Blue Jackets 4, Coyotes 1

Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips December 6, 2016

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets 4, Coyotes 1 | Sam Gagner makes most of role with two goals, assist PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Run of stout defense continues PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Can we say it? Emerging Jackets look like real deal PAGE 08: Columbus Dispatch: Attendance doesn't reflect huge improvement of the surging Blue Jackets PAGE 10: Fox Sports Ohio: Blue Jackets' play turning heads PAGE 12: NHL.com: Sam Gagner gets four points in Blue Jackets win PAGE 14: NBC Sports: Sam Gagner has been ‘a great story’ for the surprising Blue Jackets PAGE 15: FANRAG Sports: Blue Jackets embracing life as ‘a third period team’ PAGE 17: The Hockey Writers: Foligno & Gagner Proving Worth

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 19: Sportsnet.CA: Top 10 NHL unrestricted free agents of 2017: Who’s left? PAGE 25: Sportsnet.CA: Down Goes Brown’s Weekend Wrap: Is something wrong with the Rangers? PAGE 31: TSN.CA: Per Hockey Reference, a team that has never won a Cup has the best chance of winning it this year PAGE 32: TSN.CA: Rangers back on top of NHL Power Rankings PAGE 40: TSN.CA: NHL won’t budge on current concussion protocol

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/12/06/blue-jackets-4-coyotes-1--sam- gagner-makes-most-of-role-with-two-goals-assist.html

Blue Jackets 4, Coyotes 1 | Sam Gagner makes most of role with two goals, assist

By Aaron Portzline - December 6, 2016

The Blue Jackets did not make any promises to Sam Gagner before they signed him to a free-agent contract in late July. A top-six role and a spot at center ice seemed there for the taking as Gagner, 27, sought to get his career back on track.

But if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen would have described the role Gagner has filled since the fourth game of the season — the fourth-line right wing with power-play time — it’s possible Gagner would have waited for another offer.

“I’m not sure,” Gagner said with a smile after a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets’ 500th franchise win.

Suffice it to say, Gagner and the Blue Jackets are both delighted by how their relationship has started.

Gagner had two goals and two assists, tied for the second-best game of his career, playing a role in every goal scored by the Blue Jackets after they fell behind 1-0.

“I don’t think anything can be promised in this game; you have to earn everything you get,” Gagner said. “Our team is playing so well and it’s fun to be a part of.

“We’re rolling four lines, for the most part. You just have to find a way to contribute.”

Gagner now has 10 goals and seven assists, even though he’s 15th on the club in ice time. He’s in the top 20 in the NHL in goals scored, but making barely the league minimum ($650,000).

Though he’s technically the fourth-line right wing, Gagner is on the first power-play unit — which has been lethal early this season — and has moved up late in games when the Blue Jackets need an offensive surge.

“In a league where you struggle to score goals and you’re looking for somebody to help a power play, he’s been a huge addition to our team,” coach John Tortorella said.

Gagner tied it at 11:39 of the first period when he deflected a shot by Alexander Wennberg past Arizona goaltender Louis Domingue.

He assisted on Nick Foligno’s 10th goal of the season at 5:09 of the second — also on the power play — as the Blue Jackets took the lead for good.

The Coyotes have struggled this season, but they are not an easy mark. They skate hard and it hurts to play them, given their physical nature.

But the Blue Jackets broke their backs at 11:37 of the third when Gagner scored his second of the night. He was alone in the slot when Brandon Saad fed him the puck out of a heap of bodies in the left circle.

“I saw a big crowd in front of the net and I saw Sam wide open,” Saad said. “I figured he’s pretty hot right now, so I should just get him the puck.

“It’s huge what he’s brought to this team. I’m sure he’d like to be higher up and play more minutes, but for him — fitting in on that line, still producing and fitting in on our power play — it’s been a big reason for our success.”

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/12/06/blue-jackets-notebook--blue-jackets- continue-run-of-stout-defense.html

Run of stout defense continues

By Tom Reed - December 6, 2016

In this Season of Giving, the Blue Jackets have become absolutely miserly.

The club ran its winning streak to four games by limiting the Arizona Coyotes to 18 shots in a 4-1 victory at Nationwide Arena on Monday night.

The Blue Jackets have yielded more than 28 shots on goal only once since Nov. 15. In that stretch, they have gone 8-1-2 to vault into third place in the Metropolitan Division.

“The confidence level is going up and everyone trusts each other to do their jobs,” goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky said. “Everyone is just playing their roles and I think it helps make everyone calm on defense ... It’s day and night from (last season), you can see the shots going down.”

The Blue Jackets surrendered a first-period power-play, but gave the Coyotes few great looks on a night Columbus improved to 15-5-4.

The Blue Jackets entered play fifth in goals-against average at 2.19. In the past 11 games, they have allowed 1.91 goals per game.

“I think it’s just committing to checking,” winger Brandon Saad said. “We’re getting in on the forecheck and we’re back checking hard for our (defensemen) so they can stay up in the play and create plays for us.”

Rookie Zach Werenski agreed that the forwards’ willingness to track back has allowed the defensemen to stand up at the blueline and not let opponents enter the zone with speed.

“We’re able to close guys out because we’re confident (the forwards) will be back there,” Werenski said. “I think it starts there and we’re just playing good three-zone games.”

Third-period dominance

The Blue Jackets continued their fine run of third-period play. They tallied the only two goals of the final period Monday night, and since Nov. 15 have outscored opponents 14-4 in third periods.

Reunion week Werenski, a Detroit native, played against former youth hockey teammate Brenden Perlini on Monday night. The 20-year-old winger and Werenski were together for about three seasons in the elite Belle Tire program in Detroit. Those teams produced a handful of NHL players, including Red Wings’ forward Dylan Larkin, who will face Werenski on Friday night for the first time in Detroit.

Perlini, a 2014 first-round pick of Arizona, made his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets.

Slap shots Saad recorded an assist to give him 200 points in 310 games. The Blue Jackets entered Monday tied for first in scoring the game’s first goal. They had done it 17 times (12-2-3) and were knotted with Montreal and Washington. On Monday night, Arizona scored first. ... The Blue Jackets scratched defensemen Dalton Prout and Scott Harrington.

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2016/12/06/michael-arace-commentary--can-we- say-it-emerging-jackets-look-like-real-deal.html

Can we say it? Emerging Jackets look like real deal

By Michael Arace - December 6, 2016

Granted, it is difficult to trust the Blue Jackets. See: History.

They are the hottest team in the NHL and they are not drawing well — partly because football lingers in their landscape and partly because it is difficult to trust them with success. Last week, on a Hockey News podcast, the esteemed panelists gently chastised Columbus fans for lack of support and, on the other hand, said they don’t trust what they see in the Blue Jackets, not yet.

Last night, the Jackets completed a home-and-home sweep of the Arizona Coyotes with a 4-1 victory before 11,091 in Nationwide Arena. The Jackets outshot the Coyotes by an aggregate of 94-52 over the two games.

There it is, almost hidden in the background — an encouraging sign: The Jackets not only have a plus-24 goal differential, the second-best in the league, but they are earning it by generating shots and spreading their scoring. Eight Jackets are in double digits in points. Seven Blue Jackets players had at least a point last night.

We can trot out all kinds of numbers: Their record (15-5-4), their league-leading power-play (they potted two more last night), and so on, and so forth. What is behind the numbers is more important.

Rookie Zach Werenski, who is among the league's leading scorers among defensemen, salted the game away with a goal in the third period. As the puck went into the net, Matt Calvert, coming off a concussion, stood in front of the net and absorbed a high stick from one Arizona defenseman, Connor Murphy, and a spear in a very sensitive area from another Arizona defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

The lesson is only partly about hockey toughness. On this particular night, the Coyotes threw everything they had in terms of swordsmanship and other things physical at the Blue Jackets, who were pounded all night. The Blue Jackets took it, pushed back and drew away to victory.

This is their emerging template. Remember how good they felt at the beginning of last season, before they slipped into the morass of an 0-8 start? This year, they are finding their spiritual center, if you will. Overconfidence is not seeping into their being — not yet, anyway.

“To me, that’s one of the biggest strengths of our team, is they come to work that day,” coach John Tortorella said. “If they have a good day, they don’t get too high, and if they have a bad day, they haven’t gotten too low. It’s an organization that is trying to get footing in the league, and I know it’s coach-speak, but taking it one day at a time is the most important thing for our team and our organization to live by.”

This is a new storyline for the Blue Jackets. They have had small sips of success in the past — the distant past, it seems now. Forever, the problem has been summarized as having to do with the culture. There is a sizeable enough sample through 24 games to say they may be in the throes of change.

“I want our team to have a chip on their shoulder,” Tortorella said. “I think they should. We’re trying to get respect in the league. Quite honestly, we should be disrespected because of where we’ve been. To be honest with ourselves — as far as last year and the inconsistency of our play … ”

Tortorella let the last sentence dangle. Presumably, it should end with “we deserve the lack of respect.”

“The only thing we have to worry about is what we’re thinking about ourselves and how we’re going about our business each and every day.”

The Blue Jackets are promising because their recent success goes beyond numbers, as impressive as they may be.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/front-row/2016/12/tfr-12-06-cbj-crowds.html

Attendance doesn't reflect huge improvement of the surging Blue Jackets

By Todd Jones - December 6, 2016

The cannon kept firing like the third day at Gettysburg, boom, boom, boom, each boom a welcomed blast of celebration in an arena too often home to misery, despair, and disappointment.

All the thunder at Nationwide Arena on Monday night signified that something’s happening with the Blue Jackets, something fresh, something rarely known in these parts.

This is a team on the come, a young squad blossoming with so much belief it’s causing the cannon to repeatedly blast, and yet there were again empty seats everywhere.

Only 11,091 fans – at least that was the announced crowd – were on hand to see the Jackets’ latest victory, 4-1 over the Arizona Coyotes, as reported by Aaron Portzline of the Dispatch.

Those in attendance were vocal, chanting “C-B-J” on occasion, and soaking up the latest edition of surprising success emanating from a Jackets team now 9-3-1 at home, and 15-5-4 overall.

Yet the empty seats, more than 7,000 of them, spoke to how central Ohio is hesitant to buy in.

Kudos to the loyal fans, but you can’t blame those who haven’t rushed back to Nationwide Arena, which was sold out for all 41 home games way back in the 2001-02 season, the second in franchise history. That’s when the Jackets ranked eighth in NHL home attendance.

So much losing has occurred, including last season when the Jackets dropped their first eight games of the season, fired coach Todd Richards, and finished in eighth place in the Metropolitan Division under John Tortorella.

The past two months of stellar hockey isn’t going to wash away the stain of missing the playoffs 13 times in 15 seasons, and the Blue Jackets – owners of one home postseason win all-time – know and understand that.

“It’s unfortunate there hasn’t been a winning culture here,” Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. “ You’re going to get that where they’re just waiting to see what happens, but we’re hoping that soon enough this building is going to be jammed because they know this is a good product every time we step on the ice.

“That’s for us to prove it every night, and then they’ll show up. So that’s on us right now. Winning brings those people out. I don’t blame them. It’s been a decade of them being let down."

The Jackets entered Monday’s game tied for the fifth-most points in the NHL but ranked No. 27 out of 30 with an average attendance of 14,665. They’ve drawn less than 12,000 in six of their last nine games, which hasn’t been uncommon before Christmas in this football-mad town.

Outside of the hard-core Jackets fans (bless ’em), skepticism is thick in Columbus.

“I want to say it the correct way: I can’t worry about that,” Tortorella said. “I have to worry about doing the best job I can to have this team compete at a high level, and then it’s up to the fan base to accept it, believe it, or not believe it. I can’t control that.

“Having said that, I think our fans have been very fair to us in the short time I’ve been here, last year and this year. I think they’ve been very fair as far as some of the hockey they’ve seen. Hopefully, I guess, we’re trying to change it in a more positive way right now. Hopefully they’ll come along with us.”

The Jackets are doing their best to wave everyone onto the bandwagon. They’ve gone 8-1-2 in their past 11 games and sit in third place in the Metro. Yes, you read that right.

“The fans will come,” said winger Brandon Saad, who won two Stanley Cup titles with the Chicago Blackhawks. “They appreciate good hockey. We got to keep worrying about winning hockey games and that’ll all come along.

“You can do as much as you want (marketing) but at the end of the day you got to win. Even myself, I like watching good sports and good teams. We’ve got to keep putting our heart out there and winning hockey games.”

The Jackets won another game Monday, the 500 th victory in franchise history, and this time they didn't have to be clutch in the third period, as Dispatch reporter Tom Reed has noted about their play this season.

They showed, as my colleague Mike Arace wrote in his column in today’s Dispatch, that their success goes beyond numbers.

They showed once again that hope is becoming reality, at least among the players and the hearty 11,091 who turned out.

You could hear it in the cannon fire.

And the cannon fired often, beckoning to the non-believers or former fans who have totally tuned out the Blue Jackets from years of pain and too many empty promises.

Those fans are out there. From 2000 to 2007, the Jackets outdrew the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Look it up.

Some of those fans are taking notice. The players detect rumblings in public.

“I’m finding (fans) to be more vocal as I go around town now,” Foligno said. “They’re coming up to you and saying, ‘We’re so excited you guys are doing great.’ That’s really nice to hear. I think it’s exciting for them because they deserve to see a winning team, a team that puts a good product on the ice all the time.”

Keep winning, and those fans will eventually come back through the doors at Nationwide Arena. Only victories can fill the joint.

So far, two months into the season, the Jackets are doing their part.

http://www.foxsports.com/ohio/story/columbus-blue-jackets-nhl-surprise-team-120516

Blue Jackets' play turning heads

By TSX / STATS – December 6, 2016

Nearly two months into the season, perhaps it's time to anoint the Columbus Blue Jackets as the biggest surprise team in the NHL.

Looking for a season high-tying fourth straight win -- and the 500th in franchise history -- the Blue Jackets wrap up their season series with the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night at Nationwide Arena.

Since entering the league as an expansion team in 2000, Columbus (14-5-4) reached the postseason twice and was eliminated in the opening round each time. While there are still almost 60 games to play in the regular season, the Blue Jackets appear to have the pieces to get in the playoffs and to stick around for a while.

"We want to earn respect, because we don't have any right now," Columbus coach John Tortorella told the team's official website in November.

The Blue Jackets' play is turning heads. Columbus' five regulation losses are the fewest in the league, and it is averaging 3.13 goals per game -- just barely ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and trailing only the New York Rangers.

The Blue Jackets, third in the Metropolitan Division, scored 15 goals in a three-game winning streak over Arizona, and averaged nearly four goals per game while winning six of the last seven at home against the Coyotes.

The teams met for the first time this season on Saturday night in Arizona. Boone Jenner scored 13 seconds in and Columbus fired a franchise-record 60 shots on goal through overtime before coming away with a 3-2 shootout win.

Jenner scored in each of his last two games, giving him four in 23 contests. He had 11 goals through 23 games last season, and finished with a career-best 30. Tortorella -- never shy about speaking his mind -- said the team needs Jenner to produce like he once did.

"We've been able to find our way here in the first quarter of the season without him being a big part of our offense," Tortorella told the Columbus Dispatch. "He's done a lot of other things. But if we can just get his offense going, then you have a little bit of balance if one of our other lines has an off night."

What Tortorella has been getting at home is balanced scoring. Four players each totaled at least 10 points in Columbus -- Cam Atkinson (15), Alexander Wennberg (12), Zach Werenski (12) and Nick Foligno (11). Scott Hartnell and Brandon Saad added nine points apiece.

Tortorella appears most grateful for Werenski, taken eighth overall in the 2015 NHL Draft.

"We have an (elite, young) defenseman, and that's a huge position in our game," Tortorella told the Columbus Dispatch. "... You're always looking for that guy. We feel very fortunate to have a guy who can run our power play at 19 years old. He has a lot to learn, but we feel very fortunate that we have him."

After Curtis McElhinney won in the desert, the Blue Jackets will likely turn to Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. With 13 wins, Bobrovsky needs two more to match the total he recorded in 37 games during an injury- plagued 2015-16 season.

Bobrovsky is 11-2-1 with a 1.96 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and two shutouts in his last 14 games.

Arizona (8-11-4) is in the middle of a stretch of four games in six days, and will be looking to avoid its fourth straight loss. The Coyotes are last in the Pacific Division and one point ahead of Colorado Avalanche, currently at the bottom of the West.

"We're trying to be as competitive as we can," coach Dave Tippett told the Arizona Republic. "We're scratching and clawing trying to get points. We feel like we're in every game."

Mike Smith stopped a career-best 58 shots Saturday -- the third time in four games that he's faced at least 40 shots.

"Frustrating would be a good word but it's even worse than that right now," Smith said. "At some point, you'd like to see your team move forward and take steps in the right direction to start having your chance to win hockey games.

"It seems like once we take one step forward we're taking a couple back. It's tough to play like that in this league and expect to come out and win hockey games."

Smith is 1-2-1 with a 2.90 GAA and .887 save percentage over his last five games in Columbus. Coyotes captain Shane Doan said Smith is keeping the team in games.

"The last two weeks he's been in a zone," Doan said. "That's the only reason we're even remotely close to getting points or getting any kind of team success."

Doan, who scored in Saturday's loss, is on the cusp of a milestone, needing one goal to become the 93rd player in NHL history to score 400. Doan, the last of the original Winnipeg Jets after being selected seventh overall in 1995, scored a goal in two of his last three visits to Ohio, giving him nine in 26 career games there.

https://www.nhl.com/news/arizona-coyotes-columbus-blue-jackets-game-recap/c-284415872

Sam Gagner gets four points in Blue Jackets win

By Craig Merz - December 6, 2016

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets' best offseason move continued to pay dividends when forward Sam Gagner had two goals and two assists in a 4-1 win against the Arizona Coyotes at Nationwide Arena on Monday.

Gagner, who was an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year, $650,000 contract on Aug. 1 with hopes of resurrecting his career. He had eight goals in 53 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last season and also spent time in the American Hockey League.

But Gagner is tied with Nick Foligno for the Blue Jackets lead with 10 goals and has seven assists in 23 games.

"I'm happy for him because he knew when we were talking this summer that this was a chance, probably his last one, to stay in the League," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "He's been a huge addition to our team."

The Blue Jackets (15-5-4) are 5-0-1 in the past six games.

Tobias Rieder scored on the power play for the Coyotes (8-12-4), who have lost four in a row. Louis Domingue made 30 saves.

"We were all right," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Penalties caught up with us and we didn't create enough offense to overcome it."

Foligno and rookie defenseman Zach Werenski also scored and Cam Atkinson had two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky made 17 saves.

Rieder put the Coyotes up 1-0 at 9:28 of the first, scoring his seventh goal.

Columbus has the top-ranked power play in the NHL (.246) and scored its first two goals with the man- advantage Monday. The Blue Jackets are 12-for-36 (.333) at home on the power play.

Gagner, who played for the Coyotes in 2014-15, tied the game 1-1 on the Blue Jackets' first power play at 11:39 and Foligno gave Columbus a 2-1 lead early in the second period.

"We were a little sluggish early," Gagner said. "Our power play kept us going. We were moving the puck around pretty good and were able to get a couple there, which is nice."

Gagner's goal at 11:37 of the third gave Columbus a 3-1 lead. Brandon Saad assisted for his 200th NHL point. Gagner then assisted on Werenski's sixth goal at 15:00.

Goal of the game

Rieder had no hesitation in taking a pass from Alex Goligoski and shooting top shelf on Bobrovsky before the goalie could react.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky kept Columbus ahead 2-1 in the final seconds of the second period when he battled a crowd in front to locate a low shot from the left point by Jakob Chychrun and stuck out his left pad to make the save.

Unsung moment of the game Goligoski prevented Columbus from taking a 2-1 lead during its power play with eight minutes left in the first period when he swept the puck off the goal line after a tipped shot by Boone Jenner got behind Domingue.

Highlight of the game Foligno gave Columbus its first lead at 5:09 of the second period during a power play. Gagner sent a crisp from the right point to Atkinson in the low left circle. He patiently waited for a lane and threaded a pass through two Coyotes to Foligno at the crease to make it 2-1.

They said it

"Tonight was a case of a bad backup goalie job. You come in here fresh; you've got to give more to the team. I think I could have given a better game tonight." -- Coyotes goalie Louis Domingue

"It's a fun team to be a part of. We're doing a good job of forgetting anything that happened the game before and moving on and having a good mindset about it."-- Blue Jackets forward Sam Gagner

"It would have been nice to get a win, but in the same sense it was good to get out here with the guys." - - Coyotes forward Brendan Perlini on his NHL debut

Need to know

Arizona captain Shane Doan remains one goal shy of his 400th NHL goal and needs one assist to become the Coyotes' career assists leader. … The win was the 500th all-time for Columbus. The Blue Jackets are 500-570-33-117.

What's next

Coyotes: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday (8:30 p.m., ET; CSN-CH, FS-A PLUS, NHL.TV)

Blue Jackets: At the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D+, FS-O, NHL.TV)

http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2016/12/05/sam-gagner-has-been-a-great-story-for-the-surprising-blue- jackets/

Sam Gagner has been ‘a great story’ for the surprising Blue Jackets

By Cam Tucker - December 6, 2016

The Columbus Blue Jackets just keep on winning, remaining one of the big surprises so far this season — provided their last two performances were against the Arizona Coyotes.

We’ve seen the emergence of Zach Werenski. And Alexander Wennberg continues to impress.

But what about Sam Gagner? At 27 years old, he’s another interesting story on this early-season surprise of a team. Signed by the Blue Jackets at the beginning of August to a one-year contract worth only $650,000, Gagner is off to a very strong start with his new team.

For the Blue Jackets, they have received tremendous bang for their buck with this signing.

Gagner scored twice in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Coyotes, giving him 10 goals this season. He also had two assists. A four-point night accomplished in 11:30 of ice time, including 4:03 of power play time. Again, this is against a young, rebuilding Arizona team, but still, Gagner has provided Columbus with additional offense, with 17 points in 23 games.

He has already eclipsed his point total from last season, basically in half the time. He had 16 points with the Flyers — in 53 games.

“He’s applied himself,” coach John Tortorella recently told FanRag Sports Network. “When I had him at center, for some reason, it wasn’t working. When we moved him to wing, things started happening for him. He seems more comfortable on the wing and he can play both sides, too.

“He’s scored some big goals for us and helps us on the power play. He knows that this is probably his last kick at the can, and it’s amazing what it does for athletes [who are] thinking ‘man, this is where I’m at right now.’ I think he has done some soul-searching and to me, right now, it’s a great story.”

He’s part of a Columbus team competing right now for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. In December.

That’s a pretty good story, too.

http://www.fanragsports.com/nhl/blue-jackets-embracing-life-third-period-team/

Blue Jackets embracing life as ‘a third period team’

By Kristyn Repke – December 6, 2016

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the Columbus Blue Jackets keep rolling, now 15-5-4 with 34 points in 24 games this season, it’s easy to wonder what they are doing differently this season.

Aside from the individual additions of rookie defenseman Zach Werenski (frequently included in the Calder Trophy discussion) and the surprising performance of free-agent pickup and forward Sam Gagner (17 points in 23 games on a $650,000, one-year contract), the team, collectively, has found ways to win.

The last time the Blue Jackets made the playoffs, back in the 2013-14 season, the team typically scored first, and if the game was tied, would use the third period to take home the “W”. Through the first 24 games of this season, the Blue Jackets are trending that way, too, scoring first in 17 of 24 games.

It isn’t just about scoring first, though. Great teams have to find ways to win in all situations. So far, the Blue Jackets have the third-highest win percentage in the NHL when they trail opponents after the second period (0.333) with a 3-4-2 record, behind the New Jersey Devils (5-4-2, 0.455) and Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-1, 0.417).

82 percent of teams who ranked in the top 10 in win percentage when trailing after the second period have made the playoffs dating back to the 2011 postseason, proving that teams who find ways to win in all situations generally make the playoffs.

Curious about the Blue Jackets’ situational play, particularly when opponents score first or late-game tied-or-down situations, I pulled the data and compared it to the season-end result going back to the 2010-11 season:

A big reason the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs the last two seasons was that they found themselves trailing going into the third period in a combined 44 percent of their games and had an abysmal 10-58-3 record (23 points) to show for it. This year, they have found themselves trailing to start the final frame in nine games and have points in five of them — a huge change from past seasons.

They are also finding ways to win when opponents score first. In past seasons, particularly last year and in 2011-12, being down was debilitating for the team. It resulted in mostly losses, and big-margin losses to boot.

In his first “full” season with the Blue Jackets, head coach John Tortorella has already noticed the change in attitude and results.

“We are succeeding in these situations this year whereas last year, it was going in a much different direction,” Tortorella said. “I think there is a much different feeling in the room. We are finding ways to win.”

What’s making the difference this season? Many players point to their conditioning in training camp as the biggest factor to why they are becoming a third period team, and they have the results to show for it, especially recently.

In their last three games, the Blue Jackets have outshot opponents 50-13 and outscored opponents 4-0 in the final frame. They won all three games. In their last 11 games, where they have an 8-1-2 record, they have outshot opponents 140-84 and outscored their opposition 15-4.

“Our third periods have definitely been our best,” Cam Atkinson said after Monday’s 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes.

Teammate Werenski agreed.

“We’ve been a third period team all year,” Werenski said. “It’s just what we do.”

As the Blue Jackets continue to search for their identity, they are already establishing themselves as a team that can overcome adversity and a team that the league can’t afford to take lightly in the third period.

http://thehockeywriters.com/foligno-and-gagner-proving-worth/

Foligno & Gagner Proving Worth

By Michael Mallory – December 6, 2016

The 2015-16 season was a major disappointment for the Columbus Blue Jackets for many reasons including their sluggish start, their coach being fired, and their captain’s disappointing season.

The Jackets selected Nick Foligno as captain after a stellar 2014-15 campaign where the winger tallied career highs in goals, assists, and points with a 31-42-73 mark. Along with these career highs, Foligno was named to his first NHL All-Star game.

Everything was looking up for Foligno headed into 2015-16, but he was unable to build off the previous season’s success tallying 12-25-37. While those numbers aren’t far off from his season averages, it is disappointing that his numbers dropped substantially after being selected captain.

Though Foligno scored less, he was impressive as a leader. He has shown throughout his time in Columbus that his effort cannot be questioned. Foligno plays a tough style of hockey with a touch of finesse. He battles in the dirty areas while having the skill to make the flashy play.

Foligno’s Improvement This Season The Columbus Blue Jackets have been very impressive up to the quarter mark of the season. One big reason is their captain finding his stride. Foligno has tallied 10-12-22 in 23 games. His 10 goals put him tied for team leader with Sam Gagner while his 22 points put him second on the team only trailing Cam Atkinson

Foligno is a scorer, but he has shown growth as a leader. With the Blue Jackets youth, teams may take some shots at the younger players. These shots have not gone unnoticed by the captain who has dropped the gloves to protect the Columbus younger players.

Sam Gagner Reestablishing Himself Along with Foligno’s growth, the Blue Jackets have gained a very good veteran this season with what seemed to be a minor signing in Sam Gagner. The Blue Jackets and Sam Gagner agreed to a one-year $650,000 deal before the 2016-17.

Gagner signed with the Blue Jackets after a disappointing season with the Philadelphia Flyers, so the length and term of this deal are not surprising. Gagner has proven that he is a capable NHL player, but he has to prove to the NHL that he still has it. He was not impressive in his first two games in Columbus being a healthy scratch.

With his early season struggles behind him, the consensus this season is that Gagner is still a very viable pro. He has tallied 10-7-17 for the Blue Jackets in 23 games. Gagner’s 10 goals tie him with team captain Nick Foligno.

The Columbus Blue Jackets signing was a low-risk move that has paid off early with Gagner adding secondary scoring depth to a team that is clicking. His impressive scoring numbers were padded Monday night with his first four-point game with Columbus (2G, 2A) against the Coyotes — including the shootout winner.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-10-nhl-unrestricted-free-agents-of-2017-hanzal-thornton- bishop-radulov-shattenkirk-sharp-johnson/

Top 10 NHL unrestricted free agents of 2017: Who’s left?

By Luke Fox – December 6, 2016

Here’s a two-pronged prediction for NHL business in 2017: The Feb. 28 trade deadline will be more frantic than it has been in recent years, as teams rejig their rosters in advance of the Las Vegas expansion draft, trying to make the Golden Knights as crappy as possible.

Conversely, the July 1 free agency class could be one of the weakest in years.

As we’ve seen with superstars Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, eight years of security with the devil you know always outweighs the uncertainty of going to the highest bidder.

Potential summer of ’17 UFA bank-breakers Jamie Benn, Victor Hedman, Brent Burns and Brad Marchand all inked maximum-term extensions with their current clubs months before becoming eligible to test the market.

So, who's left?

Well, the 2017 UFA class should still offer a compelling mix of mid-prime defencemen, No. 1 goaltenders, and a few stud forwards, plus the trade rumours and financial pressure that comes part and parcel with it.

Some of these stars will move on due to salary cap restraints, younger talent and decreased playoff hopes. Others will be retained at any cost (but, y'know, within reason).

Here is a mid-season look at the NHL's Top 10 unrestricted free agents of 2017, plus a list of some of the other household names who are playing for their next job this season.

1. Ben Bishop

Age on July 1, 2017: 30

Position: Goaltender

2016-17 salary cap hit: $5.95 million

Bargaining chips: A Vezina Trophy finalist for the second time in three seasons. Set a franchise record with his .926 save percentage in 2015-16 and was regarded among teammates as the club's MVP.

What the future holds: This is a tough one. As all-world as Bishop has played, he also has been injured in the past two post-seasons and the Lightning have young goaltending prospects they're high on in Andrei Vasilevskiy, 22, and Kristers Gudlevskis, 24. Bishop has a full no-move clause he'd have to waive to facilitate a trade, but he could be the key to a blockbuster. Otherwise, the Lightning core takes one more stab at Stanley in 2017 before the band breaks up.

Tampa GM Steve Yzerman said he could see keeping both Bishop and Vasilevskiy for the duration of the year. These comments were made after he nearly traded Bishop to the Calgary Flames in June.

“It was up to me. They were on my no-trade [list] or whatever, so that kinda has to get worked out. It was one of those things where at the draft it could’ve happened," Bishop told us in September. "Obviously, it's not that close if it didn’t.

“I’m not going to go into a game thinking, Oh, it’s a contract year. I’m not going to change the way I play or the way I prepare. I’ve been doing the same thing for five or six years. Nothing’s going to change."

Vasilevskiy is still getting fewer starts than Bishop, but the workload is shifting in his direction and the younger goalie's numbers are better.

Best bet: Bishop stays put this spring and gets paid big-time on July 1.

BEST GAME BEN BISHOP HAS PLAYED IN WHILE. THIRTY SEVEN SAVES, FIVE IN SHOOTOUT. #TBLIGHTNING.

— JOE SMITH (@TBTIMES_JSMITH) DECEMBER 4, 2016

SNEAK PEEK: NHL's Top 12 Restricted Free Agents of 2017

2. Kevin Shattenkirk

Age on July 1, 2017: 28

Position: Defence

2016-17 salary cap hit: $4.25 million

Bargaining chip: U.S. Olympian. Entrenched as a top-four D-man on one of the league's best blue lines. Power-play beast. Good for about 45 points if healthy.

What the future holds: A trade... probably. Shattenkirk, who has no protection, has been rumoured trade bait for months now. The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers have been reported suitors, and Shattenkirk's agent was surprised his client never moved at the 2016 draft.

Surely GM Doug Armstrong would like to keep Shattenkirk around in a perfect (read: non-salary cap) world, but the Blues' blue line is too expensive. Captain Alex Pietrangelo ($6.5 million cap hit) and Jay Bouwmeester ($5.4 million) are locked up at high rates. Carl Gunnarsson ($2.9 million) is taxing the Blues' payroll until 2019. But it's surging 23-year-old Colton Parayko (RFA in 2017) who makes losing Shattenkirk palatable.

If Armstrong doesn't trade Shattenkirk, he'll walk for nothing in July like David Backes and Troy Brouwer did this summer.

Still, do you part with your second-highest scorer (Shattenkirk has 19 points and a team-high 12 on the man advantage after 25 games) when you're trying to go all the way?

3. Martin Hanzal

Age on July 1, 2017: 30

Position: Centre

2016-17 salary cap hit: $3.1 million

Bargaining chips: A big top-two pivot (6-foot-6, 226 pounds) who creates plays and provides a threat on the power play. Free agent centres with first-line experience aged 30 and under are nearly impossible to find.

What the future holds: The Coyotes have a grand total of three forwards signed past 2017-18, and one of those is Dave Bolland, who's unlikely to play again. The future of this roster is essentially a clean slate, and a weak opening to 2016-17 points to a deadline deal for Hanzal.

Dylan Strome, 19, and 20-year-old Christian Dvorak (a mellow 121 points in 59 games for the OHL's London Knights last season) are poised to become the centres of the future here.

Management needs to rent the injury-prone Hanzal out mid-season to a playoff team, perhaps with an nudge-wink agreement that he can re-sign as a free agent come summertime (see: Vermette, Antoine). The man could fetch a great return of prospects or picks. The Montreal Canadiens would be a suitable trade partner here.

Hanzal holds a modified no-trade clause and a workable cap hit of $3.1 million.

4. Alexander Radulov

Age on July 1, 2017: 30

Position: Right wing

2016-17 salary cap hit: $5.75 million

Bargaining chips: Has put up 123 points in his first 177 NHL games. Tore up the KHL scoring race during his prolonged overseas hiatus. A big body that is providing critical scoring a punch to a Habs roster that needs it. Sudden fan favourite.

What the future holds: Intrigue. A matured and well-compensated Radulov returned to North America for the first time since 2012 on a one-year, prove-it deal. Montreal will need him for the playoffs, and he should earn a long-term contract from the highest bidder on July 1.

Radulov, the NHL's most productive forward set to turn UFA this summer, cannot re-sign until Jan. 1, even if his agent is already thinking about it.

GM Marc Bergevin plans to exercise patience, but it will be difficult to let a player who creates so much offence walk away.

5. Karl Alzner

Age on July 1, 2017: 28

Position: Defence

2016-17 salary cap hit: $2.8 million

Bargaining chips: Durable top-four defenceman on a good team for a relatively low wage. Hasn't missed a game since becoming a full-time Capital in 2010. Fifth-overall pick in 2007. Broke NHL's longstanding sunglasses barrier.

What the future holds: Uncertainty. An excellent Capitals roster was kept almost wholly intact over the summer, but come July 2017 there will be changes. Washington is a, um, cap team, but a handful of regulars — Alzner included — are entering contract years and will be looking for raises.

Evgeny Kuznetsov (RFA) should grab the biggest slice of pie, but is there room to keep the defensively responsible Alzer and the younger Dmitry Orlov (RFA again)? Does Washington consider buying out the pricey Brooks Orpik, 36, if health and speed become a concern by springtime?

We bet the Caps play the season out and reevaluate at that point.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reports that Alzner is asking for $5.5 to $6 million per season from Washington in light of the hefty Burns deal. Elliotte Friedman expects Canada's western clubs to take a run at Alzner this summer.

6. T.J. Oshie

Age on July 1, 2017: 30

Position: Right wing

2016-17 salary cap hit: $4.175 million

Bargaining chips: U.S. national team member. Recorded a career-high 26 goals in 2015-16 after being traded from St. Louis to Washington. Exploded for 10 points in 16 playoff games last spring. In a sport where loser points matter, Oshie's status as a shootout master matters.

What the future holds: Top-six roles for Washington's right wing will open up significantly after 2016-17. Trying to retain the services of Oshie seems like the smart play here, even if that means letting a veteran like Justin Williams (who's six years older than Oshie) walk in free agency. And with the Presidents' Trophy winners still thinking of themselves as a Cup contender, a trade would be silly.

Oshie has put up eight goals and 12 points through his first 17 games this season, missing a stretch with an injured shoulder.

7. Joe Thornton

Age on July 1, 2017: 37

Position: Centre

2016-17 salary cap hit: $6.75 million

Bargaining chips: Slam-dunk Hall of Famer. One of the greatest passers to ever pick up a hockey stick. Legitimate Hart Trophy consideration at age 36. World Cup champion and Stanley Cup finalist. Dope beard.

What the future holds: The love affair between Jumbo Joe and San Jose should continue, likely at the expense of fellow UFA forward Patrick Marleau.

Even after having his captaincy stripped, the man is comfortable playing where he is, thank you. Expect a short-term, bonus-laden deal with a full no-move clause at a reasonable rate, perhaps in the $4.8 million range. After putting up 82 points in 82 games last season, the durable hobo lookalike still has some juice in the tank. Fifteen points through his first 25 games.

JOE THORNTON (379-977—1,356) HAS MOVED PAST BRENDAN SHANAHAN (656-698—1,354) INTO SOLE POSSESSION OF 25TH ON THE NHL'S ALL-TIME POINTS LIST.

— NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS (@PR_NHL) DECEMBER 3, 2016

8. Chad Johnson

Age on July 1, 2017: 31

Position: Goaltender

2016-17 salary cap hit: $1.7 million

Bargaining chips: Best save percentage (.930), goals-against average (2.05) and shutout total (three) of any UFA goalie this season. Wasted little time stealing Brian Elliott's No. 1 job in Calgary and Elliott's place on this list.

What the future holds: Calgary's early-season MVP, according to coach Glen Gulutzan, has been nothing short of spectacular en route to finally getting out from under the "reliable backup" classification.

The Flames brought in Elliott and Johnson in the summer, believing the former would be a good bet to re-sign for the future. It's the more affordable Johnson, however, who has been a perfect fit in Alberta, where he developed as a youth.

We wouldn't be shocked to see Johnson re-sign sometime after the new year and before July 1. It'll depend how badly he wants to spin his hot play into a financial windfall.

9. Michael Stone

Age on July 1, 2017: 27

Position: Defence

2016-17 salary cap hit: $4 million

Bargaining chips: Right shot. Top-four minutes. Well under 30 years old. Should provide good value with his low name recognition.

What the future holds: A good candidate for a trade, and a sweet pay bump.

If you're looking for a dependable right shot on your blue line and don't want to dive into the Shattenkirk bidding war, Stone provides a nice consolation target.

As a non-contender for the post-season, Arizona must decide early if the Winnipeg native wants to stick around for the desert rebuild. If not, the Coyotes should move him.

Stone put up 36 points last season. He's improved his plus/minus two years running and has reduced his penalties.

SO HERE ARE THE BEST RH UFA D MEN COMING UP AFTER THIS SEASON: KEVIN SHATTENKIRK, MICHAEL STONE, CODY FRANSON, DENNIS WIDEMAN, KYLE QUINCEY

— STEPHEN BURTCH (@STEVEBURTCH) NOVEMBER 26, 2016

10. Andrei Markov

Age on July 1, 2017: 38

Position: Defence

2016-17 salary cap hit: $5.75 million

Bargaining chips: A top-pair defenceman since forever. On pace for his 11th NHL season scoring between 30 and 64 points.

What the future holds: Yes, Markov is old. But he still ranks second among all impending UFA D-men in points (18) and time on ice (22:03) through two months of action. Same number of total points as teammate Shea Weber — who's in the very early Norris Trophy conversation — yet he has three more points at even strength.

We see no reason why the franchise that drafted him nearly 20 years ago wouldn't re-sign him to a one- or two-year extension.

IN THIS AGE OF FREE AGENCY & TRADE DEADLINES IT'S AMAZING THAT A PLAYER WANTS TO SPEND HIS CAREER WITH 1 TEAM. THANKS MARKOV! #HABS

— BARB ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@BARB_HILL) NOVEMBER 19, 2016

Other notable UFAs in 2017: Patrick Marleau, Thomas Greiss, Dmitry Kulikov, Patrick Eaves, Shane Doan, Jaromir Jagr, Brian Gionta, Dennis Wideman, Ryan Miller, Alexandre Burrows, Mike Ribiero, Steve Mason, Mike Fisher, Ales Hemsky, Ondrej Pavelec, Patrik Berglund, Thomas Vanek, Trevor Daley, Brian Campbell, Michal Neuvirth, Sam Gagner, Chris Kunitz, Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier, Jarome Iginla, Radim Vrbata, Kris Russell, Patrick Sharp

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/goes-brown-something-wrong-rangers/

Down Goes Brown’s Weekend Wrap: Is something wrong with the Rangers?

By Sean Mcindoe – December 6, 2016

(Every Monday, Sean McIndoe looks back at weekend play in the NHL and the league’s biggest storylines. You can follow him on Twitter @DownGoesBrown.)

Opening faceoff: A moment of parity

We’re living in the NHL’s age of parity. That’s been well-established for a while, and whether fans like it or not, most of us have come to accept that this is just how the league works now.

Anyone can beat anyone else on any given night, the loser point means almost everyone finishes over .500, and aside from a few outliers at either end, the gap between good and bad is smaller than ever.

But even given that reality, something weird is happening in the NHL these days.

We're used to parity being something that reveals itself over the course of a season, where there's enough time for the occasional hot and cold streaks to balance out. But these days, you don't even have to take a long view to find league-wide parity. It's playing out over the course of a few weeks.

Last Thursday, a reader sent me a note with an interesting observation: Heading into that night's action, 27 out of the league's 30 teams had won either four, five or six of their last ten games. That's a full 90 per cent of the league within a game of breaking even.

The other three teams weren’t even extreme outliers; nobody in the NHL had won more than seven or fewer than three of their last ten.

Take a look at the standings today, and you'll see a similar story — although not quite as extreme. Twenty-four of the 30 teams fall within that four/five/six-win range, and again, nobody is outside of that three-to-seven range.

That's not quite as extreme as we saw last week, but still less than what we'd expect if we were just randomly flipping coins.

Meanwhile, only one team in the league (the Philadelphia Flyers) has an active winning streak longer than three games, and only one (Colorado Avalanche) has lost more than that many in a row.

None of this is to say that some teams aren't playing especially well or poorly lately, as we'll see in the sections below. But even those teams aren't really seeing any dramatic swings in their win/loss records these days, and the practical impact has been that we're not really getting all that much movement in the standings.

Nobody is soaring or plummeting; instead, we're seeing a handful of teams move up or down by a spot or two, but nothing that feels like a big change.

There's still a lot of season left, as we're constantly reminded. That might be good news for NHL teams who aren't happy with their place in their standings and are hoping to make a move.

The way everyone's going these days, it may take a while to get anywhere.

Road to the Cup The five teams that look like they're headed towards Stanley Cup favourite status.

5. San Jose Sharks (15-9-1, plus-9 true goals differential*) – Yeah, I know, I'm not completely sold on this pick either. With the Capitals and Lightning struggling, it was either the Sharks or the Blue Jackets, and the Sharks have won six of seven.

Besides, I still want to see one more solid week from Columbus. (My current plan is to say that every week for the rest of the season and hope nobody notices.)

4. New York Rangers (17-8-1, plus-31) – This seems low, right? It probably is, but see the section below.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins (15-7-3, plus-4) – I did not have "Pittsburgh hosting Ottawa on a Monday night in early December" on my list of key games in sorting out the Eastern Conference, but here we are.

2. Chicago Blackhawks (16-8-3, plus-5) – They've lost two straight without Jonathan Toews and now Corey Crawford, who'll miss 2-3 weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.

1. Montreal Canadiens (17-6-2, plus-18) – They're slowly but surely coming back to earth.

Luckily, earth is a place where you can be far from perfect and still be among the NHL's top teams.

(*Goals scored minus goals allowed, without counting shootouts like the NHL does for some reason.)

Is there something wrong with the New York Rangers? On the surface, not really.

They're sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division, even briefly passing the Canadiens for top spot in the East on Saturday night. (The Habs reclaimed the spot yesterday).

The Rangers have still got the best goals-differential in the league by a wide margin, and while they're not racking up wins at the same rate they were earlier, they're not exactly cold right now – they're one of those many teams to have won five of their last ten.

And yet, something seems… off.

Their scoring rate has dropped, which we all knew was coming – their team shooting had been humming along at a completely unsustainable rate over the season's opening month.

After consistently filling the net for weeks, including a stretch of five straight games with five goals or more, they'd gone five straight without managing more than three until Saturday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Again, we knew that would happen, and if an offensive downturn was all that was happening in New York you could shrug it off.

But it's not.

They've recently gone from being a below-average possession team to an outright awful one, getting pummeled on the shot clock. That doesn't always translate to losses – they were getting crushed over the first half of that Hurricanes game before putting together a late rally to claim the win – but it's a big blinking warning sign on the dashboard.

THIS RECENT STRETCH IS THE WORST IT'S BEEN UNDER VIGNEAULT. ALMOST BACK TO ZERO. PIC.TWITTER.COM/IWI77BIJ8G

— ZACH ELLENTHAL (@ZELLENTHAL) DECEMBER 2, 2016

Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist has been good, but not his usual dominant self. He's even occasionally doing stuff like this:

As Rangers beat reporter Larry Brooks recently pointed out, the Rangers have yet to win a game where they score two or fewer goals, and you wonder what they'll look like as the season wears on and games get tighter.

If you're a Rangers fan, maybe you're happy that a team with this many red flags is still in great shape in the standings. And hey, it's not like there's a long list of teams out there charging up to take their spot.

But something's going on in New York, and if they can't figure it out soon then what seemed like a Cup- contending season may be about to get very interesting.

Road to the lottery

The five teams that look like they're headed towards watching Nolan Patrick highlights and clicking refresh on draft lottery simulations.

5. Buffalo Sabres (9-10-5, minus-11) – Last week, we said we couldn't really evaluate the Sabres until Jack Eichel made his return. He's back — and with three goals in three games, he looks sharp. Now let's see if the Sabres can get back into the race.

4. Vancouver Canucks (11-12-2, minus-19) – They won the big grudge match against the Maple Leafs, so everyone in Vancouver is probably pretty happy with how things are going right now.

No?

OK, Canucks fans, meet me down below.

3. New York Islanders (9-10-5, minus-8) – Last week's number one rides a three-game win streak out of the basement, despite dropping an OT decision to the Red Wings last night.

2. Arizona Coyotes (8-11-4, minus-17) – Mike Smith had one of the better games in recent NHL history on Saturday. But in the end, it added up to another Coyotes loss.

LAST 4 GOALIES W/ 58SV IN REGULAR-SEASON GAME

SMITH: 58 ON 12/03/16

SCRIVENS: 59 ON 01/29/14

ROLOSON: 58 ON 11/23/09

TUGNUTT: 70 ON 03/21/91 PIC.TWITTER.COM/4LCOBK2CGA

— NHL PUBLIC RELATIONS (@PR_NHL) DECEMBER 4, 2016

1. Colorado Avalanche (9-13-1, minus-19) – A disastrous five-game home stand yielded one point and left them nine points out of a playoff spot. Now they head out for four on the road, and it feels like their season is already on the line.

So apparently it's "rip on Trevor Linden" week.

The Canucks president gave an in-depth interview to Sportsnet's Luke Fox last week, one that touched on a number of subjects including player safety, his approach to his role, and Troy Stecher's bike.

It's a fascinating look into the day-to-day decision-making that goes into the job, and well worth the read for fans of any team.

But the biggest takeaway, at least according to fans on social media, was Linden's comments about the possibility of a rebuild.

While acknowledging that the team isn't where he'd like them to be — and the need for what he calls a "next chapter" — Linden pushed back on the idea of a full rebuild. And he made some interesting comments about the team's veteran core — particularly this one:

"We have Daniel and Henrik Sedin here, who are very important to this organization and icons in the city. They’re not going anywhere. I don’t know how I walk into the room and tell these guys, “Strip it down.” I’m not sure it’s fair to these guys."

The backlash from fans, while certainly not unanimous, was loud and immediate.

Linden was putting feelings ahead of facts. He'd rather avoid a tough conversation than do what he knows needs to be done. He was kicking the can down the road, sentencing Canucks fans to two or three more years of chasing long-shot wildcard status and not much more, all to shelter two players from a reality they can no doubt already plainly see.

BENNING ON THE PLAYOFFS: "WE WANT TO BE COMPETITIVE IN EVERY GAME, WE WANT ONE OF THE WILD-CARD SPOTS. WE NEED TO SCORE & PLAY BETTER D."

— CANUCKS NOW (@CANUCKSNOW) NOVEMBER 18, 2016

As a longtime Leafs fan who suffered through the Ferguson/Burke eras, this all sounds familiar.

I know that the denial phase of the rebuild is the worst of them all, and that it can drag on for years — sometimes close to a decade.

I've written about the Canucks' desperate need for a rebuild, as have many others.

But I'm also going to defend Trevor Linden.

For one thing, it's important to pay attention to the words he's using here. Nowhere does Linden say that there's no rebuild coming.

There's no definitive statement that the organization is staying the course. There's a lot of "I don't know" and "I'm not sure." That leaves him some wiggle room.

And realistically, it's about as far as he can go early in a season in which his team is still on the fringe of the playoff race.

But more importantly, Linden may be acknowledging something that frustrated Canucks fans will need to get used to: a traditional burn-it-all-to-the-ground rebuild just may not be possible in Vancouver.

The typical first step in that sort of process is to trade the team's best veteran players to contenders for high picks and top prospects.

For the Canucks, that's the Sedins.

But even putting loyalty and nostalgia aside, how do you make that deal? Both have no-movement clauses, so they're not going anywhere unless they want to, and at this point they don't.

And even if they changed their minds, trading one $7-million cap hit in today's NHL is difficult; trading two as a package deal would be all but impossible. There just aren't many contenders out there with $14-million in cap space sitting around.

Unless two players who've been joined at the hip for their entire hockey careers suddenly decide that playing together isn't a priority, a Sedins trade is all but dead in the water.

Beyond that, who do you move? Loui Eriksson isn't going anywhere with that contract. Ryan Miller could, and you'd get something for him. But after that, who

But this isn't a team that's stocked with prime trade bait. When Linden talks about not knowing how to strip it down, he may be being more honest than we give him credit for.

In the end, of course, it's all moot if Canucks ownership isn't on board. But even if Linden and GM Jim Benning get the green light to blow it all up, it's going to be easier said than done.

If you're a Vancouver fan waiting for the grand rebuild to begin, the unfortunate reality is that you've got far bigger hurdles in front of you than the team president's soundbites.

Quick shifts: Ten more notable moments from around the league

• Some really interesting stuff from Panthers GM (and new coach) Tom Rowe on Saturday. (You can watch the interview at the top of this post.)

The biggest takeaway was Rowe being very clear about the fact that none of this was his decision, and that owner Vinnie Viola made the call to dismiss coach Gerard Gallant. It's not unusual for an owner to be involved in a change, but hearing a GM acknowledge it so openly is rare.

• Don Cherry weighed in on the Gallant situation on Coach's Corner later that night.

• As if things weren't bad enough for the Avalanche, they lost Erik Johnson for up to two months after he broke his fibula blocking a shot.

BEDNAR SAID JOHNSON BROKE HIS FIBULA AND WILL BE OUT. 6-8 WEEKS.

— COLORADO AVALANCHE (@AVALANCHE) DECEMBER 4, 2016

• Joe Thornton has passed Brendan Shanahan to claim a spot in the all-time top 25 for points. He could realistically end the season as high as the top 20.

• Johnny Gaudreau is back, and it didn't take long for him to have an impact. He scored two minutes into the Flames' 8-3 thumping of the Ducks.

• The reigning Presidents' Trophy winners may be in trouble. With three straight losses, the slumping Capitals have dropped into a tie with the Bruins for the East's final wildcard spot.

• The good news for New York Islanders fans: Ownership is reportedly looking to make changes.

The bad news: Those changes will apparently involve finding a former NHL star to take over as president. Just a thought, but perhaps the Islanders should be more focused on finding the best possible candidate for the job, rather than limiting themselves to NHL alumni.

• As expected, we did get the promised Matt Martin vs. Erik Gudbranson scrap on Saturday. Everyone lived.

• P.K. Subban: Still good. After an awful start, he and the Predators are slowly but surely climbing back into the Western playoff race.

TOE DRAG. @PKSUBBAN1. ENJOY. PIC.TWITTER.COM/TQK7J2DPSK

— NHL (@NHL) DECEMBER 3, 2016

• Finally, a fun story: A Philadelphia practice rink employee got to serve as the Blackhawks' backup on Saturday after Crawford's appendectomy.

http://www2.tsn.ca/bardown/Story.aspx?Per%2BHockey%2BReference%252c%2Ba%2Bteam%2Bthat% 25%602Bhas%2Bnever%2Bwon%2Ba%2BCup%2Bhas%2Bthe%2Bbest%2Bchance%2Bof%2Bwinning%2Bi t%2Bthis%2Byear&id=596025

Per Hockey Reference, a team that has never won a Cup has the best chance of winning it this year

By BarDown Staff – December 6, 2016

Ask any player, winning the Stanley Cup is the hardest thing to do in sports.

Battling for 82 games to make it into the playoffs is a grind, but battling through four rounds against guys that are willing to do anything to win is even more of a grind, and it makes victory and lifting that Cup up when it's all said and done that much sweeter.

While every team has a "chance" of winning it before the season starts and even through the first quarter of the season, now is the time that the contenders starts separating themselves from the contenders, and for the 12 teams that have never won a Cup, they hope they'll fall into the contender slot when it's all said and done.

With that in mind, we can forecast as best as we can where teams will end up at the end of the season with the help of hockey reference, and according to their playoff probabilities, one of those 12 teams that has never won the Cup actually has the best odds of winning it this season.

Probably not the team you were expecting, were you?

After a really slow start to the season, it seemed as though the Blue Jackets were destined for another failure of a season, but they've turned it around in a big way and they have a 15-5-4 record through the first 24 games of the season.

While we probably wouldn't put money on them to win the Cup based on odds, it's sports you really never know, we've seen crazier things happen.

As for best odds of winning Lord Stanley's Mug among the Canadian teams, that honour goes to the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs have a 1.3 percent chance of winning it, but the lowest percentage goes to the Colorado Avalanche at 0.1.

http://www.tsn.ca/rangers-back-on-top-of-nhl-power-rankings-1.624301

Rangers back on top of NHL Power Rankings

By Scott Cullen – December 6, 2016

The New York Rangers have jumped past the Montreal Canadiens to reclaim top spot in the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings.

Oh, and the Columbus Blue Jackets currently sit third. That’s more than a little unexpected.

Teams moving up this week include the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames.

Teams falling this week include the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche.

1. NEW YORK RANGERS 17-8-1

THIS WEEK: 1 LAST WEEK: 3

GF: 3.65 GA: 2.46 SA CF%: 46.7

PP%: 22.7 PK%: 85.1

The Rangers have been treading water lately, 4-4-1 in the past nine games, and have worrisome possession numbers that are in decline (44.4% of score-adjusted shot attempts since Nov. 1 ranks 29th), but they’re scoring like mad, so good enough to slide back into the the No. 1 spot.

Key Injuries: C Mika Zibanejad (fibula), RW Pavel Buchnevich (back).

2. MONTREAL CANADIENS 17-6-2

THIS WEEK: 2 LAST WEEK: 1

GF: 2.92 GA: 2.20 SA CF%: 51.2

PP%: 22.8 PK%: 80.8

The Habs have one regulation win in the past six, so they are certainly not overpowering, and with top scorer Alex Galchenyuk out indefinitely, that costs Montreal their spot at the top of the table.

Key Injuries: D Nathan Beaulieu (neck).

3. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS 14-5-4

THIS WEEK: 3 LAST WEEK: 6 GF: 3.13 GA: 2.22 SA CF%: 50.9

PP%: 23.8 PK%: 82.5

The Blue Jackets have one regulation loss in the past 11 games and they’ve turned into a possession powerhouse in that span, pulling down 54.5% of (score/venue-adjusted) shot attempts in those 11 games, which ranks third in the league in that span.

Key Injuries: None.

4. WASHINGTON CAPITALS 13-7-3

THIS WEEK: 4 LAST WEEK: 2

GF: 2.52 GA: 2.22 SA CF%: 53.0

PP%: 14.5 PK%: 82.4

One of the major problems for the Capitals this season has been the power play, and over the previous four seasons, they had, far-and-away the best power play in the league. Call that an unpleasant development.

Key Injuries: RW T.J. Oshie (upper body).

5. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 15-7-3

THIS WEEK: 5 LAST WEEK: 5

GF: 3.12 GA: 2.96 SA CF%: 50.9

PP%: 18.8 PK%: 78.4

The Penguins have the explosiveness to handle any opposition, but their power play is struggling, going 1-for-23 (4.3%) over the past seven games, during which the Penguins have managed a mediocre 3-3-1 record.

Key Injuries: None.

Martin Jones has been a steady No. 1 in net for the Sharks.

6. SAN JOSE SHARKS 15-9-1

THIS WEEK: 6 LAST WEEK: 9 GF: 2.40 GA: 2.04 SA CF%: 52.3

PP%: 18.7 PK%: 83.6

The Sharks have won six of seven games, and they’re doing it even though Joe Thornton is well of his typical scoring pace, with 15 points (2 G, 13 A) in 25 games. Credit the goaltending duo of Martin Jones and (in four games) Aaron Dell, who have combined for a .925 save percentage.

Key Injuries: LW Tomas Hertl (knee).

7. EDMONTON OILERS 14-10-3

THIS WEEK: 7 LAST WEEK: 8

GF: 2.93 GA: 2.56 SA CF%: 52.3

PP%: 19.0 PK%: 85.7

The Oilers have one regulation win in the past six games, but they also have five points in the past six games, they remain near the top in the Pacific Division. Watching Leon Draisaitl get an offensive boost on the wing with Connor McDavid is solving one issue, but the supporting cast still needs to pull its weight.

Key Injuries: D Brandon Davidson (lower body), D Darnell Nurse (lower-body).

8. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 14-10-3

THIS WEEK: 8 LAST WEEK: 4

GF: 2.67 GA: 2.48 SA CF%: 49.1

PP%: 15.7 PK%: 70.7

The Blackhawks have one regulation win in the past nine games and if they don’t get Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews, back soon, they could be in trouble because goaltender Corey Crawford is out after requiring an emergency appendectomy and Crawford has been bailing them out to some degree.

Key Injuries: C Jonathan Toews (upper body), G Corey Crawford (appendix).

9. MINNESOTA WILD 12-8-4

THIS WEEK: 9 LAST WEEK: 7

GF: 2.75 GA: 2.04 SA CF%: 50.2

PP%: 17.1 PK%: 83.3

The Wild have one regulation loss in the past seven games, but it’s been a grind and they are leaning too heavily on G Devan Dubnyk, who has been great (.946 SV%), too great, really.

Key Injuries: None.

10. ST. LOUIS BLUES 14-7-4

THIS WEEK: 10 LAST WEEK: 11 GF: 2.72 GA: 2.76 SA CF%: 52.0

PP%: 22.2 PK%: 87.0

The Blues have one regulation loss in the past nine games, and while they’re controlling play, the game- breaking goal-scoring of RW Vladimir Tarasenko is a difference maker for a team that tends to grind it out and is still being outscored.

Key Injuries: None.

11. BOSTON BRUINS 14-10-1

THIS WEEK: 11 LAST WEEK: 14

GF: 2.28 GA: 2.16 SA CF%: 53.9

PP%: 14.3 PK%: 85.9

The Bruins are 3-0-1 in the past four games and are due to get D Zdeno Chara back from injury. They have the league’s best possession numbers, thanks to the Bergeron line, and they are getting Vezina- calibre goaltending from Tuukka Rask, who has a .941 save percentage in 18 starts.

Key Injuries: LW Frank Vatrano (foot), D Zdeno Chara (lower body), D John-Michael Liles (upper body), LW Matt Beleskey (hip).

12. LOS ANGELES KINGS 13-10-2

THIS WEEK: 12 LAST WEEK: 10

GF: 2.60 GA: 2.56 SA CF%: 53.5

PP%: 14.1 PK%: 80.2

The Kings have one regulation loss in the past eight games and they’re starting to move in the right direction. LW Marian Gaborik hasn’t scored yet, but has generated 14 shots on goal in four games, a promising offensive sign for a team that could use more goals.

Key Injuries: G Jonathan Quick (groin), D Brayden McNabb (arm). P.K. Subban and the Predators have been controlling play.

13. NASHVILLE PREDATORS 11-9-4

THIS WEEK: 13 LAST WEEK: 12 GF: 2.96 GA: 2.67 SA CF%: 52.2

PP%: 22.1 PK%: 82.9

The Predators are making progress after a slow start, with the second-best possession stats (55.1 score/venue-adjusted CF%) since the beginning of November. Oh, D. P.K. Subban is rocking 57.5 CF% in that 16-game span, so that’s pretty good too.

Key Injuries: D Ryan Ellis (upper body), RW James Neal (upper body).

14. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 14-10-3

THIS WEEK: 14 LAST WEEK: 20 GF: 3.11 GA: 3.07 SA CF%: 50.3

PP%: 23.7 PK%: 80.8

The Flyers have won five straight, and with G Steve Mason posting a .927 save percentage in his past 11 games, their early-season goaltending woes may be fading into the rear-view mirror.

Key Injuries: G Michal Neuvirth (knee), C Sean Couturier (knee), RW Matt Read (upper body).

15. OTTAWA SENATORS 15-8-2

THIS WEEK: 15 LAST WEEK: 15 GF: 2.24 GA: 2.36 SA CF%: 46.6

PP%: 13.3 PK%: 84.6

The Senators have one regulation loss in the past seven games, and Mike Condon has performed well in the past couple with Craig Anderson away from the team. It’s great that Condon has a .942 save percentage in five games for Ottawa, but the Sens can’t keep getting outshot and expecting their goaltenders to save them.

Key Injuries: LW Clarke MacArthur (concussion).

16. ANAHEIM DUCKS 12-9-5

THIS WEEK: 16 LAST WEEK: 16 GF: 2.58 GA: 2.54 SA CF%: 49.5

PP%: 22.9 PK%: 80.9

The Ducks had been moving in the right direction, going 3-0-1 in a four-game span, but then got destroyed in Sunday’s 8-3 loss at Calgary. They should be okay once they start getting goals out of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, their franchise players who have combined for six goals through the first 26 games.

Key Injuries: D Simon Despres (concussion).

17. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 14-11-2

THIS WEEK: 17 LAST WEEK: 13 GF: 2.78 GA: 2.63 SA CF%: 49.3

PP%: 22.9 PK%: 82.2

Maybe the Lightning will miss Steven Stamkos a little more than anticipated. They have no regulation wins in the past six games, scoring a total of 10 goals in the process.

Key Injuries: C Steven Stamkos (knee), RW Ryan Callahan (lower body).

18. NEW JERSEY DEVILS 11-7-6

THIS WEEK: 18 LAST WEEK: 17 GF: 2.54 GA: 2.71 SA CF%: 48.9

PP%: 15.4 PK%: 85.5

The Devils have gone 10 games without a regulation win, picking up some in overtime and shootouts along the way, and they’re probably not good enough to overcome G Cory Schneider posting a .912 save percentage.

Key Injuries: None.

19. FLORIDA PANTHERS 12-11-2

THIS WEEK: 19 LAST WEEK: 18

GF: 2.32 GA: 2.44 SA CF%: 51.8

PP%: 13.6 PK%: 84.4

The Panthers, under the new coaching regime, are looking to play at a higher tempo and they have generated 93 shots on goal over the past three games, but they’ve also scored a total of three goals; not quite the payoff they’ve been looking for.

Key Injuries: LW Jonathan Huberdeau (Achilles), D Alex Petrovic (ankle).

20. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS 10-9-5

THIS WEEK: 20 LAST WEEK: 19

GF: 3.00 GA: 3.08 SA CF%: 51.1

PP%: 19.4 PK%: 85.3

The Leafs have one regulation loss in the past five games, and they have recorded at least 37 shots in three of the past four games. There’s promise here, enough that a deal for a defensive upgrade for this season still seems like a reasonable plan of action.

Key Injuries: LW Joffrey Lupul (sports hernia).

21. CAROLINA HURRICANES 10-10-5

THIS WEEK: 21 LAST WEEK: 22 GF: 2.28 GA: 2.52 SA CF%: 52.5

PP%: 18.7 PK%: 91.3

The ‘Canes have one regulation win in the past seven games, and they are headed to California this week, which won’t be an easy three-game trek. For a team needing secondary scoring, the recent surge by LW Viktor Stalberg (4 G, 1 A in the past five games) has been most welcome.

Key Injuries: C Jordan Staal (concussion). The return of Johnny Gaudreau means a lot to the Flames.

22. CALGARY FLAMES 13-13-2

THIS WEEK: 22 LAST WEEK: 27 GF: 2.46 GA: 2.89 SA CF%: 50.1

PP%: 12.6 PK%: 77.9

The Flames have one regulation loss in the past seven games, and have Johnny Hockey back in the lineup, so they appear to be recovering from a tough start to the year. G Chad Johnson (.928 SV% in 15 starts) has been a big part of the turnaround.

Key Injuries: None.

23. WINNIPEG JETS 13-13-2

THIS WEEK: 23 LAST WEEK: 24 GF: 2.61 GA: 2.89 SA CF%: 48.7

PP%: 15.9 PK%: 79.6

The Jets have won four of five and rookie RW Patrik Laine has moved into a tie for the goal-scoring lead, with 16 in his first 28 NHL games.

Key Injuries: D Tyler Myers (lower body), RW Joel Armia (lower body), C Nic Petan (lower body).

24. DETROIT RED WINGS 12-11-3

THIS WEEK: 24 LAST WEEK: 25

GF: 2.38 GA: 2.65 SA CF%: 48.5

PP%: 14.9 PK%: 83.5

Detroit has gone to overtime or shootout in five of the past seven games, leading to just one regulation loss in that span. They’re working hard for the points they get, and their possession numbers have been heading in the right direction lately.

Key Injuries: C Darren Helm (shoulder), LW Andreas Athanasiou (knee), G Jimmy Howard (groin), D Brendan Smith (knee), LW Justin Abdelkader (knee).

25. DALLAS STARS 10-10-6

THIS WEEK: 25 LAST WEEK: 21 GF: 2.54 GA: 3.27 SA CF%: 49.6

PP%: 18.4 PK%: 78.3

Injury woes continue up front and the Stars have managed three regulation wins in the past 11 games, two of them coming against Colorado.

Key Injuries: LW Mattias Janmark (knee), RW Ales Hemsky (hip), RW Jiri Hudler (illness), D Johnny Oduya (lower body), LW Patrick Sharp (concussion).

26. BUFFALO SABRES 9-10-5

THIS WEEK: 26 LAST WEEK: 26 GF: 2.00 GA: 2.46 SA CF%: 49.0

PP%: 22.5 PK%: 77.2

Getting Jack Eichel back paid immediate dividends for the Sabres, who won his first two games, but now they might need Anders Nilsson to run with the goaltending responsibilities if Robin Lehner is going to miss time with a hip injury.

Key Injuries: D Zach Bogosian (knee), LW Tyler Ennis (groin), D Dmitry Kulikov (undisclosed), D Josh Gorges (foot).

27. VANCOUVER CANUCKS 11-12-2

THIS WEEK: 27 LAST WEEK: 28 GF: 2.20 GA: 2.96 SA CF%: 47.5

PP%: 13.9 PK%: 85.3

6-3-1 in the past 10 games, the Canucks are climbing out of a hole, but they’re headed on the road for five, so that should test their mettle.

Key Injuries: RW Anton Rodin (knee), D Chris Tanev (lower body), RW Jannik Hansen (rib), D Alexander Edler (hand).

28. NEW YORK ISLANDERS 9-10-5

THIS WEEK: 28 LAST WEEK: 30 GF: 2.54 GA: 2.88 SA CF%: 45.8

PP%: 11.6 PK%: 82.1

3-0-1 in the past four games is enough to get the Isles out of the basement, but not enough to push back on questions about John Tavares’ future with the club. Yes, those have started already.

Key Injuries: C Mikhail Grabovski (concussion).

29. ARIZONA COYOTES 8-11-4

THIS WEEK: 29 LAST WEEK: 29 GF: 2.35 GA: 3.09 SA CF%: 45.3

PP%: 14.1 PK%: 81.9

The Coyotes have one regulation win in the past 11 games, and it’s started to wear on G Mike Smith, who stopped 58 of 60 shots at home against Columbus Saturday.

Key Injuries: C Brad Richardson (tiba/fibula).

30. COLORADO AVALANCHE 9-13-1

THIS WEEK: 30 LAST WEEK: 23

GF: 2.13 GA: 2.96 SA CF%: 47.5

PP%: 15.3 PK%: 79.1

With no regulation wins in the past six games, and their No. 1 defenceman on the shelf for the next two months, the Avalanche take up residence at the bottom of the rankings before heading on the road for four games. Key Injuries: LW Gabriel Landeskog (lower body), D Erik Johnson (fibula).

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl-won-t-budge-on-current-concussion-protocol-1.624128

NHL won’t budge on current concussion protocol

By Frank Seravalli – December 6, 2016

Get used to it.

Though the Edmonton Oilers were unhappy that captain Connor McDavid was removed from Sunday night’s game to undergo mandatory concussion testing, the NHL said Monday that’s the way it will be — whether it’s during a 5-on-3 power play in Game 27 of the regular season or Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

The same standard is expected to be applied evenly to star or scrub, whether it’s a gruesome or harmless looking sequence.

“We have no intention of changing the standards that are employed based on the situation in the game or season,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Monday.

Daly said the NHL’s 30 GMs were “told that in no uncertain terms” in meetings last month.

McDavid told reporters he was “pretty shocked” to be pulled from the game with 6:28 to play in the second period. Tangled up with Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon, McDavid face-planted into the ice without his arms to break his fall. His chin hit the ice first, but he quickly rebounded to resume and finish the shift.

McDavid’s first instinct was to touch his mouth. By doing so, McDavid unknowingly triggered a mandatory removal from the game for examination, as outlined in the NHL’s 2016-17 Concussion Protocol — even if momentarily checking to see if he lost any teeth was a natural reaction.

A player who “clutches his head” or is “slow to get up” after his head hits the ice is one of the four signs that concussion spotters are looking for, according to the official protocol. The other three signs are “lying motionless on the ice,” “motor incoordination/balance problems” and “blank or vacant look.”

For this season, the NHL implemented the use of Central League Spotters, certified athletic trainers with clinical experience working in elite-level hockey who watch games from the Player Safety Room at league headquarters in New York.

Though there are also in-arena concussion spotters hired by the NHL, only the Central League Spotter communicates with a club’s medical staff if a player requires removal and evaluation for a concussion. In other words, the Central League Spotter — watching from New York — was responsible for removing McDavid from Sunday night’s game while working in conjunction with those in the arena.

Should concussion spotters have pulled McDavid?

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins Naylor & Landsberg for “Leafs Breakfast” to discuss Connor McDavid being taken out of the Oilers game by concussion spotters, the Maple Leafs vs. the Canucks and Matt Martin’s fight with Erik Gudbranson.

The Oilers are not alone in their frustration that the protocol has been inconsistently applied. Oilers coach Todd McLellan specifically mentioned that Ducks forward Ryan Kesler was slow to get up after a collision during Saturday’s game in Edmonton, but he was not removed from the game.

Others pointed out that Zack Kassian and Kurtis Gabriel each landed haymakers during a fight in the same game on Sunday night, yet neither were removed for further evaluation.

If a player is “punched in the head (including any part of his face) by an ungloved fist during a fight,” the protocol calls for mandatory removal and testing, but only if he exhibits signs of being “slow to get up” or “clutches his head.”

That would leave the interpretation up to the individual spotter, who is not necessarily a doctor or neuropsychologist, watching television camera angles from New York.

“It remains a work in progress, but yes, we are comfortable with how the new protocol is working,” Daly said. “It’s always better to err on the side of caution.”

McDavid joined Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist as the second prominent player to criticize the protocol in recent weeks. Lundqvist was forced to enter a game in November after teammate Antti Raanta was removed for testing. He allowed two goals in five minutes after entering a tied game cold.

McDavid said not every time a player touches his face is for the same reason. Unfortunately for a star like him, cameras are always trained on him, watching his every move - unlike maybe some of his teammates. He will always be in the eye of the spotter in New York.

NHL: Wild 2, Oilers 1 (OT)

Charlie Coyle had the tying goal in regulation and setup Mikko Koivu's overtime-winner as the Wild edged the Oilers. Connor McDavid was pulled off the ice by NHL concussion spotters in the second period but did return.

“I hit my mouth on the ice. You reach up and grab your mouth when you get hit in your mouth,” McDavid told reporters. “I think it's a pretty normal thing … they took that as something it wasn’t … Obviously, the [concussion] spotter thought he knew how I was feeling. He pulled me off.”

Nonetheless, Daly said while the concussion protocol language may change in the future as the program continues to evolve, no changes are planned currently.

“Eventually it will happen in a critical playoff game and it will be difficult, but the priority is the player and we’re doing the right thing,” Jets coach Paul Maurice told a Toronto radio station Monday. “The thing we’ve talked about is if it’s your goalie and it’s in the third period and he has to leave - that would be tough, but it’s the right thing. They’ll err on the side of caution and I think they should.”