Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips Dec. 13, 2018
Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Oliver Bjorkstrand picks up play since return to lineup PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Forward Josh Anderson injured; status unknown PAGE 06: Columbus Dispatch: Michael Arace: Tortorella works to shake Blue Jackets out of their funk
Cleveland Monsters/Prospects
NHL/Websites PAGE 08: AP: Sorry, Seattle: NHL GMs learned from Vegas expansion draft PAGE 11: Sportsnet.ca: Sportsnet’s 2019 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: December PAGE 14: Sportsnet.ca: NHL Power Rankings: Random Stats and Fun Facts Edition
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Oliver Bjorkstrand picks up play since return to lineup
By Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch – December 12, 2018
Oliver Bjorkstrand had black-and-white proof that his game is improving in Tuesday night’s loss to Vancouver. That came in the form of a third-period goal, one that reclaimed the lead for the Blue Jackets at 2-1 midway through the third period.
It was his play away from the puck, though, that had led coach John Tortorella to keep him in the game as he shortened his bench. And it’s that still-growing part of Bjorkstrand’s game that will keep him there on Thursday night as Los Angeles comes to town and, he hopes, beyond.
“Be harder on the puck,” Tortorella said of his conversations with Bjorkstrand. “Be responsible when we don’t have the puck. With these offensive guys, I don’t want to turn them into a checker, but they also have to play that other part of the game. You can see there’s a little bit of desperation in his game because he wants to stay in the lineup.”
After playing in all 82 games last season and totaling 11 goals and 29 assists, Bjorkstrand was a healthy scratch for a four-game stretch in late November. Since returning to the lineup, he has two assists and Tuesday’s goal in his last six games.
He also got a shot of confidence, even as he hopes to start burying a few more chances.
“I think I’ve had some games now since I’ve gotten back in the lineup where I’ve been strong on the puck,” Bjorkstrand said Wednesday. ”(Tuesday) night I scored a goal so usually that seems different. I think I’ve been better at being strong on the puck, being consistent, moving my feet and all that.”
Listed at 6 feet and 177 pounds, Bjorkstrand will never be a physically imposing player on the ice. When it comes to checking more, as Tortorella has requested, Bjorkstrand said it’s more about winning battles and strong stick play than about launching himself at another player. Current linemate Boone Jenner, not known for shying away from contact, called him “smart, and hard on the puck.”
When players do that, “they end up having the puck more, and that puts us in an advantage as far as having our offensive people with the puck because they’ve checked,” Tortorella said. Against the Canucks, he said the Jackets had a 23-to-11 advantage in scoring chances and limited Vancouver to six five-on-five chances.
Bjorkstrand said he could feel the difference in his play compared to earlier in the season.
“I just wasn’t good enough in their opinion,” he said. “That’s obviously why I got scratched in some games. I learned from it and I try to be better. I never try to suck out there, that’s for sure. I feel like I’ve created more offense since I’ve been back.”
Now the job is for Bjorkstrand to do that more often. Tortorella described him as a deceptive shooter and a goal-scorer but one who can bring a complete game to the ice every night.
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“When you see a player who can do it, why can’t I ask for that all the time?” he said. “This should be an everyday thing. It’s nothing incredible, it’s just playing the game the right way and he’s got to continue to do that.”
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Forward Josh Anderson injured; status unknown
By Adam Jardy, Columbus Dispatch – December 12, 2018
Josh Anderson did not skate with the Blue Jackets during Wednesday’s practice on the main ice at Nationwide Arena, and his status for Thursday’s home game against Los Angeles is unknown.
The bruising right winger left Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss to Vancouver with a little more than a minute to play in the second period when he was checked and went headfirst into the left pipe of the Canucks’ goal. Anderson got up under his own power but headed directly to the dressing room, and the team announced that he would not return with an upper-body injury described as “day to day.”
After the Jackets worked on their power play and before a video session, coach John Tortorella said he had no update on Anderson’s availability against the Kings.
“He’s not at practice today, but I’m not sure what the time frame is,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Jackets recalled Zac Dalpe from Cleveland of the AHL to bolster their depth at forward.
Against the Canucks, Tortorella moved Oliver Bjorkstrand into Anderson’s place on a line with Nick Foligno on the left and Boone Jenner in the middle and went with three lines for most of the period.
Not included in that nine-man grouping were Alexander Wennberg and Anthony Duclair. The two saw three total shifts in the third period and watched for the final 12:58. Duclair has been in and out of the lineup, but Wennberg was a player Tortorella said during the preseason he hoped would challenge for the top center spot. His 11:48 of playing time was Wennberg’s third-lowest total for the season.
“It is what it is,” he said of benching Wennberg. “I make the call in that type of situation, the best nine I thought we had at that point in time.”
Net decisions
With a stretch of six home games in 13 days, Tortorella had to figure out how to get Joonas Korpisalo some minutes in net while giving Sergei Bobrovsky opportunities to improve his game through practice. After Bobrovsky started and allowed three first-period goals in Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Washington, Tortorella replaced him with Korpisalo for the final two periods to prevent him from “eating any more goals” with an ineffective defense playing in front of him.
In relief, Korpisalo stopped 14 of 15 shots. That, coupled with the busy schedule and Bobrovsky’s need for practice time, led to Tuesday’s decision.
“Bob is still trying to find his game, too,” Tortorella said. “You can’t properly work at your game if you’re always playing games. It really gave us a nice little window for him to get some work with (goaltending coach) Manny (Legace).”
Video
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Monday, the Jackets watched 45 clips from the loss to the Capitals. Wednesday, it was a much more manageable 20-minute session.
“There were obviously more good things in that (Vancouver) game,” Jenner said. “Video doesn’t lie.”
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Michael Arace | Tortorella works to shake Blue Jackets out of their funk
By Michael Arace, Columbus Dispatch – December 12, 2018
It is that time of year when grayness settles in over central Ohio, when the days shorten and the nights lengthen and so much is cold and dreary.
OK, it was sunny all day Tuesday, but ... goodness, where do I go with this now ... the curtains were drawn in Nationwide Arena.
OK, the curtains are almost always drawn on game nights, but ... the Blue Jackets lost again. It’s their theme right now. They’re on a bad jag. They’ve lost three in a row at home and four of five overall.
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The Jackets have been losing with variety. On Tuesday night, they coughed up three goals in the third period — the last one on a shot from a ridiculous angle that should be stopped, every time — and they lost to the Vancouver Canucks 3-2.
The Jackets lost 9-6 to the Calgary Flames at Nationwide last week. They blew a 4-1 lead and lost by three goals. How do you do that?
The Jackets lost 4-0 to the Washington Capitals at Nationwide on Saturday night. Edgar Allen Poe should’ve done the play-by-play. The Jackets had a near-capacity crowd in the building, they were matched against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the opponent was the very same foe that knocked them out of the playoffs in the spring and ... the Jackets were no-shows. They were shut out for the first time this season.
On Monday, coach John Tortorella had an old-school, let’s-go-to-the-tape video session. He doesn’t do many of these anymore. He thought he needed one after his team laid down for the Capitals.
“We had zero energy,” Tortorella said Tuesday before the game.
“You can talk X’s and O’s and all the things coaches like to talk about (but) if you’re not ready to play hard, nothing works,” he said. “That was the biggest shock to me, in that venue. Sometimes you ask why. Sometimes there’s just not an answer. ... What you do is try to rectify it by reminding them how we should be playing, and doing the things you can control. Intense, competitive attitude — that’s something you can control.”
Tortorella wondered if the intervention would work. You never know.
But it did work. The Jackets were, by and large, very good against the Canucks. They did what their coach wanted them to do: Play their system, play it with energy and play it with intelligence — especially away from the puck.
Tortorella: “I thought we were the better team. I like the way we played.”
Defenseman Seth Jones: “We played the right way. ... It was obvious to everyone on the bench.”
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Forward Cam Atkinson: “We play like that, we’ll be fine.”
The Jackets led 1-0, on a goal by Jones, heading into the third period. They had a 2-1 lead after Oliver Bjorkstrand (there he is) scored midway through the third.
Gloomy times come and go over the course of an 82-game schedule. Presently, the Jackets are in the midst of a mist. The Canucks’ first goal bounced off Atkinson’s foot. The Canucks’ second goal was a double-deflection. Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo had no chance on either.
The Canucks’ third goal, the winner, was terrible in so many different ways. It was a heart-ripper. It was scored with 106 seconds remaining in regulation. It came off a hard, hard angle and squeezed between Korpisalo and the near post. He didn’t have the post covered, not quite. Man, that hurt.
“That’s the way it’s going for us right now,” Tortorella said. “Three fluky goals. So, back to work tomorrow.”
The Jackets fixed up some defensive issues, but they’re still struggling. For fans, it’s depressing. It’s like they’re in a fog. When will it lift?
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Sorry, Seattle: NHL GMs learned from Vegas expansion draft
BY STEPHEN WHYNO, AP – DECEMBER 12, 2018
Hindsight is 43/35 for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
That's how many goals and assists William Karlsson put up for the Vegas Golden Knights after the Blue Jackets let him go in the most recent NHL expansion draft. They also sent first- and second-round draft picks to Vegas to unload David Clarkson's contract and hold on to forward Josh Anderson and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
"I think we've looked at probably 100 times already that, 'Could we have done something different the last time around?'" Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "Probably not. You're going to make some mistakes and you might let the wrong guy go. You do your studying, you do your evaluation of your players and you do your projections and it's not an exact science."
Maybe the second time's the charm.
NHL teams face another expansion draft in 2021, when Seattle enters the league. And the Seattle GM, whoever that turns out to be, probably won't receive the same kind of windfall George McPhee picked up in 2017 to help the Golden Knights make a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Final because some important lessons have been learned.
"We might get to a situation where we're like, 'Boy I don't want to lose any of these guys,' so a team may have to do it again," Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill said. "But we've lived it now and I think we'll have a better understanding of it. And if you're going to (make a trade), you're going to make sure it's for the right person. You're going to be like: 'I'm giving up a lot of assets here. Is this the right thing to do?'"
McPhee held all the leverage that summer, and he stockpiled talent as a result. Because only seven forwards, three defensemen and a goaltender (or seven skaters at any position and a goaltender) could be protected, a lot of deep teams were stuck with core players unprotected and willing to do almost anything to keep them.
Just some of the "fear factor" moves: The Wild traded prospect Alex Tuch and let center Erik Haula go to Vegas to keep Matt Dumba. The Panthers traded Reilly Smith and lost Jonathan Marchessault. The Islanders traded a first-round pick to get rid of Mikhail Grabovski's contract. The Ducks traded Shea Theodore to clear Clayton Stoner's salary and keep Sami Vatanen and Josh Manson. The Penguins even sent a future second-round pick to ensure Vegas would take goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
Chuck Fletcher, who was Minnesota's GM, figured out the hard way that expansion means every team loses something. Now with Philadelphia, his approach will likely be to lose as little as possible to Seattle.
"No matter what you do you're going to lose a good player," Fletcher said. "You either let them make the choice for you or you try to help them out by making sure you're keeping the things you want to keep. It was a great process to go through and I'm sure there were some lessons learned, but at the end of the day, if you have too many players than you can protect, you've got to pick your poison."
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A popular choice last time? Teams giving up players to clear salary-cap space. That was the impetus for the Fleury move and others, but so much time to prepare could reduce the need for those trades in the summer of 2021.
"That's just one thing that I see could happen, that if the teams aren't financially strapped against the cap then they don't have to make those sacrifices of young players to get the cap relief," Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning said.
With two full offseasons until Seattle can plunder 30 NHL teams (Vegas will not participate), a lot of GMs are already planning ahead. Offices in Columbus and Dallas have already been the scene of some long- range preparation while acknowledging a lot can change between now and then. Nill said teams will likely need to decide whether someone is a "core player" or someone who isn't going to be around in the future.
All GMs will need to grapple with the impact of no-movement clauses in player contracts that the NHL decreed must be protected in any expansion draft. Ottawa lost defenseman Marc Methot, in part, because Dion Phaneuf wouldn't waive his no-movement clause. Now that GMs know the rules, deals through 2021 could be affected.
"You're reluctant to give no-move clauses at any time, but certainly with knowing what your expansion protected list is going to be, I think that will make teams a little more cautious," Penguins GM Jim Rutherford said.
According to PuckPedia , there are already 36 players with no-movement clauses for 2021-22. The Penguins, Stars and Blackhawks lead the league with four players each. Don't be surprised if GMs attempt to change some of those situations to put themselves in a better spot.
"You don't want to fill your protection list with guys that you have to protect because of the clauses in their contract," Kekalainen said. "You want to fill it with the guys you want to protect, so you want to leave that option to yourself."
DE-IMPROVED PENGUINS
After sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference on Nov. 20, Pittsburgh is 6-2-2 in its past 10 games to surge up the standings. Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith, who has stepped up for injured starter Matt Murray, is a big part of that with his 2.10 goals-against average and .927 save percentage over that time.
"I'm not surprised," Rutherford said. "Casey took the long road to the National Hockey League. He worked at it. He's worked very close with Mike Buckley, our goalie coach, and he's a goalie that really worked on his fundamentals."
The Penguins activated Murray off injured reserve Wednesday. Even with Murray's return, don't expect Pittsburgh to keep DeSmith on the bench for long.
"You have to have two goalies because if you want to have a long run in the spring, you can't wear your No. 1 goalie out," Rutherford said.
GAME OF THE WEEK
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The top two teams in the Atlantic Division face off Thursday when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Tampa Bay Lightning.
LEADERS
Goals: Alex Ovechkin (Washington), 25; Assists: Mikko Rantanen (Colorado), 39; Points: Rantanen, 52; Ice time: Seth Jones (Columbus), 26:29; Goals-against average: Pekka Rinne (Nashville), 1.91; Save percentage: Rinne, 9.32.
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Sportsnet.ca / Sportsnet’s 2019 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: December
Sam Cosentino, Sportsnet – December 12, 2018
Two key events marked the scouting calendar for the month of November: The U20 Four Nations event and the U18 Five Nations event. The two tournaments were held concurrently in Europe and gave scouts an opportunity to get multiple looks at players outside of North America, while still seeing the very best of the USNTDP.
That program continues to be the talk of the scouting world. It’s been absolutely dominant and they won the tournament by outscoring their opponents 24-7 in five games.
Speaking of the program, it’s also a key stop as scouts look to see how players respond without the likes of Jack Hughes in the lineup to carry the group offensively. As he departs for the WJC camp and the tournament, scouts are interested to see who slots in where, who steps up in his absence and which players thrive under these different conditions. These players have a chance to improve their draft stock.
The focus now shifts to the world juniors, where only the cream of the crop of the draft eligibles get to show their wares against predominantly 19-year-olds. Five of the top seven players selected in 2018 played for their countries as underagers in the 2018 tournament and three of those players (Rasmus Dahlin, Andrei Svechnikov and Brady Tkachuk) are now NHL regulars.
Here are our rankings for December:
1. Jack Hughes, C, USNTDP, 5-foot-10, 168 pounds: The next proving ground en route to going first overall is on the big stage at the WJC.
2. Kaapo Kakko, RW, TPS (Liiga), 6-foot-4, 207 pounds: Is a big piece for his home club playing against men, which might suggest dominance at the WJC, but that’s easier said than done.
3. Vasily Podkolzin, RW, SKA St. Petersburg (MHL), 6-foot-1, 183 pounds: Proved he could hang with the under-20s in an elevated role. Won’t get to Vancouver for the WJC, but he’s off to a great start in Bonneyville at the World Junior A Challenge.
4. Dylan Cozens, C, Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL), 6-foot-3, 185 pounds: Struggled the first two weeks after the CIBC Canada-Russia series, but has been on a tear since. Will have to adjust to, but should benefit from, a decreased work load with Lethbridge’s recent trade additions.
5. Kirby Dach, C, Saskatoon Blades (WHL), 6-foot-3, 195 pounds: Point production has slowed, but he’s dedicated to the craft, and a right shot centre with his size is an extremely coveted asset.
6. Bowen Byram, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL), 6-foot-1, 195 pounds: Ahead of the curve defensively and the offensive side is just starting to take off.
7. Matthew Boldy, LW, USNTDP, 6-foot-1, 187 pounds: A goal scorer first, but vision that makes him a dual threat. One-on-one skills are well above average thanks to silky smooth mitts.
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8. Raphael Lavoie, C/RW, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 6-foot-4, 192 pounds: A full array of tools from which to draw and all of them are NHL calibre. Playing with the full toolbox every night is a challenge.
9. Alex Turcotte, C, USNTDP, 5-foot-11, 189 pounds: With injury issues still pending, he may very well find himself in the Morgan Rielly/Brett Connolly category, where he’s still a high pick regardless of how many games he plays this season.
10. Peyton Krebs, C, Kootenay Ice (WHL), 5-foot-11, 180 pounds: Dealing with the pressures of being a franchise centrepiece, rumours surrounding that franchise moving, the challenges of being in his draft year, and now the additional responsibilities of being named captain. That’s a lot to deal with, especially for a 17-year-old.
11. Ryan Suzuki, C, Barrie Colts (OHL), 6-foot, 172 pounds: Thinks the game well, skates well and has great vision. Would like to see his game move more into the interior and would also like to see him shoot the puck more.
12. Cam York, D, USNTDP, 5-foot-11, 171 pounds: Climbing quickly because of an elite skating ability, paired with excellent vision that works at both ends of the ice.
13. Trevor Zegras, C, USNTDP, 6-foot, 166 pounds: Will be tested by taking over the top centre ice position while Hughes is at the WJC. Ability to play both wing and centre effectively is a big asset.
14. Arthur Kaliyev, RW, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL), 6-foot-1, 190 pounds: See No. 8…
15 Alex Newhook, C, Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL), 5-foot-11, 190 pounds: Points come in bunches, and a lot of them are of the highlight variety. Leads the BCHL and will likely be in that same spot upon returning from the World Junior A Challenge.
16. Cole Caufield, RW, USNTDP, 5-foot-6, 155 pounds: Will generate hours of debate amongst scouts the same way Alex DeBrincat did.
17. Philip Broberg, D, AIK (Allsvenskan), 6-foot-3, 190 pounds: Big defender who skates well. Late invite to Sweden’s WJC camp in the wake of Timothy Liljegren’s injury — can he capitalize on the opportunity?
18. Matthew Robertson, D, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL), 6-foot-3, 201 pounds: Quietly going about his business and with less pressure to be “the guy” he is thriving every night.
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19. Nolan Foote, LW, Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 6-foot-3, 187 pounds: A shooter who’s gotten back to shooting. Foot speed and board battles have improved. There’s lots of room to add strength on a big, solid frame.
20. Jakob Pelletier, LW, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL), 5-foot-9, 161 pounds: Drives the play with a fearless compete level. Makes plays at all speeds and has helped alter the QMJHL landscape as the centrepiece of the contending Cats.
21. Alex Vlasic, D, USNTDP, 6-foot5, 193 pounds: Found a new gear at the U18 Five Nations event and contributed mightily at both ends
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22. Anttoni Honka, D, JYP (Liiga), 5-foot-10, 179 pounds: Stars are aligned for him to get big minutes at the WJC, where he can put all of his tools on display against his peer group.
23. John Beecher, LW, USNTDP, 6-foot-2, 203 pounds: Possesses an all-around, solid 200-foot game and can play with the pace desired in today’s NHL.
24. Thomas Harley, D, Mississauga Steelheads (OHL), 6-foot-3, 188 pounds: A riverboat gambler who must continue to work on play in his own end. There’s a Thomas Chabot waiting to come out.
25. Victor Soderstrom, D, Brynas (Sweden U20), 5-foot-11, 179 pounds: A solid two-way game with projected offensive upside. Is playing top six minutes in the SHL.
26. Matvey Guskov, LW, London Knights (OHL), 6-foot-1, 172 pounds: Learning the OHL game from the wing will benefit his eventual move to centre, where he projects to play at the next level.
27. Lassi Thomson, D, Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 6-foot, 188 pounds: Continues to emerge. Next stop on the way up the ladder is making Finland’s WJC team.
28. Spencer Knight, G, USNTDP, 6-foot-3, 197 pounds: I’m dead set against taking a goalie in Round 1, but not all NHL teams feel that way and Knight is getting a lot of buzz.
29. Moritz Seider, D, Mannehim (DEL), 6-foot-3, 183 pounds: Missed time due to injury, and now back playing with his peers at Division 1 of the WJC. The event should allow him to showcase some of the offensive upside he’s not quite ready to pull off playing in the DEL.
30. Brett Leason, LW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL), 6-foot-4, 207 pounds: For those in favour of raising the draft age, I present you with Exhibit A. Leason has been passed over twice at the draft already.
31. Vladislav Kolyachonok, D, Flint Firebirds (WHL), 6-foot, 176 pounds: A tireless worker who applies himself aggressively on the offensive side.
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Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: Random Stats and Fun Facts Edition
By Mike Johnston, Sportsnet – December 12, 2018
Dominant perennial Cup contenders of years past like the Blackhawks and Kings are in the midst of a tailspin, although the Penguins have started turning things around.
The Lightning have emerged as the class of the league yet fellow powerhouses such as the Predators, Jets and Maple Leafs are keeping the Presidents’ Trophy race close.
It’s our NHL Power Rankings: Random Stats and Fun Facts Edition, so here’s an assortment of numbers and tidbits for you to digest.
As usual, the clubs are ranked in order of current strength.
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1. Tampa Bay Lightning
Unquestionably deserving of the top spot, Tampa is averaging an even 4.0 goals per game. Since 2000, the highest average for a team over the course of a season is the 3.82 goals per game the 2009-10 Capitals managed. The likelihood of the Bolts keeping this pace up would appear slim based on recent history, but they did lead the NHL with 3.54 goals per game in 2017-18 and this year’s edition of the team is superior. The last team to score more than 4.0 goals per game was the 1995-96 Penguins when they averaged 4.41 goals per game over 82 contests.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
You better be ready to go from the opening faceoff when playing the Leafs, who are 15-0-1 when they open the scoring. The only team in the league still without a regulation loss when getting out to a 1-0 lead.
3. Washington Capitals
NHL goals leader Alex Ovechkin would need to play another 429 regular-season contests at his current goals-per game rate in order to catch Wayne Gretzky and his record 894 goals.
4. Winnipeg Jets
Kyle Connor has scored a goal on his birthday in two consecutive years, so next Dec. 9, if the Jets are on the sked, you know what to expect. According to one horoscope website, people born on this day are “are very attentive to details and resourceful.” Connor has displayed this on the ice, certainly. Other NHLers with a Dec. 9 birthday? Jeff Petry, Alex Lyon and Jets teammate Joe Morrow.
5. Nashville Predators
The Preds sit atop the West standings yet ironically they are only 11-10-1 against Western Conference teams. They are, however, the only team yet to lose a game to a team from the opposing conference; 9- 0-0 against the East.
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6. Calgary Flames
For a brief moment this past week, the Flames were alone atop the Western Conference standings – something that hadn’t happened this late into a season in more than a quarter century.
7. Buffalo Sabres
Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner are both on pace to register more than 80 points this season. The last time more than one member of the Sabres did that in the same season was in 2007-08 when Derek Roy and Jason Pominville led the team in scoring. With 38 points through 31 games, Eichel is on pace to register his first 100-point NHL campaign, which has only happened six previous times in Sabres history.
8. Colorado Avalanche
Mikko Rantanen leads the league with 52 points through 31 games and is on pace to score 137 points. That would be the highest total for an Art Ross winner since Mario Lemieux’s insane 1995-96 campaign, during which he notched a silly 69 goals and 161 points in 70 games. Nathan MacKinnon is currently second in scoring with five fewer points than Rantanen. If they can sustain their lead they’d become the first pair of teammates to finish one-two in scoring since Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos finished first and second, respectively in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
9. Boston Bruins
The Bruins’ penalty box is often crowded. The team averages 12:05 PIMs per game, the most in the league, and leads all teams with 13 majors.
10. Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers went 8-2-1 in Ken Hitchcock’s first 11 games behind the Oilers’ bench. Hitch coaching in Edmonton comes naturally. The veteran bench boss is from the city and got his start in coaching with the Sherwood Park Chain Gang in midget AAA. His record with the Chain Gang over the years was 575- 69. Not too bad.
11. Anaheim Ducks
Daniel Sprong, who is fitting in nicely with his new team and recently scored his first goal with the Ducks after being acquired from the Penguins, is the NHL’s first Dutch-born player since 1959.
12. Vegas Golden Knights
Keep your head up when William Carrier and Ryan Reaves are on the ice. Carrier leads all players with 165 hits and Reaves is second with 127.
13. San Jose Sharks
Joe Thornton has been a milestone machine this season and became one of seven players in NHL history to score at least 400 goals, register at least 1,000 assists and skate in more than 1,500 games.
14. Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby is averaging more than a point per game for the 14th consecutive season. No other current player can say that.
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15. Dallas Stars
Tyler Seguin is third in the NHL in shots on goal behind only Jack Eichel and Nathan MacKinnon. Seguin’s 6.5 shooting percentage is the worst of his career thus far.
16. Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise leads his team in goals and is on pace for his highest total since he buried a career high 45 nearly a decade ago in 2008-09.
17. Montreal Canadiens
Max Domi has 14 goals in his first 31 games with the Canadiens, the same number of goals he scored over the course of his final 120 games with the Coyotes.
18. Columbus Blue Jackets
There are 117 undrafted skaters that have played in at least one game in 2018-19. Artemi Panarin leads all of them with 32 points in 30 games.
19. New York Islanders
Once again, the Islanders have the worst attendance in the NHL. They’re averaging 10,848 for their home games.
20. New York Rangers
Rick Nash and Marian Gaborik (twice) are the only Rangers to hit the 30-goal plateau since the 2005-06 season. Chris Kreider, who leads the team with 14 goals, is on pace to get there.
Dylan Larkin already has three overtime winners this year, which is tied for the league lead with Jeff Skinner of the Sabres. The last Red Wings player to register three OT winners in one season was Brendan Shanahan in 2003-04. No Red Wings player has ever scored four regular-season overtime goals in the same year.
22. Carolina Hurricanes
The “Skol clap” the Hurricanes and their fans participate in following home victories comes from the soccer world. Team Iceland supporters popularized it at Euro 2016 but the first team to make it a tradition was a Scottish club called Motherwell F.C.
23. Vancouver Canucks
Elias Pettersson is just the sixth rookie since NHL expansion in 1967 to record at least two five-point games. The others are Bryan Trottier, brothers Peter, Anton and Marian Stastny, plus Mathew Barzal one season ago.
24. Arizona Coyotes
The Yotes are the only team yet to receive a major penalty this season.
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25. St. Louis Blues
The Blues are one of 11 teams to never win a Stanley Cup. Their 50-year drought since entering the league is tied with the Maple Leafs for longest active streak without a Cup.
26. Florida Panthers
Keith Yandle, the NHL’s active ironman leader, hasn’t missed a game since 2008-09 and his 13th year as a pro has been perhaps his best. He has been nearly a point-per-game player this year and is on pace to set a new career high.
The Flyers are the best faceoff team in the NHL, winning 55.4 per cent of their draws. Six Flyers forwards have taken at least 40 faceoffs and all of them have a winning percentage that falls between 53.9 and 60 per cent. Ironically, it hasn’t helped their special teams. Their penalty kill (71.7 per cent) is dead last and power play (13.6 per cent) is third worst.
28. Ottawa Senators
Matt Duchene has 22 points in 15 games since the team’s infamous Uber video went public. He had 12 points in the 14 games prior.
Taylor Hall had 41 more points than his next closest teammate in 2017-18 en route to winning the Hart Trophy. This year the gap between him and No. 2 Kyle Palmieri is just four points.
30. Los Angeles Kings
‘Tis the season for giving and Drew Doughty leads the NHL in giveaways with 56 compared to only seven takeaways. Fellow Kings blue-liners Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin are also top 10 in giveaways.
31. Chicago Blackhawks
Playing from behind is never ideal and it’s a huge reason why the Blackhawks are where they are. They’ve allowed an NHL-worst 47 first-period goals. That’s 12 more than the next-worst teams, the Canadiens and Lightning.
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