Today’s News Clips Nov. 12, 2019

Chicago-Sun Times Erik Gustafsson rediscovers confidence after poor October led to healthy scratch

Ben Pope Nov. 11, 2019

The Blackhawks have found a magical potion to bring out the best in Erik Gustafsson: scratch him.

Even Gustafsson himself notices it.

“Maybe they’ll have to do that every season now,” he joked. “No, no, no.”

Through the first month of the season, the 27-year-old defenseman seemed like a shell of the dynamic offensive blue- liner that finished sixth in the league last season in points by a defenseman.

His offense not only hadn’t reappeared, but it also wasn’t being offset by strong play in his defensive zone. Gustafsson lost his spot on the top pair with Duncan Keith and gradually slid down the lineup, playing fewer than 20 minutes in three straight games from Oct. 26-29 — something that didn’t happen to him once last year.

Then on Nov. 1 against the Kings, Gustafsson was a healthy scratch, with Colliton trying to send a message. And after one game transitioning back into the regular lineup, Gustafsson has now put together his best four-game stretch of the season.

“Feels like I find myself that player I was last year,” he said Sunday. “Feels like I found my confidence back and feels like I’m firm with the puck right now. Feels like I’m taking charge of the puck wherever it is.”

Remarkably, the exact same thing happened last year. After Colliton shockingly scratched Gustafsson in mid-January, he erupted into one of most productive, effective stretches of his career.

And now that phenomenon is unfolding again.

He’s regained his spot with Keith, and attributes that for part of why his confidence has surged back. He played more than 21 minutes against the Sharks and Canucks and a whopping 25:28 against the Penguins before sliding down to 19:08 against the Maple Leafs — an off game for Gustafsson as well as the rest of the defense.

Sunday’s misstep proves the Swede remains occasionally questionable in his own end, and he probably always will be. And his offense remains dry, too: he’ll enter Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden Knights mired in an 11-game pointless drought.

His defense, physicality and puck movement are at least now improving enough to make up for those weaknesses, though.

“He’s a guy who needs to make plays in order to feel like he’s giving to the team, and I think the last few games he just looks more comfortable,” Colliton said last week.

Colliton and Gustafsson sat down when he was scratched to go over video and talk about “being tougher in front of our net,” as Colliton has done regularly with his rotating cast of surprising healthy scratches this season (with great results).

Even though Gustafsson has clearly taken that to heart, his long-term future with the Hawks remains in question.

He’s a pending unrestricted free agent next summer and will command a hefty raise from his current $1.2 million cap hit, which the Hawks may not be able to afford. Adding in the similarities in style between he and future cornerstone Adam Boqvist, Gustafsson will likely hear his name often on the NHL trade rumor mill in the coming months.

Still, the Hawks will want Gustafsson at his best, not only to raise his trade value but also to continue propelling their season turnaround. And scratching him seems to have, yet again, done the trick.

“I thought about my game before, when I got scratched,” he said. “It’s not [enough to] just go out there and be on the ice. I have to be that player to...try to help my team every game. With my offensive skills and stuff, I’ve got to prove more.”

NBC Sports Chicago How a systematic change could serve as turning point for Blackhawks

Charlie Roumeliotis Nov. 11, 2019

When took over as on Nov. 6, 2018, he implemented a man-on-man system in the defensive zone that took some time getting used to for the core players who had played zone coverage under for 10-plus years.

What Colliton didn’t mess with too much is how the Blackhawks generated offense. He allowed his players to play a run- and-gun-type game and it was high risk, high reward. After all, the Blackhawks were among the league leaders in scoring chances generated off the rush, but they also gave up the most.

Colliton knew that wasn’t a great formula for long-term success, so the Blackhawks became more of a dump-and-chase team this season to eliminate neutral zone turnovers and odd-man rushes against. They also altered the way they transitioned out of their own end.

The problem? The offense dried up significantly.

After a brutal four-game road trip in which they were outshot by 65 and averaged only 26.2 shots per game, Colliton was forced to make a systematic change going into Thursday's game against the and gave his players more freedom to create offense similar to the way they did last season. And it could be the turning point of the 2019-20 season.

“We made a conscious effort to be a bit looser when the puck turned over, so we could create more out of D zone in transition and I think it's helped,” Colliton said following Sunday’s 5-4 victory over the Maple Leafs. “There's been a lot more plays available for us. Probably closer to how it looked last year, as far as our ability to make plays out of D-zone and through the neutral zone, and probably fits our top guys — and you can see, they're coming to life. It's good to see. Doesn't mean that the defensive side won't be a continued emphasis, because you've got to keep the puck out of your net to win, and when you get up like we did, would've loved to control the game.”

The results? The Blackhawks have scored 12 goals in their last three games and are 2-0-1 over that span.

“We’re trying to build some momentum here doing a lot of new things and new systems," Dylan Strome said on WGN Radio's postgame show after a 5-1 win over Vancouver. "It takes a little bit of getting used to. We kind of went back to our old system a little bit from last year, so [we felt] a lot more comfortable.”

Not only has the switch jumpstarted the offense, but the Blackhawks have seen improvement in their defensive numbers and it likely stems from the fact they aren’t spending as much time in their own zone.

Before the change on Thursday, the Blackhawks ranked 18th in scoring chances for (24.7), 18th in high-danger chances for (10.0), 30th in scoring chances against (29.2) and 30th in high-danger chances against (13.0) per 60 minutes at 5-on- 5, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Since the change, the Blackhawks rank seventh in scoring chances for (28.8), 15th in high-danger chances for (10.9), 22nd in scoring chances against (28.3) and 20th in high-danger chances against (11.8) per 60 minutes at 5-on-5.

It's still not perfect, but we're finally starting to see what the Blackhawks are capable of as a group. They're playing looser and with more confidence, they're attacking and not chasing — they've scored the first two goals in each of the past three games — and they're racking up points because of it.

The fundamental change doesn’t mean the Blackhawks are going to forget about the defense-first mentality they’re trying to establish. But Colliton knows he has to let his offensive players do what they do best and play to their strengths — it's no coincidence that Patrick Kane has caught fire in the last three games.

Now they’re trying to find a common ground where the team’s style of play can lead to sustained success, both on offense and defense.

“It's a happy medium,” Colliton said. “It was a big emphasis to keep the puck out of our net and still is. But at the same time, we've got to score more than them in order to win. We're trying to find the right balance and I think ultimately we need to win games to stay in the race, to allow ourselves to play important games. That's what we've done in the last week, we've got some points.”

The Athletic (Chicago) The Blackhawks gave up 57 shots to Toronto, but what matters right now is they got the two points

Scott Powers Nov. 10, 2019

This is all about points.

That’s it.

That’s what matters most to the Blackhawks right now.

With points comes survival. Points give Jeremy Colliton more time as coach. They make looking at the standings more bearable. They keep playoff hopes alive. They provide Connor Murphy time to get healthy. They turn a depressed dressing room into a happier one. With points, the Blackhawks live to see another day.

People will focus on the 57 shots on the Blackhawks allowed in a 5-4 win over the on Sunday. It’s a lot. No doubt. The Blackhawks had given up more than that just three times since the 1917-18 season, according to Hockey Reference. The recorded 63 shots in a 7-7 overtime tie in 1988.

But forget about the shots, all 57 of them.

The Blackhawks undeniably have issues, especially defensive ones. They’ve already had games of 49, 51 and 57 shots against. They’ve allowed a league-worst average of 36.8 shots a game. They’re 30th or 31st in shots on goal against, scoring chances against and high-danger chances per 60 minutes in five-on-five play.

So, yes, there are reasons to be concerned about the Blackhawks in the bigger picture. They aren’t playing anywhere near how they envisioned to begin this season. They’ve struggled to get consistency out of their top line or top defenseman pairing this season. Colliton even went to different combinations of both Sunday in an attempt to slow down the Leafs. He sought a more reliable defensive team. He wanted more of a two-way, 200-foot team. He was hoping they’d be more well-rounded than a season ago.

For now, Colliton has curbed those expectations. His hope is to be able to get back to them. Murphy’s return, which could come in another week, might open the window again to playing his more desired way.

But until then, it’s about points.

On Sunday, the Blackhawks picked up two important ones. They notched one in a shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. They took two against the Vancouver Canucks prior to that. Out of a possible six points, they grabbed five over the last three games, and that’s huge. They now have more points than seven other teams. They’re only two points behind the Dallas Stars for fifth place in the Center Division.

It’s still important to look at it the other way, too. There are 23 teams, including five in the division, with more points than the Blackhawks. They’re chasing the pack and have a lot of ground to make up. That said, they’re in a better spot than a week ago. There was a lot of excitement in the United Center on Sunday. There were boos last week.

One main reason things look better for the Blackhawks is they’ve rediscovered their offense. Colliton has loosened up their defensive responsibilities, given them the freedom to push the puck up the ice quicker and allowed the risks to fall where they may. With that, the Blackhawks are looking more like the Blackhawks again. They’re possessing the puck again, creating scoring chances again and, most importantly, scoring goals again.

The Blackhawks went off for five goals against the Canucks. They scored only twice against the Penguins, but they should have probably had more after compiling 25 scoring chances in five-on-five play, their third-highest total of the season. The put up another five goals against the Leafs. The power play has shown some life. They scored multiple five-on-five goals Saturday and Sunday, marking the first time they’ve done that all season. They scored six five-on-five goals in the last two games and had a total of five in the previous five games.

That part Colliton obviously likes.

“We made a conscious effort to be a bit looser when the puck turned over so we could create more out of D-zone in transition, and I think it’s helped,” Colliton said. “There’s been a lot more plays available for us. Probably closer to how it looked last year, as far as our ability to make plays out of D-zone and through the neutral zone, and probably fits our top guys — and you can see, they’re coming to life. It’s good to see. Doesn’t mean that the defensive side won’t be a continued emphasis, because you’ve got to keep the puck out of your net to win, and again, when you get up like we did, would’ve loved to control the game.”

More than anyone, Patrick Kane has been ignited with the Blackhawks’ offensive uptick. He has five goals and six assists over the last six games. He scored twice and dished out an assist Sunday.

As much as Kane likes his own personal points, he, too, realizes it’s the team points that are vital right now.

“We know we have to get points every night, especially the position we’re in where we have to battle back and get into a position where we can try to go on a run and get into a playoff spot,” Kane said.

It is fair to mention some of the Leafs’ numbers are misleading. They scored a goal after pulling their goalie in the third period. They had two power-play goals. They scored just two goals in five-on-five play. They got down 4-1 in the first period, so they were playing aggressively for most of the night. Even with that, the Blackhawks held them to four high- danger chances and had a 24-22 advantage in scoring chances.

Still, the 57 shots on goals were quite real. The exhausted look on goalie ’s face after the game told that story.

Honestly, if the Blackhawks can get that sort of play from Lehner every game, which they have so far; have the kill be better than it was last year, which it has; and score a bunch of goals like recently, there might be a bumpy path to the playoffs. The Blackhawks probably could have been a playoff team last season if they had a better penalty kill and slightly better goaltending despite their subpar defense.

But Colliton’s preference isn’t to play like the Blackhawks did last season. He wants that overall performance.

“It’s a happy medium,” Colliton said. “It was a big emphasis to keep the puck out of our net and still is. But at the same time, we’ve got to score more than them in order to win. We’re trying to find the right balance, and I think ultimately we need to win games to stay in the race, to allow ourselves to play important games. That’s what we’ve done in the last week, we’ve got some points.

“You need those results to reinforce that you’re doing some good things. By no means do we feel like we’re playing how we need to long-term. We’ve made progress in certain areas. To me, it’s just putting all the pieces together. The beginning of the year, I thought our five-on-five play was quite good, (but) the special teams was not there; and then the special teams have been better, (but) the five-on-five play dropped off. We got to put all the pieces together.”

For now, he can live this way … as long as there are points at the end of the day.

The Athletic (Chicago)

How Blackhawks goalie Collin Delia turned his leather-working hobby into a business

Scott Powers Nov. 11, 2019

An early fall drizzle didn’t deter patrons at the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.

It only made the Portiere Leather Company booth all the more inviting.

Collin Delia and Ava Lammers, co-owners of the company and a couple, put up a canopy and inserted some furniture in hopes of creating an inviting, homey atmosphere.

Some of the people who enter the space recognize Delia from his other line of work: . (Portiere means goalie in Italian.) Pictures of former Blackhawks goalies, including Tony Esposito and Ed Belfour, are on display. There’s also a framed Chicago Tribune story about Delia’s loves for hockey and leather working.

Passersby peruse the wallets, tote bags and duffel bags, all personally crafted by Delia and Lammers.

As happy as Delia is to talk hockey, what really pushes he and Lammers through the two long days of being on their feet, assembling and disassembling the space and even the rain is engaging in conversation after conversation about their shared passion.

Whatever they sold that weekend was nice — Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith dropped in and bought a wallet — but it wasn’t their priority. This was more about introducing themselves to the craft community. By having a tent at the fair, interacting with people and showcasing their products, the couple were realizing their dream of running their own leather goods business.

Because less than a year-and-a-half ago, Portiere Leather Company didn’t exist.

“I don’t think either of us would be doing this explicitly right now if we hadn’t met or taken the chance on each other,” Delia said.

Days after the fair, Delia and Lammers sit side by side in their company’s showroom on the fifth floor of Lacuna Lofts, a building full of artist-rented spaces in the Pilsen neighborhood.

“The craft show was weird, to be in the same space, but hardly interact,” said the 22-year-old Lammers. “I stepped back and watched him interact with people. I have such an appreciation for him. I got to really see how he is in that element without me interacting in that. I can appreciate him for his education and how he communicates with people. He has such a gift for explaining things. That’s true, it is a gift.”

“If I’m passionate about something, I do,” said the 25-year-old Delia. “Normally, I’m introverted.”

Delia’s other passion, hockey, was about to take over his life again. He had just begun training camp with the Blackhawks. In the coming weeks, he would be assigned to the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, but he and Lammers had planned for that. Their goal in the offseason was to get the company off the ground and then grow it at their own speed.

That may take time, but everything else has come together quickly. The pair first met in 2018 and they now have a place together in Fulton Market.

It all started in June 2018, when Delia and his step-mom were shopping for a gift for his father at Lululemon in Pasadena, Calif. Lammers was the store manager.

She offered to help Delia, who “somewhat standoffishly” rebuffed her. When he was ready to check out, he told Lammers he was part of the Sweat Collective, Lululemon’s discount program for athletes. But because Delia said he was buying a gift for his dad, Lammers said he couldn’t use the discount.

“It’s like one of those ‘Seinfeld’ moments that, you know, social interaction,” Delia said. “I just was kind of taken back really. I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I’m so sorry. This is the total.’ I was like, ‘I honestly don’t ever do this, but do you mind if I just talked to the manager?’ She was like, ‘Oh, I am the manager.’ And, yeah, ha.”

“I had always wanted to do that, and he was my first opportunity,” Lammers said of their “meet-cute” moment. “I was able to say, I am the manager.”

When they were paying, Delia’s step-mom took out her wallet, which he’d made for her. Lammers asked about it, and Delia mentioned he worked with leather and was trying to start a business. Lammers said she worked with leather, too, and Delia’s step-mom suggested they exchange information. He wrote his email on some receipt paper.

“I was slightly disappointed at first,” Lammers said. “Oh, an email, that’s …”

“That’s archaic,” Delia finished.

“That’s archaic and kind of disappointing,” Lammers said.

Lammers said she ended up giving Delia the discount because she saw it was his birthday in his profile. They kept in contact, and that email exchange brought them here.

Delia and Lammers discovered they both grew up around people who worked with their hands. Both their fathers did some woodworking and carpentry, and Delia’s grandfather was a stonemason.

They had only gotten into leather making shortly before meeting, but they were both quite serious about it. This wasn’t just a hobby.

“I remember when I first started out, I was just tooling around with some leather, and I remember one day I made a wallet and I came into the locker room in Rockford,” Delia said. “It’s a pretty open environment, and I’m like, ‘I’m making wallets now.’ Everyone looked at me, kind of gave me a weird look and keep doing what they’re doing. They didn’t care.”

Former Blackhawks teammate John Hayden couldn’t ignore Delia’s leather working. They shared a hotel room in downtown Chicago during training camp last season, and Delia brought his tools with him.

“Our room was a makeshift leather workshop,” said Hayden, who now plays for the . “Stuff everywhere. And it was only loud when the hammer came out. Surprisingly, no noise complaints.

“It was awesome. It was cool to hear about a player’s passions outside of hockey. ‘Deals’ found a niche passion that evolved into something bigger than a hobby. He’s curious and well read, so it was great spending time with him and learning about his leather craft and discussing other things throughout camp.”

Delia hand-stitched his first duffel bag during that training camp, and it’s his most-prized leather possession to date. Lammers’ favorite self-made item is an early canvas duffel bag they came up with together.

Aside from that, they keep little of what they create. Delia and Lammers chose to work with leather because they found they enjoy the process, from the planning to the hours spent crafting each item, but they also believe it’s an industry they can make an impact in. They recognize the demand for fine leather goods, and they want to fill it in a way they don’t believe many businesses do.

“I think it’s mostly the education that people receive regarding the leather industry, the leather itself and their appreciation for the craft and not just leather working, but also leather tanning,” Lammers said. “And so when someone’s receiving a product from us, you know it’s not the same as going into a department store and being like, oh, that’s cute, I’ll buy it. That’s it. That’s the end of the road. And then you have it and it’s cute. But I think for us, we’re so passionate about the people who are tanning the leather and the people who are caring for it and the people who are in the industry who really want the best in it, are really putting themselves out there and spending hours just perfecting leather tanning and leather crafting.”

The retail industry is the enemy in some ways.

“But a lot of it too, it’s like a rebellion to the retail industry and to these big corporations, so to speak,” Delia said. “Because this is the type of consumer I am, I will compare products, research them, look up exactly where they’re made, how they’re made, where are they getting the materials from. If I’m going to spend money on something, I want to have some solace in knowing is it actually as it is advertised.

“So for me, I sort of thought if I was buying something that was expensive, an heirloom piece, a piece that somebody would want you know to keep, hand down to somebody, I would want to use the absolute best materials, I would want to use exceptional craftsmanship and I would want the company to be completely transparent in what they’re doing. That’s what we seek to embody.”

And don’t get Delia started on the name-brand leather bags and purses that populate a city like Chicago.

“I’m not exactly sure how a lot of these big designer brands do it, but you see these specific bags that a lot of people carry with checkered patterns in different colors and this pebble grain texture and that’s really just a pretty big dye press stamping over the leather,” he said. “A lot of times those companies that are marketing their bags up and selling them for a thousand dollars, they use top-grain leather. Then you get to the highest association of good leather, it’s called full- grain. Everything that we use is full-grain leather.”

So what is full-grain leather?

“Pretty much the full grain is the outer layer of the hide that has all the intrinsic strength in it,” he said. “It’s shows the most imperfections, but it’s the most natural. That’s where all the character is. We don’t ever use anything other than that. If they’re going to be paying as much as they do, we think they deserve the best. And it’s our obligation and we feel as a company to educate people on that.”

Delia and Lammers know their goods aren’t inexpensive. A simple wallet costs $175. Their shouldered tote bag sells for $575. But they’re not making a ton of profit given the materials they use and the time they spend making their products.

“Even when we tell people exactly what our profits are — it’s 50 percent and labor is $20 an hour — people are actually very uncomfortable, and I think it’s because they’ve never heard somebody who they’re buying the product from explain to them exactly how much they’re making off of it,” Lammers said. “And I think even just last weekend at the craft show, seeing these people, while we’re very openly saying, this is how much we pay ourselves, their body kind of tenses up and then they start to relax after a while and they become very appreciative. And that’s so worth it for me because you can tell them, yeah, that duffle bag is $1,400, but it also costs $1,000 in materials, and people are like, I get it now, you know. I get that’s why it’s so expensive or whatever.

“We probably could sell it for more. But we want them to be as accessible to as many people as possible. Sure, our stuff is going to be expensive regardless, but we need to pay rent and we need to pay for the materials and things like that. But it’s fine quality leather goods and handmade stuff, it shouldn’t only be for the one percent or the elite. I would want as many people as possible to be able to have access to something that’s kind of changing the dynamic of the leather industry.”

Delia and Lammers put a lot of thought into their pricing and the construction of their goods. When they were designing their shoulder tote bag, Lammers focused on getting the strap length right. The bottom of their bags remain flat for carrying heavy items. There’s an inside pocket to the bag for quick access, and they double stitch areas to ensure longevity. They guarantee their goods for life.

“It really takes a lot of trust in the other person,” Lammers said. “For me, I know what a woman wants for the most part. He knows what a man wants to wear. I don’t know what it’s like to be sitting on your wallet all the time. I can’t really speak to that, but I have to really trust that he does. I think really to have that trust in each other has made the process smoother.”

Delia pulls out his tools to demonstrate how they work. He places a piece of hide onto a table and cuts through it easily with a skife knife.

“It cuts that piece like butter,” he said.

He points out the imperfections of the hide, how they trace onto the leather. He explains how to burnish and how the edges become softened. He mentions how they’re looking to add more tools and machines to make the process even easier. He takes out more knives, an edge groover, a tool to punch holes.

“The first hour of my day is cleaning up after Collin,” Lammers said with a laugh. “We’re very different. He uses every tool. They’re all out in the kitchen as well. I use this and I put it away. I’m a liability with sharp object. I do spend quite a lot of my time picking up after him.”

Delia grabs a box and removes the stamp they use for the company’s logo. It’s two crossed goalie sticks and the initial P.

Both Delia and Lammers hail from California, though Lammers grew up not caring about the sport.

“But we did have some family friends who were from Canada and they were big hockey fans and I was kind of introduced to hockey a little bit,” she said. “And I always said the Blackhawks were my favorite team because they had the cutest players, so it’s kind of ironic. But I mean, I’m from California, so we don’t really care about hockey too much. But I just thought the Blackhawks were the cutest. Fun, little circle of life.”

She understands that hockey means everything to Delia. So even if the logo isn’t exactly her cup of tea, she’s behind it.

“I think it’s a little corny, but I also appreciate him,” Lammers said. “I think ultimately because of the feedback we’ve gotten, we kind of want to offer a choice of the logo on women’s bags. Some women who are hockey fans love it. We want to reach everyone.”

There are a lot of similarities between hockey and leather working for Delia. Both are obsessions for him. Both are also nearly impossible to perfect. No goalie stops 100 percent of the shots he faces over time. Leather working is a long and difficult undertaking as well.

“I’m the type of person, like whatever it is, hockey, leather work, anything that I’m passionate about, I want to know everything about it, and I will stay up and I’ll do it,” Delia said. “You know sometimes you forget to eat. Because you’re so engaged in what you’re doing, you get into like this existential headspace, you know. Time just flies by. It never seems like you have enough of it. The same with hockey and you really zone in during a practice or a game, especially as a goalie, the time just melts away.”

In an indirect way, the Blackhawks helped Delia get the business up and running. Delia joined the Blackhawks’ Super Bowl squares pool last season and came away with $6,250. It went right into the business.

“It’s all the guys’ money that helped us start this,” Delia said.

“It takes a village,” Lammers said.

The hockey season presents some challenges for them. Delia has less time to put into the business. It’s not ideal for him to be in Rockford, but they’re making it work. Lammers handles the day-to-day operations in Chicago, and they recently added an apprentice. Delia tries to get back whenever he can.

With the holiday season approaching, they are adding a few items to their inventory. They teased a leather belt on their Instagram account and are preparing for holiday shoppers. Eventually, Delia and Lammers hope to expand the business in various directions. Delia would like to get into hand-built furniture. He built a couch that sits in the showroom. Lammers would like to pursue more fashion. They see it becoming more of a lifestyle company.

For now, they’re taking it a day at a time. Blackhawks goalie has an order in for a duffel bag, but there’s no definitive arrival date. It’s just how it is right now, especially during the hockey season.

“Obviously hockey is a very large part of my life and I’ve been doing it for 20-something years, but eventually it ends,” Delia said. “And it’s so important that as athletes, we have something to do. Because life doesn’t stop for anybody, you really need to understand that as a person. Because it is in the end a game and it’s a form of entertainment for people and also for ourselves, truly if we’re being honest. It’s nice to have something such as this to kind of remind you you’re a still a human. There’s a human aspect to this.”

Blackhawks.com RELEASE: Blackhawks Sign Alec Regula

Chicago Blackhawks Communications Nov. 11, 2019

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have agreed to terms with defenseman Alec Regula (reh-GOO-lah) on a three-year contract that runs through the 2021-22 season ($897,500).

Regula was acquired by the Blackhawks on Oct. 28 from the in exchange for forward Brendan Perlini. The 19-year-old is a co- for the London Knights and has 15 points (7G, 8A) in 14 games this season. His 15 points are 10th among Ontario Hockey League defenseman. Regula notched OHL career highs in goals (11), assists (28) and points (39) in 66 regular-season games for the Knights during the 2018-19 campaign. He added two markers and four assists in 11 postseason games. That season he was teammates with Blackhawks 2018 first-round pick, Adam Boqvist.

A native of West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, Regula was named to the 2017-18 OHL First All-Rookie Team after tallying seven goals and 18 helpers in a career-high 67 regular-season games, while also skating in four OHL playoff games. He helped the Chicago Steel capture the 2017 Clark Cup after registering five points (1G, 4A) in 53 regular-season games and one assist in five USHL postseason contests.

Las Vegas Review Journal

Golden Knights squander third-period lead, fall 3-2 to Red Wings

David Schoen Nov. 11, 2019

DETROIT — For all of their talk about sitting back too much and playing on their heels, it was an unnecessary gamble that cost the Golden Knights on Sunday.

Detroit’s Anthony Mantha scored with 30.9 seconds remaining, as the Golden Knights squandered another third-period lead in a 3-2 loss to the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.

“We played 55 great minutes of hockey and then blew it in the last five,” an incensed coach Gerard Gallant said. “I think it was the last three, three-and-a-half minutes that we stopped using our heads. We forced plays. We tried to break up plays in the neutral zone, and we give them at least two breakaways. Can’t do that.”

The Knights entered the third period with a 2-1 lead against the team with the league’s worst record, but allowed two goals in the final 9:03 and dropped their third straight to finish the four-game road trip with three of a possible eight points.

It’s the fourth time in the past 11 days the Knights couldn’t hold a lead in the third period after falling in overtime to Montreal, Winnipeg and Toronto.

This game also appeared to be headed to OT until Detroit’s Robby Fabbri controlled the puck near his blue line and sent a rink-wide pass toward Mantha.

Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb stepped up in the neutral zone and tried to knock the puck out of the air with his stick but whiffed, allowing Mantha to streak down the right wing.

Defenseman Nate Schmidt raced across the ice but didn’t get there in time before Mantha snapped his 11th goal past Malcolm Subban’s blocker.

“We’ve got to find a way to be resilient when a team comes back in the game,” left wing Max Pacioretty said. “We’ve got to be confident in our team and our abilities to know that if a team comes back on us, we’re still able to close them out or at least bring it to overtime and try to finish them off there.”

Here’s what stood out from the Knights’ loss:

1. Going through the motions.

Maybe it was the early start time on the holiday weekend, but both teams looked like they needed an acai bowl and a Red Bull to get them going.

The second period was especially dull, as the teams combined for five shots on goal.

The Knights did a solid job keeping Detroit to the perimeter, and Subban had to make two saves in 20 minutes. That set a season low for fewest shots on goal allowed in a period. The previous mark was four in the third period against Anaheim on Oct. 27.

Meanwhile, the Knights mustered a mere three shots against Red Wings goalie Jonathan Bernier, which also was a season low.

“There’s no excuse,” said Jonathan Marchessault, who had the Knights’ first goal. “We lost last game and we were ready. I thought we played a good two periods, but it’s a one-shot game. They came back and they got the lead with 30 seconds left. It’s a tough one.”

2. Tough luck.

Subban made his third start in the past five games as the Knights completed a back-to-back and was the hard-luck loser after stopping 16 of 19 shots.

But he might want at least two of those goals back.

Andreas Athanasiou blew a slap shot under his right pad for a power-play goal late in the first period that tied the score at 1.

In the third, defenseman Madison Bowey whipped a shot while falling to the ice that went short side off the inside of the post to tie the game.

3. Patches heats up.

Pacioretty is known as a streaky goal scorer and is carrying one of the few hot sticks after a run of bad luck earlier this season.

He finished off a pretty feed from Nicolas Roy at 9:04 in the second period and has goals in three straight games and four of his last five.

Pacioretty is third on the Knights with six goals and his 16 points are tied for second on the team with William Karlsson. He is on pace for 69 points, which would be a career high.

The Athletic (Vegas)

Golden Knights will break out of current slump with smart hockey, not by seeking retribution

Jesse Granger Nov. 9, 2019

WASHINGTON — The Capitals beat up the Golden Knights on Saturday night at Capital One Arena.

They beat them on the scoreboard 5-2 and beat them up physically in the third period, landing crushing hit after crushing hit in the corners. Washington forward T.J. Oshie was a human wrecking ball, throwing his weight around in the offensive zone.

He landed a check on Deryk Engelland that caused Engelland to retaliate after the play. He was called for slashing — Vegas’ seventh penalty of the contest. On his next shift, Oshie drilled Nate Schmidt, leaving Schmidt hobbling away after he picked himself up off the ice.

Tom Wilson went to the penalty box for roughing midway through the third. After a whistle, he grabbed Cody Eakin’s face, pushed his helmet off and continued facewashing the 6-foot, 183-pound forward. Eakin has dropped the gloves only three times in his NHL career, and never as a Golden Knight. Even if he was a fighter, taking on Wilson wouldn’t be a smart move.

So where was Ryan Reaves? That was the question on most fans’ minds midway through the third period.

The Golden Knights aren’t paying Reaves $2.775 million for his scoring touch. When George McPhee inked his two-year deal in the summer of 2018, he said the signing was to “keep the flies off the honey.”

Vegas is one of the most physical teams in the NHL and is rarely at a disadvantage when it comes to hitting and post- whistle antics. So why wasn’t the 225-pound fly swatter deployed?

“It’s kind of one of those weird situations because you see the game getting amped up, but we’re still in the game, so you have to pick and choose your battles,” Reaves said. “We were still in the game there, and we need to win hockey games right now. We’re finding ways to hurt ourselves, and we just need to find ways to win games.”

At the time, Vegas was trailing 3-2, and with its current penalty woes, going to the box for retribution wasn’t worth it.

“(Our response was) not good enough,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “But we were behind, chasing the game, so we sat in the penalty box for little knicky-knack penalties, hooking or whatever they were, and we just kept chasing the game. I would’ve liked a better response, but we’re chasing the hockey game still.”

Reaves took only three shifts in the third period and only one after the midway point — when the game got chippy.

That’s because Gallant wasn’t trying to gain revenge or prove his team is the toughest. He was trying to score the game- tying goal, to win a hockey game. Instead, he played Mark Stone 6:33, William Karlsson 8:14 and Reilly Smith 6:40.

It’s easy to be frustrated watching Wilson facewash Eakin and wanting Reaves to settle the score. But cooler heads prevailed, and while it didn’t result in a win, Gallant coached the game correctly.

“Sticking up for your teammates is important, and answering the bell is important, but we got to win a game,” Reaves said. “I got out there on the third-to-last shift and got some hits in. It’s pointless to go jump somebody in the last 10 minutes. You do that and you get suspended for that, so I went out there and got my hits and tried to chip in somehow.”

Reaves is right. The Golden Knights need to win games, and the fourth line has been a big part of it when they do. The fourth line of Reaves, William Carrier and either Tomas Nosek or Nicolas Roy has been on the plus side of things often this season, often outplaying Vegas’ third line. Despite leading the NHL in hits last season, and for what seems like the past decade, Reaves has been suspended only once. He’s good at picking his spots, and taking himself out of future games out of frustration wouldn’t be smart.

After Saturday night’s defeat, the Golden Knights have lost four of their last five and six of their last nine.

After the game, wooden locker doors slammed shut, equipment bags were dejectedly tossed into a pile to be loaded onto the team bus, and the word “frustrated” floated throughout the Golden Knights’ dressing room.

“We have to get ready for tomorrow,” Gallant said of Vegas’ game with Detroit on Sunday. “You have to get on the plane, be a little pissed off tonight and get ready for tomorrow. That’s the NHL.”

The players certainly have the first two parts down.

“I think they just played with more pace than we did tonight, and that’s frustrating because those are the things we can control,” Reilly Smith said.

Even with the recent slump, Vegas is still 9-6-3 on the season. That’s not terrible, but for a team with the talent and expectations the Golden Knights carry, it’s not good enough. It doesn’t help that they’ve lost nearly every game against the best teams in the league (Boston, Nashville, Colorado, Toronto and Washington).

“Consistency is a hard thing to find in hockey,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “We’re not playing with the swag that we should have and the confidence that we should have. There are glimpses of it, but I think we just need to play more simple. When we play our strong forecheck game, I think we are one of the best teams.”

The Golden Knights will get out of their current funk by playing fast, skilled hockey, not by seeking retribution. They’re currently tied for second in the NHL in penalties taken, and aside from the obvious problem that poses (giving teams ample chances to score with a man advantage), it also breaks up the flow of play.

“Obviously, it kills our momentum a little bit, especially when we’re starting to get some mojo,” Marchessault said.

The good news for the Golden Knights is most of these issues appear to be correctable. They have enough talent to win and have been one of the least penalized teams in the NHL over the last two seasons. Gallant is a Jack Adams-winning coach who has yet to miss the playoffs in Vegas.

Even in defeat Saturday night, he showed his coaching ability by putting the right players on the ice in the right situations. It just didn’t work out. It hasn’t worked out much recently for the Golden Knights, but they’re still only three points out of first place in the Pacific Division.

Vegas can work its way out of this slump by playing quick, skilled hockey and scoring goals, not fighting.

The Athletic (Vegas)

Malcolm Subban’s hometown moment, the penalty issues and more from a Golden Knights OT loss in Toronto

Jesse Granger Nov. 7, 2019

TORONTO — Malcolm Subban stepped onto the ice at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night and gazed into the rafters.

He looked at the 13 navy blue Stanley Cup banners and 18 retired numbers hanging above the ice, and he reminisced about growing up in Toronto, watching the Leafs as a child.

Subban had skated on that ice before, growing up, but only as a defenseman. So despite living there most of his life, it was the first time Subban suited up as a goaltender in his hometown NHL rink.

“It meant a lot. Growing up watching the Leafs, and being from Toronto, this was pretty crazy,” Subban said. “During warm-ups, I try to get out there and dial it in, but it was definitely cool to look up and see the Leafs jerseys. That was pretty cool.”

Subban played phenomenally, stopping 35 of 37 shots by the Maple Leafs, standing on his head to keep the Golden Knights in the game despite facing six Toronto power plays.

“Malcolm was excellent,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “He made some great saves, and I thought the two goalies were the first stars. They played a great hockey game. … It was great goaltending.”

On the other end, Frederik Andersen stopped 37 of 38 shots by Vegas.

“It’s tough when you don’t win, to say you’re happy with your performance,” Subban said. “Especially when the other goaltender plays like he did tonight. So it’s tough, but you just keep building.”

Despite his great night in net, Subban dropped to 0-1-2 on the season with the 2-1 overtime loss. The loss certainly doesn’t fall on his shoulders, but he’s his biggest critic.

“There’s no excuses,” he said after the loss. “Whether you’re playing every game or playing not that many, you have to go in there and try to give your best game and give your team a chance to win.”

Even with the lack of wins, Subban’s performance of late has the coaching staff more than confident in his ability to spell Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury, 35, is second in the NHL in starts and minutes played, but the Golden Knights plan to rest him more going forward.

“Fleury plays a lot of big games for us, but (Subban) is going to have to take some of those games,” Gallant said. “You can’t play a guy 70-80 games a year, and we have all the confidence in the world in Malcolm. We think we have the best goalie in the league in Fleury, and then Malcolm is going to get more games than he got in the past. If he keeps playing like this, it’s going to be perfect. It’s a perfect setup for us.”

Parade to the penalty box continues Suddenly, the team that’s been one of the most disciplined in hockey can’t stay out of the box.

Last season, the Golden Knights took the fifth-fewest penalties in the NHL. During their inaugural season, they were the second-least-penalized team in the league.

Thursday night, they took six penalties, and they’re currently fourth in the NHL with more than 10 penalty minutes per game.

“You’re not always happy with the calls, but you can’t take as many as we are,” Cody Eakin said. “Guys are more tired than they need to be while defending, and that’s not a recipe for winning. They’re always different things, but we just have to take it upon ourselves to move our feet.”

Vegas’ penalty kill has been outstanding, but giving players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly that many chances with a man advantage is eventually going to cost you. The Golden Knights killed the first five penalties, but late in the third period, Matthews lasered a wrist shot over Subban’s shoulder to tie the score at 1.

“I think on a couple of those penalties I didn’t necessarily think they were necessary to be called,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “Yeah, we have to stay out of the box, and we have to watch our sticks, but ultimately we just have to try to watch it.”

The game was called tight on both sides, with the Maple Leafs called for five penalties themselves.

“I didn’t like a few calls tonight, to be honest with you, but there were more calls than I thought (there should’ve been), but you move on,” Gallant said. “We address it all the time, but I thought there were too many calls tonight.”

Theodore offered an interesting reason for the calls not going the Golden Knights’ way this season.

“I think we’re yapping at the refs a little too much, and when you’re yapping you’re not necessarily going to get the right side of a lot of calls,” he said. “That’s something that we can maybe do a better job of, but I think we just have to watch our sticks in general.”

Here’s how the Golden Knights penalties break down by type:

12 tripping 12 interference 11 hooking 6 holding 5 cross-checking 4 high sticking 4 slashing 2 roughing 2 goalie interference 1 holding the stick Brayden McNabb leads the team, and is tied for the NHL lead, with 12 minor penalties on the season.

Taking the positives from earning a point The Golden Knights outplayed the Maple Leafs at five-on-five and probably felt they deserved two points Thursday night. But despite losing in overtime, the players and coaches were positive about the outcome.

“I thought it was a great game,” Gallant said. “The shots were pretty even, and it was an even hockey game. Too many penalties for me, but other than that.”

Regardless of the flow of the game, coming away from Toronto with a point can be seen as a plus. Eakin echoed Gallant’s thoughts.

“It was back and forth with all the penalties, but I thought we played a solid game,” he said. “Our goalie played well, and I think they hunkered down when they needed to. It was a good game.”

The Golden Knights have now earned points in five consecutive games, but three have been overtime losses. They’ve also earned three of a possible four points in the first half of this road trip, with a back-to-back in Washington and Detroit ahead.

Vegas is now 9-5-3, sitting tied for second place in the Pacific Division, and only one point behind first-place Edmonton. More importantly, the Golden Knights feel they’re playing a more consistent game in these past two road contests compared with the up-and-down performances lately at home.

“Subban played unbelievable tonight,” Theodore said. “He made key saves, and so did (Andersen). I thought it was a pretty solid, 60-minute effort from start to finish, and it’s just tough to not get that extra point.”