “We talked a lot about how we want to pressure up ice and pressure the entries and pressure in the zone. Feel like now we’re all on 1. So, let’s look at the results. the same page. If you’re going to pressure, everyone’s got to go otherwise you’re going to be exposed and I think the guys who are In the 14 games before the change, the Blackhawks had a record of 4-7- playing they really take a lot of pride in it and they’re doing a great job.” 3. In the last 10 games, they’ve gone 6-2-2. 5. The Blackhawks deserve credit in identifying the players who could Before, they were scoring 1.87 goals per 60 minutes in 5-on-5 play and help with the penalty kill. Calvin de Haan, Ryan Carpenter and Olli allowing 2.32 goals for a 44.68 goals for percentage. Since, they’re at Maatta have all contributed to the improvement. 3.32 goals for and 1.84 goals against for a 64.29 percentage. Last season with a minimum of 41 games, Brent Seabrook led the The increase in offense is also seen in their scoring chances per 60 Blackhawks at 2:07 of shorthanded ice time per game and was followed minutes going from 24.69 before the change to 26.41 since and their by Connor Murphy (2:06), Keith 2:02, David Kampf (1:51), Marcus Kruger high-danger changes going from 9.98 to 11.54. There is definitely more (1:48), Jonathan Toews (1:44) and Brandon Saad (1:41) being created. This season, Keith leads at 2:41 and is followed by de Haan (2:37), 2. On the other hand, the Blackhawks are giving up more shots. The Carpenter (2:28), Kampf (2:19), Murphy (2:17), Maatta (2:03), Toews opponents’ shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances and high- (2:03), Saad (1:58) and Seabrook (1:31). danger chances have increased in the last 10 games. Over the span of the full season, the Blackhawks are 30th or 31st in the league in all those 6. It’s that time of year again. Over the last six seasons, 76 percent of the categories. That needs to be corrected eventually. teams in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving ended up making the playoffs at the end of the season. Bad news: the Blackhawks aren’t in the playoffs as of this Thanksgiving. One player who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he was Good news: they’re really close. There’s so little separation between so unaware of the alleged incident. Asked about the environment with many teams that entering play Wednesday, there were four Western Peters as Rockford’s coach, the source said, “It was fine. Intense. Spoke Conference teams with 30-or-more points and nine teams within four to us like men, no bullshit. We were young guys coming out of juniors points of each other. Enjoy your turkey without writing off the turning pro. He wanted us to learn quickly.” Blackhawks’ playoff hopes. Crawford was the IceHogs’ No. 1 goalie that season and was asked if he 7. It’s not clear how or when Dylan Strome may have suffered a was aware of anything after Tuesday’s game. concussion, but I did hear Strome felt headaches Tuesday and notified the training staff about it. It was being treated as a concussion until they “I have a tough time remembering stuff from yesterday, so something had more information. that happened — I don’t even know how long ago that was,” Crawford said. “I remember Akim. I remember Bill. I don’t really remember that.” Both Strome and Drake Caggiula apparently showed concussion-like symptoms later after suffering the injuries. Crawford was also asked if he had ever seen anything questionable from Peters. “That does happen,” Colliton said. “I would say it’s a little more rare. It shouldn’t probably happen twice in succession like that. But the important “No, I mean, he was fine with me,” Crawford said. “I thought he was fine thing is that he reported it, and then we can do the right thing: treat him. with all the players. I don’t know. He kind of had like an old-school style, We don’t want those guys playing with it, because then it often can linger but I don’t really remember anything bad.” on, so hopefully we got in there quick enough, and now we’ll just see, it’ll 11. To further the discussion on the matter, I invited Chris Watkins to be a waiting game.” share some of his thoughts on what was alleged, race in hockey and 8. With Strome out, Kirby Dach got a chance to play alongside Patrick more. Kane and Alex DeBrincat. The one potential downside for that is Dach Scott Powers: Every time something like the alleged Aliu incident is has struggled so far on faceoffs. He’s 14-of-41 this season. brought to light, I feel like I’m reminded of a few things about the hockey Colliton limited Dach’s exposure to them on Tuesday. He took just three. community. Obviously racism continues to exist in the sport. Duh, right? Colliton said an option was giving other centers more faceoffs. Toews It’s of course based in what Aliu accused Peters of saying, but it’s also took 22 on Tuesday, Kampf eight, Ryan Carpenter seven, Zack Smith six people defending the interaction and people attacking Aliu’s credibility. I and Andrew Shaw five. don’t know Aliu, maybe he isn’t likable, maybe he never deserved an NHL shot, but that obviously doesn’t justify what might have happened. “Whether it’s D zone or offensive zone, that’s something we got to be They’re two separate things. I found myself having too many aware of,” Colliton said. “Obviously, when he’s playing with Carpenter conversations with hockey people the last few days where it was and Smitty, they both can take faceoffs either side, so gives us a little apparent the way we see race and what’s appropriate in society isn’t the more flexibility. So that’ll be something we’ll manage. I’m not against him same. I think hockey is a bubble. It’s probably the same for any sport, but taking faceoffs, but depending on where they are and the time of the the hockey bubble is nearly all white. It’s why John Vanbiesbrouck not game we may adjust.” only has a job still in hockey, but he’s one of the main faces of USA Hockey. 9. Strome’s absence also gave Matthew Highmore an opportunity to play. Highmore was going to be a healthy scratch against the Stars. Highmore Anyway, I’m already ranting. The reason I invited you to do this was I handled himself well in the game. He was on the ice for seven shots on tend to agree with you on most things and you bring a no-nonsense goal and one against. approach to this topic. It’s why I had also asked you to contribute to our hockey diversity series a few years ago. I think you deliver some reality Highmore was prepared to sit the game. He was out late on the ice for to this issue within the hockey community. the morning skate and skated hard expecting to miss the game. I caught up with him on Tuesday morning. This is a pretty broad question, but what’s your take on everything over the last few days? “I’m just really excited to be here,” Highmore said. “Work hard, learn from all these guys. They’re all so good guys. They’re always looking to help. Chris Watkins: Thanks for the kind intro, Scott. While this whole turn of Kind of be integrated into the system. It’s just a lot of fun.” events is extremely disappointing, I think first, I’d be remiss not to point out that controversy re: Aliu’s statement regarding Peters is a culmination Certainly more fun than what Highmore went through last season. He of events this month starting with Don Cherry’s “poppy” remarks and tore his right shoulder early in the season and missed five months of subsequent firing, and also including the recent stories about Mike game action. Highmore probably would have gotten another look in the Babcock. NHL last season too. It was a process to get back to this level. So, on one hand, you have a notable hockey figure who was finally held “It was a tough pill to swallow,” Highmore said. “I was playing good to task for what can only be generously termed as “culturally insensitive” hockey and felt good on the ice. It’s part of the game. If things like this remarks, and on the other you have a coach who was found to have are going to happen, if they’re going to happen when I’m 22 or I’m 28, abused the power and trust afforded to him by young hockey players. rather them happen when I’m 22. I kind of took that approach. Look, let’s get better and come back stronger.” Since verbal/physical/emotional abuse from coaches and racism are both long standing issues for the NHL and the sport of hockey overall, it’s not Early on, it was especially tough. He relied on his Rockford roommates surprising than an individual like Peters has been accused of Darren Raddysh and Luke Johnson to help him reach things in the transgressions in both realms. kitchen, pour himself milk and even get out of bed. In regards to the accusations themselves, and the verbiage that Aliu “I slept on the couch for a while,” Highmore said. “It’s all in the past. I’m claims that Peters used … let’s just say Aliu probably handled that with just looking forward to every next day and get on the ice and get better. more grace than I probably would have. … I feel maybe even better than I did before. So for me now that I’m healthy, it’s just about getting my game back. I feel like I’m real close.” (Side note: I’ve actually had that exact scenario happened to me, except replace hockey with “academic bowl tournament” and Bill Peters rant 10. Switching gears, Mark Lazerus and I worked the phones this week with, “I don’t care if you win again, we won’t be playing that hippy-hop trying to get in touch with a number of former Rockford IceHogs who music when you collect your trophy.”) were with the team during the time Bill Peters was coach and Akim Aliu was a player. You can find The Athletic’s story on Aliu’s allegations If true, he should be banned from the sport of hockey for life. towards Peters here. Powers: What I’m curious about here too is the result. Cherry’s remarks We came up pretty much empty. Some people didn’t answer their occurred recently, there was no denying what he said and it was handled phones or reply to messages. Ted Dent, who was an assistant coach based on all that. The Peters incident allegedly happened 10 years ago, then, didn’t respond to a few messages. Some players declined to talk. and it probably will become a he-said, she-said situation unless Peters Jake Dowell has said he’ll cooperate with an NHL investigation, but he admits to it. If he doesn’t, then what? said he’d prefer not to discuss it in the media. There are multiple collaborators, so that has to be a factor. I’ve heard the defense the past few days that people change and something that was said 10 years ago shouldn’t be held against someone forever and that society has become too soft. I just don’t buy that. I get that people make mistakes, but there are just some things that can’t be classified as a simple screw-up. This is one of them.

I know you’ve spent the past few days discussing a lot of this on Twitter — God bless you for that. I can’t help but notice people deleting tweets after some of their opinions have been stated. From Zach Boychuk to others in the hockey community to fans, what have those discussions been like from your perspective?

Watkins: In spite of the verbal mosh pit that is Twitter, I do find the platform encourages conversations that would not otherwise happen in real life. In the best instances, I am able to better understand hockey as a culture and the passions that drive fans, while highlighting that those same passions may give them blind spots about the sport.

However, the flip side of Twitter is that you also see at a more base level the ignorance and at times insidious biases of many fans.

The people who asked why Aliu waited so long to come forward, likely were not asking out of concern for due process, or concern that bringing this to light sooner may have prevented from happening again. They ask because there is likely no threshold of proof that would convince them that hockey is permeated by bigotry and bias from the top of the sport on down.

I get concerned for the women and people of color who cover and play the sport, who get dog whistle messages telling them they “don’t belong” that are then quickly deleted. Which is why I posted the uncensored version of Peter’s alleged remarks.

Situations like this are rarely black and white (pun intended), but If you’re going to support that type of language and behavior, I refuse to let you hide behind delusions of plausible deniability.

Powers: From the Blackhawks’ side of things, I don’t know who knew what exactly and when. They released their statement and denied having knowledge of what was allegedly said. Aliu said he didn’t go to management out of fear of what could happen. Would anyone within the Blackhawks have heard something anyways? If so, how high up? Is there an actual letter Peters wrote about Aliu? Maybe it’s something John McDonough and Stan Bowman can answer directly in time because both were mentioned in Aliu’s original tweets. Neither have done so yet.

The question is, what now? Will this change anything? It’s nice to see other players coming out and speaking up, but the sport needs much more. If there are more people aware of what occurred with Aliu and Peters, I hope they speak up. I think Jake Dowell could have something to say if he wishes. I guess we’ll see. Do you have any hope that this changes anything going forward?

Watkins: From a Blackhawks perspective, I’ll hold my breath on that one and not necessarily because I think the members of the front office are bad people (don’t ask me about their on-ice record, though). I just think that this instance goes beyond more than a press statement and a donation to Homewood Hockey to support diversity initiatives.

A proper response would be a thorough vetting of the entirety of Peters’ tenure with the team, and multiple interviews with the people involved. I think they need to be sure that

1. Aliu was not sent down as retaliatory gesture (which could potentially make them financially liable for missed earnings in my non-lawyer-y opinion).

2. That there was not a culture of complicity through the team structure that allowed this or similar incidents to happen.

Ultimately, the question many fans would ask is, “Does someone deserve to lose their job over this?” where I think they should ask, if this was a pattern of behavior, “Do they deserve to keep it?”

For the sport of hockey overall, I do see this as a potential tipping point, particularly in junior hockey and developmental leagues. I think the ugly nature of this and the Babcock allegations will force those leagues to provide better guardrails against these behaviors going forward, since they don’t have the clout the NHL does to paper over transgressions.

But here’s hoping.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163754 Colorado Avalanche moved the puck pretty well. He had a couple moments that were a little shaky, but I thought he got better as the game went on. We saw him join in on the rush, making some plays.”

Calle Rosen is getting his chance with the Avs. What will he do with it? Rosen said after the game that he knew Monday he would be playing with Girard and be placed in the sequences required of a top defensive pairing. By Ryan S. Clark Nov 28, 2019 But Girard has primarily played with Johnson and can deviate when needed, such as when Bednar pairs him with Makar to generate more offensive opportunities. Exactly how did it work with Girard and Rosen Creating defensive pairings and forward combinations is what Jared considering they went from being in different leagues last week to Bednar does, but his job lately has become more challenging because suddenly being an instant partnership? the Colorado Avalanche cannot stay healthy. “I think you just have to talk on the ice and between every shift,” Rosen One constant Bednar could knowingly rely upon was the longstanding said about playing with Girard. “It’s talking about what we’re doing right, first-team defensive partnership between Samuel Girard and Erik what we’re doing wrong. He’s easy to play with, too, and a really good Johnson. Girard and Johnson, after all, are the Avalanche’s only skater. He saw situations really well, so it’s nice to play with him, and defensive pairing or line combination that has played every game that’s another good thing, too.” together this season. And how did it all go for Girard when it came to helping Rosen assimilate Yeah. About that … when they’d had only a handful of practices together? Johnson was diagnosed with an upper-body injury Saturday against the “I think one of the most important points was just to talk on the ice Toronto Maple Leafs. He is expected to miss around three games while because that helps everyone,” Girard said. “For us in the veteran group, he recovers. In the meantime, the Avalanche promoted Calle Rosen from we need to help him and talk a lot like we did last night. It helped us a lot the and used him as Johnson’s replacement next to on breakouts, and we’re going to have to keep talking like we did, Girard in a 4-1 victory Wednesday over the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi especially the guys on offense, too. Everyone needs to talk, too, Center. defensively, and I think that’s why we had some success defensively.” Rosen was part of the summer trade between the Avalanche and Leafs What makes a Girard-Rosen partnership distinctive is the fact it is that was mainly known for Nazem Kadri’s arrival in Denver in exchange different from the typical Bednar combination. Bednar usually pairs a for Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot. He was among the training smaller defenseman with a larger one while having a puck-mover camp cuts and has since patiently waited for his chance by playing top- complement someone who can either operate in a stay-at-home or two- pairing minutes for the Eagles. way capacity. There is also a preference to place a right-handed shooter Why Rosen? What was it that made Bednar choose Rosen when he with a left-handed option. could have shuffled his pairings or used another player, such as Mark Girard and Rosen are both offensive-minded defensemen who are left- Barberio? handed shooters. Girard is 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, and Rosen stands “I touched on this the other day in practice: We’ve had all of our D playing at 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds. here, and although Barbs hasn’t had the opportunity that some of our Early on, Girard was on the right side, which meant he had to use a others have, we just haven’t, for the month of November, been getting it different approach. done as a group back there,” Bednar said after the victory over the Oilers. “I touched on it that we have some other players who are close “You need to adjust yourself everywhere. The D zone. The neutral zone. that we liked in training camp, and Rosen’s a guy and we’re not going to The offensive zone,” Girard said. “You need to adjust how you react to know what we have until we give him a look.” the puck, when you go to the net. It’s different (compared with playing on his natural side), I would say.” The Avalanche are 6-6 in November and have allowed 36 goals over those 12 games. They have scored the 18th-fewest goals during the And what was the plan between Girard and Rosen when deciding who month, yet there is a context to the data. They are 2-3 in games when jumped into the play while the other held back? they allow more than four goals, a series of games when the Avs’ offensive production was complicated mainly by injuries coupled with “I think (because) we’re in the NHL, we are able to read that, and that’s inconsistent play. our job,” Girard said. “We work all summer to make sure we are ready for the season, and we work on those aspects. That’s our job, to read off What happened in back-to-back losses to the Minnesota Wild and the each other. If he goes, I’m staying back. If I go, he’s staying back, and Maple Leafs amplifies Bednar’s need to strengthen the defense. sometimes we’re both going to go. That’s how we need to read, and if we Breakdowns led to the Wild jumping out to a 2-0 lead within the first three both go, I’m pretty sure that the forwards are going to cover for us.” minutes of the second period and winning 3-2. Two days later, the Leafs surged to a 4-0 first-period edge and hung on, 5-3, after the Avalanche Seeing how Rosen performs comes at a crucial time. made a push in the second and third periods. The Avalanche are without Johnson and wingers Gabriel Landeskog, Pairing Rosen with Girard was one of the tactical decisions Bednar used Colin Wilson, Andre Burakovsky and Matt Calvert. Burakovsky picked up in the victory over Edmonton. The Oilers, who’ve scored the fifth-most an upper-body injury Wednesday and will not play Friday against the goals in the league in November, launched 13 shots on goal in the first Blackhawks. Calvert, who has been absent since inadvertently blocking a period but were held to a combined seven shots for the rest of the game. puck with his head, skated for the first time Thursday in a non-contact sweater. Landeskog also skated in a non-contact sweater, with the plan Bednar used Cale Makar and Nikita Zadorov to primarily counter Oilers being he could skate with the team next week, while Wilson remains center Connor McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl while using the sidelined. remaining combinations to supplement those efforts against the rest of their opponent. Those injuries, plus those earlier in the month, have tested the Avalanche’s depth while giving the front office a stronger feel for what Edmonton’s lone goal was scored when Jujhar Khaira scored in the first they have in the AHL. Rosen joins Antoine Bibeau, Kevin Connauton, period on a wraparound backhand. That opportunity was due, in part, to Sheldon Dries, A.J. Greer, Jayson Megna, Logan O’Connor, T.J. Tynan Rosen being out of position. The Avalanche’s system requires both and Adam Werner as Eagles players who have joined the Avs at some defensemen to be on the edges of the crease to provide support to the point in November. goaltenders. The idea is that the extra coverage will prevent goals. It’s a high number. The Avalanche have called up nine Eagles players in That said, Bednar said he was pleased with what he saw from Rosen in November alone. They called up 10 players from their AHL affiliate all of his first game with the Avalanche. last season.

“I thought he got back for pucks hard. He skated on the first touch, so he “It speaks to the depth of the organization and the pro scouts and the had some clean breakouts on his own using his legs,” Bednar said. amateur scouts that have gone out and identified players we feel can “From (Rosen’s) history, that’s one of the strengths of his game. He help lead our team with the Eagles and/or play minutes here and be positive contributors to our lineup,” Bednar said of using their AHL affiliate. “When you go through injuries like we have, it’s not really expected, but you know you’re going to have some (injuries) that you might need some different guys at different times to come up and help us.”

Rosen, however, has the chance to be more than a placeholder. His 76 points in 129 games between the Eagles and Toronto Marlies reinforces his profile as a puck mover who can create for himself and others. The next step is parlaying his AHL success into something sustainable in the NHL.

Bednar can draw from his seven NHL defenseman of Barberio, Ian Cole, Girard, Ryan Graves, Johnson, Makar and Zadorov, but he also has AHL options such as Mark Alt, Connauton, Jacob MacDonald, Rosen and Conor Timmins if needed. Having all those options can make it difficult for someone in Rosen’s position to stand out.

Bednar has shown a willingness to provide opportunities others may have overlooked, and that could help Rosen.

Patrik Nemeth was an outcast with the Dallas Stars and became an everyday option who was trusted in penalty-killing situations when he joined the Avalanche. Graves, who arrived in a March 2018 trade with the New York Rangers, quickly turned heads the next season as a reliable defenseman who has since replaced Nemeth in those roles after Nemeth left in free agency.

“We’ve had some guys here all season that have had lots of opportunity, and if someone else is better suited to help us win, then we have to try and explore that at a time like this,” Bednar said. “That’s just facts. We need to win hockey games. That’s where we’re at as an organization. We’re going to do everything we can to try to push that, and if that means experimenting a little bit, then we have to do it.”

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163755 Colorado Avalanche Tynan. MacKinnon led the way with 10 shots, forward J.T. Compher had 5 and Nichushkin, Kadri and Burakovsky finished with four each.

The Avalanche travel to Chicago for an afternoon affair against the Avalanche hold NHL’s top two scorers off the scoresheet in dominating Blackhawks on Friday. The two teams will commence a home-and-home victory over Edmonton on back-to-back nights at 2 p.m. MST at the United Center.

milehighsports.com LOADED: 11.29.2019 By Aarif Deen - November 28, 2019

When the Avalanche went into Edmonton and lost 6-1 to the Oilers 13 days ago, the two-headed monster consisting of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined for 11 points.

On Wednesday night, Colorado held the top two scorers in the NHL off the scoresheet, effectively ending McDavid’s 11-game point streak, to defeat the Oilers 4-1 at the Pepsi Center.

Colorado (14-8-2) matched its first line center Nathan MacKinnon against McDavid the entire night, and the Avalanche forward finished the game with two crucial points. MacKinnon set up the game-winning goal before adding an insurance marker 62 seconds later, giving the Avs a 3-1 lead early in the third period.

“I got lucky I guess,” MacKinnon said. “I mean he’s such an amazing player. He’s such a tough player to defend and luckily we kept him off the scoresheet tonight.”

McDavid was been held off the scoresheet for just the sixth time this season. As for Draisaitl, the leading NHL point-producer, it was the fourth time he was held pointless.

“One of the assignments for today was for (Nikita) Zadorov and (Cale) Makar to play against McDavid and Draisaitl,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “It wasn’t perfect, I don’t think it’s ever going to be perfect against a couple of players like that, but I would say Z did a nice job.”

The Avalanche fell behind 1-0 in the first period after Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira beat Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer. Colorado had a chance to tie it up later in the first, receiving a five-minute power-play, with a full two minutes of 5-on-3 mixed in. But Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen was sharp, keeping the Avs off the board before the break.

In the second period, the Avs took control. Outshooting Edmonton 19-5 and getting the game-tying goal from center Nazem Kadri. His eighth goal of the season came after Colorado began to pepper Koskinen with chances before finally breaking through.

The Avalanche stormed out of the gate in the third period, scoring three times in 2:32. The first goal came from forward Matt Nieto, who was inserted into the top line after an upper-body injury to winger Andre Burakovsky kept him out of the games final period. After MacKinnon scored to give the Avs a two-goal lead, second-year forward Logan O’Connor added his first career goal to make it 4-1.

The Oilers did not get another shot on the goal the rest of the way, as the Avs outshot them 50-20, including a 17-3 advantage in the third period.

Takeaways

Another game, another injury. The Avs seemingly cannot get through an entire game in November without an injury. On Saturday it was defenseman Erik Johnson and today it was Burakovsky. Bednar said after the game that he had no other information on the forwards upper- body ailment. The Avs will practice tomorrow morning, where an update on Burakovsky is expected to be announced.

Calle Rosen shines in debut. The defenseman was acquired in the Kadri- Tyson Barrie blockbuster deal in July but had yet to make his Avalanche debut. Rosen had the secondary assist on the Kadri goal in the second period and finished with two shots in 15:43.

A confident Valeri Nichushkin continues to see his ice-time rise. One of the more underrated plays of the night was the effort by the Russian forward in setting up O’Connor’s goal. Nichushkin recorded an assist and finished with four shots, and one more off the post, in a season-high 16:43 of ice-time.

Stat of the Night

The Avalanche outshot the Oilers 36-7 in the final 40 minutes of tonight’s game. Every single Avs skater recorded a shot on goal except for T.J. 1163756 Colorado Avalanche Vladislav Kamenev – D

If there was one guy who really struggled with the puck tonight, it was Kamenev. The power play in the first was a mess for him. He did end up Avs Game 24 Grades: Thankful for a win being on the ice for zero shots on goal at the Avs net, so that’s something.

BY EVAN RAWAL NOVEMBER 28, 2019 Tyson Jost – D

Jost managed to draw his ninth penalty of the season tonight, putting him up there with MacKinnon and Kadri on the team. Beyond that, it wasn’t a Pierre Edouard Bellemare – B+ great outing for him. His lack of burst was obvious in the first period when he was caught from behind by Klefbom on a rush, and just couldn’t get to The Avs were a little disjointed in the first period, but Bellemare seemed a few area passes from Kadri. to be in on half of their scoring chances, including one off a nice feed from Nichushkin. His scoring has kind of gone back to the guy he’s Nathan MacKinnon – A+ always been in his career, and that’s fine. He crushed it in the face-off circle, winning seven of his eight draws. The most impressive part of what MacKinnon is doing right now is that he’s doing it with everyone and elevating their game. I can’t be the only Andre Burakovsky – D+ one who was hoping he’d shoot in on the two on one, but he basically gave Nieto an empty net to bury the puck into. Another 17 (!) shot I’ll be honest and say I thought Burakovsky was struggling before he left attempts tonight, and two more points. He even had a good night in the the game. He was holding onto the puck far too long before making a face-off circle. decision. The five minute power play was a bit of a disaster for him as well, with missed passes and pucks just missing him. He didn’t play at all Cale Makar – B+ in the third, and the Avs just can’t afford to lose a guy who consistently produced this season. I think it would be fair to say Makar had a tougher night with the puck than he usually does, but he went head to head against two stars and Ian Cole – C+ more than held his own defensively, finishing +15/-7 in almost ten minutes of ice time against McDavid. That’s impressive for a rookie and Only really had a few issues with Cole in this one, but they ended up shows just how much faith Bednar already has in him. being somewhat major. On the only goal by Edmonton, he stopped following his guy behind the net, who ended up scoring. It’s tough to say Valeri Nichushkin – A on that one because MacKinnon looked very frustrated that Cole did it, but it also could have been frustration on his own part for not switching. This could have very easily been a multi-point night for Nichushkin. He The other is the penalty, where he just got beat and had to take the man picked up an assist on O’Connor’s first NHL goal, but also fed Bellemare down. Other than that, I thought he played alright, and that pairing was on a two on one, hit the post himself, and made some other nice plays. limited in minutes and that helped them. He looked very confident tonight after finally beating a goaltender last game. J.T. Compher – C Matt Nieto – A His rush to the net in the third period was nice, but I think the penalty was deserved, as he just kind of went straight at the goaltender. Luckily, it The goal was great, but it started in the defensive end with his stick work was canceled out so nothing came of it. I like the shooting but there’s just to knock the puck away from the Oilers player in the slot and get the puck a lot offensively that I think is lacking from his game right now. to Donskoi. From there, he just had to finish. Made an absurd bounce pass to O’Connor on the penalty kill in the second period that would have Joonas Donskoi – B- been a very pretty assist.

It’s funny how hockey is. I thought Donskoi had a brutal shift in the Logan O’Connor – A second period, with a few turnovers, including an ugly one up the middle. Then he finishes his shift by just getting enough of the puck out to Kadri I think it would be fair to say he’s been the best forward callup the Avs for the Avs’ first goal. The play he made on the Nieto goal in the third was have used so far. He’s used his speed well, and congratulations to him high end skill, and required some patience with the puck. He had a rough for getting his first goal tonight. He also had a moment he can tell his kids go of it on the power play overall but two assists isn’t a bad night. about someday, taking the puck away from McDavid on the penalty kill for a clear. Samuel Girard – B Calle Rosen – B We started to get some flashes of the old Sam Girard tonight that we’ve come to expect. He still had a few issues with the puck, including one on He had some iffy moments in the first, including a rough near giveaway the four on four in the second period, but also some great work breaking up the first, but also made some really nice passes on the breakout, the puck out. He had one in the third period where he just escaped two which is what the Avs needed. He was put in a position to succeed, being forecheckers behind his own net like it was nothing. given reasonable minutes and showing well with it. His speed on the puck retrieval was very noticeable and a nice change of pace. Ryan Graves – A T.J. Tynan – C- I really don’t think it’s a coincidence that Graves had his best game in weeks after being put in a third-pairing role more suited for him. He just Honestly, I didn’t notice Tynan a ton tonight. The only time I noticed him can’t be overextended. His big hit in the second period may have was when he got elbowed in the jaw by Adam Larsson. He took one for changed the game, as it got the Avs some momentum when they really the team there. needed it. Just a really strong performance from him. Nikita Zadorov – A-

Philipp Grubauer – A Bednar challenged him by tasking him with shutting down Connor The only goal may have been weak, but he made some incredible saves McDavid, and he was up to it. He’s done well matching up with him in the in the first to make sure it was just one goal against. After that, the Avs past because of his skating ability and reach and it worked tonight. I think did a great job of defending around him, as he only faced seven shots in the Avs need to look to commit to him being a shut down guy, because it the second and third periods. simplifies things for him. He had some issues with the puck in the first, but hard to argue with that defensive showing. That was the best he’s Nazem Kadri – A looked with Makar in terms of chemistry as well.

You brought the guy in to be a difference-maker behind MacKinnon and BSN DENVER LOADED: 11.29.2019 he did just that, scoring the huge goal to break the ice for the Avs. After that, his confidence seemed to soar, with some nice moves coming off the right wing for shot attempts, including one that hit the post. Beyond that, another ho-hum dominant night in the face-off circle. 1163757 Columbus Blue Jackets Trust the process and hang on to the cap space. Whatever happens this season, the Jackets will be in a much better position to fortify themselves in the future.

Michael Arace | Blue Jackets’ best move? Stand pat Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 11.29.2019

Michael Arace The Columbus Dispatch Nov 28, 2019 at 5:31 AM

The Blue Jackets were a game over .500, had a minus-14 goal differential and were tied for sixth place in the Metropolitan Division when the puck dropped on their game with the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday night.

These Jackets, as constructed, are cursed with mediocrity. Is there anything worse? They’re not going to win the Stanley Cup and they’re not going to have the first overall pick in what promises to be a monster draft. They’re just kind of there.

Ride it out. It may be the most intelligent path forward. Ride it out.

In a recent Q&A with our Brian Hedger, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he does not like the phrase “ride it out.” He prefers “trust the process” or “keep on working.”

“I believe we have some good players,” Kekalainen told Hedger. “We just have to get the best out of each individual and they’ll play better as a team. That’ll push the young guys, that’ll push the veterans and we’ll keep getting better and better. And we’ll be at our best in April, like we were last year.”

Hey, it’s a plan.

Kekalainen is bird-dogging the trade market. It’s part of his job. But what are his options there? High-scoring forwards — the team’s most pressing need — are difficult to acquire. And even if Kekalainen could find the right player and a willing trade partner, it’d be expensive. You don’t want to give up a first-round pick, not this year.

Kekalainen has the biggest chunk of cap space — close to $11.5 million, according to CapFriendly.com — in the league. Managing the cap is a never-ending task. Next summer, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Josh Anderson will need extensions. In 2022, a raft of restricted and unrestricted free agents will be there to sign or cut loose. In 2023, Seth Jones and Zach Werenski will need new contracts. The GM thinks about this stuff every day — if not at breakfast, then at least before high tea.

Last season, Kekalainen “went for it” at the trade deadline. He was willing to pay the price because he liked what he already had in the system. Currently, what he has is a mediocre team that can’t score. He also has one of the youngest teams in the league.

He ought to ride it out. Stay pat. Stick with the process. Or however he might want to phrase it.

Joonas Korpisalo is developing into a solid No. 1 goaltender. The rookies — forwards Emil Bemstrom, Alexandre Texier, Eric Robinson and Kole Sherwood and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov — have shown promise. Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins should not be learning the North American game at the NHL level, but he is clearly talented. He’ll win a game sooner or later.

In sum, Kekalainen’s faith in the youth movement does not seem misplaced.

What the team misses — an elite scorer (cough, Panarin, cough) — has become a more serious issue because Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno and Anderson have been anemic. They have scored before but they’re not scoring now. Anderson, who had one goal and two points heading into the game against Philly, has been a particularly vexing case.

Trading for a respected veteran who can take pressure off his linemates, put the puck in the net and bring a greater accountability to the locker room seems like a grand idea. But who, where and how much?

Stay pat.

These youthful Jackets might be as good as Kekalainen thinks they are; maybe they make the playoffs. Or, maybe they continue along at .500 — which, at least, gives rookies the minutes they need to grow. Or, maybe the whole program goes south — which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, not in the long-term view of things, because the top of the next draft is stacked. 1163758 Dallas Stars going the right direction and positive, and my mind-set is better. I’m really happy for it.”

Still, it’s not an ideal situation for Honka to be in, waiting for a solution in As NHL signing deadline nears, Julius Honka maintains positive outlook the next few days or remaining in Finland for the rest of the season. Nill in Finland said the Stars are comfortable holding on to Honka beyond the Sunday deadline and retaining his rights until next summer, when Honka will again be a restricted free agent. In theory, the two parties could again By Matthew DeFranks 8:17 PM on Nov 28, 2019 engage in the same dance.

“That’s where I’m very comfortable,” Nill said. “When I talked to Julius’ representatives when he decided not to come over and come to camp, I Julius Honka is unfailingly positive. said ‘This is a route we might go.’ What people need to realize is he’s still Buried on the Stars’ depth chart last season and banished to the press a young man, he’s still a young player. He’s going to continue to develop box as a healthy scratch for the final 35 games of the regular season, and get better. … They made that decision not to come to camp. I got to Honka maintained a sunny outlook. Passed over in the postseason when do what’s right for my team now.” the Stars’ defensive corps absorbed injuries, Honka remained positive. Both the Stars and Honka have admitted they could have done more to Now, in a form of hockey limbo, Honka’s disposition has not changed. make the marriage work (“I think what I could have done better,” Honka “I think that’s the main thing as an athlete,” Honka said in a phone said. “Sometimes, stuff like that, you just have to work your way through interview Thursday morning. “You just have to stay positive. I think that in and be better.”) beyond the 87 NHL games he played in Dallas. Honka your career, there are times you have to look back and what you could also understands that he’s being watched by NHL teams when he plays do better in the future and stuff like that. I think as a human being, it’s a in Liiga. good thing to be positive, think [in a] positive way in the future.” On Thanksgiving morning in the United States, it’s dark in Jyväskylä, Honka, the Stars’ first-round pick in 2014, is an unsigned restricted free where the sun set at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. As the agent whose rights Dallas still owns. He has requested a trade from the conversation wraps up, Honka is focused on finding something to eat and organization, but time is running out for him to play in the NHL this getting ready for practice the next day, and not the looming NHL deadline season. If Honka does not sign an NHL contract before Sunday at 4 p.m., that could alter his career. he is not eligible to play this season. “Good things come when you work hard and trust yourself,” Honka said. In the meantime, the 23-year-old defenseman is playing for JYP in “I know I will be back there if I work hard. Then I’ll be ready.” Finland’s Liiga on a contract that allows him to go to the NHL before the Dallas Morning News LOADED: 11.29.2019 Sunday deadline. He has three goals and three assists in 13 games and is averaging 19:47 of ice time per game.

“Maybe the biggest thing is to try not to focus on [the NHL] too much, just focus on the most important thing, [which is] to improve my game,” Honka said. “Those things, they will come for sure. Good things will happen when you keep working hard. That’s the biggest thing.”

Stars general manager Jim Nill said there was no update on Honka’s situation.

“We’re still talking to teams, but I’m going to do what’s right for the team, for the Dallas Stars,” Nill said. “He’s an asset, and right now, I’m not comfortable with what’s been offered to me. The good thing is, for Julius’ sake, is he’s over there playing. He’s playing a lot. He’s on a good team, he’s in a good situation. He’s going to have a chance to make their national teams.”

It’s a homecoming for Honka, playing for JYP. It’s the youth club he played for before his jump to the WHL for major junior hockey, then the AHL and NHL to play professionally. Jyväskylä (about 170 miles north of Helsinki) is where Honka is from. And Honka is playing with his younger brother, Anttoni, a third-round pick of the Hurricanes this summer.

He’s back to playing on the larger rinks in Europe, to a style that is not as north-south as the NHL tends to be. Honka is getting power play time (2:38 per game) and is tied for the team lead among defensemen with three goals. Honka is known as an above-average skating offensive defenseman, and said he’s working on cutting out “the little mistakes and still don’t forget how I’m playing and how I play my game.”

For now, that’s all Honka can do.

The Stars control his fate, although Honka could have signed the qualifying offer Dallas extended to him over the summer. It would have forced the Stars to pay him, and would have put the team in a crunch both on the 23-man roster and against the salary cap. His usage last year suggested he would not have played in the NHL, and he would have needed to be waived in order to go to the AHL, a scenario that likely ends with him being claimed by another team and the Stars losing him for nothing.

Instead of languishing again in the press box, Honka decided he simply needed a change.

“I felt maybe like it’s good for my health and everything to move on and try to find something where I can enjoy it more, and be in a good situation for me,” Honka said. “I’ve been really happy to play here. I feel like it’s going in a better direction here than my last month in North America. It’s 1163759 Detroit Red Wings The Leafs took a 2-0 lead on a puck that deflected in off Nielsen and a bouncy shot through traffic. Larkin’s line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Robby Fabbri had a good shift after that, but the Leafs made it 3-0.

Last-place Detroit Red Wings wonder 'how much further rock bottom is' “If you look at the end of the first period, and our chances were fairly even,” Blashill said. “Obviously we played terrible in the second. When you are chasing people around the rest of the game, it’s frustrating. The third period is the third period. At that point, the game was over. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press Published 6:30 a.m. ET Nov. 28, 2019 | Updated 3:46 p.m. ET Nov. 28, 2019 “At the end of the night, it’s a loss. We have to move on.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 11.29.2019 Rebuilds require patience, but patience shouldn’t allow for poor effort.

The Detroit Red Wings need to demonstrate they still have pride in themselves when they go into Philadelphia on Friday. They showed little on Thanksgiving Eve, giving up on their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after the first period.

At least the heavy Leafs contingent at Little Caesars Arena contributed to a lively atmosphere.

“We keep saying that we have to find it in this room,” Luke Glendening said after the 6-0 rout. “I’m sure you guys are tired of hearing it and we’re tired of saying that we have to do it. I don’t have a lot for you guys, I’m sorry. It’s frustrating. I’m always proud to wear this jersey and it’s something that I think everyone in this room is proud to wear, but we have to go out and prove we’re proud to wear it every night.

“I don’t know how much further rock bottom is, but it has to be pretty close. So we have to find a way to play a simple game and keep pushing forward.”

The Wings are 7-17-3, at the bottom of the NHL’s 31-team standings.

They’ve had ugly losses before this season — they went through a Nov. 1-6 stretch where they were beaten by at least four goals in four straight games.

But the Leafs loss was different.

“For periods in all those games, I think we played some good hockey,” Frans Nielsen said. “Tonight we didn’t really at any point get to the level we want to be at.”

The Leafs pounded 26 shots at Jonathan Bernier in the second period, and outshot the Wings 54-25. Jimmy Howard started the game because Bernier was sick, but when Howard suffered a mid-body injury in the first period, Bernier had to gut it out. HIs teammates didn’t do much to make him feel better.

“We looked way off, especially in the second period,” Nielsen said. “It looked like two different leagues. I can’t really explain it. It’s embarrassing.”

Some fans may clamor for coach Jeff Blashill to be fired, but general manager Steve Yzerman has given no indication he’s going to make a coaching change this season. Yzerman has said he wants to spend time observing. He sat in the management suite at LCA when Wednesday’s game began but wasn’t seen there after midway through the game.

[ Injury news on Anthony Mantha sounds bad. Here's why ]

Maybe Yzerman had observed enough as the Wings' winless streak grew to 0-4-2 and they were shut out for the second straight game. They are without leading scorer Anthony Mantha, who is out at least two weeks, but more likely a month, with a lower-body injury.

The Wings ranks 31st in goals-for average (2.19), goals-allowed average (3.81), 28th on the power play (14.6%) and 30th on the penalty kill (72.6%).

Andreas Athanasiou (minus-25), Valtteri Filppula (minus-19) and Dennis Cholowski (minus-16) rank first through third with the worst plus-minus ratings in the NHL.

“It’s hard to stand up here every night and have to answer these questions,” Dylan Larkin said. “Maybe we take this feeling and remember it. We don’t have an answer now, but soon we will. There are positive things to look forward to."

Larkin bristled when asked about the effort in the second period, saying “every night we work. We might not make the best plays with the puck, we might make mistakes, but we show up, we work for each other.” 1163760 Detroit Red Wings To Larkin’s point, the effort of goaltender Jonathan Bernier against the Leafs was admirable.

Jimmy Howard was injured midway in the first period, which forced the NHL-worst Red Wings can't score but insist they're not getting outworked flu-ridden Bernier to come off the training table and finish the game.

Bernier stopped 37 of 40 shots and appeared to get stronger as the game went on. Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News Published 2:05 p.m. ET Nov. 28, 2019 | Updated 6:24 p.m. ET Nov. 28, 2019 “Bernie got to the rink and I was told he was sick,” Blashill said. “I just told Bernie, ‘If we need you, if you can go, that’s great.’ Obviously it was up to him whether he could go. He came in and showed tons of guts coming in. He played his butt off, played well. Detroit — The Red Wings can only hope this is as bad as it gets. “I asked him during timeouts if he was OK and he told me he could keep Really, how much worse could the Red Wings play than they did in going. It was a valiant effort by him.” Wednesday night’s 6-0 loss against Toronto. The Wings recalled goalie Calvin Pickard Thursday from Grand Rapids. “I don’t know how much further rock bottom is, but it’s got to be pretty Blashill wasn’t sure of Howard’s availability beyond Friday’s game in close,” forward Luke Glendening said. “We have to find a way to play a Philadelphia. simple game and keep pushing forward.” Red Wings at Flyers In the NHL, there’s a rule of thumb that the standings don’t change too much after American Thanksgiving. Where a team is on Turkey Day is Faceoff: 4 p.m. Friday, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia usually where it’ll end. TV/radio: FSD/97.1 The Wings (7-17-3) hope to change that in the weeks ahead. Outlook: The Flyers (13-7-5) have won two consecutive games and have But for now, they’re at rock bottom, 31st out of 31 teams with 17 points, been real good at home (7-1-4). … C Travis Konecny (eight goals, 16 winless in their last seven games, and with a staggering goal differential assists) leads a balanced offensive attack, but G Carter Hart (7-5-3, 2.54 of minus-45. GAA, .900 SVS) has to be more consistent for this team to contend.

“We keep saying we have to find it in this room,” Glendening said. “I’m Detroit News LOADED: 11.29.2019 sure you guys are tired of hearing it and we’re tired of saying it.

“I don’t have a lot of words; it’s embarrassing. Get beat 6-0 in your own building, it’s disappointing for sure.

“It’s frustrating. I’m always proud to wear this jersey and it’s something everyone in this room is proud to wear, but we have to go out and prove we’re proud to wear it every night.”

Somehow, the Wings need to begin manufacturing offense.

They are averaging the fewest goals per game (2.19) in the NHL. They’ve been shut out the last two games – the first time back-to-back since Jan. 12-16, 2014 – and they’ll be without leading goal-scorer Anthony Mantha for the next few weeks.

Coach Jeff Blashill talked about the need to score “dirty” goals around the opposing team’s net, deflections or redirects.

“We’ll have shifts in the first period (against Toronto), I call them reinforcement clips, how we need to play to be successful,” Blashill said. “Our weak-side defense was down retrieving pucks, we were shooting pucks and getting them back.

“That’s how we’re going to have to play to be successful. You saw on two of their (Leafs) goals, when you shoot the puck, sometimes it goes in off people and sometimes it doesn’t.

“But you can’t stop doing it.”

Dylan Larkin thinks the Wings need to be smarter and more efficient with the puck.

“We’re not managing the puck, not putting it in good spots for our teammates,” Larkin said. “The work ethic is there, but we’re not working smartly. We work 20 or 30 seconds to get it and once we get it, we’re dead tired and trying to make plays and forcing it.

“We need to get out, get simple, get the puck and support each other, just simplify our offensive game.”

Larkin was dejected over Wednesday’s loss, on Thanksgiving Eve, which usually produces one of the livelier hockey crowds of the season.

The one-sided loss hurt, but Larkin took exception to any thought the Wings have been getting outworked in these lopsided defeats.

“Every night we work,” Larkin said. “We might not make the best plays with the puck, we might make mistakes, but we show up. We work for each other.

“I believe in the guys in here. We’re a better team than when we started the season. This is a difficult time but it’s a time to learn.”

Bernier’s guts 1163761 Detroit Red Wings Said Blashill: “At the end of the night it’s a loss. We got to move on.” The Red Wings visit Philadelphia on Friday (4 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit).

They are 1-13-2 in their past 16 games there. Red Wings ‘close to rock bottom,’ but say effort not lacking Michigan Live LOADED: 11.29.2019

By Ansar Khan

DETROIT – Players were embarrassed by the result, but insisted it wasn’t from a lack of effort.

Nonetheless, the Detroit Red Wings’ 6-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena might have been the low point in a season that has come off the rails by Thanksgiving.

“I don’t know how much further rock bottom is, but it’s got to be pretty close, so we got to find a way to play a simple game and keep pushing forward,” Luke Glendening said.

The numbers are ugly:

The Red Wings (7-17-3) are last in the NHL with 17 points.

They have lost seven in a row (0-5-2), the past five in regulation.

They have a minus-45 goals differential; the next-worst is minus-23.

They have been shut out in consecutive games, both at home, and are last in the league in goals per game (2.19).

They have lost 11 games by three or more goals. They dropped 11 such games in all of 2018-19.

“When it happens at home on a big night, big crowd, it’s every tougher,” Dylan Larkin said. “It’s hard to stand up here every night and have this, to answer these questions.”

Half the building was full of Leafs fans and hearing so many cheers when you’re scored against at home wasn’t a good feeling.

“I don’t have a lot of words, it’s embarrassing to get beat 6-0 in your own building,” Glendening said.

“We keep saying we got to find it in this room. I’m sure you guys (media) are tired of hearing it, we’re tired of saying it. We got to do it. I don’t have a lot for you guys tonight, I’m sorry. It’s frustrating. I’m always proud to wear this jersey and it’s something that I think everyone in this room is proud to wear, but we got to go out and prove we’re proud to wear it every night.”

Said Frans Nielsen: “No excuse. We looked way off in the second period. It looked like two different leagues. I can’t really explain it right now but it’s embarrassing.”

The Leafs (12-10-4) outshot the Red Wings 54-25 and improved to 3-0 since firing former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, replacing him with Sheldon Keefe.

The Red Wings trailed 3-0 after the first period, but they competed hard. The Leafs scored twice on deflections (off Nielsen’s skate and Christoffer Ehn’s skate) and another goal when goaltender Jimmy Howard apparently injured his groin moments before and was unable to move.

Jonathan Bernier, the scheduled starter who came down with the flu, replaced Howard midway through the first period and was under siege in the second, when the Leafs outshot the Red Wings 24-5 and scored three more goals to break it open.

“Obviously, we played terrible in the second,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Does it feel like a different loss? When you’re chasing people around the rest of the game it’s frustrating. We were chasing them around, we just couldn’t create any stalls, so we played tons of D-zone coverage.”

Larkin disagreed with the assertion his team didn’t work hard enough.

“I think every night we work,” he said. “We might not make the best plays with the puck, we might make mistakes, but we show up, we work for each other. I think we didn’t pack it in in the third period. We skated. We tried to create something, and it didn’t happen tonight.

“I believe in our guys in here. I think we’re a better team than when we started the season. This is a difficult time, but a time to learn.” 1163762 Detroit Red Wings reading about a subject, therefore willingly facilitating the necessary interviews. When a franchise has winning expectations but is doing more losing, it can make day-to-day life tough on everyone, including the media, who have no vested interest in results but have to routinely deal Amid the (many) losses, what we’re thankful for on the Detroit sports with the people who do. I’ve heard horror stories from elsewhere about scene how a one-on-one request has to go through 50 different channels before it’s granted. That’s not often the case with the Pistons. And when this job

gets tough, the PR staff’s appreciation for media, for interesting stories, By The Athletic Staff Nov 28, 2019 helps ease the stress.

Austin Meek, Michigan football: As a newcomer to the Michigan beat, I’m thankful for everyone who has stepped in to make this transition a little So … things are a little rough around the Detroit sports scene these easier. That includes co-workers, media relations folks, coaches and days. Perhaps you saw this graphic on Twitter last week. players, and kind strangers who can tell when someone is lost. (Which I frequently am.) I’m especially thankful for subscribers who signed on to HAHAH PIC.TWITTER.COM/XBISGHGAVA read what a writer from Kansas (by way of Oregon) had to say about — KYLE YOST (@KYE_ILL) NOVEMBER 21, 2019 Michigan, and who continue to offer encouragement as well as great tips about restaurants, books and life in Ann Arbor’s student zone. And I’m The city’s teams have tacked on a few more losses since then, but you thankful to the neighbors for keeping it down after our kids go to bed. get the point. The reality is, all this losing is tough on everyone. It’s hardest, of course, on the teams and the players suffering through the Colton Pouncy, Michigan State football: This is the first time I’ve been defeats. Fans are fed up. And even at The Athletic Detroit, where it’s our able to cover the same team for more than one year. Any journalist will job to be impartial and analytical when it comes to the teams we cover, tell you things slow down in Year 2. That’s when you get settled in, when the angst that comes with the many struggles sometimes can even be a you hit your stride. I feel like that’s happened this season, and it’s bit much for us, too. allowed me to appreciate the smaller aspects of this job that make it so special. I’m thankful for the walk from my parking spot in Lot 63 to But this is the week, and the season, of giving thanks. So for today (well, Spartan Stadium on game days, and the occasional MSU fan who steps at least until the Lions kick off), we’re going to put aside all the talk about away from their tailgate to tell me they’re a subscriber. I’m thankful for the rebuilds, and injuries, and bowl eligibility, and the eternal “will Michigan travel and being able to explore new cities on the road. I’m thankful for beat Ohio State” question. Instead, our writers will share something for the spirited debates and conversations that take place in the press box which they’re thankful on their beats. The person who makes them smile, after games and again Tuesday nights, as the MSU beat waits for the things they get to see that others don’t, the staffers who make their practice to wrap up. I don’t take this job for granted. I’m thankful for it all. lives easier. Brendan Quinn: Michigan/Michigan State basketball: I’m thankful for the Their anecdotes provide a glimpse into what happens beyond the field of drive, up 23 North, across 96 West, from Ann Arbor to East Lansing, and play and what goes into their line of work. Hopefully, they also prompt back again. It takes about an hour. Without fail, it’s the quietest time of you to share in the comments below what you appreciate about our my week. No scrolling through the phone. No head buried in a laptop or teams in Detroit. watching a game go back and forth. It’s a time to think and ponder and Happy Thanksgiving! let the mind go where it wants. On every drive, at one point or another, there comes a passing reflection of how absurdly and stupidly lucky I am Nick Baumgardner, columnist/senior writer: My job is pretty unique in that to have this job — ping-ponging and hop-scotching between two of I get to watch football from three different perspectives every week, with college basketball’s finest programs, getting to tell their stories and live in the Lions, Michigan and Michigan State. Good or bad, I find myself the wonderful gorge in between one of the sport’s greatest rivalries. I’m learning something new about the game. Which, for me, is the best part an outsider, but this place, this beat and these fans have gradually about this job: The opportunity to learn more about a game that become a home. I’m thankful to be here. Right in the middle. fascinates all of us. It’s always important to examine why something might be bad and broken. But over the years I’ve come to find more Cody Stavenhagen, Tigers: Once in Anaheim, I saw a father taking his enjoyment in trying to figure out why something is cool and working, even son to watch batting practice. As they got near the field, the man stopped if it’s a small thing and didn’t result in a win. I’m thankful for that and for and told his boy, “Every time we do this, I want you to stop and realize the chance to grow with sophisticated readers who share similar how special this is.” I try to do the same. I transitioned from college interests. So for that, I say cheers. football to cover full time this year, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Covering 114 Tigers losses at times seemed like a cruel joke, but so Max Bultman, Red Wings: One of the many amenities of Little Caesars many little things made it all worth it: Seeing green grass and realizing Arena is the media elevator, which makes getting to and from the press you’re about to step onto a big-league field, players like Matthew Boyd box really smooth, without a bunch of stops at every level. But that’s not reading and even appreciating my stories, former bench coach Steve what I’m thankful for (though it is nice). The person who operates that Liddle saying one story read like literature, a refreshing break from the elevator is a lovely woman named Michele, who is always inside the day-to-day scrutiny of his job. I’m thankful for the chance to provide that elevator with a warm smile, a friendly hello, and more often than not a perspective at The Athletic … and wow, I’ll always be thankful for an funny quip or two before sending you on your way. She’s so good at opportunity to cover the majors. breaking through the tension of a stressful afternoon or evening and getting you back into a good mood for puck drop. Thanks, Michele, and The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 Happy Thanksgiving!

Chris Burke, Lions: I’m most thankful for the calm before the storm. On any Lions game day, I usually try to get to the stadium three hours or so early (arrival time varies depending on how my kids are behaving Sunday morning), and that gives me about a one-hour window after the teams have arrived but before the crowd gets there. A lot of times, stadiums won’t even have music going yet. I like to spend that hour wandering the lower bowl, maybe sitting for a bit, and just watching the players get loose. They all have their routines, including the coaches — Detroit wide receivers coach Robert Prince runs 100-yard sprints while the field is relatively open. A lot of them wander over and say hi to people they know on the opposing team. It’s all just … quiet. Almost peaceful. There aren’t many people who get to experience that pregame serenity, and I enjoy it every week.

James L. Edwards III, Pistons: I’m thankful the Pistons’ public relations staff is understanding of my job and allows me to tell stories that have the ability to spread outside of Detroit. It’s very rare that a good story idea is turned down. There are also times when they, too, are interested in 1163763 Edmonton Oilers ONE MELON Defenceman Matt Benning, who took an stick in the ear in

San Jose to kick off the Oilers five-game road trip, was back practising. Oilers forward Nugent-Hopkins getting treatment on hand He was under concussion protocol.

“I’ve been off for a week and two days but I’ve got a few skates in,” said Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal Benning, who didn’t try to talk his way back into the game against the Sharks. “It’s one thing being tough, it’s another being stupid. If I’d gone back, I was quite dizzy. That would have put me at risk of being hit. When you’re foggy, everything is going so fast. I answered the Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who played a long stretch (concussion protocol) questions quite truthfully but I’ve had a few with a sore hand before being pulled out of the lineup in Arizona and concussions before and you can’t screw around with that. You only have Colorado, had a “little procedure” and he’s out for both weekend games one melon.” against the Vancouver Canucks. Benning shrugged off the no-penalty call on Kane. “It’s been a nagging thing for a few weeks and before it got any worse, it was decided he’d get it taken care of. Hopefully a week to 10 days and “Knowing that player, he’s taken a few runs at me before. I have to know it’ll be fine,” said head coach Dave Tippett. he’s out there and protect myself even if it means getting my stick on him. I think he knew what he was doing. I’ve got to be better, learn from The Oilers aren’t saying how he was hurt or when, but the minor repair it,” he said. might be in his wrist, which might be ready to go against Los Angeles Kings here Dec. 6. If Benning can play this weekend, the Oilers will have eight defencemen, one over what they want to carry. Brandon Manning, who has been a Oilers winger Alex Chiasson, rocked by a clean shoulder to the chest by very good No. 7 through injury situations, could go on waivers. Colorado’s Ryan Graves in Denver, didn’t skate Thursday and his status for the home-and-home with Vancouver is up in the air. This ’n’ that: The Avalanche, who already have their two top wingers, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog, out, along with Matt Calvert and “Alex was getting some tests done and we’ll know more later,” said Colin Wilson, lost another one in Andre Burakovsky to an upper-body Tippett. injury during the Oilers game. Burakovsky has 11 goals and 21 points. If he can’t go, the Oilers still have Joakim Nygard, who sat out in Denver, Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.29.2019 to take his place against the Canucks. At this point, Nugent-Hopkins and Chiasson are still on the roster and not injured reserve, which means they have 14 forwards.

But one or both could go on IR.

They would need to recall a forward, such as Tyler Benson, from Bakersfield.

NO CALL

As of now, Adam Larsson, who got a major and game ejection for an elbow to the face of T.J. Tynan in Colorado, hasn’t heard from the NHL about a possible hearing.

And because it was a hit to the head, the Player Safety group looks at every one, but this didn’t seem egregious.

“I didn’t think it would be five minutes,” said Larsson. “The puck was right there and their guy was skating full speed toward me and I put my hands up as a reaction. Wasn’t intentional. I didn’t hit him hard, he played the next shift. I thought it wouldn’t be any more than two minutes. Yeah, I was surprised (by the ejection).

“If he’d been down with a concussion, that would have been similar to (Buffalo’s Rasmus) Dahlin,” Larsson said of the elbow by Tampa’s Erik Cernak that led to a two-game suspension.

Larsson, who has never had a hearing from the NHL, made the pass to Chiasson in the middle of the ice. In hindsight he didn’t like it.

“It wasn’t the greatest pass but everything happens so quickly. Of course, I felt bad for Alex,” he said.

HOW TOUGH IS THIS GUY?

The tough-as-nails Kris Russell took a slapper on the side of his face in the middle period in Colorado, but came back to play in the third frame with the Oilers down to four defencemen: Ethan Bear, Darnell Nurse, Oscar Klefbom and Caleb Jones.

“Bad cut on his ear,” said Tippett, who feels Russell will be ready for this weekend’s games.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever had your ear sewn up but it’s one of the worst spots. I saw him on the table last night and half his ear was hanging off. He got a day off. I, uh, think he deserved one.”

Said Larson: “I never saw, but I was taking my gear off when he came right after me (into the dressing room). Not an easy building to play four D, tough with the altitude there.

“You lose your air earlier in shifts. My lungs were squeezing pretty hard,” he said, laughing. “For the six minutes I played.” 1163764 Edmonton Oilers good, then you have a really good chance to do well. If the same is up and down, then, it probably won’t be good enough.

“We’ve done lots of good things, but we want to keep building on those.” Oilers are gobbling up points at U.S. Thanksgiving Tough to get better than a No. 2 penalty kill and No. 2 power play.

Boston and the Oilers are tied for the top power play at 32 percent, but Jim Matheson, Edmonton Journal the Bruins have played two fewer games. San Jose has the best penalty kill at 90.6 per cent, with the Oilers at 87.5 per cent. Only Vancouver has more power-play goals at 28. Only the Sharks (9), Flyers, Penguins and Panthers (10 apiece) have given up fewer man-advantage goals. Let’s talk turkey. “We don’t have to work on big things, which is a positive. It’s about The Edmonton Oiler players still have to show up for games between managing things when we’re not playing our best and how do we make it now and April 4, even though it’s U.S. Thanksgiving and the hallowed work? Some of our losses, we’ve gotten away from it but we haven’t let it Elias Sports Bureau says when you’re in the playoffs on the last fester and suddenly we’re losing three or four in a row. We’ve come back Thursday of November, you’re a virtual lock to be contesting Lord with a good effort and that’s the sign of a mature group.” said Smith. Stanley’s Cup in the springtime. “I’m a big believer in getting better in increments. No big up-and-down The ESB, which pours over records, says since 2005-06, 76 per cent of swings.” playoff teams at this time are somewhere between the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds in the post-season. So three-quarters of the way to being a slam- Oilers forward Sam Gagner is a small-picture guy. dunk. Of course, the St. Louis Blues were the outlier last season when they were so far out of the playoffs in early January, they need a Hubble “We’re doing our best not to look at the standings,” he said. “We’re trying telescope to see the standings. to approach different stretches of the season. You look at our last road trip and we approached it like a mini playoff series and we tried to get as MoneyPuck.com, an analytics site, has the Oilers odds at 71.6 per cent. many points (six of 10) as we could.

Not quite as sure as ESB, but good. “You put a season into little segments. It doesn’t need to be a certain number. We had the five-game trip. Now we have a home and home with The Oilers have 35 points in 27 games. If they get 55 over the next 55, Vancouver, that’s another one. Break things down and make results that’s 90 points. smaller and let everyone else worry about the big picture.” Last year, Colorado got in with 90 as the second wildcard in the West. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 11.29.2019 In 2017-18, the Avs needed 95 points, however, to get as second WC.

In 2016-17, Nashville was the No. 1 wildcard in the West, with 94.

So, it may take 59 points over the final 55 games to be sure. Or not.

One thing’s for certain, Oilers coach Dave Tippett isn’t sold on the Thanksgiving theory.

And his players don’t feel, for a minute, they’re home and cooled.

“Somebody handed me a whole bunch of those (playoff odds) stats this morning so I’m aware of them but there’s a long time remaining between now and the end of March,” said Tippett.

That said, it’s very difficult to change position from one-third of the way through an NHL season to the final bell.

“Basically, that tells me you better bank as many wins as you can early and keep banking them all year, then you earn the right to be a playoff team. If you can get out the gate early and put points in the bank, it might shelter you a bit if you run into injury problems or a slump,” said Tippett, whose squad got off to a 7-1 hop. “We needed to get a good start to the season because we needed momentum to find out about our team and how we would play and get better.

“There’s emphasis put on this time of year, but I looked at our schedule and said we had a five-game road trip upcoming against four division teams and a tough Colorado team (in the Central Division). I thought they were the most important ones we had played and it just happened to fall around American Thanksgiving. We put a lot of emphasis on that and I think we have a pretty good read on our team now. Three of the five games good, two not so good.”

But the Oilers’ 16 wins are the most in the West. St. Louis has the most points with 36. They are seven points clear of the last wildcard spot currently held by Vancouver, who has 28 points in 26 games. Vegas has 28 in 27 games and Calgary, 28 in 28. Breathing room, for sure.

“One thing I know, it’s a hard league to stretch anything out because of the three-point games,” said Tippett, whose club hasn’t had a lot of those.

The Oilers (16 road games, 11 at home) have the most regulation wins (12) in the Pac8. They’re tied with Dallas (Central) in the West. Only six games have gone past 60 minutes, so they’re not giving other teams a charity point.

“If you want to be a playoff team, you have to keep getting better,” said goalie Mike Smith. “If you stay the same and the same is really, really 1163765 Edmonton Oilers Tippett would likely be knocking on Ken Holland’s door daily for an upgrade (I wrote about it here) but the tweak by Edmonton’s coach allowed him to find a formula that created two outscoring lines at 5-on-5. That’s valuable. Lowetide: Oilers deployment shuffle will continue with Ryan Nugent- Hopkins still sidelined What happened after Nov. 11?

Based on reports I think we can be fairly certain Nuge was playing through the hand injury for some time, but the last six games show a By Allan Mitchell Nov 28, 2019 statistically stark turn and that’s where it’s reasonable to assume the injury changed the coaching patterns. Let’s have a look at all four centres

over the last six games with their goal and shot differentials excluding The Oilers returned from this week’s road trip looking more like a MASH each other at 5-on-5: unit than a hockey team. Alex Chiasson and Kris Russell were among McDavid without Nuge: 8-11 goals (42.1 percent); 74-67 shot share (52.5 the walking wounded after the game against the Colorado Avalanche on percent) Wednesday night, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn’t even make it that far. He missed two games on the trip and Thursday fans received an update Nugent-Hopkins without 97: 0-6 goals (0); 22-59 shot share (27.2 on his situation. percent)

COACH TIPP SAYS NUGENT-HOPKINS HAD A PROCEDURE ON HIS Sheahan without 97/93: 3-3 goals (50.0 percent); 35-43 (44.9 percent) HAND & WON’T BE AVAILABLE FOR THIS WEEKEND’S BACK-TO- BACK BUT WILL LIKELY BE READY AT SOME POINT NEXT WEEK. Haas without 97/93/23: 2-3 goals (40.0 percent); 29-33 (46.8 percent)

— EDMONTON OILERS (@EDMONTONOILERS) NOVEMBER 28, During this period (after Nov. 11) the Nugent-Hopkins line is bleeding 2019 profusely. The nadir of this run for Nuge was the San Jose game on Nov. 12. There are some unusual stats in that game (Nuge and Kassian 0-2 Hand injuries can impact for some time, especially for a skill centre like goals in 22 seconds 5-on-5 together). However, he followed it up with a Nugent-Hopkins. If the player and organization decided on the two-goal game against the Colorado on Nov. 14. He would play between procedure, it probably involved an inability to play with the 19 and 22 shifts against Dallas, San Jose, Los Angeles and Vegas pain/discomfort, a dip in performance, or both. before exiting the lineup. His on-ice shot shares at 5-on-5 in those games were 3-9, 6-16, 4-10 and 9-10. A quick look at his numbers over his last six games suggests the Oilers will have noticed a dive in production. Nugent-Hopkins’ performance in What did Tippett do this week? October and through mid-November showed no obvious signs of a downturn in 5-on-5 offence and goal differential. Since Nov. 12, though, In the two games without Nugent-Hopkins, Tippett replaced him with Nuge is off his own pace: Sam Gagner. Here are the results for each line at 5-on-5:

First 19 games: 1-5-6 (1.45 points per 60); 11-4 on-ice goal differential McDavid: 0-2 goals; 20-27 shots (42.6 percent). (all 5-on-5) Gagner: 2-2 goals; 15-12 shots (55.6 percent) Last six games: 1-0-1 (0.81 points per 60); 1-6 on ice goal differential (all Sheahan: 1-1 goals; 8-12 shots (40.0 percent) 5-on-5) Haas: 0-1 goals; 8-10 shots (44.4 percent) This is a small sample size (via Natural Stat Trick) and it’s possible random luck accounts for the numbers listed here. However, Nugent- The Oilers miss Nugent-Hopkins, the early, first 19 games edition of the Hopkins’ shot differential (53.81 percent) in the first 19 games fell centre. The four centres with Gagner in the mix have been outscored 3-6 markedly (29.07) in the most recent six games and that’s a major at 5-on-5 in the last two games, so the fix is less than ideal. The Oilers concern. need a healthy RNH, but could also use a No. 3 centre to improve depth at the position. Fans and observers tend to look at these things as losing a player at his perceived ‘established’ level, but if Nugent-Hopkins’ line is delivering 29 What can we expect this week? percent of the shots and 14 percent of the 5-on-5 goals, then the coach is looking at a major drag on his group and cannot afford status quo. Chiasson is in concussion protocol, so the Oilers might make a roster move to recall someone from the Bakersfield Condors. Candidates What did Tippett do? include Joe Gambardella, Tyler Benson and Colby Cave.

A quick look at usage over the first 19 games, and then the last six, might In terms of Nugent-Hopkins’ replacement this weekend, expect Gagner offer insight into the thought process of the coaching staff. Nuge spent to play in the middle and more prominent roles for the Sheahan and most of his time in the first 19 games at 5-on-5 on a line with James Neal Haas lines. The Oilers juggled things on the road trip and with the and Alex Chiasson. The trio outscored opponents 4-2 and won the shot medical news on Nuge suggesting a return next week, the MASH unit share 46-30 (60.53 percent). should be less populated by then.

Puck IQ informs us Tippett was using the Riley Sheahan line more often Hand injuries can linger and the Oilers are not strong at this position. If against elites in an effort to get some clean air for Nugent-Hopkins. Nuge RNH returns to action and resembles the mid-November version of is spending just 26 percent of his overall time against the best himself, Holland may be forced to go shopping in a very expensive trade opponents, as Tippett laboured to find a formula that would unlock some market. offence. It worked at 5-on-5. The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 McDavid through 19 games without Nuge: 20-11 goals (64.5 percent); 159-184 shot share (46.4 percent)

Nugent-Hopkins through 19 games without 97: 10-4 goals (71.4 percent); 124-103 shot share (54.6 percent)

Tippett, who is a helluva coach, found a formula that allowed his two best lines to flourish. Basically it involved playing the daylights out of McDavid (double shifts, after commercial breaks, added minutes when behind in the third period) and finding a seam for Nugent-Hopkins to thrive against slightly lesser competition. That involved throwing Sheahan’s line to the wolves at 5-on-5:

Sheahan through 19 games without 97/93: 0-8 goals (0); 41-64 shot share (39.1 percent) 1163766 Edmonton Oilers Because he reportedly wants to spend the year in Finland, what do you make of this Dec. 1 deadline? Is it a faulty or soft deadline because this could continue until the trade deadline or even until June?

One-on-one with Ken Holland, who is facing his first deadline in the Given that he’s 21 and we own his rights for a number of years going Jesse Puljujarvi saga forward, only three things can happen. He continues to stay in Europe for a number of years. We strike a deal with somebody and he gets traded. Or, he comes back. Only three things can happen. I can’t gauge the future. By Daniel Nugent-Bowman Nov 28, 2019 It’s hard. He’s a fourth overall pick. He was on the cover of “The Hockey

News” as the publication had determined, through whatever process they DENVER – The first deadline for Oilers GM Ken Holland pertaining to went through, that he was the best prospect in the world outside the winger Jesse Puljujarvi is fast approaching. It’s time for a decision. National Hockey League (2017, Future Watch edition). And two years later, we’re in this situation. Puljujarvi, a restricted free agent, must be signed by an NHL team by 3 p.m. MT on Sunday to be permitted to play in the league this season. He’s 21. He’s not 26. There’s a lot of runway for growth in this player. So, Barring a last-minute change of heart, it doesn’t appear as though that that impacts the way I’m thinking. Somebody else will say, “Well, it’s team will be the Oilers, as Puljujarvi and his agent have held firm on three years (ago). He hasn’t really gotten established.” That makes it wanting a fresh start. difficult to strike a deal.

One wrinkle in a possible trade, for Holland, is Puljujarvi’s apparent We’ll see. I’m not worried. I have lots of control over this situation in desire to complete the season in the Liiga with Karpat, as per a Finnish terms of I can say, “Yes, now it’s a deal and it’s done.” I certainly report earlier this month. That, in theory, wouldn’t make him a coveted understand he’s not the fourth overall pick (anymore). But the deal’s asset by another team in immediate term. gotta make sense. So far, I have had some things that have been interesting, but not enough for me to wanna do a deal. However, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday that the “Oilers have had 4-5 teams circle back over the past few days.” There may be a Your team is doing so well, but we’re not even in December yet. market for Holland after all. However, do you feel like you owe it to the players to make a trade if there are one or two pieces you can get for Puljujarvi? That might really Holland was supposed to watch Puljujarvi play at the Karjala Cup help this team this year. tournament in Finland, which was held Nov. 7 to 10, but had to cancel his travel plans because his mother, Lee, passed away. Oilers director of pro If what you’re suggesting is available, I’d probably be looking to do it. scouting Archie Henderson took his place. (Laughs)

Henderson is travelling to Finland to watch Puljujarvi play again on Fair enough. Friday. If there were pieces being offered that I think we could put into our lineup “I’ve got eyes on him,” Holland said. – that are gonna make a difference – we’d be having a press conference right now. I haven’t been offered enough. In advance of Sunday’s deadline, Holland spoke to The Athletic about the odds of dealing his young winger, whether he feels a need to trade him The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 now and what he’d be looking for in return.

Can you foresee a scenario – this year or next – where Jesse Puljujarvi plays for the Oilers again?

Well, you’re asking me to speak for somebody else. I don’t have that answer. Certainly, (coach) Dave Tippett and I made it very clear all summer he was welcome back. I have not spoken very much with his agent in September, October, November. There’s nothing really to talk about. Certainly, I’ve left the door open.

I would say I had lots of talk with lots of teams in August. It went really quiet in September and October. I’ve talked to a few teams over the last 10 days. That’s where it’s at. If you said today, “Do you think you’ll get a deal done?” I don’t think so. There’s still four days to go.

He reportedly said he wants to spend the year in Finland. How has that impacted the trade market?

I don’t think at all. First off, if I got close to a deal, I would probably give that team permission to speak (to Puljujarvi) and if he wouldn’t come and a deal fell apart, then I would say it impacted it. But as you sit here and speak today, it’s had zero impact with whatever talks I’ve had.

Given how well the team has been playing – first in the division – do you feel more pressure to make a deal to try to help your team for right now?

I don’t. I was at it for so long in Detroit. You can’t force anything. I’ve made big trades at the trade deadline and it’s fizzled. And I’ve made little moves or done nothing, and the team has played good. If a deal is there, a deal is there. I know what I’m looking for. So, if a deal’s not there, it’s not there.

Puljujarvi’s a 21-year-old player who was a high draft pick. So, what is the ideal package or type of player you’re looking for?

Something young. It’s gotta be young. I’m not looking to trade him for somebody who’s old. It’s gotta be young player for young player – or maybe younger player/prospect, pick. It’s gotta be something that can go onto our team and be a young player – much like he’s gonna be – or it’s gonna be more futures. Now, if we get past Sunday, obviously I’ll re- evaluate as I go forward. 1163767 Edmonton Oilers The group average here is 0.30 points per game and 20.8 minutes of average ice time, a near-perfect match for Bear’s current pace. The average cap hit using modern dollars is $2.84-million annually, but that’s dragged down by the older Brodie and Orlov contracts. Remove those Willis: Should the Oilers go short or long term on Ethan Bear’s next from the mix and the average compensation is $2.97-million. contract? Call it two years at $3-million annually, which is exactly the contract Neal Pionk signed with Winnipeg in July. If Bear maintains his current pace over the full year and he and the Oilers settle for a short-term pact, it By Jonathan Willis Nov 28, 2019 should look a lot like Pionk’s deal with the Jets.

The more interesting question is how that compares to a long-term Between a rising trio of AHL prospects, some high-profile graduating agreement. juniors, a couple of battered ‘tweeners trying to reclaim full-time NHL The longer-term route for a player with such limited NHL experience is employment and European professional Joel Persson, Edmonton came certainly a risk for the team which chooses that course, but it carries into 2019-20 with a variety of options on its blueline. significant upside with it. Both Nashville and Carolina have committed The Oilers coaches made their decisions quickly. early to players with similar experience levels to Bear and been rewarded. Caleb Jones was shipped out barely a week into camp, part of a 13-man demotion that lumped him in with the heart of the 2019-20 Bakersfield The Predators took this approach to Roman Josi (seven years, $4-million Condors. Four days later 2018 first-rounder Evan Bouchard was sent annually) in 2012-13 and Ryan Ellis (five years, $2.5-million annually) in down. Simultaneously the team announced that Persson would begin the 2013-14. Both contracts have been extreme bargains for the franchise. year on the injured list. The series of moves left camp standout Ethan Neither player is really a match for Bear, given that Josi was playing 24 Bear nearly a lock to start the year with the Oilers. minutes per game and Ellis was at 16 at the time of their extensions, but are useful as examples of the philosophy involved. “I skated up to him this morning and said, ‘knock, knock, opportunity waits,’ so it’s up to him,” coach Dave Tippett said at his press availability The Hurricanes get less attention for taking the same approach to Jaccob following the moves. “He’ll get in there, he’ll play the next two games; Slavin (seven years, $5.3-million AAV) and Brett Pesce (six years, $4.03- hopefully he plays well.” million AAV) in the summer of 2017, but that will change with time as the cap continues to rise and the league as a whole comes to understand Bear had been a revelation in the early part of camp, eclipsing Jones and how team-friendly those extensions were. Carolina has half of a very Bouchard and re-establishing himself as a high-end prospect after good top four locked up in those two deals and doesn’t have to worry fighting injuries in the minors most of the previous year. Nevertheless, he about either until 2024. could still have lost his hold on a roster spot. Persson’s injury was not a long-term ailment, and the coaches could easily have chosen to use Kris One additional point which isn’t recognized enough is that the CBA offers Russell as a stopgap on the right side, as they have at points since teams a get-out-of-jail-nearly-free card when they take a big swing on a camp. young player. The league’s standard player contract explains that someone bought out before the age of 26 is entitled to just one-third of Instead, Bear seized the opportunity. The next day in Winnipeg he his remaining earnings over twice the original term of the contract. For scored two goals and led Edmonton’s blueline with a 65 percent Corsi example, if the Pesce contract was clearly a disaster, the Canes could and 72 percent expected goal share. buy out the remainder of it this summer at an annual cap penalty of just $670,833, less than the price of an NHL-minimum contract. That’s the It was a microcosm of what Bear has done all year. Tippett repeatedly kind of fail-safe that doesn’t exist in unrestricted free agency or even after praised the work Bear did in the summer, which positioned the rookie a bridge deal when players are getting close to the age-26 shift to a well coming into camp. His work early in camp set him up to take pricier buyout. advantage of the Persson injury. His work in what had been Persson’s slot made him the logical option to step in when Adam Larsson broke his Pesce is the closest match for Bear among roughly comparable right fibula in the first game of the year. defencemen who signed long-term extensions coming out of their entry- level deals: There Bear once again rose to the occasion. The Larsson injury, leaving Edmonton with an inexperienced right defence, could have hobbled the We’re stretching comparables a little here to get a decent sample size. club right out of the gate. Instead Bear found immediate chemistry in a Bear isn’t a Klingberg-level offensive talent, and comes in ahead of shutdown role next to Darnell Nurse, benefiting from his partner’s size, Pesce but behind both Theodore and Parayko. All of those three had strength and speed as Nurse thrived next to a smart, dynamic partner longer NHL resumes than Bear, and Theodore additionally had the with a knack for moving the puck. Bear adapted quickly not just at 5-on-5 benefit of first-round pedigree, which means there isn’t really a good but also on the penalty kill, playing regular minutes on a unit which has example of a long-term contract for a player who closely mirrors Bear. been among the best in the NHL. An additional wrinkle is the way the RFA market has changed in recent Since Larsson’s return late last week, the veteran has played with either seasons. NHL teams have increasingly come to the conclusion that it Russell or Oscar Klefbom. Bear has held on to his spot next to Nurse. makes sense to pay players in their primes, with the result that the best restricted free agents are making more money than ever before. How It is a deeply satisfying result for the player, who in his fifth season after much that bleeds down to a player like Bear isn’t yet clear, because this being drafted has evolved into an important NHL defenceman. The same is an evolving story. is true for the Oilers, who selected and then patiently developed Bear in their minor-league system and have been rewarded with his play this A decent guess would be that if Bear’s play holds up he’ll be able to clear year. Pesce this summer while coming in shy of a Theodore or Parayko. A six- year contract at a $5-million AAV is a reasonable guess, though this is It isn’t the end of the story. If anything, it’s closer to the beginning, and still uncharted territory. this rookie campaign will do much to set the tone for what comes next. One important decision for player and team alike will be how to handle Whether or not the Oilers and Bear decide to deviate from the standard contract negotiations this summer. Bear is in the final year of his entry- bridge approach and sign a long-term contract, it’s likely just a matter of level deal and lacks arbitration rights, setting the stage for one of two time before this becomes standard operating procedure for NHL teams. It outcomes: a short-term “bridge” extension which will set him up for a is a risk, but on balance a good one: not only is a team paying for prime larger payday in the near future or a longer-term contract that trades in years and negotiating term at a time where it has the most leverage, but some of that payday down the road for security and immediate money. the contract also comes with the kind of built-in parachute that doesn’t exist following a two-year bridge deal, never mind in unrestricted free The bridge deal is standard operating procedure for most NHL teams. If agency. we look solely at defencemen who signed their first NHL extensions about the same age and limit our consideration to players with fewer than Edmonton will have more data at season’s end, and shouldn’t be in any 82 games of previous major-league experience as well as similar scoring rush to make a decision here, but if current trends continue the team has and ice time levels, we immediately find seven comparables who agreed a chance to be ahead of the curve when it re-signs its breakout to two-year extensions: defenceman. The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163768 Florida Panthers “I like our comebacks, although I don’t like the position we had put ourselves in. But I like that we have been down by two goals and have eight points in those games. They find ways, stay in games and keep the excitement there. We get a big goal for a spark and find momentum and Despite losing streak, the Florida Panthers are grateful for a playoff spot it has led to a lot of success.” — coach Joel Quenneville at Thanksgiving Mike Hoffman’s slap shot

The Panthers have not had a player with a blistering shot like Hoffman’s By George Richards Nov 28, 2019 in some time.

Since coming to the Panthers in 2018, Hoffman has been one of the top goal scorers in the league, and he is fourth on the team with nine this WASHINGTON — The Panthers wrapped up their 25th game of this season. season on Wednesday night, losing 4-3 to the host Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. “I am thankful for the group of guys we have this year. I have enjoyed this a lot. We added some new guys and we have all jelled pretty quickly. It The team will be off Thursday with most players planning to gather has made a big difference.” — forward Jonathan Huberdeau together for a Thanksgiving feast. The power play One thing they are all thankful for is their start to the season. The Panthers went 0-for-3 with the man advantage Wednesday but have Unlike in recent years, the Panthers are off and running, going into the been one of the better teams in the NHL again this year. holiday holding down the second spot in the Atlantic Division despite dealing with their first three-game losing streak. After finishing second to Tampa Bay in power play success rate last season, the Panthers came into Wednesday ranked fifth and scoring at “There are challenges and those kinds of things can make us better,” almost a 25 percent clip. goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said Wednesday night. “I am thankful for our fans and it is so much more fun to play when we “Adversity can be a good thing, too. The next game for us is a big game. have success and fans are a big part of that especially at home. It means We have to put this behind and move on. This is a long season and you a lot to play in front of good fans.” — center Sasha Barkov have to stay consistent mentally, stay positive and do your best each game.” Right wing Brett Connolly scores a goal in the second period in his return to Washington. Connolly now leads the Panthers with 12 goals. (Brad Over the past few years, holding down a playoff spot when Thanksgiving Mills / USA Today) rolls around is a good indicator of which teams will be in the postseason a few months from now. The top line

Since the last time the Panthers made the playoffs (2015-16), 70 percent Whether Evgenii Dadonov is on the right side or that spot is occupied by of teams that held a playoff spot on Turkey Day have reached the Hoffman or Brett Connolly, the Panthers’ top forward line is one of the playoffs. best in the entire league.

The Panthers have not held a playoff spot on Thanksgiving in some time, Both Barkov and Huberdeau lead the team in scoring and are among the and even in 2015, Florida was five points back of the final position. league leaders (Huberdeau came into Wednesday tied for eighth in scoring, Barkov 12th). Florida finished that season 39-17-5 and not only made the playoffs, but did so by climbing all the way up to the top of the Atlantic Division The two players set franchise records for most points scored in a single standings. season last year and are both on pace to eclipse those numbers.

Last year, 11 of the 16 teams in a playoff spot on Nov. 22 made it. “I am thankful to have all of my friends here on this team. They make coming to work every day a lot of fun. I get to sit next to Keith Yandle and St. Louis, the eventual Stanley Cup champion, was seven points back of Aaron Ekblad and close enough to Mike Matheson to bother him. We the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. have a lot of fun here.” — defenseman Mark Pysyk The Panthers were also seven points out at Thanksgiving last year but Slow starts in Toronto and Tampa Bay did not have a sensational second half to their season. For the third consecutive year, they were not part of the playoffs as they ended up 12 The Lightning ran away with the Presidents’ Trophy last season in one of points back of Columbus for the last slot. the most successful regular seasons in NHL history, while the high-flying Maple Leafs were supposed to challenge for a top spot in the They hope this year is different, and with the start they are off to (12-8-5), conference. there is definitely a cause for optimism despite their recent struggles. Only both teams have gotten off to slow starts, which has been good “Things could be worse but we know we can play better and losing three news for the Panthers. in a row is something we took pride in not having to got through this season,” defenseman Keith Yandle said. After losing to the visiting Blues on Wednesday night, the Lightning go into Thanksgiving on the outside of the playoff race. “The good thing about hockey is we are able to get right back on the horse here on Saturday and try and end this thing. We just have to “I am thankful to be able to come into work every day with these guys. buckle down.” Obviously, winning is fun and it has helped us keep a loose room, but we have been on the wrong side of things lately and we want to bring those Here are some other things the Panthers said they were thankful for: good times back.” — forward Frank Vatrano The comebacks Coming home — and staying a spell Although the Panthers are not thrilled about putting themselves in harm’s The Panthers kick off a franchise-record, nine-game homestand way, they have shown a propensity to crawl out. Saturday when Nashville comes to the BB&T Center. Not only have the Panthers become the first team since the 1983-84 During that span, Florida plays five games against teams currently not Edmonton Oilers to rally from a four-goal deficit and win in the same holding a spot in the playoffs. The Panthers would like to rack up some season, but they are 5-6-2 when trailing after two periods. points before now and New Year’s and this current homestand presents Those 12 points gained when trailing after 40 minutes lead the league. a choice opportunity to do just that. Florida’s 34 goals in the third period rank second-most of all teams. The “The fact that we get to play the game we love for a living is definitely Panthers and Washington were tied at 2 heading into the third on something I am thankful for. It is pretty amazing. In the thick of a season, Wednesday. you can lose sight of that and think your problems are bigger than they are. But around Thanksgiving, you can sit back a little and realize how cool this all is. And in this sport, you don’t really get to pick who your teammates are and I think we are all pretty lucky to have each other here.” — defenseman Mike Matheson

The late addition of Brian Boyle

After going unsigned through the free agency period and thereby missing training camp, veteran center Brian Boyle ended up signing a one-year deal with the Panthers and immediately began paying dividends.

Boyle has four goals and eight points in 17 games and went into Wednesday’s game leading the Panthers in faceoffs as well as ranking sixth in the league with his 59.2 percent success rate.

“Having a job is pretty cool. This is a good team, a good group — for more reasons than one. To have an opportunity to win is something I have always been thankful for and we have something here that is going in the right direction. And living in Florida, well, that ain’t bad either.” — Boyle

Welcome to South Florida

Boyle is not the only relative newcomer to the Panthers. The team went on an offseason spending spree and added over $25 million to its payroll with the additions of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Anton Stralman and forwards Noel Acciari and Brett Connolly.

All four have played big roles in the Panthers’ early success, with Connolly now leading the team with 12 goals after scoring in his return to Washington on Wednesday.

“I am thankful to have such a good group of teammates and also thankful to be up here playing in the NHL. I think sometimes we take that for granted, but it is pretty amazing, being able to do what we do. There are a lot worse jobs out there than playing hockey for a living.” — defenseman Josh Brown

Ek is Back

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad has seemingly really taken to the new coaching philosophy as he is off to one of his best starts in years.

Although the Panthers still have some things to clean up in the defensive zone, Ekblad’s game has been on point.

Offensively, the top pick of the 2014 draft is starting to heat up with five goals and 15 points, including three goals with five points in the past four games.

“I am thankful we have been able to find some success in the early months of a season. Winning makes it fun to come to the rink every day, fun to come out and compete. We’re winning and in contention right now; we are in the fight. It is a good feeling.” — forward Colton Sceviour

The Iron Man

Yandle has kept his NHL-leading consecutive game streak going despite taking a puck to the face on Saturday night in Carolina (he returned for the third period) and losing or cracking nine teeth.

The following night against Buffalo, Yandle not only played but led all players in shifts and ice time.

On Wednesday, Yandle played in his 822nd consecutive game two days after spending considerable time at the dentist. Yandle had a pair of assists to give him 20 so far this season.

He was hit with an interference penalty in the final minute Wednesday, however, which may have hampered any comeback chance the Panthers may have had.

“I am thankful to be here with the Panthers and am thankful I got traded here and have this opportunity. I am getting a chance to play and that is awesome.” — forward Dominic Toninato

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163769 Los Angeles Kings

Kings look for better ending against Sharks

By ANDREW KNOLL |PUBLISHED: November 28, 2019 at 8:14 pm | UPDATED: November 28, 2019 at 8:15 PM

Hoping to springboard off the persistence they have shown in their past two games, the Kings face a challenging back-to-back set with travel over Thanksgiving weekend.

On Friday, they travel to San Jose to face the Sharks for the second time this week. They lost 4-3 in overtime to San Jose on Monday before beating the New York Islanders 4-1 Wednesday. Then Saturday they return home to Staples Center to face the surging Winnipeg Jets.

The Sharks had won nine of their past 10 games before getting worked by the Jets 5-1 in San Jose on Wednesday. Winnipeg has gone 7-2-1 in its past 10 games, working its way back up the Central Division standings. The Kings beat the Jets 3-2 on Oct. 22 in their only other meeting this season.

For their part, the Kings have been improving, something Jack Adams Trophy winner and Islanders coach Barry Trotz noted both before and after facing the Kings.

“I even said it to our team, that I think the Kings are playing very well actually,” Trotz said. “I don’t look at the standings, I look at how the (opponent) is playing. They are playing good hockey and I knew it was going to be a battle.”

Kings coach Todd McLellan said it was fair to say that the panic that set in at times earlier in the season was vanishing from the Kings.

“The idea of playing a certain way is starting to become a little more natural,” McLellan said. “The panic earlier in the year was ‘I’m not sure too sure what I’m doing yet,’ and ‘oh, there’s a mistake that I’ve got to go cover,’ and you start running around. We’re starting to settle in.”

Indeed, the Kings have become more comfortable, responding to goals allowed and other setbacks. The Kings are still learning to play from behind, however they have been able to hold late leads expertly in the handful of instances they have held them.

“We do have the players that have experienced winning and understand how to play in those situations. It’s just putting it all together right now is what we’re working on,” McLellan said.

After a dismal start to the season, the Sharks have put it all together. Versatile forwards Logan Couture, Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl have all topped the 20-point mark already, as has Brent Burns, a high-scoring defenseman who has played forward as well.

Winnipeg has been bringing along new personnel on defense this season, a transition eased by the stellar play of goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Center Mark Scheifele and right wing Patrik Laine are tied for the team lead in points with 23. The 6-foot-5 Scheifele has developed into a prototypical pivot. Laine, known primarily as a sniper, has been working to add new dimensions to his game. As recently as last year he eschewed the notion of becoming a playmaker, but this season he leads the Jets in assists.

Kings at San Jose

When: 1:00 p.m. Friday

Where: SAP Center

TV/Radio: Fox Sports West/iHeartRadio

Winnipeg at Kings

When: 7:00 p.m. Saturday

Where: Staples Center

TV/Radio: Fox Sports West/iHeartRadio

Orange County Register: LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163770 Los Angeles Kings Plus, Miller has a great sense of style. I love his current mask, and his “Star Wars” one from last year is arguably one of my favorites of all time. Plus the fact that he continued to wear it long after the Ducks’ Star Wars Night, which he missed due to injury, was phenomenal. Finding gratitude with the Kings and Ducks, even as the teams are struggling As for Getzlaf, I think how much he cares about our community is completely underrated. He loves it here and is willing to do whatever he can to make Orange County and Southern California a better place.

By Lisa Dillman, Eric Stephens and Josh Cooper Nov 28, 2019 If you want a Kings equivalent of the same age group, Jeff Carter and his wife, Megan, are similar. When Carter hit 1,000 games I thought what the

Carters do with the charity Wags and Walks and how much they (as a Gratitude and thankfulness can come in unexpected forms. couple) have ingrained themselves in the South Bay.

It’s easy to say, “I’m grateful for my family and friends,” but dig a little Eric Stephens deeper. Try to look at all the good things you truly have in life. Though we should be thankful throughout the whole year for the good It could be something as simple as seeing a hummingbird on a walk or things that come our way — and I try my best to do so — American laughing uncontrollably at your favorite movie or TV show — the latter Thanksgiving is always a good holiday to take a step back and reflect on was me (Josh) at the latest episode of “Silicon Valley,” and a friend called waking up each morning, breathing and being alive. We think of how we the next day to talk about it. We then chuckled even harder while can impact others, the impact others make on us and having the daily discussing it. Let’s just say Russ Hanneman is our favorite character and opportunity to be the best version of ourselves. we’re all in on “Russ-Fest.” And I remain thankful for being able to prove my chops as a hockey If you follow Sharks broadcaster Jamie Baker on Instagram, you can writer and focus particularly on the same team for the last 15 years. learn a lot about what he calls “radical gratitude” and how gratefulness Fifteen years. As I noted in my introductory piece for The Athletic, I can show up in every form of life. Baker, who opened up to Katie Strang thought I’d get six months before an editor would decide it’s time to pull of The Athletic about his mental health, is one of the more inspirational the plug on the experiment. The Ducks have given me plenty to write follows in hockey. about over that span. And between the two local teams, I’ve been in the house to personally witness the Stanley Cup being hoisted three times. [ Listen to Point Breakaway for more Kings and Ducks coverage ] But it isn’t just covering Cup teams. It has been chronicling the highs of In this context, as we head into the season of thankfulness — remarkable playoff victories and lows of Game 7 defeats. It has been Thanksgiving is Thursday in the United States — we decided to look at telling a ton of personal stories. Jersey retirements and Hall of Fame what Kings fans and Ducks fans should appreciate about their teams. In enshrinements. The Comeback on Katella. Teemu Selanne playing his all honesty, there doesn’t seem like a lot from the last year but really final regular-season game and pulling a soon-to-be retiring Jean- there has been, which is why we — Kings beat reporter Lisa Dillman, Sebastien Giguere onto the ice with him for his victory lap as Paul Kariya Ducks beat reporter Eric Stephens and myself, staff editor and Point and an adoring crowd showered them with a chilling, never-ending Breakaway co-host Josh Cooper — wanted to put together this story. standing ovation.

We wanted to talk about the stuff that maybe you don’t see within these In that vein, there are some current things about covering the Ducks that teams. Hopefully, we can pull back the curtain a little and offer our I’m grateful for. Watching Jakob Silfverberg go into a corner with little glimpse. chance to come out of it with the puck and still managing to do so. Listening to the fans up in the 400 section of Honda Center chant “Ooh So here we go! Aah” when the sweet, two-way Swede scores. Seeing Ondrej Kase have Josh Cooper the biggest smile whenever he puts the puck in the net. Having Rickard Rakell speak with candor and being the easiest and quickest to I’ll start with the Kings. I’m grateful for how they continue to try to push transcribe when I listen to the tape recorder. (I wouldn’t wish the job of boundaries from an in-game entertainment experience perspective. tape transcription on anyone.)

Are they a so-so product on the ice? Yes, but I think they know this and The jury is still out on whether Dallas Eakins will be a good NHL coach, because of that they’re trying to push the right buttons off the ice to but you can see why people laud his communication skills. It certainly ensure that fans are both heard and also have a great time at Staples makes a scrum or a one-on-one interview much more interesting. And Center. I’m thankful that I’ve built up enough of a working relationship with Ryan They’ve made organist extraordinaire Dieter Ruehle more visible. They Getzlaf for him to feel like he can easily go beyond captain-speak and covered the Taylor Swift banner — which was one of the funniest things clichés on a variety of topics on the ice and away from it. I’m glad to have I’ve seen in recent years in this sport — because their fans believed it a Cam Fowler be unfailingly accessible through good times and bad, and was a curse on the team. just be a straight-up nice guy.

Their laser light shows have somehow gotten bigger and better, if that Mostly, I’m grateful to have a wife and three children throwing all their was possible. They may have gone a little hard into bringing in too many support behind me and the great job that I have, while also pushing me celebrities last year, but when they got it right, they created some to reach heights I never imagined I’d get to. Even if it the trade-off is the hilarious viral moments with Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell. Both brought grief they feel is worthy to dish my way, for being away from home and at some positive publicity to what was a downright dismal season. the Michelin restaurants they assume I dine at without them. The truth is, I don’t. All right, maybe I’ll stumble into a Morton’s or a Ruth’s Chris once All signs indicate they’ve learned from this and are primed to create every few years. some more interesting tidbits off the ice. Lisa Dillman I’m also grateful that Kyle Clifford let me into his home to indulge me with dad talk. I truly love talking to athletes who are young fathers — like Just for fun, I decided the other day to re-read my initial offering for The myself — and it gave me a unique perspective on Clifford, who has been Athletic, detailing why I joined in June 2018 and what we were planning a heart-and-soul player for the Kings. on doing in Los Angeles with hockey coverage.

As for the Ducks, I’m grateful for the two Ryans – Miller and Getzlaf. The One line made me chuckle: “If you want 5,000 words on a prospect and way they speak about the game, the way they continue to give us a it’s a worthwhile story, we will do it.” glimpse into who they are, is tremendous. Now my recent story on the Kings’ top prospect, Alex Turcotte, written Getzlaf’s Q&A with our Eric Stephens, in which he looked back at his life after going to see him in Madison, Wis., almost cracked the 3,000-word and career in Anaheim, was a window that few athletes even crack open. barrier, but the bigger point is that we are doing these stories. Miller’s openness to talk about any topic — even if it’s political — is rare It is Thanksgiving, yes, but I feel fortunate on the other days of the year in hockey. to work at a place where you get the support, time and resources to do these pieces. Continuing the theme of gratitude, it’s important to give thanks to the players and their families for allowing us into their lives to tell their stories. I’ve been thinking a lot about Frank and Lynne Martinez in the aftermath of their son Alec’s wrist surgery this week.

Now my dealings with them pre-dated The Athletic. They were incredibly generous with their time when I wrote a story after Alec surprised them at Thanksgiving in 2017, making good on his promise to get his degree at Miami (Ohio) University. This was 13 years after he first stepped foot on campus.

That story helped set the template for future reporting at The Athletic by speaking more often to multiple family members to help provide broader perspective. For starters, there’s Fran and Nancy Anderson-Dolan, Megan Carter, Alfie Turcotte, Craig Johnson, Dana and Gerry Anderson and Lisa Lizotte, among others.

Yes, I’m the go-to Mom and Dad correspondent at The Athletic.

One of my favorite stories of last season was Fran Anderson-Dolan’s inspired dash across Canada, leaving Calgary in the morning to get to Montreal in time to see her son, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, play against her beloved Canadiens.

She was able to see his first NHL point, an assist, and texted me, “I’m in tears.”

Family matters above all else, and the holiday season annually reinforces that point for me.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163771 Los Angeles Kings

WAKING UP WITH THE KINGS: NOVEMBER 28

JON ROSEN NOVEMBER 28, 2019

The LA Kings responded well after a first period goal against and through the tight execution of their game plan withstood the pressure from a hard- checking, defensively attuned team. They won important moments of the game and scored decisive victories in both goaltending and special teams, which provided offense at 5×4, 4×4 and 5×6 in the 4-1 win. But that five-on-five even strength goal by Dustin Brown was huge, coming on a “bump-up” shift Todd McLellan has referenced and recently praised for their focus and diminishing opportunity against. Both he and made the type of on-your-toes plays necessary to apply pressure that maintained control of the puck in the offensive zone, and we’re beginning to see more goals coming off those forechecking support plays inside the blue line. Hutton, who assisted on the play, finished with a plus-two rating and three shots on goal in over 19 minutes of ice time against New York’s top guns, a second star performance in the first game back alongside Drew Doughty in the absence of Alec Martinez. And those types of heads-up, quick-decision plays do seem to indicate that the team is reacting more organically and with less hesitation. “I think the structure, the idea of playing a certain way is starting to become a little more natural, and in that case you just flow in from one job to the next job and you hand off responsibility, The panic earlier in the year was ‘I’m not too sure what I’m doing yet, and there’s a mistake I’ve got to go cover,’ and you start running around. We’re starting to settle in. We’re nowhere near where we need to be complete yet, but we’re working towards it.”

The Islanders, 15-0-1 in the 16 games before their 0-2-1 California trip, responded well. This wasn’t a game in which they caught an opponent on an off-night or not willing to battle and play the style of game necessary to find success. “They put in a much better effort than Anaheim. The score doesn’t indicate that,” Barry Trotz said, as reported by Newsday. “Tonight, we were more committed. We played harder,” Derick Brassard said. It’s a good sign that the Kings improved as this game progressed and didn’t wilt or suffer lapses or allow New York’s top players to cash in on their opportunities. There were a few near-misses, like a missed Nelson-to-Beauvillier power play redirection that was skulled wide of an open net and followed shortly by Jeff Carter’s game-winning power play goal. Los Angeles owned that second period and built on it with a terrific four-man shift in the third in which all players touched the puck in the offensive zone. Their work, which included a Hulk-like zone entry amidst resistance by Adrian Kempe, who was very good on the wing again, bore fruit as Blake Lizotte won a pair of puck battles to set up Matt Roy’s knuckleball. Roy played well at the other end, too, getting under Josh Bailey’s stick to deny a prime rebound opportunity earlier in the third. The Islanders stars had their chances, and Matt Barzal, amidst his stickhandling clinic and impressive passing, was kept off the scoresheet by a good team effort that included an entertaining slash-and-spear Carter and Barzal storyline. Carter, who scored his eighth goal and leads the team with 81 shots, did a good job playing tight against a league star, just as he did in his shifts smothering Connor McDavid the previous week.

There’s a lot to be thankful for, Insiders. Here’s to the warmth of family, friends, health and peace of mind, and while we all may struggle at any given time with one or any of those, we’re also thankful for our resilience and compassion and willingness to be the best we can. I’m thankful for this community, that this community enjoys Neil Young videos, and, of course, the fact that the LA Kings transport me around the country to write operettas about Jake Muzzin. We’re all thankful for the standards established by the Kings and Rich Hammond whose reporting set a de facto constitution for the site and for the many other friends and colleagues who have collaborated or hopped aboard planes, trains and automobiles for 82 games or more. The end of a decade lends to some nostalgic retrospection, and there will be surely more of that to come in December. Enjoy football, enjoy food, enjoy the light traffic around L.A., and enjoy the broadcasts against San Jose and Winnipeg this weekend. Have a happy Thanksgiving, Insiders.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163772 Minnesota Wild

Ottawa travels to play the Wild

By The Associated Press Associated Press NOVEMBER 29, 2019 — 2:10AM

Ottawa Senators (11-13-1, seventh in the Atlantic Division) vs. Minnesota Wild (10-11-4, seventh in the Central Division)

St. Paul, Minnesota; Friday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Wild host the Ottawa Senators.

The Wild are 5-1-2 at home. Minnesota has surrendered 14 power-play goals, killing 81.3% of opponent opportunities.

The Senators are 4-8-1 on the road. Ottawa averages 9.8 penalty minutes per game, the fifth-most in the league. Mark Borowiecki leads the team serving 29 total minutes.

In their last matchup on Oct. 14, Minnesota won 2-0.

TOP PERFORMERS: Victor Rask leads the Wild with a plus-four in 16 games played this season. Ryan Suter has collected eight assists over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau leads the Senators with 13 goals and has 19 points. Chris Tierney has recorded five assists over the last 10 games for Ottawa.

LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 6-4-0, averaging 2.5 goals, 3.8 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.4 penalty minutes while allowing 2.3 goals per game with a .925 save percentage.

Wild: 5-2-3, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.2 assists, 3.6 penalties and 9.4 penalty minutes while giving up three goals per game with a .906 save percentage.

Wild Injuries: Marcus Foligno: out (lower body).

Senators Injuries: Cody Goloubef: day to day (undisclosed).

Star Tribune LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163773 Minnesota Wild

Gameday preview: Wild vs. Ottawa

Sarah McLellan NOVEMBER 28, 2019 — 10:41PM

3 p.m. vs. Ottawa • Xcel Energy Center • FSN, 100.3-FM

Win streak vs. Senators at seven

Preview: The Wild returns home after a 1-0-2 road trip against Boston, the New York Rangers and New Jersey. All three games were decided by one goal. The team is on a seven-game win streak vs. the Senators, its longest active win streak against an NHL opponent. .

Players to WATCH: Wild LW Zach Parise has six goals in his past seven games. C Eric Staal boasts 47 points in 50 career matchups vs. the Senators. Ottawa C Jean-Gabriel Pageau has a team-high 13 goals. D Thomas Chabot’s 12 assists are tied for the most on the Senators.

Numbers: Staal is one game shy of 1,200. The Wild is 5-0-2 in its past seven home games. Its eight home games are the fewest in the NHL. D Ryan Suter has three multipoint efforts over the past four games.

Injuries: Senators RWs Scott Sabourin (head) and Bobby Ryan (player assistance program), Ds Cody Goloubef (undisclosed) and Christian Wolanin (torn labrum) and G Craig Anderson (lower body) are out. Wild G Devan Dubnyk (personal), D Greg Pateryn (core muscle surgery) and W Marcus Foligno (lower body) are also out.

Star Tribune LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163774 Minnesota Wild “The Gophs are doing so well this season. It’s just been fun watching them,” said Seeler, an Eden Prairie native. “They haven’t had this good of a year for a long time. It’s pretty cool.”

Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk takes time to deal with wife's medical Seeler said the Gophers have plenty of fans among the Wild players. “I’m condition surprised how many people are on the Gophs’ side here, even though they went somewhere else,” he said.

Forward Luke Kunin had a dissenting opinion. By Randy Johnson Star Tribune NOVEMBER 28, 2019 — 10:45PM “The Badgers will take care of it,” said Kunin, who skated for Wisconsin for two years.

Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who has missed the past four games Star Tribune LOADED: 11.29.2019 because of a personal matter, revealed Thursday that his wife, Jenn, is going through a serious medical situation that required hospitalization last week.

“It’s something I need to be here for and be with her and the kids,” said Dubnyk, who returned to practice Thursday morning at Tria Rink. “It’s still pretty foggy as far as what’s going to happen going forward. She’s OK. We’re working on getting her back to 100 percent, but there’s going to be some things to figure out going forward.”

Dubnyk did not want to discuss specifics of Jenn’s condition but said the family is awaiting more information that should be available in the coming days.

“That’s the most difficult part for all of us, especially her because she’s the one that’s going through it,” said Dubnyk, who added that Jenn is at home. “It’s not fun when you don’t have a concrete answer as far as what it’s going to be like going forward. But we know we’ll get one and get one soon enough.”

Dubnyk said Jenn’s medical situation needed attention Nov. 19 when he returned home from the Wild’s game at Buffalo.

“I got her in [for medical care] shortly after I got home that night,” he said. “I’ve kind of been spending this last week trying to get her on a track back to feeling good and feeling comfortable with what the routine is.”

Though Dubnyk practiced Thursday, he won’t be starting in Friday afternoon’s home game against Ottawa, coach Bruce Boudreau said. That means either Alex Stalock or Kaapo Kahkonen will get the nod against the Senators. The coach wouldn’t reveal Friday’s starter but said there’s a good chance that both Stalock and Kahkonen will start during this two-game homestand, which finishes Sunday against Dallas.

Dubnyk didn’t know when he’d be available to play.

“I’m going to talk to Bruce, and I don’t even know if we have an answer right now as far as if I’m able to travel, if I feel comfortable to travel right now,” he said. “It was pretty scary, and I’m glad I was there for it.”

He credited teammates and the Wild organization for their help. “When something like this happens, it’s nice to see how much of a family this organization is and how much support is there,” he said.

Dubnyk’s focus, of course, is on Jenn’s health.

“She’s the strongest person I know. She gave birth to three giants without saying one complaint,” the 6-6 Dubnyk said. “I know if anybody’s going to get through it, it’s definitely her.

“Any time something like this comes up, you realize nothing matters other than your family.”

Foligno on the mend

Wild forward Marcus Foligno, who has missed the past nine games because of a lower-body injury, practiced but likely won’t play Friday. “He’s very close,” Boudreau said, “but he’s not close enough yet.” Boudreau added that he’s hopeful Foligno will be ready for the three- game road trip to Florida, Tampa Bay and Carolina that begins Tuesday.

Foligno said he would like to play Friday, but a more realistic return would be Sunday.

• Boudreau also said the recent setback defenseman Greg Pateryn suffered in his recovery from core muscle surgery isn’t long-term. “He just needs a little more time,” Boudreau said.

Rowing the boat

Defenseman Nick Seeler, a former Gophers player, is excited for Minnesota’s football matchup against Wisconsin on Saturday. 1163775 Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Devan Dubnyk focused on ailing wife, Jennifer

By DANE MIZUTANI

Devan Dubnyk returned to practice Thursday after spending a week away with his ailing wife, the Wild goaltender said.

During a talk with reporters at TRIA Rink, Dubnyk said his wife, Jennifer, is dealing with serious medical issues.

“I don’t know how much I want to say, details-wise,” he said. “It’s just something that I need to be here for, and I need to be with her and the kids. There were some days in the hospital over the last week. It’s still pretty foggy as far as what’s going to happen going forward.”

Jennifer’s issues started last week shortly after the Wild returned from a road win over the Buffalo Sabres.

“It was pretty scary,” Dubnyk said. “I got her (into the hospital) shortly after I got home that night. We have been spending the last week trying to get her back on track to feeling good and feeling comfortable with what the routine is.”

Adding to the anxiety is that doctors have been unable to give the Dubnyks any concrete answers. They’re hoping to get some clarity after Thanksgiving.

As of Thursday, Jennifer was at home resting, and some immediate family has come into town to help.

It’s unclear right now whether Dubnyk will join the team on a weeklong road trip through Florida and North Carolina next week. He planned on talking to coach Bruce Boudreau after practice.

“There are going to be some things to figure out going forward here,” Dubnyk said. “I don’t know if we have an answer right now as far as if I’m able to travel and if I feel comfortable to travel right now. Someone needs to be around.”

Dubnyk thanks the Wild, from owner Craig Leipold on down, for their support and talked at length about the situation putting his life into perspective.

“You realize nothing matters except your family in the long run,” he said. “They obviously are very aware that family is the No. 1 thing that matters.”

Dubnyk also mentioned how appreciative he has been of his teammates.

“This has been our family,” Dubnyk said. “That’s very apparent with how many people have reached out, offered help, dropped toys off for the kids, offered school rides. You know its there. It’ just when something happens, and it needs to go into action, it’s pretty amazing how much of a family we have in here.”

Dubnyk said he has no doubt Jennifer will get through this.

“She’s the strongest person I know,” he said. “She gave birth to three giants without a complaint. I know if anybody’s going to get through it, it’s definitely her.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163776 Minnesota Wild practice time to get back to form. Still, Dubnyk is glad to have his team to help him through.

“(Hockey is) what you do for a living, and it’s a job, but anytime Devan Dubnyk returns to practice as his wife deals with uncertain something like this comes up, you realize nothing matters but your family medical issues in the long run,” he said. “… The way the organization from (owner) Craig (Leipold) to (GM) Billy (Guerin) to Bruce has just given support and time and, you know, offered anything possible to help, they obviously are very aware that family is the No. 1 thing that matters. By Jessi Pierce Nov 28, 2019 “It was nice to get back and just be around the guys and sweat and joke

and get scored on — feel normal that way. This is a part of life as well. Devan Dubnyk’s eyes looked worn, and his voice cracked almost Even when you talk about family being first, this has been our family. immediately. That’s very apparent with how many people have reached out, offered help, dropped toys off for the kids, offered school rides; you know its “It’s nice to get here,” he said with whatever smile he could muster. “Just there, but when something happens and it needs to go into action, it’s getting in here and getting around the group again feels good.” pretty amazing how much of a family we have in here.”

Dubnyk rejoined the team for practice Thursday for the first time since The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 removing himself to tend to family matters last week.

Those family matters, we learned, deal with his wife, Jenn, who is experiencing undiagnosed medical issues.

“I don’t know how much I want to say details-wise. … I don’t want to get too much into it for her privacy,” explained Devan, who has been with Jenn for more than a decade. They met in their hometown of Calgary when the NHL was still just a lofty dream for the goalie. “It’s still pretty foggy as far as what’s going to happen going forward. She’s OK. We are working on getting her back to 100 percent. There are going to be some things to figure out going forward here.

“It’s just something that I need to be here (in Minnesota) for, and I need to be with her and the kids.”

It began last Tuesday when Devan Dubnyk returned from playing backup to Alex Stalock in the team’s 4-1 win in Buffalo. Jenn suffered a medical episode shortly after he arrived home and was rushed to the hospital late that night. They have spent the past eight days searching for answers.

“That’s the most difficult part for all of us,” he said. “It’s not fun when you don’t have a concrete answer. … It sucks that it’s Thanksgiving weekend right now, so I’m not able to get any appointments the next two days, but we will get a concrete answer and we’ll come up with a plan moving forward.”

Jenn’s been a fixture in Devan’s life throughout his hockey days. She was with him as he wrapped up a junior career in Kamloops. They made it work long-distance while he fought to find a place on the Edmonton Oilers’ roster, finding time to wed in a small ceremony in Maui in between the hockey ups and downs.

She moved into a two-bedroom condo with a then-5-month-old son, Nate, when he was traded to Nashville in 2014, and she eventually found herself and Nate back in Edmonton when Devan was traded to Montreal and subsequently sent down to Hamilton of the American Hockey League.

Then came the trade in 2015 from Arizona to Minnesota, where the two have since grown their family to three boys, with now 5-year-old Nate playing big brother to Parker (3) and Dawson (1).

“She’s the strongest person I know,” Devan said. “(She) gave birth to three giants without saying one complaint, so I know if anybody’s going to get through it, it’s definitely her. … She just wants some answers — we all do.”

Jenn’s mom and sister flew into town to help with the three kids. Devan said the two youngest are innocently oblivious to what’s happening with their mom, while they are working to make sure big brother Nate understands what’s happening while keeping him protected as best they can.

“I think our oldest is dealing with it a little bit, but he’s good,” Devan said. “We encourage him to talk about it so he understands it and is not thinking things that aren’t true and making things up in his head, and we’ll just keep talking to him about it.”

Devan, naturally, has also leaned on hockey. On more than one occasion Thursday, he called the Wild organization “family.” The timeline for a full return to road trips and games is unknown, and head coach Bruce Boudreau indicated Thursday that Stalock and rookie Kaapo Kahkonen will split the two-game homestand this weekend as Dubnyk still needs 1163777 Montreal Canadiens just little things like that. Yeah, they were getting lots of odd-man rushes tonight.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 In the Habs' Room: 'I'm frustrated as hell,' Julian says after 6-4 loss

Coach cites mental errors and mental breakdowns as reasons why his club lost its sixth straight game THursday night against the Devils.

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 29, 2019

“I’m frustrated as hell.”

That was coach Claude Julien’s state of mind Thursday night after the Canadiens’ losing streak reached six games with a 6-4 defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Devils.

Julien offered a litany of reasons for the current slide, but they all came to the same thing — a failure to play sound defence.

“We made mental errors,” Julien said. “They’re not the things we’re teaching. There are guys who are trying to do too much, When you get almost 50 shots and score four goals, you should win. But we had too many breakdowns. There were guys picking up the wrong players, bad line changes.”

The Canadiens don’t have much time to turn things around, They are back on the ice at the Bell Centre Saturday afternoon to face the Philadelphia Flyers and then they travel to Boston Sunday to play the Bruins, a team that handed them an 8-1 pasting on Tuesday.

Julien said the main task at practice on Friday will be to “get our players in the right frame of mind.” He noted that the Canadiens didn’t play perfect defence in their first 20 games, but they weren’t as bad as they are now and some of the results were skewed by a penalty-kill that has ben among the worst in the NHL all season.

The penalty-kill was a perfect 3-for-3 Thursday, but the Canadiens might as well have been playing short-handed because they gave up three goals on odd-man rushes and a fourth was scored on a breakaway.

That didn’t make for an easy night for goaltender Carey Price, who gave up five goals on 34 shots. We can’t tell you how he reacted to the loss because he declined a request for post-game interviews, although he shouted an expletive as he exited to the locker room through a back door.

Price has given up 16 goals in his last thee starts and his season record dropped to 10-8-3 with a 3.29 goals-against average and an .897 save percentage.

Brendan Gallagher, who scored his 10th goal, said it was wrong to blame Price for the loss.

“We know how good he is, it’s not his fault,” Gallagher said. “We make the mistakes. We can’t give up those high-danger chances. He’ll make the saves he’s supposed to make and he’ll save some he shouldn’t make.”

Gallagher, who is the conscience of this team, said he and his teammates have to view the losing streak as an opportunity.

“Everything you go through in this game is an opportunity to improve as an individual and as a team.” Gallagher said. “And that’s what we have is an opportunity to play our way out of this. We have no other choice. We have to do it as players. The coaches are doing everything they can, they’re not on the ice making mistakes.”

Brett Kulak, who was available after the game, returned to the lineup after two games as a healthy scratch and he struggled. He was a minus- 3 in 11:48 of ice time.

“We’ve had stretches where we’ve been really good and everything’s clicking and we’re just solid and shutting down everything,” Kulak said. “Right now’s a time where we’re giving up too many goals to win games. We know that’s what we’re lacking right now is a defensive core. We just got to get back and start working hard.”

“I think it’s just you’re coming in and you think you have all the control in the world with the puck going offensively and then boom, something happens,” Kulak said when asked about the 2-on-1 breaks. “They were catching us a couple of times. They were flying the zone and there was 1163778 Montreal Canadiens

Women's game will be part of a hockey doubleheader in Laval

Top female players from Montreal will face their Minnesota counterparts on Dec. 28 after Rocket game against the Marlies.

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 28, 2019

These are anxious times for the world’s best female hockey players, but there’s a sense of optimism as they pursue two major goals — staying in shape and creating a sustainable professional league.

While talks are continuing with the National Hockey League and other potential sponsors, the women are doing whatever they can to stay on the radar and that includes a women’s game as part of a doubleheader with the on Dec. 28.

The Rocket will play the rival Toronto Marlies at 3 p.m. while Montreal members of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association will face their counterparts from Minnesota at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the doubleheader are priced as low at $19, while tickets for the women’s game alone are $15.

“We’ve never played against the players from Minnesota and we’re excited about having a fast-paced game on home ice before our amazing fans,” said Hilary Knight, a member of the U.S. Olympic team who moved to Montreal last year to play for Les Canadiennes. “This has been an unusual year for women’s elite hockey and we want to thank our sponsors.”

It’s an unusual year because the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded in the spring and most of the top U.S. players elected not to play in the National Women’s Hockey League, a self-styled professional league that averages fewer than 1,000 fans a game.

That’s left Olympic good medallists like Marie-Philip Poulin scrambling to find opportunities to train and compete. The Montreal group, which includes most of the players from Les Canadiennes, practises regularly and competes against local men’s teams. The best players, like Poulin and Ann-Sophie Bettez, participate in the Team Canada mini-camps like the one held in Montreal this week and in the Rivalry Series games against the U.S. .

The PWHPA has also staged showcases with up to 120 players competing in weekend tournaments. There are hopes of bringing an event to Montreal — there are showcases scheduled for Toronto and Philadelphia in the new year — but the major sticking point is finding a suitable arena.

“The events we’ve held so far have been very popular and we need an arena that can accommodate the fans,” Knight said. “A small community arena won’t do it.”

The PWHPA has support from Adidas, Bauer, Secret, the NHLPA, Dunkin’ Donuts and Unifor, which is Canada’s largest private sector union.

Poulin noted that the ideal situation would be a partnership with the NHL, similar to the relationship between the NBA and WNBA. She noted that talks are continuing, but they are also slow in producing results.

“We’re phenomenal players on the ice, but we’re also ambassadors off the ice,” Knight said. “We wear more hats than one. We’ve had very promising discussions and we’d love to have a partnership with an entity that has been involved (in hockey) for many years and has the wisdom and knowledge to take women’s hockey to the next level, not just from a competitive standpoint, but with a business model that can help us build for many generations to come.

“We’re prepared to take the necessary steps to see that the needs of the players and the fans and our sponsors are met,” said Knight. “We’re too stubborn to fail.”

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163779 Montreal Canadiens

Liveblog replay: Devils beat Habs, losing streak continues

Make that six losses in a row for the reeling Montreal Canadiens.

JULIAN MCKENZIE, SPECIAL TO THE MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 28, 2019

The Canadiens were in need of a win. They did not get it.

The Devils won 6-4 at the Bell Centre. New Jersey got goals from Miles Wood, a pair from Blake Coleman, Travis Zajac, Jesper Boqvist, and Damon Severson in their victory.

The Habs got goals from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Arturri Lehkonen, Joel Armia, and Brendan Gallagher in the loss.

The Habs are winless in their last six games, including a brutal 8-1 loss to the Boston Bruins Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163780 Montreal Canadiens 102 totals in 123 games. He’s also one of those players who has had trouble doing the same thing in the NHL.

Former Canadien Daniel Carr is another player like that. Carr finished Stu Cowan: Canadiens winger Charles Hudon battling to remain in NHL third in AHL scoring last season with 30-41-71 totals in 52 games with the and had 11-10-21 totals in 16 games this season "You just have to keep doing your stuff and be ready every time you jump with the Milwaukee Admirals before getting called up by the Nashville on the ice," he says of time with Habs after recall from Laval. Predators. Carr has been held pointless in five games with the Predators, but scored the winning shootout goal in a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis

Blues Monday night. STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 28, 2019 “It’s different,” Hudon said about going from the AHL to the NHL. “Coming from the first line, first power play in the AHL and come here to pretty much fourth line or third line. You just need to do your stuff, do Things haven’t been easy this season for Charles Hudon. whatever you need to get involved in the game and stuff like that. So that’s what I’m trying to do. Sometimes everything can change in one The 25-year-old forward didn’t make the Canadiens’ 23-man roster to game, but you just have to keep doing your stuff and be ready every time start the year and was sent to the AHL’s Laval Rocket. This came after you jump on the ice.” Hudon was a healthy scratch for the final 22 games last season. It can’t be easy. The good news for Hudon is that he signed a one-year, one-way contract during the summer, meaning he is earning US$800,000 wherever he Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 plays. Hudon played 17 games with the Rocket to start this season, posting 9-2-11 totals, and wondered if the Canadiens would ever call.

“My thought when I was in Laval was I’m never going to get called up, so you just play your game, do your stuff,” Hudon said. “I was playing good in Laval and I got a call. It’s tough to hear that it’s because two guys got hurt (Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron), but that’s hockey. I was just doing my stuff in Laval and I knew that if they would call me up I would be ready.”

Heading into Thursday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Hudon had one assist in five games with the Canadiens and was minus-4 while averaging 10:51 of ice time.

“I like Charles Hudon,” head coach Claude Julien said Thursday morning at the in . “He was sent to the minors because we had 23 players that we had to pick from. But he’s gone there, he’s done a good job, he scored some goals. And right now, he’s one of those guys who has been put in a position to give us support in certain areas.

“You’ve seen him on the power play, right now he’s on (Nate) Thompson’s line — whether you want to call it third, fourth line, whatever it is — he’s on the line where we hope he can help us. It’s as simple as that. You know, he’s no different than anybody else. He just has to bring his game and when he has scoring opportunities we know he’s capable of scoring. … So you ask him to come up and do his best and help our hockey club, and that’s what he’s been doing.”

Knowing each game could be your last before getting sent back to the AHL can’t be easy. What has been the toughest part for Hudon?

“I’m playing my game, so I’m not really thinking about negative stuff,” he said after taking part in Thursday’s optional morning skate in Brossard. “I’ve pretty much got nothing to say about that. I’m just doing my stuff, I’m going to work when I’m coming to the rink. This year, I’m having more fun playing, I’m keeping my stuff simple and I’m thinking about myself and not anything else. That’s it.”

One thing that is definitely tough is the traffic to Laval Hudon had to navigate from his North Shore home while with the Rocket.

“It’s stupid how long the traffic can be even if it’s just 10 kilometres,” he said.

Hudon and his wife, Krystel, have two young daughters, age 4 and 1. The fact Montreal and Laval are so close means Hudon doesn’t have to leave his family behind if he’s sent to the AHL and his home base doesn’t change. That’s comforting.

“They were always behind my back, so it was good to feel that they were there,” Hudon said about his family. “My wife understands what the situation is and she was just trying to help me and stay positive in every situation.”

His daughters are too young to understand their father’s situation, but Hudon said: “My oldest knows a little bit. She understands that I’m playing for two teams, but for her they both are the same colours.”

Hudon is one of those players who can put up points in the AHL, as he proved during two seasons with the St. John’s IceCaps, posting 55-47- 1163781 Montreal Canadiens This @Sportsnet graphic pretty much says it all… pic.twitter.com/Oz0YCxniBH— HabsLinks (@HabsLinks) November 29, 2019

Canadiens Game Day: This is getting ridiculous as Habs lose again “Overall, you’re trying to get your team into the right frame of mind,” Julien said. “We talk about relax and do the right things. So that’s what Winless streak reaches six games (0-4-2) with 6-4 loss to Devils and we’re going to do here tomorrow, trying to get into this segment of two-in- Habs have now given up 20 goals in the last three games. two, Philly and Boston. We need to find a way to be better. That’s why we’re coaches. We need to find solutions and players need to trust that

those solutions are the ones that we need.” STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 29, 2019 Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Canadiens, who play the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre and then visit the Boston Bruins Sunday night. On the bright side, the Canadiens only gave up a touchdown this time. Mental errors costly After giving up a touchdown and a two-point convert in Tuesday’s 8-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, the Canadiens were beaten 6-4 by the New Julien said most of the mistakes his team is making defensively are Jersey Devils Thursday night. mental errors.

It marked the third straight game the Canadiens have given up at least “They’re not the things we’re teaching,” he said. “There’s obviously some six goals in a game, including last Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the New York frustration, there’s guys who probably want to do too much. When you do Rangers. All three games were at the Bell Centre, where the Canadiens that you get out of your element, I guess, and you lose your focus on now have a 6-6-2 record. what you need to do. For us, it’s trying to calm them down to make the right decisions. The Canadiens are winless in their last six games (0-4-2) and not surprisingly have fallen out of a playoff position with an 11-9-5 record. “Again tonight, it was one of those situations where you almost get 50 shots on net, you score four goals. In a normal circumstance you should This is getting ridiculous. be winning hockey games. But the way we’re playing without the puck, the breakdowns and again picking the wrong man or making the wrong Carey Price gave up six goals on 35 shots, while the Canadiens fired 48 decision, bad line changes, coming at the bench at the wrong time. I shots at Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who made a career-high 44 mean we all show those things at video. At one point we need to fix that saves. stuff.” Only other time that's happened in MTL history? 4 straight such efforts "We're making life really hard on ourselves and our goalies, and that's from Feb 18-28, 1920 (lost 8-2 to Toronto St. Patricks, 8-7 & 8-6 to the not fair to them."#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Mn5IgmlvkK— Canadiens Bulldogs, 6-3 to original Ottawa Senators) Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 29, 2019 https://t.co/67m0xPaY29— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) November 29, 2019 Gallagher loses his cool

Price — again — didn’t get a lot of help from his defence and three of the One of the shocking things about Tuesday’s 8-1 loss to the Bruins is that goals came on two-on-ones. But the Canadiens are paying “the best the Canadiens seemed to quit in the third period. No player in bleu-blanc- goalie in the world” US$15 million this season to cover up some of those rouge even got mad as the Bruins kept scoring goals. defensive mistakes and that’s not happening nearly enough. A frustrated Price broke his stick over the crossbar after giving up the fifth goal before Brendan Gallagher got mad during the third period against the Devils and the Devils scored their final goal into an empty net. went after former teammate P.K. Subban, knocking him to the ice after a whistle had blown. Price’s record is now 10-8-3 with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. “It wasn’t frustration,” Gallagher said after the game. “At some point you just try to spark whatever it is. I tried it, it obviously didn’t work. Brendan Gallagher, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia and Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Canadiens. Attendance at the Bell Centre (capacity “You have to use your emotions,” Gallagher added. “Every individual 21,302) was 20,876, marking the seventh time in 14 home games this sees it a little bit different. You have to be able to have a good season that the Canadiens failed to sell out. understanding of your emotional level and I try to use it the best that I can.” Something has to change to get this team back on track. As usual, Gallagher was sitting in his stall waiting to meet the media GM can’t sit back and watch much longer. when the locker-room was opened up after the game. He’s always there — win or lose. pic.twitter.com/seED09revp— L'Antichambre (@Antichambre) November 29, 2019 Brendan Gallagher and PK Subban going at it. #Habs Frustration boiling over pic.twitter.com/cy3QQqCvgh— Here's Your Replay ḏ (@HeresYourReplay) November 29, 2019 Canadiens coach Claude Julien said he’s getting frustrated and so are his players. Kulak faces the music

Canadiens fans are probably beyond the point of frustration as this team Brett Kulak was also sitting in his stall waiting for the media after the appears headed to missing the playoffs for the third straight season and game despite going minus-3. the fourth time in five years unless something changes dramatically. Kulak had been a healthy scratch for the previous two games and took Yes, it’s early, but there’s something seriously wrong with this club. rookie Cale Fleury’s spot in the lineup. Julien said Fleury had a tough game against the Bruins and needed a break, while he wanted to keep “Those guys in there care,” Julien said after the game. “They’re frustrated Mike Reilly in the lineup so he could use him at the point on the power as heck. They want to do well, they want to represent the Montreal play. Canadiens the right way. They don’t like what’s going on and neither do we. I mean, I’m frustrated as hell right now. I can tell you that much and Kulak was also a healthy scratch for six straight games earlier in the I’m tired of losing. season and you have to wonder if that knocked the confidence out of him that he had gained last season while playing so well. “At one point, we have to take things, matters in hand here as a group and we got to fix those things,” the coach added. “And as long as we But Kulak wasn’t going to use that as an excuse. don’t play better defensively, nothing’s going to get fixed. So we got to “I think things are going not great for me right now,” he said. “I don’t know make sure that we think about keeping the puck out of our net before we … I don’t think it had anything to do with sitting out for six games at all. In think about scoring four or five goals a game. We need to fix that first.” the NHL everyone knows their job. We’ve played hockey our whole lives. No kidding. It’s something you just got to keep coming back to work every day with a good attitude and do the right things. Make sure your habits stay good and that’s how things will turn around for me.”

"No one likes this right now."#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/ea7rAVuDi1— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 29, 2019

Good night for KK

Jesperi Kotkaniemi played what was probably his best game of the season, scoring a goal and adding an assist while going 5-for-7 in the faceoff circle (71 per cent) and finishing minus-1.

Kotkaniemi had gone 14 games without a goal and his previous one was on Oct. 9, the third game of the season. Kotkaniemi now has 3-2-5 totals in 18 games and is minus-5.

When asked if he thought it was his best game of the season, Kotkaniemi said: “I don’t think so. We lost, so it’s not a good one.”

 JESPERI KOTKANIEMI

2-2 pic.twitter.com/yXQ0YCiL7u— Here's Your Replay ḏ (@HeresYourReplay) November 29, 2019

Some stats

Shea Weber led the Canadiens in ice time with 25:31, followed by Ben Chiarot (24:19) and Jeff Petry (23:02). Chiarot, Gallagher and Tomas Tatar were all minus-2. Gallagher led the Canadiens with seven shots and Phillip Danault had a team-leading six hits.

Max Domi and Nick Suzuki, playing on the same line, both struggled in the faceoff circle. Domi went 6-for-13 (46 per cent), while Suzuki was 2- for-6 (33 per cent). Nate Thompson went 10-for-18 (56 per cent).

Blackwood brought the stuffing tonight. Career-high 44 saves on the night!#WeAreTheOnes | #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/5JZVvB4nbv— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 29, 2019

Rocket lose in Belleville

The Laval Rocket lost 5-3 to the Belleville Senaators Wednesday night in AHL action.

Joe Cox, Antoine Waked and Matthew Peca scored for the Rocket, while Jake Evans had two assists. Rocket goalie Cayden Primeau allowed five goals on 20 shots. Defenceman Christian Folin, who was sent down to the Rocket by the Canadiens on a conditioning stint Wednesday morning, was minus-2.

The Rocket, who are in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with an 11-8-3 record, will be back in action Friday night in Syracuse against the Crunch.

Alex Belzile and Lukas Vejdemo are tied for the Rocket lead in scoring with 6-6-12 totals, followed by Riley Barber (4-7-11), Peca (3-7-10) and Otto Leskinen (1-9-10). Primeau has a 7-3-1 record with a 2.35 goals- against average and a .915 save percentage.

PP GOAL 

3e but de la campagne pour Joe Cox!#LAVvsBEL #WitnessTheFuture #IciLAVenir #GoRocket pic.twitter.com/eyogveV24T— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) November 28, 2019

What’s next?

The Canadiens have a practice scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard before playing the Philadelphia Flyers in a rare Saturday afternoon game at the Bell Centre (3 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

It will be a busy weekend for the Canadiens, who will fly to Boston after Saturday’s game and play the Bruins on Sunday (7 p.m., SN, RDS, TSN 690 Radio). After that, the New York Islanders will be at the Bell Centre next Tuesday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), followed by the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) before the Canadiens travel to New York to face the Rangers next Friday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163782 Montreal Canadiens

Flush with cap space, Canadiens could be a fit for Devils' Taylor Hall

"I'm not so sure, that given the opportunity, Taylor Hall wouldn't sign in with the Montreal Canadiens," TSN's Darren Dreger says.

STU COWAN, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 28, 2019

New Jersey Devils left-winger Taylor Hall would certainly look good in a Canadiens uniform.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger agrees.

“Specific to Montreal, here’s the thing that I’m going to watch most closely until the trade deadline — or until a trade happens — Taylor Hall,” Dreger said Wednesday on Toronto’s TSN 1050 OverDrive radio show. “I think that Taylor Hall would be a good add for the Montreal Canadiens. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t have interest and I’m not so sure, that given the opportunity, Taylor Hall wouldn’t sign in with the Montreal Canadiens.”

This season’s NHL trade deadline is Feb. 24.

Heading into Thursday night’s game against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, Hall was leading the Devils in scoring with 4-17-21 totals. The 28-year-old is in the final season of a seven-year, US$42-million contract with a $6 million salary-cap hit. The Canadiens have $8.297 million in salary-cap space, according to CapFriendly.com.

“(Agent) Darren Ferris, who represents Taylor Hall, has met with (GM) Ray Shero of the New Jersey Devils enough, right?” Dreger said on TSN 1050. “Like, I think they’ve nibbled at parameters, but there hasn’t been a hard term thrown out there by New Jersey, there hasn’t been a hard number. And every agent who has a player of that magnitude that is heading to unrestricted free agency plays from the same playbook, right? Don’t sign anything. Let’s just play this out and then unless it’s a perfect scenario — which also includes wanting to stay long term — then at least go into the market and find out.

“I look at New New Jersey as a hockey market that matters, it does,” Dreger added. “The history certainly would back that up. But I don’t think that Taylor Hall is at all concerned about some of the scrutiny and the pressure and all that of playing in a Canadian market. He did it, he faced it in Edmonton. I think he’s one of those players — not unlike (John) Tavares signing with the (Toronto) Maple Leafs, who would love it. I think he’d feed off the passion. So we’ll see if they can get something done.”

The Edmonton Oilers selected Hall with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2010 NHL Draft. The Oilers traded Hall to the Devils on June 29, 2016, in exchange for defenceman Adam Larsson. Hall won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player in 2017-18 after posting 39-54-93 totals in 76 games, setting career highs in goals, assists and points.

Heading into Tuesday night’s game, Hall had 206-326-532 totals in 585 career regular-season games in the NHL.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163783 Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens vs. Devils: Five things you should know

The Habs are winless in their last five games and the slide began on Nov. 16 when the Devils defeated Montreal 4-3 in OT at the Bell Centre.

PAT HICKEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE Updated: November 28, 2019

Here are five things you should know about the Devils-Canadiens game at the Bell Centre Thursday (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet, RDS, TSN 690 Radio).

The matchup: The Canadiens are winless in their last five games and the current slide began on Nov. 16 when the Devils defeated the Canadiens 4-3 in overtime at the Bell Centre. After Wednesday night’s games, the Canadiens had fallen out a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Devils are 30th in the overall NHL standings. Both teams are coming off losses at home. The Devils dropped a 3-2 decision to the Minnesota Wild, while the Canadiens were swamped by the New York Rangers 8-1. Montreal has allowed 14 goals in its last two starts and 25 goals over the five-game losing streak.

The puck doesn’t stop here: Defensive miscues and the worst penalty- killing unit in the NHL left the Canadiens down 3-1 after one period Tuesday night, but Montreal needs more from Carey Price, who is not playing like a $10-million goaltender. Price has surrendered 11 goals on the last 31 shots he has faced and his goals-against average has ballooned to 3.09 with a .900 save percentage. Keith Kinkaid, who gave up the final three goals Tuesday, has a 4.29 GAA and an .877 save percentage. Don’t be surprised if the Devils go with St-Hyacinthe native Louis Domingue, who has a 1.76 GAA in three appearances this season.

Weber providing offence: With P.K. Subban coming to town with the Devils, it’s time to review the 2016 trade that brought to Montreal in return for Subban. The accepted wisdom at the time was that this trade would look worse for Montreal as time went on, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Weber scored the lone goal against the Bruins and has eight for the season, one fewer than team leader Brendan Gallagher. His 19 points are two behind Tomas Tatar. Subban, who is adjusting to new surroundings in New Jersey, has two goals and three assists and is a minus-6 this season.

Plenty of good seats available: The Canadiens announced a sellout for Tuesday’s game, although there appeared to be some spots where the fans were disguised as empty seats. In a departure from previous years, there are tickets available at the box office on game day and the resale market has been soft. While the Devils on a Thursday near the end of an extended homestand doesn’t rate as a must-see contest, it’s surprising to see resale tickets in the lower bowl on offer on the Canadiens’ website for less than $65. Nosebleed seats on StubHub are available for as little as US$24.

Star power in Jersey: The Devils rank 29th in team offence despite having three overall No. 1 draft picks. Taylor Hall, who was selected No. 1 by the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, is the team’s leading scorer with 21 points, including four goals, but the 2018 most valuable player is a minus-5. Nico Hischier, who was the top pick in 2017, has three goals and 10 assists, while Jack Hughes, the top prize in the 2019 draft, has four goals and seven assists. Kyle Palmieri is the team’s top goal-scorer with nine, but veteran Travis Zajac is off to the slowest start of his career with two goals and four assists.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163784 Montreal Canadiens Here are screen grabs of the neutral zone from four of the first five Devils goals, and look at how alone the Devils’ puck carrier is in each instance.

Four Canadiens players are caught deep on this one. A reminder to the Canadiens of what makes them good and how they’ve No forwards in sight here. gotten away from it This was the result of a Gallagher turnover in the offensive zone while

both Canadiens defencemen had gone for a change. Boom, breakaway. By Arpon Basu Nov 28, 2019 Here’s Damon Severson skating free and clear of any Canadiens through that neutral zone again.

Let’s take a moment to have a little refresher course on what you see And here is what led to the Devils’ fourth goal, when Tomas Tatar tried to when the Canadiens are at their best. Or, at the very least, when they’re kick the puck to Phillip Danault in the neutral zone and it turned into a good. transition opportunity for New Jersey.

Because it’s been a while since we’ve seen it, so you might have What all of this comes down to, in very basic terms, is the Canadiens’ forgotten. success in executing their system and game plan is predicated on them being the smartest team on the ice. They need to see things coming They might have, too. before they happen. They need to be proactive and not reactive. They’re doing none of those things now. They have collectively lost all semblance The Canadiens are good when they exit their zone with speed, when of their hockey intelligence. they move up the ice with support, when they make quick, short passes to precise spots all the way up the ice and create more speed with each So Coach, how do you fix that? one because guys are skating into those passes by skating to those precise spots before the pass is even coming. “You’re trying to get your team into the right frame of mind and relax and do the right things,” an exasperated Claude Julien said. “That’s why They are doing so because they know that pass is coming. we’re coaches. We need to find solutions and the players have to trust that those solutions are the ones we need.” When they hit the opposing blue line with all that speed they’ve created, opposing defences are forced to back off the blue line to respect that It’s a conundrum for Julien because his team continues to dominate speed. That’s how they create holes in coverage in the offensive zone. possession, they’ve significantly outshot their opponents the past five It’s a very simple formula. games of this six-game slide and lost them all because of a series of momentary brain cramps that have wound up in their own net. Some of The Canadiens are good when they don’t allow opposing teams to do the those goals have been on Carey Price, some of them were situations same to them, when the neutral zone becomes a minefield filled with fast where he needed to bail his team out of a mistake at a critical time, but forwards taking away ice, getting sticks on passes and forcing dump-ins the great majority of them have been the result of the Canadiens simply because the opposition doesn’t have time to find a better option to carry making dumb mistakes. the puck in. And if they try to carry it in, having forwards pressuring them from behind allows the Canadiens defence to step up at their blue line And each time one of their mistakes winds up behind Price, the players in and get the puck back before it ever enters their zone. Then, they begin front of him become more fragile. The Canadiens are like fine crystal the whole pattern of efficiently moving up the ice all over again. right now.

It is a cyclical thing that wears down teams as the game moves along, “Fear holds you back,” Gallagher said when asked if the Canadiens are and their depth up front allows the Canadiens to continue applying that afraid of making mistakes now. “As soon as you’re scared, that’s when high-energy system for longer than opposing teams are able to withstand you hesitate and the game’s too fast, you’re going to make mistakes. You it, and eventually they crumble. can’t be scared.”

That’s the plan. What the Canadiens need more than anything now is to remember why they’re good. This is not simply about Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron What the Canadiens are doing now is making each of their opponents, getting injured. This is about the Canadiens losing their sense of self, the no matter who they are, look like the Canadiens when they are at their identity that makes them a difficult opponent. best. Opponents are facing no opposition getting the puck through the neutral zone, and the Canadiens are getting blown up by mines in that Julien’s limited options in helping this happen are best exemplified in his same area of the ice, turning over pucks and allowing transition decision to sit Cale Fleury, which on its own is a perfectly defensible opportunities. decision. Fleury had committed a number of turnovers lately that led to excellent scoring chances. But Julien’s lack of viable alternatives to The Canadiens are not a good defensive team in the traditional sense replace him, alternatives he actually believes in, shines through in this because once the puck is in their end and the opposing team has answer as to why he scratched Fleury and played Mike Reilly on the right possession, they are generally not all that great at defending. What side of the third defence pairing. makes them a good defensive team is when they are preventing that from happening to begin with, when getting into their end requires so “By keeping Reilly, I always say it, with the injury to Drouin we haven’t much energy that it becomes exhausting. really found a solution with another player to replace him at the point (on the power play),” he said. “So we have him and we have (Brett) Kulak, So when the Canadiens say they need to improve defensively – allowing who might not be perfect but he’s a guy who competes hard. We made 20 goals in three games, only one of which went into an empty net, the decision to give him a break and see if those two can do the job.” makes that obvious – what they should really be saying is they need to get back to preventing situations where they have to play defence. To overcome that shortfall in personnel, the Canadiens can’t afford to have their best players playing at less than their best. And they haven’t And that happens in the neutral zone. been. All of them. Carey Price, Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, Phillip Danault, “Especially in today’s game, there’s no secret how important the neutral Gallagher, all of them. zone is, especially for us,” Brendan Gallagher said after the Canadiens’ They need to remember what makes them good. They need to be smart 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, their sixth straight. again. And they need to do it quickly. “When you’re trying to create that speed, that’s where it comes from, that’s where the transition game comes from. Being an alarmist at the end of November might seem rash, but the Canadiens have already squandered the most favourable portion of their “I would say we’re definitely losing that battle right now.” schedule and if they want to make the playoffs, they will need to make up It couldn’t have been clearer than it was in this game Thursday night. for it in much more difficult circumstances. Every one of the Devils’ goals was either a case of a Canadiens turnover They have dug themselves a significant hole, one that is more significant in the neutral zone or the Devils getting through the neutral zone with no than it appears right now, and they need leaders to lead. opposition at all. There were numerous chances that didn’t wind up being goals that were created for the same reason. “It’s on us to make the adjustments as players. The coaches are doing everything, we’re the ones on the ice making these mistakes,” Gallagher said. “It’s not going to get easier. Next game is going to be tougher. Teams are coming in this building, they smell blood. They know the situation we’re in. For us right now, as a group, as players, it’s on us to change the results that we’re getting.”

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163785 Montreal Canadiens Some say another important aspect of hockey is not giving up the puck carelessly. Others say actually stopping shots from going into the net once in a while is more important.

Video Review: The Canadiens reach the tipping point with a poor effort Scientists haven’t quite figured out who is right in that argument, but early against the Devils findings seem to indicate both theories have some merit.

But don’t despair. Sometimes terrible defending works out in your favour.

By Marc Dumont Nov 28, 2019 Not every odd-man rush turns out to be a bad thing — just 99 percent of them. Once in a while, allowing your opponents the easiest path to the net can be a good thing because the hockey gods love chaos.

With the Devils in Montréal on Thursday night, all eyes were on the Some instructional hockey books suggest the best path to victory is to Canadiens. Literally. avoid giving up the blue line with the greatest of ease.

It was the only scheduled game of the night, sandwiched between two Also, they rarely encourage giving up rebounds as if you were performing nights that featured a bevy of games, strong evidence that the same an ill-timed André Racicot hommage. person who organizes the NHL’s schedule also organizes the bus schedules in most cities. And if all else fails, definitely avoid standing around in the crease without actually doing anything productive. The goal was not just to snap their five-game losing streak, though that was certainly a priority, but to do it with bravado. The Canadiens have Finally, some coaches say that putting yourself out of position for no played with all the confidence of a frozen bag of carrots and the focus of reason whatsoever and allowing a breakaway is not ideal. a baby squirrel in recent weeks, completely sapping all the momentum The jury is still out on that one, but the evidence is starting to pile up. they built up in their relatively strong start to the season. Final word They needed to get off to a great start against the Devils and show some pride, as to build some semblance of momentum before entering the In the spirit of brevity, I didn’t single out any particular player in the video more difficult stretches of the schedule. review. But I could have pulled up several examples of poor play for each and every player, including Carey Price, who, to his credit, did make one The good news is the Canadiens dominated the shot clock. spectacular save to avoid the traditional last-minute goal the Canadiens The bad news is they allowed an odd-man rush every two minutes, tend to give up each period. But by then it was too late, the damage had couldn’t defend for their lives and lost 6-4. been done and Price was a big part of the losing cause.

The worst news is you could name any number of Canadiens players as The forwards aren’t exonerated from the Canadiens’ woes, either. Their the Devils’ most valuable player on the night. lack of support in the defensive zone is making life much more difficult on the defencemen, who are struggling to maintain defensive positioning, let Incremental improvements alone prevent goals.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored his first goal of the month, and though it’ll go a What does that tell us? very long way in restoring some of the confidence that had all but abandoned him, his play after the goal was probably the most The issues the Canadiens are facing are team-wide, and that means the encouraging aspect of his night. He was aggressive on the forecheck, responsibility to fix the growing list of issues falls square on the shoulders created turnovers and created a couple of scoring chances. of Claude Julien and the rest of the coaching staff.

He wasn’t excellent, and it’ll take a long time before we can declare the He can’t control how his players play on the ice, and they certainly sophomore slump to be over, but it was a good start. haven’t been playing well, but it is his duty to prepare them for what lies ahead, and you’d be hard-pressed to argue the Canadiens have been Self-sabotage well-prepared for their games in November.

While there’s no way to play a perfect game in the NHL, you can mitigate It’s up to Julien, with the help of the leadership group, to right the ship the scoring chances you allow by making smart plays, or rather, avoiding and avoid the iceberg that’s been spotted right ahead. bad plays. When you’re in a tailspin, avoiding those bad plays becomes a little more difficult, because the confidence levels tend to be rather low. The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019

But some plays are simply inexcusable.

For example, a terrible pass in the neutral zone that has little to no chance of landing on your teammates’ stick:

Another good way of limiting those chances is to avoid overcomplicating things.

A quick pass is rarely a bad decision, especially when your team is in a fragile state. The less time spent in the defensive zone, the better.

For example, don’t hold on to the puck for too long in your own zone, and definitely don’t take a penalty after running out of runway and losing possession:

While we’re on the subject of things you should avoid, according to my sources, a breakdown in communication that leads to giving up roughly 400 odd-man rushes every game is not a great way to win a hockey game.

Neither is giving your opponents wide-open passing lanes during said odd-man rushes:

And if you happen to be in the business of limiting scoring chances, it’s never a bad idea to keep a close eye on your defensive assignment while trying to support the attack.

Yes, jumping into the play is good, even crucial, but some would argue that a defenceman’s primary role should involve defending. 1163786 Montreal Canadiens most of the defensive and offensive load from the blueline while Ouellet is out of action for several weeks with a lower-body injury.

“When a player like Xavier goes down, it leads to more responsibilities for Rocket Rundown: Gustav Olofsson changed his game so he can stay others,” said Bouchard. “It takes time to adapt to the extra 3-4 minutes where he’s most effective, on the ice you’re given, and that can take a player out of their comfort zone. There have been some difficult nights, but overall there’s been a lot more good than bad.”

By Marc Dumont Nov 28, 2019 For Olofsson, getting out of his comfort zone has been a blessing. The extra layer of responsibility has helped him focus more on the game and

less on potential injuries. The human shoulder is a veritable miracle of mobility. No other joint in He credits the Rocket’s system as the big reason why they control the the body offers such a wide range of movement. play while he’s on the ice, and that’s a commendable team-first attitude, But for some, that miracle can quickly turn into a curse. That range but probably not the most accurate description of what has unfolded this comes at a cost: inherent instability. season.

According to Michael Russo’s estimate, Canadiens prospect Gustav Yes, the system has helped Olofsson, but Olofsson has also clearly Olofsson suffered five shoulder injuries prior to his arrival in Laval, where helped the system. he immediately suffered two additional shoulder injuries. Those are the Once he hops over the boards, the ice is immediately tilted in Laval’s kinds of ridiculous injury numbers you expect to see from a pitcher that favour. His quick passing and high-end skating ability lead to consistent spent the better part of two decades playing professional baseball, not a controlled zone exits for the Rocket, which leads to neutral-zone control, 24-year-old defenceman. and, consequently, a significant advantage in both shots and scoring “Earlier in my career, the first few years of turning pro, you have to do chances when he’s on the ice. whatever it takes to make the play,” said Olofsson. “Sometimes that In other words, he’s the exact kind of defenceman that would fit perfectly involved taking the big hit.” onto the left side of the Canadiens’ defence. An injured shoulder will eventually heal, but the lingering worries of He’s not quite ready for an NHL assignment. Not yet. He needs a little possibly reinjuring the shoulder are impossible to shake, even more so more time to gain confidence and adapt to his new style of play, as well for a player with a dozen previous shoulder injuries in the past. When as his new role with the team. Olofsson was asked how confident he was about his shoulder at the start of last season, he hesitated to answer. But he’s getting close.

That was the first sign that he was worried about the situation. The “It’s becoming second nature,” explained Olofsson. “The mental side of confirmation of his worries came a couple of weeks later; he took what things has been a process. It’s always at the back of my mind. I need to can only be described as a slight amount of contact during a game, and take care of and manage my body. What I’ve learned is to not take was consequently absent for six months as he recovered from shoulder anything for granted, to stay on top of all the things that are keeping me surgery. healthy, that way I make sure I stay that way.”

But this year is a little different. Olofsson keeps an eye on the job openings in Montreal and throughout the league, usings AHL players that have recently spent time in the NHL Necessity is the mother of innovation, and it was clear that Olofsson as a barometer to see just how far he is from making the jump to the next needed to not only change the way he prepares his body before and after level. The reality of the AHL is that players aren’t just hoping to get games by establishing tailored recovery programs with the Rocket’s noticed by their team’s front office; in most cases, any front office will do. athletic therapists, but he also had to modify his style of play, as to avoid Compared to the opportunity, the destination tends to be irrelevant. situations that carry a higher likelihood of injury. But for Olofsson, the NHL opportunity, which is definitely still a priority, “Not putting yourself in tough spots,” said Olofsson. “Moving the puck a takes a backseat to finally being immersed in the game he loves, the little faster. There are some dangerous hits right at the red line when same game that has shown him an unreasonable amount of cruelty in his you’re dumping pucks in, too.” young career, the same game that offers him the best chance of He uses former Wild teammate Ryan Suter, who happens to be roughly forgetting about his frustrating past. the same height and weight, as a point of inspiration when it comes to The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 the modifications to his game, stating that Suter rarely got hit in his time with the Wild.

A quick fact check proves Olofsson’s hypothesis to be correct: Suter absorbed roughly 1.3 hits per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time last season, by far the lowest hits taken rate on the team.

But this change in style hasn’t led to a downtick in performance, which was a real possibility.

If anything, it’s elevated his game to a level he hasn’t enjoyed in years.

“You can still do the right things without getting hit,” said Olofsson. “I feel like I’ve taken the least amount of hits I ever have. As long as you’re not shying away from things, it’s the right way to go.”

“You don’t have to be courageous in a bad way,” added Rocket head coach Joël Bouchard, who has leaned heavily on Olofsson in the month of November.

In an eight-game sample, Olofsson was on the ice for almost half his team’s scoring chances, and once we factor in the chances allowed, the Rocket controlled almost 65 percent of the total scoring chances with Olofsson on the ice in that stretch. He also happens to have one of the highest shot rates on the blueline, trailing only captain Xavier Ouellet in that department.

His reaction to his elevated shot rate? Seeing as he’s yet to score this season, he wishes some of them would have made their way into the net. But despite the lack of goals, he’s clearly helping his team out, carrying 1163787 Nashville Predators Turris’ usage has led to questions about whether the Predators have put him in a position to succeed.

“I think the jury’s still out on that in terms of the whole picture,” Poile said. David Poile addresses Kyle Turris’ benching: ‘It’s just a roster decision. “I can tell you when we signed (Matt) Duchene and then we met (with … He wants to be here’ Turris) in the summer, my conversation with Kyle and Peter’s conversations (were about how) we were going to try to play him on the wing and on the top two lines, which you saw in training camp. And now we get into the big debate. From Kyle’s standpoint, did we give him By Adam Vingan Nov 28, 2019 enough time to be there? Was that a fair enough (amount of) time? I don’t know whether it was or it wasn’t, but we’re no longer at that position. The situation surrounding the Predators’ benching of Kyle Turris has become awkward and increasingly tense. “When (Arvidsson) got (injured), it seemed that Kyle was the next guy up, but the decision ended up going to Daniel Carr to have a guy that could Turris, who was scratched for the fifth consecutive game Wednesday, play on the wing. … I don’t want Kyle Turris to be just sitting there and has expressed his frustration, and coach Peter Laviolette has refused to saying everything is just fine. He’s a good player. It’s in the eye of the answer repeated questions about his reasons for doing so other than to beholder of whether he’s been given a fair chance.” say it’s a “lineup decision.” Turris, whose contract runs through 2024 and carries a $6 million cap hit, There clearly is a disconnect between Turris and the Predators regarding has not requested a trade; his family loves Nashville, and he is his role, and the team hasn’t done much to quell speculation about his committed to seeing things through with the Predators. future in Nashville. “Kyle’s been really good,” Poile said of Turris’ attitude. “Kyle just wants to On Wednesday, general manager David Poile offered his perspective. get into the lineup. He wants to be here. He’s not asking to get out of here. He’ll play first line, fourth line, left wing. He’ll play wherever. He just “I’m certainly not trying to say this is a good situation or anything close to wants a chance to play.” being a perfect situation,” Poile said. “It’s just a roster decision. Peter Laviolette is our coach, and he will do anything to win a hockey game. The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 He’s putting his best foot forward — in this case, his best lineup forward — every night. That’s his job. That’s all I can ask from him.

“I can absolutely look you in the eye and tell you that there’s nothing to this other than the roster decision of what we think and specifically our coaching staff feels is our best lineup for every game. And I guarantee you, 100 percent guarantee you, that that’s going to change many times during this year. I am very confident that Kyle’s going to get a chance to play. Hopefully, he’s in a position to take advantage of it, and we turn the page on that. There’s nothing fair or equal in this business, so I can’t operate like that or what have you. You’ve just got to make the right decisions. A lot of them are highly unpopular. … It is what it is, and we’re just trying to win.”

PIC.TWITTER.COM/PIN87UGCT0

— SHERRI VONLOBSTEIN (@SHERRIVONL) NOVEMBER 28, 2019

Poile was tongue-in-cheek when discussing how the perception of Turris has changed, saying, “I’m pretty sure last year, there were a lot of people that weren’t really in Kyle Turris’ corner. And now he’s not playing, and it appears to me everybody’s in his corner.”

The circumstances, to be fair, are different. Turris battled injuries and self-doubt last season, neither of which are the case this season. Turris has produced four goals and nine points in 19 games despite receiving limited playing time in a mostly fourth-line capacity. His average ice time per game at even strength has dropped by two minutes from last season (13:26) to this season (11:26).

“Last year was a bunch of different things,” Turris said last week. “This year, I’ve kept my confidence. I feel good. I’m just focused on playing my game. I think I’ve been trying to create a lot and do what I’ve done my whole career.”

TURRIS HASN’T SEEN VERY IMPORTANT MINUTES EVEN WHEN DRESSED, SO THIS FEELS LIKE IT’S MORE “COACH BEING STRANGE” THAN A TRADE-RELATED PLOY. PIC.TWITTER.COM/RJYP5FMHDM

— MICAH BLAKE MCCURDY (@INEFFECTIVEMATH) NOVEMBER 21, 2019

It appeared Turris would return to the lineup when Viktor Arvidsson suffered a lower-body injury last Saturday as the result of a cross-check from St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, but the Predators recalled Daniel Carr on Monday and inserted him into the top six. It was the second time in a week that a forward from the American Hockey League played instead of Turris, who was first replaced by Mathieu Olivier on Nov. 19.

The Predators tried Turris on the wing during training camp as a way to keep him in the top six, and he was excited by the opportunity. But the experiment didn’t last past the preseason, ending without explanation. 1163788 New Jersey Devils

Nikita Gusev, Blake Coleman pace Devils in frantic win over Canadiens

By Chris Ryan

The Devils missed out on turkey while playing on Thanksgiving night.

They made do with a large helping of Goose instead.

Nikita Gusev posted his first career three-assist game, recording the primary helpers on three goals, including the game-winner by Damon Severson in a back-and-forth 6-4 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal.

The Devils never trailed in the game, but they never held a comfortable lead, either. Severson’s strike on a 2-on-1 rush put the Devils up 5-3 at 8:21 of the third period, but the Habs countered with a Artturi Lehkonen goal 16 seconds later.

Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

The Devils’ defense held firm the rest of the way, and Blake Coleman scored an empty netter to cap a two-goal, four-point night — the first of his career.

Coleman opened the scoring in the first period, starting a string of goals traded by both sides. After Coleman scored on a 2-on-1 off a pass from Gusev at 7:14 of the first period, Brendan Gallagher responded 22 seconds to tie the game for the Canadiens.

But Travis Zajac put the Devils right back on top when he finished a Gusev pass at the net for a 2-1 lead at 8:17.

The Canadiens tied the game at 2-2 at 1:40 of the second period, when Jesperi Kotkaniemi netted a shot just after a Habs power play expired.

Miles Wood scored on a breakaway at 3:16, but the Canadiens punched back again with a Joel Armia goal at 9:02 to make it 3-3.

The Devils went on top for good when Jesper Boqvist scored his second goal in as many games, jumping on a rebound in the slot at 11:28 of the second.

The Canadiens peppered the Devils with shot attempts all game, posting a staggering 90 over 60 minutes. But Mackenzie Blackwood made 44 saves to keep the Devils in the game.

Next up

The Devils will return home to host the Rangers at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark.

Star Ledger LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163789 New Jersey Devils Kinkaid saw action against New Jersey for the first time in his career. Kinkaid stopped 39 of 43 shots against.

Tonight’s contest marks the fifth time New Jersey has played on Devils’ lines, pairings vs. Canadiens (11/28/19) | Pavel Zacha, Jesper Thanksgiving Day. The Devils are 1-3-0 on turkey day (credit Dennis Bratt back in Frazier, MSG Graphics Producer):

Nov. 28, 1996: @ PHX, 4-3 L

By Chris Ryan Nov. 26, 1998: @ PHX, 3-2 L

Nov. 25, 1999: @ PHX, 4-2 L

Turkey. Pie. Hockey. Nov. 23, 2000: @ LA, 6-1 W

As you’re wrapping up your Thanksgiving meal, the Devils will be hitting The Devils are 4-2-1 at Bell Centre and 7-3-3 overall against the the ice for the lone game on the NHL schedule on Thursday when they Canadians since the 2015-16 season. New Jersey will matchup with visit the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal. Montréal for the third and final time, Feb. 4 at Prudential Center.

After losing 3-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, the Devils made a Star Ledger LOADED: 11.29.2019 couple lineup changes, getting Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha back in the rotation after being healthy scratches for two straight games.

Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Here’s how they will line up against the Canadiens:

FORWARDS

Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Kyle Palmieri

Jesper Boqvist - Jack Hughes - Wayne Simmonds

Blake Coleman - Travis Zajac - Nikita Gusev

Miles Wood - Pavel Zacha - Jesper Bratt

DEFENSEMEN

Andy Greene - Damon Severson

Sami Vatanen - P. K. Subban

Will Butcher - Matt Tennyson

GOALIES

Starter: Mackenzie Blackwood

Backup: Louis Domingue

SCRATCHES

F: John Hayden, Brett Seney

D: Mirco Mueller

On IR: F Kevin Rooney (upper body, practicing); D Connor Carrick (broken pinky, practicing)

Rooney and Carrick both participated in Wednesday’s optional practice, though coach John Hynes said both still have a bit to go before they’re ready to return. Rooney is dealing with wrist soreness after blocking a shot, and he’s steadily recovering. Both are looking at a return at some point in December.

Buy Devils-Rangers tickets: StubHub, SeatGeek

Here are game note courtesy of the Devils:

Tonight marks the second of three regular season contests between New Jersey and Montréal. The Devils defeated the Canadians in the first contest, 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 16. New Jersey was 2-6 on the man advantage, and 4-5 on the penalty kill in the contest. The Devils outshot the Canadians, 43-34. The 43 shots mark the clubs’ season high shots for.

Taylor Hall leads the Devils in scoring with two points. Hall tallied two helpers in the early November contest. Nico Hischier, Wayne Simmonds, and Nikita Gusev all notched one goal each in the tilt. Kyle Palmieri tallied the game winner in overtime, 1:30 into the extra frame.

Mackenzie Blackwood started in his 14th start of the season stopping 31 of 34 shots face (.921 SV%) in 61:07 minutes of action. Louis Domingue is a career 3-1-0 against the Canadians, allowing 10 goals on 87 shots posting a 2.86 GAA.

Brendan Gallagher, Cale Fleury and Nick Suzuki all dented the net in the first matchup. Fleury’s tuck marked his first career NHL goal. Keith 1163790 New Jersey Devils

Devils outgun reeling Canadiens

By Associated Press November 28, 2019 | 11:03pm | Updated

MONTREAL — Blake Coleman had two goals and two assists and the Devils handed the Canadiens their sixth straight loss, 6-4, Thursday night.

Travis Zajac, Miles Wood, Jesper Boqvist and Damon Severson also scored and Nikita Gusev had three assists for his first career multi-point game. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 44 shots to help the Devils beat Montreal for the seventh straight game.

Four of New Jersey’s goals came off odd-man rushes or breakaways.

“They were aggressive, they were pinching,” Devils forward Taylor Hall said. “With their game lately, they were going to be a little overzealous to get in and pinch. If you can beat that fore-check, that pressure, there are going to be odd-man rushes.”

Brendan Gallagher, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia and Artturi Lehkonen scored for Montreal. The Canadiens are 0-4-2 on the skid that began Nov. 16 with an overtime loss to the Devils at Bell Centre. They have conceded at least four goals in five of their past six games.

P.K. Subban was playing his seventh game against his former team. The New Jersey defenseman got into a brief altercation with Gallagher in the third period, trading punches after the whistle.

Boqvist gave the Devils a 4-3 lead midway through the second period, beating Carey Price off a rebound.

Severson made it 5-3 at 8:21 of the third with a shot to the top corner on an odd-man rush. Price smashed his stick on the crossbar in frustration.

Lehkonen scored 16 later for Montreal, and Coleman added an empty- netter with 1:16 left.

New York Post LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163791 New York Islanders

Barry Trotz says Islanders must look forward after winless California trip

By Andrew Gross

The Islanders can only look forward.

Hopefully to getting some more goal production soon.

“Just look forward. We can’t do anything about this trip,” coach Barry Trotz said after the Islanders concluded an 0-2-1 California swing with a 4-1 loss to the Kings on Wednesday night.

“We were disappointed,” Trotz added. “You come out here and at least you want to be .500. We have one point out of a possible six. That’s a little disappointing. We only scored two goals. Everything from our lines, they sort of dried up a little bit.”

The Islanders did not practice on Thanksgiving after flying home overnight. They next face Columbus on Saturday night at Barclays Center — their last scheduled game in Brooklyn until Jan. 11 — after the Blue Jackets host the Penguins on Friday night. The Blue Jackets are on a 1-3-2 road skid and the Islanders won the first of four meetings with their Metropolitan Division rival, 3-2, in overtime at Columbus on Oct. 19.

The Islanders’ three-game skid is their longest of the season and they have lost two straight in regulation for only the second time. Their listless 3-0 loss to the Ducks on Monday night snapped a franchise-record 17- game point streak (15-0-2) after the Islanders opened the road trip with a solid effort in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Sharks.

In addition to their recent offensive struggles, the Islanders have allowed at least three goals in seven of their last nine games.

“It’s part of an 82-game schedule,” Trotz said. “You’re going to go through some dry stretches where it’s not going to come easy for players individually or collectively. Right now, it’s not coming easy for us. Teams are bearing down on us. We’re not sneaking up on anybody. It’s a dry patch and you have to work through it as a group and stay positive.”

Still, a coach who says his lines have “dried up a little bit” is more than likely to be proactive in trying to find some new combinations.

Trotz, still trying to figure out where to best fit Josh Bailey among his top three lines, had him centering the third line to start Wednesday’s game after he practiced on top-line center Mathew Barzal’s right wing along with Anders Lee on Tuesday.

Trotz also tried reuniting last season’s top line of Brock Nelson between Lee and right wing Jordan Eberle in the second period against the Kings among his blended line combinations. Michael Dal Colle all but fell out of the rotation in the third period, taking one 58-second shift that ended with 27 seconds remaining in regulation, long after the game had been decided.

The Islanders went 0-for-3 on the power play with five of their 25 shots, leaving them 0-for-10 on the man advantage during the trip.

“I don’t know if we got as many chances as we did early,” Trotz said. “Right now, in games when goals aren’t coming really easy, we’ve got to put the puck in play a little more, be it five-on-five or on the power play. You have to junk one in if you have to.”

That has to be the plan moving forward.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163792 New York Rangers

Rangers itching for veteran Marc Staal’s return

By Mollie Walker November 29, 2019 | 2:54am

Coach David Quinn said he’s itching to get Marc Staal back into the Rangers’ lineup as the veteran defenseman begins eyeing his return.

Staal has been sidelined for three weeks since undergoing surgery to cure an infection in his ankle, which festered from a cut he sustained on a blocked shot earlier in the season. Quinn is hoping to give Staal a full week of skating and practice before getting him back into a game.

But Staal has his sights set on playing as early as next week.

“I feel good,” Staal said following Thursday’s Thanksgiving practice. “If everything goes well, I have to talk to the doctors and everyone, but next week — assuming if everything goes well should be good to go.”

Thursday was Staal’s third day skating, but his first official practice with the team since having the surgery on Nov. 8. He mentioned it wasn’t the first time he suffered a cut from blocking shots, but he had never had the injury escalate the way this one did.

“I’m itching to get him back,” Quinn said. “Obviously, he’s a guy that brings an awful lot to the table. When you put a team together, you can’t put all the same types of players together. He’s a guy with a lot of experience. He’s got size, he plays well, he defends well, he does a lot of good things for us. So I’m itching to get him back. It’s a nice problem to have.”

Staal apparently began wearing new skates before the infection approached a dangerous state, which he believes may have contributed to the extra friction between the skate and his cut. Doctors had to make incisions on the inside and outside of Staal’s ankle before flushing it out with antibiotics. He was on an IV drip and in a walking boot for a couple of weeks.

Quinn wouldn’t say how the defensive pairings would pan out once Staal was healthy enough to play again. The 32-year-old defenseman skated with Tony DeAngelo against the Hurricanes on Nov. 7, which was the last game he played before the surgery.

“It’s gotten better every day,” Staal said. “Mobility has come back and the strength is starting to come.There’s still some pain and discomfort there but it’s not too bad.”

Quinn was particularly thrilled with how Mika Zibanejad’s return to the Rangers’ first line opened up the use of the other three lines in Wednesday’s win over the Hurricanes.

“It’s amazing what one player does, especially a center,” Quinn said. “All your lines look different. Just standing behind the bench, not that I hadn’t felt comfortable before, but there’s another level of comfort that you feel as a coach when you’ve got those four lines.It just felt like we were in a better position because of the depth that one player added throughout our lineup.”

There is no timeline on Greg McKegg’s (lower body) return to the lineup.

“[He’s] day to day,” Quinn said. “He skated yesterday, [we] held him off today. We don’t think it’s long term.”

Henrik Lundqvist will make his third straight start against the Bruins on Friday, while Quinn plans to go with Alexandar Georgiev in net against the Devils on Saturday afternoon.

New York Post LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163793 New York Rangers Now, the roles are reversed as Claude studies Brendan’s game, watching his son compete for a team he tormented in a series of memorable postseason encounters. Claude, who is also Brendan’s agent, can’t help but ask, when he sees other players chirping his son on Brendan Lemieux follows dad’s footsteps despite Claude’s early the ice: What are they saying about me? resistance “That’s always funny,” Brendan said. “I kind of like it when they say it, because it really sets me up to let them know … the guys who are willing to say that are definitely not half as good a player as he was.” By Mollie Walker November 28, 2019 | 9:43PM Claude said he thinks Brendan is getting closer to the player that he can

be. Brendan has compiled nine points through 22 games and has three There aren’t too many hockey players with the skill to be an offensive goals, including a game-tying short-handed score in the Rangers’ come- weapon and the spunk to be an agitator. The Lemieux family has two. from-behind victory in Montreal on Saturday. But Brendan won’t light up the stat sheet every night, and it’s the intangibles that have made him so But there was a time when Claude Lemieux — the four-time Stanley Cup valuable to the Rangers. Witness the three fights, broken blade and champion and notorious troublemaker — wanted to steer his son missing teeth in the last month alone. Those are intangibles that come Brendan, the tenacious 23-year-old winger for the Rangers, away from from an elite bloodline. pursuing the sport. “I’ve always been pretty outspoken about [how] the closest player “I just thought it would be really hard for the son of a dad that played to comparable to myself is my dad,” Brendan said. follow in your father’s footsteps,” Claude, now 54, told The Post in a recent phone interview. “Number one, I think it could be brutally unfair at New York Post LOADED: 11.29.2019 times, and it was and it has been at times throughout his young career. And especially the way I played, I wasn’t a player that was very popular aside from the team I played for and the fans that I played in front of, the home fans, so I thought that would be a difficult path.

“But at the end of the day, it’s what he wanted to do. I realized when he was around 9 or 10 years old that he was one of the better kids and that he seemed to have what it would take to become a hockey player.”

Brendan was alive for the last two of Claude’s Stanley Cup triumphs. There are pictures of baby Brendan inside the cup after the Avalanche won it all in 1996. And Claude recalls how Brendan badly wanted to sleep with the famous trophy — Brendan has no such memory — after he won it in a second go-round with the Devils in 2000.

Brendan Lemieux loved hockey since he was a kid and was even put in the Stanley Cup as a baby by his father, Claude.Lemieux family (2)

Claude — one of 11 players in history to win the Cup with three different teams (he also won with the Canadiens in 1986 and the Devils in 1995) — fondly remembers Brendan slipping into the roller blades of his two older brothers, Chris and Michael, when Brendan was just 18 months old. By the time his second birthday rolled around, Brendan wanted a skating party. But Claude did everything he could to push Brendan toward baseball and , away from hockey. His mom, Deborah, was the “catalyst.”

“She gave me that initial push and then my dad pretty much took over once he saw a few games,” Brendan Lemieux told The Post.

There were sacrifices along the way — cancelling the family’s Christmas- time ski trips in order to travel to Brendan’s tournaments, for instance — and it hasn’t always been easy for the elder Lemieux to navigate the relationship with his son. Claude recalled a time at the beginning of Brendan’s professional career when he was critiquing his son’s game. Brendan told him, “You have to let me live my life, you have to let me play my career, you can’t do it for me. I’ve got to learn from my mistakes.”

“There was only a couple of years where it was kind of a challenge,” Brendan said of the pressures of following in his father’s footsteps. “But once you’re past that, it’s gravy from there.”

Lemeiux, repeatedly referred to as a mirror image of his father in scouting reports as he developed (both are listed at 6-foot-1, 210 to 215 pounds; Claude was a righty shot, Brendan shoots lefty), was drafted by the Sabres with the No. 31-overall pick in 2014, subsequently dealt to the Jets and acquired by the Rangers at the trade deadline last season along with a first-round pick in exchange for Kevin Hayes.

Brendan said he modeled his game after the way his father played from watching old tapes and getting to see his Claude play during his brief comeback with San Jose in 2009 at the age of 43. And he knew if he played the same way, it would hurt, recalling the bumps and bruises his father came home with on a daily basis.

“I look at all the sons of fathers that played, and I would say that 9 out of 10, if not 9.5 out of 10, those boys are all dedicated, hard-working and they play with passion and they know from their dad how fortunate they are to be playing this game,” Claude said. “They don’t take it for granted.” 1163794 New York Rangers

Rangers will be thankful if events from a year ago don't repeat themsselves

By Colin Stephenson

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Rangers woke up on Thanksgiving morning with a three-game winning streak and an overall record of 12-9-2. They will play a nationally televised afternoon game on Black Friday in Boston against the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins (17-3-5), who have the best record in the league.

A year ago, the Rangers woke up on Thanksgiving with a three-game winning streak and a record of 12-8-2. They played a nationally televised afternoon game on Black Friday in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

That did not go well. The Rangers played one of their worst games of the season in a 4-0 loss and went into a free fall after that.

No one at the Rangers’ Thanksgiving Day practice wanted to hear about last season, though.

“That was last year,’’ said Mika Zibanejad, who spent much of his time on ice Thursday throwing a football with Brady Skjei, as is the Rangers’ custom at Thanksgiving Day practices. “It’s a different team; it’s a different feeling here.’’

Zibanejad, who was feeling fine after playing his first game in a month and scoring the first goal in the Rangers’ 3-2 win over Carolina on Wednesday night at the Garden, brought up the lame-duck status of free agents-to-be Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes and Adam McQuaid, who were traded at the February deadline. Knowing that those three definitely were going to be traded cast a pall over the team for most of the season, he said.

This year, only Chris Kreider is in that situation, and he doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. “So it’s a different situation now,’’ Zibanejad said.

Skjei said he believes the Rangers have “grown and matured’’ since last year’s Black Friday debacle. He pointed to Wednesday’s win, in which the Rangers took a 3-0 lead in the first period, allowed two goals in the second and managed to preserve their lead in the third. That kind of game didn’t happen often last season.

“I think our team’s in a better spot than we were a year ago,’’ Skjei said. “Last year, we kind of struggled to close out games, and games we were in, up by a goal or down by a goal, we seemed to not get points out of. And you know, this year . . . I think that everyone’s kind of learned how to close out a game and take care of a lead.’’

Coach David Quinn agreed the feel this season is different from a year ago. Last season’s team was more streaky, he said. That team started 3- 7-1 and went 9-1-1 in its next 11 games leading into Thanksgiving. This season’s team bottomed out at 3-5-1 with a 7-4 loss to Boston on Oct. 27, the game in which Zibanejad got hurt on a high hit by Patrice Bergeron. The Rangers are 9-4-1 since.

Good, but not, as Quinn said, “crazy.’’

“We’re not on a crazy streak, but we’ve been playing some . . . maybe not consistent good hockey, but it hasn’t been a long stretch we’ve played poorly, and there hasn’t been a long stretch where we played great,’’ he said. “It’s kind of been, play two good ones, and bad one; play two good ones, and bad one. So it has been, relative to last year, more consistency.’’

Notes & quotes: D Marc Staal practiced in a red (no-contact) jersey for the first time since his Nov. 8 ankle surgery. He said if all goes well, he could be ready to play sometime next week. Quinn said he is “itching’’ to get Staal back in the lineup . . . C Greg McKegg did not practice. Quinn said he is day-to-day with a lower-body injury . . . Henrik Lundqvist did not practice but will start Friday in Boston, Quinn said. Alexandar Georgiev will start Saturday in New Jersey.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 11.29.2019

1163795 Ottawa Senators “But we’re not a team that, when we can’t get (the puck) in the net, we can open it up and cheat at all. Just stick with what we’ve been doing.”

He added the fact players aren’t cheating to score goals is an important Coach D.J. Smith looks at new combinations as Senators head on road part of the approach.

“It speaks to the type of character we have in the room,” Brown said. “We’ve got really good guys that are committed to playing the right way Bruce Garrioch and that’s a sure sign of guys that want to win.”

November 29, 2019 1:52 AM EST The Senators are hopeful playing the right way will pay off at both ends of the ice.

D.J. Smith tried a new look with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday morning. Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.29.2019 Perhaps, it’s a changing of the guard.

Trying to ignite the offence as the Senators head on the road for a five- game trip that starts Friday against the Minnesota Wild with a rare a 4 p.m. EST start at the Xcel Energy Center, Ottawa’s coach changed the line combinations after the club scored only two goals in its previous two games.

Yes, a big part of the reason Smith decided to make the moves coming off a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night at home is the fact the Senators don’t have the last change on the road. But it can’t hurt to at least try something different after Ottawa lost two consecutive games for the first time in a month.

The only line that stayed intact was rookie Logan Brown with wingers Anthony Duclair and Brady Tkachuk while the rest of the combinations changed. Winger Tyler Ennis didn’t skate, but is expected to play against the Wild which means he’ll likely play with Chris Tierney as the fourth-line centre and winger Filip Chlapik.

While winger Connor Brown has been a constant on the right side of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Nick Paul for nearly a month, it was centre Colin White in that spot Thursday at the Bell Sensplex. Brown skated with centre Artem Anisimov (lower body) and winger Vladislav Namestnikov (tailbone), both of whom are expected to return from their injuries.

“I don’t think you’re going to be able to get that match all the time on the road, pulling guys on and off the ice, so thought I’d kind of switch it around a little bit,” Smith said. “That (Connor) Brown line was good when (Anisimov) was playing there last time and I think Connor is a bit of spark for each line. He does a lot of the dirty work.

“Anyone could be (the No. 1 through No. 4 line) for our group.”

If the Senators are going to have a big trip, they’re going to have to score some goals. That’s a big challenge with the likes of Tierney, Paul, White and Connor Brown all in scoring slumps and they all need goals to get their confidence back. Make no mistake, the Senators have been able to get chances. They haven’t cashed in the way they’d like.

They’ve had players miss on breakaways, hit posts or have the opposing goalie make an outstanding stop. The Senators completely outplayed the high-powered Bruins for 40 minutes on Wednesday, but couldn’t beat Tuukka Rask when it mattered. The Senators are hopeful at some point the floodgates will open and they’ll have zero issues putting the puck in the net.

“When it’s going in, it goes in,” Smith said. “You’ve seen that with Pageau. Everything he touched went in and then sometimes you go through spells where it doesn’t. The last two losses, we’ve out-chanced both teams, it just hasn’t gone in the net. The good thing is that we’re working hard, we’re not giving much up, we’re giving ourselves a chance in the game and eventually they’ll go in.

“We’d like to see ourselves get to the net a little bit more to give ourselves a better chance of it going in but in saying that, to a man, this group has worked really hard.”

Connor Brown said that just because the club is having issues scoring doesn’t mean the players can start taking risks.

“We were working on some things to create a little offence and get that spark going again,” said Brown. “We’re a team that we know that we’re dependent on the way we play as a team defensively and our offensive chances will sometimes be there. Sometimes they’ll go in for us and sometimes they won’t. 1163796 Ottawa Senators (Thursday). It’s just more about the numbers.” Smith praised the work being done by Belleville coach Troy Mann and his staff with the players that have been brought up this season. “ A lot of these kids that have come up, and Troy Mann has done a great job at this,” Smith said. SNAPSHOTS: Marcus Hogberg will get a chance to start for Senators “These kids come up and they’re detailed, in shape, they work and they’re giving us more options for the future. Every time we’ve called up a

guy, he’s been ready.” … As noted by TSN 1200’s Ian Mendes, maybe Bruce Garrioch this Minnesota-Ottawa matchup will become a Thanskgiving tradition. The Senators and Wild met on Canadian Thanksgiving in Ottawa when November 28, 2019 6:09 PM EST the club dropped a 2-0 decision and now they’ll face off in a holiday matinee in Minny. Not sure the schedule maker was thinking of this when

putting it together during the off-season …CTV’s Terry Marcotte, who has Marcus Hogberg won’t have to wait long to make his first appearance of been at the station more than 30 years, announced Thursday he’ll be the season in the Ottawa Senators net. winding down his career at the station in the next few weeks. Not only will he _ and his sense of humour _ be badly missed around the Canadian In fact, it could come as early as Saturday against the Calgary Flames at Tire Centre, but also by everybody across the National Capital region. the Saddledome in the second game of the club’s five-game road trip that Marcotte has always told good stories about good people who make an starts Friday at 4 p.m. against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy impact in the tight-knit sports community in Ottawa. His departure is Center with Anders Nilsson starting. going to leave a huge void. Best wishes to Marcotte and his family on the While goaltender Craig Anderson shouldn’t be out of the lineup for an next chapter. extended period with the lower-body injury he suffered in Monday’s 1-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road, he was placed on the injury-reserve list Thursday, which means he won’t make an appearance Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.29.2019 before the Senators face the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday in Game 3 of this trip.

Part of the reason Anderson was placed on IR is the fact the club needs room under the league’s 23-man roster limit.

No, Anderson’s ailment isn’t considered serious and he’ll skate with his teammates Monday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, but he won’t play this weekend, which means Hogberg will get a chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. He has a 6-6-0 record with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville, a 3.21 goals-against average and a .892 save-percentage.

“He’ll play, for sure, in the back-to-back and we’ll get him in there,” coach D.J. Smith said after the club’s 20-minute skate at the Bell Sensplex. “I’ve said all along this is process of how many guys we can get to play better and part of the future of this group.

“He’s certainly part of it. He’s played well of late (in Belleville) and he’ll get his shot.”

Nilsson, who has solid in the last month, said he’s prepared for more of a workload if necessary.

“Last year when I got traded here I got to play a lot of games in a row so it’s something I’ve done in the past and it’s something I feel comfortable doing,” said Nilsson . “It comes with what the coaches decide to do, (Hogberg) is a great goalie who has been doing pretty good in the American league so I’m just trying to take it one game at a time.

“If they want to play more games I’m definitely up for it and I’m prepared to play more games on this road trip.”

THIS AND THAT

Vladislav Namestnikov is feeling much better after suffering a tailbone injury just over a week ago in a collision with Montreal’s Cale Fleury that caused the veteran winger to miss the club’s last four games. Namestnikov, one of the club’s better players offensively this season with six goals and 12 points in 20 games, is going to help. “I felt good out there and I’m ready to go,” said Namestnikov. “It was a big crash into the boards, I couldn’t walk the next day and everything was sore but we did a good job with the doctors in recovery and I’m ready to go now.” Namestnikov said it was unavoidable. “It was just a freak accident,” he said. “I twisted up and went awkwardly into the boards.” Centre Artem Anisimov will return for the first time since he suited up Nov. 5 against the Los Angeles Kings. He has been troubled by a lower-body injury most of the season but has been skating a lot … Winger Scott Sabourin didn’t make the trip … Winger Tyler Ennis didn’t skate Thursday but Smith noted it was just a maintenance day and he should be fine. If Ennis can’t play then expect centre J.C. Beaudin to stay in the lineup against the Wild.

THE LAST WORDS

The Senators sent winger Max Veronneau back to their AHL affiliate in Belleville Thursday morning because Namestnikov and Anisimov are ready. Smith didn’t mind Veronneau’s effort. “He was good. I thought he was good in (the first two game) he had an off game in No. 3 which is why he didn’t play the next night and I thought he was good again 1163797 Ottawa Senators

GAME DAY: Senators versus Wild

Ken Warren

November 28, 2019 3:41 PM EST

Five Keys To The Game:

Delivering around the net: You can’t win if you can’t score and the Senators have netted a combined one goal in defeats to Columbus and Boston earlier this week. On Canadian Thanksgiving, the Senators also delivered a listless performance against the Wild, losing 2-0 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Using the whole line-up: Like the Senators, the Wild like to play a grind-it- out four line game as much as possible and they’ve had recent success overall (4-0-3 in their past seven) and on home ice all season long (5-1- 2). With another game coming against Calgary Saturday, D.J. Smith will want to use his bench as much as possible

Maintaining the penalty killing: The Senators power play has been atrocious. That’s no secret. The shorthanded play, however, has quietly been on a roll. They’ve killed off 24 of 25 penalties over the past eight games.

Being the road spoiler: With family and friends and other distractions around around for the major U.S. holiday, home ice isn’t always a blessing for players on Thanksgiving. As the visitors, the Senators could spoil the party.

Attitude towards the long trip: Looking all the way to the end of the five- game, 10-day trek could be exhausting, which is why it’s vital the Senators focus now on just the first one, winning in the Twin Cities before moving on to the second city (Calgary) on the trip.

Thomas Chabot versus Ryan Suter: Chabot has scored the lone Senators goal in the past two games. Maybe, just maybe, he’s coming out of a month-long funk as coach D.J. Smith experiments with him being paired with Ron Hainsey. Hainsey was an ideal partner for Morgan Rielly in Toronto last season.

Meawhile, Suter is on an offensive role, with one goal and six assists in his past five games.

Suter, 34, has this and five more seasons left on his 13-year, $98 million contract and is being paid $9 million in salary this season.

Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163798 Ottawa Senators 1. The Senators had a number of scoring opportunities Wednesday, and as discussed above, had the majority of the chances in the game. But still they only scored one goal.

Senators show signs of improvement while hanging in with league’s best During the game the Senators forced odd-man rushes, two-on-ones, breakaways you name it, but were either stopped by Tuuka Rask or the puck ended up being shot into his pads, chest or wide of the net.

By Hailey Salvian The fact is, right now a number of Senators players are having some scoring issues. Jean-Gabriel Pageau has been the story of the month Nov 28, 2019 with 10 goals in November and 13 on the season. Anthony Duclair has 10 goals, Brady Tkachuk has tallied eight and Tyler Ennis and Vlad Namestnikov have six. After that there is a bit of a drop off, and some Heading into Wednesday night’s game against the league-leading lengthy scoring droughts. Boston Bruins, many fans and pundits assumed the Ottawa Senators would be in trouble, especially after the Bruins dismantled the Montreal Connor Brown only has two goals, but probably forces the most Canadiens 8-1 the night before. breakaway opportunities. So far, he hasn’t been able to capitalize. Nick Paul hasn’t scored in 14 games since he netted two goals against the Instead, the Senators surprised everyone — except maybe themselves San Jose Sharks. Chris Tierney has three goals, but hasn’t scored since — by being the better team for two periods. Oct. 23. And Colin White has two goals through 18 games, and hasn’t scored since Nov. 11. “I thought we worked really hard,” said head coach D.J. Smith after their 2-1 loss. “There’s a lot of good things that we did out there. For a young A lot of players are overthinking things, as a lot of their scoring chances team to come out and play as hard as we did against that team, I thought have been right on the doorstep. For the team’s sake, hopefully we were great.” Saturday’s skills session will help wake up some offence.

The Senators limited the Bruins to 10 shots through the first 40 minutes, 2. The Senators are having some scoring issues, but they are keeping seven in the first and three in the second. They were dominant for most games interesting by being physical. They are currently ranked third in of the game forcing turnovers that led to odd man rushes or scoring the NHL in hits with 685, and only trail the Vegas Golden Knights and the chances they just couldn’t capitalize on. Chances like this for example: Pittsburgh Penguins.

“I would say through two periods we out chanced them. In the third On Wednesday they edged the Bruins with 34 hits to Boston’s 30 and period they turned it up and we couldn’t keep up with them,” Smith said. Mark Borowiecki led all players with eight of his own. “It hurts now because you don’t get a point out of the game where certainly… if you play like that most nights you’re going to win or at least The best hit of the game came from Tyler Ennis, who delivered a get a point. crushing check on Charlie McAvoy late in the third period. McAvoy was in some pain and looked like he hit his face on the glass. It didn’t look like “This has always been a process for this group. We know we are young, there was any malicious intent on the play, just Ennis finishing his check. our young guys are getting a chance to play and they are playing good. It was one of two hits he registered in the game. Tonight didn’t go our way but there’s a lot of positives.” 3. During a TV timeout in the first period, the Senators surprised Zdeno One major positive was the Senators puck possession and control of the Chara with belated congratulations for playing in his 1,500th career NHL game. For a team that has long struggled with possession issues, Ottawa game earlier in November. put on a clinic against arguably the best team in the NHL. After a short video, Senators fans (and Bruins fans, because there were If it felt like Boston barely touched the puck in the first period, that’s a lot of them at Canadian Tire Centre) gave Chara a standing ovation. exactly what happened. In the first period the Senators had a massive The Bruins captain played 299 games with the Senators from 2001 to 85.29 percent of the shot share at 5-on-5 and hammered the Bruins in 2006. their own zone. Boston was on the second half of a back-to-back, but the discrepancy in puck possession was enormous. “It was something I didn’t expect, usually I get a little heads up before the game,” said Chara. “It’s such an overwhelming reaction. I only have great When the Bruins did enter the Senators zone, all five Ottawa players memories. The fans are so supportive of this team and this city and I worked to keep the opposition on the perimeter and they succeeded in made a lot of close friends that I’m still in touch with until today. I can’t the first two frames for the most part. In the first period — as illustrated thank them enough. Every time I played for this team they showed 100 below — the Bruins didn’t get any dangerous opportunities. In the second percent support. They’re great fans.” period, they only registered three shots on goal. 4. The Senators went back to rolling a fourth line consisting of all AHL Thomas Chabot, who scored the Senators lone goal, explained how the forwards from Belleville, and while none of them got to 10 minutes of ice Senators were able to limit Boston’s chances. time, they were noticeable when they were on.

“We know their (defencemen) like to give it to (David) Pastrnak and At 5-on-5, the line of Filip Chlapik, J.C. Beaudin and Max Veronneau only (Brad) Marchand,” said Chabot. “So our forwards did a good job trying to played around six minutes, but they generated eight scoring chances for cut these guys off, trying not to let them get speed because that’s usually and posted a 71.43 percent shot share against the opposition. what they do, they gain a lot of speed and they enter the zone and if you give them any time once they’re in the zone they can make anything Ottawa’s fourth line role is a tough job. They get limited minutes and are happen.” expected to go on, add a jolt of energy and try to keep the puck deep in their opponents zone. On Wednesday they didn’t score, but they got their Two defensive slips ended up giving the Bruins both their goals in the job done. third period, but the Senators still finished the game with a shot share of 59.38 percent. Again, that was against the league leading Boston Bruins. 5. This week has been what many are calling a “watershed week” in hockey with revelations that have brought to light some brutal truths Keeping possession of the puck has been a key area for the Senators about the culture in the game. and so far this season they have shown a lot of improvement. Senators coach D.J. Smith is connected to both the Mike Babcock and Wednesday’s almost 60 percent rating was their highest through 25 Akim Aliu incidents that have made headlines in recent days. Smith was games to start the season, and the 12th time the Senators have an assistant coach to Babcock with the Toronto Maple Leafs when the controlled play with an over 50 percent shot share. For context, in 82 Marner incident took place. And he was in his first coaching job as an games last season, the team only eclipsed 50 percent 22 times. assistant with the OHL’s in 2005, when a pair of hazing incidents involving Aliu occurred. When we talk about moments that don’t show up in the standings that are crucial to a rebuild, this kind of progress in such a key area of the On Wednesday morning Smith spoke about the Aliu incident and how it game is one of those small victories. made him want to change the way rookies were treated. When he got his first head coaching job with the in 2012, he introduced Five More Thoughts new policies. “It was an unfortunate incident with Akim Aliu, 16, 17 years ago, but it’s just not acceptable,” he said. “It wasn’t acceptable then and it’s not acceptable now. When I went to Oshawa, my first year I made sure that there were no rookies even doing bus (duty) anymore (rookies loading and unloading the team bus). My thought behind it was if the kids don’t feel comfortable coming to the rink, you’re not going to get anything out of them and therefore your team is not going to have success.

“I tried to break the cycle there. There would be no rookie anything, so that by the time the kids were 19 years old and I had Cole Cassels and Hunter Smith and these guys, that when they were in their third year, that they would take care of the young guys and that would break the cycle and I still believe that’s going on in Oshawa.”

Bruins prospect Jack Studnika played three and a half seasons for the Generals — and was captain for two of those seasons — after Smith was hired by the Leafs. He spoke about the environment Smith created in Oshawa.

“He has set the standard there in Oshawa,” he said. “I think even to this day there’s really no rookies. Everyone is treated the same. He’s just such a good hockey guy.”

Studnicka, 20, is from Windsor like Smith, and said he used to train with the Senators coach growing up.

“He was always with good with me,” he said. “I was always a younger guy in the workout groups and he kind of always took care of me and took me under his wing.”

Studnicka said his familiarity with Smith was the main reason he started talking with the Generals before his OHL draft year.

“Being a 16-year-old going to the OHL I figured that it would be a good situation having him there (in Oshawa),” he said. “Again just me being younger and him always taking care of me.”

Smith ended up drafting Studnicka but was hired by the Maple Leafs shortly after. Studnicka joked, “it was obviously understandable” that he left.

But as captain of the team for two years, he made sure to enforce what his coach started.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163799 Ottawa Senators He’s scored double-digit goals in four of his last five seasons but doesn’t have even one in St. Louis yet. Instead, he’s stuck at six assists and hasn’t recorded a primary point in over a month. Even the head coach trying to pump his tires can only come up with “he’s been fine.” The only Down Goes Brown: Get ready for holiday shopping regret with the NHL’s good news for the Blues is that they didn’t rush into handing him a huge all buyer’s remorse team extension before they’d seen how he’d fit in. (Double-checks notes.) Well then.

Second pairing By Sean McIndoe Jacob Trouba, Rangers Nov 28, 2019 Like Subban, Trouba came cheap on the trade market. And while his

offensive numbers have been a little better, they’re not what the Rangers Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and if I know my Americans friends, were probably hoping for when they gave him a monster $56-million deal. that means two things: Some of you are reading this through the haze of But it’s the underlying numbers that are really scary here, as he’s getting a turkey coma and you’re going to do some serious shopping tomorrow. caved in on possession in a way he never was in Winnipeg.

The whole Black Friday thing isn’t as much of a thing in Canada yet, at Tyson Barrie, Maple Leafs least in its full-on “fight a stranger to save $20 on a blender” form. But we We said up above that at least a few of these players would turn their get the gist of it. You’ve got a list of stuff you need. You’ve got a chance seasons around. Barrie maybe already has, as the departure of The to get that stuff. You go out and get the stuff, and hope you don’t regret Coach Who Must Not Be Named But Apparently Everyone Sure Did Hate your spending spree when it’s all over. A Lot has freed him up to play a game that better fits his skill set; he has It’s kind of like the NHL offseason. Except that the offseason has hockey goals in three straight and looks like a different player. Still, we’re like one players instead of electronics, it lasts three months instead of a few days, week removed from the “is it already time to trade this guy?” narrative and nobody gets a discount. So really, it’s nothing like the NHL showing up, so let’s see how the rest of the year plays out before we offseason. But it’s too late now because I’m committed to the bit and declare the Nazem Kadri deal a success. we’re going with it. Third pairing Today, we’re going to celebrate this weekend’s shopping spree by Jake Gardiner, Hurricanes looking back at the NHL’s version. With a few months’ worth of hindsight, some of those offseason trades and free-agent signings look pretty good. When Gardiner signed a stunningly cheap deal in Carolina, it felt like a But others haven’t aged well, and like a cheap TV that stopped working sure thing. He was always better than he was given credit for in Toronto, after a few days, they may be causing some buyer’s remorse. and now he could go play in a lower pressure market on a team that knew how to use offensive defensemen. At the risk of angering Brian We’re two months into the season, which means there’s still plenty of Burke, it was a slam dunk. But so far he has just one goal (that came in time for some of these moves to work out in the long run. That’s part of the season’s second game) and has yet to manage so much as a single the fun. But for now, let’s put together a roster of players who switched primary point at 5-on-5. Like, not one. That’s weird. teams in the offseason and may have their new GMs looking around to see if the receipt has a return policy on it. Nikita Zaitsev, Senators

Goaltenders We could make a case for the guy he was traded for, Cody Ceci, on this list too, but I’ve spent the entire season going back and forth on him Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers being either completely terrible or surprisingly competent and it’s making Twenty starts into the season, and one of the offseason’s biggest prizes my head hurt. So we’ll just go with Zaitsev, who is inarguably bad and is still sporting a save percentage well under .900. The good news is that has so many years left on his awful contract that it could impact the there’s still plenty of time for him to get into a groove. Almost seven Senators’ ability to contend once the rebuild is done. years, to be exact. So assuming this is a slump, and not a guy hitting the Late cuts downside of the aging curve at 31, he should be fine. Of course, with the second-highest cap hit at his position, the Panthers might want more This was the most crowded position on the roster, so much so that I than just “fine.” didn’t even spend much time thinking about guys like Tyler Myers. Colin Miller’s been a bit dicey in Buffalo, and maybe you want to make a case Cam Talbot, Flames for Justin Braun in Philadelphia. Olli Maatta might deserve a spot. But He wasn’t traded for Mike Smith – he signed as a free agent after a quick some of the names you’d have expected to see here in September – stop in Philadelphia – but it kind of felt that way. And it seemed like a Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt Niskanen and even Neal Pionk – have actually decent exchange because even coming off of a brutal season, you been pretty good. figured a change of scenery could get Talbot back on track. Instead, he’s First line only had six starts, and hasn’t looked great in most of them. He comes cheaper than Smith, and it’s just a one-year deal, so this signing has Kevin Hayes, Flyers hardly been a disaster. It hasn’t been much of anything. We’re filling out our roster with trades and free-agent signings, but Hayes Late cuts is the rare offseason acquisition who manages to be both. The Flyers sent a pick to the Jets for his rights, then locked him down with a seven- Other than Bobrovsky, the two biggest crease names to move in the year deal with a cap hit north of $7 million. So far, that’s translated into offseason was Robin Lehner leaving the Islanders for Chicago and eleven points. He’s played well enough that he probably deserves better Semyon Varlamov coming into New York. Both have been very good in numbers than that, and he’s still a solid defensive player and penalty their new homes. Smith’s been fine in Edmonton, James Reimer has killer, so he’s not a bust. But right now, he’s not exactly giving off that been OK in Carolina and nobody else who switched teams were “$50 million well spent” vibe. expected to do much more than mop-up. Phil Kessel, Coyotes First pairing The Coyotes gave up and took on three years of P.K. Subban, Devils Kessel’s expensive contract because they needed some top-tier offense. Given his name value and Norris Trophy pedigree, you figured that the So far, they’ve been rewarded with four goals, only one of which has Devils got him so cheap that the trade had to work out. Maybe it still will, come at even-strength. He’s always been streaky, but after 11 straight but with just five points through two months, Subban’s been a bust in years of 25 goals or more, his Coyotes debut has him on pace for barely New Jersey. The analytics say he’s been a little bit better than his half that. boxcars would suggest. But only a little, and the Devils are on the hook Joe Pavelski, Stars for another two expensive years after this.

Justin Faulk, Blues Like most of the Stars’ roster, things are looking better for Pavelski these the difficulty in transitioning to a new team and city, and we shouldn’t days than they did back in October. But he’s still sitting at five goals on forget about that real-life aspect for any of these guys. But right now, the year, which isn’t what you’re looking for when you commit a $7- Smith is making top-nine money and seems like he may not even have a million cap hit to a guy until he’s 37. We could make a case for Corey full-time spot in the lineup. Perry here too, but at least he came cheap. Look, Lucic is going to be on every one of these bad rosters until the end Second line of time. We may as well just accept it.

Mats Zuccarello, Wild Late cuts

He has four goals, has missed time to injury and is on pace for his least All in all, the forwards are the weakest part of our roster, which is to say productive season since becoming a full-time NHLer. And he’s locked in it’s the position where NHL GMs had the most offseason success. We at a $6-million cap hit until he’s almost 37. Also, the GM who gave him don’t have to consider the offseason’s biggest signing, Panarin, because that contract compared him to a lizard and then got fired. Other than that, he’s been great. Duchene hasn’t set the world on fire in Nashville, but it’s going great. he’s been about what you’d have realistically expected. Andre Burakovsky’s lighting it up in Colorado. James Neal’s worked out well in Alex Galchenyuk, Penguins Edmonton and even though I hated the trade at the time, J.T. Miller has He missed time, he felt the weight of high expectations and he only just been a nice fit in Vancouver. Even the summer’s consensus worst got his first goal as a Penguin on Monday. Is that better or worse than forward signing, Brandon Tanev in Pittsburgh, has at least been what Kessel’s doing in Arizona? It’s hard to tell, and maybe that means passable. the trade isn’t a miss for either team. Or maybe it’s shaping up as the Other players had stronger cases for our roster. I didn’t want to penalize rare deal that ends up as a lose-lose. too much for injuries, so I let Micheal Ferland off the hook despite a slow Nikita Gusev, Devils start in Vancouver. Alex Kerfoot’s been OK in Toronto but just got suspended. Dzingel hadn’t scored in a month in Carolina until last night. He’s the only player on our roster who hadn’t played in the NHL before, Riley Sheahan isn’t Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, which is to say meaning we don’t have a history to base expectations on. But the Devils he’s not doing much for the Oilers. did trade for him and based on what they gave up (a second and a third), coupled with the contract they signed him to (a $4.5-million cap hit), it’s Then there was Detroit’s Adam Erne. On the one hand, any time you give fair to assume they were hoping for more than eight points. After up anything of value to trade for a young forward and he puts up zero dominating the KHL for two years, he was being mentioned alongside goals and zero assists through the season’s first quarter, that’s bad. On Cale Makar a few months ago as a player who would make an impactful the other hand, he’s not exactly a guy known for his offense, and going debut. There’s still time to figure it out, and nobody on our roster has had from Tampa to Detroit had to be jarring. But more importantly, his to make a bigger adjustment. But so far, he hasn’t lived up to the hype. acquisition was vitally important because it briefly gave us the greatest line nickname of the season. That should be worth a few points on its Third line own, right?

Gustav Nyquist, Blue Jackets We’ll be nice and let him off the hook. Here’s hoping those outlet stores you’re sleeping outside of tonight are feeling as forgiving when the We knew he wasn’t going to replace Artemi Panarin’s scoring, or even buyer’s remorse kicks in. Matt Duchene’s. But you kind of hoped he might come in above Ryan Dzingel. It’s been a rough start, with just four goals on the year, although he’s on pace for roughly the 50 points or so he usually puts up. As Aaron Portzline put it, he’s been a “solid but not spectacular” C+ sort of player. The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 That’s not bad, and maybe this is just a case of asking too much from a guy stepping into an impossible situation.

Jimmy Vesey, Sabres

The one-time college standout was traded to the Sabres for a third-round pick, marking the second time he has been traded for a third-rounder in three years. This time, he stuck around, but it took him until this week to manage his first goal in Buffalo. That’s pretty stunning for a guy who put up 16, 17 and 17 in his first three NHL seasons. There’s clearly only one option here: Get rid of him, wait a few years and then trade another third- round pick for him to see if the third time’s the charm.

Wayne Simmonds, Devils

Are we picking on the Devils? It’s starting to feel that way. Simmonds signed a one-year deal, so he wasn’t ever going to be a total disaster. In fact, his production has probably been right about where you’d expect from a 31-year-old who only had 30 points last year. Is that worth $5 million? Not really, which is the problem.

Fourth line

Andrew Shaw, Blackhawks

The veteran cost the Hawks a second and a third, and so far he’s managed three goals, including just one in his last 22 games. He brings more to the table than just offense, and you still notice him on the physical side of things. But he’s the team’s fourth highest-paid forward, and you can typically find guys who grind but don’t score who cost you less.

The good news is that we can give him a familiar face to work with on this line …

Zack Smith, Blackhawks

The trade that saw him come over in exchange for Artem Anisimov was as much about the cap hit as anything else, so expectations shouldn’t have been sky high. But it feels like “score more goals than you or I have” would have been a fair place to set the bar. He opened up about 1163800 Philadelphia Flyers Elliott called Laughton’s goal the key to a rare win in Columbus. “I thought the energy of our team jumped up from there,” he said, “and

we were able to play the rest of the game the right way. I thought we did Flyers coach Alain Vigneault giving tough love to demoted winger James a good job of not getting rattled by letting up a goal in the last minute of van Riemsdyk the [first] period. It’s a big sign that we’re a veteran team that can handle some misplays and come back with resilience.”

It was the Flyers’ first regulation victory at Nationwide Area since 2005, by Sam Carchidi when rookie Jeff Carter deposited the winner.

“Just a big win on the road,” said Laughton, whose team improved its overall record to 13-7-5. “It feels like we hadn’t won in this building in James van Riemsdyk knows he was not given a five-year, $35 million forever.” contract last year to be on the Flyers’ fourth line. Breakaways But that’s where the Flyers’ big left winger has played the last four games. Carter Hart, who is 5-2-2 with a 2.05 GAA and .921 save percentage this month, will face the Red Wings and may be opposed by former Flyer Cal To his credit, van Riemsdyk hasn’t sulked and hasn’t stopped playing Pickard. … Detroit (7-17-3), which is last in the 16-team Eastern hard. Conference and has lost seven straight (0-5-2), is coming off a 6-0 defeat The Central Jersey native hasn’t been playing that poorly. His defense Wednesday to visiting Toronto. The Leafs had 54 shots, the most has improved, and he was getting plenty of scoring chances from in close allowed by Detroit in a game since 1976. … Robert Hagg broke up a two- before his demotion. on-one in Wednesday’s third period and had three blocked shots and three hits. ... Most of the team worked out off-ice on Thursday with the He just wasn’t finishing those chances, and now has only one goal in his exception of Shayne Gostisbehere, Phil Myers, Chris Stewart, and Nolan last 16 games. Patrick taking the ice for some drills against goaltender Hart. Vigneault said early Thursday afternoon that he had not yet decided on his six “Obviously, I’m here to produce and score goals,” van Riemsdyk, whose defensemen for Friday’s game. The coach said earlier this week that he team hosts Detroit at 4 p.m. Friday, said recently. “When things aren’t wanted to get Gostisbehere, who has sat out the last three games, back going in, I think there are things you can focus on. For me, focus on into the lineup at some point soon. being good on the walls, don’t turn pucks over, be a plus player. I think I’ve been doing all those things. You just continue to stick with it.”

Case in point: van Riemsdyk, playing in his 700th career game, Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 11.29.2019 contributed an assist on Tyler Pitlick’s goal and was plus-1 in the Flyers’ 3-2 comeback win Wednesday in Columbus, where they entered the night with just one win in their previous 14 contests.

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said van Riemsdyk is working hard and ‘trying to get his game in order. As a staff and as a head coach, there’s always that fine line. Players say, ‘Give me more ice time and I’ll play better,’ and I say, ‘Play better and I’ll give you more ice time.’ We’ve given him every power play, and he’s gotten one goal so far on that unit.”

“I feel like I’ve gotten some good looks, and I’ve certainly been a little snake-bitten,” van Riemsdyk said. “But I know I’m here to produce offense and it hasn’t necessarily gone well for me in that sense, but I have to focus on the other details as I mentioned, and the rest usually takes care of itself.”

Van Riemsdyk, who had 27 goals in 66 games last season but just four goals in 25 games this year, had received less than 10 minutes of playing time in his previous two games before Wednesday. He was on the ice for 15:55 against Columbus, primarily because the Flyers had five power plays.

“Everyone wants to play,” van Riemsdyk said, “but that being said, those decisions are out of your control as a player. You just have a good attitude, a good mindset every day, and you go from there.”

In Wednesday’s victory, Claude Giroux’s power-play goal late in the second period and Brian Elliott’s strong goaltending lifted the Flyers to the win, giving them points in 12 of their last 14 games.

The Flyers had been a sloppy 0-for-4 on the power play — and had not had many chances — before Giroux scored on a wrist shot from the left circle.

Elliott stopped 15 of his 28 shots in the third period. He made two huge late saves, including one with his skate on Sonny Milano’s point-blank attempt with 3:15 to go.

“Probably his best save of the year,” Giroux said.

Earlier, Scott Laughton converted Joel Farabee’s perfect goal-mouth feed into a goal, knotting the score at 2-2 early in the second period. It was Laughton’s first goal of the season – and first in 24 games dating back to last March.

“That’s the best I’ve felt since the injury,” said Laughton, who had missed 13 games this season because of a broken right index finger.

The goal negated Seth Jones’ tally with 36 seconds left in the first, which put Columbus ahead, 2-1. 1163801 Philadelphia Flyers

What should Flyers fans be thankful for on Thanksgiving?

By Katie Emmer and Jordan Hall

November 27, 2019 1:40 PM

Going End to End today are NBC Sports Philadelphia's Katie Emmer and Jordan Hall.

The topic: What should Flyers fans be thankful for on Thanksgiving?

Sean Couturier. He’s been a reliable player that makes good plays with and without the puck and he’s someone the Flyers are thankful for, especially in the month of November.

An upper-body injury limited Couturier in the faceoff dot early in the month, but he still produced in other ways. Coots’ 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in November lead the team.

Not only is his production something, but also his ability to complement his linemates. Take Jakub Voracek for example, who was placed on a line with Couturier simply to increase his production:

We're trying to get [Jakub Voracek] going, and everybody that's played with [Sean Couturier] has found a pretty good level of success. That might jump start [Voracek] a little bit. We obviously need him playing well.

- Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault on Nov. 21, via NHL.com

And since that move, Voracek has three points in four games, including the GWG over the Canucks on Monday, which helped him get “the swagger back.”

Couturier and his 200-foot abilities are something to be thankful for.

Carter Hart and Brian Elliott.

Yes, Elliott, as well. Don’t forget him.

Goaltending has not made headlines so far and that is only a positive in Philadelphia.

Here are the numbers during the Flyers’ 8-2-4 November:

Hart — 5-2-2, 2.05 goals-against average, .921 save percentage.

Elliott — 3-0-2, 2.28 goals-against average, .926 save percentage.

At Thanksgiving last year, the Flyers had already played four goalies en route to playing an NHL-record eight by season’s end.

Hart has been strong and the 34-year-old Elliott held down the fort when the 21-year-old went through a rough patch in October.

The Flyers have some stability in net and fans will surely be thankful for that.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163802 Pittsburgh Penguins

Minor league report: Nailers shut out by Komets

SETH RORABAUGH

Thursday, November 28, 2019 11:55 p.m.

Goaltender Jordan Ruby made 29 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3- 0 shutout loss to the Fort Wayne Komets at the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Thursday.

Wheeling (8-6-4-0) has lost three consecutive games, all to Fort Wayne.

The Nailers’ next game is at home against the Kalamazoo Wings at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling on Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

Tribune Review LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163803 Pittsburgh Penguins Galchenyuk or Jared McCann as his main wingers on the port side, produced seven points (two goals, five assists).

So, what happens when Crosby returns? What will determine which line Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel thriving as linemates for Penguins Guentzel plays on?

“We fight,” Malkin deadpanned after Wednesday’s game.

SETH RORABAUGH The Penguins will cross that bridge when they get to it. For the time being, Malkin wants to enjoy what he has found with Guentzel and Rust. Thursday, November 28, 2019 5:36 p.m. “Confidence is huge right now,” Malkin said. “(Guentzel), Rust, they help me so much right now. Two great players. We just enjoy it. We know we’re leaders. We can play to help the team to win every game.” This has gone on for more than a decade. Note: The Penguins canceled Thursday’s practice. They will face the Since the mid-2000s, the Pittsburgh Penguins have brought in wingers Columbus Blue Jackets on the road at Nationwide Arena on Friday, 7:08 with scoring acumen in hopes they immediately will mesh with their p.m. franchise center.

But in many cases, those 20- or 30-goal scorers have found success with the No. 2 center — who also happens to be a franchise center. Tribune Review LOADED: 11.29.2019 First, it was Petr Sykora. Former Penguins general manager Ray Shero signed him in the 2007 offseason feeling he could complement Sidney Crosby. Ultimately, he enjoyed two productive seasons that ended in a Stanley Cup Final playing alongside Evgeni Malkin.

In 2010, Shero traded for James Neal in hopes he could offer Crosby a true sniper. A Crosby concussion led to Neal finding a home on Malkin’s right wing, an assignment that turned him into a 40-goal scorer.

Chris Kunitz always worked well with Crosby. But when Crosby’s concussion woes sidelined him for an extended absence, Kunitz lined up next to Malkin and was a vital component to the Russian superstar’s signature 2011-12 season that saw him win the , Ted Lindsay Award and the .

One of the biggest trades in franchise history occurred in the lockout- shortened 2012-13 season and was geared toward reuniting Crosby with his Canadian linemate from the 2010 Olympics, Jarome Iginla. But Crosby suffered a broken jaw in the same game Iginla made his Penguins debut. That led to Iginla primarily playing on Malkin’s line during his brief but unappetizing tenure in Pittsburgh.

Phil Kessel? Rutherford wanted him to play on Sidney Crosby’s line, but he ended up finding more success with Malkin before Malkin’s elbow injury led to the formation of the famous HBK line with Nick Bonino and Carl Hagelin.

Crosby’s latest ailment has led to another winger finding a home on Malkin’s line.

Jake Guentzel.

With the Penguins’ captain convalescing following surgery to repair a core muscle injury, Guentzel has lined up on the left wing with Malkin and Brian Rust for most of the eight games Crosby has missed.

Despite having been teammates for parts of four seasons, Guentzel playing with Malkin at even strength has been a fairly infrequent occurrence until this recent stretch.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Guentzel has logged 106 minutes, 19 seconds of common five-on-five ice time with Malkin this season. That’s more than double the 46:43 they logged last season.

Their most prolific effort took place in Wednesday’s wild 8-6 comeback win at home against the Vancouver Canucks. Malkin (five points) and Guentzel (four points) each matched single-game career-high point totals while playing vital roles in the comeback.

Guentzel had two goals Wednesday, including the game’s first goal on a “quick draw” faceoff play Malkin had ample success with during his time with Neal.

Guentzel professes a rudimentary approach to playing with Malkin.

“He’s one of the best players in the world,” Guentzel said. “Just the way he’s playing right now, it’s special to see and be a part of it. You just want to give him the puck as much as you can.”

In the seven games he played with Guentzel as his primary left winger this season, Malkin has produced an ample 12 points (four goals, eight assists). In comparison, his other seven games, which featured Alex 1163804 Pittsburgh Penguins Now, with Crosby out, the Penguins have inserted Guentzel on Malkin’s left wing. In the seven games they’ve played together, Guentzel has recorded 11 points, including six goals.

Making the case that Jake Guentzel is the Penguins' team MVP through “When you lose one of the best players in the world, everyone has to the first quarter of the season step up to fill those minutes and just to be better,” Guentzel said. “I think we’re all doing that right now.”

Now, as the season continues, the Penguins have begun to answer the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE question about how they’ll replace Crosby as his rehab continues. But when he returns? Does Malkin give Guentzel back? Or, with as Got a news tip? 412-263-1601 productive as the Russian super star has been with Guentzel on his left NOV 28, 2019 4:30 PM wing, does Malkin keep Guentzel on his line for good?

After being faced with so many tough lineup decisions because of injuries this year, having to decide which star center gets to play with Guentzel Less than 24 hours before the Penguins officially announced they would sounds one the team will be happy to answer when the time comes. have to replace Sidney Crosby on the ice for a significant period of time, there was another question: Who replaces him in the dressing room?

For 15 years, each time Crosby visited Madison Square Garden, the Post Gazette LOADED: 11.29.2019 Penguins’ captain found a familiar home in the same locker, the one on the right side of the room, right about in the middle.

But while the rest of the Penguins traveled to New York earlier this month, Crosby went to Philadelphia for a second opinion on his sports hernia. On game day, where the No. 87 jersey typically hangs, there was the No. 59 of Jake Guentzel.

It didn’t seem like much at the time. But looking back on it now about two weeks later, after Guentzel has gone on an absolute tear that included a four-point performance in the Penguins’ 8-6 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, that locker room scene feels like an apt metaphor.

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin celebrates with Jake Guentzel after scoring against the Canucks Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, at the PPG Paints Arena Uptown.

Really, no one can replace Crosby. But Guentzel is one of the players doing a darn good job of trying.

“I think Jake has been terrific,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s just a great hockey player. I don’t know how else to say it. He’s not a guy that wows you with speed or finesse or size or strength. He’s just a real good hockey player. He’s smart. He knows where to go. He finds the quiet areas and he can finish. “

If you’re feeling bold, you can take that a step further. There is a legitimate argument to be made that through the first quarter of the season, the Penguins’ team MVP isn’t Crosby. It isn’t Malkin. It’s Guentzel.

The stats sure back it up.

After Wednesday’s four-point surge, Guentzel is now a point-per-game player with 25 points in 25 games. That leads the team. He’s also tallied 14 goals, finding the back of the net six times in the last six games alone. That also leads the team.

Sure, part of that is because Guentzel has remained healthy and Crosby and Malkin haven’t. But that’s also the point here. As the old football-guy saying goes, the best ability is availability. That’s especially true on a team that’s endured so many injures to so many different key players, including Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Bjugstad, Justin Schultz, Alex Galchenyuk, Jared McCann… The list is so long it’s hard to keep track.

Meanwhile, Guentzel is currently one of six Penguins who has played all 25 games, maybe a stat even more significant for an injured-plagued team. And he’s done so while playing with a physical edge that you wouldn’t expect out of someone listed at 5-11 and 180 pounds.

“I have so much respect for how much courage he plays with,” Sullivan said. “He goes to all the battle areas. The net front. Below the goal line. He takes cross checks. He takes physical abuse. He pays a price to go to those areas. But that’s how you score in this league.”

When Malkin went out with injury during the second game of the season, Crosby and Guentzel helped elevate the top line. In the first six games that Malkin was out, from Oct. 10 to Oct. 18, Guentzel put together a six- game point streak that helped the Penguins go 5-1 during the initial stretch without Malkin. 1163805 Pittsburgh Penguins Their respective offensive outbursts made up for subpar performances from Letang and Murray.

Still, every Penguin was relegated to side-dish status as Malkin Pittsburgh can be thankful for Penguins’ fortitude (and Evgeni Malkin) masterfully cooked the main course Wednesday night.

He had two goals and three assists and was dominant enough with the puck on his stick blade to probably tack on at least another score and a By Rob Rossi couple of more helpers. Matching his career-high for points in a game, Malkin slapped an opponent with a high-five for the first time since March Nov 28, 2019 20, 2012, when he whacked the Winnipeg Jets.

That showing came during his Hart Trophy season. Thanksgiving Eve is the hockey night in Pittsburgh. This showing is one that will again call attention to his terrific tendency of And the Penguins’ 42nd home game on the day before this holiday was elevating his production when captain Sidney Crosby is out with injury. either unforgettable or one they would rather forget. Sort of depends on Malkin has scored 70 goals and 173 points in 128 regular-season games how you carve up their 8-6 win over the Vancouver Canucks at PPG missed by Crosby. He averages 1.35 points-per-game without compared Paints Arena on Wednesday night. to 1.15 with Crosby in the lineup.

If you’re one of those people who shows up for a turkey dinner without a Not that Malkin wouldn’t give up all of the points he scored against the side dish and then complain the cranberries came from a can, you Canucks if the tradeoff was Crosby returning to the lineup sooner than probably will also be griping to friends and family about goalie Matt projected from a sports hernia surgery. But Crosby’s return is at least Murray making only 10 saves, defenseman Kris Letang making four weeks away, which might just make the next month Malkin’s best noticeable errors in judgment on at least three goals by the Canucks, or opportunity to chase a second Hart Trophy. the Penguins twice allowing a couple of goals within a minute of one A third Art Ross Trophy is out of even his reach. Though he has scored another. 19 points in 14 games this season, Malkin could average a couple of If you’re one of those people who arrives with a couple of bottles of white points in every game between now and New Year’s Day and still only wine and green bean casserole, you might talk up backup goalie Tristan have as many as did Edmonton’s Connor McDavid as of Wednesday. Jarry’s desperation save that kept the Penguins within three goals early However, one of those types of romps by Malkin, were it to coincide with in the third period, Letang’s winning score late, or center Evgeni Malkin’s a winning record by the Penguins over that span, should get the attention mesmerizing five-point performance. of MVP voters. And though 33-year-olds who have also played in a Whatever your taste in hockey talk, one topic that seems set to follow the couple of seasons’ worth of playoff games historically don’t go on gaga Penguins throughout this season is their resiliency. scoring runs, Malkin is only two years removed from posting 29 goals and 26 assists in 37 games from December 2017 through February They might never get all their players healthy for an extended period of 2018. time. They might be on the verge of a goaltending controversy (read Josh Yohe’s interview with general manager Jim Rutherford on that topic). He just missed a 100-point season and Hart Trophy nomination that They might not always look good on faceoffs or on the power play, and season and has been trying to get back to that level ever since. they might never figure out how to properly play a three-on-three Malkin reiterated Wednesday night what he first told The Athletic in July overtime. that he knows he remains “a great player” — albeit one who is closer to But they aren’t going to give up on anything. the end than the beginning of a career that will get him into the . A game. A period. A shift. More than that Hall’s immortality or even additional individual honors, Nothing. Malkin wants to win the Cup for a fourth time. No Russian player has ever hoisted Lord Stanley’s silver chalice more than Malkin’s three times, If that’s the best thing these Penguins have going for them, they’ll be in and he returned to Pittsburgh this season believing — even if others pretty good shape even while two of their three top centers spend the didn’t — the Penguins could win the Cup. rest of this calendar year watching instead of playing games. They had to “play the right way,” he said. “We’ve seen it time and time again, a little more than we would like,” winger Bryan Rust said of the Penguins’ penchant for rallying in the face That phrase had been offered by a lot of people in the organization over of adversity. “But it’s definitely something we pride ourselves in — that it the summer, and it meant something different to each one. To Malkin, doesn’t matter what the scenario is, we keep coming out and trying to “the right way” is always primarily never giving up. push ourselves hard.” Not on a game. Not on a period. Not on a shift. The Penguins have already won as many games when trailing after two periods this season as they did all of last season. At 3-5-1 in such When feeling his best, as he has started to in recent weeks following a situations, the Penguins’ .333 winning percentage compares favorably to leg injury that cost him most of October, Malkin is one of the NHL’s great 2016-17, when they went 8-16-4 (.286) in that category. hunters — of pucks, points and Penguins’ victories.

That season, the Penguins were particularly pesky up to and through the Not many teammates can match him, but they can follow his lead. That Stanley Cup playoffs. They won Game 7s in a back-to-back series before appeared to happen against the Canucks. winning a second consecutive championship in the Cup final. “We fight,” Malkin said. “We understand the game is not over, every goal Those Penguins earned coach Mike Sullivan’s gratitude for their fortitude. is important, (and) we try to play, like, every shift. These Penguins are winning his respect. “A great team shows we fight every shift.” “As I said to the players after the game, we love our resilience,” Sullivan said. “It’s just a never-say-die attitude. Regardless of what the score is or what the challenge is in front of us, we just go out and play. And that’s The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 what I’ve really grown to admire about the group we have this year — and it’s fun to be a part of it.”

Collective heart aside, there are not a lot of similarities between these Penguins and the 2017 Cup champions. Few of the regulars from that squad were in the lineup against the Canucks. The ones who were made a mark, for better or worse.

Rust’s four points included a power-play goal. Fellow top-line winger Jake Guentzel added a couple of assists to his 13th and 14th goals. 1163806 San Jose Sharks The Sharks’ power play entered Thursday ranked 20th in the NHL at 18.1 percent. They were 12th in the league at 21.4 percent on the morning of Nov. 18.

After hitting ‘wall,’ Sharks’ lineup may have more traditional look “We’re going through a little bit of a cold spell,” DeBoer said. “I don’t think it’s an accident with Tommy Hertl out of the lineup. He’s a big piece for us on there. So we’ve got to find a way.

By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay “I’ve said since day one, I’m confident when we look up at the end of the Area News Group year we’re going to have a power play that has helped us more than hurt us. There’s no doubt with personnel and some injuries, we’re a little cold PUBLISHED: November 28, 2019 at 2:38 pm | UPDATED: November 28, right now.” 2019 at 2:39 PM

San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 11.29.2019 SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said he might go back to dressing 12 forwards and six defensemen for Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings even if Tomas Hertl is unavailable to play.

DeBoer labeled Hertl, who has missed the last four games with a lower body injury, as doubtful to play against the Kings. The team will know more Friday morning with the game, the Sharks’ last at home this month, at 1 p.m.

The Sharks looked lethargic in their 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday as they played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for the fourth straight game without Hertl. The Sharks put 33 shots on net, but felt they didn’t get enough traffic in front of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and lost too many one-on-one battles for the puck.

“I thought we hit the wall a little bit last night,” DeBoer said Thursday. “So we might have to change that up.”

Hertl skated again Thursday and said there’s a chance he could return to play the Kings. The Sharks are 3-1-0 without him in the lineup, but several of their forwards have had to play more minutes than usual, especially with the team having to kill 17 penalties in that time.

In the last four games, Evander Kane has averaged 23 minutes and 41 seconds of ice time, second most behind Chicago’s Patrick Kane (24:18) among all NHL forwards during that span. Timo Meier has averaged :20:04 per game, roughly three minutes more per game than he averaged last season.

The Sharks are also in a busy part of their schedule. as Wednesday’s game was their fifth in nine days. After Friday’s afternoon game at SAP Center, the Sharks fly to Arizona to face the Coyotes at 5 p.m. (PST).

In Thursday’s practice, the Sharks still had Barclay Goodrow as the second line center. The fourth line had Antti Suomela at center and Dylan Gambrell and Noah Gregor.

If you have not already, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a digital subscription, which gives you access to all content on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites. With your support, we can continue bringing these stories — and much more — to your screens. Here’s where to sign up for the season pass: Mercury News, East Bay Times.

“I don’t want to be there to just be there. It’s not helping,” Hertl said. “I want to be 100 percent sure I can help to win the game, and finish the game, too. I don’t want to be in there for the first and (tell DeBoer) ‘I don’t feel right, I can’t play any more.’

“It’s a big decision and I want to make the right (one). We’re not in the playoffs right now. For sure, I want to be back and help the guys.”

Power outage: Not since the start of the season have the Sharks struggled like this on the power play. The Sharks enter Friday on an 0 for 13 streak with the man advantage in their last five games, their longest dry spell since they went 0 for 14 in the first three games of October.

Wnger Kevin Labanc said the Sharks were trying a new look on the power play, with him in the middle instead of the right half-wall and other players in unfamiliar spots. Labanc added the Sharks might go back to their more traditional look for Friday’s game.

“We tried something new and it was kind of off a little bit,” Labanc said. “We haven’t got to practice with the new spots. The best thing we can do right now is just keep it simple, get through the (neutral zone), make sure we have possession, get shots to the net and things will start opening up.”

The Sharks went 0 for 6 with the man advantage against the Jets. Before that, though, they had just seven power play tries in their last four games. 1163807 San Jose Sharks But Dell had no chance on at least two other goals the Jets scored. The first was a one-timer by Patrik Laine that came after a perfect seam pass by Blake Wheeler. The second was a second-period goal by Mark Scheifele that came after some suspect play by the Sharks in their own Takeaways: The Sharks are missing Tomas Hertl end.

Nobody was on Kyle Conner behind the Sharks’ net after he took a pass from Laine. And nobody was on Scheifele as he quickly slapped By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] | Bay Conner’s pass out front to the far side on Dell. Area News Group Erik Karlsson was on the ice for the first four Jets goals, although he was PUBLISHED: November 28, 2019 at 5:09 am | UPDATED: November 28, far from being the lone Sharks’ culprit on the defensive end. 2019 at 1:15 PM “It wasn’t our best effort tonight, I think you could tell right from the

start,” Karlsson said. “We made it a little too complicated on ourselves SAN JOSE — There was going to come a time when the Sharks would when it wasn’t one of the nights when we were feeling our best. And I dearly miss Tomas Hertl. think the result shows that.”

After three straight wins without their sturdy second-line centerman, that Dell, trying to build on his 37-save performance against the Vegas time arrived Wednesday night. Golden Knights on Nov. 21, did come up with big first-period stops on Wheeler and Scheifele before Laine’s goal. Playing their fifth game in nine days, and dressing 11 forwards for the fourth straight game, the Sharks fell behind by a goal near the end of the “I felt pretty good,” Dell said. “Kind of seemed like every shot they got first period and didn’t have much of an answer the rest of the way in a 5- was a prime chance. It’s kind of tough to get into the game when it’s like 1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center. that. But I thought I played pretty well.”

“We were lifeless, so, I don’t know what the answer is,” Sharks coach Power-play issues: Part of the reason why the Sharks had just eight Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve got a lot of hockey left to play here over the shots in 11 minutes and 59 seconds of power play time had to do with next two, three weeks. I hope it’s not fatigue, but if it is, we’ve got to the troubles they had setting up. rebound because you get what you earn in this league usually, and we Just entering the zone seemed to be a formidable task as the Sharks had didn’t do enough to win a game tonight.” trouble carrying speed through the neutral zone and were regularly stood Melker Karlsson scored the Sharks’ only goal and goalie Aaron Dell up at the blue line. stopped 21 of 25 shots. Meanwhile, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made It wasn’t crisp, just like the rest of the Sharks’ outing. 32 saves to help halt the Sharks’ win streak at three. “‘Lifeless’ I think was the best word across the board,” DeBoer said. “Five Hertl missed his fourth straight game Wednesday with a lower body on five, power play, penalty kill. Hellebuyck always plays well in here. If injury he suffered in the late stages of a Nov. 19 loss to the Edmonton we get a goal early, maybe, or you’re not playing from behind all night. Oilers. He took a big step toward a return earlier Wednesday, as he But he didn’t give us the opportunity to get engaged in the game that practiced for some time after the Sharks’ completed their morning skate. way.” With Hertl out, the Sharks have been getting by with Barclay Goodrow as their second-line center. Goodrow has taken on bigger minutes and has held his own on the defensive end. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 11.29.2019 If you have not already, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a digital subscription, which gives you access to all content on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites. With your support, we can continue bringing these stories — and much more — to your screens. Here’s where to sign up for the season pass: Mercury News, East Bay Times.

Wednesday, Goodrow played just 11 minutes and 15 seconds, although a lot of that presumably had to do with the amount of time the Sharks spent on the power play.

That, too, looked lethargic as the Sharks had eight shots on six fruitless tries with the man advantage to fall to 0 for 13 on the power play over the last five games.

Considering the Sharks’ depth issues up front, there were going to be problems if they had to go without a top six forward for any length of time. The Sharks played well in overtime wins over Vegas and the New York Islanders, but fatigue started to creep into their game Monday in Los Angeles.

Whether Hertl can return for Friday’s matinee against the Los Angeles Kings, or Saturday’s game against the Coyotes in Arizona, is unknown. Certainly his presence would give DeBoer more reason to return to a traditional 12-forward, six-defensemen alignment.

“You start to miss him,” DeBoer said of Hertl. “He can miss a handful of games and you can survive. But it definitely catches up to you. You definitely start to miss his minutes.”

Other takeaways from Wednesday night.

Aaron Dell’s outing: Dell would have liked another chance to stop a seemingly innocent shot from inside the blue line by Jets rookie David Gustafsson that resulted in a goal at the 18:09 mark of the second period. The goal gave the Jets a 2-1 lead that the Sharks couldn’t erase.

“Weird play. Just tipped off my glove,” Dell said. “It happens once in a while.” 1163808 St Louis Blues “I was just head down trying to bust back (up the ice),” Sanford said. “Then I turned around and I saw Barbs got the turnover there.”

Sanford changed directions in time to get a pass from Ivan Barbashev. Blues outlast Lightning, but lose Sundqvist to injury “He put it right on the money for me,” Sanford said. “I was just trying to hit the net there and it got through.”

By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Then it was Schenn’s turn to get the puck past reigning Vezina Trophy recipient Andrei Vasilevskiy for his 13th goal of the season.

Schenn didn’t get his 13th goal last season until March 9 at San Jose. TAMPA, FLA. • A goaltenders’ duel in the first period turned into the Yes, he’s ahead of schedule. It was his sixth power play goal this Oskar Sundqvist show in the second. and then morphed into yet another season, coming just five seconds after Blues failed to connect on a 5-on- nail-biter in the third period, and ultimately into yet another Blues’ victory. 3 advantage that lasted 1:44 (with two Tampa Bay skaters in the box).

It was 4-3 Blues on Wednesday at Amalie Arena, and once again goalie It turned out to be his third game-winner in the Blues’ four victories over Jordan Binnington proved to be Tampa Bay’s kryptonite. He turned aside the Lightning this season and last. 33 shots, improving his record to 4-0 against the Lightning and with three of the wins coming by one-goal margins. “He’s doing a good job,” Berube said. “He’s finding ways to score goals different ways. Tonight was a power play, but he’s producing for us. In case you haven’t noticed, the Lightning don’t lose all that often – Which we need.” except to Binnington. Especially with Sundqvist joining an ever-growing injury list that also For the Blues, now 15-5-6, it was their ninth one-goal win of the season. includes Vladimir Tarasenko (shoulder surgery), Alexander Steen (ankle) and Sammy Blais (wrist surgery). “It’s not ideal all the time,” Binnington said. “It’s fun to compete like that and just battle to the end. It’s good when it goes your way, but we’re not It’s definitely a character test for the Blues, and on Wednesday they were so happy when it goes the other way.” able to pass that test once Sundqvist went down.

It went the Blues’ way Wednesday thanks to two second-period goals by “It goes back to the leaders, and everyone on this team from top to Sundqvist, who didn’t make it to the third period because of a lower body bottom who can step up and maybe take over a little more of a role,” injury. He was on crutches in the locker room area after the game. Sanford said. “Or change their role a little bit to help the team be successful. And we’ve been doing a good job of it.” “We’ll take a look at him tomorrow, and we’ll give you a better update of what’s going on,” coach Craig Berube said. One of those players who stepped up against the Lightning was Barbashev, who had the primary assist on the Blues’ first three goals. With the game tied 2-2, Zach Sanford and Brayden Schenn scored within The three assists set a career high for Barbashev, who hadn’t been three minutes of each other in the third period to give St. Louis a two-goal happy with his play lately. lead. But wouldn’t you know, Tampa Bay made it a 4-3 on Brayden Point’s power-play goal with 5 minutes 37 seconds remaining. “I just passed the puck and glad Sunny put two in and Sanny (scored) too,” Barbashev said. “I didn't play good for a little while but it was a good The Lightning unleashed some fury shortly after that. The NHL’s highest- game so I'm happy about it.” scoring team pelted Binnington with all kinds of shots, from every direction, all angles, and a variety of distances. The Blues survived, although Binnington’s not exactly sure what transpired during the frantic finish St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.29.2019

"I don't really even remember to be honest, but it's all pretty wild,” he said. “You're just trying to compete out there and keep the puck out of the net. But I know we were all battling out there, and that was good to see and good to hear that buzzer go."

Sanford had some rough moments earlier. Tampa’s first goal, from 35 feet away by Nikita Kucherov, deflected off Sanford in the slot. He felt badly enough about it, that he went over to Binnington and gave him a “my bad” tap on the pads with his stick.

Sanford then compounded the problem by being called for slashing 31 seconds later.

“There was a couple errors he made for sure,” Berube said. “That’s kind of a weak call on the penalty. I don’t think it’s a penalty. That happens. But ‘Sanny’ did a good job there coming back. He reacted well. I thought he had a good third period.”

That’s ‘Sanny” as in Sanford; as opposed to “Sunny” as in Sundqvist.

Sundqvist removed any angst caused by the Sanford penalty with a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 1-1. Just 3:09 later, Sundqvist struck again, this time in 5-on-5 play, for his eighth goal of the season.

It marked the second time in four games that Sundqvist had scored twice. But any chance for his first NHL hat trick ended when he didn’t come out for the third period because of what looks to be a right foot or ankle injury.

“He’s an effective player even when he’s not putting points up,” Binnington said. “So he’s tough to lose but hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”

Tampa Bay tied it 2-2 on a diving tap-in by Anthony Cirelli after a Lightning shot that appeared to be deflected at least twice.

But in the third period, Sanford atoned for his earlier sins with the go- ahead goal with 11:39 left in the game. 1163809 St Louis Blues Six-time all-star Steven Stamkos took part in Tampa Bay’s morning skate, but missed his third consecutive game Wednesday night. He suffered a lower-body injury Nov. 19 in St. Louis and aggravated it two days later in Chicago. Blues notebook: Parayko to replace Faulk on power play Tampa defenseman Cernak served the first game of a two-game suspension for an elbow to the head of Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin in a Monday game. By Jim Thomas St. Louis Post-Dispatch Kostin’s status Nov 27, 2019 0 In his first game in San Antonio after being sent down Monday by the

Blues, forward Klim Kostin left the ice favoring his shoulder after an TAMPA, Fla. — One of the reasons the Blues traded for Justin Faulk and open-ice collision with Rockford IceHogs defenseman Ian McCoshen in signed him to a seven-year, $45.5 million contract extension in late the second period of Tuesday’s AHL game. Kostin did not return. September was his prowess on the power play. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said via text that the injury is But when the Blues went on the power player Wednesday at Amalie “nothing serious” and didn’t think Kostin would miss much time. Arena, Faulk had a seat on the bench. Colton Parayko was to replace

Faulk on the team’s second power-play unit, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the Blues had only a little over 2 minutes of power-play St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 11.29.2019 time and the first unit was on the ice for that.

“I talked to ‘Faulker’ about getting him off there for now and just focusing on five-on-five play right now,” coach Craig Berube said following the Blues’ morning skate. “It doesn’t mean he won’t be back on it, he could be. But I like Colton Parayko’s game right now. I thought he had an excellent game (Monday in Nashville) and he’s deserving of power-play time.”

Over his previous eight NHL seasons, all played with the Carolina Hurricanes, 40 of Faulk’s 85 career regular-season goals came on the power play. As did 62 of his 173 assists.

Before being taken off the power play Wednesday, Faulk had no power- play goals and only one power-play assist in the Blues’ first 25 games. That power-play assist came in the season opener.

The three-time All-Star defenseman has no goals this season, be it power play, even strength or shorthanded after being blanked in the Blues’ 4-3 victory Wednesday.

So he’s pressing?

“Well, everybody would be,” Berube said. “You can go and ask a player and they’ll say no, but they all do. Even I pressed — and I wasn’t supposed to score. But everybody does. It’s a big thing.

“The thing I talked about was worry about five-on-five play and worry about defending well. He’s doing a good job skating the puck and doing things like that. He can improve on getting more shots through to the net.”

Schenn vs. Schenn

Brayden Schenn isn’t sure exactly how many times he’s squared off against his brother Luke in the NHL, but they’re always special occasions.

“It’s always cool,” Brayden Schenn said. “It’s a feeling of getting to play your brother in the NHL. And when you have our parents here as well — we’re all pretty lucky to be doing this.”

When the teams met Nov. 19 in St. Louis, Brayden leveled Tampa Bay star Nikita Kucherov with a hard hit, knocking him out of the game. A Lightning player came to Kuchervo’s defense, and for a brief moment, Brayden thought it was brother Luke — a defenseman for Tampa Bay.

“I knew a righthanded defenseman grabbed me,” Brayden said. “It seemed like a big guy, and I thought it was Luke. But I turned around and it was (Erik) Cernak. I think Luke would have done the same thing in that situation. He at least would have grabbed me, put me in a headlock. But gratefully, I guess, he wasn’t on the ice.”

After all, they did have their share of scuffles on the backyard rink as youngsters.

When the Lightning played in St. Louis, it was Tampa Bay’s Dads’ Trip, so Jeff Schenn was wearing Lightning gear at Enterprise Center. Mom and Dad — Rita and Jeff Schenn — were at Amalie for Wednesday’s game, but neutrality was the word.

“No jerseys tonight,” Brayden said.

Missing Lightning 1163810 St Louis Blues

Sundqvist scores 2 before injury, Blues beat Lightning 4-3

BY MARK DIDTLER ASSOCIATED PRESS

NOVEMBER 27, 2019 10:41 PM

TAMPA, FLA.

Despite losing another important player, the first-place St. Louis Blues again found a way to win.

Oskar Sundqvist had two goals before leaving with an injury, and the Blues beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 on Wednesday night. The defending Stanley Cup champions were already playing without injured stars Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen.

“It goes back to, we’re a team,” St. Louis left wing Zach Sanford said. “Everyone on this team from top to bottom can step up and maybe take over a little more of a role or change their role a little bit to help the team be successful. We’ve been doing a good job with it.”

Blues coach Craig Berube said Sundqvist, who left in the second period with a lower-body injury, will be evaluated Thursday.

Sanford and Brayden Schenn scored in the third and Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots for the Blues. Ivan Barbashev had three assists after going six games without a point.

“I thought it was a good hockey game all around,” Berube said. “Back and forth. Overall a pretty solid game.”

Tampa Bay got goals from Nikita Kucherov, Anthony Cirelli and Brayden Point. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves.

“I thought it was two good teams going at it,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “In the end, if you really break it down, they got us on the special teams side of things. We both got power-play goals, but we gave up a shortie and eventually it ended up being the difference.”

The Lightning, who entered scoring on an NHL-best 41.2% percent of their power plays at home, went 1 for 4. St. Louis scored on one of its two chances.

After Sanford scored the tiebreaker from the right circle at 8:21 of the third, Schenn made it 4-2 at 11:07 on the power play shortly after a 5-on- 3 ended.

“We fought hard and we stepped up to the plate,” Binnington said. “Got a couple big goals there and held the fort down.”

Point pulled the Lightning to 4-3 at 14:23, also on a power play.

Kucherov opened the scoring 3:53 into the second before Sundqvist scored a short-handed breakaway goal at 5:31 and then put the Blues up 2-1 3:09 later.

Sundqvist has five goals over his last five games.

Cirelli tied it 2-all with 8:21 left in the second when he dove into the crease to poke a loose puck into the net. He has five goals in the last six games.

NOTES: Lightning C Steven Stamkos (lower body) sat out his third straight game but took part in the morning skate. ... Blues D Jay Bouwmeester ended a 13-game point drought with an assist on Sundqvist’s short-handed goal. C Tyler Bozak, pointless in the previous eight games, had two assists. ... Tampa Bay D Erik Cernak served the first of a two-game suspension for elbowing Buffalo D Rasmus Dahlin on Monday. ... Blues D Robert Bortuzzo sat out the second of his four-game suspension for cross-checking Nashville’s Viktor Arvidsson on Saturday. ... The teams completed their two-game season series in a nine-day span. The Blues won the other meeting 3-1 in St. Louis last week.

Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163811 Tampa Bay Lightning putting him out when we’re down, we’re putting him out to protect a lead. He sees that trust from the coach, and I think that builds that confidence, also.”

How Anthony Cirelli drives the Lightning Cirelli has established himself as a strong defensive forward. Coach Jon Cooper believes he can get to the level of Boston’s Patrice Bergeron, arguably the NHL’s best two-way skilled forward.

Staff Report In 20 games, he’s racked up five goals and 10 assists. And the work is translating into something more. His offensive impact may be overlooked Published Yesterday because he is more often used in defensive situations.

“He’s showing a lot of leadership out there in how he plays, how he TAMPA — Derek Lalonde wishes his kids had more perspective when it works hard every day, and he puts the puck in the back of the net as comes to picking their Lightning favorites. well,” teammate Mathieu Joseph said.

Sure, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point are the safe No, Cirelli isn’t a veteran-leader, but his time is coming. His voice will be bets. But what about some of the up-and-coming superstars? heard loud and clear in the Tampa Bay dressing room.

Enter Anthony Cirelli. “If you’re going to play right and that way all of the time,” Lalonde said, “we want guys looking up to you and I think that’s where Tony’s heading.” “I keep telling my kids, they need to watch out for him,” said Lalonde, a Lightning assistant coach, chuckling.

Lalonde said Cirelli is the type of player every coach hopes for. One who Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 11.29.2019 does whatever they’re asked. One that has that second and third level of competing. An all-the-time player.

“He does drive us,” Lalonde said. “He draws us into the fight. He’s non- stop compete.”

And that mentality starts with analyzing the little things. The things that Cirelli thinks can turn his level of play from a good to great. He sat down with Lalonde before Saturday’s game against Anaheim to go over video clips from recent games.

“Alright, it’s deep-dive day,” Lalonde told him, sitting down in the stall next to him, still wearing his own skates. “Time to buckle in for the next 10, 15 minutes.”

They go over video every few games because that’s what Cirelli likes. He’s comfortable seeing things right after they happen so things can be adjusted and not linger.

“It takes some time, but he processes things well,” Lalonde said. “He sees it, processes it, and you can see it translate.”

Even during games, Cirelli will turn to Lalonde or assistant coach Jeff Halpern — who also worked with Cirelli this summer — and ask to see an iPad to go over a play.

“Just to see the visual always helps more,” Cirelli said.

The forward’s game escalated around the halfway point last season and is still on the rise.

He tied his career long streak of four straight games with a goal of four goals in four games through Saturday’s win over Anaheim.

And despite not notching a goal Monday against the Sabres, he tallied an assist, which moved his point-streak to five games.

On Saturday, Cirelli stood inside the goal crease looking at Kucherov, who pounded out a shot from the right side of the ice. Anaheim’s John Gibson knelt between the posts to block the shot. But the goalie couldn’t catch his rebound before Cirelli laid out on the ice and started whacking at the puck.

The second whack against Cirelli’s stick was enough to move the puck past the red line.

Goal, Tampa Bay.

“He’s kind of found his scoring touch,” linemate Alex Killorn said. “And you see now all of his goals are him just pounding away at the net.”

Cirelli’s presence on special teams — the power play and penalty kill — and overall ice time has played a crucial role in Tampa Bay’s recent success. Both units have improved since the Global Series in Sweden and are among the best in the league in November.

Cirelli’s offensive confidence may be the biggest difference this year. Lalonde notes he has a little more poise with the puck. He may also have added something else in his third NHL season: the trust of his coaches.

“I think confidence is getting put in really important situations,” Lalonde said. “That trust where’s he’s playing the last minute of games. ... We’re 1163812 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs coach Keefe says backup goalie will start opener of back-to- back

Staff Report

THE CANADIAN PRESS

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 28, 2019

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe says backup goaltender Michael Hutchinson will start the first of back-to-back games when Toronto visits the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen is expected to get the start Saturday when Buffalo visits Toronto for the second half of the home-and-home series. It will be Keefe’s first back-to-back since taking over as head coach last week.

Former Maple Leafs had coach Mike Babcock played the Leafs backup in the second half of all of Toronto’s six previous back-to-back series.

Toronto posted a 0-5-1 record in those games.

Keefe has won his first three games since taking over from the fired Babcock on Nov. 20.

Andersen has started all of those games, including a 6-0 win at Detroit on Wednesday.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163813 Toronto Maple Leafs

Friday NHL preview: Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres

By Kevin McGran Sports Reporter

Thu., Nov. 28, 2019

Atlantic revision: The Sabres are 1-4-1 in their last six games, losing ground in the Atlantic Division after an 8-1-1 start. They have to look at this home-and-home series with the Leafs as a pivotal moment where they can’t lose ground. They sit sixth in the tight division, but only two points behind the Leafs and three back of second-place Florida. “I think we started well,” captain Jack Eichel said this week. “Obviously we’ve faced some adversity with a rough patch in this last little bit here, but we just have to dig our way out of it.”

Captain Jack: Eichel, who picked up an assist in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Calgary, has a point in each of his last seven games (six goals, six assists) and leads Sabres in scoring. He also has 10 goals and six assists in 16 career games against the Leafs. He has only beaten up on Ottawa more (23 points in 14 games).

Dahlin down: Top defenceman Rasmus Dahlin is out indefinitely with a concussion, suffered in Monday’s 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay. “Let’s work with him and do everything we can and try to get him back, but it’s definitely long-term,” coach Ralph Krueger said of Dahlin’s injury. The Sabres are also without forwards Evan Rodrigues (lower body), Kyle Okposo (concussion) and Tage Thompson (undisclosed).

Toronto Star LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163814 Toronto Maple Leafs “These divisional games are big for us, to try to get back on track and find some points,” said Sabres captain Jack Eichel. “We’re just not finding the back of the net, and not finding ways to win games. We’re finding ways to lose them.” Michael Huchinson will draw the Friday afternoon start for the Leafs in Buffalo, breaking with the club’s goalie rotation for back-to-backs. They’re looking at the weekend series as a potential spark.

“We’re really excited about it, and it’s been highlighted on the calendar for a while,” said Sabres coach Ralph Krueger. “You can feel the energy By Kevin McGran Sports Reporter in the group. We’re going to make the picture nice and small here, and do our best to play strong hockey here. Thu., Nov. 28, 2019 “The rivalry will bring emotion into the building. We know it’ll be a mix of

people from Canada and Buffalo, of course, supporting both sides, which BUFFALO—New Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe continues to be the will create a bit of an atmosphere like I’m used to often in Europe, when anti-Mike Babcock. there’s lots of road fans. And you know, it will certainly give a spark to the game.” He has unshackled the offence, activated the defence, put smiles on his players’ faces and now the latest: Backup goalie Michael Hutchinson will start Friday night in the first game of a key back-to-back series against Toronto Star LOADED: 11.29.2019 the Sabres.

Under Babcock, the first game of a back-to-back always went to Frederik Andersen, who will instead start Saturday night at home.

Keefe said there were extenuating circumstances behind the change in philosophy. For one, he doesn’t want Hutchinson sitting on the bench right after his recall from the AHL Marlies, where he performed well.

“There’s more things at play, though, in this situation,” the coach said of giving Hutchinson the 4 p.m. Friday start. “I know Freddie played the (5 p.m.) game out in Colorado, but Hutchinson played more in the American league. So four o’clock starts, he’s accustomed to that.

“Also, we’re going to get back to Toronto at a good time. It’s going to allow for the chance for a normal game day for Andersen on Saturday — to get the morning skate, get ready to play.”

Under Babcock in back-to-backs, Andersen sometimes faced the lesser opponent while the backup started against a division rival, so some leeway might have made more sense. Hutchinson went 0-4-1 before his demotion, and Babcock seemed finished with him. It didn’t matter that all five of his games were the second of back-to-backs, when the Leafs were more tired.

Babcock wasn’t necessarily wrong. With Andersen, the Leafs went 35-9- 7 over three-plus seasons in the first game when they played on consecutive days. They were 19-29-3 in the second game with a parade of backups, Curtis McElhinney the most reliable.

Hutchinson seemed unlikely to get a second chance. But call-up Kasimir Kaskisuo had a rough debut (allowing six goals nearly two weeks ago in Pittsburgh, again in the second of a back-to-back) while the 29-year-old Hutchinson — initially with Keefe coaching the Marlies — found his game in the AHL (3-0-0 with a .948 save percentage).

“It was a challenge for (Hutchinson) coming down, of course — just the way that the season had gone, and then so abruptly being told you’re going to be going down,” said Keefe. “It’s a tough realization especially for someone at his stage of his career.

“There was some challenging days there. We had to talk to him. Also had to be patient with him and let him kind of work through some things emotionally. And then, just a credit to him. We were not surprised that he, over time, just settled in and then — the good pro that he was — just got to work. He’s played outstanding for the Marlies.”

The weekend series is pivotal for both teams. It’s a chance for the Leafs to put some distance between themselves and a divisional rival, for one thing.

“Yeah, that is important,” said Keefe. “We need to start making up ground here and pulling away on teams. So, it is an opportunity to establish that here. (The Sabres) had an excellent start to the season and a tough schedule and they’re trying to find their way, find some consistency and I’m sure they will be looking at this weekend as a chance … to get themselves going.

“It’ll be on us to make it hard on them and keep things moving in a positive direction for ourselves.”

The Sabres got off to an 8-1-1 start, but find themselves in sixth place in the Atlantic. 1163815 Toronto Maple Leafs RIVALRY ROOKIES For Keefe and Krueger, it’s the first taste of the rivalry between the Leafs

and Sabres. Scratch that earlier usage, Spezza knows he can be an asset for the While memories of bad performances in Buffalo haunt Leafs Nation, a Maple Leafs tide was turned during the Babcock era. Toronto is 5-0 in its past five games against Buffalo.

Terry Koshan “Those are the things I’m excited to learn about and experience,” Keefe said. “(Wednesday) was the first Original Six game (in Detroit) and then November 28, 2019 7:57 PM EST the division rival here with the number of the Leafs fans that will make the journey, that’s all part of the experience.”

Krueger, hired by the Sabres in May, said the back-to-back set with the BUFFALO — When Jason Spezza gained the Detroit Red Wings blue Leafs has been “highlighted” for a while. line, took a few strides to his right and fed Andreas Johnsson on Wednesday night, it brought to mind the kind of play Spezza might have “You can feel the energy in the group,” Krueger said. “The rivalry will made on a nightly basis earlier in his National Hockey League career. bring emotion into the building. We know it’ll be a mix of people from Canada and Buffalo supporting both sides, which will create a bit of an The 36-year-old Spezza, rejuvenated under Sheldon Keefe after being atmosphere like I’m used to often in Europe, when there’s lots of road stifled under Mike Babcock, concurred. fans. It’ll certainly give a spark to the game.” “It just shows I am playing with confidence because I took my time to cut LOOSE LEAFS the line there,” Spezza said on Thursday of the sequence, which resulted in the Leafs’ sixth goal in a 6-0 win. Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin was outspoken about the Leafs’ lack of on-ice passion in the final few games before Babcock was shown the “It does feel good because it gives you something to build off more than door, so he has taken note of the differences now. “I feel it more in the anything. I was excited to come to practice (Thursday), I had a few things room,” Muzzin said. “Even late in the third period (in the one-sided win in I wanted to work on and it just keeps you engaged and motivated. Detroit), we’re backchecking, we’re stripping guys and the game is pretty “I’m excited to play the game right now because I feel like I can even get much out of hand. We still have guys not letting them in the zone and not better than how I’m going.” letting them get through the neutral zone, which was huge.” … In two of their past three games, the Leafs had more than 60 attempts at even- Spezza never doubted himself, even as Babcock continued to make him strength. In 23 games under Babcock, the Leafs had more than 60 a healthy scratch. attempts twice at even-strength.

“I think I can add to the team,” Spezza said. “That’s what I wanted to do and I wasn’t accomplishing that in the first 20 games and it was frustrating for me and I was trying to find a way to fit in, and I think I can Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.29.2019 be a good value to this club.

“Now, I’m starting to feel like things are coming around for me and I just need to keep building off it and I feel I can be even better. The system fits me and the style fits me.”

This was Keefe on the Leafs as a whole, though it applies to Spezza: “We have really good players so when they’re feeling good, and they’re confident, we feel like good things can happen. We’ve tried not to give them too much as a staff, rather just give them some things we think are really important to the offensive pace to get this team really moving, and they responded really well.”

Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger had an intriguing response on Thursday when he was asked about the Leafs’ coaching change and how it impacts the way the Sabres scout Toronto.

Do the Sabres take into account only the games since Keefe was hired, or do they look at the Leafs’ whole season to find tendencies?

“As he was a part of the coaching staff, he will be part of what they have been playing,” Krueger said. “We have not seen a huge change. But of course, you primarily will look at these three games.

“We had some pre-scouts going prior to that, and we’re dissecting it, but the momentum is usually emotional out of a coaching change like that and very seldom is there a huge structural change that quickly.

“We’re expecting the core game to stay the same, but there is a good energy there right now and we need to play our A-game to be able to match them.”

To be sure, it wasn’t as though Keefe had been working alongside Babcock, not coaching the Toronto Marlies, and simply had to make a shift down the bench.

And undoubtedly, there has been a marked difference in the way the Leafs play under Keefe, and it can’t be chalked up just to emotions.

“Just how outstanding they are in their attack,” Krueger said of the challenge Toronto presents. “Every D-man is involved, they attack in a group of five. Every time they’ve got the puck they’re dangerous.”

Okay, but the defencemen are more involved with Keefe in charge than they were when Babcock was calling the shots. Ditto for playing with more structure and support as a five-man unit. 1163816 Toronto Maple Leafs And keep in mind Hutchinson’s play in his brief stint with the Marlies. The 29-year-old went 3-0-0 with a .942 save percentage and a 1.95 goals- against average.

Hutchinson's start on Friday another new path Leafs are taking under “It was a challenge for him coming down (to the Marlies), a tough Keefe realization, especially for someone in this stage of his career (who had) been through that already,” Keefe said. “(But) we weren’t surprised that he settled in.

Terry Koshan “The fact that he has been busy and in the net is something that we think is important and we’re looking forward to give him a chance to play (on November 28, 2019 10:01 PM EST Friday).”

Nazem Kadri is gone, but Rasmus Ristolainen’s dislike for the Maple BUFFALO — The fresh outlook around the Maple Leafs since Sheldon Leafs remains. Keefe took over as coach from the fired Mike Babcock has been Kadri, traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the off-season, and the extended to the backup goaltender. Buffalo Sabres defenceman often feuded during games. In a move that Babcock never seemed to consider, the Leafs’ No. 2 But now that Kadri no longer is part of the rivalry between the teams, with goalie, Michael Hutchinson, will start in the first game of a back-to-back whom will Ristolainen spar? set when the Leafs meet the Buffalo Sabres on Friday afternoon at the KeyBank Center. “They all look the same,” Ristolainen said of the Leafs. “Same sweater, same helmet, they are all enemies. “(We want to) just get a win.” Frederik Andersen will start on Saturday night when the Leafs and Sabres hook up again at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Ristolainen said he has not paid too much attention to the Leafs this season. The game on Friday marks the first of four meetings between the It was a written rule somewhere in Babcock’s guide to coaching that clubs in the 2019-20 regular schedule. Andersen would start in the first game of back-to-backs, with the Leafs reserve goalie starting in the second game — no matter the situation or “I saw they got a new coach so they are probably excited and trying to the opponent. get back on track,” Ristolainen said. “I have not really seen how they have been playing.” Life under Keefe is rather different, and not just because the Leafs have won all three of their games after losing their final six with Babcock behind the bench. Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.29.2019 The decision to use Hutchinson in the first game is another indication of the variances that have arisen since Nov. 20, when Keefe took the reins.

“We considered that there are more things at play in this situation, given that it’s an earlier game (a 4 p.m. start),” Keefe said after the Leafs practised at the KeyBank Center on Thursday. “Hutch has played more in the American (Hockey) League (with afternoon starts), so he is accustomed to that.

“Also, we’re going to get back to Toronto (Friday night) at a good time. It’s going to allow for the chance for a normal game day for (Andersen) on Saturday to get the morning skate, and get ready to play. With all those things, it just made sense for us.”

The Leafs don’t have a win from their backup goalie, as Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo have combined to go 0-5-1. The only other National Hockey League team without a win from a backup goalie is the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Hutchinson, recalled this week from the Toronto Marlies, has a record of 0-4-1 with an .879 save percentage and a 4.44 goals-against average with the Leafs.

Not only have the Leafs became a better team in possession (and, yes, we understand it’s a small sample size), they’re supporting each other a lot more and bringing the kind of shift-in, shift-out resolve that had disappeared with Babcock in charge.

While a team might be counted on to win a game or two on adrenalin and emotion immediately after a coaching change, the Leafs have latched on to what Keefe has been asking them to do fundamentally.

“The change has the snapback effect where it gets you out of the funk that you’re in right away,” centre Jason Spezza said. “We look more connected (as five-men units) and when a team is connected, it allows everybody to make quicker plays, guys are working hard off the puck to get open and we are using the width of the ice more and that is allowing us to play with the puck.”

Said defenceman Jake Muzzin: “We still have to go out there and perform and work and do the job. It just doesn’t change because of a coaching change. I’ve tried to emphasize that with the guys, that we still have to go out and perform and work. We brought a little bit more emotion and determination in our game in the last three games and it has helped.”

Toronto was not good in front of Hutchinson — or in Kaskisuo’s lone game, a lopsided loss in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16 — but the improvements under Keefe should go a long way for the backup goalie. 1163817 Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs at Sabres game day

Terry Koshan

November 28, 2019 7:17 PM EST

BIG MATCHUP

Auston Matthews vs. Jack Eichel

When the fellow Americans get together, sparks often fly, which would go over well for a post-Thanksgiving crowd. In 13 career games against the Leafs, Eichel has 10 goals (the most he has against any NHL team) and six assists, while Matthews has nine goals and five assists in 11 games vs. the Sabres. Each leads his team in scoring as we reach the end of November and each likely will have the challenge of keeping the other in check.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Be good for Hutch

It became rote — after each of Michael Hutchinson’s five starts from Oct. 5-Nov. 10, his Maple Leafs teammates would tell reporters how they should have been better in front of him. The Leafs have been better, period, since Sheldon Keefe became their coach, which should help Hutchinson as he kicks off the back-to-back set. Still, now that Hutchinson has found his game with the Toronto Marlies, it’s on him to make a save or two against the Sabres on Friday.

2. Sabres slipping

The Sabres have won just one of their past six games and two of their past 13, and another quick start for the Leafs under Keefe could put Toronto in line for its fourth win in a row, a streak that was not accomplished this season under Mike Babcock. Buffalo can’t rally well once it is down, as the Sabres are 1-7-2 when falling behind 1-0. The Leafs have seven wins, third-most in the NHL, when the opponent scores first.

3. Willie’s resurgence

William Nylander was playing with more purpose this season after never getting on track in 2018-19 when he missed the first two months, and that went up a notch when Keefe was hired. The approach under Keefe emphasizes puck control and when Nylander is going, few can take it away from him. In the three games since Keefe became boss, Nylander has four points (one goal and three assists).

4. Play re-powered

The Leafs have had three power plays in the Keefe era and have scored on two of them. While putting Tyson Barrie on the top unit has paid off in the short term, so too has the way Keefe wants the team to play while up a man, with lots of motion. It’s about body movement as much as it is puck movement; now, the Leafs just have to draw more. Buffalo sits in the middle of the NHL pack in times shorthanded at 78.

5. Rise of the bottom six

The Leafs are hurt without the injured Mitch Marner and Trevor Moore and the suspended Alex Kerfoot (who returns Saturday), but the Sabres’ depth is tested with four forwards hurt, as well as defenceman Rasmus Dahlin. Leafs such as Pierre Engvall, Dmytro Timashov and Nic Petan are unlikely to have jobs if the group of forwards is fully healthy, but their play has been just as crucial in the past three games. There’s a statement for the Leafs’ depth players to be made on Friday.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163818 Toronto Maple Leafs

Surprise, surprise -- backup Hutchinson in goal as Leafs open back to back with Buffalo

Terry Koshan

November 28, 2019 3:43 PM EST

BUFFALO — The fresh outlook around the Maple Leafs since Sheldon Keefe took over from the fired Mike Babcock has been extended to the backup goaltender.

In a move that Babcock never seemed to consider, the Leafs’ No. 2 goalie, Michael Hutchinson, will start in net in the first game of a back-to- back set when the Leafs meet the Buffalo Sabres on Friday afternoon.

Frederik Andersen will start at home against Buffalo on Saturday.

It was a written rule somewhere in Babcock’s guide to coaching that Andersen would start in the first game of back to backs, with the backup going in the second game — no matter the situation or the opponent.

Life is different under Keefe, and not just because the Leafs have won all three of their games since the coaching change after losing their final six with Babcock behind the bench.

“We considered that there’s more things at play in this situation, given that it’s an earlier game (a 4 p.m. start),” Keefe said after the Leafs practised at the KeyBank Center. “Hutch has played more in the American League was playing the American League (with afternoon starts), so he is accustomed to that.

“Also we’re going to get back to Toronto (Friday night) at a good time. It’s going to allow for the chance for a normal game day for (Andersen) on Saturday to get the morning skate and get ready to play. So, all those things it just made sense for us.”

The Leafs don’t have a win from their backup goalie this season, as Hutchinson and Kasimir Kaskisuo have combined to go 0-5-1. The only other National Hockey League team still without a win from a backup goalie is the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Hutchinson, recalled this week from the Toronto Marlies, has a record of 0-4-1 with a .879 save percentage and a 4.44 goals-against average with the Leafs.

The Leafs were not good in front of him — or in Kaskisuo’s lone game, a lopsided loss in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16 — but have been improved with Keefe running the bench. That, we would expect, should go a long way for Hutchinson on Friday.

The Sabres, meanwhile, have won just two of their past 13 games after a start of 9-2-1 to the regular season.

Other than the change in goal, expect the Leafs to use the same lineup that won 6-0 in Detroit against the Red Wings on Wednesday night.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163819 Toronto Maple Leafs right? It’s just games. You don’t have time to think. You’ve just got to play.

But we have to think now. We have to get used to a new system. But Q&A: Zach Hyman on Sheldon Keefe, his favourite books and becoming that’s the key thing with this new system: it’s built around who we are, our fantasy football ‘GM of the year’ skill. Guys don’t have to think, right? Guys can just go out and play.

And we’ve seen lots of skills development before practice. What is the benefit of those types of sessions for players? By Joshua Kloke I think it’s great. It’s really important. It’s hard to do at the NHL level Nov 28, 2019 because of all the games we have, and because of fatigue, you want to make sure you’re refreshed.

But at times like this, when we’re coming off a big road trip, and we have Through the first 26 games of the season there was no shortage of two days before a game, this is the perfect time to capitalize on it. It’s injuries for the Maple Leafs. And no absence was as noticeable as Zach unfortunate we don’t have more time to do that. When I was in college, Hyman. we played on the weekends, and we also had tons of time for The forward returned to the lineup on Nov. 13 after tearing his ACL in the development when I was with the Marlies. A big part of our development playoffs last season, and throughout the first part of the season, his was we had days just for that. dogged forechecking and ability to create offence from the ugly areas of That’s really where you grow your game, skill-wise. I think that it’s great the ice was missing. we have this. But I think that it’s hard to do because we don’t have a lot As the author of three children’s books, Hyman was able to devote more of time. But when we do have the time, it’s important to do. time working on his next title and catch up on his own reading during the You mentioned the long road trip. What’s the one “must pack” item for rehab process. you? Since he’s returned, Hyman has scored three points in seven games, (Laughs) I’m pretty easy going. I like to play cards on the plane, and while navagating a surprise coaching change. Former head coach Mike maybe watch shows on my laptop. I write on there too. Babcock was always a noted fan of Hyman’s play, and Hyman himself now has to get used to a new head coach in Sheldon Keefe after only What shows have you been watching lately? having ever played for Babcock at the NHL level. Oh, “The Mandalorian”, the Star Wars show on Disney+ is great, you The Athletic caught up with Hyman to talk playing for a new coach, his should check it out. I like “Star Wars,” and the other ones haven’t been favourite books, and John Tavares’ restaurant choices on the road. blowing me away, but this one is all over the internet.

So Black Friday is coming up. What’s been your favourite purchase over Also, “Rick and Morty,” season 4 is out and that’s a classic. Do you watch the last year? “Rick and Morty”?

I got a dog. That’s good. I got a Siberian husky. Her name’s Lady. I don’t.

Had you always wanted one? Oh you’ve got to get on “Rick and Morty.” “Rick and Morty” is so well- written. We (Hyman and his wife Alannah) always wanted one. I grew up with sheepdogs, she grew up with poodles, so we wanted to try something Those two are my go to’s right now. different. She’s been awesome. But that’s a good purchase. Probably my favourite purchase ever. What’s the first thing you do when you get home from a long road trip?

I asked Justin Holl about it, so I should probably ask you. You got Well say hi to my dog. She meets me at the door! She gets all excited. married this summer. Which teammate put in the best shift at your She jumps off the bed, comes running over to the door, looking all wedding? dishevelled because it’s like three in the morning.

Oh boy. There were lots. John Tavares, William Nylander, Kasperi Sticking with road trips. I know John Tavares picks the restaurants for the Kapanen and Goat were there until the end. There were a lot of guys, so team now. What’s the best meal you’ve had on the road with him? it’s hard to single out just one guy. But Kappy and Willie were in fine Oh man, Café Monarch in Arizona. That was solid. We had a four-course form. meal. It was crazy. The entrée was a rack of lamb. Who was the best teammate on the dance floor? How often do you get saddled with the bill? You know what? Connor Carrick was really good. He was solid. So I I got saddled with the bill at our rookie party. It was fun. There was eight think I’m going to go off the board. or nine of us rookies. But it’s still a big bill. It’s a rite of passage, right? Mike Babcock was the only coach you ever had in the NHL. How do you When you play in the NHL, you’re fortunate that you make a lot of personally adjust to a new coach? money. So when you’re a rookie you make less money, but it’s still a rite of passage. You make sure your credit card can hold whatever the bill is. I had Sheldon before, he was my first pro coach when I started with the Especially when you’re a rookie and you’re not making as much money, Marlies. So it was nice to see a familiar face. you’ve got to call (the credit card company) and say ‘Hey, I’m planning a big spend here, don’t reject my card here.’ But like you said, Babs was my first coach in the NHL. There have been changes, but I think the key is that everyone has to keep who they are in During your rehab from your ACL injury, what did you learn about this tact. What makes you effective, and what makes you you, is what got you team while watching more than playing? to this level. When you grow up, you have tons of different coaches, right? So you have to keep your identity, but play within the system the That we could play a lot better than we had been playing. That there coach wants you to. That’s very important. were times when we were really dominant, and then times when we went away from our game. But I have a lot of confidence in this group and you Do you have personal meetings with new coaches? see how good we can be.

Well, Sheldon kind of got thrown into it. We were on the road, we didn’t Did you do a lot of reading? even have time for a practice, we just had time for a morning skate, right? I don’t know if that’s going to come. We had a conversation, just Yep. briefly. There’s not been a full sit down and I don’t know if that’s What have you been reading lately? something we’re going to do. It’s harder when you’re in the swing of things in the season. You’re just trying to practice, get a whole new When I was off, I was always reading a lot of articles. I read the Andre system under your belt, play, play, play. Because that’s what the NHL is, Agassi book, “Open,” that was great. Phil (Knight), the creator of Nike, his book, “Shoe Dog,” that was really good. Those were the two most recent books I read.

What’s your favourite book of all-time?

Fantasy or non-fantasy?

Any book.

I love the “Game of Thrones” books. I cruised through those ones. I like non-fiction stuff, that’s great. But sometimes it’s good to just turn your brain off and go into a different world.

Kyle Dubas made the book “Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great” available to players before they left for Newfoundland and training camp. What did you take away from it?

It was good. All those books fall into the same category; thinking about things in a different way. In college, I read a lot of Malcolm Gladwell. He’s great. For me, it’s important to put things in perspective, think about what you’re doing in a different way. You can get caught up in the grind of things, but when you think about your preparation and how you can succeed, those books can help you and guide through that, and take you outside of your mindset and open your mindset up and give you something else to think about. There are a lot of books like that. It’s sitting on my night stand, so I’m still reading passages from it.

Last topic. And this has been a running topic. I think readers would want to know. The team’s fantasy football lea…

Is one of those people standing in front of me?

I’m also the commissioner. Me and (Jake Muzzin) took over from Jake Gardiner.

What was your draft strategy?

Oh, my draft strategy was terrible. I got stuck with the 11th pick in a snake draft. I like doing auction better. But it’s too complicated. I picked Joe Mixon and James Conner, and that was not ideal. James Conner’s been hurt and Joe Mixon hasn’t had the greatest year, but I’ve made some huge trades. I was projected to finish 11th but now I’m in second.

Connor Brown was known as the…

Right. He was known as one of the most active guys with trades and also active on the fantasy football group chat. Who has taken over that role since his departure?

Muzz has made a couple of deals. I made a deal with JT. But (Alex Kerfoot) is always working the wire, and him and Freddie just pulled off a trade. Actually, (Nick Shore) just made a big one: He just traded Mike Evans for Julio Jones with (Tyson Barrie). There’s been some big ones, but there isn’t one guy. Connor Brown and (Tyler Ennis) were the big traders last year.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163820 Toronto Maple Leafs Last season, when it seemed like nothing he did would result in a goal no matter how hard he seemed to try (he had seven goals), Nylander shot just over 5 percent. He’s up around 13 percent so far this year, a touch above the 11 percent he shot in his first two seasons. After a lost season, William Nylander is finally giving the Maple Leafs their money’s worth Luck is finally on his side.

Often, though, he seems to attack the net with more vigour, including on his ninth goal of the year in Detroit. By Jonas Siegel Feeling confident about his goal-scoring so far, Nylander tried to claim Nov 27, 2019 credit, just a couple minutes later, for a second one against the Wings, the goal that Andreas Johnsson scored, which he tried to drive past

Jonathan Bernier. “He didn’t even touch the puck at all,” Johnsson said. DETROIT — Zach Hyman remembers checking his phone like crazy that Hyman and Nylander were linemates during their first two seasons in the day to see if a deal had finally gotten done between the Maple Leafs and league, and Hyman says the biggest change in Nylander since then is William Nylander. just how consistent he’s becoming. “Game in, game out, he’s realizing It was Dec. 1, 2018. The Leafs were playing in Minnesota that night. The how good he can be,” Hyman said, “and if he does it every game and he 5 p.m. ET deadline for Nylander putting pen to paper was fast works every game and he skates every game and shoots the puck like approaching. he does — he hits the net — then good things are going to happen.”

“The day was probably the one where everybody’s like, ‘Oh, shit, it’s like “He has a lot of confidence,” said Kasperi Kapanen, Nylander’s closest three hours (until the deadline), come on!’” Hyman recalled after pal on the team. “He’s holding onto pucks, and he’s making plays. It’s Nylander and the Leafs hammered the Red Wings in Motown on classic Willy.” Wednesday night. It was interesting to hear what Keefe, a relative newcomer, sees out of A deal got done with minutes to spare. the 23-year-old, whom he coached briefly with the Toronto Marlies.

Almost one year later, after a lost season in which Nylander stumbled to “He and Auston are both getting pucks back a lot,” Keefe said. “They 27 points, he is starting to give the Leafs their money’s worth. He added have the puck and then as soon as the other team gets it, they’re getting two more points in a 6-0 pounding of the league’s worst team. He has 21 it back. They’ve got really good sticks, and they seem to just strip the points in 26 games this season, including six goals and 15 points in the puck from the opposition pretty easily at times, and it keeps them on past 16 games. He’s on pace for a hearty 28 goals and 66 points, both of offence.” which would be career highs. The new Leafs coach said that was partly determination and partly skill, Production of that kind that would easily justify the $6.9 million cap hit but it’s also remaining in motion “so they’re coming down on pucks a lot that Nylander ultimately garnered on the six-year deal he signed minutes more than they maybe were previously.” before that Dec. 1 deadline last year. “So that’s giving them an advantage in that sense,” Keefe said. “But “He’s been really good,” Sheldon Keefe said of Nylander, second to they’re also just staying with it, and they’re hungry.” linemate Auston Matthews in team scoring. “We’ve had the puck a lot Keefe’s extra emphasis on letting skill shine, on players hanging onto the here in the games recently, and that, of course, benefits a player like puck more than they would have in the past, would seem to perfectly suit Willy, for sure.” a talent like Nylander. Nylander had a fan in Keefe’s predecessor, Mike Nylander, through 26 games, is only six points from matching the total he Babcock, but one who kept itching for the former eighth overall pick to had in 54 games last year, when he never did catch up after missing dial up the intensity and work ethic, a not-unfair criticism of Nylander but training camp and the first two months of the season. also one that’s been less of an issue in what’s essentially his third normal NHL season. He’s already scored two more goals. “I think it’ll fit us as a team,” Nylander said of Keefe’s style of play. “I think “He’s skating, I think he’s really, really skating,” Hyman observed of our team is built to be a puck-possession team.” Nylander’s performance this year. “When you come in midway (through a season), you haven’t been in the time zone; you haven’t been in the city; Nylander is on pace for 66 points this season. (Tim Fuller / USA Today) you haven’t been acclimated (Nylander doesn’t live in Toronto full year- Nylander has arguably been the Leafs best player this season after round); there’s been a lot of noise; you just signed a big contract. There’s Matthews. all these outside pressures and stresses, and it just wasn’t a normal situation for him. The twosome has been fire together. Nylander has set up five of Matthews’ 11 five-on-five goals, and Matthews has picked up a helper on “This year, the pressure’s kind of off him,” Hyman went on. “He just went four of the seven Nylander has managed in those same situations. out and played, and that’s the Willy that we’re used to, I guess. He’s been playing awesome. He’s been skating with it, shooting, playing with The line of Nylander, Matthews and Johnsson has been the one constant confidence, playing with confidence with the puck. for the Leafs’ attack this season. They’ve outscored teams 19-11 when those three are on the ice while boasting a sharp expected-goals mark of “I think he’s even taken a step from where he was.” almost 60 percent. In other words, this may be the best Nylander yet — and getting better. In Detroit, it often seemed like the Red Wings couldn’t take the puck from Just as he did in what stands as his finest season so far in the NHL — them no matter how hard they tried. the 2017-18 campaign, his second full season — Nylander is doing a Having Nylander around to work magic with Matthews has helped the whole bunch of his damage at five-on-five, working magic again with Leafs, especially given the uneven seasons to date from John Tavares Matthews. (coming around of late) and the injured Mitch Marner. The Leafs still have Nylander is tied for 12th in the league with 16 five-on-five points. He’s to yet to have both duos functioning at full strength since Tavares came well on his way to topping the career-best 45 five-on-five points he had aboard, one of the real benefits of adding him in the first place. during that second season, posting a 2.6 points per 60 minutes five-on- That’s part of the draw of having all that star power, though, and why the five — another potential career high. Leafs clung to Nylander even when the going got tough at this time last What’s maybe most notable in all that early-season success is how much year. Even when some stars are off or injured, others are still kicking he’s shooting the puck and, ultimately, scoring. He’s on pace to put up around to make up part of the difference. What the Leafs seemed to 221 shots, which would be another career best, and teammates keep understand, too, even if they would have preferred to keep the final chuckling about how much he’s actually hitting the net instead of, well, number on Nylander’s second deal down, is how special Nylander’s skill shooting it high or wide with good looks the way he seemed to in the set is, how difficult those abilities are to find if you don’t have them and past. how, with his 24th birthday still lying ahead in May, Nylander is still so young in his career, still getting better all the time. It’s possible — maybe even probable if this keeps up — that Nylander’s contract will end up looking like a bargain for the Leafs. Some of that will depend on the heights Nylander reaches, whether he eventually becomes an annual 30-goal, 80-point threat or lurks around 60-65 points every year. Even the latter level of production justifies that kind of money, though. Matthew Tkachuk got a $7 million cap hit from the Flames. Kyle Connor got a little more than that from the Jets.

Both live in the same neighbourhood as Nylander.

“I don’t think his style of play has changed,” Kapanen said. “He’s always been a guy who loves to hold onto the puck, and ever since he got called up, he was doing that. I think overall, he’s just working on everything. He’s a bit stronger, he’s a bit faster, and I think he’s shooting the puck more now and he’s scoring goals. It’s fun to see.”

Other teams and general managers may have traded Nylander long before the Dec. 1 deadline last winter after getting frustrated and giving up the longer the stalemate went on.

Kyle Dubas didn’t do that. He even insisted repeatedly to Nylander himself that he wouldn’t be traded (though that promise would have been tested had a deal not gotten done).

“I always had a feeling that he’d come back,” Kapanen said. “I know he loves Toronto and loves playing for us. Luckily enough, we got him on the last day.”

Nylander was looking through his phone the other day when one of those memory notifications popped up. It was a photo from this time last year, when he was in Switzerland, still unsigned and a long way from the Leafs.

He laughed.

“Thank God it got done,” Nylander said.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019

1163821 Vegas Golden Knights Left/right wing Alex Tuch — He has played in only 10 games because of injury. His speed and forechecking ability are still there, but he has only two points.

Grading the Golden Knights one period into the 2019-2020 season Left/right wing Valentin Zykov — He had two assists in seven games, then was suspended for violating the terms of the NHL/NHL Players Association Performance Enhancing Substances program. He was sent to the AHL on Thursday. By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal Left wing Brandon Pirri — One of last season’s surprises had one assist November 28, 2019 - 7:42 PM in 11 games and was placed on waivers. He’s now with the Wolves.

Grade: Three out of five sticks There’s a cliche in the NHL: If a team isn’t in a playoff spot at This group has underachieved but also has been unlucky. The Knights Thanksgiving — typically referred to as “American Thanksgiving” in the have talent but rank 15th in goals per game (2.93). They’ve been Canadian-heavy league — it’s time to start worrying. outscored 58-48 at 5-on-5. But their first, second and fourth lines have Thanks to Max Pacioretty, the Golden Knights don’t have to worry this generated more scoring chances than their opponents. It just hasn’t Thanksgiving. translated into goals. Eventually it should. Until then, this is the highest grade they probably deserve. The left wing’s game-tying goal with 0.3 seconds left Wednesday at the Nashville Predators saved the team from a 3-2 defeat. Instead, the DEFENSEMEN Knights won 4-3 in overtime and picked up a crucial two points that had (Listed in order of points) them sitting in the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot Thursday. In the past five seasons, 76.25 percent of teams (61 of 80) Shea Theodore — He was treated for testicular cancer this offseason but that had a playoff spot on Thanksgiving made the postseason. has shown no ill effects. He has 12 points and is receiving a lot of power- play time. The eighth spot is still disappointing for a team that began the season with Stanley Cup aspirations. But it’s something for the Knights (12-11-4) Nate Schmidt — He was injured in the season opener and missed 12 to build off as they seek to use Wednesday’s win to turn their season games. Upon his return, he has looked like the Knights’ No. 1 around. Their next step in that process is playing well Friday against the defenseman yet again. Arizona Coyotes (15-8-3) at T-Mobile Arena. Nick Holden — It hasn’t been a great season for the veteran. He, Deryk “It’s a big win, but it’s all in our next game,” left wing Jonathan Engelland and Jonathon Merrill are rotating as healthy scratches. Marchessault said. “The follow-up game is going to be huge, especially at home against Arizona.” Brayden McNabb — He got out to a poor start with 22 penalty minutes in the first 11 games. He has settled down since then, with eight in his last Here’s a look at the Knights’ performance one-third of the way through 16. the season, broken down by position group and player: Nicolas Hague — The 20-year-old rookie has been promising. He hasn’t FORWARDS looked spectacular but has made few first-year mistakes.

(Listed in order of points) Deryk Engelland — The 37-year-old has been in and out of the lineup. He already has 18 penalty minutes this season after having 18 last Left wing Max Pacioretty — He leads the team with 25 points. He looks season. much more comfortable in his second season with the Knights. Jonathon Merrill — He hasn’t done much to build on his career 2018-19 Center William Karlsson — He’s tied for second with 23 points and is a season. He’s fighting with Holden and Engelland for lineup spots. team-best plus-7. His $5.9 million cap hit looks like a bargain. Jake Bischoff — The 25-year-old made his long-awaited NHL debut in Right wing Mark Stone — He’s tied with Karlsson in points and has Pittsburgh after being a healthy scratch many times over the past two played well in all three zones. His assist on Pacioretty’s game-tying goal seasons. He’s currently with the Wolves. against Nashville was a thing of beauty. Grade: Two out of five pucks Right wing Reilly Smith — The unsung hero of the team, Smith is tied for the team lead in goals with Stone with 11. He continues to play capably The Knights’ blue line had to survive an early-season absence from in all situations. Schmidt for the second straight year and made it through OK. But even with Schmidt back, this group has been inconsistent. There have been Left wing Jonathan Marchessault — It has been a tough start for too many blown coverages in the team’s defensive zone. This is an area Marchessault, who has 16 points. His shooting percentage (5.6) is well the team could look to upgrade at February’s trade deadline. below his career average (10.4). GOALTENDERS Center Paul Stastny — He has only 12 points, in part because he has spent time on the third line to lengthen the Knights’ lineup. That helped (Listed in order of games played) the team but hurt his production. Marc-Andre Fleury — The 34-year-old continues to make highlight plays, Center/right wing Cody Glass — The rookie has nine points, with five on including one against the Toronto Maple Leafs that will be in contention the power play. He hasn’t found his groove at 5-on-5 yet. for the best save of the NHL season.

Left wing William Carrier — He has seven points and is on pace to Malcolm Subban — Fleury’s backup is 1-4-2 with a 3.45 goals-against shatter his career high of nine. At 24, the speedy bruiser appears to be average and .888 save percentage. That’s not great for a team that on the upswing. wants to rely on him more.

Center Cody Eakin — He started the season injured and didn’t have a Oscar Dansk — The 25-year-old wasn’t put in a great position for his point in his first nine games. He has seven in 14 games since. lone start in Philadelphia. It was his first game in 16 days. He performed poorly and gave up six goals on 37 shots. Center/left wing Tomas Nosek — It has been an inconsistent start for the versatile forward. He briefly lost his lineup spot to rookie Nicolas Roy. Garret Sparks — He briefly saw mop-up action for Fleury in a 6-1 loss to Colorado. He allowed two goals on 14 shots. Right wing Ryan Reaves — Reaves brings the same things to the Knights each night: A hard forecheck and plenty of hits. He leads the Grade: Four out of five nets NHL in hits with 133. Fleury, who has appeared in 20 games, continues to be the Knights’ best Center Nicolas Roy — The rookie looked solid in his first six games. He’s player on a regular basis. But there needs to be less of a drop-off when now with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves, but he he leaves the crease. probably will get another chance. SPECIAL TEAMS

Power play — The Knights rank ninth (21.2 percent) after finishing 25th (16.8 percent) last season. Glass’ playmaking has helped lift the first unit.

Penalty kill — This is another area of improvement. The Knights are sixth (84.4 percent) after ranking 14th (80.9 percent) in 2018-19. Their kill has slipped in November, though.

Grade: Four out of five penalty boxes

Special teams is a major reason the Knights aren’t further down the standings. They’re one of five teams, along with the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals, that have a top-10 power play and penalty kill.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163822 Vegas Golden Knights Since the 2005-06 season, more than 75 percent of teams that are in a playoff position on Thanksgiving have gone on to make the postseason.

Last season, five teams came from out of the playoffs on Thanksgiving to Golden Knights make major change to defensive-zone coverage qualify, including the Knights and Stanley Cup champion St. Louis.

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 11.29.2019

November 28, 2019 - 10:51 am

Updated November 28, 2019 - 7:15 PM

For their entire existence, the Golden Knights have played a man-on- man coverage system in the defensive zone under coach Gerard Gallant.

But Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime victory over Nashville marked the first time the Knights used zone coverage, and they plan to stick with the new system against Arizona on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.

“I think that’s something that our coaching staff and management wanted to change to shake things up a little bit,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It’s a completely different way than we’ve played since the team came here. There is going to be that slight adjustment period of communicating, and some of those goals (Wednesday), those are just working out those kinks.

“I thought we did a pretty good job for the most part, and it’s going to be a pretty good system going forward.”

The Knights’ previous system called for the defensemen and forwards to stay with their man throughout the defensive zone with the occasional switch, similar to basketball.

But Gallant said opposing teams too often were exploiting the Knights in the slot when the coverage broke down.

“We found some teams were taking advantage of some stuff and giving them too much open ice,” Gallant said.

The focus of the new system is to guard the middle of the ice while keeping shots to the perimeter, similar to the philosophy used by the New York Islanders.

“At this point in the season, we just feel like we’re giving up too much in our zone,” defenseman Jon Merrill said. “We made a few tweaks to hopefully protect the good ice in the slot there and have more guys come back and kind of pack it in.”

The Knights struggled at times against Nashville, particularly in the second period when Roman Josi’s playmaking caused confusion in the defensive zone. The Predators finished with a 34-28 advantage in shots on goal during regulation.

But one hope is the new system will allow the Knights to conserve energy since they’re not chasing the puck all over the zone.

“You’ve got to change it up a little bit when things aren’t going well,” right wing Reilly Smith said. “It was good to see our group mold our defensive system a little bit and come out with a win.”

Fleury likely out vs. Coyotes

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury remains on personal leave in Montreal and isn’t expected to be available for Friday’s game, Gallant said.

Fleury, who turned 35 on Thursday, left the team Tuesday because of a serious family illness. There is no timetable for his return.

Zykov sent to AHL

Suspended Golden Knights forward Valentin Zykov cleared waivers Thursday and was assigned to the American Hockey League.

Zykov was eligible to return Friday from his 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHL Players Association Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

Turkey time stats

The Knights (12-11-4, 28 points) enjoyed their Thanksgiving meal as they sat in the final wild-card position in the Western Conference, which has become an important predictor of success. 1163823 Vegas Golden Knights No. 1 goalies in the NHL who are 35 or older. Of the latter trio, Smith is alone in producing close to his career average in goals against and save percentage this season.

Grand bold age But Fleury may be one of the outliers capable of playing well in his mid- to late-30s.

“As goaltenders get older, sometimes you’ll see little cracks in the By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal foundation of their game,” McKenna said. “Some guys will go by the wayside because they haven’t adapted. They haven’t modernized. The November 28, 2019 - 9:20 am game ages them out. And that’s not the case (with Fleury).”

Fleury blends the butterfly technique, when goaltenders drop to their The only logical place to start is the save, since that’s also the freshest knees to cover the lower part of the net, with a stand-up style that relies example of Marc-Andre Fleury taking a blowtorch to conventional on his superior skating, athleticism, flexibility and what Weekes calls his thinking about goaltending. “super computer,” or ability to read the play.

By now, it doesn’t need much description. Fleury made a Superman leap That hybrid style is less taxing physically on the hips and lends itself to across his crease, and in a single bound, gloved a shot by Toronto’s Nic playing at a higher level longer, according to McKenna and Weekes. Petan to preserve the Golden Knights’ 4-2 victory nine days ago. Since 2015-16, Fleury is 13th among goaltenders in minutes played, “It’s a career-defining moment from someone who has so many,” said missing time for at least three concussions while also handing the reins Knights TV studio analyst and former NHL goaltender Mike McKenna. “It in Pittsburgh to Matt Murray. was tracking, it was explosiveness, rotation. It was every goalie code But that also has helped keep the mileage down on his 185-pound body, word, and it was the ability to have the confidence in himself to make that and he’s avoided any major structural problems such as groin, hamstring read.” or hip injuries during his career. All that is true. From a technical standpoint. Knights coach Gerard Gallant and general manager Kelly McCrimmon Symbolically, though, Fleury’s diving save represents so much more. publicly stated that they would like to use Fleury less after he appeared in 61 games last season. He’s on pace for 57 starts. “That was an Ozzie Smith-esque play. A young Derek Jeter-esque play by a goalie, on skates, in goalie equipment, on ice,” NHL Network analyst “Right now, part of Flower’s longevity and the team’s success is really Kevin Weekes said. “I think that save probably answers a lot of your going to be predicated not on Flower, because you know what he’s going questions in that there’s no diminishing of athleticism of Marc-Andre to give you, but on Malcolm (Subban) staying healthy and being able to Fleury.” play a lot of those games to keep Flower fresh,” Weekes said.

Fleury turned 35 on Thursday, the age when statistical research indicates “Father Time gets everybody, but it gets everybody at different times. For goaltenders are supposed to begin their decline, not go airborne like a the Flower, it hasn’t gotten him yet.” shortstop diving up the middle and snag a fluttering puck out of the air. The Knights also believe Fleury can defy the analytics. He’s in the first But the last netminder to be drafted No. 1 overall remains an anomaly. year of a contract that runs through 2021-22 when he will be 37 and makes him the fourth-highest paid player at his position with a $7 million While his peers begin to skate off into retirement, Fleury shoulders the annual average value. workload for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, still producing acrobatic saves in his 16th season. “Goaltenders can play longer than most of the positions,” president of hockey operations George McPhee said in July 2018 at the time of the “You feel it more in the mornings, sometimes when you wake up and signing. “Were he one of the bigger, heavier goaltenders who relies on stuff,” Fleury said. “A little more stiff, and you’ve got to do more stuff to sort of the hit-me approach, we’d be more concerned. He relies on talent stay in game shape and game ready. But it’s OK. It’s part of the game. I and quickness.” don’t mind it. I have so much fun still playing in practice and the games. It’s all worth it.” Weekes, who played 348 NHL games over 11 seasons, once told Fleury he would join Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy in the 500- ‘Father Time gets everybody’ win club.

The effects of aging on a goaltender’s performance have been Fleury has 450 career victories and is four shy of tying Curtis Joseph for extensively researched, with Hockey-Graphs.com’s 2014 study sixth place all time. He could surpass 500 wins before the end of next frequently cited as the most thorough and reliable. season, depending on health and how many starts he gets.

Using data of every goalie from 1996-97 through the 2013-14 season, its Lundqvist, whom the Knights could face on their upcoming road trip, is model’s aging curve showed a .004 drop in save percentage each fifth with 455 wins. season from 35 until 38. From then on, save percentages go down .005 per season until age 40. “Like when he does his poke-checks and stuff, the confidence he has and the (guts) that he has to do, it’s just great,” Subban said of Fleury. That means a 35-year-old goaltender with an above-average .920 save “That’s what makes him such a great goaltender and a goaltender the percentage is projected to be at an acceptable .912 in two seasons and a kids look up to and we all look up to watching him. His compete level and subpar .898 by the time they turn 40. his ability to make those saves out of sheer compete and battle.”

Fleury was at .919 through Wednesday’s game against Nashville and In 19 appearances, Fleury is 11-6-2 with a 2.54 goals-against average has a career .913 save percentage. and 6.42 goals saved above average, which ranks 12th in the league, according to NaturalStatTrick. “When you get to a certain age, if you’re not in the very top percent of goaltenders in the world, you don’t get the benefit of the doubt anymore His .853 save percentage on high-danger shots in all situations is a because of those statistics that suggest that you’re probably going to fall career high and well above the .791 he posted last season. away,” said McKenna, who retired after last season at age 36. “Those guys tend to get shuffled out as contracts come about with younger And he shows no signs of slowing down, posting quality starts (save players.” percentage above average save percentage for the season) 58 percent of the time, which is ahead of his career mark of 55 percent and the The average age of starting goaltenders in the NHL this season is 29.6 league average of 53 percent. years, though that number trends upward if Ottawa’s Craig Anderson, 38, and Detroit’s Jimmy Howard, 35, are calculated rather than their younger “I feel like with age maybe you get a little smarter, you get more partner. experienced. You read the plays better. So, sometimes you’re maybe not as fast, but you know where to be or what to do a little better,” Fleury Fleury joins 37-year-old Pekka Rinne of Nashville, Edmonton’s Mike said. Smith (37) and the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist (37) as the only “I think you’re always learning and seeing things you haven’t seen before. But maybe now the body is still going, it’s still good, so I’ve got to take advantage of it because you don’t know how long that’s going to last. I know I’m toward the end of my career, and I’ve got to make the most out of it while I can and try to win as much as I can.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163824 Washington Capitals more comfortable with them on the team and that Alex is here. All of the guys are really helping me and are really friendly.”

Kuznetsov said that the birth of his daughter, Ecenia, 4½ years ago Still a young rookie, Ilya Samsonov continues to adapt on and off the ice pushed him to learn English and adjust to life in America.But Kuznetsov likes learning new languages and knows both German and French.

“I am not really going to say I speak French because when I go to Samantha Pell Montreal they force me to do it,” Kuznetsov joked.

November 28, 2019 at 2:52 PM EST Kuznetsov doesn’t think that he is trying to be a “role model” for Samsonov or to “change him” in any way. But Kuznetsov also has been

known to reach out to other young Russians around the league. Ilya Samsonov walks into the Washington Capitals’ dressing room at When Toronto visited Washington in October, Kuznetsov wanted to MedStar Capitals IcePlex nearly every day with a sheepish grin and a reach out to rookie Ilya Mikheyev, a fellow Russian. With no other polite nod. Sweat dripping off his face as he takes off his goaltender Russians in the Maple Leafs lineup, Kuznetsov said, talking to his equipment, the young Russian has not changed his mannerisms since he countryman is just “part of the game,” even when they are the opposition. was named backup to Braden Holtby to start the season. “I always talk on the ice,” Kuznetsov said. “I feel like that is part of the Samsonov is soft-spoken and poised. He tries to answer questions from game and we have to enjoy the game. And, you know, that is his first the media in English, which he’s learning every day on top of his duties year, playing well, I’m pretty sure he is looking to us to have a chat a little for a franchise that anointed him the goaltender of the future when he bit. I know they do not have a Russian guy on the team so he probably was drafted in 2015. And while Samsonov has proved his abilities, he’s needs a couple words on the ice, and even if he plays against me, I have still adapting on and off the ice. to talk to him a little bit.” “There’s a lot to work on,” Samsonov said through an interpreter. As for Samsonov, he’s grateful for the team’s willingness to adapt as he “There’s little details that maybe aren’t visible to the average person, but continues to grow. Only 26 games into the season, he still has the rest of we’re paying attention to them and there’s a lot to work on. I want to the year to learn. work, and all of this is interesting to me. Thanks to all of the coaches who are all helping — Scott [Murray] and [Capitals Coach Todd Reirden]. “Last half of last year, at the AHL level, he’s shown what he can do,” We’re working every day, and it’s hard work.” General Manager Brian MacLellan said. “He seems to absorb a lot of instruction. He picks it up quick. I think he adjusts to the level of NHL Last timeout: Capitals regain their stride, beat Panthers with a strong shooters. He’s a guy that’s competitive, that wants to get good and that third period really works at it, and so I don’t think it’s a surprise that he’s doing as well His list of accomplishments is growing. He’s the first goaltender in as he is.” franchise history and 18th all-time to win his first five starts. He also became the third rookie goaltender in franchise history to record three wins in his first three starts. He is constantly praised by Reirden for his Washington Post LOADED: 11.29.2019 presence in net.

And though he’s only 22, his teammates don’t see him as young. He got married over the summer and has been playing hockey against grown men in Russia for years. He may be one of the quieter Capitals, but that is in part because of the language barrier. He and his wife will start English lessons soon.

“Of course I’m happy that I’m finally going to start talking,” Samsonov said. “At least I’ll be able to understand more and talk more and talk with the guys more in the dressing room. I’ll be able to understand the coaches more because they’re constantly saying something. It’s about time, probably.”

But there are some things he’s already mastered, such as playing FIFA and NHL on PlayStation. He plays Evgeny Kuznetsov almost every day and he’s gotten pretty good.

“Basically every day,” said Samsonov of how often the two play. “He’s constantly losing. He doesn’t have enough experience. He’s playing poorly, to be honest.”

The two have become friends: Their hometowns in Russia are a couple hours apart, and they share many of the same friends and interests. Kuznetsov drives Samsonov to the rink every day. “He lives close to me; it is easy for me,” Kuznetsov said. “Why pay twenty bucks for road and gas when we can drive one car?

“I feel like it is good for both of us when we hang and chill and same with Ovi and Orly,” Kuznetsov said. “Always together. The more Russian guys, more fun.”

Dmitry Orlov also agrees that having so many Russians in the Capitals’ dressing room is a good thing. When Orlov was first drafted and coming up in the AHL, he was without Russian players around him for only two months before he made his NHL debut in 2011. Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin were with the Capitals, and both helped him adjust.

‘Ping, shoot it, ping’: Capitals have a ringing noise in their ears, and it’s the post

“Maybe it’s good and bad,” Samsonsov said. “It’s good because the guys are always helping. The one thing is that if they weren’t all here, I’d probably speak better English by now. But on the other hand, I’m much 1163825 Washington Capitals This year's Mystics had their third winning season in a row, but took it to a new level with WNBA MVP Elene Delle Donne and a cast of fun characters who enjoyed playing together and posted one of the best seasons in league history. They won their first title in front of a rowdy Thanksgiving for a decade of amazing D.C. sports moments crowd at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights.

The Redskins and Wizards are depressing now, no doubt. But those teams had their moments, too. You can’t describe this decade of By Brian McNally Washington sports without the indelible Images of the 2012 Redskins. November 28, 2019 7:48 AM Robert Griffin III was a phenomenon that rookie season much the way Lamar Jackson is now for the Ravens.

The 75-yard run against the Vikings, the touchdown pass against the WASHINGTON — For years Washington sports was defined by crushing Saints, the epic performance on Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys, losses, by embarrassing failure, by total irrelevance. the NFC East clincher on the final day of the season against Dallas when Hail to The Redskins rang out across the stadium and FedEx Field felt, Local fans had that trifecta down. And it was miserable. All anyone for a brief minute, like the old days at RFK. wanted was a winner. As this decade comes to a close, championships by the Capitals, Nationals and Mystics have erased that morbid identity. If it ended badly, well, better to have loved and lost, right? And D.C. just But even without the recent titles, compared to the 1990s and 2000s LOVED RG3 that fall. Later, Kirk Cousins screamed “You like that!” after there were plenty of wonderful moments over the past 10 years. an epic comeback win over Tampa Bay in 2015 and the Redskins won a second NFC East title in four years with a Dec. 26 road win against the So on this Thanksgiving Day, when we gather around the table to gorge Eagles. Things haven’t always been so bad. ourselves, watch football and, oh yeah, acknowledge what we’re thankful for, let’s take a second to think about what a remarkable decade of sports For years we wondered what it would be like in this basketball town if the this has been for Washingtonians. Wizards were actually good. John Wall gave the District a legitimate star and Bradley Beal quickly developed into one himself. An NBA This isn’t Boston. But it’s a hell of a lot better than the alternative. The afterthought finally made the playoffs four times in five years. Stanley Cup and the World Series gave fans a chance to erase years of bad memories. Suddenly the Capitals’ 2010 first-round playoff loss to the No, they never won 50 games in a season. Some things will never Canadiens just seemed like part of a journey that inevitably led to a change. But the Wizards won playoff series in 2014, 2015 and 2017 and happy ending. reached Game 7 of the second round in 2017 against the Celtics.

The Nationals banging their head against the N.L. Division Series wall Paul Pierce telling ESPN “I called game!” after beating the Hawks in the again and again takes on a similar tone when you can watch Howie 2015 playoffs with a buzzer-beater. Wall standing on the scorers’ table Kendrick blast a game-winning grand slam over and over against the after a game-winning shot in Game 6 against Boston to keep the season Dodgers and see the on-field celebration in Houston after Game 7 of the alive and yelling “This is my city!!!” over and over. A team doesn’t have to World Series. Joy gives even the roughest times purpose. win a title to give you goosebumps.

Think about the last decade. The Nationals didn’t exist for half of it. The So while the Redskins and Wizards head into the next decade in rebuilds Capitals (Jaromir Jagr) and Wizards (Michael Jordan) brought in older and the Nationals celebrate and the Capitals contend again while hoping stars who built their legacies elsewhere and failed. The Redskins did the to regain the Cup, look back on what the last 10 years brought same (Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith) and not even Joe Gibbs could do Washington sports and be thankful. No one knows if the next 10 will have much more than get them to the playoffs twice. The glory days were long as much to offer. gone. Only D.C. United did anything notable with a 2004 MLS Cup, their fourth and most recent.

The past 10 years, the championships matter most. No question. But Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.29.2019 think of all the wonderful moments otherwise. Stephen Strasburg’s 14- strikeout debut on June 8, 2010. You’ll never forget the fans in the upper deck losing their minds. His performance that night was only the beginning and there were so many bumps in the road in the ensuing years. But Strasburg’s first game gave meaning to all those terrible seasons from 2006 to 2009 that fans had struggled through.

The Nationals and Capitals had their share of heartbreak in the playoffs. But who could forget no-hitters by Max Scherzer and Jordan Zimmermann. Or the night Scherzer struck out 20 batters against the Tigers? Or winning two Cy Young Awards? Jayson Werth walking off the Cardinals in Game 4 of the 2012 NLDS. Bryce Harper making his debut and giving Washington seven thrilling years, including a 2015 Most Valuable Player season. The 2012 Nationals won their first of four N.L. East titles in six years. And all of that came before the World Series victory.

The Capitals began the decade with maybe their most crushing playoff loss in seven games to Montreal in 2010. But they won the President Trophy three times in eight years even before the Cup season. Fans watched Alex Ovechkin score his 400th, 500thand 600thcareer goals with four more 50-goal seasons added to his total. Braden Holtby won a Vezina Trophy. They played in two Winter Classics, one at Nationals Park and the other in 2011 when 25,000-plus Capitals fans made the drive up to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for a memorable win over the Penguins.

Remember Joel Ward and Mike Knuble on the rush in overtime of Game 7 against Boston in 2012 (a pretty good year for D.C. sports)? Ward scored and the Capitals sent the defending Cup champs home in a series where every game was decided by one goal. Only the Penguins (940) have more standings points this decade than the Capitals (933) and Washington might catch their rival by the end of December. 1163826 Washington Capitals Names like Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver and Emma Meesseman will forever live in D.C. sports lore after they restored basketball glory to the District. There are certainly many offseason questions left to be answered—including the futures of the three aforementioned stars—but One thing every DC team can be thankful for this Thanksgiving next season a new banner will be raised that won’t have anything to do with how many butts were in seats.

Nationals: Their first World Series title By Matt Weyrich This District of Champions thing is really catching on. The Nationals November 28, 2019 6:00 AM followed up the Mystics’ title run with a championship of their own less than two months later. They overcame a 19-31 start, two 100-win opponents and five elimination games to win the first World Series title in The holiday season is a great time for reflection, when everyone gathers D.C. history since the Washington Senators did it in 1924. with their loved ones and can look back on the events of the year that’s about to come to a close. So many incredible moments defined their playoff run.

It’s been a busy year for the six major professional D.C. sports Juan Soto’s go-ahead single off Josh Hader in the Wild Card Game that franchises, some of which finished on top of the world while others inexplicably snuck underneath Trent Grisham’s glove. Soto and Anthony became difficult to watch. When the players, coaches, executives and Rendon going back-to-back off Clayton Kershaw to tie Game 5 of the owners of those teams sit down with their families for Thanksgiving NLDS before Howie Kendrick hit the go-ahead grand slam in the 10th dinner, they’ll have a lot to talk about. inning. Max Scherzer and Aníbal Sánchez both carrying no-hitters into the seventh inning during the NLCS. But whether or not 2019 has been a year of success or a year of disappointment, every team will have something to be thankful for this And we haven’t even gotten to the World Series yet. The offense scored Thanksgiving. five runs off Gerrit Cole in Game 1 and dropped 12 in Game 2. Stephen Strasburg pitched a game for the ages in Game 6. Kendrick drove a liner Capitals: Their month-long, 13-point streak into the foul pole in Game 7. Daniel Hudson struck out Michael Brantley to end it all. The Caps entered play Thursday tied with the Boston Bruins with the most points in the NHL at 39. Their place atop the league standings was This is never going to get old. fueled by a 13-game stretch in which they went 11-0-2 and jumped out ahead of the rest of the NHL in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy. It’s been a tough year for the Redskins no matter how you look at it, but rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin has been one of their few bright It propelled them to their best start through 20 games in Capitals history, spots that already looks like a significant piece of their future. He leads all giving them an advantage in the standings that’s come in handy with the rookies with 638 receiving yards this season on 40 catches with five plethora of injuries (as well as a suspension) that have forced touchdowns despite the carousel of quarterbacks that’s started under Washington to test its depth. center.

Nicklas Backstrom and Carl Hagelin have both missed several games as The Ohio State product was drafted in the third round and looks like one did Nic Dowd, who returned to the lineup against the Florida Panthers on of the biggest steals of the 2019 Draft. Having already played with Wednesday. Garnet Hathaway sat the last three contests after being quarterback Dwayne Haskins in college, the Redskins are hopeful that suspended for spitting in the face of an opponent. they can further develop their rapport into a winning formula that will last in D.C. The Capitals are 3-2-1 since that streak, which allowed the red-hot Bruins to catch up with them for the top spot in the East. But their big So far, the wins have been hard to come by. But even if Haskins doesn’t point streak gave them a buffer that’s allowed them to absorb a few pan out for Washington, the Redskins look like they may have found their losses and remain atop the standings heading into Thanksgiving. future No. 1 receiver no matter who’s at quarterback.

D.C. United: Bill Hamid playing a full season in DC again Wizards: Bradley Beal signing an extension

When goalkeeper Bill Hamid departed for Europe and signed with Danish When the Wizards began their rebuilding process under new general club Midtjylland in late 2017, he left a void in the D.C. United defense that manager Tommy Shepherd, there was one significant question that proved incredibly difficult to fill. But when playing time became hard to would determine how they were going to go about it: How much longer is come by for Hamid overseas, Midtjylland loaned him back to D.C. United Bradley Beal going to be in D.C.? midway through the 2018 season. Trade rumors circled for months, but ultimately the star shooting guard Hamid was an immediate boost for the club, and he carried over his signed a two-year, $72 million extension in October that has him locked success into 2019. The Arlington, Virginia, native recorded a .750 save onto the Wizards until at least 2021-22. It was a shocking move, one that percentage that led all keepers (min. 30 starts). He also posted a career stunned many NBA contenders who hoped they could acquire him at the high in saves with 128 and tied for the MLS lead with 14 shutouts. His trade deadline as the final piece for a championship-contending roster. strong season placed him among the finalists for the goalkeeper of the year award, an honor he won back in 2014. But Beal believed in Sheppard’s plan for the organization, opting to stay with the only team he’s every known in his professional career. The Now a free to sign with any club, Hamid is one of the top priorities for Wizards still don’t figure to be legitimate contenders for at least another D.C. United this winter and is already reportedly close to a deal that will year, but Beal is easily the Wizards’ best player and has taken it upon lock him in the District long term. himself to be a leader both on the court and in the locker room.

Last season didn’t end the way the club wanted it to with a 5-1 extra-time With Shepperd leading the front office and Beal calling the shots on the loss to Toronto FC in the conference quarterfinals, but with Hamid back court, there are certainly reasons to be optimistic about the Wizards’ in the fold D.C. United would be in a much better spot to make another future. But for now, Washington fans can rest easy knowing their All-Star run at the MLS Cup. guard isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Mystics: Their first WNBA title

Yeah, this one was pretty easy. Never mind the fact that their WNBA Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 11.29.2019 championship win was the Mystics’ first title in franchise history, it erased more than two decades’ worth of disappointment and misery.

This was the team that used to have banners hanging in the rafters that celebrated it as “Attendance Champions.” This was the team that won one playoff series in the first 19 years it existed.

No more. 1163827 Washington Capitals “Two years ago, Ben Groulx let me coach a game in the AHL, and it kind of confirmed everything,” Halpern said. “We won. I loved the puzzle of the game, playing things out in your head. I just really enjoyed everything about it.” Former Capitals captain and Washington-area native Jeff Halpern now climbs the NHL’s coaching ladder “To me,” he added, “what’s always exciting about the role that I’m in now, it’s having an impact on a player. Whether it’s a strategic thing, or whether it’s something you’re specifically working on, then you see that player go out and do it, it’s a great feeling.” By Tarik El-Bashir Halpern’s feel for the game, work ethic and ability to communicate with Nov 28, 2019 players impressed his Bolts bosses. In June 2018, he was promoted to Cooper’s staff.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Jeff Halpern made his NHL debut for the Capitals in Halpern’s quick rise — current Lightning stars Steven Stamkos, Victor 1999, a remarkable achievement for anyone but especially for a kid Hedman and Ryan McDonagh were teammates of his — doesn’t surprise raised in nearby Potomac, Md. those who know him best.

Some 20 years later, Halpern still is making the local hockey community Steve Eminger, who played alongside Halpern in Washington and Tampa proud, now as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. In fact, Bay and with the New York Rangers, said he first recognized Halpern’s some of those who’ve followed his career as a player and his rise sharp eye for tactics during their rides from Manhattan to the Rangers’ through the ranks as a coach believe the 43-year-old is on track to run an suburban practice facility. NHL bench someday. “When we were in New York together, I really sensed it,” said Eminger, “I think he’s the type of player that becomes a good coach because he now a pro scout for the Rangers. “We used to drive together to the rink. was a player that paid attention to detail,” said Capitals general manager He would be constantly breaking down things. In the morning, he’d be Brian MacLellan, who was a pro scout on Washington’s staff when like, ‘Our breakout is not good enough. We should be doing this, we Halpern was breaking into the NHL with his hometown Caps. should be doing that.’ I wasn’t thinking about that at 8 a.m. driving to practice. But his mind was constantly working in a coaching manner. So “He was a penalty killer, a faceoff guy, a competitive guy,” MacLellan when I see him coaching now, I’m not surprised. He always had an eye added. “He had all the intangibles. I think those guys end up sometimes for what our team was doing and what other teams were doing. I was being the best coaches because they had to work hard to get where they always more focused on the players, which maybe is why I’m a scout.” wanted. They put a lot of time into the details of the game to help them stay in the NHL. I think at some point he’s gonna be a good (head) coach Chris Patrick, the Capitals’ director of player personnel, saw it even in the NHL.” earlier. He grew up with Halpern and played with him at Princeton.

Halpern, in his second season on Jon Cooper’s staff in Tampa Bay, will “There’s people that watch the game like a scout and there’s people who be on the bench at Capital One Arena when the Caps host the Lightning watch the game like a coach,” Patrick said. “Scouts are looking at the on Friday. He primarily coaches the forwards, with an emphasis on the players and their attributes — their hands, their skating. A coach is centers and the Nikita Kucherov-led power play, which is ranked third in always like, ‘How come their neutral zone regroup is this? How come the league at 31.9 percent. they send one guy hard?’ He’s always been like that, looking at the systems. Even as a youngster skating for the Montgomery Youth Hockey Association and the AAA Little Capitals, Halpern was intrigued by “For me, I saw it in college. He’s a big, ‘What if we did this?’ kind of guy. strategy, matchups and the game within the game. He was never a guy who would just stay within the confines of what the coach told him, especially on the power play. So I always knew coaching “I always knew I wanted to coach,” Halpern said this week. “I always would be the next step for him if he wanted to do it.” enjoyed that part of the game.” Suiting up for seven clubs in 14 years wasn’t easy on Halpern or his He acted on those ambitions soon after he hung up his skates. family. But it has its benefits as a coach: He’s able to lean on lessons learned at each of his stops, where he played for Ron Wilson, Dave Halpern played 976 games over 14 seasons for seven clubs, including Tippett, Terry Murray and John Tortorella, to name a few. the Lightning and two stints in Washington, where he served as the Caps’ captain in 2005-06. He wanted to continue playing in 2014-15, but “I always say that if you see a player in the NHL that has played for when no NHL teams had called by New Year’s Day that season, Halpern Tortorella, you know it,” Halpern said. “What I mean by that is when decided it was time to retire and scratch his coaching itch. Brandon Prust goes and plays for Montreal or Ruslan Fedotenko goes and plays for another team, you still see a Torts-coached player in those “I didn’t have a contract, and I wasn’t going to go play in Europe,” guys. That always stood out to me. I always thought that was one of the Halpern said. “One of our kids was born in September that year, and it best credits to a coach, is when you’re able to instill a certain identity into just didn’t make sense to go overseas and try to keep playing.” a player and he was better for it. For me, as a coach, you’re always trying Although he was a good candidate to become a coach, getting a foot in to create that.” the door wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. One of Halpern’s greatest joys as a player was scoring, something he did “When I called it quits, I thought I’d just throw up my hands and be like, 152 times. As a coach, it’s watching his power-play unit put the puck in ‘All right. I’m ready. Who wants me?’” he said. “What you learn is, the the net, especially when it comes at the expense of an old friend. coaching world is a competitive world. When you’re done playing hockey, “I played with Dustin Brown (in Los Angeles), and we talked a little before you’re competing against guys that have been coaching for 20 years, and the game when we played in L.A. last year,” Halpern said. “We had a they’re good coaches, too. They’ve worked on their craft, the same way five-on-three goal. It was unreal. We had two of them, actually, on that as I worked on mine as a player.” power play, but one of them was like a bang-bang play. It was into an While dabbling as a skills coach and helping local youth teams, Halpern empty net, and Dustin, after they get scored on, skated up to Tyler began reaching out to former coaches, general managers and Johnson at the circle, and, joking, was like, ‘Did Halpern teach you guys teammates. Eventually, he connected with Rob Zettler, his former that?’” teammate in Washington and then the head coach of the AHL’s Halpern’s path from suburban Washington to a distinguished playing Syracuse Crunch, the minor-league affiliate of the Lightning. That led to career in the NHL was virtually an uncharted one. It’ll be an even rarer an invitation to help at the organization’s development camp, which led to feat should he complete his coaching journey by leading an NHL team. a job as an assistant in Syracuse under Benoit Groulx, who replaced Zettler. At the moment, though, he hasn’t put a timetable on getting there. He’s enjoying his time in Tampa and is soaking up as much knowledge as he Groulx played a crucial role in helping Halpern decide whether coaching can from Cooper and fellow assistant Todd Richards. was the right choice. “Right now, I’m an assistant coach in Tampa, and I’m really happy,” he said. “I really am living in the moment.” But make no mistake, Halpern would like to add “NHL head coach” to his resume. When the time is right, that is.

“He was a smart player,” Eminger said. “He understands the game. He’s young and knows the new wave of players coming up and how to handle them. I don’t see why he couldn’t be a head coach.”

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163828 Winnipeg Jets "You obviously want to be playing well at the start of a season and getting those results. It’s important that you start banking points now. But you can’t take anything for granted," said Lowry.

Jets' November to remember "I think we come to the rink every day and we try to get better. You’ve seen it, especially over the last month, there’s been a lot of areas that have really improved. Our compete level has been there every night since the start of the year. And our system is getting better." By: Mike McIntyre To a man, the Jets point to their strong road record (9-4-0) as a product Posted: 11/28/2019 10:33 PM | Last Modified: 11/28/2019 11:52 PM | of being a tight-knit group that enjoys being together. This is already their Updates | Comments: 0 fourth long trip of the season, and the second on the West Coast after a pair in the eastern time zone.

ANAHEIM — The Winnipeg Jets have been feasting on opponents lately "I think it’s a huge contributor to the team. It’s like when you’re buddies, and stuffing the win column. And so as they took some time Thursday to and you become boys. I think we’re becoming that. It’s a good feeling fill their bellies on American Thanksgiving in southern California, it didn’t right now in the room, and we’ve got to continue that," said Bitetto. go unnoticed that they’re sitting above the playoff line on what many view The whole team, including coaches and support staff, got together as an all-important date. Thursday evening for a Thanksgiving spread at their hotel. Although the 2019-20 NHL regular season doesn’t end until early April, "It’s nice to be back in the U.S. for sure. Thanksgiving’s a big holiday for there’s a wide-held belief in the hockey world that the late November my family. Everyone gets together. It’s unfortunate I’m going to miss it, U.S. holiday is traditionally a tell-tale marker of whether a team is going but I’ve got my other family here to have it with," said Bitetto, a native of to have a shot at playing for the Stanley Cup or hitting the golf course in New York. the spring.

In fact, the numbers over the past two decades show that about 80 per cent of teams that hold down a spot on U.S. turkey day are still in that Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.29.2019 spot when the 16-team tournament starts in the spring, with the other 15 clubs on the outside looking in.

"Sounds good to me," said Jets defenceman Anthony Bitetto following his team’s practice in a Los Angeles-area suburb. He then quickly poured some cold gravy over any sense of satisfaction of where the team sits today.

"Honestly, there’s so much time left. And we saw last year with St. Louis, they were dead last in January (before going on to win it all)," Bitetto said. "So you can’t really look at that. We’ve just got to keep playing the same way we’ve been playing and get better each day."

At 15-9-1, the Jets are in third place in the Central Division, one point behind the Dallas Stars and five behind the St. Louis Blues. They have a three-point lead, not to mention three games in hand, on the Calgary Flames, who are just outside the Western Conference playoff line.

Winnipeg is coming off a dominating 5-1 victory on Wednesday night in San Jose and will wrap up this quick road trip with a Black Friday matinee in Anaheim, followed by a Saturday night date at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Kings.

Connor Hellebuyck will get the start against the Ducks, who beat the Jets 7-4 on Oct. 29 at Honda Center. Since then, Winnipeg has been red hot, with a 9-2-1 record in what’s been a November to remember.

No lineup changes are expected for the group that handled the Sharks with relative ease. Defenceman Luca Sbisa missed Thursday’s practice, still smarting from a team-high four blocked shots the night before, but is expected to play.

Winnipeg got in the way of 17 pucks fired off San Jose sticks, which is one of the highest totals for the Jets this season and shows an overall commitment to sacrifice the body for the greater good of the team, according to head coach Paul Maurice. The Jets also went 6-for-6 on the penalty kill against a talented Sharks lineup, which is another big factor in finding success.

"It hurts. It takes some courage, for sure. We felt this (Wednesday) night, in all parts of our game. You get to a level of mental engagement that you’re everywhere faster. You get in those lanes faster. It’s certainly a skill. You have to play at a certain engagement level to want to get in those shot lanes," said Maurice.

There was another intriguing aspect to this latest victory: Maurice was able to spread the minutes out among players in a way rarely seen. For example, defenceman Dmitry Kulikov logged the most ice time for the Jets but played just 20:46. That’s a key development for keeping everyone relatively fresh on a team that has been zig-zagging across North America early in the season.

Forward Adam Lowry, a big part of the improved penalty kill, said there’s certainly some satisfaction with the where the Jets are today — but nobody is getting fat off living in the present. 1163829 Winnipeg Jets going to like what they see, especially under the 2019 filter we're all living in.

Take Jets coach Paul Maurice, for example. In a candid moment this Hockey's long-overdue #MeToo movement week, he admitted that when it comes to regrets in his 22-year coaching career, he has a few. And, without getting into specific details, he admits to recently being told to lay off a young player and how it helped change his approach. By: Mike McIntyre "You guys won’t get the player right, but Blake Wheeler grabs me about a Posted: 11/28/2019 7:00 PM| Last Modified: 11/28/2019 8:55 PM | year-and-a-half ago and says, ‘Just be nice to the guy.’ And I’ve got a list Updates of about 14 reasons why I shouldn’t be because of his play, but that stuck with me. The game has changed and the players, especially (because) we have such a young group, those interactions have to change," said ANAHEIM — As much as we celebrate the game in this country, as Maurice. much as we romanticize it, there is a cold, hard truth — hockey culture can be extremely toxic at times. And as we're being reminded again this "The game has changed and the players, especially (because) we have week, the claim that "Hockey Is For Everyone," while certainly an such a young group, those interactions have to change." admirable goal, remains a major work-in-progress. I would argue that a player's on-ice performance shouldn't ever dictate Like all forms of abuse — physical, sexual, mental — it often starts at the whether you treat them with kindness. Hate their game, sure. But always top of the proverbial food chain and targets those who are seen as the respect the player. weakest, which is how the perpetrators get away with it so long. "I think there is a real awareness over the last year, certainly on our staff. Just ask Akim Aliu, the Nigerian-born former pro who dropped a If I’m going to give anybody credit, I’m going to give the assistant bombshell this week that current Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters hurled coaches credit for kind of pushing me to evolve, to be more racist remarks his way a decade ago, while both were in the American understanding, maybe, of young players. More caring, possibly." Hockey League. Sadly, there are far too many in our society who will suggest this is all The revelation, which Aliu first disclosed on his Twitter account, will likely much ado about nothing, yet another example of how soft we've all spell the end of Peters' tenure behind the bench. It hasn't happened yet, become. "Bunch of snowflakes," some will mutter. as the Flames along with the NHL and NHLPA conduct an ongoing We saw it when Don Cherry rightfully got shown the exit door earlier this investigation which I suspect includes plenty of lawyers pouring over month, his penchant for xenophobic comments finally getting the contract law, but the writing appears to be on the wall. And justifiably so. legendary Hockey Night In Canada commentator into a self-inflicted jam Peters' written apology, issued late Wednesday night, is a weak attempt he couldn't escape. at damage control, filled with holes that Aliu and others have already None of this is to suggest a coach can't be hard on his or her players. Of pointed out. Too little, too late. The only thing Peters is truly sorry about course they can. Treating someone with kid gloves all the time isn't is that he got caught. usually going to achieve the desire results. Sometimes, tough love is After all, he's gone on to have a long and successful career, in both the necessary. And, as Maurice pointed out, you're always going to have NHL and with , held up as a pillar of the game — even players who ultimately dislike you. though many have known about what he did and said, yet turned a blind But there's a line that should never be crossed, one that was clearly very eye. Meanwhile, Aliu rightfully turned into a very angry young man, blurry in the past but has come into focus in recent years. whose career stalled before it could really get going. "When I first started, you’d handle a man a whole lot different than you’re Inspired by Aliu's courage in coming forward, ex-player Michal Jordan handing them now," said Maurice. spoke out about how Peters, when coaching him in Carolina about five years ago, kicked him in the back and punched another player in the Thank goodness for that. What might have once been seen as head. Rod Brind'Amour, then an assistant coach with the Hurricanes and acceptable or the norm no longer is. And those who continue to live and now the bench boss, confirmed Jordan's account this week. operate in a bygone era are going to find their days in control are limited. As we've seen this week, their day of reckoning is coming. How many other similar stories there are out there involving Peters, waiting to be discovered? Finally, one of hockey's dirty little secrets is emerging from the shadows and getting the spotlight it deserves. All of this came a few days after reports emerged out of Toronto how recently fired coach Mike Babcock forced Mitch Marner, in his rookie season, to rank his teammates from hardest to least-hardest working, then shared the list with the room. Babcock has since apologized for Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 11.29.2019 what was clearly an act of bullying and public shaming, while Marner admits it left him in an awkward and difficult spot.

Luckily for Marner, he had the raw talent to overcome all of this. Just think for a second of the impact this might have had on a lesser-skilled player.

And notice a trend here? All of this involves the power dynamic between coach and player, something that is sadly all-too-common in the sporting world but rarely only heard in whispers and rumours, with victims of this kind of treatment afraid to speak out for fear of how it might impact their career.

It's the reason Aliu stayed silent for so long. Same with Jordan. Marner also felt as if he was no position to do as he told, the first-year pro playing under the legendary leader in Babcock. But as the old saying goes, there's often power in numbers. And finally, it appears, the dam has broken.

I suspect we've only started to see the tip of the iceberg, with more and more players now feeling comfortable enough to share their own experiences. Consider it hockey's long-overdue #MeToo movement.

There's likely plenty of introspection and looking in the mirror going on right now from many in high-ranking hockey positions. And some aren't 1163830 Winnipeg Jets started, you’d handle a man a whole lot different than you’re handing him now.”

Wheeler admitted prior to the season that he, too, has had to re-assess Maurice, Jets find dialogue works best without the malicious intent how he approaches some of the younger players on the team. He feels Maurice has evolved every year he’s played under him.

“There’s no question,” Wheeler said. “You don’t last as long in this league Scott Billeck as Paul has if you’re not constantly changing.”

November 28, 2019 8:35 PM CST For Wheeler, who has enjoyed his best seasons, statistically and otherwise, under the tutelage of Maurice, said the coach has found a

great way of holding his players accountable while also treating them like ANAHEIM — Paul Maurice has yelled and screamed and raged at a bad people. play. But to those in the Winnipeg Jets dressing room, while the words “You have to treat people a certain way,” Wheeler said. “You can’t just haven’t always been the nicest, critically, they’ve also never been stand over top and hover over and look down on everyone and talk down malicious. to people because no one is going to respect you if you don’t treat them “It’s never crossed the line,” said 23-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers of his head with at least a little bit of respect no matter the situation.” coach. “And sometimes you need that (kick in the pants). Sometimes you Wheeler said Maurice has never lost the room in his time in Winnipeg, need to hear it. He’s said things to us, sometimes he’s yelled, but it’s even during some thin years prior to the breakout 2017-18 season. always been respectful. “We played our asses off for him, and it’s the same way this year with the “It’s never been like, ‘F-you,’” turnover we’ve had,” Wheeler said. “I’ve never seen anyone tune him The culture within the game of hockey, and perhaps the hidden toxicity out.” that hovers like a dark cloud at times, has been a hot topic of When it comes to introducing new players to the league, Adam Lowry conversation lately after a pair of revelations shocked the hockey world said the important thing is that you teach things the right way without over the past week. taking away any of their confidence. Not long after Mike Babcock was fired as the head coach of the Toronto “When you look at some of the young guys he’s developed in our system Maple Leafs, a report surfaced detailing an incident between the ousted and some of the key players on our team, he’s had them since Day 1,” bench boss and Mitch Marner during his rookie campaign, when the Lowry said, adding that while, in the past he’s seen coaches come in and young star forward was forced to rank his new teammates from first to yell at guys to try and motivate them, he feels society has changed and worst in terms of work ethic, a list that was then shared with the players coaches have to be careful now. themselves. “I think Paul has done a good job at finding that happy medium,” l.owry A second blow hit when a former player under current Calgary Flames said. head coach Bill Peters came forward alleging racial abuse a decade ago while both were in the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

Both incidents have brought to light the apparent issues that go unseen Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.29.2019 behind closed doors, especially when it comes to young players who are becoming the majority of teams’ lineups these days in a shifting NHL landscape.

But to a man for the Jets, it’s never been an issue during Maurice’s reign as the team’s head coach. If anything, Maurice and his coaching staff, according to those who play for them, have gone out of their way to foster a professional atmosphere that allows constructive criticism.

“The way a coach should be, that’s how Paul has always been with positive and negative things about my game,” Ehlers said. “Our coaches have been great with the details … taking care of the players, talking to them. I’ve had lots of conversations with Paul.”

Maurice addressed the Babcock incident and the larger question of coaching philosophies earlier this week. He said he’s sure there are players that he didn’t rub the right way and relationships that didn’t go well.

“When you’re constantly pushing to a threshold to get the most out of players in an intense environment, you’re going to going to have situations where players feel they should have been handled differently or they didn’t like it,” Maurice said. “You do the best you can. I think there is a real awareness over the last year, certainly on our staff and, if I’m going to give anybody credit, I’m going to give the assistant coaches credit for kind of pushing me to evolve, to be more understanding, maybe, of young players. More caring, possibly. There will be a whole bunch of guys who’ll say I haven’t hit that threshold yet.”

Maurice, in his 22nd year as an NHL head coach, will hit 1,600 games by season’s end, but he’s still learning how to deal with players young enough to be his kids. Sometimes, that has included a little help from the very players he coaches.

“You guys won’t get the player right, but Blake Wheeler grabs me about a year and a half ago and says: ‘Just be nice to the guy.’ And I’ve got a list of about 14 reasons why I shouldn’t be because of his play, but that stuck with me,” Maurice said.

“The game has changed and the players, especially (because) we have such a young group, those interactions have to change. When I first 1163831 Winnipeg Jets

GAME DAY: Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks

Scott Billeck

November 28, 2019 5:50 PM CST

THE BIG MATCHUP

Jets vs. Ducks special teams

Winnipeg’s special teams numbers have been near the bottom of the league all season, with only recent improvements on the penalty kill (and even more recently on the power play) finally showing some signs of life for the Jets. It doesn’t get any better with the Ducks. Anaheim’s power play, specifically, is operating just a hair over 10% on the season, which should be a prime opportunity for Winnipeg to improve on their already- much-improved penalty kill. The Jets now have their big guns on the power play and Anaheim’s PK isn’t good. And the Jets will be out for blood after allowing seven here a month ago.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Band back together

Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine were reunited for Wednesday’s 5-1 win against the San Jose Sharks and, with the addition of Neal Pionk on the point, produced immediately. The Jets had a couple of chances on their first power play of the game and then struck on their second through a vintage cross-seam pass by Wheeler that found an awaiting Laine, who buried his seventh goal of the season.

2. PK aberration

There were questions coming into Wednesday’s game surrounding Winnipeg’s penalty kill. Prior to their game on Saturday in Winnipeg, the Jets had killed off 20 of their previous 23 times shorthanded in November. Columbus changed all that, scoring all three of their goals on the power play. But it appears that Saturday’s game was an exception and not the rule. Winnipeg returned to form against the Sharks, stifling all six of San Jose’s power-play opportunities on the night.

3. Road warriors

If the Jets could play every game away from BellMTS Place, they might win the Presidents’ Trophy come early April. That’s not possible, of course. But given Winnipeg’s heavy road schedule in November, they’ve taken full advantage and are now 9-4 on the road as opposed to its 6-5-1 record at home (including their win at the Heritage Classic in Regina).

4. Fourth-line boost

For the time the trio David Gustafsson, Logan Shaw and Joona Luoto have been together, you could have kept your eyes locked on Winnipeg’s own zone and rarely would have missed much action. The vastly inexperienced line has been hemmed in their own zone quite a bit this season. Wednesday’s win saw a bit of a shift away from that. Luoto nearly scored when he rang one off the crossbar and Gustafsson scored his first NHL goal when he undressed Erik Karlsson in the first period.

5. Helle-good

His teammates refer to him as their de facto MVP 25 games into the 2019-20 season and even that might be a gross understatement at times. Hellebuyck continued his impressive campaign, stopping 32 of 33 shots sent his way in Wednesday’s win, his 12th of the seaspm. Hellebuyck’s save percentage rose back up to .930 with the win and he continues to be the best goalie in the NHL in terms of goals save above average.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 11.29.2019 1163832 Winnipeg Jets forwards were forced to step toward Byfuglien’s shooting lane (or risk the consequences of letting him shoot) but, with that point shot removed, the respect hasn’t been there — teams have been able to back off the point and play Scheifele and Laine like the weapons they are. How are our preseason predictions holding up after 25 games? We decided to find out The team’s response was initially to rotate forwards into new positions. The follow-up, when that didn’t work, was to move to two units — one highlighted by Scheifele and Ehlers and the other by Wheeler and Laine. When that created variety but didn’t lead to meaningful goal production, By Ken Wiebe and Murat Ates Winnipeg moved back to Wheeler, Laine, Scheifele, and Connor, with Nov 28, 2019 8 Pionk at the point. That’s where we find ourselves today and, while I still believe this group of talent should add up to a good power play, it will need to put together quite the hot streak to move back into the NHL’s upper echelon. The beauty in the world of predictions is that there are always more to make. The PK gave up some of the league’s highest shot rates through October but has quietly been excellent in that regard since November began. In But with the Winnipeg Jets now 25 games into the 2019-20 season, it Winnipeg’s last 10 games, the Jets have been 4th best in the NHL in seemed like as good a time as any to take a quick look back to see how terms of preventing shots on the PK. Some of that will be variance. Some the predictions colleague Murat Ates and I made back in early October of that will be Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry getting the major minutes are developing so far. and rounding into form. The timing corresponds to Gabriel Bourque’s At that time, we tried to take a look into the crystal ball and determine 10 injury and the re-establishment of classic Jets forwards pairings on the things that would come to fruition over the course of an 82-game season. PK.

As you already know, the start of the campaign brought a number of A coincidence? Maybe. But my hunch is Winnipeg’s PK continues to twists and turns for the current edition of the Jets. improve.

Had Murat and I been able to predict the Jets would adopt the phrase All in all, I feel like I overestimated the power play and got the PK right, “Stay in the fight,” we would have been able to make a small fortune from but the PK will get better, too. T-shirt or bumper sticker sales. Wiebe No. 3: Mark Scheifelewill hit 100 points for the first time But alas, that was something that has evolved with this group — and It’s only a matter of time before the Jets’ top centre hits triple digits. nobody is cashing in financially on the slogan just yet. Will it be this season? Well, he’s got some work to do in order to make it For now, let’s take a look at where things stand with the other predictions happen. we came up with. Scheifele is off to a strong start offensively. He’s averaging just under a Wiebe No. 1: Patrik Laine will win the Rocket Richard Trophy point per game so far (23 points in 25 games). I made this prediction after Laine missed all of training camp while As is the case with Laine, Scheifele has some ground to make up in working on a new contract, which turned out to be a two-year deal that order for the prediction to come true. carries an average annual value of $6.75 million. And much like Laine, the surprise is that with the Jets power play Yes, I understood it was a bit of a risk banking on Laine to fill the net after struggling to connect the way it has the past two seasons, most of missing out on more than a month. Scheifele’s points have come at even strength — which has impacted his But the Finnish sniper was banking on himself when he took a bridge numbers. deal and he’s playing the best hockey of his young career — even if he A pair of injuries to Bryan Little — and the fact Maurice hasn’t found isn’t filling the net with as much regularity as we’ve come to expect. much ice time for the fourth line so far — means that Scheifele is being No, Laine is not challenging for the Rocket Richard at this time. leaned on pretty heavily at both ends of the ice.

Few people would have predicted Laine would have only seven goals Scheifele is adjusting to life without Blake Wheeler (who has moved through 25 games — and just two of those coming with the man seamlessly to centre) and shown chemistry with Laine and Kyle Connor. advantage. Once the power play starts rolling, Scheifele figures to be on pace to post Laine had 15 power-play goals last season and 20 the year prior, so one a fourth consecutive season of averaging a point-per-game. would expect his goal totals to be on the rise as the year moves along. However, he’ll need to go on a serious hot streak to exceed 90 points And let’s not forget Laine racked up 18 goals last November, so he could and push for 100. catch fire and get himself back into the race eventually — though it’s Ates No. 4: Tällä kaudella Suomi valtaa Winnipegin going to be difficult to make up all of that ground. Translation: This is the season that Finland takes over Winnipeg. If only I had the foresight to predict Laine would be leading the Jets in assists (he’s currently first with 16 helpers, which is just behind the 20 he Instead, it’s the season that Patrik Laine became a point-per-game player produced in 82 games last season). — and a much stronger even-strength player than ever before. It’s the season that Ville Heinola impressed all of us by fitting mostly right in, My prediction may be in trouble, but Jets head coach Paul Maurice is scorinh five points in eight NHL games. It’s even the season that Joona thrilled by the way Laine is rounding out his overall game. Luoto made the NHL after languishing in Liiga a year ago. Ates No. 2: Winnipeg’s PP will continue to excel; its PK will continue to But doesn’t it feel like, for Finland to truly have taken over Winnipeg, AHL get shelled wunderkind Sami Niku will need to have had his shot with the big club? Well, I was half right. Twenty-five games in, Winnipeg’s power play has It’s only an opinion but I think we’re at the point of Niku’s career where he gone through several iterations, landing at 23rd place following needs to demonstrate to his coaches that he can be a good soldier. I still Wednesday night’s game in San Jose. The penalty kill has climbed from believe that he creates more than he gives up — and will create more last in the league early in the season to 24th, now. than he gives up at the NHL level too, as soon as given the opportunity. How did we get from a top-five power play to one in the bottom ten? First Finally, Kristian Vesalainen hasn’t posted stunning offensive numbers and foremost, went from possible teammate to the early in his AHL season and will look to get that on track as the year surgery ward. We’ll get into that elsewhere in this piece but, for now, continues. consider the seam pass Blake Wheeler used to find Patrik Laine against I was right about one thing, though. Remember my very odd analogy San Jose, which led to Winnipeg’s first Wheeler-to-Laine goal on the about trampolines and timing? power play all season long. On the play, San Jose chased Neal Pionk high in the zone, opening up space in the middle. It used to be that “A clever, malicious person can time their jump to land on a trampoline At times, it’s been an adventure and at others, you wouldn’t have just a half-beat before you do, completely robbing the trampoline of its guessed the Jets were without five players who suited up in 40 or more bounce. It’s evil, it’s hilarious and it’s dang-darned ankle-breaking — games last season. without elasticity, you fall. Through 25 games, the Jets have already used 10 different blueliners Heinola times his passes with the brilliant precision of a perfect and one of them, 18-year-old Ville Heinola, has been reassigned to trampoline villain.” Finland to play in his home country for one more season before he becomes a regular in North America. I asked a scout about this zany theory, framing it in terms of how Heinola’s brain processes time. He agreed, so at least I’ve got that going Heinola had some impressive moments before heading back to Finland, for me as far as bold Finnish predictions go. scoring his first NHL goal, collecting five points in eight games and averaging 18 minutes of ice time per game as he provided a glimpse of Overall, I feel like I’m close here — but a win depends on Niku. what is to come from the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Wiebe No. 5: Connor Hellebuyck will start fewer than 60 games (and Dustin Byfuglien remains on the suspended list, with a grievance officially that’s OK) filed and a showdown coming between the NHL and NHLPA.

The Jets No. 1 netminder has been the most important player on the Byfuglien had surgery and isn’t expected to be an option for at least roster so far and his brilliant play is the reason the team finds itself above several more months, so the Jets aren’t expecting him to come in and be the playoff line in the Western Conference. a saviour.

When backup Laurent Brossoit started the second and third games of the Maurice has said on several occasions that some of the defensive season, my prediction figured to be a safe one. metrics have improved since last season.

However, the message Maurice sent was clearly received and The numbers support the theory to a degree, though the Jets need to Hellebuyck put a subpar performance in the opener against the New remain committed as a five-man unit in order to help improve some of the York Rangers in the rearview mirror. underlying numbers.

Hellebuyck has been a workhorse, starting 19 of 25 games and making In-zone coverage remains an area the Jets are working on and while one relief appearance when Brossoit cramped up last week against the there has been some improvement, there are plenty of games when shot Columbus Blue Jackets and was unable to finish the game. quality and shot volume allowed is too high.

Some of that was schedule-related, but much of it was a byproduct of two Neal Pionk has been excellent in coming over in the deal with the New things: the margin for error is slim and Hellebuyck is playing at an elite York Rangers for Jacob Trouba; he’s averaging just under 23 minutes level. per game.

Brossoit’s numbers are skewed somewhat by allowing seven goals Tucker Poolman is showing some confidence in his first extended NHL against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the back end of games on look with big minutes and is adapting pretty well on the top pairing with consecutive days in October, but he’s shown signs of getting back to the Josh Morrissey. level he played at last season. Nathan Beaulieu has been limited to six games, thanks to a pair of Brossoit figures to be a bit busier in the coming weeks, but as it stands suspected hand/wrist injuries, but was starting to find his groove before right now, Hellebuyck is on target to start somewhere around 60-to-65 leaving the game against the Blue Jackets. games. The Jets added two D-men off waivers in Luca Sbisa and Carl Dahlstrom Hellebuyck has taken care of the other part of the prediction with relative and right now, Sbisa is doing a nice job on the third pair and on the ease, as his save percentage is .930 (which is higher than the .924 mark penalty kill. he posted when he was the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy) and his goals-against average is 2.34 (or just under the 2.36 he recorded in Sami Niku remains in the American Hockey League after missing most of 2017-18) training camp and the preseason with injuries, but he’s been producing points and is working hard to earn a recall. As it stands, Hellebuyck is not only making a case to be the top goalie, he would be in the discussion for the Hart Trophy through the first quarter Once Niku rejoins the Jets, the goal for the organization is for him to and change. remain in the NHL for good.

Hellebuyck is going to stay busy, but the Jets need to sprinkle in enough Ates No. 8: Paul Maurice will coach the full season doses of Brossoit to keep their starter fresh during the stretch run. Paul Maurice is now the second-longest-tenured coach in the NHL. His Ates No. 6: Dustin Byfuglien will come back — but not for a good, long team is among the hottest in the NHL, having gone 7-2-1 in its past 10 while games and, however Hellebuyckian the reasons for the team’s success are, Winnipeg has 31 points in the bank. Back when we made our bold predictions, Byfuglien was merely “contemplating his future.” There was no talk of ankle surgery, recovery I was confident about Maurice coaching the full season back in time, or the possibility that health would keep him out for most of the September — back when a top six that depended on Nathan Beaulieu, season. Tucker Poolman, Anthony Bitetto, and Dmitry Kulikov threatened to send the Jets stumbling out of the gate. The 5-on-5 results (22nd in shot I’m still technically on track for this prediction but I do wonder about it. attempt percentage, 31st in expected goals percentage) are poor while The original idea was that yes, Byfuglien could happily retire to a life of the special teams are both bottom-10. Still, the Jets are winning and fishing and fatherhood but that he’d eventually get hungry for hockey. that’s far and away the most important thing for a coach’s job. There have been too many big hits, big goals, and big grins and there The strengths are there. Maurice has taught and implemented new remains too much talent for the game. I believed that he would eventually schemes in the offensive zone and neutral zone. You can see Winnipeg’s miss playing enough to try his hand at a comeback. F3 back off high above the circles in the offensive zone. You can see the Now there is the matter of his recovery from ankle surgery (sometime in aggressive pinch along the wall being cut out of Winnipeg’s game so that the new year), his return to fitness (sometime after that), the NHLPA the forwards and defencemen can be in better positions at the Jets blue grievance of his suspension, and whatever personal feelings originally line. The zone entry prevention has been a little bit better as a led to Byfuglien considering retirement. It would appear as though the percentage and the rush chances against are down. This only happens odds are building against this prediction but I am not deterred. when a coach teaches and players listen.

I stand by my preseason boldness. The weaknesses are there, too. The Jets have taken offence out of their game to facilitate all of the extra coverage and backpressure. They still Wiebe No. 7: The Jets defence corps will be better than most people spend enough time in their own zone to give up the most expected goals think against per 60 minutes in the league. Some of this is personnel-based — the defensive group above faced injuries, leading to waiver claims of Carl Dahlstrom and Luca Sbisa — and some of it is by design. And of course, #freeNiku movement, this is your cue.

As soon as the team starts winning while carrying the flow of play at 5- on-5 or producing excellent special teams results, all of this harping about sustainability will go out the window.

Until then, all of the existing wins mean that this prediction is right on track.

Wiebe No. 9: The Jets will face the Dallas Stars in the first round

With 57 games still to go, it’s far too early to look at potential first-round matchups.

But my belief was that the Jets and their talented core would find a way to sneak into the Stanley Cup playoffs and to this point, they’ve mostly done their part to remain in position to challenge to do so with a record of 15-9-1.

If the season ended today, the Jets would be in third place in the Central Division and they’d open the postseason in Dallas against the Stars.

Full disclosure, I was banking on the Jets sneaking into the playoffs as a wild-card team and that the Stars would win the division.

The most impressive thing is that the Stars are battling for first place once again after limping out of the gate with a 1-7-1 start before getting on a serious roll.

The other interesting thing about the Central Division is that the St. Louis Blues are showing no signs of the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover and are sitting in top spot.

Things are so tight in the West that one losing streak could push the Jets right past the wild card and outside the playoff line, so let’s see where things stand at the midway point.

Ates No. 10: The Jets won’t make the playoffs (but if they do, they’re winning at least one round)

When the season began, I saw the Jets as a wild card playoff team — with Byfuglien in the lineup. When Ken beat me to the punch on picking a Byfuglien-less playoff spot (bolder, in my opinion, than guessing at a miss) I had to find a way to stay true to my gut.

What would it take for a team whose defence consisted of Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk, and a whole host of players who had never particularly succeeded above a third-pairing role to make the playoffs?

Something spectacular, I thought.

“If Winnipeg does make the playoffs, they’ll have done so by playing the right way. They’ll have done so on the backs of a resurgent Wheeler and Scheifele, or on continued progression from Connor or a bounceback from Laine. They’ll have done it because Hellebuyck returned to top tier form or because of some combination of all of the above.”

Wheeler has been rejuvenated on the second line, where he along with Nik Ehlers and Jack Roslovic genuinely drive play. Scheifele is sitting on 23 points in 25 games. Connor is at 20 points, while Laine has done more than bounce back — he’s found another level to his all-around game and has scored almost twice as many 5-on-5 points per minute as he did one year ago.

And Hellebuyck? Why, he’s quite simply been the team’s MVP.

Here’s where I was wrong. Originally, I thought the question would be about the Jets outscoring their defensive issues. Instead, Hellebuyck has been out-saving them. So far so good, but getting shelled at 5-on-5 isn’t usually a particularly sustainable recipe for success.

For what it’s worth, Dom Luszczyszyn’s model has the Jets at almost exactly 50 percent to hold onto their playoff spot. This prediction — and the bolder one: a series win — will come down to the wire.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163833 Vancouver Canucks opposition from getting their own quality shots that the game has been a 50-50 proposition while they’re on the ice.

In fact, Beagle has been a touch unlucky: the Canucks are shooting just Patrick Johnston: November numbers reflect real reasons to worry for 4.4 per cent with him on the ice. His line is due a goal or three. cooled-off Canucks His absence over the past two weeks has been felt, forcing captain to take on heavier even-strength assignments than he had been with Beagle in the lineup, especially with the absence of Brandon Sutter, PATRICK JOHNSTON who may not be suited to play a shutdown role but has generally been preferred to Horvat in that role. November 28, 2019 2:15 PM PST 63.9

Now, admittedly, this is only from six games. And also, admittedly, it’s far The Canucks burst out of the gates to start the NHL season. Now they've above his historic average. hit some big bumps in the road. Some numbers reveal why they've cooled off But yes, that’s Sven Baertschi’s shot-attempts-for percentage while he was on the ice for the Canucks during his recent call-up. Travis Green is, and isn’t, a numbers guy. The Swiss winger was often deployed on Adam Gaudette’s wing. He The Vancouver Canucks coach definitely wants to see positive numbers clicked well with the sophomore centre. He also played with Horvat and from how he’s deploying his NHL team. You’ll often hear him mention he clicked there, too. vital stats such as scoring chances or shot attempts during post-game scrums. But the real story would seem to lie here: zero. There were literally zero goals scored by the Canucks while Baertschi was on the ice at even There’s no denying the bench boss knows the numbers reflect a lot of strength. what his team is doing, or isn’t doing. For the most part, he’s not one to argue with the numbers. That’s bad puck luck. It’s also a results-based business. Baertschi may have played well, but it seems his timing was off. The Canucks would be He knows teams that outshoot the opposition tend to win more. But he right to give him another look. also knows that not every shot is taken the same way. 82.2 “I don’t coach by analytics … but they can provide justice,” he said before the Canucks left on their six-game road trip, one that has seen them After a strong start to the season killing penalties, the Canucks are now keep their head just above water in the Pacific Division playoff race, even sitting 15th overall in the league. They have one of the NHL’s best if it has been ugly at times. power-play units, but with them likely chasing one of the Western Conference’s wild-card playoff berths — they hold third in the Pacific, but Over the season’s first month, the Canucks were flying high. Much of the Golden Knights and Flames are hot on their tail — every part of their their good play was built on real things, like playing in the offensive zone game matters. more than the defensive zone and also being good at disrupting the opposition’s efforts to carry the puck unhindered through the neutral The last thing they’ll want is to miss the playoffs because their penalty kill zone. faltered at a key moment.

But times change. The Canucks have seen a real shift in their November #Canucks Quinn Hughes records his 3rd game with 3 assists this numbers. season. The only rookie defenceman with more in a season in #NHL history is Ray Bourque in 1979-80 (4). pic.twitter.com/j3a6EnB3Vf— Some of that is due to the opposition being tougher. Some of that is a Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 28, 2019 result of injury at centre ice. And some of that, no doubt, is about teams starting to build a book on what the Canucks are doing in their 4 deployments, their pairings, their focus on zone exits and other small tactical nuances. But let’s end on a positive note: Quinn Hughes has recorded three assists in a game three times this season. With that in mind, let’s delve into the Canucks’ data through nearly two months of hockey: The NHL record for three-assist games by a rookie defencemen is four, a mark set by Ray Bourque 40 years ago. 54 Now that’s a heady number. Give or take, that’s the break-even number of shot attempts for a team in a game.

For the first month of the season, the Canucks were riding high. They Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.29.2019 were well above that mark, sometimes even surging above 70 shot attempts per game. It was a reflection of the high-pressure, high-tempo game they were playing.

But since roughly game 20 on their schedule, they’ve seen their own shot-attempts sink well below break-even, while yielding far more to the opposition.

That’s a deadly reversal: they were doing a great job of limiting opposition shots through the season’s first 15 games or so, but it’s fair to say much of this switch is because of struggles disrupting the faster opponents they’ve faced this month.

October saw the Canucks play the league’s easiest schedule in terms of travel and quality of opponent. November has been a near reversal.

49.9

That’s the share of expected goals for the Canucks are managing, a measurement of shot quality, while Jay Beagle has been on the ice this season.

That’s a remarkable figure for a centre who has mainly deployed against the opposition’s top scoring lines. Beagle’s line doesn’t get many shots of their own, but they’ve been doing such a good job at stopping the 1163834 Vancouver Canucks Sedlbauer set a team scoring record last season when he notched 40 goals, but since coming to Vancouver five years ago as a second-round draft choice his play has been characterized as inconsistent. He was a star one game and a detriment the next. Canucks at 50: When scorer Sedlbauer got sent to the Hawks for some muscle Ron Sedlbauer takes a twirl on the ice at practice during the 1974-75 season, his rookie campaign with the Canucks. The big winger was the team’s first pick, going in the second round (23rd overall) in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. Bill Cunningham/Province / PNG files STAFF REPORTER Several times this season Neale had criticized Sedlbauer’s lack of November 28, 2019 1:17 PM PST defensive play. “We’ve still got a couple of one-way players and we’re not going to be any good until we get rid of them or they change their ways,” Neale said. In their first eight years in the NHL, the Canucks lacked star power, particularly up front. That seemed to have changed with Ron Sedlbauer However Sedlbauer should provide the Hawks with some badly-needed scoring punch. Chicago has scored only 84 times in 32 games and has In the 1978-79 season Rod Sedlbauer become the first Vancouver crept to within two points of Vancouver in the Smythe Division largely Canuck to hit the 40-goal mark. In their first eight years of NHL existence, because of the play of goalkeeper Tony Esposito. the Canucks had lacked star power, in particular at the forward positions. The Canucks goaltenders of the 1970s — Gary Smith, Curt Ridley, Sedlbauer said goodbye to his teammates, with whom he was very Cesare Maniago — had always been the stars, so to have Sedlbauer popular. crack the 40-goal barrier was finally a mark of some offensive star power. “Chicago needs someone to loosen them up. They don’t seem to have In bringing you these stories from our archives we are highlighting the much personality. I guess I’ll just have to lead them into first place over tales our sportswriters were telling at the time. However, when Sedlbauer the Canucks,” Sedlbauer joked. scored his 40th goal, The Province and the Vancouver Sun were in the midst of an eight-month strike. Here we feature the pre-season outlook “We need goal scorers and Ron had 40 last year,” said Hawks general following Sedlbauer’s landmark season, and the reaction to his shock manager Bob Pulford. “We hate to give up quality players like Logan and trade early in the next season. Phillipoff, but in order to acquire a goal scorer of Sedlbauer’s calibre you have to give up something of value.” Tony Gallagher of The Province wrote:

“Ron Sedlbauer: Many observers thought his 40 goals were a fluke last year but they should consider the fact he missed enough chances to get Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.29.2019 80 goals. He has great natural ability and he is motivated by a one-year contract — at his request. But as (GM Harry) Neale is always pointing out, and Sedlbauer knows himself, he must remember what gets him the chances, things like fore-checking and hard work. If he remembers, he’ll get 40 goals again. If he forgets, he’s third on the trade list.”

As it turns out, Sedlbauer must have forgot. On Friday, Dec. 21, 1979 he was traded to Chicago. The Province wrote:

The Canucks received defenceman Dave Logan and left winger Harold Phillipoff in return for Sedlbauer, a 40-goal scorer last season. Both players are expected to join the Canucks for Wednesday’s game at the Coliseum against Moscow Dynamo.

“Chicago got the best of the deal,” quipped Sedlbauer when informed of the trade on Friday morning. “The trade is probably best for everyone concerned.”

The Blackhawks hope that Sedlbauer can regain his scoring eye. They are the lowest scoring team in the NHL with 84 goals in 32 games.

Sedlbauer, 25, had 10 goals in 32 games this season for Vancouver, down from 22 goals at the same time the previous year. He was a second-round draft pick in 1974 from , and his 40 goals last season set a club single-season record.”

Canucks winger Ron Sedlbauer (left) jams the net, avoiding a crosscheck from Minnesota North Stars blueliner Fred Barrett, while Sedlbauer’s former Canucks teammate Gary Smith stops the shot during their April 1977 NHL game at the Pacific Coliseum. Deni Eagland/Vancouver Sun / PNG files

Archie McDonald of the Vancouver Sun was with the Canucks in Landover, Md., when the team made the trade, sending a 40-goal scorer in 1978-79 to Chicago for a pair of players with two goals between them in the same season. Phillipoff never played a game for the Canucks. McDonald wrote:

“Vancouver Canucks exchanged scoring strength for muscle power today as they traded left winger Ron Sedlbauer for defenceman Dave Logan and left winger Harold Phillipoff.

Logan and Phillipoff have both seen limited action this season with the Hawks, the lowest-scoring team in the National Hockey League, but they fit into the physical mold of Canucks coach Harry Neale. In both cases their most impressive statistic is their penalty minutes.

“We’ll have to wait and see if it is a good trade or not,” said Neale. But we are getting a defenceman who plays abrasively and a winger who showed considerable promise when he first came into the league.” 1163835 Vancouver Canucks Sedlbauer’s magical season was also about coach Harry Neale allowing the kid he had been in junior to just go out and do this thing. The Canucks were so bad no one raised an eyebrow that Sedlbauer had a team worst minus-34 rating to go with those 40 goals. Canucks at 50: Lordy, lordy, Sedlbauer didn't expect to score 40 And he had 15 goals on the power play – fourth best in the NHL that season — and also killed penalties.

BEN KUZMA “I never really thought of myself as having goal-scoring skills with a great shot or puck-handling — I was a little better than mediocre in those November 28, 2019 12:09 PM PST aspects,” said Sedlbauer. “My biggest ally and my biggest downfall was my confidence.

Canucks winger Ron Sedlbauer celebrates after scoring against Boston “When I had it, and that year I had it a lot a lot of the time, I just thought I Bruins goalie Dave Reece while defenceman Brad Park — in his first could do anything. I cracked a rib sometime late January or early game as a Bruin after a blockbuster trade from the New York Rangers — February playing against L.A. It really slowed me down and I’m not sure if looks on during a Nov. 10, 1975 NHL game at the Pacific Coliseum. I should have even been playing. I didn’t get the 40th goal until the last game of the year. If I didn’t get hurt, who knows how many I would have Canucks winger Ron Sedlbauer celebrates after scoring against Boston scored.” Bruins goalie Dave Reece while defenceman Brad Park — in his first game as a Bruin after a blockbuster trade from the New York Rangers — That doesn’t surprise teammate Stan Smyl. looks on during a Nov. 10, 1975 NHL game at the Pacific Coliseum. Dan “He was a power forward but he was inconsistent,” Smyl said of his Scott/Vancouver Sun / PNG files teammate. “And with some players, that’s just the way it is. Some nights, 'After four years in the league with mixed success and a few injuries here it just wasn’t working for him and when those nights were there, he was and there … that year it just seemed to happen. I was ready, I guess you very noticeable. could say' “He had a great release and scored some pretty goals, but he also got Ron Sedlbauer knows he was the unlikely author of a defining chapter in dirty. He went to those areas in which you had to pay a price to get those Canucks franchise history. goals. A number went off his leg or his butt, but it’s not like you’re getting an easy goal.” The winger was the first to reach the 40-goal plateau with an unexpected offensive explosion for the Vancouver Canucks in the 1978-79 season. Sedlbauer benefited from being a line with right-shot linemate Chris And he’s the first to wonder how it all unfolded — especially as the NHL Oddleifsson because as a left shot, he was often fed the puck in prime club celebrates its 50th anniversary — because the remarkable scoring areas. He wasn’t a puck hog, he just got good passes and had accomplishment easily trumped a mediocre 25-42-13 season for the good finish. Smythe Division club. “He could handle the puck with speed,” said teammate Thomas Gradin. “I haven’t figured it out yet,” Sedlbauer chuckled during a revealing “Some guys, when they start handling the puck, they stop skating. And interview from his Burlington, Ont. home. “I was on a version of my option that made it easier for him because the defence wasn’t really used to it.” (contract) year. Whether it was coincidence or whatever, I prepared before the season more intensely than I ever had. Vancouver Province: LOADED: 11.29.2019 “I don’t know if it was so much me, or out of necessity. Guys showed up at camps in the ’70s to get in shape. And they lost jobs to guys who showed up in shape. I’m pretty sure — regardless of how early I got drafted (second round, 23rd overall in 1974) — that I went that route, too. I took somebody’s place.

“After four years in the league with mixed success and a few injuries here and there — and getting stopped dead in my tracks when I thought it was looking good — that year it just seemed to happen. I was ready, I guess you could say.”

Sedlbauer was never a hired gun. He didn’t even score 30 goals in junior. The 6-3, 185-pound left-winger did tease of potential with 29 goals for the Kitchener Rangers, but his NHL totals with Vancouver, Chicago and Toronto were more those of a grinder than a sniper: 3, 19,18,18, 40, 10, 13, 12, 10.

In fact, a thriving business was making more headlines.

Canucks rookie winger Ron Sedlbauer walks through Vancouver International Airport on April 23, 1975, during the team’s return from Montreal, where the Canucks were eliminated from the NHL playoffs in five games by the Canadiens. John Denniston/Province / PNG files

Arriving from Czechoslovakia in 1948, family members worked for a shoe company. The entrepreneurial spirit struck when a factory in Burlington that made parachutes during the Second World War was becoming extinct. However, the heavy fabric for parachutes was perfect for shoes and especially winter boots, and Cougar Shoes was launched.

Sedlbauer and his brothers are partners and even his 92-year-old mother still pops into the shop to keep an eye on her boys. That’s a pretty good story. So is Sedlbauer. He looked more suited for football than hockey.

“I may not have taken myself as seriously as I should have because I never thought of myself as a seriously good hockey player,” admitted Sedlbauer. “When I got drafted to OHL in the 23rd round, I told my football coach in high school to keep my number — I’lll be back. But I never came back.” 1163836 Vancouver Canucks All told, this is an encouraging cohort to be a part of when breaking things down. At the upper end, you’ve got Derek Stepan and Nick Schmaltz who are each top-six centres. After that, you have Joe Colborne, who was a solid middle-six contributor with a 40-point season Canucks prospect Tyler Madden is producing like a first-round pick but under his belt before his career was cut short by a concussion. Nick how high is his NHL ceiling? Bjugstad has notched at least 30 points in four seasons. Devin Shore has seen his offensive profile deteriorate, but he’s 25-years-old with two 30-

point seasons to his name. By Harman Dayal The only players on the list who aren’t regular NHLers are Kenny Nov 28, 2019 Agostino and Zac Dalpe. Once we exclude those two, we’re looking at a group that’s averaged 0.46 points per game in the NHL during their careers — good for a 38 point per 82 game clip. In other words, Madden’s statistical profile would suggest he has a good chance of Tyler Madden’s seen a meteoric rise in his stock since being drafted 68th graduating to the big leagues and if he does, the average outcome fits overall in 2018 by the Vancouver Canucks. that of a quality middle-six forward. He turned heads in his freshman season for Northeastern University in If there’s a caveat amidst all this it’s that Madden’s on the older side the NCAA when he notched 28 points in 36 games, a campaign that also relative to his cohort. Born in November, he was more than sixth months featured a prominent role for the United States at the World Junior older than Stepan, Bjugstad and Shore when they played collegiately. Six Championships. Scouts around the league took notice — Madden was months might not seem like a big difference, but when we’re talking ranked the 59th best prospect in hockey by Corey Pronman this about teenaged prospects, a lot of physiological growth and development September and before that, a panel of scouts re-did the 2018 Draft for can take place during this period. The Hockey News where the Florida native went in the first round. Coincidentally, it’s Adam Gaudette who serves as the closest The hype has only grown since and justifiably so. comparable of any player to Madden. There are qualitative factors such After going pointless in his first three games of the season, Madden’s as the belief that they’re both late bloomers who had underwhelming caught fire with 11 goals and 19 points in his last 11 contests — tied for numbers in their draft year. Both, of course, went through Northeastern’s the NCAA lead in goals. Among the top-five point producers, he’s the program — scoring at a solid pace during their first season before taking youngest of the bunch in having just turned 20-years-old earlier this off in their sophomore campaign. Gaudette, like Madden, was also one of month. the older players in the group — the former had already turned 20-years- old by the Sept. 15th cut off (Madden was 19.9 years old) when he began Suffice to say, Madden is building an impressive NCAA resume. What college hockey in his draft+1 campaign. does it suggest about his potential NHL impact? Let’s find out. The one yellow flag with Gaudette’s profile was that 45 percent of his If we take a step back and put Madden’s freshman season production points came on the man advantage during his time in the NCAA. Power- into context, you’ll note that many players with similar offensive profiles play production doesn’t translate to the NHL as well because you’re went on to become legitimate NHLers. unlikely to get those same opportunities at the highest level unless you’re Madden scored 0.77 points per game last season so I compiled a list of a star. In Madden’s case, he was a solid even-strength scorer in his college forwards drafted in the last decade who produced between 0.67- freshman season, although eight of his 19 points (42 percent) have come 0.87 points per game in their freshman season (exempting recent on the power play so far this year. It’s not a concern by any means, but draftees who are still developing). Scoring varies slightly from conference I’ll be keeping my eye on how Madden continues producing at 5-on-5. to conference (kind of like the CHL leagues) so ideally, you’d adjust for Scouting report that, but the raw totals are enough to give us a general sense of how his profile stacks up against former college prospects. The knock on Madden since he’s been drafted is his slight frame — 5- foot-11 and listed at just 152 pounds according to Elite Prospects. You’ll note that 12 out of the 28 (43 percent) comparable players have There’s no doubt that he’ll need to pack on weight which could mean a already hit or are well on their way to reaching 200 NHL games — the more gradual eventual climb through the professional ranks, but it’s been criteria most use to define the graduation of a bona fide NHL player. impressive how he’s managed to find ways to overcome that in the It might be disappointing to see that there aren’t too many high-end NCAA. producers among the bunch, but there’s a reason for that. The truth is Madden is elusive, shifty laterally and has excellent hands that make him that most top-six forwards that come out of the NCAA are scoring at a an absolute handful to defend against in 1-on-1 situations. He’s a point-per-game or better clip in their first season after getting drafted. creative mover and isn’t afraid to pull out flashy but functional dekes to Outliers like Kyle Palmieri and Chris Kreider certainly exist, but you can get around his opponents. Add that ability on top of the poise he shows see just how many impact NHL forwards dominated college hockey in with the puck and you have a player who can create passing and their first season — something Madden couldn’t quite do. This isn’t shooting lanes when much doesn’t seem available. meant as a slight — he’s trending much better than you’d expect from a Take the goal below, for example. third-round pick — it’s just crucial to introduce this context to keep expectations in check. Madden’s 1-on-1 against a defender who has the middle protected. He has no shooting lane and the fact that he’s the only one up in the play Madden’s sophomore season put in context means that he doesn’t have a viable passing option. That changes, The one thing you’ll notice as you follow the career trajectory of however, when Madden drags the puck onto his forehand and opens his Madden’s draft+1 comparables is that their sophomore season body to buy time so that he can allow his teammate to catch up. A foreshadowed quite a bit with respect to their NHL chances. Those that sequence like this is also a testament to the impressive level at which he stumbled in their development and either plateaued or worse yet, processes the game offensively. regressed after not dominating in their first seasons, were in tough to The finesse and boldness in his game have become more and more carve out a path to the big leagues. Meanwhile, those that took prominent this season. significant steps forward found themselves in more exclusive company. This skill set is a big reason why Madden can create space for himself — Out of Madden’s 22 scoring comparables, just eight went on to eclipse tied for tenth in the NCAA in averaging 4.0 shots per game. That same the point-per-game mark in their second NCAA campaign. creativity with the puck can be a double-edged sword, however, and his It remains to be seen if Madden is still part of this group by season’s end, decision-making with possession will need to improve. but I’d be surprised if he didn’t eclipse 1.00 points per game after starting Sometimes it’s hanging onto the puck too long and other times it’s forcing with 19 in 14 games. Should he get there, this group would include the the matter. Madden has an exciting offensive toolkit, but as he continues closest matches as far as NCAA prospects when considering both developing, refinement will be important so that he becomes a player that Madden’s freshman and sophomore years. coaches can trust at all times at the pro level. Despite being smaller in stature, Madden is highly competitive and displays a commendable work rate. He hounds any loose pucks, relishes battles and has edge and emotion to his game. Madden is similar to a player like Troy Stecher in that he plays beyond his size and is stronger on his skates than many might believe. He isn’t afraid to go to the net and is smart in how he can find the soft spots in the defence’s coverage — the majority of his goals coming close to the net as opposed to the perimeter.

Strength and more disciplined puck management are things that will come with age and experience, but another facet that will be important to add is a little bit more explosiveness to his stride. As it stands, Madden’s already improved his skating quite a bit since his draft year and it enables him to be elusive, but you’d like to see more separation in his first couple of gears for him to thrive as an undersized player.

If he can add that to his already crafty skill set, the Canucks could very well be looking at a future top-nine forward.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163837 Vancouver Canucks with the puck as much as we were and guys are getting different offensive zone starts than they were.

“Sometimes that’s hard to see for people on the outside, but we know as How injuries to Brandon Sutter and Jay Beagle have drastically shifted hockey guys that it makes a big difference. A little edge here and there the way Vancouver deploys its lineup adds up sometimes. So that’s part of it and we need to play a little better too”

While historically Beagle and Sutter haven’t moved the river themselves, By Thomas Drance Green suggests that they do a variety of key, subtle things – like winning draws and being reliable veterans who he trusts defensively – that create Nov 28, 2019 more favourable circumstances for the club’s more prolific, impactful play driving pieces.

The Vancouver Canucks wasted a three-goal third-period lead with 15 “I think about the night that I played Beagle against a top line and then it minutes to play. freed up another line to play against someone different. Bo was playing against someone else that night and there’s a trickle-down effect in that,” Facing a barrage of pucks and incredible pressure from a dynamic Green elaborated. “We don’t do it every night, but we have options.” Pittsburgh Penguins side, Vancouver surrendered four unanswered goals and the lead, before pulling their goalie. Pittsburgh then added a fifth goal If we check out how Vancouver’s centremen have fared individually by with .2 seconds remaining. Salt in the wound. shot-attempt percentage over a similar five-game moving average, it’s clear that Horvat and Pettersson have struggled relative to their October Canucks captain Bo Horvat might’ve had one of his toughest two-way successes over the past two weeks, following the injuries to Beagle and games of the season, at least by the underlying numbers. Certainly, he Sutter in mid-November: played without the puck all game. (Courtesy MoneyPuck.com) And yet Horvat was on the ice for precisely zero of Pittsburgh’s goals over the latter 15 minutes, save for the final fraction of a second. Pulling back the curtain on overall deployment and setting Nov. 12th as the delineating date between Sutter and Beagle being healthy, and Sutter As Pittsburgh began to push, as the crowd at PPG Paints Arena turned and Beagle leaving the lineup, creates some stark splits when it comes to up the volume and as the pressure mounted, it wasn’t Horvat’s line on Horvat’s overall deployment. the ice when the Canucks surrendered their crucial goals against. Going into Wednesday night’s game against the Penguins (all-time on ice “We had a young group of forwards playing who’d never been in a data excludes Wednesday night’s contest), the first-year Canucks scenario like that in the NHL, maybe ever,” Canucks coach Travis Green captain had gone from playing 14:23 per game at even-strength through said. “And then it felt like we couldn’t make a play, we lost some puck Nov. 12th, to playing 17:03 per game at even-strength since. He’s played battles in our own zone …” an extra minute-and-a-half on the penalty kill per game. Horvat’s overall minutes’ burden has jumped from a tick more than 19 minutes per game The series of events underlined the challenges facing Green and the to over 23:48, a number which leads all Canucks skaters – including Canucks at the moment. defencemen. Green isn’t a coach who tends to just roll four lines. He shortens his And it’s not just how much Horvat is playing, it’s also where he’s being bench situationally and he tends to work to try and get his top players – used that’s changed significantly. Over the past seven games, Horvat particularly the Pettersson line and the Horvat line – out for some shifts has started in the defensive end for a faceoff nearly nine times per game against bottom-six competition where possible. at 5-on-5. In the 18 games before getting injured, that number was 4.2. As a result of injuries to Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter, that’s become Without Sutter and Beagle, Horvat’s defensive zone usage has untenable. effectively doubled. Vancouver hasn’t dealt with significant, star-level injuries this season On Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, the Canucks surrendered two goals and, of course, injuries are a fact of life for teams in the NHL. No one can against off of defensive zone draws – one following an icing, one in a 4- credibly argue that injuries affected Vancouver unduly in a game against on-4 situation. Both draws were taken by Gaudette, who otherwise had a a Pittsburgh team missing the best hockey-playing human of the past very strong game, both offensively and in terms of his two-way play. decade in Sidney Crosby. By games end, Horvat had taken seven defensive zone faceoffs at 5-on- Still, from a Canucks perspective, some of the club’s depth forward 5. The other three Canucks lines combined for just five. injuries and particularly the injuries to two key, veteran pivots have undermined the versatility of the roster when it comes to deployments With Horvat as Vancouver’s only trusted matchup centremen, Green just and the matchup game. doesn’t have many options in that regard. Green wouldn’t be able to dictate matchups on the road anyway, but now he just has to eat what Without Beagle and Sutter in the lineup, Vancouver has been left with he’s fed by the home coach. That means a lot more strength-on-strength little option besides leaning on Horvat significantly as a penalty killer and for the Pettersson line and fewer minutes against bottom-six competition a matchup centre at even-strength. The burden has perhaps been too for Vancouver’s top-six forwards. significant. To better illustrate how Horvat and Pettersson’s deployment has It’s a situation that’s been on Green’s mind for a while. He spoke changed over the past two weeks, I enlisted Micah Blake McCurdy of following the 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars last week about how the club HockeyViz.com, who was kind enough to customize some graphs using was missing players who played a more “direct” style of game. It was a this Nov. 12th demarcation point for us. statement that seemed odd at the time. In a vacuum — and compared to a Stars team missing a first-pair calibre defencemen in John Klingberg A lot is going on visually here, so we’ll begin with a primer. The top from their lineup — it was tough to square how exactly Vancouver had portion of the graph represents forwards and the bottom part represents sustained the sort of injuries that could reasonably be said to have defencemen. The left side of the graph represents Horvat’s ice time and materially weakened their club. At least relative to what occurs in the most common line-mates, while the right side of the graph represents the ordinary course over the grind of an NHL season. quality of competition. That right side is crucial and what we’re going to be most focused on. As the six-game road trip has unfolded though, Vancouver’s 5-on-5 form, their ability to control play, has been severely diminished. A club that had The numbers are broken down 1-12, representing the forwards on the been formidable, able to generate zone time and consistently lay waste opposition team sorted by ice time played in Canucks games. There’s to opponents territorially, was all of a sudden being outshot and out- also a red line that runs across the bar graph, which indicates the league chanced with stunning regularity. average deployment for each matchup.

“It’s a bit different without those two big centremen who are veteran guys On the left side of the graphic below, for example, we can see that who also win faceoffs,” Green said on Wednesday morning of Sutter and Horvat – before the Sutter and Beagle injuries – has most often been Beagle’s absence impacting the club’s 5-on-5 play. “So we’re not starting Vancouver’s most frequently used forward and he’s primarily spent the bulk of his ice time with top-six quality linemates. On the left side we can see that Horvat faced top-line competition more often than league average, Green also managed to find him an above league average level of ice time against third-line competition:

Now you can see how those results change after Nov. 12th. Horvat is playing a more extreme minutes burden – especially relative to his teammates – and he’s facing a much steadier diet of top-of-the-lineup competition. Over the past two weeks there’s been no opponent’s depth line that Horvat is facing at a rate above league average:

While the Horvat example is more extreme, large portions of this also hold true for Pettersson. Pettersson’s ice time is up nearly a-minute-and- a-half at even-strength since Sutter and Beagle got injured and he’s playing just a tick under 20 minutes per game.

In terms of teammates and competition prior to the Sutter and Beagle injuries, you can see that Pettersson played exclusively with the Canucks’ other best forwards. Pettersson saw a lot of the opponent’s absolute best player, but Green managed to find Pettersson an above league average rate of ice time against the fifth, seventh, eighth and tenth best opposition forwards:

Since the Sutter and Beagle injuries, you can see that Pettersson is most often the third or fourth most used Canucks forward on a game-by-game basis at 5-on-5 (Miller and Boeser are slightly ahead of him), and he’s playing slightly more regularly with middle-six calibre teammates.

On the opposition side, Pettersson is seeing somewhat fewer tough matchups actually, but he’s also seeing a steadier diet of second-line competition, with somewhat less time spent against opponent’s bottom six:

The shift in Pettersson’s quality of linemates is almost entirely attributed to the club’s decision to break up the Lotto Line and put Miller with Horvat. The idea is at least to give Horvat a fighting chance.

While Beagle hasn’t skated since the Nashville game, the Canucks continue to insist that he’s day-to-day. He was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday. Sutter practiced with the team as a full participant on Tuesday in Pittsburgh and would seem to be getting close.

While Beagle and Sutter’s contributions to the Canucks have often been subtle and even derided by many observers in the Vancouver market, on this team, the way it’s been deployed so far this season, it does seem that their presence permits Pettersson and Horvat to be used in an optimal fashion.

While neither Beagle nor Sutter is likely to be confused as game- breakers, the trust they’ve earned from Canucks coaches and the thankless way they’re deployed gives the team more options. In subtle ways, it results in easier sledding for Horvat and Pettersson at 5-on-5, at the very least, something Vancouver’s top two centremen were able to take full advantage of earlier in the season.

The Athletic LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163838 Websites "At one point we have to take matters in hand here as a group and we’ve got to fix those things," he said. "And as long as we don’t play better defensively, things aren’t going to get fixed. So we’ve got to make sure we think about keeping the puck out of our net. Before we think about Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens must follow Claude Julien's plan to break free scoring four or five goals a game, we need to fix that first." from losing streak When the Canadiens arrive at their south shore practice facility on Friday, when they pour over the tape from Thursday’s game against New Jersey, it’s all going to be reinforced. Eric Engels | @EricEngels It might even sink in this time around because they’ll be able to say they November 29, 2019, 12:42 AM worked hard but unable to say they worked smart.

"Each loss you have to take what it is and learn from it," said Gallagher. MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens had four goals and 48 shots on "I’ve always been a believer you learn more from a loss than you do from net and lost their sixth consecutive game—this one by a score of 6-4 to a win. If we’re not learning from this, we’re not going to be getting better. the 29th-ranked offensive team in the National Hockey League, the New That’s really all you can do." Jersey Devils. Doing anything else will only produce more losses, and there isn’t a And yes, you might consider this an exaggeration, but they got what they person in the organization who wants that. deserved after making roughly 48 mistakes in the game. You can point at individuals and say they need to be better. There’s Three goals against on Thursday were scored on odd-man rushes. They nothing wrong with that. It starts with the guys who are supposed to be were goals generated by the Devils because the Canadiens got caught Montreal’s best. with three forwards deep in the offensive zone and defencemen pinching Carey Price saved a couple of sure goals on Thursday, and he was beat in and trying to hold the blue line without any back up. They were goals for a couple he had no chance on, but he wasn’t good enough in the borne of bad line changes and bad decision-making. You know, the game and hasn’t been good enough throughout November. Jeff Petry, same type of goals they’ve given up for much of their 25 games. who’s been Montreal’s most reliable defenceman since the start of the But the mistakes have been colossal over Montreal’s last three games, 2017-18 season, is coming off two of his worst performances since he and they’ve been magnified because they were made after three first donned a Canadiens uniform in 2015. Shea Weber, typically a consecutive losses. defensive stalwart, rarely ends up in no man’s land defending a 2-on-1 like he did on New Jersey’s first goal of the game. The numbers bear that out. Victor Mete wasn’t much better against New Jersey. Neither were any of I’m not sure what’s more shocking: That the Canadiens have done Ben Chiarot, Mike Reilly or Brett Kulak. something they’ve never managed before in their 110-year history by giving up 20 goals over three consecutive home games, or that it’s But none of those defencemen can be at their best if the forwards aren’t happened under Claude Julien’s watch. doing what they need to do to keep the opposition from burning up the neutral zone and rocking everyone back on their heels. He’s reputed as a defensive maven. His entire system is predicated on owning the neutral zone on both sides of the puck, and on keeping the Right now the Canadiens all share in the pain. traffic to the outside in the defensive zone. "It sucks," said Gallagher. "I’m not going to lie to you, it’s a terrible The Canadiens are doing none of that right now. feeling. But nobody is going to feel sorry for you."

"I’m frustrated as hell right now, and I’m tired of losing," Julien said after Especially not the Philadelphia Flyers, who visit Montreal to play the the game. Canadiens on Saturday. The Boston Bruins, who beat them 8-1 on Tuesday and will be waiting for them on Sunday, are probably licking And these most recent results—and the identical fashion in which they’ve their chops. been achieved—will inspire a lot of talk around town about removing him as coach. "We need to find solutions and players need to trust that those solutions are the ones that we need," said Julien. Acting on that idea would be a completely misguided measure. Because the players we’ve canvassed over the last number of days haven’t even There’s no other way to go from here. come close to expressing frustration with what they’re being told to do.

They just aren’t doing it. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 As Julien mentioned after Thursday’s game, the Canadiens aren’t playing this badly by design.

Canadiens assistant captain Brendan Gallagher, who scored a goal, had seven shots and 11 attempts and finished minus-2 against the Devils, tried to explain why they’ve strayed from the path they know will generate successful results.

"When things are going wrong, everyone wants to win so bad and at times you try to do a little bit too much," he said. "When we’re going good we kind of just trust each other do our job and trust your teammates are going to do theirs."

But a crisis of confidence is hard to snap out of, and frustration is an impediment to rediscovering that trust.

You have to ask yourself why a team that has had so little issue scoring goals this season, a team that’s very confident in that aspect of its game—the Canadiens have the most goals at 5-on-5 in the NHL—would force things so much on offence that it’s sacrificing defence to the extent that it is.

It really boils down to commitment. It boils down to doing what’s harder to do—buckling down and focusing on defence rather than taking the easy route and trying to out-score their problems.

Julien and his associates know it. 1163839 Websites QUENNEVILLE?! MORE LIKE WINVILLE, AM I RIGHT? 14. Winnipeg Jets

MAKING DO WITH WHATEVER BLUE-LINERS WE GOT LEFT. Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: New Team Slogans Edition 15. Philadelphia Flyers

IF WE’RE BEING COMPLETELY HONEST, WE ARE EQUALLY AS Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox FRIGHTENED BY OUR MASCOT AS YOU ARE. November 28, 2019, 4:00 PM 16. Nashville Predators

JUST WAIT TILL OUR SAVE PERCENTAGE GETS ABOVE .884! When Sheldon Keefe took over the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room, 17. Vancouver Canucks he had the club’s previous slogan — IT’S A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT — removed from the wall. AS LONG AS WE DRAW, LIKE, SIX OR SEVEN POWER PLAYS A GAME, WE’LL BE FINE. “I’ve never been big on slogans, frankly,” Keefe explained. “I have a few ideas bouncing around, and I don’t know whether we’ll get to it this 18. San Jose Sharks season or not. It’s not really on the top of my list right now.” CHILL, DUDE, WE ALWAYS MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. To the contrary, slogans are at the top, the middle and the bottom of our list this week as we unveil our NHL Power Rankings: New Team Slogans 19. New York Rangers Edition. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH HENRIK LUNDQVIST’S HAIR GEL.

We racked up a ton of air miles last night, as we commissioned a group 20. Chicago Blackhawks of interns to visit all 31 NHL dressing rooms and report back with the mottos and memos plastered inside those hallowed walls. Teamwork THE REAL COREY CRAWFORD IS BACK, BABY! makes the dream work. 21. Ottawa Senators As usual, the clubs are listed according to their current strength, while the write-ups are simply the latest slogan we found hanging in their ONCE HIS 21.7 SHOOTING PERCENTAGE LEVELS OFF, WE’LL respective rooms. TOTALLY TRY TO RE-SIGN PAGEAU. PROMISE.

1. 22. Montreal Canadiens

PASS IT TO PASTA. BLEU, BLANC ET ROUGE LIGHTS BURNING THE BACKS OF OUR GOALIES’ NECKS. 2. Washington Capitals 23. Vegas Golden Knights NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF OUR END GOAL: RAMPANT PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS, PREFERABLY IN COMMEMORATIVE FOUNTAINS. THE OTHER TEAM IS SUPPOSED TO SUFFER THE VEGAS FLU.

3. New York Islanders 24. Buffalo Sabres

DEFENCE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS… FINGERS CROSSED. REMEMBER, GUYS, THE SEASON DOESN’T END ON OCTOBER 31.

4. St. Louis Blues 25. Columbus Blue Jackets

THE BEST CURE FOR STANLEY CUP HANGOVERS IS MORE KEEP TORTS CALM AND CARRY ON. STANLEY CUPS. 26. Anaheim Ducks

5. Edmonton Oilers WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO NORTH.

WHY LEAN ON THE BEST PLAYER IN HOCKEY WHEN YOU CAN 27. Minnesota Wild LEAN ON THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN HOCKEY. WE’RE NOT OLD, WE’RE EXPERIENCED! 6. Dallas Stars 28. Calgary Flames OK, NO MORE SANDBAGGING — IT’S GO TIME! JOHNNY GAUDREAU’S SHOOTING PERCENTAGE CAN ONLY GO 7. Carolina Hurricanes UP… RIGHT?

STORM SURGE SUGGESTION BOX IS LOCATED AT THE BACK. 29. Los Angeles Kings

8. Colorado Avalanche WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE 2012 AND 2014!

DUDE, WHERE’S MAKAR? 30. New Jersey Devils

OVER THERE, SPEEDING AWAY WITH THE CALDER LIKE HE PLAY LIKE YOU WANT THE MONEY WE WERE PREPARED TO PAY STOLE IT. TAYLOR.

9. Pittsburgh Penguins 31. Detroit Red Wings

NO LETANG, NO CROSBY, NO WORRIES.

10. Tampa Bay Lightning Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 NO STATE TAX.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

TRYING TO WIN HOCKEY GAMES CAN LEAD TO WINNING HOCKEY GAMES.

12. Arizona Coyotes

STILL TOTALLY A PART OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE.

13. Florida Panthers 1163840 Websites Last season the Canadiens not only allowed amongst the most passes to the slot in the league, but they were also the worst team at preventing attempted slot passes from being completed. Contrast that with their last opponent in Boston, who were the league’s best. Sportsnet.ca / Analyzing Carey Price's play and the defensive support in front of him To be fair to the Canadiens, they’ve made serious strides this season. They’re inching closer to league average while ranked 22nd in that area, but a lot of that improvement has come in trying to protect Keith Kinkaid, while Price is left to deal with some sloppier play. Andrew Berkshire Watch live as the Canadiens look to end their five-game losing streak

when they host the Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Sportsnet. In the midst of a five-game losing streak, mostly against teams they have Kinkaid faces fewer passes to the slot and fewer inner slot shots than no business losing to, the Montreal Canadiens are in danger of Price does on a per minute basis. That strategy makes sense, but Price completely erasing a promising start to the season. has changed his game over time to adapt to the poor pass defence in An absolute beatdown at the hands of the rival Boston Bruins and a front of him. Playing deeper gives him a better chance at getting across blown 4-0 lead against one of the worst teams in the league in the New for those one-timer plays, but the trade-off is he’ll get burnt more often on York Rangers has put the focus squarely on Carey Price. And, looking at shots from slightly further out. just those two games, it’s hard to fault anyone for thinking that. The Canadiens are a high-flying team especially at 5-on-5, where they However, heading into those two games, it would have been incredibly lead the league in inner slot shots per 60 minutes at 7.67, but also give unreasonable to blame Price for any of the Canadiens’ struggles this up the fifth-most in their own end. The issues defensively aren’t just in season. He was saving them a half goal per game better than the inner slot either. expectations based on the shots they were giving up. With that said, his Of all the shots the Canadiens give up from the slot, 12.3 per cent are past two starts have taken a lot of the shine off of his season-long one-timers, which is the fifth-worst mark in the league; 13.9 per cent of numbers. their inner slot shots allowed have been one-timers, the second-worst So what has plagued Price and kept him from the performance level mark in the league; and 37.3 per cent of the shot attempts they give up that’s expected of a player making over $10 million per season? are from the slot, the fifth-worst mark in the league. The Canadiens also give up 38.7 defensive zone turnovers every 60 minutes, better than only At 5-on-5 and in all situations, the struggles are in the same area. Price the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens allow 2.14 deflections on net every has remained above league average by a significant margin on the most 60 minutes, the third-worst mark in the league. dangerous shots goalies face, but he’s been getting torn up in the high slot area and that isn’t new to this season. All of these things make life much harder on their goaltenders, and if Price was 25 instead of 32 it may not be as big of a deal considering the Things shook out about the same last season. And looking back to offensive work the team has put in. But when Price has off nights he’s Price’s worst season in 2017-18, he struggled everywhere, but the high going to get lit up under this defensive structure. That doesn’t mean Price slot was the biggest area of trouble. shouldn’t shoulder blame for having off nights, but all players have them.

Goaltending is always tough to evaluate because there are so many Montreal is extremely fun to watch, but high-flying offence and lottery factors at play, and there just isn’t nearly as much data to work with as team defence will keep them in bubble team territory all season long, there is for skaters. In the end, most of what a goaltender deals with is especially when the offence is by committee. out of their control.

One area they can control is their rebounds, and Price ranks highly in rebound control at both even strength and in all situations. Sixty-one per Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 cent of the shots Price faces don’t produce a rebound and when he does produce one, he’s not sending it into his own weak area very often. On average, goalies sent rebounds into the high slot on 5.6 per cent of the shots they can’t control, while Price’s end up there just 3.6 per cent of the time. That’s good in that Price isn’t creating more chances from the area he’s struggling from, but there’s more to just giving up rebounds.

Price’s rebounds end up in the inner slot area at about the league average rate — around 17 per cent of the rebounds he gives up end there — and the Canadiens are a below average team at recovering those rebounds. On average in the NHL, 60.4 per cent of rebounds in the inner slot are recovered by the defending team, while the Canadiens recover just 55.9 per cent of them.

So the Canadiens are not a great team at controlling the area in front of their goaltender, but Price has remained above average there anyway. Part of the reason for that also factors into why he’s been weaker from further out: he’s playing deeper in the net.

Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover Canada’s most beloved game.

I wanted to be sure I wasn’t out to lunch, so I spoke to fellow Sportsnet contributor and goalie expert Paul Campbell, and based on his work on Price he also believes Price has played considerably deeper in recent seasons, and we agreed on the reasons for that change.

Age is a factor of course. As goalies get older they’ll lose some speed and explosiveness in their lateral movement, and you can add Price’s history of lower body injuries into that; not that we know by any means those have slowed him down, but it’s a reasonable assumption that there’s some attrition involved.

But the bigger issue by far is that the Canadiens are one of the worst pass defending teams in the league. 1163841 Websites day at a time and just working on building towards having that consistency in helping the team win games.

“It was a long two weeks, but the Marlies is a good situation down there. Sportsnet.ca / Why Sheldon Keefe is giving Hutchinson a second chance They have a good team, a good group of guys. It’s a fun atmosphere down there, so just fun to go and get some games and get some wins. I’m also glad to be a back up here.”

Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox It’s important that he’ll be standing behind a reinvigorated bunch when he faces the Sabres on Black Friday afternoon in Buffalo. November 28, 2019, 10:28 AM “It’s big,” Morgan Rielly says. “As a group, we have to play better for him.

I mean, it’s been a couple of times now we’ve been saying that. It’s time Michael Hutchinson doesn’t wish to divulge the details of what was said to play like it. Obviously, his teammates are aware of it, so it’s on us now exactly, but he does want to stress the tone and flow of the conversation to play well, to prepare and to help him out a bit.” he had with his boss upon his return to the Toronto Maple Leafs crease. Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it For netminders not named Frederik Andersen, the blue paint has 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, morphed into a Bermuda Semicircle of sorts, swallowing he who paddles they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover into Toronto’s backup goaltender role with the illusion that he might Canada’s most beloved game. somehow keep afloat without being waived (Curtis McElhinney, Calvin Every recall comes at an expense. In this case, it’s poor, upbeat Pickard), traded for an inactive player (Garret Sparks), tossed to the Kaskisuo, who puts a positive spin on a dream realized, albeit in the 6-1 wolves in the Let’s-Get-the-Coach-Fired Bowl (Kasimir Kaskisuo), waking shellacking in Pittsburgh. He had been eager to redeem himself this up to play his trade in Minsk (Jhonas Enroth), or vanishing from the sport weekend. entirely (Michal Neuvirth). “I have no reference point, really, on what to expect from an NHL game, Unlike Hutchinson’s predecessors — and despite the fact his most recent so I don’t really know if that was a really hard game or really easy game,” NHL victory dates all the way back to Jan. 10 — GM Kyle Dubas is Kaskisuo told us right before being returned to the AHL. “Guys really granting the 29-year-old a second chance this weekend, to seize the gig were ready for a change, to get Sheldon in and try something new. And and deliver (gulp) the Leafs’ first victory by a backup goalie all season. with two wins, I feel like it’s working. Stream 56 Maple Leafs games this season with Sportsnet NOW. Get “For me, of course, it’s a comfortability thing. I’ve known Sheldon for over 500 NHL games, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, about four years, and it’s fun to have him around.” all outdoor games, the All-Star Game, 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. Keefe says he chose Hutchinson over Kaskisuo (for now) because he’s the hotter hand. Kaskisuo’s most recent experience was getting the “Kyle and I had a good talk the other day about everything,” Hutchinson Jackson Pollock treatment at PPG Paints Arena two weeks ago; told Sportsnet Tuesday upon his recall. Hutchinson just went 3-0 with a sparkling .942 save percentage during Head coach Sheldon Keefe, Marlies GM Laurence Gilman, the assistant his Marlies stint. coaches, they’ve all made a point of checking in with “Hutch” after his 0- “It wasn’t really necessarily one versus the other. It was that Hutch has 4-1 start led to an AHL demotion two weeks ago. played and is sharp and, of course, has the experience here,” Keefe “Everyone kind of talking to make sure that you’re OK. They care about says. “We want to give him another chance.” you as a person, and that definitely goes a long way. The conversations While Keefe is noncommittal, our hunch with Hutch is that his chance were good because they weren’t one-way conversations. It wasn’t them should be Friday’s matinee. This would allow the new coach to put his talking at you or down to you, you know? There’s a lot of give-and-take signature on the decision-making, and AHL goalies are accustomed to 4 on both sides, and that’s the way you can kind of come to grips with the p.m. puck drops. situation you’re in and move forward.” “When you play consistently at seven o’clock and then you have an The Keefe Era is one being fostered by collaboration and afternoon game, sometimes it does throw you off because hockey communication. players are creatures of habit,” Hutchinson explains. “In the past, I got Flexibility trumping rigidity. caught up in trying to implement my seven o’clock game routine into an earlier start, but that doesn’t always work out. I personally [developed] a So, it was of small surprise to hear the rookie coach announce his plan to slightly different routine for a four o’clock game.” deviate from former coach Mike Babcock’s predictable pattern of exclusively starting Andersen’s understudy on the second half of back-to- After a difficult demotion —”there’s no denying that,” Hutchinson says — backs. the goaltender asserts that his head is clear and he’s eager to become the 14th Marlie to win under Keefe at the NHL level. “My position on it is that I don’t think I have one position,” Keefe says. “I think each situation is unique, and you look at each situation as that.” “Like I said to Sheldon when he got the job up here, I was really happy for him. I’ve had the privilege of playing for a lot of coaches, and I think Babcock’s preference to always grant Andersen in the first half of he’s the best coach that I’ve personally had. So I have a lot of respect for consecutive games yielded great results early but did come at the him and what he’s done. expense of cultivating the confidence in any backup not named McElhinney. “We’re building towards something and really making a run at it,” Hutchinson says. “So for myself, it’s just having that mental reset.” We could debate all day about which party deserves which portion of the blame for that — the coach, the sluggish players in front, management for not pursuing and paying for a more qualified No. 2 (the Penguins Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 have an extra; the Rangers may be open to dealing Alexandar Georgiev) — but ultimately Hutchinson has to stop the dang puck, and his NHL save percentage this season is .879.

Does he see the call-up under Keefe as a fresh page to rewrite his narrative?

Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.

“Mentally, yes,” Hutchinson says. “I can’t change what happened in the first little bit, but now I can focus on the rest of the season, take it one 1163842 Websites Game 1 this season. If no drastic change to the Flames’ style of play comes in Calgary, the Pacific Division playoff hopefuls likely don’t fluctuate much. But if a shift in direction or significant trade can breathe life back into the Flames’ game, last year’s success suggests they have Sportsnet.ca / What American Thanksgiving mark says about Canadian enough in the lineup to throw a wrench into the current standings. clubs' playoff hopes The Nashville Predators — winners of the past two division titles — seem likely to try their hand at a move up as well, especially with what should be an improved forward corps that now includes Matt Duchene. Sonny Sachdeva | @sachdevasonny That said, history suggests not all of these talented teams on the outside November 28, 2019, 1:48 PM will make it back in, if any do at all. Circumstance will dictate whether that trend continues in 2020, but with current playoff-bound teams rolling and bubble teams having to go through the process of sorting out their issues With November coming to a close, so too does the window for players, before they start piling up the needed wins, closing that few points’ gap coaches and GMs to sneak in that early-season filler line we’ve all come won’t be as easy as it seems. to know and love. For clubs like the Edmonton Oilers, sitting atop their division and looking The American Thanksgiving playoff deadline is upon us, meaning the “It’s unshakeable on their path back to the post-season, securing that berth early” crowd is officially on notice. If you’re not familiar, a quick refresher: will depend on whether their style of play can withhold the game Nov. 28 marks the 2019 iteration of the American holiday, which in turn tightening up as the season wears on. marks the point in the year that’s historically been a pretty accurate predictor of what the post-season might look like come April. The key questions remaining: As the season moves past this early phase, as the intensity ramps up and that time and space disappears, Look back in recent league history, and the majority of teams in a playoff whose style of play will flourish and whose will be stifled? And more spot by American Thanksgiving remain there by the time Game 82 hits — importantly, who’s built up enough of an early-season lead to withstand which, of course, means teams that aren’t in a playoff spot by now face any potential slide? long odds of getting back by the season’s end. How great a majority? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since the 2005-06 season — the first in the league’s salary cap era — 76 per cent of clubs holding a Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 playoff spot by American Thanksgiving have finished the season with a post-season berth.

That isn’t to say it’s impossible to climb back in if you haven’t by the start of December — last year’s Stanley Cup champ proved that possibility emphatically, clawing their way back from last place and finishing with a ring. But for every Blues redemption story, there’s a trail of hopeful comeback efforts left unfinished amid an early summer.

With that said, let’s take a look at how the standings shake out at the moment:

One name clearly stands out among the bottom-of-the-table crowd here.

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered the season as a bona fide Cup contender, rolling out one of the best on-paper squads in the league. While they find themselves on the bubble, the strength of their roster — and the fact they haven’t had health on their side, with both Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov dealing with injuries during the early goings — suggests a change of circumstance could help them mount a climb up the standings. The fact they’ve played the fewest games of any team in the conference helps, too.

Elsewhere in the East, things look even less promising. The Montreal Canadiens, who have seemed to make strides over the past two seasons but have ultimately missed the playoffs in both, find themselves on the bubble once again. And an injury to star forward Jonathan Drouin doesn’t figure to make their effort to upend that trend any easier this time around.

To get back in, it looks like they’ll have a better chance at trying to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs in the divisional race rather than closing the gap on a wild-card spot, but getting past the suddenly-surging Leafs won’t be easy. While Toronto sat outside the playoff picture as recently as Wednesday, the dramatic personnel and tactical shifts that were brought on by the team’s recent coaching change leave them as essentially a different team, and one that’s looking far more dangerous through the first few games of their new era.

The New York Rangers, who headed into 2019-20 an optimistic bunch after adding marquee names like Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba and No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko, sit well out of the mix, too — a thorn in the side of their attempt to sprint out of their brief rebuild this season. As do the New Jersey Devils, who similarly stocked up in the summer, and who desperately need success this season if they hope to keep pending UFA Taylor Hall.

In the west, the outlook is good for the majority of the Canadian contingent, with Edmonton, Winnipeg and Vancouver all sitting in the post-season mix at the moment.

Two clubs on the outside looking in seem likely to make things interesting down the stretch, however. The Calgary Flames entered 2019-20 as the defending conference champs, and yet have looked out of sorts since 1163843 Websites Of course, when you’ve missed the playoffs in 12 of the past 13 seasons, it is impossible to dismiss the ‘false floor’ narrative that hounds supporters of this team. The thought that something bad is hiding around the corner; that Mikko Koskinen’s glove hand is going to revert to last Sportsnet.ca / Oilers focused on finding consistency after NHL's season’s quality; that Ethan Bear’s impressive rookie performance will Thanksgiving milestone somehow erode.

Until you exorcise those demons, they will always exist to some extent.

Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec "I don’t feel like we’ve had that thought in our minds in this room," said Sam Gagner. "We’ve had a mantra with Tipp, a Day 1 attitude. We try to November 28, 2019, 5:48 PM bring it to the rink every day, regardless of what happens the day prior. Just build and get better.

EDMONTON — It’s American Thanksgiving and the Edmonton Oilers are "As far as we’re concerned, the next game is the biggest game of the in first place in the Pacific Division. year. That’s our mindset, and that’s the way we’re gonna keep it."

Do not adjust your sets. There’s an old hockey joke about the coach lamenting how his team was already buried in the standings, their playoff dreams dashed by We all know the significance of U.S. Thanksgiving, a day on which — Thanksgiving. The guy he’s talking to wants to know how bad the team since 2005-06 — the 16 teams in a playoff position in the National really is. Hockey League have made the playoffs at a 76 per cent success rate. So he asks: "Is that American Thanksgiving, or Canadian?" We all don’t love talking about that, however. Here in Edmonton, it hasn’t looked this good on anyone’s turkey day for "Somebody handed me a whole bunch of those stats this morning," said some time. Edmonton head coach Dave Tippett. "I’m aware of them, but there’s a whole lot of time between now and the end of March. Frankly, you get the feeling they’d rather not talk about it at all.

"Just because you’re in the playoffs on American Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you will be at the end of the season." Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 It’s the impossible angle: Get a good team to talk about how good they are, just 27 games into the season. But, we gave it a try.

What U.S. Thanksgiving has become to the hockey world, is an annual milestone. A date we have established — right at about the one-third mark of the season — when the sample size becomes large enough that we can begin to make some conclusions.

Sure, there is going to be the odd St. Louis Blues outlier, a last-place club at Christmas that wins the Stanley Cup. But the numbers are the numbers, and when you are in first place in the Pacific Division, second in the Western Conference and fourth in the entire NHL on Nov. 28, we are beginning to pass over the line that lies between "lucky start" and "good team."

"We’ve tickled with playing our best hockey," goalie Mike Smith said, "and we’re just trying to find the consistency in our game. To be a good team as often as possible through the course of the season."

Through 27 starts the Oilers have lost back-to-back games in regulation only once, likely their most impressive stat thus far. They’ve won nine of their 16 road games, and seven of 11 at home.

Edmonton and Boston are tied atop the power-play rankings at 32 per cent, but by far the largest improvement here in Edmonton has been on the penalty kill, where they are second in the NHL at 87.5 per cent. That means the Oilers have the best combined special teams in the game, not so surprising on the powerplay — with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl — but quite a revelation on the penalty kill.

Some perspective: Over the previous five seasons, Edmonton has had the worst penalty kill in the entire league. A power-play goal per night was almost a guarantee for every opponent, a stat that had to change if this team was ever going to drag itself out of the basement — let alone hang around first place for a while.

Which presents its own challenges, of course.

"Where we’re at in the standings is a bar we’ve set for ourselves," said Smith, whose confident, Alpha male approach has been exactly what a meek, beaten down team required. "It will be difficult, going forward, to stay there. Every team now is looking at the standings, and every game is going to be where teams are coming in and saying, ‘They’re in first place. We’d better be ready to play.’

"We’ve done a lot of good things, and it’s set us up for an exciting season."

Stream all 82 Oilers games this season with Sportsnet NOW. Get over 500 NHL games, blackout-free, including Hockey Night in Canada, all outdoor games, the All-Star Game, 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and more. 1163844 Websites Whether the Flames are willing to engage in any more trade talks with Edmonton after how the James Neal-for-Milan Lucic swap went remains to be seen, but if the Oilers are looking for depth options that won’t break the bank, Calgary may be their best bet. Sportsnet.ca / 8 Oilers trade targets to help improve the club's depth scoring Andrew Mangiapane is one name that comes to mind. The 23-year-old has shown flashes of great potential in a limited role for the Flames — his strong numbers in the AHL hint at the chance to be a quality depth option as well. And, more importantly, he’s cheap, counting just $715,000 Sonny Sachdeva | @sachdevasonny against the cap. November 28, 2019, 10:38 AM While the Flames have little reason to ship Mangiapane out of town, it’s worth remembering he and the club went through a tense contract negotiation over the summer that had the winger at one point seeking Depending on how you look at it, the Oilers either house one of the $200,000 more than the club was willing to give him. He ended up game’s elite offences, or one in desperate need of help. settling for much less than his original $1-million ask, but not until mid- September. On one hand, they’re led by the top two scorers in the league, with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl amassing an absurd 95 combined If, perhaps, that negotiation changed the relationship enough to give the points through 27 tilts so far, and threatening to break games open every two sides reason to part ways should the opportunity presents itself, the time they step on the ice. quick-footed winger could certainly help the Oilers’ cause.

On the other hand, the pair have accounted for roughly 41 per cent of In his latest 31 Thoughts column, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noted two Edmonton’s goals in 2019-20, meaning the rest of the lineup is coming other Flames names that could be available to help the Oilers — centre up short in pulling the club’s overall goals-per-game clip higher than its Mark Jankowski and winger Michael Frolik. current 13th-place league-wide ranking. Struggling so far this year, with goose eggs across the board, Jankowski While the star duo has been willing their club to wins through October has been solid for Calgary for the past two years, posting a combined 31 and November, it’s fair to assume their current strategy won’t look quite goals in that span. How much of an improvement Jankowski would be as good when the games matter most. over the Oilers’ current bottom-six options is debatable, but he does bring a noteworthy mix of size (six-foot-four, 212 pounds) and potential to the “That’s not a formula that works in the playoffs, generally speaking,” said table. longtime NHL executive Brian Burke during Hockey Night in Canada’s To The Point segment Saturday. “That’s where you see defensive schemes, A more established option would be Michael Frolik, who’s also available, you see shutdown lines. And the risk of injury to this team is staggering.” according to Friedman. Though he’s seen his role diminish of late, and has only three points to his name this season, the Czech veteran posted Asked by David Amber how GM Ken Holland might take these Oilers a respectable 16 goals and 34 points last season, and has seven from playoff calibre to genuine contender, then, Burke reiterated that it all campaigns of 15-plus goals on his resumé — enough to suggest he comes down to that lacklustre depth. could still be of use to the Oilers “I think his wish-list would start and end with a top-six forward. I mean, Ottawa Senators: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Vladislav Namestnikov right now, [to] address this need for secondary scoring, you want to go out and get a top-six forward, in my opinion,” Burke said. “…The problem In terms of value for their dollar, few are getting more for less than the is they’ve got salary-cap issues up to their chin, and they’re not going to Senators are for Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The 27-year-old is off to a be able to add a player like that unless they can move some money dominant start to 2019-20, scoring at a career-best clip and sitting with back.” 13 goals and 17 points already this season. All that for a $3.1-million cap hit for the pending unrestricted free agent. Teammates with 45 points in team's first 25 games: Last 35 seasons Would Ottawa be willing to move their leading scorer? It wouldn’t be the Draisaitl & McDavid (#Oilers) 2019-20 first time the club’s parted with a marquee name, and there’s no question Lemieux & Jagr (Penguins) 1995-96 he has the skill to help bolster Edmonton’s secondary scoring. That said, Pageau’s a hometown boy and a fan favourite, so it may be tougher to Gretzky & Nichols (Kings) 1988-89 pry him out of the capital.

Lemieux & Brown (Penguins) 1988-89 A name on the roster not so high-profile may be Vladislav Namestnikov. Gretzky & Kurri (#Oilers) 1984-85 The 27-year-old is on to his third team in the big leagues, but a 20-goal, 44-point effort a couple years ago (through only 62 games, no less) Bossy & Sutter (Islanders) 1984-85 hinted at the ceiling of his capabilities in the right situation. Though out injured at the moment, the pivot is back practicing with the team, and has — Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 24, 2019 12 points on the board through 20 games so far.

So goes the current conundrum for the Oilers. New Jersey Devils: Nikita Gusev

The need is obvious — finding some quality forwards to slot into the After stocking up in the off-season to build what looked like an Eastern bottom six and beef up the club’s overall attack when Nos. 97 and 29 Conference dark horse — adding P.K. Subban and Jack Hughes to a aren’t on the ice. The problem is Edmonton doesn’t have much to put on club that already featured recent Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall — the the table in a potential deal. Devils have fallen flat so far this season. Their eight wins through 22 Usual trade chip Ryan Nugent-Hopkins seems a necessity at this point games leaves them just three points out of last place in the East. given the team’s lack of centre depth. And while the star duo is tearing it Does GM Ray Shero look to shake up his squad to spark a Blues-esque up, is Edmonton in a position to sacrifice future assets like Evan comeback? Bouchard or Kailer Yamamoto to make a big splash and try and win now? Not likely. Nor is it likely they look to ship out a quality defender like One option if he does could be KHL standout Nikita Gusev, who joined Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Adam Larsson or Ethan Bear — another the club in the off-season after a string of dominant seasons for SKA noteworthy wrinkle given there isn’t much up top to entice trade partners. Saint Petersburg. He’s posted just eight points for Jersey so far, while the club’s faltered as a whole, too. And, as Burke mentioned, the salary cap won’t make things any easier on Holland, as the Oilers sit with just $1,015,219 in cap space, per Should both sides decide the experiment isn’t taking, perhaps Shero CapFriendly. looks to flip Gusev to fill holes elsewhere on the roster. Though he isn’t putting up numbers at the moment, the Russian winger’s KHL dominance All that said, who’s out there that could realistically fit in a deal to solidify make clear he has enough offensive ability to do some damage. Of the Oilers’ depth scoring? A few teams and names to consider: course, a $4.5-million cap hit means there’d be some work to do to fit him Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane, Mark Jankowski, Michael Frolik into the club’s financials. New York Rangers: Chris Kreider

Take a quick glance at the Rangers roster from just a few years ago, the 2016-17 team that made it to the second round: Only one of that team’s top seven scorers is still in New York.

Chris Kreider remains — Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller, Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes and Ryan McDonagh are gone.

Suffice it to say, it’s not inconceivable to think the Rangers could move the big-bodied winger, as the team leans into their new era headed up by dynamic talents like Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko.

The pending UFA would likely only be able to help the Oilers for this season before he prices himself out of Edmonton’s range in the summer, but with 28 goals to his name last season and three other 20-goal seasons under his belt, he’d be the most established and dangerous scorer the Oilers could realistically target.

Los Angeles Kings: Tyler Toffoli

Another somewhat established name on a club in transition, Tyler Toffoli’s seen his role change significantly this season.

After winning a Cup with Los Angeles in 2014, and becoming a fan favourite as part of the trio affectionately dubbed That ’70s Line (along with Jeff Carter and since-traded Tanner Pearson), Toffoli was pushed to the press box as a healthy scratch in late October.

Should the club be looking for a change as they hope to shake things up and break out of these past few seasons of mediocrity, Toffoli could be an intriguing option for Holland. Still only 27 years old, and with 24 goals potted just two seasons ago, there’s still plenty the Scarborough, Ont., native could offer Connor McDavid’s club.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163845 Websites "When we just hang onto the puck we have it a lot and then once they finally get it they're tired," the centre observed, "and I think that helps out especially playing in the D-zone."

TSN.CA / Keefe: Leafs’ win streak more about players’ emotions than The Leafs have had more scoring changes and high-danger new tactics opportunities in each game since the coaching change while outscoring opponents 10-3 in five-on-five action, per the NaturalStatTrick website. And the hope is the Leafs will be able to garner even more possession as they get used to Keefe's system. Mark Masters "We've put an emphasis on activating our weak-side D more and the

weak side of the ice," Muzzin explained. "A lot of time it’s a lot more open TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes than where the puck is originally. We're still getting used to it and we still on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs and Buffalo Sabres practised at KeyBank have to talk more. I think the weak side of the ice, the guy who's net-front Center on Thursday ahead of their Friday afternoon game. D or winger or whoever it may be can talk more and allow the guy with the puck, who's under stress, to know that he’s open and available so The Leafs have looked like a completely different team with Sheldon we're working on stuff like that." Keefe behind the bench, outscoring opponents 14-4 en route to three straight wins. Every move the new coach has made seems to be Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe speaks about studying NFL working. coaches Pete Carroll and Sean McVay and how he's learned the importance of focusing on the spirit of the team and not just strategic "I'm trying not to get too caught up in my role in this," the 39-year-old tactics. said. "I think a lot of things have worked out in my favour, just coming in as a new voice has given the players, you know, some of them have William Nylander may be the biggest beneficiary from the change to talked about a new lease on life and they've been feeling good. We have Toronto's system of play. really good players and when they're feeling good and they're confident "He's been really good," noted Keefe after Wednesday's game. "I mean, we feel like good things can happen." we've had the puck a lot here in the games recently and that, of course, And while Keefe's approach represents a breath of fresh air for some benefits a player like Willy, for sure. He's been really good." players, there's no doubt the firing of Mike Babcock also served as a While Nylander sometimes takes heat for his defensive play and was wake-up call. often prodded by Babcock to raise his compete level, he's usually been "We really just took it upon ourselves with this new opportunity," said dynamite with the puck on his stick. defenceman Travis Dermott, who played for Keefe in the AHL. "It "We're playing with the puck, which is fun," Nylander said after potting a definitely isn't all on Keefer. It's not like Keefer came in and planted all goal and adding an assist against the Red Wings. "We're not maybe these smiles on everyone's faces and said, 'Go win games,' and we trying to force pucks at the net, maybe turning up, delaying, finding the started winning. I think the boys took it upon themselves." late guy, moving it, that's one of the keys. Also, we're winning pucks back For a lot of the young players this is their first experience with an in- after we get shots to the net.” season firing so the leadership group did its part to keep everyone Normally subdued and tightlipped, Nylander was glowing after the latest focused. win. It's hard to believe that last year at this time his future with the "It doesn't change, because of a coaching change," said defenceman franchise was hanging in the balance as the Swede waited out a contract Jake Muzzin, "so I tried to emphasize that with the guys that we still have dispute while training in Europe. to go out there and perform and work. We brought maybe a little more "It was funny," a smiling Nylander said. "I was looking through my phone, emotion and determination in our game the last three games and it a picture came up (from) a year ago and, yeah, not here so pretty crazy, helped." but it's nice to be here now and taking steps in the right direction." Muzzin was especially happy with how the team stayed locked in despite Where was he in the picture? the lopsided scoreline in Detroit. "It was when I was in Switzerland so I was just laughing at the situation. It "Even late in the third period, we're back checking and stripping guys," was just funny." Muzzin said. "The game is pretty much out of hand at this point and we still have guys not letting them in the zone and not letting them get Did he ever think he'd be laughing about what he went through? through the neutral zone, which is huge." "I didn't think so, but thank God it got done." Toronto has won three straight games since Mike Babcock was replaced by Sheldon Keefe behind the bench, scoring 14 goals in that span. Nylander has nine goals and 12 assists already this season putting him Energized by the coaching shakeup, the Leafs credit more emotion in just six points back of last year's total of 27, which was accomplished in their game and their desire to get back to their winning ways as reasons 54 games. for their recent turnaround. NHL: Maple Leafs 6, Red Wings 0 Keefe is wary of overtaxing the group during a busy part of the schedule. Andreas Johnsson scored twice and added an assist, Tyson Barrie, John Toronto will play its sixth straight away from Scotiabank Arena on Friday Tavares and William Nylander all had a goal and an assist, and Frederik and there have been trips to three different time zones mixed in. So, new Andersen made 25 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Leafs tactics are being introduced slowly. Thursday was, after all, only Keefe's improved to 3-0 since Sheldon Keefe took over behind the bench. fourth full practice with the team. The changes under Keefe have come fast and furious. The latest being "We've tried to not give them too much, as a staff, rather just give them that Michael Hutchinson will start on Friday afternoon with Frederik some things we think are really important," Keefe explained. "Of course, Andersen playing Saturday night in Toronto. the offensive piece we think is really important to get this team really moving and they've responded really well." Babcock always played Andersen in the first game of a back-to-back set, believing his team should try to bank the two points when it was at full Indeed, the possession focused game plan has resonated with the talent- strength. Babcock also thought it was important for Andersen to play in rich roster. front of a fresh group so he had the best chance to win and maintain a "He really pushes home the skills part and relying on each other's skill high confidence level, which would then filter out to the entire team. and going out there and not throwing pucks away," Dermott said, "and if The Leafs had success in the first game of the back-to-back sets under we have a chance to bring it back and build it up and use our skill and hit Babcock, but this season has seen the team struggle mightily when the superstars that we have with speed then that's probably a pretty good playing on consecutive days (0-5-1). So, was this change designed to try play so I think that's the way we're thinking now." and help the back-up goalie get on the board? Auston Matthews believes the approach is also helping the team be "That certainly was part of the decision making," Keefe acknowledged. better defensively. "But there's more things at play in this situation." The Leafs rarely have afternoon games while matinees are more prevalent in the AHL so Hutchinson is accustomed to the 4 p.m. start time, Keefe noted. The earlier start and short drive home to Toronto should also allow Andersen to maintain a regular game-day routine ahead of the 7 p.m. start at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

Andersen's confidence is sky high after he posted his first shutout of the season on Wednesday night. He's now 6-3-1 with a .936 save percentage in November.

Hutchinson is 0-4-1 in the NHL this season with an ugly .879. He was sent down to the AHL late in Babcock's tenure before being recalled earlier this week following a 3-0-0 run with the Marlies (.942 save percentage).

"It was a challenge for him coming down," Keefe said. "With the way the season had gone and then so abruptly being told you're going to be going down, it's a tough realization. There were some challenging days there. We had to talk to him and also had to be patient with him and let him kind of work through some things emotionally."

TSN's Kristen Shilton has more on how Hutchinson regrouped here.

Frederik Andersen started the first game of every back-to-back this season under former head coach Mike Babcock, but with a new coach comes a new strategy. Sheldon Keefe will give Michael Hutchinson the start Friday in Buffalo, before turning to Andersen Saturday in Toronto. Mark Masters has more.

The Leafs swept all four games from the Sabres last season, outscoring Buffalo 18-10. The closest encounter came on Dec. 4, 2018, with Matthews playing the hero in overtime. The Arizona native finished the season series with four goals and three assists. Asked about having a leg up on his buddy Jack Eichel in their personal rivalry, Matthews wasn't interested in going down that road.

"I don't know how to answer that question, to be honest with you."

"It's always good," Eichel said. "We always bring out the best in each other."

The Sabres captain has that right as Eichel also posted four goals in the season series last year chipping in an assist as well.

What's it like having leg up on Eichel? Matthews: 'I don't know how to answer that'

Riding a three-game winning streak, the Leafs travel to Buffalo to take on their division rivals. Toronto has won five in a row against the Sabres and when asked what it's like having leg up on Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews didn't want to give a response.

The Leafs planned to gather for Thanksgiving dinner tonight to watch some football.

"Nothing's open," said Matthews. "So, nothing else to do, but hang out with your teammates. It will be good bonding time."

TSN.CA LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163846 Websites have nothing bad to say about him or anything. The situation with getting sent down, it is what it is. I’m not looking into the past and dwelling on anything there. I’m happy to be back up and looking forward to just moving forward.” TSN.CA / Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe breaks Mike Babcock’s goaltending rotation That’s the direction the Maple Leafs have been going since Hutchinson was last with the team, and he says now there is a “lightness” to the dressing room that wasn’t there before.

Kristen Shilton A victory on Friday would only keep the good vibes going, and extend the Leafs winning streak to a season-high four games.

“You know, it really feels like the start of the season [again] and the BUFFALO – Sheldon Keefe has dramatically changed the way the Maple optimism you had at the start of the season where you know anything’s Leafs do business over his first eight days as head coach, taking the possible,” Hutchinson said. “And I’m really glad to be back here and be a team from sluggish losers of six straight to high-octane winners of their part of it now.” past three.

And Keefe isn’t done doing things differently, tapping backup goalie Michael Hutchinson to start the first half of Toronto’s weekend back-to- TSN.CA LOADED: 11.29.2019 back against Buffalo on Friday afternoon.

The first game of a back-to-back always went to starter Frederik Andersen under previous head coach Mike Babcock, but Keefe is taking a more pragmatic approach to his goalie selection.

“There are many things at play in this situation,” Keefe said after Toronto’s practice at KeyBank Center on Thursday. “Given that it's an earlier game [with a 4 p.m. start on Friday], and Hutch has played more in the American League and he’s accustomed to [earlier starts]. Also, we’re going to get back to Toronto at a good time, and it’s going to allow Freddie the chance at a normal game day on Saturday to get the morning skate and get ready to play. So, with all those things it just made sense for us.”

It’s not like Babcock’s goalie rotation was securing Toronto the results it needed. The Leafs are an abysmal 0-5-1 this season on the second night of back-to-backs, and Hutchison has been in the crease for five of those defeats (0-4-1, with a .879 save percentage and 4.44 goals-against average).

The Leafs placed Hutchinson on waivers and reassigned him to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies after a loss against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 10. Rookie Kasimir Kaskisuo was recalled to take his spot and made his NHL debut in arguably Toronto’s worst game of the season, a 6-1 shellacking by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 17.

Babcock was fired four days later. The Leafs brought Hutchinson back to the NHL earlier this week, and Keefe, who previously coached Hutchinson with the Marlies, intends to see him succeed.

“It was a challenge for him coming down,” Keefe said. “With the way the season had gone and then so abruptly being told you're going to be going down, it's a tough realization. There were some challenging days there; we had to talk to him, and also had to be patient with him and let him kind of work through some things emotionally.”

The veteran goalie quickly rallied, going 3-0-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .942 save percentage in a week of AHL action.

“It’s just a credit to him,” said Keefe. “We were not surprised that he just settled in and, being the good pro that he is, just got to work and he’s played outstanding for the Marlies. The fact that he’s been busy and in the net is something that we think is important and we’re looking forward to giving him a chance to play tomorrow.”

Looking back on the situation, Hutchinson said he couldn’t have gotten through that rough period without the support of Toronto’s entire organization.

“Freddie sent me a text right away and a bunch of guys here reached out,” Hutchinson said. “[Leafs goalie coach] Steve Briere, we had a couple good talks. [Marlies general manager] Laurence Gilman and I had a good talk. [Marlies goalie coach] Jon Elkin was great. Had a good talk with [Leafs director of athlete well-being] Dr. Meg [Popovic]. It ends up being a real positive thing because it shows how much everyone cares for you as a person. Because some organizations just see you as an asset, but here they really view you as a person.”

That sentiment extends to the departed Babcock, towards whom Hutchinson holds no ill will despite how the first quarter of the season played out.

“My relationship with Babs was great,” Hutchinson said. “It was nothing but positive when he was here. He was great to me and my family, so I 1163847 Websites

TSN.CA / Winnipeg Jets winning as Blake Wheeler’s role changes

Travis Yost

Despite a slow start to the season, the Winnipeg Jets have managed to remain in the thick of things in the competitive Central Division.

The Jets have amassed 31 points through 25 games – good enough for third in the division, though the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators are nipping at their heels.

Winnipeg’s turnaround has been keyed by a 7-2-1 stretch over the last 10 games – a stretch where head coach Paul Maurice has instituted some noticeable changes to the Jets’ lineup. The biggest change has been the establishment of a new top line featuring superstar centre Mark Scheifele flanked by young wingers Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine.

The swap broke up two common pairings that simply were not working. The first was the separation of the aforementioned Laine and Bryan Little, who is currently recovering from a head injury. You may recall there was a bit of off-season drama between the two players – we looked at this right after the story broke – and though Laine certainly could have handled his frustration better, his underlying argument about getting ice time with more impactful offensive players appeared valid.

Laine’s promotion meant a landscape change for Scheifele. The Jets have tried a few different options with Scheifele over the years, but Blake Wheeler has been far and away the most popular winger for Maurice to pair with his top centre. From 2017-19, Scheifele played around 90 per cent of his even-strength minutes with the 33-year old Wheeler. (To a lesser extent, Scheifele saw minutes with Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers.)

This season, it’s been a different story. Laine’s promotion to the team’s top line, the establishment of Connor as a fixed winger for Scheifele and Little’s injury creating a hole in the lineup have opened the door for Wheeler to assume a second-line centre role. Wheeler is now in more of a middle-six role – the Jets have mostly focused on now keeping him with Ehlers and Jack Roslovic, and the second line has certainly had some success (albeit in limited minutes) in the process:

Winnipeg had to try something different, especially in light of last season’s collapse and the obvious talent deficiencies on the blueline that need to be masked in some capacity. But one thing that is worth watching as a result of this is what it means for a player like Wheeler – a long established first-line presence – and the minutes he’s going to get going forward.

Consider what just one line combination change has meant for Wheeler’s usage over the last few weeks. I’ve compiled Wheeler’s usage rates at 5- on-5 and all situations since joining the Jets, and stratified his usage in the 2019-20 season – both before and after Winnipeg broke up their old top line.

Here’s what it looks like:

Even over just a handful of weeks of games, that’s a sizable reduction in usage. And almost all of the lost ice time is coming at even strength, with Wheeler playing a bit more of a secondary role for the first time in his Jets tenure.

It will be interesting to see if Maurice sticks with these lines and, consequently, if Wheeler’s minutes remain down relative to where he has been in years past. Wheeler is still a very productive player at this point of his career – he is fifth on the team in scoring with eight goals and eight assists (16 points) in 24 games. But Father Time is always lurking, and the Jets needed to find a way to allocate more minutes to their budding young stars.

Perhaps – to borrow a phrase from the National Basketball Association – some additional load management for a player with a lot of mileage will reap real benefit when the calendar turns and the playoff push begins.

TSN.CA LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163848 Websites

TSN.CA / Akim Aliu responds to Bill Peters' letter of apology to Brad Treliving and Calgary Flames

Frank Seravalli

Former NHL player Akim Aliu responded to Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters' letter of apology to the organization on Thursday, saying he found it to be, "misleading, insincere and concerning."

"I have read the statement of Bill Peters, which I found to be misleading, insincere and concerning," he wrote. "I have accepted an invitation from the NHL to meet and discuss this situation.

"Out of respect for that process I will not respond publicly to the statement or discuss the racism and discrimination that I have endured until after my meeting."

The statement comes one day after Peters released a letter apologizing to the Flames organization and general manager Brad Treliving, while Aliu and lawyer James Bunting met with the NHL Players' Association.

Peters returned to Calgary from Buffalo on Wednesday as the team continued its investigation of Peters' actions, revealed by Aliu via Twitter on Monday night. Assistant Geoff Ward assumed the head coaching duties behind the bench against the Sabres and the team flew home after the game.

TSN.CA LOADED: 11.29.2019 1163849 Websites

USA TODAY / Ex-NHL player Akim Aliu: Flames coach Bill Peters' apology for alleged racist remarks 'insincere'

Kevin Allen

USA TODAY

Former NHL player Akim Aliu said Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters' apology Wednesday for the alleged racist remarks to Aliu a decade ago was "misleading, insincere and concerning."

Aliu's reaction came on Twitter, and he also said he had accepted an invitation from the NHL to meet and discuss the situation.

"Out of respect for that process," Aliu said, "I will not respond publicly to the statement or discuss the racism and discrimination that I have endured until after my meeting."

Aliu, born in Nigeria, was reacting to Peters sending a letter of apology to the Flames and general manager Brad Treliving. They are investigating the accusation that Peters used a racial slur a decade ago when asking Aliu to turn off music in an American Hockey League dressing room.

In his apology letter, Peters said, "I was rightfully challenged about my use of language, and I immediately returned to the dressing room and apologized to the team."

Aliu told TSN on Tuesday that Peters did not apologize to him.

Another former NHL player, Michal Jordan, said Peters physically abused him when Peters coached the Carolina Hurricanes.

Given the Flames' ongoing investigation, they did not allow Peters to coach Wednesday night in Buffalo, where Calgary defeated the Sabres 3-2 in overtime. Geoff Ward was behind the bench.

USA TODAY LOADED: 11.29.2019