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SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 10/27/2019 1158556 Ducks defeat Avalanche to end three-game losing streak 1158594 3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-0 loss to the 1158557 Column: NHL observations: Dallas gains momentum with Hurricanes, including Dylan Strome’s stunning demotion revamped roster and Ki 1158558 Ducks start fast and end strong in victory over Avalanche 1158595 After a disappointing homestand, 1158559 Ducks toss newly acquired defenseman addresses Kirby Dach’s status, the Blackhawks’ offensive ‘into the fire’ struggle 1158596 Blackhawks forward Brendan Perlini, with little chance to crack the lineup, confirms he asked for a trade: ‘We 1158560 Reports: Former Coyotes F Brendan Perlini seeks trade 1158597 3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to the Flyers, from Blackhawks including criticizing his players’ wo 1158561 Hayton scores 1st , Raanta leads Coyotes past Devils 1158598 Blackhawks’ brutal start continues with 4-0 loss in Carolina 1158562 Neutral Zone: Improbable win in Jersey, Hayton’s playing 1158599 Blackhawks’ sellout streak and ticket demand prevail in time and the birth of the pelt tradition post-Cup era 1158600 What's wrong with the Blackhawks offense? Bruins 1158601 Four takeaways: Blackhawks scoring drought continues in 1158563 David Pastrnak keeps hot hand as Bruins get better of loss to Hurricanes Blues in rematch 1158602 Instant reaction: Blackhawks drop fourth straight to 1158564 The wait was worth it as Anders Bjork scores his first goal Hurricanes of the season 1158603 to start in goal for Blackhawks vs. 1158565 Rangers thumbnails Hurricanes 1158566 Haunting memories for Bruins: Blues are back in town 1158604 Powers: The next 10 days could decide a lot for the 1158567 Charlie Simmer got off to his own hot start with Bruins Blackhawks 1158568 Bruins-Blues still felt like Stanley Cup Final 1158569 Bruins top Blues in Stanley Cup Final revenge game 1158570 Bruins notebook: Schedule eases up after measuring stick 1158605 Avs drop first home game of season with loss to Ducks stretch 1158606 Chambers: Las Vegas hockey lives large in the desert 1158571 Take it from Bruins great Rick Middleton: David Pastrnak 1158607 Altitude Sports executive: We’ve proposed 4K technology, belongs on top skycam to “stonewalling” distributors 1158572 Bruins pregame notes: A Cup Final rematch with Blues in 1158608 Avalanche deflated in first home loss of the year town 1158609 The dog wins again as the Avs fall short in their Duck hunt 1158573 NHL, Bruins players still battle butterflies 1158574 Bruins Talking Points: David Pastrnak, Anders Bjork shine in 3-0 win over Blues 1158610 Flyers 7, Blue Jackets 4 | Third-period collapse rocks 1158575 Zdeno Chara exacts revenge on Blues' Oskar Sundqvist Jackets with massive hit 1158611 Dean Kukan, Scott Harrington get rare chances to play for 1158576 NHL Highlights: Bruins take down Blues 3-0 in physical Blue Jackets Stanley Cup Final rematch 1158612 Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones an asset on 1158577 Bruins coach on rematch with Blues: 'The offense, too Stanley Cup unfortunately is not in the building tonigh 1158613 Versatility has been key to David Savard's longevity with 1158578 Krejci (upper body) out for Bruins this weekend, but Columbus Blue Jackets 'looking good' for a return next week 1158614 Michael Arace | Young teams' rise is good sign for 1158579 Two minutes that made all the difference Columbus Blue Jackets 1158615 Portzline: 10 observations from the Blue Jackets’ late collapse and loss to Flyers 1158580 Dale Hawerchuk's cancer battle on the minds of alums 1158616 ‘I won’t give up’: Brandon Dubinsky seems far away from prior to Heritage Classic Blue Jackets as injured wrist lingers 1158581 Mike Harrington's NHL Power Rankings 1158582 After an 11-game wait, John Gilmour seizes opportunity to crack Sabres' lineup 1158617 Two periods worth of optimism come crashing down as 1158583 Sabres keep the bad feelings from festering, bounce back Penguins dominate Stars in third, defeat Dallas 3-0 to blank Red Wings 1158618 Denis Gurianov moves up lineup, Joe Pavelski and 1158584 The Wraparound: Sabres 2, Red Wings 0 Alexander Radulov move down as Stars search for more 1158585 Victor Olofsson using 'whippy' stick to transform Sabres' producti power play 1158619 Advanced analytics say it’s only a matter of time before 1158586 Sabres game day: Quick turnaround produces trip to see Stars forward Jamie Benn hits net instead of posts broken Wings 1158587 Reinvigorated ex-Sabre Matt Moulson has eyes on 1,000 Red Wings games and title 1158621 ' acting like a as 1158588 Sabres recall defenseman Will Borgen from Rochester losses mount: Blame me 1158622 Red Wings are ice cold and Dylan Larkin says he has to Flames be ‘way better’ 1158589 Jets snuff out Flames at Mosaic 1158623 Red Wings’ Taro Hirose dealing with rough patch he 1158590 Heritage Classic provides frigid conditions for Flames and avoided last season Jets 1158624 Prospect Joe Veleno ends frustration with first goal for 1158591 Flames notebook: Usual line combinations shaken up Griffins 1158592 Duhatschek: The Flames are shaking things up as they 1158625 Dylan Larkin shoulders blame, but plenty to go around for get set for the Heritage Classic Red Wings 1158593 Svechnikov, Mrazek spur Hurricanes to shutout against Blackhawks Oilers 1158626 Alex Chiasson is starting to see some daylight offensively 1158662 Senators make minor-league deal with 1158627 making hay as the NHL's comeback kids 1158663 GAME DAY: at Ottawa Senators 1158664 The key is try to find some consistency 1158665 Message sent as Bobby Ryan's role declines with 1158628 Kings falter late, fall to Wild for second straight loss Senators 1158629 LA Kings fall to Wild, 5-1 1158666 Not as much fanfare as Karlsson returns a second time 1158630 ONTARIO 3, SAN DIEGO 2 – ANDERSON-DOLAN, with Sharks STOTHERS 1158631 OCTOBER 26 RAPID REACTION: WILD 5, KINGS 1 1158632 GAME 11: LOS ANGELES AT MINNESOTA 1158667 Late eruption gives Flyers stunning 7-4 win over 1158633 VALKOMMEN TILL NHL, BLAKE LIZOTTE; WAGNER’S Columbus as James van Riemsdyk scores a pair GAME DIVERSIFIES; FORBORT SKATING 1158668 Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux relieved after 1158634 OCTOBER 26: QUICK IN GOAL; NO LINEUP CHANGES first goals; Brian Elliott to face Blue Jackets PROJECTED; SCOUTING EACH TEAM 1158669 Unexpected Flyers comeback sparked by money players 1158635 PREVIEW – ONTARIO VS. SAN DIEGO, 10/26 1158670 Flyers Notebook: Raffl recovered after to foot 1158671 Furious rally gives Flyers first 3-game winning streak in October since 2014-15 1158636 Alex Stalock rebounds, backstops the Wild to another win 1158672 Life-changing injury, nights in the hospital made Kevin 1158637 Wild-Los Angeles game recap Hayes a fit for Philly 1158638 Staal, Stalock lead Wild past Kings 5-1 1158639 Wild continues strong play at home, winning 5-1 over Los Penguins Angeles 1158673 Empty Thoughts: Penguins 3, Stars 0 1158640 Wild samples comforts of home, but it won't last 1158674 First-time goal scorers lead Penguins to victory over Stars 1158641 out, Joel Eriksson Ek returns for Wild vs. 1158675 Penguins focus on details of neutral-zone faceoffs Kings 1158676 Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust are game-time decisions for the 1158642 Wild continue stellar play at home with 5-1 win over Kings Penguins 1158643 With trio of blocked shots, Joel Eriksson Ek proves to be 1158677 Penguins snap a three-game skid with win over Dallas what Wild need 1158678 With Erik Gudbranson gone, who does the fighting for the 1158644 Out to improve on a woeful 2018-19, Wild win third straight Penguins? in St. Paul 1158679 Trading Erik Gudbranson gives the Penguins cap space, so how might they use it? MontrealCanadiens 1158680 The tragedy that made Pittsburgh stop, and what came 1158645 In the Habs' Room: Claude Julian wants to curb late after period, momentum-shifting goals 1158646 Canadiens whip weary Leafs 5-2 with three-goal barrage San Jose Sharks in final frame 1158681 Erik Karlsson “in a different space” for second trip to 1158647 Canadiens Game Day: The First Round Line shines in 5-2 Ottawa with Sharks win over Leafs 1158682 NHL rumors: Brenden Dillon won't be punished for Auston 1158648 Rocket lose to Hartford in OT as Laval's record drops to 3- Matthews hit 5-1 1158649 Maple Leafs at Canadiens: Five things you should know St Louis Blues 1158650 How humility can lead a supremely talented hockey player 1158683 Blues down 2-0 after two periods to Bruins down the right path to stardom 1158684 Sundqvist steps into Tarasenko's spot on Blues' top line 1158651 Video Review: Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia power the 1158685 Blues are back in Boston — scene of a championship Canadiens’ big win over the Leafs 1158686 Blues' forward depth will be tested with Tarasenko sidelined 1158687 Preview: Blues at Boston 1158652 Predators beefing up security with dogs sniffing vehicles at 1158688 Injured Tarasenko does not accompany Blues on Bridgestone Arena parking garage weekend trip; team offers no other details 1158653 Predators vs. Lightning: Live game score, updates 1158689 Bruins blank Blues 3-0 in 1st meeting since losing Cup final 1158654 Making sense of Devils’ loss to Coyotes: 4 takeaways from disappointing defeat 1158690 Penalties cost the Lightning against Nashville 1158655 Jack Hughes' 3-point night in Devils' loss shows 1158691 The amazing, yet unsurprising abilities of Andrei confidence Taylor Hall knew was in rookie Vasilevskiy 1158692 Nashville’s not the friendliest of foes for Lightning 1158657 Hey, NY sports fans, Islanders offer a winning alternative 1158658 Rangers may keep Kaapo Kakko from seeing Bruins’ best 1158659 Brendan Lemieux’s lineage prepared him for Rangers moment 1158660 Rangers’ Adam Fox on life as a rookie and how he felt after loss of friend 1158661 Rangers' Tony DeAngelo promoted to top power-play unit, replacing Jacob Trouba 1158693 The Leafs’ blue-line crew deserves an early-season D 1158694 The Leafs are still winless in the second half of back- to-backs after late meltdown in 1158695 Rejuvenated has everything but a winner — your move, Mr. Yzerman 1158696 Back to the drawing board for Leafs after loss in Montreal 1158697 changed into a winner. Can the Leafs do the same with Auston Matthews? 1158698 The Leafs need fewer hit-or-miss nights from the Auston Matthews line 1158699 Leafs Report Cards: Tyson Barrie blunders and defensive struggles cost Toronto in loss to Montreal 1158700 The reason Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner haven’t jelled at 5-on-5 Canucks 1158715 Winning all that matters for Troy Stecher 1158716 Today's game is too fast for Erik Gudbranson, but just right for Quinn Hughes 1158717 The Armies: Jacob Markstrom’s fury, the Tim Schaller thing and the adrenaline junkies 1158701 Golden Knights trying on ‘We Are Family’ as victory song 1158702 Golden Knights ready to ‘flip the script’ after ‘embarrassing’ game 1158703 NHL’s Seattle team isn’t concerned with Golden Knights comparisons 1158704 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare moved by crowd in Golden Knights’ homecoming 1158705 Evgeny Kuznetsov, fueled by an improved two-way game, is starting to take off 1158706 Alex Alexeyev says player who knocked him out of the Prospects Showcase 'shouldn’t play hockey' 1158707 A heck of a comeback in Vancouver and a heck of a month for the Caps 1158708 Capitals rally from four-goal deficit for stunning shootout win in Vancouver Websites 1158718 .ca / Leafs' costly trend of falling behind early continues in loss to Canadiens 1158719 Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Armia, Drouin show maturity in win over Maple Leafs 1158720 Sportsnet.ca / IIHF to meet with NHL, NHLPA over future of international hockey 1158721 Sportsnet.ca / NHL making plans for potential women’s league when time is right 1158722 Sportsnet.ca / Jets struggling to rediscover contender identity with gutted blue line 1158723 Sportsnet.ca / Amid hot start, Canucks' collapse vs. Capitals even more stunning 1158724 TSN.CA / With out, alters plan for Jason Spezza Jets 1158709 Classic a homecoming of sorts for Lowry 1158710 Hamonic in disbelief as game vs. Jets to be his 600th 1158711 Struch relishes shot at outdoor game 1158712 Appleton injured playing football prior to Jets practice 1158713 Little lifts Jets past Flames in at Heritage Classic 1158714 Cold, prairie night on tap for Heritage Classic in Regina SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1158556 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks defeat Avalanche to end three-game losing streak

Staff Report

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

OCT. 26, 2019 11:05 PM

DENVER — The Ducks couldn’t find the back of the net in a three- game skid, but one shot against Colorado on Saturday night started them on the way to an elusive victory.

Adam Henrique scored on the first shot of the game, Ryan Getzlaf had a power-play goal in the second period, and the Ducks beat the Avalanche 5-2 to end their losing streak.

Ryan Miller stopped 35 shots, Carter Rowney also scored in the first period, and Max Comtois and Jakob Silfverberg had goals in the third for the Ducks. They had scored just one goal in each of its three losses despite averaging 29 shots a night.

“I really thought we were due for that,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “Getzy and I this afternoon were saying, ‘We’re due for a game where we score four or five goals.’ There’s too many games in a row where you get chances and they don’t go in. Great for our guys to stick with the process and finally get rewarded.”

It took Henrique just 50 seconds to get the first goal of the game and Rowney added another goal 12:01 later to give Anaheim a 2-0 lead.

Hampus Lindolm added three assists for the Ducks, who handed the Avalanche their first home loss of the season.

The Ducks also handed Colorado its last regular-season home loss, a 5- 3 win March 15. The Avalanche won their last six home games of last season and the first four in Denver to begin this year. Including the 2019 playoffs, Colorado had won 14 of the last 15 at home, with the only loss before Saturday coming against San Jose in the Western Conference semifinals.

“We were just trying to focus on ourselves focus on our game,” Comtois said. “We wanted to bounce back from the losses and we did a good job.”

Nathan MacKinnon and Joonas Donskoi each had a goal and Pavel Francouz stopped 22 shots for the Avalanche, who came off a 4-1-1 road trip that wrapped up with a 6-1 win at Vegas on Friday night.

“After such a complete game against Vegas in their building I don’t know if we just expected that it was going to happen if we just showed up tonight. Clearly that was not the case,” Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “It’s unfortunate that this is a homecoming after a really good trip, that we showed up like this.”

After a slow start, Donskoi got Colorado on the board early in the second, but Getzlaf made it 3-1 at 8:28. MacKinnon scored on the power play just 1:38 into the third to extend his points streak to 11 games to start the season. Comtois responded at 6:42 when he knocked in a rebound.

The Avalanche pulled Francouz for an extra skater with 3:05 left, and less than a minute later Silfverberg scored into the empty net to ice it. It was his sixth of the year.

“My biggest takeaway is we didn’t start the game on time,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “That’s what ended up costing us the game. We weren’t ready to play to a high enough level.”

NOTES: D Erik Gudbranson was in the lineup a day after Anaheim acquired him from Pittsburgh for forward Andreas Martinsen and a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft. MacKinnon is the first player in franchise history to have at least one point in 11 straight games to start the season. Wendel Clark had at least a point in the first 10 games for in 1994-95. Ducks D Josh Manson (lower body) and F Ondrej Kase (upper body) were out of the lineup.

LA Times: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158557 Anaheim Ducks 21 seconds of ice time. They didn’t stand still, and they’ll learn in the coming months if they moved forward.

And the NHL scoring leader is … Column: NHL observations: Dallas gains momentum with revamped roster Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson. Really.

Through Friday’s action Carlson had five goals and 21 points in 13 games. He had 20 points in his first 11 games, the second-fewest games By HELENE ELLIOTT a defenseman has taken to reach that mark. Only , who had SPORTS COLUMNIST 20 points for Pittsburgh in the first 10 games of the 1988-89 season, did it faster than Carlson. also scored 20 points in the first 11 OCT. 26, 2019 11 AM games of a season, for Boston in 1974-75.

All of which leads to repeating a suggestion made here (and elsewhere) before: The NHL should create a separate trophy for the highest-scoring The Dallas Stars came within a goal of reaching the Western Conference defenseman, so those who put defense first won’t be overshadowed in finals last season, losing to eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis in Norris Trophy voting by Carlson, San Jose’s Brent Burns — who led double overtime in Game 7 of the second round, but defensemen in scoring last season with 83 points — or San Jose’s Erik was smart enough to realize that standing still would lead to Karlsson, who has a tenuous acquaintance with defense. Call it the losing ground. Bobby Orr Trophy or Paul Coffey Cup, but please do it soon. Out went some veterans, notably center Jason Spezza and defensemen Another defenseman makes the score sheet Marc Methot and Ben Lovejoy, who became free agents. Onetime top prospect Valeri Nichushkin’s contract was bought out. In came former The New York Islanders have had some pretty good defensemen over Ducks star Corey Perry and former San Jose captain Joe Pavelski. There the years, but Nick Leddy on Friday became the first in team history to were a lot of moving pieces. A road-heavy early schedule and increased score on a shot. It was his second goal of the game and the expectations on their young players placed additional obstacles in their winner in a 4-1 victory over Ottawa that stretched the Islanders’ win path to start this season. streak to six. “He’s such a great skater. He’s the fastest guy we have on the team. It looks so effortless,” coach told NHL.com. They’re still evolving, but they seem to be hitting stride. A 2-1 home victory over the Ducks on Thursday gave them a three-game winning Hawerchuk fighting his biggest battle streak and reinforced an identity based on goaltending, tight defense and grit. “I think we’re going to be a hard-working team and be a heavy team Hall of Fame center Dale Hawerchuk, who overcame his smallish size to down low. Create chaos down low,” Perry told reporters in Dallas. finish with 100 points or more in a season six times, has been diagnosed with stomach cancer. ’s TSN reported Hawerchuk, 56, is getting Perry and Pavelski haven’t been big contributors yet, but Nill expected chemotherapy and took a leave of absence from coaching Barrie of the they’d need time to get acclimated, though for different reasons. Perry . “You don’t have anything without your health, underwent major knee surgery in September 2018 and returned ahead of your family and your friends and sometimes we underrate that,” schedule in early February but had only six goals and 10 points in 31 Hawerchuk told TSN. “An illness like this can definitely put things in games. After the Ducks bought him out, it was a low-risk move for Nill to perspective.” sign Perry to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million, with up to $1.75 million in bonuses. The abrasive right wing was injured during training camp and has played only five games, contributing a goal and three points. All LA Times: LOADED: 10.27.2019 came in one game.

“If you back up a year and a half ago, he blew his knee out and those injuries, you don’t come back within a year and be the same player you are,” Nill said in a phone conversation last week. “I’m a big fan of Corey Perry. Any time you can add a player with that resume — MVP of the league, Stanley Cup, world championships, [Olympic] gold medals — it can change your room. He’s come in and done that.

“He’s been one of our better players. He’s got that great knack of he gets other players involved in the action, he’s always on the puck, he makes the right decisions with the puck. We added one more guy to our top six and really changed the dynamics of our top players, which is good.”

Pavelski had two goals and three points in his first 12 games. “Joe and I talked when we signed him and I said, ‘Joe, this is a big change for you. After 12 years somewhere, been the captain, there’s going to be an adjustment period,’ and I think now he’s realizing that,” Nill said. “But I think we’re really starting to see the real Joe Pavelski. … He’s coming around.”

Another addition that has had a positive impact is hiring former Kings coach John Stevens as an assistant to coach Jim Montgomery. Stevens was more effective with the Kings as an assistant coach overseeing the defense than as a , though he didn’t have much to work with when he was in charge. Stevens and Montgomery were minor-league teammates and are longtime friends.

“It was a chance to add another experienced guy to our staff,” Nill said. “Monty, it’s only his second year, and I have to give him credit. He said, ‘I want to surround myself with the best people I can.’ A lot of times, coaches might go the opposite way, but he’s like, ‘I want to add guys that are going to make me better and push me,’ and, in John, that’s what we’ve got.”

They’ve got an interesting mix, one they hope will be energized by youngsters Roope Hintz (six goals in 12 games) and 20-year-old defenseman Miro Heiskanen, who was averaging a hefty 24 minutes and 1158558 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks start fast and end strong in victory over Avalanche

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected] | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 8:57 pm | UPDATED: October 26, 2019 at 9:33 PM

DENVER — The Ducks’ three-game losing streak died a noisy death Saturday. Unfazed by their first skid of the season, the presence of the sizzling Colorado Avalanche and the absence of two of their top players, the Ducks charged in front and stayed there en route to a 5-2 victory at Pepsi Center.

Although the Ducks scored a couple of highlight reel-caliber goals, it was their steady play in the neutral zone and in front of their own net that enabled them to hand the Avalanche only their second loss in regulation play this season. They mixed style with substance.

“I really thought we were due for that,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “(Ryan Getzlaf) and I were talking (Saturday afternoon) about how we were due for a game where we’d score four or five goals. There’s been too many games where you get chances and they don’t go in.

“Great for our guys to stick with the process and finally get rewarded.”

Getzlaf (power play), Adam Henrique, Carter Rowney, Max Comtois and Jakob Silfverberg (empty net) scored for the Ducks. Ryan Miller had 35 saves in place of John Gibson, who is expected to start Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights, the final stop on the four- game trip.

Hampus Lindholm assisted on each of the Ducks’ first three goals.

Joonas Donskoi and Nathan MacKinnon scored for the Avalanche.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons,” Miller said of the Avalanche. “I thought our guys did a great job of doing what they needed to do against this team. They’re going to get some chances, but I had the guys around me. I thought we all did a good job of closing down their quick-strike plays.”

When the Avalanche (8-2-1) seemed on the verge of taking control, the Ducks (7-5-0) pushed back. The Ducks built a two-goal in the first period and, although they had their moments of uncertainty without injured players Josh Manson and Ondrej Kase, they never faltered.

The Ducks took a 1-0 lead only 50 seconds into the game, with a Henrique snapping a shot from the slot into the net after a pass from the wing from Rickard Rakell. Lindholm got the play started with a pass ahead to Rakell, the first of his career high-tying three points.

“Excellent,” Eakins said of Lindholm’s play Saturday.

Lindholm triggered the Ducks’ second goal with a pass ahead to Derek Grant, who suddenly found himself on a two-on-one with teammate Carter Rowney. Grant slipped a pass to Rowney, who tapped the puck into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead at 12:51 of the opening period.

After Donskoi scored a power-play goal that cut Colorado’s deficit to 2-1 at 5:22 of the second period, the Ducks’ power play clicked at a pivotal moment in the game. Getzlaf collected a pass from Lindholm on right wing and skated toward the Avalanche net.

Since no one bothered to pick him up, Getzlaf shot from close range and scored to make it 3-1 at 8:28 of the second. Getzlaf’s shot struck the stick of Colorado’s Ryan Graves, who was battling for position with the Ducks’ Sam Steel, and changed direction, fooling goalie Pavel Francouz.

Miller also assisted on Getzlaf’s fourth goal of the season, his 12th career assist.

After the Avalanche cut it to 3-2 on MacKinnon’s power-play goal, Comtois countered about five minutes later to extend the Ducks’ lead to 4-2 at 6:42 of the final period. Silfverberg’s empty-net goal at 17:47 sealed the deal, making it 5-2 and putting an end to the losing streak.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158559 Anaheim Ducks

Ducks toss newly acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson ‘into the fire’

By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | [email protected] | Orange County Register

PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 1:12 pm | UPDATED: October 26, 2019 at 9:45 PM

DENVER — Ducks coach Dallas Eakins certainly had options Saturday.

Eakins could have paired newcomer Erik Gudbranson with defenseman Cam Fowler for the Ducks’ 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. He also could have played Gudbranson with Jacob Larsson or Michael Del Zotto or Korbinian Holzer. Instead, he inserted Gudbranson into Josh Manson’s spot alongside Hampus Lindholm.

The Ducks placed Manson on injured reserve and sent him back to Orange County because of a lower-body injury suffered during their loss Thursday to the Dallas Stars. So, the simplest move was to slot Gudbranson into Manson’s place, causing the least amount of disruption.

Losing the steady Manson was enough of a disruption as it was for the Ducks. General manager Bob Murray is expected to provide an update on the conditions of Manson and right wing Ondrej Kase (upper body) in a few days, after the Ducks’ medical staff has a chance to examine the players.

Initially, Murray wanted to add Gudbranson to bolster the Ducks’ depth on defense. The trade Friday was coincidental to Manson’s injury, an apparent leg ailment that happened when he tried to deliver a check to the Stars’ Jason Dickinson along the boards in the first period Thursday.

Gudbranson and Manson play similar styles, which made Eakins’ decision easier, too.

“He’s a real big body, a real strong kid,” Eakins said of the 6-foot-5, 217- pound Gudbranson. “We’re just looking for a simple, hard game from him. He’s somebody we’ve been working on for a while, so it’s great to have him in the fold. It looks like he’s excited to be here.”

Gudbranson got the word of the trade while the were in Dallas, preparing to play the Stars on Saturday. He had practiced with the Penguins, went back to his hotel room, got the call from Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan, packed his bags and headed for the airport.

He joined the Ducks late Friday night in Denver and was in the lineup for Saturday’s game. He was scoreless in a team-leading 22:24 of ice time, credited with two shots on goal, two hits and a plus-2 defensive rating.

“Just play solid, honestly,” he said beforehand when asked for a scouting report on his game. “That’s what I do, just keep it simple. I get the puck into the forwards’ hands as soon as possible. Be solid in our own end. Be physical. If I can chip in offensively, that’s just gravy. That’s my job.”

Gudbranson went into Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche without a point in seven games this season with the Penguins. Overall, he has 16 goals and 48 assists in 475 career games in the NHL with the Penguins, Florida Panthers, and now the Ducks.

Friday wasn’t the first time he had been traded with a season underway. The Canucks dealt him to the Penguins last season at the trade deadline, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with making adjustments to a new team on the fly. It’s not easy, but it’s not an impossible task, either.

“To be honest with you, as part of a trade, the player deals with the easy part of it,” Gudbranson said. “My wife has got to deal with packing up the house and all that stuff. You pretty much just show up, put your stuff on and learn the ropes as quickly as possible.

“It’s a little different than thinking about it all summer. You kind of get thrown into the fire.”

Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158560 Arizona Coyotes

Reports: Former Coyotes F Brendan Perlini seeks trade from Blackhawks

BY MATT LAYMAN

OCTOBER 25, 2019 AT 7:19 PM

Just a year after he was traded by the Arizona Coyotes to the Chicago Blackhawks, former Arizona Coyotes first-round pick Brendan Perlini has requested a trade.

The news was first reported by TSN’s Bob McKenzie on Thursday and confirmed in a story by NHL.com’s Tracey Myers on Friday.

“[Agent] Darren Ferris has something else on his to-do list, and that is to try and find a new home for his client Brendan Perlini of the Chicago Blackhawks,” McKenzie said in the TV segment Insider Trading. “You may remember that Perlini came over to Chicago from Arizona along with Dylan Strome. But he’s not been able to establish himself in Chicago and he’s only played one game so far this year, played less than eight minutes.

“And so Ferris and the Hawks have agreed that they’re going to try to find a new home for him. Something to keep an eye on.”

This season, Perlini has gotten in only one game for the Blackhawks, who have played eight games as a team total. In that one game, he played only 7:49 and had one shot on goal. He was even used in a practice at one point as a defenseman, as implied by a tweet from a Blackhawks reporter.

Perlini was drafted 12th overall in 2014 and was a promising prospect for the Coyotes. He did well his rookie season, scoring 14 goals in only 57 games and increased that goal total to 17 the next year.

His time in Arizona ran out, though, when he was traded last season along with fellow first-round pick Dylan Strome to Chicago for Nick Schmaltz. So far this year, Schmaltz leads the Coyotes with nine points. He has eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 26 games since joining Arizona.

“Yeah, we’ve been exploring options,” Perlini told Myers. “I think a lot of that stuff is between myself and the team, myself and the agents. I let them handle it. I just continue to play.”

Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158561 Arizona Coyotes

Hayton scores 1st goal, Raanta leads Coyotes past Devils

Staff Report

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS | OCTOBER 25, 2019 AT 7:18 PM

UPDATED: OCTOBER 25, 2019 AT 7:19 PM

NEWARK, N.J. — Barrett Hayton scored his first NHL goal early in the third period, Antti Raanta was outstanding in making 32 saves and the Arizona Coyotes overcame two deficits to beat Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Friday night.

Nick Schmaltz, Michael Grabner and Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored as the Coyotes won their fifth in six games. Clayton Keller added an empty-net goal for his first of the season to ice it with 1:40 to play

Hughes, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, had his best game, scoring once and setting up goals by Sami Vatanen and Pavel Zacha. Mackenzie Blackwood had a tough night in net, giving up four goals on 17 shots as the Devils’ modest two-game winning streak was snapped.

Hayton, the fifth pick in last year’s draft, redirected Schmaltz’s pass under Blackwood to cap a 2-on-1 break 1:45 into the final period to break a 3-all tie.

The Devils had chances to tie it late but Raanta denied Wayne Simmonds on a power play and Nico Hischier hit the post with a shot.

Hughes, who had a goal and an assist in his first eight games, had a goal and two assists in the first two periods Friday in helping the Devils take leads of 2-0 and 3-2.

The Coyotes rallied each time and the teams were tied 3-all heading into the third.

Ekman-Larsson tied it at 3 with a shot from the left circle that seemed to go right through Blackwood’s glove.

Zacha had given New Jersey the lead 31 seconds earlier from the left circle after being sprung by Hughes’ long pass from the defensive zone.

Hughes also had the primary assist on Vatanen’s game-opening goal at 16:29 of the first period. The defenseman took a cross-ice pass from Hughes and sent the puck from the corner toward the net. It hit off the skate of Coyotes defenseman Alex Goligoski and deflected in.

Hughes got his second goal less than two minutes later with a laser shot from the right faceoff circle into the top corner on a power play for a 2-0 lead.

Schmaltz woke up the Coyotes with 17 seconds left in the period. He took a pass from Ekman-Larsson between the circles and beat Blackwood to the corner.

Grabner tied the game 2-all at 2:01 of the second, scoring his 22nd career short-handed goal with a backhand on a breakaway.

NOTES: Grabner is second among active players in short-handed goals, trailing only Brad Marchand (26) of Boston. … Coyotes D Jason Demers got his 200th point on Schmaltz’s goal. He is the third player taken in the fifth round or later in the 2008 draft to reach 200 points. The others are Cam Atkinson (Columbus) and Jared Spurgeon (Minnesota). … The Devils placed D Connor Carrick on injured reserve with an upper-body injury sustained in practice Thursday. D Will Butcher was activated off IR.

Arizona Sports LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158562 Arizona Coyotes There is a small group of fans that wears them at games, and that proved fortunate for Ekman-Larsson.

“Phil wanted me to get it and it worked out pretty good because we had Neutral Zone: Improbable win in Jersey, Hayton’s playing time and the the Faceoff Luncheon,” Ekman-Larsson said laughing. “A fan came up to birth of the pelt tradition me and gave me one and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s good’ because I forgot about getting one and this was a couple days before the season began.

By Craig Morgan “It’s a couple of fans that wear them and I always see them around the rink. We still have the belt but we felt like maybe we should do something Oct 26, 2019 else. It’s nice to switch it up.”

Housley thinks the pelt is symbolic.

NEWARK, N.J. — Barrett Hayton didn’t check his phone in the “I look at the coyote with the teeth and everything,” he said. “He’s a immediate aftermath of the Coyotes’ improbable 5-3 win against the New predator and that’s kind of the way we have to play, hunting pucks. It’s Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Friday. The euphoria of the about trying to get that attitude.” moment was enough for the 19-year-old rookie. The growing list of text messages could wait and serve as a second dose of delight on the short There is one drawback, as defenseman Alex Goligoski alluded to after he flight to Buffalo. was awarded the pelt at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

“It was a pretty cool experience,” said Hayton, who scored his first NHL “It’s hot and it’s kind of gross,” he said. “There’s like scabs on it.” goal — the game-winner — on a precise feed from Nick Schmaltz at 1:45 Ekman-Larsson hinted that Goligoski may have overreacted, but he of the third period. “It was something I have been dreaming of for the acknowledged that with every passing game, his teammate’s longest time.” assessment will gain credence.

Hayton had missed the past five games as a healthy scratch, a point of “It’s not that bad, but it’s probably going to be pretty gross when we go 82 contention for some outsiders, and he was champing at the bit for games and different guys have it,” Ekman-Larsson said. “It’s got like a another opportunity. When Brad Richardson was unable to go with what toque underneath it and that helps (absorb sweat). You probably can appears to be a left hand or wrist injury, Hayton had his moment and he wash it but I don’t know if we want to. I’ll have to ask Stan (Wilson) about made the most of it, teaming with Schmaltz (goal, assist) and Conor that but it’s going to be pretty gross when the season is over.” Garland on what was Arizona’s best line. Hayton earned the pelt on Friday, just as he did after his first NHL game, “He’s a good player and we know that,” said captain Oliver Ekman- a win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 10. Here’s a quick look Larsson, who may have been the Coyotes’ best player on Saturday. “He at the new tradition. loves being on the ice and he’s having a lot of fun.” When the Coyotes opted to keep Hayton on the NHL roster to start the So were the Coyotes as they arrived in Buffalo at the same time, and on season, rather than sending him back to Sault Ste. Marie of the OHL, the same tarmac as the Sabres, who had just defeated the Red Wings in Tocchet insisted it wasn’t going to be a situation where Hayton sat in the Detroit. A New York City-area triangle that had haunted the Coyotes in press box because that wouldn’t help his development. Critics have past years produced four points thanks to wins over the Rangers and seized on that promise, with much of the vitriol coming from Soo fans and Devils, and the sting of a poorly played game against the Islanders on writers, whose assessment is clearly being clouded by their desire to Thursday was gone as the Coyotes eyed their final opponent on this four- have Hayton in their lineup. game trip. Hayton played his third NHL game in the Coyotes’ first 10 on Saturday. “We’ve lost some games where we have played really, really well so Prior to that game, assistant general manager and player development hopefully it evens out,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “We’re taking a win and architect Steve Sullivan had a suggestion for fans: chill out. we’re getting out of here.” “We’re one bad game or one injury away from him getting into the lineup The performance wasn’t a work of art. New Jersey hemmed the Coyotes so I feel like everyone thinking it’s not great for his development is a little in their own end with a strong forecheck, just as the Islanders did, and premature,” he said. “We’re three weeks into the regular season so it’s just as more opponents will do after they watch the game film. The Devils not the end of the world.” threw 16 shots at goalie Antti Raanta in the first period, leading Tocchet to describe him as “under siege.” When Sami Vatanen and impressive Sullivan acknowledged before the season began that it would be a tough rookie Jack Hughes scored late in the period for a 2-0 lead, the Coyotes balance to strike, making sure that Hayton is getting enough playing time were in trouble, but Ekman-Larsson set up Schmaltz with a seam pass to warrant his presence. In a perfect world, Sullivan said Hayton would and Schmaltz rang one in off the far post with 16.7 seconds left in the play games with Tucson of the AHL, but the CHL-NHL agreement period to give the Coyotes life. precludes that possibility.

It was that kind of night for the captain, who engineered the perfect “It’s hard for us to imagine right now what he would gain going back to response every time his team needed it. juniors and that’s why we are where we are,” Sullivan said. “I think he has accomplished everything that we asked him to do back there. Having After Pavel Zacha restored the Devils’ lead, Ekman-Larsson stole the gone through it with higher-end draft picks in the past that we sent back puck from Zacha with help from Lawson Crouse, and beat goalie as 19-year-olds, it’s very difficult for us to look at exactly what they gain Mackenzie Blackwood to tie the game at 3 heading to the third period. by going back. Sure, they get to play more games, but if it’s not the right After Hayton’s goal, Vinnie Hinostroza took a hooking penalty and the way to play or the right reps, then what are we accomplishing? Are we Coyotes were again under siege, but Ekman-Larsson delivered a big hit establishing bad habits and a different style of play than it takes to play in on Vatanen, he blocked Hughes’ shot, Raanta (32 saves) made a jaw- the NHL? dropping left-pad save and Clayton Keller eventually scored into an “For us, the biggest thing is pace. Down there, everyone is going to be empty net to give the Coyotes five goals in a game where they produced scared shitless of him on the ice so they are going to give him time and just seven scoring chances (New Jersey had 17). space. That’s not what the NHL is about. When you’re in the NHL, you “I don’t know if that was pretty but we found a way,” Ekman-Larsson take away time and space. When he has time and space he’s going to said. “Some nights, it’s going to be games like that. It’s going to happen absolutely demolish you but for us it’s about making those plays at that that we have bad nights and we’re not playing good hockey. Good teams high pace of play —and the pace of play is obviously much higher up find ways to win and it was nice to get a win here right after a loss.” here than in juniors.”

The pelt Hayton doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. He wants to stay in the NHL and he believes he is developing by doing so, even if that When assistant coach arrived this season, he suggested to development has been largely relegated to practices and simply Ekman-Larsson that the players choose a different player-of-the-game witnessing how an NHL team behaves. reward than the wrestling belt that had grown a bit stale. That’s when the idea of a Coyote pelt surfaced. “I spend a lot of time with these guys and we have been on the road a lot The Coyotes signed him to a two-year, $1.45 million contract this so I’m developing a ton and learning a ton,” he said. “The pace of summer after he led all AHL defensemen with 50 assists and 55 points practice is high and the looks are there. Obviously, it’s not quite game last season in Hershey. He impressed Tocchet in the preseason, and the but you’re still learning a ton. The older guys are great with me. Coyotes recalled him when Jordan Oesterle was struck in the back of the They give me a lot of pointers. head with a shot in a game against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 17.

“I’m a hockey player so I want to play every single game. That’s a given. I Ness has been a spectator for the first three games of this road trip, but love the game and I want to be out there, but at the same time, I’m happy he still hopes to get a chance. with my development and what I’ve been able to do so far.” “Sometimes, you just need an opportunity,” he said, “but I have had Sullivan understands that Coyotes fans want to see Hayton in more some good years in the past where you don’t get call-ups or chances. games and Soo fans want to see Hayton wearing their colors, but he Some teams have different ideas of who is going to be in those spots so doesn’t believe those fans are making informed assessments. it is what it is. At the end of the day, we’re playing a game so it’s hard not to be happy whether you’re here or down there. We’re all very fortunate “We’re more vested in this decision and we have more to win or lose,” he to be doing it.” said. “It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and take a snapshot of the situation and say, ‘This isn’t good for his development’ without having all the As he approaches his 30th birthday, Ness insists the NHL dream hasn’t information. We’re in that position. We’re the lucky ones who have all the waned. information so we’re able to make the most educated decision on what’s best for him. If everyone had all the information we had, they might be “It’s obviously exciting every time you get called up,” he said. “That’s why looking through a different lens. we play the game is to be in the NHL. That’s going to be my goal until I am done playing, whether I’m here or in the minors. It gives you “It’s a matter of what we’re seeing, where his mind is, how does he feel something to push for. It keeps you up at night and it wakes you up in the mentally and physically and where we are as a club. There is no magic morning.” number of games he needs to play. For every single player, the development path is different and a lot of times as we progress, it Points projections changes, it moves. We have to make sure that we keep it viable, that’s I’m not a fan of predictions or projections, but I decided to have a little fun he’s still developing and we still think it’s good for him to be around and with some Coyotes’ point totals after 10 games for imagination’s sake. practice hard and practice with the pace of play at the NHL level, but we’re very comfortable with where Barrett is right now.” Much will change, whether through injuries, slumps or hot streaks, but here’s how the top eight Coyotes’ point producers project out over an 82- Sullivan said all options are still on the table, including sending Hayton game season. back to juniors or loaning him to Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championship in the . Nick Schmaltz

“If it ever gets to that point of him going back to junior, which I’m not sure Current stats: 4 goals, 11 points. it will, we’ll be able to muster something up and figure out what the best 82-game projection: 33 goals, 90 points game plan would be but right now, it’s not at the front of our minds,” Sullivan said. “He’s an NHL player right now and until that changes, that Clayton Keller is how we look at him. He’s a guy that can help us.” Current stats: 1 goal, eight points Antti Raanta has appeared in three of the team’s first 10 games. It hasn’t been easy for the goalie once deemed the future of the position to take a 82-game projection: 8 goals, 66 points backseat. With injuries sidelining Raanta the past two seasons, Darcy Conor Garland Kuemper ascended to the 1A spot through Vezina-trophy caliber play. Current stats: 5 goals, 6 points It’s a long season and much can and will still happen, but it was a relief for Raanta to have the kind of game-changing performance the Coyotes 82-game projection: 41 goals, 49 points needed on Friday in Newark with 32 saves. Carl Söderberg “He played unbelievable,” Ekman-Larsson said. “He kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win. He had some big saves all night, but Current stats: 2 goals, 6 points especially on that PK.” 82-game projection: 16 goals, 49 points Ekman-Larsson had a front-row seat to Raanta’s best save of the night, a Oliver Ekman-Larsson rebound stop with his left pad on Wayne Simmonds, who was parked at the top of the crease on a third-period Devils power play. Current stats: 2 goals, 6 points

“You try to work in practice,” Raanta said. “You try to show everybody 82-game projection: 16 goals, 49 points again that you can do the job, also. You get a couple days between the games always so you just try to stay sharp and when you get the chance Phil Kessel you try to give them a chance to win. Current stats: 2 goals, 6 points

“It’s always nice when you can make the big save at the end and kind of 82-game projection: 16 goals, 49 points win the game. Obviously, the D group and the forwards, they helped me a lot at the end there. A big win for the team, and obviously individually.” Alex Goligoski

Ness’s patience Current stats: 1 goal, 6 points

Aaron Ness might as well be Canadian. He grew up in Roseau, Minn., 82-game projection: 8 goals, 49 points “just 10 minutes” from the Manitoba border. Even in the self-proclaimed state of hockey, the dream of playing in the NHL felt a wee bit stronger in Christian Dvorak the shadow of the nation that made it famous. Current stats: 4 goals, 5 points

“My dad played at North Dakota and played some pro, too, so from a 82-game projection: 33 goals, 41 points young age it was always about getting the skates on,” Ness said. “In Roseau, when we would go to the state tournament, the whole town Loose pucks would shut down so everybody could watch.” Oesterle is still listed as day to day with an upper body (head) injury. He Ness, 29, has been chasing his NHL dream for a long time. He has will not join the team in Buffalo for the final game of this road trip. appeared in 47 NHL games with the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, but he has yet to stick around, spending most of his nine Phil Housley returned to Buffalo for the first time since the Sabres fired previous pro seasons in the AHL. him as coach in April. We’ll hear more from Housley on Sunday and Monday before the game at KeyBank Center on Monday.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158563 game — it’s going to be along the boards, and it’s going to be all about winning battles and races and blocking shots. And we did that all tonight.”

Another 4 on 4 came at 6:13, when Perron and Krug tangled after the David Pastrnak keeps hot hand as Bruins get better of Blues in Stanley whistle. Recall those two wrestling behind the play in Game 1 of the Cup rematch Final, before Krug bolted up the ice and steamrolled Robert Thomas in a signature moment.

By Matt Porter Globe Staff At 14:08 of the first, Perron was in the box again, this time for holding Charlie Coyle. Krug was on the ice, setting up Pastrnak for a power-play Updated October 27, 2019, 3 hours ago one-timer from his office in the left circle. It leaked through Binnington (21 saves on 23 shots), short side.

Pastrnak now has goals in five straight, a career best, and points in his Shortly after puck drop, Zdeno Chara flattened Oskar Sundqvist on a last eight. His 11 goals in October are third-most in Bruins’ history, and breakout. Connor Clifton threw a reverse check on Sammy Blais a few best in the league this season. minutes later. The Bruins went up two at 9:31 of the second on Bjork’s first goal of the “And off we go,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It felt like we were season. The third-year winger, promoted from Providence with Karson back in the playoffs.” Kuhlman and David Krejci ailing, finished a give-and-go from Grzelcyk, The Bruins won’t get a chance to replay Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup who hit the crossbar on his previous shift. The defenseman found Bjork Final, but they were happy to take 2 points in a chippy game with the in the right circle, and his shot rattled around the top shelf. Blues, booting the defending champs onto Causeway Street after a 3-0 The emotional lift at the start helped, but the Bruins are playing so well win at TD Garden. they didn’t need it. Some 3½ months after it lost the Cup, Boston (7-1-2) won its second in a “As the game went on, it just became your typical hockey game,” Cassidy row thanks to goals from David Pastrnak, Anders Bjork, and Brandon said. “We got the lead. Started well. Had some good looks early. Kept Carlo, and 26 saves from , who recorded his second them out of our end. Didn’t give up much.” shutout of the season. That’s a winning formula, no matter the time of year, the opponent, or “Unless they brought the Cup here,” Rask said, “I don’t think it has what’s at stake. anything to do with it. Different year. Different teams. But two good teams, so it was a great Saturday night game.”

Rask, 5-0-1 this season, ended the night atop the league in save Boston Globe LOADED: 10.27.2019 percentage (.952), goals against average (1.48), and (two, tied with Petr Mrazek and Carter Hutton). He calmly gloved a David Perron chance on the penalty kill with 10:48 left, one of five stops he made to help the Bruins kill all four penalties they took.

“Lights out,” Cassidy said. “I thought we were clean in front of him. Made the saves he had to. Looked great.”

He got a break in the final six minutes, when Charlie McAvoy blocked a Perron shot that was bound for an empty cage.

St. Louis (5-3-3) cleared its net without about 2:30 to go, and Rask made a 6-on-5 save on Perron, who couldn’t buy a goal, and was one of two Blues (Sundqvist) twice penalized. Torey Krug took three minors, two in entanglements with Perron, one of his rivals from last postseason.

Nearly all the principal players from the Final were on the ice for this rematch, and it was as chippy as a cross-conference game in October gets. There were no fights, and this looked nothing like the January 2012 rematch between the Bruins and Canucks that featured 117 minutes in penalties. No bloodsport, but there was heat.

The Bruins scored once on four power plays — Pastrnak’s 11th goal of the year -- and their most critical PK began 11 seconds after Bjork scored his first of the season (9:31 of the second). Defensemen Chara and Carlo killed all two minutes of Krug’s hooking minor on Perron, along with forwards and Brad Marchand. They couldn’t get the puck out, but they were well conditioned and smart enough to hold the Blues off the board.

“They sucked it up, got it done,” Cassidy said. “It was a turning point in the game.”

It remained 2-0 until Carlo, who beat St. Louis netminder Jordan Binnington with a tumbling wrister in Game 6 of the Final, scored from his own zone with 48 seconds left. The defenseman registered his ninth goal in 240 regular-season games with a little chip through center ice that found its way in.

It was hot early. Some 38 seconds in, Chara decked Sundqvist, whose headshot in Game 1 all but knocked out of last year’s Final. Chara and Brayden Schenn got in a shoving match, then headed to their boxes. The crowd loved it, and the mercury rose.

Chara said he wanted to make a statement.

“Obviously, I’m the leader of the team [as captain],” he said. “I am sure, right after, everybody was kind of aware that it’s going to be a physical 1158564 Boston Bruins Johansson in Game 5, the latter of which drew a league suspension. He and partner Kelly Sutherland also saw no penalty when Tyler Bozak tripped Noel Acciari in Game 5. They were scheduled to work Game 7, The wait was worth it as Anders Bjork scores his first goal of the season but were taken out of the rotation. Kozari and Herbert didn’t miss much, if anything, on Saturday, though the stakes were much lower.

Rangers are rested By Matt Porter Globe Staff Boston departed for Manhattan after the game. Sunday’s opponent, the Updated October 27, 2019, 3 hours ago Rangers (3-4-1), opened with two wins in their first seven outings, then put a pounding on the league-leading Sabres on Thursday at Madison

Square Garden. They’ve been resting since that 6-2 win, which saw them Anders Bjork punctuated his first goal of the year with a joyous, two-word go up, 3-0, in the first period and pot all six goals at even strength. outburst. After reaching the bench, he spent a moment looking up at the Coach David Quinn, ex- of Boston University, said netminder Henrik video replay, smiling wide as he watched his celebration. Lundqvist will face the Bruins. Lundqvist, 37, is 1-2-0 in his last three “I saw a lot of excitement,” Bjork said of his visual. against the Bruins, allowing 12 goals on 77 shots (.844 save percentage). He has opened the year 2-3-0, with a 3.25 goals against It was a long time coming. average and .912 save percentage. Heir apparent Alexandar Georgiev, the 23-year-old from Bulgaria, has better numbers: 1-1-1, 2.70, .923. Bjork hadn’t scored since Oct. 13, 2018, when he produced a goal and an assist against Detroit . Bjork, who opened last season as the Bruins’ Second overall pick Kaapo Kakko, 18, has opened the year with a 1-1—2 13th forward, lasted 20 games before he was sent down to work on his line in eight games. The young winger told a Finnish outlet that, craft. He sustained his second major shoulder injury in two years, which according to a translation by reporter Pasi Tuominen, “hockey isn’t very is why the Bruins excitedly pounded on him after he finished a Matt much fun for me right now.” Speaking in English to reporters last week, Grzelcyk give-and-go with a one-timer in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Kakko doubled down. Blues. “I’m playing bad hockey,” he said. They had more to celebrate. Bjork, his game more mature and the Bruins in need of a winger to replace Karson Kuhlman (broken leg), got the call On Thursday the rookie opened with No. 1 center Mika Zibanejad and last week, and in his second game as an emergency recall, he scored a , but saw his ice time dwindle with the Rangers up, 4-1, goal, nearly set up another, drew a hooking penalty, and forechecked midway through the game. He logged 11:47. with little regard for his energy reserves. Bjork called the tumbling shot a On Tuesday, the Sharks come to town, in what could be Jumbo Joe “knuckle-puck,” but he placed it clean. Thornton’s last game on Causeway. “It was a good shot. It’s something I’m not sure he had a couple years Nordstrom returns ago, that one-timer,” coach Bruce Cassidy observed. “I thought he was good hunting pucks, I thought he was good on the walls. . . . I thought he Fourth-line left wing Joakim Nordstrom returned after missing two games held his own.” with an undisclosed upper-body injury, skating 12:09 with two shots on goal and three hits. Nordstrom, who sat the first three games of the Cassidy noted Bjork was stripped in the defensive zone a couple times, season with a lingering foot issue, rode with regular linemates Sean and will need to be tougher there. Another stage of his development to Kuraly and Chris Wagner . . . Defenseman Kevan Miller (knee) has not reach: playing his way onto the second power play unit, which would been cleared for contact, but Cassidy said he could rejoin practice next increase his offensive touches. With both teams taking four penalties week. Fellow injured back liner John Moore (shoulder) is on track to each, Bjork skated a team-low 8:51. return to practice in mid-November . . . David Backes, the former Blues “He looks like he’s going to be a player,” captain (2011-16), was a healthy scratch for the fifth time in 10 games. Cassidy said. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions after two games, but Backes (0-0--0 with three minor penalties taken) suited up for the so far, so good.” previous two, skating 6:42 last Saturday in Toronto and 7:13 in Tuesday’s rematch with the Leafs in Boston. Bjork was happy to hear his coach’s analysis.

“I hope so,” he said. “I’m pleased with what I’ve done so far.” Boston Globe LOADED: 10.27.2019 Krejci remains out

David Krejci missed his fourth game with an undisclosed upper-body injury, and was ruled out for Sunday on Broadway.

“Tuesday is looking good for him,” said Cassidy, whose team hosts San Jose that night. “Get a better idea Monday. Right now, that’s the track he’s on.”

Krejci, the No. 2 center, has played in five games (0-1—1) and hasn’t dressed since logging 4:43 Oct. 14 against Anaheim. He absorbed a Ryan Getzlaf cross-check in that Monday matinee. When he returns, Cassidy believes the veteran’s savvy might help him get up to speed.

“He plays a certain style of game that doesn’t change a whole lot,” Cassidy said. “He’s a puck possession guy who plays a crafty game. I still think he’s going to need a little time. How much is to be determined, but he’s going to have to catch up a little bit. That’s just the way it works when you miss almost a month now. He’s played games, but he’s been in and out, hasn’t really strung anything together, even from training camp.

“Hopefully it’s not a long process. The team’s playing well. So hopefully we can pull him along once he gets there.”

No fan favorite

Saturday’s referees were Steve Kozari and Ghislain Hebert. Kozari made no friends among Bruins fans for his work in the Stanley Cup Final. He worked Games 1, 3, and 5, notably missing the Torey Krug-David Perron wrestling match in Game 1 and ’s headshot on Marcus 1158565 Boston Bruins

Rangers thumbnails

Staff Report

October 26, 2019, 11:48 p.m.

■ When, where: Sunday, 7 p.m., at Madison Square Garden.

■ TV, radio: NESN, WBZ-FM (98.5).

■ Goals: Artemi Panarin 5, Mika Zibanejad 4, Tony DeAngelo 4.

■ Assists: Zibanejad 7, Jacob Trouba 5, Pavel Buchnevich 5.

■ Goaltending: Alexandar Georgiev (1-1-1, 2.70 GAA), (2-3-0, 3.25 GAA).

■ Head to head: This is the first of three meetings. The Bruins were 1-1- 1 against the Rangers last season.

■ Miscellany: The Rangers are 1-2-0 so far on their season-high five- game homestand that winds up on Tuesday against Tampa Bay . . . Winger Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick in June’s NHL Draft has one goal through eight games and a plus-minus rating of minus-8 . . . Entering Saturday, the Rangers ranked 20th in the league on both the power play (17.8 percent) and penalty kill (79.4).

Boston Globe LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158566 Boston Bruins didn’t play across his lips like a buttery merlot until the night of June 12, in his 1,259th NHL game.

“Kind of surreal . . . and still is,” he said. “It’s cool . . . you get it . . . a Haunting memories for Bruins: Blues are back in town dream come true, I guess. To me, it’s more about the journey you go through, the things you go through together as teammates. You kinda have to win to carry that along. I’ve played a lot of years now and you’ll By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff never get back together with a team, really, unless you win. As an older player, a guy who’s probably close to the end of his career, that’s what I October 26, 2019, 5:09 p.m. appreciate about it — when guys stop playing, or [switch] teams, you do lose touch a little bit. But something like that just galvanizes a group.”

Before he lived it himself, right here on Causeway Street 4½ months ago, The win, acknowledged Bouwmeester, carries some equity into the new Ryan O’Reilly’s idea of the perfect Stanley Cup moment was that night in year. A Cup champion may be smart about not revealing a swagger, but 2001 when Colorado’s handed the big shiny mug over to it’s usually there, with teams not just believing they can win, but knowing teammate . they can win. They have their names chiseled in silver as certification.

An exhausted Bourque, playing in his 1,836th and final NHL game, “There’s the belief you know you can do it,” noted Bouwmeester. “Every hoisted the Cup high over his head, gave it an emphatic shake, the year’s fresh. But I kinda look at it from other teams’ perspective. I know emotions of 22 NHL seasons pouring out of player and trophy with the about Christmas time every year, if you ask me who won the Cup the force and fury of 1,000 Niagara Falls. year before, I kinda have to stop and think about it. It’s a short summer. You come back and everyone’s still excited and all that. At some point “One of the coolest moments,” recalled an animated O’Reilly, then a 10- you put it behind you, get over it and get back to work.” year-old back home in Ontario, already shaping his dream of doing the same. “That’s the moment that stuck in my mind, what an amazing We’re not over it here in the Hub of Hockey. The Cup was there for the gesture.” taking, for the first time on home ice since 1970, and Causeway Street that night was a susurrant tide of Spoked-B sweaters and spiked The Blues were back in Boston Saturday night, their first time at the expectations. Garden since crushing the Bruins’ dreams in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in June. A stunned crowd of 17,565 headed for the exits in near In the end, the little kid in O’Reilly deservedly frolicked and rolled around silence the night of June 12, as the victorious Blues lined up for in glee, a lifetime’s dream fulfilled. All the while, disillusioned Bruins fans handshakes and then began to drink in their first Cup championship in shuffled out of the building, a drill some have down to perfection after a franchise history. half-century’s practice.

The ending to Game 8 on Saturday night was vastly different. The Bruins “I wouldn’t say it’s heavy, but it’s a hard lift, an awkward lift, because it’s were sharper and heavier from the start, delivering a 3-0 win that so big and wide,” said O’Reilly, eyes widening as he recalled taking the improved their record to 7-1-2. Frankly, had they been equally as sharp Cup from Perron, hoisting it high, then handing it over to Vladimir in Game 7, they would have entered the new season as defending Cup Tarasenko. “You can’t believe it. You’re wondering, ‘What’s it like? champs, and it would have been the Blues talking about lost opportunity. What’s it like?’ Then that first lift . . . ”

“That first lift,” recalled O’Reilly, handed the Cup by fellow forward David The new season is 10 games old for the Bruins. There is plenty of heavy Perron, “I mean, you can’t believe it. It’s like your whole childhood flashes lifting still to go in the 82-game season. For better or worse, the weight before your eyes . . . where you’re from, growing up in the middle of the and wait of seeing the Blues again is behind them, albeit in a rearview country in southern Ontario and pretending to do this in the backyard . . . mirror that will hold the image of June 12, 2019, for a very, very long and then you’re actually doing it. It’s unbelievable.” time.

Only 137 days later, the vast majority of the Bruins fans base still smarting over the defeat, the Blues for the most part on Saturday Boston Globe LOADED: 10.27.2019 followed standard hockey speak and mused about 2019-20 being a new season, about moving on, about once more appreciating what happened here that night and then storing the memory as if it were a will or car title to be tucked away in a bank’s safety deposit box.

“Seems like we were just here, to be honest,” said Blues coach , who rousted the Blues out of a midseason lethargy and marched them to the winner’s circle. “We’re looking forward here, not in the past . . . it’s another regular-season game against the Boston Bruins.”

Not really. Maybe next time. The Bruins and Blues have faced each other for over 50 years, and they will play again and again and again. But Saturday was the only time they’ve ever met months after the Blues came to Boston, tipped over the tables, stole the lunch money, and hustled the Cup onto a charter flight back to Missouri on a night most everyone here thought it would be waltzed around the old West End like Rosalita in a fine romance.

“We know, as a team, we made a lot of people unhappy in this city,” said Blues forward Brayden Schenn, sympathetic to feelings of disappointed Bruins fans.

Schenn grew up Saskatchewan, home to no NHL team or arena. Unlike dyed-in-Black-and-Gold-socks Bruins fans, his childhood was spent focusing on favorite NHL players rather than teams — in Calgary, Mat Sundin in Toronto, and Markus Naslund in Vancouver.

He is well aware it’s different in our town.

“But at the end of the day,” he said, still respectfully, “this city’s not hurting for championships. So we’re glad to take one off their hands.”

Jay Bouwmeester, 36, had never won a Cup until this past June. He played his first 10 NHL seasons without appearing in a single playoff game with either the Panthers or the Flames. The sweet taste of success 1158567 Boston Bruins imagine a forward today told not to touch the puck in his defensive zone?). But even with scoring harder to come by, Boston’s Primo Trio has started out ahead of the Triple Crown crew.

Charlie Simmer got off to his own hot start with Bruins “Try to play to your strength,” said Simmer. “If all three strengths work together, then it works.”

By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff Simmer, after a long stay in Calgary, where he and his wife raised three children, moved to Texas 3-4 years ago to continue his work with Decca, October 26, 2019, 12:04 p.m. a consulting company that specializes in oil and gas. Active in hockey broadcasting for more than 20 years, 12 of those with Canada-based

Sportsnet, he and Dave Hunter, a teammate for Simmer’s final NHL Charlie Simmer is still playing hockey, but his opening faceoffs are down season in Pittsburgh, worked together in the oil and gas field for years in to one a week and the overall competition is, shall we say, not quite Calgary. ready for prime-time NHL. When Decca bought out his company in Calgary, Simmer and his wife “We’ve got guys in our 30s, and some, like me, in their 60s,” Simmer said made the move south. Youngest daughter Brittany is now a junior at this past week, reflecting on the pickup games he plays near his home Concordia University in Austin. outside Austin, Texas. “We have only one rule . . . no trying. If you’re “I couldn’t do what Marcel did, or Kenny Linseman did, or what Bobby Orr really trying, then hey, we ask you to dumb it down a little.” did, carry the puck from one end to the other,” said Simmer. “I Simmer, 65, once was among the game’s most prolific left wingers, understood, what I did was part of the success, but not the success.” establishing his name and place in NHL history as a member of the An array of injuries in Boston, including the fractured jaw and then a knee Kings’ renowned Triple Crown Line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor, injury the next season, suppressed Simmer’s production. He remembers and later enjoying considerable success in the mid-1980s with Bruins worrying that his injuries might lead teammates to call him “Crystal” linemates Ken Linseman and Keith Crowder. because of perceived fragility. Overall, he enjoyed his time in the Hub, When David Pastrnak potted his 10th goal in only his ninth game of the departing via waivers to the Penguins when the Bruins didn’t place him new season, the comparable for hottest start out of the gate for a Bruin on their protected list ahead of the 1987-88 season when he was 33. was not the likes of Rick Middleton or Cam Neely. It was Simmer, who “Loved Boston and still have really good friends there,” he said. “Really struck for a 10-goal bounty in his first seven games in 1985-86, the enjoyed the opportunity to play on an team, and the Boston season after general manager Harry Sinden acquired him from the Kings Garden was phenomenal. Everyone was telling me that it was going to for a first-round draft pick. be so much better for my game. They said I had lack of speed, for some Linseman drove the line as the center. Crowder was the corner man on reason I still don’t understand . . . and they keep saying that. They said the right side. The quick-handed Simmer, 6 feet 3 inches and 210 I’d be better. But it was actually harder to play because faster people get pounds, worked the front of the net, cashing in feeds and rebounds. The to places quicker in a smaller area. So it was a challenge. But I loved the line finished with 225 points in 1985-86, its production curtailed some fans. I loved the community . . . a good part of my life and my career.” because Simmer missed nearly one-third of the season because of a Bet against Natick-born John Carlson reaching 100 points at your own broken jaw. He kids today that he’s not sure if he ever shot the puck peril. Headed into the weekend, the Capitals’ hard-shooting defenseman more than 5 feet. led the league in points and assists with a 5-16—21 line over 12 games. “I mean, if you look at the two things that were consistent between LA Not likely that he could keep up that kind of pace, which would deliver 35- and Boston, it was the left winger,” again kidded Simmer. “You look at my 109—144, but it’s equally true that Carlson’s production is no fluke. career, I mean, I put Dionne in the Hall of Fame. I put [Ray] Bourque in the Hall of Fame. Then I went over to Pittsburgh and put in Mario The 2018 Cup winners like to push the pace and Carlson, who will be 30 [Lemieux], too. Ultimately, it all starts with the left wing.” in January, has finished the last two seasons with 68 and 70 points, respectively (both career bests). A lift to 100 would be hefty, but not Truth is, said Simmer, a line’s success is driven by equal amounts impossible, particularly with such an outsized start (as of Friday morning, attitude and talent. For a trio to click as they did during his days with the Nashville’s Ryan Ellis was second on the D-man scoring list with 12 Kings and Bruins, it came down to linemates understanding their roles points). and often subordinating their own desire to be the guy who is credited for putting the puck in the net. Like Bruce Cassidy here in Boston, Capitals coach Todd Reirden went into the season looking for more back-end production, shifting the “Listen, we all wanted to be successful and score goals and have fun,” offensive attack from low to high when opportunities arise, and thus far noted Simmer. “But it just seemed that the guy that was open was going the 6-3, 215-pound Carlson has delivered beyond the desired secondary to get the puck. And everybody had a role. In Boston, I wasn’t going to be punch. a Kenny Linseman or a Keith Crowder. I had my assets . . . even if I’m still trying to figure out what they were.” One wrinkle to the Capitals’ attack has Carlson, typically the lone point man on the No. 1 power play, switching spots on the fly with hard- Lines engineered strictly on individual talent, the three most skilled shooting Alex Ovechkin in the left circle. Ovechkin slides back toward the forwards, continued Simmer, typically aren’t the most successful. blue line and is sometimes the guy who tosses the diagonal down for “You can have all the talent in the world,” he said, “but there is only one Carlson to launch, giving him a shorter and sharper-angled look at the puck. And when all three guys want it at the same time, it’s not going to net. The Boston equivalent would have Torey Krug drifting off the blue be successful. For me, there were certain areas on the ice I wasn’t line and switching off with David Pastrnak as the one-time specialist at allowed to touch the puck. I knew what my strong points were, and the left dot. hopefully I would try to contribute that way. In LA, with Bob Berry [as When offense started to become a dirty word in the early 1990s, the coach], he’d tell me, ‘Don’t touch the puck in the defensive zone, that’s Rangers’ Brian Leetch posted 102 points in 1991-92. No defenseman not your job.’ He was right. I would just give it away.” since has reached the century mark. Headed into weekend play, looking at Saturday night’s Cup Final If he can keep up the mojo, Carlson will become only the sixth NHL rematch with the Blues, Boston’s trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad defenseman to reach 100 points, joining Bobby Orr (six times), Paul Marchand, and Pastrnak stood as the hottest in hockey with a line of 17- Coffey (5), as well as Al MacInnis, Denis Potvin, and Leetch (one season 22—39. Over 82 games, if they could maintain that pace, they would apiece.). finish with 355 points, even more impressive than the 260 points they put up last season. Orr, who also led the league in scoring twice (1969-70, 1974-75), is also the only defenseman to pile up 100 assists, in the 1970-71 season when What makes the Bergeron-Marchand-Pastrnak pace more astounding is he rolled up 37-102—139, his best marks for assists and points. Through that the Triple Crown Line, which delivered in excess of 200 points for 12 games, Carlson was on pace to finish ahead of Orr on both counts. five straight seasons in LA, was at its best in 1979-80 and 1980-81, when Simmer and Co. put up totals of 328 and 352 points, respectively. Some Over the summer, Reirden awarded Carlson with an “A” as an alternate 40 years later, the game is far more contested in all three zones (can you captain, a role filled for years by Brooks Orpik. Ovechkin is the captain and fellow forward Nicklas Backstorm also has an “A.” Reirden had his they’ll put Brad Park’s No. 2 in the rafters (shared there with Brian eye on Carlson or T.J. Oshie for the other “A” and opted for Carlson, Leetch). Park’s knees were compromised when he arrived in Boston in hoping that he could take over leadership of the backline. Now it looks trade with Jean Ratelle (part of the swap), so we didn’t see like he owns it. him at his peak. He misses due credit, in part, because much of his career was overshadowed by Bobby Orr. Park finished runner-up in Former Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg was in Hershey, Pa., on Norris Trophy balloting four times, each of them to Orr, during his run on Friday, not for an AHL rehab stint, but to watch 7-year-old son Breaker Broadway. Meanwhile, Brooks, when noting that NHL.com has Park play in a weekend mite AAA tournament. wearing his No. 22 Bruins sweater, characterized it as “a throw-up-in-the- “Yep, defenseman,” said the proud dad. “And he loves it.” mouth-worthy image if there ever was one.” . . . Sad to learn this past week that ever-classy Dale Hawerchuk, 56, recently was diagnosed with The senior Seidenberg, a key member of the Bruins’ squad that won the stomach cancer. “For some reason, the Lord put me in this kind of fight, Cup in 2011, announced his retirement from the NHL this past week at and I’m ready to fight it,” Hawerchuk said in an interview with TSN.com. “I age 38. After 15 seasons and 859 regular-season games, he figured he want to live to tell the story.” The No. 1 pick by Winnipeg in the 1981 draft probably had enough left in the tank to return to his native Germany to (the same year Bobby Carpenter went No. 3 to Washington), Hawerchuk play another year or two, but ultimately had mind overrule his heart. scored 103 points as a Jets rookie and broke 100 in five of his next six seasons. He also had a grand second run in Buffalo, by then in a A tough decision to make? supporting role during the Alexander Mogilny-Pat LaFontaine-Pierre “Yes and no,” said Seidenberg. “When you listen to your body, there’s Turgeon era . . . That text on Simmer’s phone the night of June 12? His aches and pains. So, yeah, I probably could have gone to Germany, but pal Dave Taylor, sending along a picture of himself, drinking out of the probably be achy every day, just going on the ice. Especially my Cup after the Blues won it on Causeway Street. An ex-Bruin, Simmer had shoulders and wrists are pretty achy. But on the other hand, you look at his money on the Black and Gold, but he was pleased to see his old the next chapter and you get to spend more time with family, your kids, linemate, the Blues’ assistant GM, savoring the moment. “I cheer for and you haven’t been able to do as much — so I think it was the right guys that I know, guys who are still in the business,” said Simmer. “And decision.” it’s fun to see guys be successful. After all of Dave’s years, if I couldn’t drink from it, he’d be the best guy that I’d want to see do that.” Seidenberg signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Bruins, his last big contract, in October 2013, only to see the Bruins buy it out after two Yes, hard to believe, but Ray Bourque never collected 100 points in a seasons. He subsequently signed a couple of one-year deals with the season. But he did finish four times in the 90s, and scored more points Islanders, but didn’t play at all last season. Word of his retirement came (1,579) than any defenseman in NHL history. Thursday.

For now, Seidenberg, wife Rebecca, and their three kids plan to stay on Boston Globe LOADED: 10.27.2019 Long Island. Rebecca owns and operates a clothing store, Off Seids Clothing, near Manhasset, and the kids are all in schools and immersed in their off-ice interests.

“We like it. The kids like it. The schools are good,” said Seidenberg. “That being said, my wife especially, she was in Boston for the weekend and she kept calling me, crying, that she missed Boston so much and how much she loved it there and how much it still feels like home. But for now we’ll be on Long Island.”

Rebecca was in the Hub to attend General Hospital’s Storybook Ball. When Dennis played in Boston (2009-16), Rebecca was on the ball’s board, and all chair members recently were asked back for the 20th anniversary. The annual formal helps support pediatric care at the hospital.

“I love it in Boston,” he said. “It’s where everything came together. I had the most success personally and as a team there. And two of my kids were born there. A lot happened for us there. We really enjoyed our time. Maybe someday it could be home again for us.”

Other than fulfilling dad duties, Seidenberg isn’t certain if hockey will remain part of his post-career agenda. If he stays in the game, he thinks a role in player development would appeal to him most. For now, he’s still in Islanders camp, leading injured players through skating workouts.

“An amazing year, the guys were great,” said Seidenberg, thinking back on the 2010-11 Cup season with the Black and Gold. “Definitely the highlight of my career.”

Loose pucks

Ex-Bruins forward Daniel Paille, another member of the 2011 Cup- winning team, hitched on recently as a volunteer assistant coach with Canisius College in Buffalo. Paille, 35, took his last twirls in 2017-18 with Brynas IF in Galve, about 100 miles north of Stockholm. Lots of work to do with the Griffs. They suffered back-to-back shellackings (5-0, 8-1) at North Dakota to start the season and were drubbed again, 7-2, last weekend at RPI. Paille grew up across the New York border in Welland, Ontario, and was chosen 20th overall in the 2002 draft by the Sabres, who took Keith Ballard at No. 11 that same year . . . The first-round pick in 1985 the Bruins yielded for Charlie Simmer became No. 10, which the Kings used to claim Oshawa center Dan Gratton. He played seven games for the Kings in 1987-88 and never appeared again in the NHL. Among the players selected later in that draft: Cornell’s (No. 27, Calgary) . . . The Bruins will be at Madison Square Garden Sunday night to face the Rangers. Can’t agree more with Larry Brooks, the New York Post’s longtime puck chronicler, who wrote this past week that this would be the perfect time for the Blueshirts to announce that 1158568 Boston Bruins power play, the Bruins did what they do best on the power play – they scored a goal. David Pastrnak, who wasn’t himself in Games 5, 6 and 7 of the Cup Final, has been more than fine to begin this season. His 11th Bruins-Blues still felt like Stanley Cup Final goal gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

The goal gave the Bruins some jump, but the physicality didn’t wane. Charlie Coyle, a primary offensive catalyst in the playoffs a year ago, was By JUSTIN PELLETIER | [email protected] | Boston silent on the scoresheet, but delivered multiple hits throughout the night. Herald Connor Clifton drew a rise from the crowd late in the frame when he rattled Ivan Barbashev into the dasher. PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 9:53 pm | UPDATED: October 26, 2019 at 11:43 PM And what would a playoff redux be without a suspect Sundqvist hit? This time, at 7:54 of the second period, he rattled Charlie McAvoy’s head

against the glass in the corner to Rask’s left. Sundqvist went off for two Since 1939, the Stanley Cup Final has been contested as a best-of-7 minutes, McAvoy eventually returned to the game after getting up slowly. series. And so it continued. You could excuse us if we’d have liked last year’s edition between the St. It was tense. The majority of fans sat on the front edge of their too-small- Louis Blues and Boston Bruins to continue further, and not just because for-them seats all night long, cheering with each Bruins’ scoring chance, the skaters in the spoked ‘B’ came out on the short side of the 4-3 gasping with each Blues zone entry, and cascading “Toooooooook” with decision. every save from the B’s stalwart between the pipes. The hockey was great, wasn’t it? The entertainment value was through Their second goal saw the Bruins take advantage of the Blues’ the roof. It was fast, it was physical, and there were just enough goals aggressive, hit-first mentality. A missed bodycheck instead of an obvious scored to keep those who value offense over defense happy. play on the buck led to a half-ice 3-on-2 break, which led to Anders Missed calls — in both directions — added to the intensity, and some Bjork’s first goal of the season. less-than-clean infractions allowed the partisans of Causeway to develop Even that goal wasn’t enough to calm the palpable nerves in the building, an intense dislike of Craig Berube and his Blue Notes. and on the Bruins’ bench. But it helped. For the Black and Gold, the only thing truly missing was a win in Game 7. And the collective exhale when Brandon Carlo scored from 175 feet Saturday night’s rekindling of that June fire offered a chance not at away in the final minute of the game led directly into cascading applause redemption, but at continuation, and a measure of closure. The teams’ for a 3-0 shutout win. compositions are different, of course. The Blues spent the summer Saturday, it felt like June all over again at the Garden, like Game 8, if you parading the Cup around the world; the Bruins spent the summer will, of a nine-game series. seething, and working to put those seven games firmly in the past. So, rubber match? But when the puck dropped from the referee’s hand Saturday, the players on the ice, some of whom had played lip service to the “just another game” mantra this past week, proved the point that this was anything but that. Boston Herald LOADED: 10.27.2019

On the first shift of the game, freak of nature Zdeno Chara, who played through the end of the Cup Final with a wired jaw, had an opportunity to staple Oskar Sundqvist to the boards in front of the Blues’ bench.

He didn’t miss.

Sundqvist, you might recall, was suspended during the Cup Final in June for injuring Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.

Chara remembered.

Brayden Schenn skated over to Chara in the aftermath of the legal hit and tried to give the big man a shove. Chara cast him aside like he was a fly buzzing around his morning Mike’s Pastry. A crowd gathered, and then dispersed. Chara, with his mouth wired shut last June, was scary enough for the Blues, never mind this year’s fully functional version. Schenn and Chara each received minor penalties for the post-curricular fracas.

And that was only the start. The game had the vibe of a Stanley Cup Final game all night. Minutes after Chara’s hit, Torey Krug and David Perron got into a tussle, and if that sounds familiar, it should. Ask Robert Thomas.

It was Perron, in Game 1, who grappled with Krug in front of Tuuka Rask’s net. He sat on the Bruins’ defender, poked at him, and ultimately ripped his helmet off. After Perron released him and started skating back to the bench, Krug followed him, built up speed and appeared to be hunting the shifty Blues forward. Instead, as Perron peeled off, Krug turned up ice, maintained his speed without taking another stride, and slammed into an unsuspecting Thomas, who bore the brunt of the defenseman’s rage.

Saturday, with Steve Kozari, the same from Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, on the ice, they tussled again, but it did not escalate. The players received matching minors, and the Blues got their first legitimate scoring chance on the ensuing 4-on-4. Tuukka Rask made a save on a breakaway.

It was again Perron, a talented pest in his own right, who found his way to the penalty box just past the midway point of the first period. On that 1158569 Boston Bruins The Bruins head to New York to face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night before returning home to face the Sharks on Tuesday as a part of three games in four days.

Bruins top Blues in Stanley Cup Final revenge game

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.27.2019 By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald

PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 9:33 pm | UPDATED: October 26, 2019 at 10:22 PM

It was dubbed a revenge game, a rematch of this past June’s Stanley Cup Final, but all along the Bruins said it was just two regular season points on the line.

The first few moments of Saturday night’s contest with the Blues carried the energy of a game that meant a little something more, but in the end, the Bruins 3-0 win won’t earn them another crack at the Stanley Cup.

But, two points in October during a tough stretch of the schedule is something this year’s version of the Bruins can feel pretty happy with.

“If you force (the Blues) to chase the game a little bit, I think you’re much better off,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “That’s a general statement, most teams play better with a lead, but some teams are really good with a lead, and I think they’re one of them. St. Louis is that type of team that’s built to play better with a lead.”

Just 38 seconds into the game, Zdeno Chara laid down a big hit on Oskar Sundqvist, sparking Brayden Schenn into a scrum by the Blues bench and forcing a 4-on-4, and that set the tone for the Bruins most physical contest of the season to date.

“I thought Zee had a big hit early on, clean hit on a breakout,” said Cassidy. “(Connor Clifton) had a couple of counter hits, and off we go, it felt like we were back in the playoffs. Good, solid clean hits, started well, had some good looks early, kept them out of our end.”

The Bruins first goal, though, was a familiar sight for viewers this season.

With 5:01 left in the first, David Pastrnak one-timed a blast that clipped off Jordan Binnington and crossed the goal line, putting the Bruins ahead 1-0 on the power play.

The Bruins had another late period power play but didn’t capitalize that time in what was an infraction-filled opening frame; twice the Bruins and Blues had matching penalties to lead to 4-on-4 situations, and once the Blues went to the power play on a Sean Kuraly cross-check.

The closest they got to finding the net in the first was an Oskar Sundqvist breakaway denied by Tuukka Rask during the second 4-on-4, right before the Bruins scored.

The B’s second goal had some meaning.

Anders Bjork, in his second NHL game of the season, fired in his first goal of the season from the right circle after a pass from Matt Grzelcyk with 9:31 left in the middle period.

It was his first NHL tally in over a year, with his last coming on October 13, 2018.

The Blues continued to rack up penalty minutes, with Sundqvist going to the box for the second time late in the second, this time via boarding Charlie McAvoy, but the Blues survived the third Bruins man advantage of the contest.

St. Louis headed into the game with the fifth-most effective power play in the NHL, but the Bruins penalty kill shut it down every try, and Rask earned his second shutout of the year.

Brandon Carlo sealed it with a long-distance empty net goal with 48 seconds left, the defenseman’s first goal of the season.

It doesn’t make up for Game 7, but a 7-1-2 start in the season following, during a tough part of the schedule, isn’t too bad, either.

“Unless they brought the Cup here for this game, I don’t think it has anything to do with it,” said Rask. “Different year, different teams. But, two good teams. So it was a great Saturday night game.” 1158570 Boston Bruins

Bruins notebook: Schedule eases up after measuring stick stretch

By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald

October 26, 2019 at 8:15 PM

Just 11 games into the season, it’s difficult to make any for-certain statement about any hockey team.

But with only two games left in October before turning the page to the second month of the season, the Bruins have passed most of the tests sent their way so far.

They’ll close October with their toughest stretch of the season, with the Rangers Sunday night right after hosting the Blues, then a game against the Sharks at home after two with Toronto and a game with Tampa.

It’s a bit more challenging than the slate of games out West to start the season only because of the extra feelings and familiarity with the teams they faced in the second half of the schedule.

But, the schedule lets up considerably deep into November.

After the Sharks game, the Bruins face Ottawa and Pittsburgh, head to Montreal and Detroit, before hosting Philadelphia and Florida before heading to Toronto and then hosting the Capitals. Those final two games might be their next true measuring stick.

And that’s fine; if we learned anything from the Blues’ run last season, it’s that autumn hockey might not tell us all too much anyways.

“You feel about that and they’re probably measuring themselves against us as well,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said earlier in the week. “So I think it’s a bit of a three-headed thing going on from the last couple of years. But now all of a sudden if you look at our division you’ve got Buffalo in the mix, Florida is starting to play well and Montreal. We’re measuring ourselves against these teams that we’ve seen in the past, but we’re also in the present now. Our next challenge will be to see what Buffalo is all about, and Florida, in our division.”

Over the course of a season, playing competitive, tough teams in emotion-filled bouts give the best indicator of where a team is at. But so does beating the teams you’re supposed to beat; the Bruins have done that so far, beating Dallas, Arizona, Anaheim, and New Jersey.

The schedule doesn’t look too bad for a while, so maybe it’s a chance for the Bruins to accumulate, after they’re done measuring themselves up.

Krejci getting closer

David Krejci missed his fourth straight game on Saturday, and he won’t travel for Sunday’s game with the Rangers in New York, but Cassidy said the center is targeting a Tuesday return when the Sharks are in town.

“Krejci is out and he won’t travel,” Cassidy said on Saturday. “Tuesday is looking good for him, but we’ll have a better idea on Monday. But right now he’s on track (for Tuesday). I still think he’s going to be a little behind. How much is to be determined, but I think that’s just the way it works when you miss almost a month now. He’s played games where he’s been in and out, but he hasn’t really strung anything together since training camp. Hopefully, it’s not a long process.”

Miller, Moore keep at it

John Moore (shoulder) has been skating and is still projected for his originally scheduled mid-November return.

Kevan Miller (knee) could join the group as soon as next week, according to Cassidy.

“They’re on schedule.”

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158571 Boston Bruins They all wore their Original Six sweaters with pride, although they watch others wearing sweaters far more than they do so themselves these days. Middleton and his pals watch Bruins games at TD Garden from the Take it from Bruins great Rick Middleton: David Pastrnak belongs on top newly located alumni suite, on the sixth floor.

“We used to be on the ninth floor, but they’re building a club up there so they moved us down,” he said. By TOM KEEGAN | [email protected] | Boston Herald It puts him farther from his No. 16 jersey hanging in the Garden rafters October 26, 2019 at 6:15 PM since it was retired during a ceremony last season, but no complaints about that from Nifty.

“Much better view,” he said. Every time I hear someone suggest dropping David Pastrnak to the second line as a solution to the Bruins’ stagnant secondary scoring the Middleton, 65, viewed Saturday’s alumni game mostly from the home same question pops into my head: “Am I a fool for not seeing that as bench at Bentley Arena thanks to a balky back, but did skate one first- being a good idea and in fact seeing it as a potentially destructive period shift before donning a sport coat to help the coaching staff. He move?” plans to do the same Sunday at Madison Square Garden for an alumni rematch. It’s been 45 years since Middleton made his debut with the For one thing, it doesn’t seem to matter how far apart Brad Marchand Rangers and he’s looking forward to posing at center ice for a picture and Pastrnak are on the ice, their heads always seem to be in the same with longtime friend and former Rangers teammate Ron Greschner, who place, two brains in perfect synch. Same for Patrice Bergeron and his broke into the NHL on the Rangers with Middleton in 1974. two wings. On the topic of rematches, Nifty said he didn’t think the Bruins had No one else is going to cash in on Marchand’s high-velocity passes, Saturday night’s game circled on their calendars as a means of exacting perfectly timed and located, as well as Pastrnak. So separating them will revenge against the Blues, who celebrated the organization’s first result in leaving too many goals on the ice and the Bruins’ margin for Stanley Cup title on TD Garden ice after a 4-1 victory last June. error is too slim to take that risk. “It’s really just another game,” Middleton said before heading for the The whole is even greater than the sum of its parts with the Bruins’ top bench in street clothes for the start of the exhibition’s second period. line. “The press will blow it up, but that was last year. They’re not going to So robbing Peter to pay Paul at the very best would seem like a wash prove anything by beating them. It’s just another two points that they and at worst could cripple the Bruins’ already tenuous ability to score want to win.” goals. Really? Doesn’t the memory rev their adrenaline and sharpen their Since I never have claimed to be James George Aylwin Creighton, I focus? decided to seek out a far more knowledgeable source on the topic of goal “They certainly don’t want to lose to them,” Middleton conceded. “Maybe scoring and headed to Bentley Arena on the campus of Bentley a little payback, a little payback.” University for the inaugural “Alumni Faceoff Classic for Heroes” where the Bruins alumni faced the Rangers alumni, played for the benefit of the Warrior for Life Fund and Navy SEAL Hockey Foundation programs. Boston Herald LOADED: 10.27.2019 The back of Rick Middleton’s hockey card reveals him as an expert on the topic of scoring goals. Nifty spent two seasons with the Rangers, 12 with the Bruins. During one six-season stretch (1979-1984) with the B’s he averaged 45 goals from the right wing position now manned by Pastrnak on the top line.

A perennial contender for the Lady Byng Trophy for excellence and sportsmanship, Middleton won it in 1980-81, the year he scored a career- best 51 goals. Good guys continue to do good things well after their playing days and Middleton and the rest of his alumni teammates are doing great charity work and having fun in the process.

Before I even got around to asking him about the notion of dropping Pastrnak from the first line, Nifty touched on one reason it would be a bad idea at the mere mention of the name Pastrnak.

“That line,” Nifty said. “They know where he’s going to be and he’s in the right spot a lot of the time and he’s got good hockey sense. He’s got instinct.”

So I’m not crazy for thinking the Bruins would be crazy to break up the en fuego line?

“No, I don’t think they’re going to do that,” Middleton said. “It never works in hockey. You can’t spread the wealth. Even in youth hockey you can’t put your better players on different lines because you’re not playing with people your caliber. You don’t get the puck back. I’ve never been a believer in that. You’ve got to go with your best.”

I felt like lacing up a pair of skates to do a victory lap around the Bentley Arena rink but decided to spare the crowd the agony. Once a bender, always a bender. Nobody needed to see that. The crowd did enjoy older gentlemen than typically don hockey sweaters getting up and down the ice. Their speed is gone but glimpses of their skill shook cobwebs from memories.

Announcers , eschewing a helmet in favor of a ballcap, and Bob Beers glided on the ice as smoothly as they speak. Ray Bourque still handles the puck with flair. For the Rangers, Ron Duguay still captures a crowd’s attention with his loud presence and Stephane Matteau and goalie Steve Valiquette still look like giants on ice. 1158572 Boston Bruins

Bruins pregame notes: A Cup Final rematch with Blues in town

By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald

October 26, 2019 at 12:35 PM

It’s not Game 8 of the Stanley Cup Final, but a late-October Saturday night contest against the Blues.

That doesn’t mean the long-awaited revenge game between the Bruins and Blues means nothing; it’s tough to just erase all the emotions from four months ago when the Blues hoisted the Stanley Cup on Bruins home ice at the conclusion of Game 7.

While that doesn’t mean nothing, it also isn’t overly important with two points on the line in an entirely new season.

“Not a rematch,” said Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. “The Stanley Cup, unfortunately, is not in the building tonight. It’s two points.”

The Bruins can’t turn back time and change the result of what happened in June, nor will tonight’s result have any impact on that history. Instead, all they can do is look forward at this season, one they’ve started out well at 6-1-2.

They’ve had a few, quote-unquote, measuring stick games to open the season with two against the Maple Leafs last week and an overtime loss to the Lightning. They go outside the division this time, as they have been most of the season, but there’s still plenty of spark even when it’s not against a team they see four times a season.

Cassidy acknowledged, though briefly, the Bruins and Blues haven’t lost any love when asked if there was “real heat” between the two squads.

“Yes.”

David Krejci will miss his fourth consecutive contest with the upper body injury he sustained last Monday against the Ducks. He has a chance of being back on Tuesday for the home game against the Sharks. He won’t travel to New York on Sunday, per Cassidy.

“Tuesday is looking good for him.”

Joakim Nordstrom goes back into the lineup after his absence in the two games against the Maple Leafs.

Anders Bjork was recalled after spending the week with Providence. He played in Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs, and will get a chance in his second NHL game this season.

Tuukka Rask (4-0-1) will start in net for the second straight game for the first time this season.

The Blues (5-2-3) haven’t suffered from exactly a Stanley Cup hangover, but they haven’t started out on fire, either. They’re in the middle of the pack for goals allowed at 31 and their 32 goals scored still leaves some to be desired as well.

Where their offense has worked, though, is on the power play, with a 25.8 percent ranking fifth in the NHL.

The Blues have won two in a row, taking down the Kings and the first- place Avalanche, after they dropped four straight.

Brayden Schenn has led their scoring with eight goals, while Jaden Schwartz has a goal and eight assists. Vladamir Tarasenko, and his second-leading 10 points, will miss Saturday’s game.

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158573 Boston Bruins Jitters is a term often used to describe sloppy play or mistakes on the ice, but sometimes whatever feelings are flying around might not matter if they’re universal.

NHL, Bruins players still battle butterflies “I think you try to tell yourself, the truth is, whether you feel anxious or confident, you can still play well in any situation,” Kuraly said. “It’s kind of just there. I’ve had days I’m super anxious and super nervous and not By MARISA INGEMI | [email protected] | Boston Herald ready and then I make one of the best plays I’ve ever made, then there are days I feel real confident and do something dumb. You take each October 26, 2019 at 12:00 PM feeling with a grain of salt and realize it’s just a feeling.”

There’s a balance between intensity and adrenaline and then just putting Pregame jitters. Butterflies. Nerves. Pressure. on too much pressure to succeed, too. In those moments in a game, different players have different ways to cope. Whatever you call it, anxiety is a part of sports culture. “You focus on breathing,” said Charlie Coyle. “Deep breaths, I think Whether it’s pressure in a big moment or excitement leading up to a people who really get anxiety, that’s a big thing to do. Control your game, everyone experiences nerves. They aren’t always bad; plenty of breathing and control your heart rate. I’m not that nervous where I have athletes thrive in the most important points in a game or a season. to calm down, but that helps.”

Those feelings can be overwhelming if not kept in check, even for those “I don’t cope,” Kuraly said. “I think that kind of exacerbates the belief that playing at the highest level. the feelings can change you or do something to you. They’re just there. You’re not perfect, I go through moments where they fool me and I fall But, it’s part of the game. Instead of concerning themselves with that into the belief that feelings can affect me, but I think coping takes you out anxiety, many players on the Bruins try to channel it into caring about of it. their, and the team’s, performance on the ice. “Part of what makes us good is we care.” “I think it’s part of what makes you human.” said Charlie McAvoy. “Every night it’s a new game and a new challenge. Some you’re less For the most part, players don’t mind that extra pregame anxiety, or comfortable in than others. I think it’s a matter of going out there and moments of heightened stress in a game. They’re at the highest level always doing the best you can.” because they can play through that, or in some cases, thrive on it.

The course of a season can get mundane, with multiple games every Anxious feelings don’t go away; players still get nerves, even at the week and practices every day. Especially for players with already- highest levels and with the strictest routines. established roles in the league, a lot of being a player in the NHL is routine. It just means it matters still.

The routine of it all can ease any potential nerves that sneak in. “I think they’re good to get,” said Coyle. “Everyone’s different, but it means you’re excited. It means something to you if you’re nervous about “During the national anthem I pray, and that helps I think,” said Chris it. It’s good butterflies. It’s different than my first ever game. It’s not like Wagner. “It’s essentially breathing too, right before puck drop. But your nerves are not knowing what to expect. You play a number of nothing hours before.” games, so you know. But it means something to you. You’re nervous, but it’s an exciting nervous.” Those regular season games carry some nerves, too, whether it’s an important game or just a big moment in a close contest late in the game. Former Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg announced his retirement earlier in the week. The 38-year-old last played in the NHL before 2018. Some games mean more to some players than others, too; what might be a weeknight game in a road city one player has seen a dozen times is Seidenberg was acquired from Florida at the 2010 trade deadline and a new arena for someone else, or in the midst of the first week in the was an instrumental piece of the 2011 Bruins Stanley Cup run, while league for another guy, or more is at stake for someone trying to climb paired with Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. He posted a goal and 10 assists the ladder in their career. in that run total, and played six and a half seasons in the black and gold.

“I never felt like I really got (butterflies),” said Wagner. “Just a couple Top line talent times with new teams, or playoffs. Third round last year felt a little nervous.” The Bruins aren’t the only team relying on their top line for the bulk of the scoring. While the Bruins would love more secondary scoring, the As careers evolve, those feelings do as well with new experiences. approach of teams putting their best offensive talents together has become a trend. “Maybe it was performance anxiety at first, now I know I can do it and play in this league,” said McAvoy, in his third season. “Now when I get Colorado is the prime example, with Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan butterflies it’s about a big game or wanting to perform really well, what’s MacKinnon, and Mikko Rantanen, but the other team finding success at stakes. Really more in playoffs. The regular season is pretty easy to with their top players on a pedestal is a bit of a surprise. get up for. I don’t want to confuse that with the game being easy, every single night you play against the best guys in the world, so you’re bound Vancouver has been an early season success story out of nowhere, and to make mistakes, it’s a fast game. But with nerves, overall worries are a lot of it has to do with the trio of JT Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock not as bad as they used to be.” Boeser, and how much they’ve done together.

Then of course, there’s first-game anxiety, which is different from The Bruins might be trend-setters for the rest of the league, and it’s anything else players typically will have to feel again. paying off everywhere.

“I think it’s kind of healthy,” said Karson Kuhlman, who is starting the season in the NHL for the first time. “Not nervousness, but excitement. Boston Herald LOADED: 10.27.2019 It’s still fun playing hockey at the highest level here, so it’s a good thing. My first game was nerves, that was the main thing. You try to use those to get the first shift out of the way and then it’s just playing hockey again.”

Big moments can be similar. The Stanley Cup Final a year ago was a different experience for a lot of first-timers. McAvoy said that everyone had the same type of feelings was a good reminder they were in it together, but it was such a different feeling than a regular season game.

“I think you still get the same jitters, I don’t think a ton changes,” said Sean Kuraly, in his third season. “In the Stanley Cup Final, it takes you to the highest level, then you start the season and those feelings aren’t as intense.” 1158574 Boston Bruins

Bruins Talking Points: David Pastrnak, Anders Bjork shine in 3-0 win over Blues

By Joe Haggerty

October 26, 2019 10:57 PM

Here are Joe Haggerty's talking points after the Boston Bruins' 3-0 win over the St. Louis Blues at the TD Garden on Saturday night.

GOLD STAR: David Pastrnak struggled in the Stanley Cup Final while pretty obviously battling with his thumb injury and at times shrank against the physicality of the Blues during the seven game series last June. He pretty clearly didn’t want to shoot the puck in that series and that was very unlike the Pastrnak that everybody knows. Certainly, it wasn’t the finest hour for him or for the other members of the Perfection Line when they came up short for the Cup. So Pastrnak got some measure of revenge on Saturday night as he scored a sizzling one-time power play goal in the first period to put the Bruins on the board and put up eight shot attempts in 17:33 of ice time against the Blues team that tormented him last spring. He had three giveaways and certainly wasn’t perfect in the game, but his power play goal got the ball rolling for the Black and Gold.

BLACK EYE: Brayden Schenn was a solid player for the Blues in the Stanley Cup Final and was a difference-maker for St. Louis as a hard- nosed veteran center. But aside from jumping Zdeno Chara after he blasted Oskar Sundqvist with a massive hit in the first shift of the first period, he did absolutely nothing in the rematch against the Bruins. Schenn had three giveaways and was went 3-for-9 in the face-off circle while failing to register a shot on net or a hit in 18:12 of ice time. For a player like Schenn to not have either a hit or a shot on net, that is some serious ghost-like activity for a Blues player in a big game against the Bruins.

TURNING POINT: For the Bruins it was the second period with a 1-0 lead and a solid game plan thus far. Midway through the period Matt Grzelcyk and Anders Bjork broke through with Bjork snapping a shot from the face-off circle past Jordan Binnington that gave the Bruins a two-goal lead and put them in the drivers’ seat against a St. Louis team that was missing their biggest offensive gun in Vladimir Tarasenko. Once the Bruins were up by two goals it felt like things were out of reach for the undermanned Blues, and it felt like the secondary scoring from the Bruins makeshift third line once again made all the difference against a pretty good team.

HONORABLE MENTION: Tuukka Rask wasn’t a strong, dominant force in the Game 7 loss to the St. Louis Blues four months ago despite a stellar overall playoff. He was extremely good this time around with 26 saves in his second shutout of the season and continues to put together a great month of October for a notoriously slow-starting goaltender. Rask was arguably at his best in the third period while stopping 10 shots as the B’s were protecting a two-goal lead, but he was also quick to credit a shutdown defensive effort from the players in front of him throughout the game. Rask now leads the NHL with a 1.48 goals against average and a .952 save percentage.

BY THE NUMBERS: 5 – the number of consecutive games where David Pastrnak has a goal, which is a career-high for the 23-year-old right winger and extends to an eight game point streak for No. 88.

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Zdeno Chara exacts revenge on Blues' Oskar Sundqvist with massive hit

By Darren Hartwell

October 26, 2019 7:43 PM

Brad Marchand insisted Saturday night's Stanley Cup Final rematch between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues was "just another game."

The Bruins' play would suggest otherwise.

Boston set a physical tone in the first period against St. Louis thanks to captain Zdeno Chara, who laid the lumber on Blues center Oskar Sundqvist just 38 seconds after puck drop.

Zdeno Chara greets **Oskar Sundqvist.

There's history behind Chara's massive hit: Sundqvist injured Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk with a shot to the head in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and later was suspended one game for his actions.

Chara appeared to exact his revenge on Sundqvist here, giving the D- man an extra shot while he was down on the ice in front of the St. Louis bench.

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NHL Highlights: Bruins take down Blues 3-0 in physical Stanley Cup Final rematch

By NBC Sports Boston Staff

October 26, 2019 5:13 PM

FINAL SCORE: Bruins 3, Blues 0

IN BRIEF: The Bruins were able to exact some measure of revenge against the Blues in their rematch of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final winning by a final score of 3-0. David Pastrnak stayed hot, scoring his NHL- leading 11th goal of the season, while Anders Bjork scored his first NHL goal in more than a calendar year. Brandon Carlo added an empty-net goal to seal the deal. Tuukka Rask made 26 saves during the shutout.

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Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on rematch with Blues: 'The Stanley Cup unfortunately is not in the building tonight'

By Joe Haggerty

October 26, 2019 3:56 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass – Bruce Cassidy was asked if he considers Saturday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues a “rematch” of the Stanley Cup Final that the Bruins lost in seven games a little over four months ago, and he didn’t hesitate with his answer.

“It’s not a rematch. The Stanley Cup, unfortunately, is not in the building tonight, so this is for two points,” lamented Cassidy. “It’s a team we got to know well, so I’m sure there could be a different level of intensity that develops different from some other games. But going into it I don’t see it as anything really different.”

The Bruins have employed various answers to this question over the last couple of days with some like veteran Brad Marchand saying “it’s just another game” and that it’s not going to change the team’s mindset headed into back-to-back weekend games against the Blues and New York Rangers. Though Marchand did admit after speaking again on Saturday that he might have been downplaying the team’s feelings a bit headed into what could normally be a sleepy, early-season non- conference game against a team like the Blues.

“It’s a little cliché that we’d be approaching it as any other game,” admitted Marchand. “Obviously there’s emotions there from playoff-time and the history is obviously very vivid in our minds. We’re going to try to approach it like any other game because ultimately all its going to be is two points, but it just brings back a lot of memories of what we went through. [It brings up] how tough it was going tough it was to go through that and losing. That’s probably the biggest things about it.”

Others such as the 23-year-old Jake DeBrusk are going through the post-Stanley Cup Final thing for the first time and admitted there are still “hard feelings” when it comes to the Blues team that dashed their dreams early last summer.

But the bottom line is that no matter how much everybody walks down memory lane when it comes to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, a Saturday night game in late October isn’t going to do much to change anybody’s mind about what happened last June. The B’s had a wonderful opportunity to win another Cup and let it slip through their fingers against a heavy, physical Blues team that gladly took it from them, and a convincing two-point victory this weekend isn’t going to do much more than make everybody wonder what might have been.

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Krejci (upper body) out for Bruins this weekend, but 'looking good' for a return next week

By Joe Haggerty

October 26, 2019 1:22 PM

BRIGHTON, Mass – Bruins center David Krejci will continue to be out this weekend as the Bruins play back-to-back games against the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, but it’s looking good for a return next week.

Krejci will miss his fourth and fifth games with an upper-body injury suffered a couple of weeks ago, but the 34-year-old center did take part in the morning skate Saturday without any restrictions. This was after taking part in Friday practice in a no-contact sweater and admittedly getting off to a slow start even before the injuries.

MORE HAGGERTY: Could one of these players fill the Bruins' need at right wing?

“Krejci is out and he won’t travel. Tuesday [against the San Jose Sharks] is looking good for him, but we’ll have a better idea on Monday. But right now he’s on track [for next week],” said Bruce Cassidy. “I still think he’s going to be a little behind. How much is to be determined, but I think that’s just the way it works when you miss almost a month now. He’s played games where he’s been in and out, but he hasn’t really strung anything together since training camp. Hopefully, it’s not a long process.”

In other Bruins health news, both John Moore and Kevan Miller (fractured kneecap) have begun skating on their own and it’s anticipated that the hard-nosed, physical Miller may also join the B’s practice group next week.

With Krejci out for Stanley Cup Final reunion with the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night, here is the projected line combos and D-pairings based on the morning skate with David Backes as the healthy scratch:

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158579 Boston Bruins do that. We’re working on it as a group, but at the end of the day they sucked it up and got it done. It was a big point of the game.”

Tuukka Rask, who made 26 saves to post his second shutout of the Two minutes that made all the difference season (47th of his career), was so focused he didn’t even realize those four were on the ice for that long to kill off the penalty.

By Joe McDonald “Really?” Rask asked. “Good conditioning. I didn’t even notice them. They’re known for that and take pride in their defense and penalty kill. If Oct 26, 2019 there’s no time to change, veteran guys are cautious with their energy, but they did a heck of a job today with the PK.”

It was evident Chara took pride in shutting down St. Louis’ potent power Two minutes. A lot can go wrong in two minutes. Penalty killers race play. When asked, he described the play plain and simple. There was no around the ice, desperate to prevent chances — winded, tired, hoping running around. They did not chase. The rotation worked well and there they can survive long enough for their relief to come, allowing them to was enough gas remaining in the tank to finally clear the puck as time finally rest and recover on the bench. expired. Saturday, the Boston Bruins’ penalty killers had no such luck. It didn’t “Be in the right position,” Chara said. “You obviously need to be aware of matter. the situation you’re in and try to do your best with positional play and get After the Bruins gained a 2-0 lead against the St. Louis Blues on recent our sticks in (passing and shooting) lanes to prevent the team from one- callup Anders Bjork’s first goal of the season at 9:31 of the second time chances and seam plays. It was very important for us to recognize period, Boston’s Torey Krug was called for hooking at 9:42. As usual, the point of the game and the situation.” coach Bruce Cassidy sent Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Zdeno What was perhaps more impressive was that the Bruins gained a power Chara and Brandon Carlo out for the penalty kill. play almost immediately after killing off that penalty, so Bergeron and That unit was on the ice for the entire PK. When it was over, Bergeron, Marchand went right back on the ice. And on top of that, the Bruins are Marchand and Chara had each logged 2:04 of ice time, while Carlo was trying to limit Bergeron’s ice time, as the center manages a long-standing out there for 2:15. Everyone save Carlo is on the other side of 30. Chara groin injury. It doesn’t help his cause that second-line center David Krejci is 42. That’s a combined age of 129 years on the ice for a long shift. remains sidelined with an upper-body injury and his status remains unclear. “They gutted it out,” said Cassidy. “That was the turning point. If St. Louis scores you’d probably have a different game. I’m not saying we wouldn’t Still, Bergeron has done what he’s needed to do. Typically, he’ll go out have been able to hang on and win, but (a power-play goal) gives them once during a two-minute power play and most of the time that’s first, life.” alongside Marchand, Chara and Carlo. That’s why teammates Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner’s ability to relieve them and successfully There were a few times the Bruins could have cleared the puck, but complete the kill benefits the team and allows Cassidy to manage failed to do so as the Blues kept sustained pressure. Most of St. Louis’ Bergeron’s minutes on special teams. puck possession was on the perimeter and Boston’s penalty killers were positionally sound. On this particular play, the top PK unit did not get an opportunity to change. There was no need. Experience did its job. In general, the side that wins the special teams battle on a game-to- game basis has a pretty good chance of victory. That was certainly the case Saturday as the Bruins finished their Stanley Cup Final rematch The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 with a 3-0 victory over St. Louis at TD Garden.

No, this game had nothing to do with the loss to the Blues in Game 7 of that final last June 12 on this ice. That’s history. Boston was focused on this game and the two points. Yes, captain Zdeno Chara set the tone early with a massive body check on the Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist (the same player who knocked Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk out of four games in the final with a concussion) on the first shift of the game, but this wasn’t about retribution.

This was about the Bruins continuing to refine their game and build up the points early this season. So far, Boston’s special teams have been excellent and they are a big reason the team is 7-1-2 to start.

Overall, the Bruins went 4-for-4 on the PK Saturday and have killed off 25-of-29 (a top-10 86.2 percent success rate) this season. There have been few better examples of their resilience than that two minutes on Saturday.

With that long, long penalty-killing shift expiring, Bergeron proved why he’s still one of the best penalty killers in the league. There was a 50/50 puck available above the right faceoff circle, and instead of attempting to chip the puck out while diving on the ice, the veteran remained on his skates, took an extra stride and then chipped it out before being able to skate to the bench for a change.

“We had them in their zone for about 1:50,” said the Blues’ Justin Faulk. “It’s going to happen. You take the momentum and there’s some good that comes from getting zone time and chances. Even if you don’t score you can build off that. It would’ve been nice to score and get one back, but that’s something we need to be better at too.”

Still, as effective as the special teams have been, Cassidy would like to see the puck out of the zone quicker.

“That’s been a bit of an Achilles’ heel for our penalty kill,” he said. “Our numbers are excellent, but over the last couple of years just getting that timely clear. We always hang in there, willing to block a shot, clear people out, but we can make life a little easier on ourselves if we could 1158580 Buffalo Sabres Red-hot winger David Pastrnak said it's been easier than he thought to move on.

"It's like when you read the book and turn the page," deadpanned Dale Hawerchuk's cancer battle on the minds of alums prior to Heritage Pastrnak. "It stinks and will stink forever. But just look forward now and Classic we have a great team. We can't concentrate on last year. It's a long way now to get where we were then. We just want to try to get better every game." By Mike Harrington Cassidy said his team has done a good job quickly getting past the Published Sat, Oct 26, 2019|Updated Sat, Oct 26, 2019 disappointment of its Game 7 loss to St. Louis.

"You've got to turn the page," Cassidy said. "There's a lot of good memories from last year, a lot of good things to build on. But we didn't Hall of Famer and former Sabres center Dale Hawerchuk has revealed win. So we're like 30 other teams: We want to get back there and win. that he's battling stomach cancer, the reason he took a leave of absence last month as the coach of the OHL's Barrie Colts. "We're motivated to get back. We might have more problems in the middle of the year in those dog days because of the fatigue from last Hawerchuk's fight became a topic for Winnipeg and Calgary alumni at an year. I think out of the gate, we've been fine." NHL Legacy Luncheon Friday in advance of Saturday night's Heritage Classic game outdoors between the Flames and Jets in Regina, Torts loves 3-on-3 Saskatchewan. The conversation started with Calgary defenseman Jamie Macoun recounting the teams' 1985 playoff series won by Columbus coach John Tortorella loves overtime and wants to see more Winnipeg in four games – even though Macoun broke Hawerchuk's rib of it. "I don't know what we're waiting for to get rid of the shootout stuff," with a cross check. Tortorella said. "I know they are worried about the time ... it's not going to last that long. If it goes past five minutes, it's not going to be many more "He's in a fight for his life," former Calgary captain Lanny McDonald, now minutes after five. I think it's just dynamite." the chairman of the , said of Hawerchuk. "I spoke to Dale two weeks ago and reminded him of being knocked down by Jamie, While I tend to agree with Tortorella here, the players don't want any encouraged him that, even though he's been knocked down many times expansion of overtime in the regular season. The theory is the top in his life, this is one fight that he'll find a way to get back up and win all players would take most of the added ice time. And fans seem to love the over again. shootouts. In every arena I go to when the game goes to the skills competition, the fans in all corners of the building are on their feet. Hard "In a spare moment, in your thoughts and prayers, make sure you say a to imagine the league would ever do away with that. couple for Dale Hawerchuk." Around the boards Hawerchuk had 385 points in 342 games for the Sabres from 1990-95, including a pair of seasons where he surpassed 90 points. He had 929 • Penguins coach Mike Sullivan seems to be in lockstep with Sabres points in nine years with Winnipeg before joining the Sabres in the coach Ralph Krueger when it comes to morning skates, as his team has blockbuster 1990 trade that sent Phil Housley to the Jets. He was cut back on them as well. Sullivan called them the most overrated inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001 after finishing his career with practice in hockey. Said the two-time Stanley Cup coach: "Why does the Philadelphia in the 1997 Stanley Cup final against Detroit. whole league have morning skates? It reminds me of why my mother cut the sides of the hams off before she cooked them. And I asked her ... she "For some reason the Lord put me in this kind of fight and I’m ready to said, 'Cause that's how my mother taught me.' fight it,” Hawerchuk, 56, told TSN last week. “I want to live to tell the story.” "So I asked my Grandma. I said, ‘Why do you cut the sides of the hams off before you put them in the oven?’ She said, ‘Well, that’s easy. I didn’t Hawerchuk said he is currently undergoing chemotherapy to shrink his have a pan that was big enough.’ So that’s my analogy of morning tumor so doctors can then perform surgery and remove what's left. skates.”

"The chemo has hit me pretty hard,” he said. “I do it one week and it • Still waiting for the Leafs to figure things out and stop looking average. breaks the body down and then the next week I take a break and build After Friday's 4-1 win over San Jose, they were 6-4-2 heading into my body up so I can do it again. I have to do that for two months. I really Saturday's game in Montreal. struggle to eat and have a feeding tube, but the last few days I’ve been able to eat a little bit, too. You’ve got to keep your nutrition up.” Said center Auston Matthews after Tuesday's 4-2 loss in Boston: "I think it’s just not good enough. We need to better. I think it comes from the Hawerchuk is Barrie's longest-running coach, entering his 10th season leadership group. I need to be better. All of us need to be better. I think with the team. One of Hawerchuk's top players there is 2018 Sabres draft we need to look each other in the eye and hold each other accountable pick Matej Pekar. and put this game aside, take a couple steps forward and be better for one another.” "An illness like this can definitely put things in perspective," Hawerchuk said. "My surgeon told me I’ve got a hell of a battle on my hands, but I’m • Detroit captain Dylan Larkin (two goals, five assists) after his team fell young and healthy everywhere else. Like anything in life, you just got to to 3-8 with its 2-0 loss to the Sabres Friday night: "I haven’t been good dig in and go for what your goals are. It’s kind of no different than trying enough offensively or defensively. You want to point fingers, point it right to make the NHL. Who knew if I could make it, right?” at me. I have to be way better for this team and carry the load up front and put the puck in the net.” A 'Golden' team of the greatest Sabres • That big expansion fee and shiny new arena in Seattle comes with a Bruins marching on price tag. The unnamed team that opens play in 2021 started This corner checked in on the Bruins last week in Toronto prior to a appointments to view and reserve 2,600 club seats on Thursday and said playoff-like overtime loss to the Leafs and there's no Stanley Cup they will run from $12,540 to $15,620 per season ($285-$355 per game). hangover there. Boston went into Saturday's Cup rematch with St. Louis And you have to reserve at least a three-year commitment. The team 6-1-2. hasn't revealed regular ticket prices yet, other than to say season tickets will start at $50 per seat per game, which is certainly much more "So far it's worked out," said coach Bruce Cassidy. "I don't think we've expensive of a cheap seat than most teams. played our best hockey by any stretch. Our record is probably a product of really good special teams, some timely scoring and really good goaltending. We're not as tight (defensively) as we typically are. Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 "We're giving up more than we typically do, so we've got some areas we have to progress on but I think that's normal throughout the league. Whether you're the last-place team, a finalist or the winner, you're always building your game early on. There's going to be holes." 1158581 Buffalo Sabres 26. Los Angeles Kings. Last in the Pacific, where they'll spend much of the season. (27)

27. New Jersey Devils. Hughes heating up with three-game point Mike Harrington's NHL Power Rankings streak.(28)

28. Chicago Blackhawks. Just two wins and 20 goals in eight games. By Mike Harrington (25)

Published Sat, Oct 26, 2019|Updated Sat, Oct 26, 2019 29. Minnesota Wild. Won't go anywhere until they fix that 1-6 road record. (31)

30. Detroit Red Wings. Paltry nine goals during first seven-game Through Friday's games. Last week's rankings in parentheses. regulation losing streak since 1989. (23)

1. Colorado Avalanche. Living up to high preseason expectations that 31. Ottawa Senators. Drubbed Detroit. Every win is a surprise. (29) they might be Central's best (1)

2. Buffalo Sabres. Hutton and Ullmark have combined for 113 saves during their three shutouts. (3) Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019

3. Edmonton Oilers. Koskinen is first goalie in franchise history to open a season 5-0. (2)

4. Washington Capitals. Wiped out 5-1 deficit in shootout victory at Vancouver. (8)

5. Boston Bruins. Thrilling home-and-home split with Leafs was April hockey in October. (4)

6. New York Islanders. Leddy's penalty shot goal in Ottawa keys sixth straight win, best streak in NHL this season. (15)

7. Vegas Golden Knights. Got blown out at home by Avalanche. (10).

8. Nashville Predators. Another fast start for ageless Rinne at 6-0-1, 1.98/.931. (16)

9. St. Louis Blues. Tarasenko missed Cup rematch with Bruins due to lower-body injury. (9).

10. Arizona Coyotes. Ton of speed in their lineup. Tough game for Sabres here Monday. (18)

11. Carolina Hurricanes. Haula (seven goals) has been a nice addition from Vegas. (7)

12. Toronto Maple Leafs. Only won four of first eight at home. (12)

13. . Tkachuk making a living getting under skin of Kings' Doughty. (14)

14. Vancouver Canucks. Miller's 11 points tie Pettersson for team lead. (13)

15. Columbus Blue Jackets. Nyquist penalty shot goal provided OT win in Toronto. (20)

16. Florida Panthers. Struggling to defend but still only two regulation losses in first 10 games. (21)

17. Tampa Bay Lightning. Odd to see goal differential of just plus-3 through nine games. (11).

18. Anaheim Ducks. Dropped three straight after bludgeoning of Sabres. (6)

19. Pittsburgh Penguins. Three-game skid as injuries taking their toll. (5)

20. . Don't remotely look like a playoff contender. (17)

21. . Bet they had more fans than Flames during Heritage Classic outdoors in Regina. (19)

22. Philadelphia Flyers. Schedule finally heating up after season-opening trip to Europe. (24)

23. San Jose Sharks. Good for Sabres to bank four points against them in October before they figure things out. (22)

24. Dallas Stars.Won three straight but will be chasing season for a while after 1-7-1 start. (30)

25. New York Rangers. Kakko had one offensive foray vs. Sabres, was otherwise invisible. (26) 1158582 Buffalo Sabres

After an 11-game wait, John Gilmour seizes opportunity to crack Sabres' lineup

By Mike Harrington

Published Sat, Oct 26, 2019|Updated Sat, Oct 26, 2019

John Gilmour's 11-game wait ended Friday night in Detroit. There was no rust in his game whatsoever. It was as if Gilmour was back in the preseason, freely skating the puck up ice and getting it out of his zone.

If Gilmour is the Buffalo Sabres' seventh defenseman, they've quickly developed some strong depth on the back end.

"I felt confidence. I've been with this club day to day and I just felt really good," Gilmour said after making his Buffalo debut during the 2-0 win over the Red Wings in . "I was confident jumping in."

The Sabres used the same six defenders in going 8-2-1 to open the season, so Gilmour was relegated to extra work after practice and to taking morning skates, when most of his teammates now skip them.

He finally got in Friday in place of Marco Scandella, who missed the game with a lower-body injury. The Sabres said Scandella is day to day so it's uncertain if Gilmour will return to the press box or stay in the lineup for Monday's visit by the Arizona Coyotes to KeyBank Center.

Gilmour played 17:28 Friday while paired with Colin Miller. He had three shot attempts, two on goal, and a 53% Corsi rating at 5-on-5. There were no spectacular plays, no hideous gaffes. It would be easy to say it was a good thing that his game was not noticeable.

But that wasn't really the case. Coach Ralph Krueger brought up Gilmour's play unprompted during his postgame meeting with reporters.

"Often the players without points go lost and missing," Krueger said. "But if you look at Johnny Gilmour coming in after multiple weeks of not playing and playing at that level and that pace, we're really happy with the 'D' group today."

With Scandella out, the Sabres seized the opportunity to shuffle their defense pairs some in the wake of Thursday's 6-2 loss in New York, which saw Miller and Rasmus Dahlin struggle mightily. Dahlin was minus-3 in that game for just the third time in his NHL career.

Dahlin took Scandella's spot alongside Henri Jokiharju and, after one rough turnover in the first period, had a strong bounce-back game. He posted a 61% Corsi rating while playing 18:25.

Krueger used the term "world class" to describe the work of his first pair. Rasmus Ristolainen played 26:01 with five hits and three blocks while Jake McCabe played 18:15 and scored Buffalo's first goal after missing 10 minutes of the first period to get stitches in his chin and above his eye.

Gilmour, meanwhile, isn't taking his NHL time for granted. After all, the New York Rangers gave him only five games last year even though he had scored 20 goals and was an AHL All-Star at Hartford.

"When the team is doing so well, it still feels good even if I'm not in the lineup," he said. "I'm still rooting for the squad. We're real hot and that's good.

"It's been a great experience, learning every day being around such high- caliber people. I"m just growing with it and having a lot of fun with it at the same time."

Linus Ullmark made 41 saves to earn the shutout Friday. It was Buffalo's third shutout of the season in 12 games – already one more than it had all of last season.

The Sabres were off Saturday and will return to practice Sunday morning. Defenseman Will Borgen, who joined the team in Detroit as an extra in case of an injury in the pregame warmups, was returned to Rochester Saturday so he could play in the Amerks' game Saturday night at Syracuse.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158583 Buffalo Sabres "The first one was just a goal created on will," Krueger said. "That wall battle he gave it all and that's the captain we need to step up and make a difference to tip this game in our favor. He really came out as a leader Sabres keep the bad feelings from festering, bounce back to blank Red today." Wings The Sabres protected the lead over the last 10 minutes through Ullmark. Whereas the shots on goal were once 25-24 in Detroit's favor, they ended the game 41-25 as the Red Wings pressed hard over the final 10 By Mike Harrington minutes to get 16 of the game's final 17 shots.

Published Fri, Oct 25, 2019|Updated Sat, Oct 26, 2019 Rasmus Ristolainen (26:01 of ice time, three blocks) made one key save in the final minutes but Ullmark made nine of his own over the final 2:32.

"There were a lot of 'flank' shots," Ullmark said, noting how his defense DETROIT -- For several years, bad performances have carried from one kept the Red Wings to the side. "'Risto' made a terrific block at the end game to the next for the Buffalo Sabres. Sometimes even from one week and gets the puck out deep. Those little details make a huge difference in to the next week. And the one after that. the end." That mentally pourous mentality is quickly going away. A dozen games McCabe's details saw him miss the final 10 1/2 minutes of the first period into this season, the Sabres have yet to lose two in a row. Their response as he was getting his face stitched in multiple spots. But he was to tough nights has been significant. They simply refuse to let a losing philosophical about what it all meant. streak overtake them. "I got a puck in the chin my second shift and I got my face slammed into Thursday night in Madison Square Garden, they were shoddy with the the glass my third shift so I might have a new Halloween costume I puck all over the ice and got drubbed, 6-2, by a New York Rangers team guess," a smiling McCabe deadpanned. "But it's well worth the two that had dropped five straight and was quickly running afoul of its fan points." base.

With no time to work out the kinks after that one, the Sabres jumped right back in against another wounded opponent here Friday night. Just like Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 last week in Los Angeles, they made things look much better.

Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist, Linus Ullmark made 41 saves and there were solid contributions up and down the lineup as the Sabres blanked the downtrodden Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, in Little Caesars Arena.

At 9-2-1, Buffalo is back atop the NHL's overall standing and got a split of a road back-to-back set for the second time in two weeks.

Said coach Ralph Krueger: "For me, that was the most enjoyable win of the season, under the circumstances of having lost our way in phases of the game yesterday that were quite disappointing, and how in such a short period of time they were able to reconnect with our game."

"We always have the mentality you don't want to lose two in a row. That's an obvious thing for us," said Ullmark, who posted his third career shutout and first of the season. "You want to get on the winning track right away. You don't want to get those second and third and fourth losses. You want to keep the train rolling at all times."

The Red Wings outshot the Sabres, 12-3, over the first 17 minutes but didn't break though as Ullmark's key stop of a Valteri Filppula breakaway kept the game scoreless.

"Looking at the game now afterwards, it was huge," Ullmark said. "Some days you make those saves and some days you don't. But I've got full faith in my boys in front of me that even if I don't make the save, we're still going to win."

Still, a goalie making a save like that is huge for a team that you think would have been wobbly from Thursday night. Not necessarily so, said Reinhart.

"I liked the way we were able to regroup this morning, talk a little and watch a little bit about last night," Reinhart said. "Refresh our mind, come back and we were ready to play tonight."

Reinhart made a big play by tipping the puck to Jake McCabe, whose wrister from the left circle at 11:40 of the second period opened the scoring. Reinhart then deflected home a luscious Victor Olofsson pass at 1:15 of the third to give the Sabres breathing room.

Jack Eichel did dirty work on both goals, especially down low and on the wall on the McCabe goal. Olofsson added a foolproof screen of goalie Jimmy Howard on that one as well.

"The goal doesn't happen if 'Olie' take his eyes away," McCabe said. "I could have shot it anywhere in that net because he couldn't see it. That's the kind of hockey we needed to play tonight. Our top line delivers like that."

Eichel, who had just one point on the road in his first six games away from KeyBank Center, got the job done in this one and the coach was suitably thrilled by his captain's two assists. 1158584 Buffalo Sabres

The Wraparound: Sabres 2, Red Wings 0

By Mike Harrington

Published Fri, Oct 25, 2019|Updated Fri, Oct 25, 2019

DETROIT – Sam Reinhart set up one goal and scored another Friday night while Linus Ullmark made 41 saves as the Buffalo Sabres dumped the reeling Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, at Little Caesars Arena.

The Sabres improved to 9-2-1 by bouncing back from Thursday's ugly 6- 2 loss in New York. They have yet to lose two games in a row this season. Detroit, meanwhile dropped to 3-8 and has lost seven straight. The Red Wings have been outscored, 29-9, in that stretch.

The first goal: McCabe got the Sabres going at 11:40 of the second period on a simple wrist shot that beat Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard on the short side. wiped out Detroit's Tyler Bertuzzi along the left-wing boards and Reinhart tapped the puck back to McCabe, who made no mistake.

On the board: It was McCabe's first goal of the season. That leaves Henri Jokiharju, Jimmy Vesey, Colin MIller, Rasmus Ristolainen, Evan Rodrigues and John Gilmour still looking for their first goals of the season.

Creating space: The Sabres made it 2-0 at 1:15 of the third as Reinhart collected his fifth goal of the season on a power play, tipping home a strong pass from Victor Olofsson.

In the net: Ullmark was particularly sharp in the first period as Detroit had 12 of the game's first 15 shots on goal. His best save came on a breakaway by Valteri Filppula, who stole the puck from Marcus Johansson at the Detroit line and broke down the ice alone. It was Ullmark's first shutout of the season and third of his career. He made 21 saves in the third period, several with the Red Wings playing at 6-on-5 and 6-on-4.

The missing: Vesey (upper body) and Marco Scandella (lower body) both missed their first games of the season. McCabe played just 3:44 in the first period and sat out the final 10 1/2 minutes after getting stitches about the eye.

Cracking the lineup: Rodrigues made his fifth appearance of the season, taking Vesey's spot in the lineup. Defenseman Gilmour, a healthy scratch for the first 11 games, made his Buffalo debut in place of Scandella.

Shifting the defense pairs: Gilmour opened the game with Miller while Rasmus Dahlin played with Jokiharju after posting a minus-3 rating for just the third time in his career Thursday in New York. Ristolainen and McCabe stayed together, although McCabe left for repairs.

Coach Ralph Krueger on giving Gilmour a chance: "He's been working extremely hard and has been a positive spirit right through the 11 games. He's very deserving to be in."

Not at home on the road: Eichel entered the game with just one point in six games on the road this season -- but assisted on both goals. His 13 points in KeyBank Center (6-7) leave him tied with Edmonton's Connor McDavid for the NHL lead in home points (13).

"People don't understand how when you're an elite player, every night is a hard night. Every shift on the road is a hard shift," Krueger said. "It's hard for us as coaches to free him for that. His line needs to spend more time in the offensive zone, get more cycling going and have a little more patience. Sometimes they're looking for chances every time they cross the blueline and it's not going to work that way on the road. There's gotta be some long grinding shifts to create offense."

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158585 Buffalo Sabres power in the shot," Olofsson said. "I’ve mostly used the whip of the stick. I’ve been keeping them kind of soft and the older I’ve become I’ve went up a little bit over time."

Victor Olofsson using 'whippy' stick to transform Sabres' power play Olofsson has used the stick to become an early candidate for the Calder Trophy. Entering play Friday, he led all NHL rookies in goals (six) and points (9), while being tied with Edmonton's James Neal for the league By Lance Lysowski lead among all players in power-play goals (6). Olofsson also became the first player in NHL history to score each of his first seven-plus career Published Fri, Oct 25, 2019|Updated Fri, Oct 25, 2019 goals on the power play. The Sabres entered Friday with the fourth-best power play in the league.

There is an audible gasp inside KeyBank Center when the puck is Additionally, only three rookies in franchise history recorded more points headed toward Victor Olofsson on the power play. The opposing goalie through their team's first 10 games of the season: (1971-72), slides to that side of the net, and defenders scramble to try to block the Phil Housley (1982-83) and Hannu Virta (1982-83). one-timer slap shot that has quickly become feared around the National "It’s refreshing for them, I’m sure, and good for our league to see a young Hockey League. player like that score," Los Angeles Kings coach Todd McLellan said of Olofsson has transformed the Buffalo Sabres' attack on the man Olofsson. advantage with his quick release and uncanny accuracy, even when Hockey equipment brands allow players to customize stick length, there's little time for him to decide where to shoot. degree of curve to the blade and location of the kick point, which is the If teams are caught cheating to stop Olofsson, they'll give Jack Eichel a area in a stick that flexes most. Olofsson's Bauer Supreme 2S has a mid- quality scoring chance. If Eichel receives added attention in the left-wing kick point, a design that helps generate maximum power and allows him circle, Rasmus Dahlin has a clear look at the net from near the blue line. to create that sling-shot effect. Despite having to use a CCM brand stick While there were concerns about Olofsson's size when he was selected while playing for Rochester -- the is amid a 181st overall by the Sabres in 2014, he has always terrorized opponents five-year partnership with the company -- Olofsson produced 30 goals with his shot. last season.

However, the 24-year-old winger's greatest weapon has evolved with the "He has a very whippy stick," Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark said. "The use of a "whippy" stick that helps him generate velocity and movement, release of the puck comes in a little different. The timing can be different. making his left-handed shot more difficult for goalies to stop. I don't think many guys use one like that. … There are a lot of big boys in this league, so not a lot of them can play with an 82, either. Those guys "It goes in lots; I don’t know," Sabres goalie Carter Hutton joked when have a little bit more power into the stick, so it can become too whippy. It asked what makes Olofsson's shot effective. "Honestly, he uses a whippy would be like shooting a banana, so it would break apart." stick and these younger guys have these whippy sticks. It’s really hard to pick up the release. The puck flight isn’t flat. It kind of floats a bit. It's "He’s got a high-end shot, and everybody respects that, and the guys he almost like a riser and it’s hard to save in practice, so I can’t imagine plays with understand that," Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said of when he’s bombing them on the power play and there’s traffic. He’s a Olofsson. "The opposition is getting ready for it here and there, but you pure goal scorer, that’s for sure." can’t cover it all the time. We’re very pleased to have that weapon in our artillery." Olofsson uses a Bauer Supreme 2S stick with an 82 flex, a measurement of how many pounds of force are required to bend the stick's shaft one The success of Olofsson's shot goes beyond his physical gifts. He also inch. The higher the flex, the stiffer the stick, and the stiffer the stick, the has an innate ability to determine where he wants to shoot the puck more powerful the shot. Olofsson describes his stick as "soft," meaning it before he receives a pass. He'll monitor a goalie's tendencies and picks bends more easily. his spot based on the situation. A quicker release is required if a cross- ice pass forces the goalie to move from one side of the net to the other. Get the ultimate assist. Check your inbox the day of and day after every Olofsson has been tasked by Krueger to find different ways to make an Sabres game for expert analysis, developments from across the NHL impact, particularly on the power play. and inside info on the blue and gold. Olofsson needs to become unpredictable, and while he is making an Olofsson was required to use a lower flex during his junior career and effort to get to the net for what Krueger calls "ugly goals," the rookie will slowly increased the number as he's become stronger. He may always have that sling shot in his arsenal. experiment with an 87 in the future but doesn't intend to do so during the season. After all, too much tinkering can disrupt a player's release. "With sticks there are so many options these days," Asplund added following a recent practice in Rochester. "You can choose whatever you "When I shoot I usually get a lot of whip on my stick," Olofsson said. "It want. You can tell the brand what you want and he’s found what he comes off as a sling shot, almost. That’s what I want. If I have a stiffer wants. That shows. It’s awesome to see that shot, to watch it every day stick I can’t really get that sling-shot motion. I think that helps with the on a daily basis. It’s pretty special. " movement and it helps with my accuracy as well. When I don’t have to use as much power I can get better accuracy."

Players are instructed at a young age to determine their flex by dividing Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 their weight by two. However, heavier players across the NHL have chosen to use a lower flex to get more of a whip motion in their shot. That can help with accuracy and often adds spin, making the puck more difficult for a goalie to track.

The drawback, though, is a heavier player is going to break whippy sticks more often. Olofsson is listed at 183 pounds, yet he hasn't had issues on shot attempts. While young amateur players often follow the weight guidelines to determine flex, professionals select their number based on skill set.

For example, Olofsson uses a higher flex number because his focus is on shooting the puck, but Rasmus Asplund, his former teammate in Rochester, chose a 75 because it helps with winning faceoffs and executing passes. Defensemen are more likely to use a long, stiff stick since they need to break up passes in the defensive zone and shoot slap shots from the blue line.

"I’ve always used soft sticks because I’ve felt like that’s helped my wrist shot a lot, where I don’t have to use that much strength to generate 1158586 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres game day: Quick turnaround produces trip to see broken Wings

By Mike Harrington

Published Fri, Oct 25, 2019|Updated Fri, Oct 25, 2019

Actual lineup news coming: The Sabres' forward lines and defense pairs have been mostly unchanged for the first 11 games, save for Evan Rodrigues' uneventful four-game stint in place of the injured Conor Sheary. That will change tonight.

Marco Scandella (leg) and Jimmy Vesey (upper body) both left Thursday's 6-2 loss in New York with injuries in the second period and neither returned to the game, although Scandella was on the bench for the third period and was held off the ice. Late Friday afternoon, the Sabres ruled both of them out of tonight's game and said they would be re-evaluated this weekend.

With no forward callup, it means Rodrigues will come back into the lineup to play in Vesey's spot with Sheary and Casey Mittelstadt.

The team called up defenseman Will Borgen from Rochester on Friday morning but he will simply be an extra defenseman. John Gilmour will make his Buffalo debut after being a healthy scratch for 11 straight games.

Bouncing back: The Sabres have yet to lose two in a row this year and will be trying to avoid that fate in the wake of Thursday's clunker in the Big Apple.

"The growth process doesn't change depending on a score of a game," Krueger said afterward. "We are still making mistakes. We made mistakes in past games and we were able to find ways to win. Today, we just couldn't recover from the hole we dug ourselves into. We didn't show the Rangers enough respect and they punished us for it and we will learn from that."

"Truthfully, it's just one loss. Whether we lost 10-1 or 2-1, it doesn't matter," said goaltender Carter Hutton. "It's one loss and we have to move on. I think we have a lot of experience and maturity in this room and Ralph as the head coach is going to keep the boys focused."

Sabres glad to escape from New York after a dud of a night

Broken Wings: Detroit is 3-7 and on a six-game losing streak during which the Red Wings have been outscored, 27-9, and have allowed five goals in five of the six games. Get this: Tonight is the start of a three- game homestand that features visits by defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis and Edmonton, which owns the same 8-2-1 record as Buffalo. Yikes. On paper, not the way to turn around a losing streak.

The Sabres have won three straight in Detroit for just the second time in their history. They won five in a row here from 1979-1981.

Defenseman Danny DeKeyser and forwards and Justin Abdelkader were absent from today's morning skate and will sit out tonight, with embattled coach announcing Glendening suffered a hand injury Wednesday at Ottawa and will miss 2 to 4 weeks.

Jimmy Howard (1-4, 3.88/.898) is expected to start in goal against Buffalo's Linus Ullmark (2-1-1, 3.18/.913).

Detroit is just 25th in the NHL on the power play (4 for 33) and 26th on the penalty kill (23 of 32). The Sabres remain fourth on the PP (12 for 42) but only 18th on the PK (27 of 34).

Unbalanced lineup: Anthony Mantha (7 goals), Darren Helm (4) and Tyler Bertuzzi (4) have combined for 15 of the Wings' 23 goals. Mantha likely will switch lines tonight to skate with slumping Andreas Anthanasiou, who has no goals and a minus-11 rating thus far after scoring 30 goals last year.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158587 Buffalo Sabres He wants to fulfill two goals: win his first championship and play his 1,000th professional game.

Moulson has played 953 – 650 in the NHL and 313 in the AHL – so he Reinvigorated ex-Sabre Matt Moulson has eyes on 1,000 games and title could hit the milestone later this season.

“That’s big, that’s something I obviously thought about,” Moulson said. “I By Bill Hoppe do want to get to that mark. I think it’s a good personal accomplishment.

Published Fri, Oct 25, 2019 “I mean, I don’t really look at many other personal accomplishments. I want to win to a championship.”

When Moulson was a prospect playing for the Manchester Monarchs, the ROCHESTER – Sometimes Matt Moulson hears the words and tears fill Kings’ previous affiliate, he said he learned about the Bears’ rich history. his eyes. The Bears, the AHL’s oldest franchise, have won the 11 When the former Buffalo Sabres winger left his home in Connecticut last times in their 82 years. They regularly rank among the league leaders in month to begin his 14th, and possibly final pro season, his wife and two attendance, drawing more than 9,000 fans a game to the Giant Center. children stayed home. The city, he said, reminds him a bit of Buffalo. After spending nearly two seasons living in Ontario, Calif., a city about 45 minutes east of Los Angeles, Moulson and his wife, Alicia, finally had “Blue-collar city where people love their sports,” he said. enough moving. With the Bears, Moulson has a dual role: scorer and veteran mentor. Moulson said their daughter, Mila, 7, and son, George, 6, attended about Through eight games, he has scored two goals and six points. five schools in the past three years. They needed more stability. In the AHL, he still showcases the talents that helped him score 176 NHL So Moulson has been living alone this season while playing for the goals. , the Washington Capitals’ American Hockey League Moulson never possessed blazing speed or a heavy shot. Still, he can be affiliate. lethal in tight spaces around the net.

“I get a little tear-jerky when my daughter or son say that they miss me,” “You normally don’t see a guy that can score as much as he does that said Moulson, whose family often visits him on the weekends. “That’s doesn’t blow you away with speed or doesn’t blow you away with a great tough.” shot or one-timer, because he doesn’t possess all those,” Hershey coach Moulson’s presence in the AHL, a development league, is unusual. Spencer Carbery said. “But he just has that unique ability to finish plays, Former stars rarely return to the minors in the twilight of their career. and all of a sudden, the puck ends up on his stick and it’s in the back of the net.” The Cornell graduate scored 30 or more goals in three consecutive seasons with the New York Islanders. From the start of the 2009-10 The Capitals also covet Moulson’s ability to be a positive influence on campaign through his Sabres debut on Oct. 28, 2013, he scored 120 their prospects. Carbery and Hershey center Mike Sgarbossa said goals in 305 games, the 10th-highest total in the NHL during that span. Moulson carries himself like one of the guys.

Only one AHL player, Americans defenseman Nathan Paetsch, 36, is “He’s made a lot of money in his career; he’s produced a lot in the NHL older than Moulson, who turns 36 on Nov. 1. level; he’s done a lot in this game and you would never know it,” Sgarbossa said. “Very humble guy, very good teammate.” Two years ago, the Sabres waived a graying Moulson and jettisoned him to the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ top affiliate, after he went pointless in 14 Carbery said: “He’s just a great pro. He sets an example the way he outings to start the season. carries himself, the way he works on his game, the type of person he is, his experiences – all that stuff. He makes it really, really easy to learn His scoring touch gone, the Sabres were willing to eat the money they from him in a lot of different areas.” owed him over the final two seasons of his massive five-year, $25 million contract. While Moulson is still a top-tier AHL scorer, he knows his playing days will likely be ending in the near future. He acknowledged this season Assigning him to Rochester would have taken valuable ice time away could be his last and hopes to stay in hockey whenever the end comes. from prospects, so the Sabres loaned him to a team 2,500 miles away. “It crosses my mind sometimes,” Moulson said. “I don’t think I ever like to If Moulson wanted to be paid by the Sabres, he had to play where they commit to something, kind of take it day by day.” sent him.

Moulson, however, had options last summer. He could’ve simply retired. Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 But he loved his time with the Reign. He scored 46 goals and 108 points in 117 games in his first stint in the AHL since 2008-09.

Moulson said playing for Reign coach Mike Stothers “was huge for me personally and hockey-wise.”

“He was an unbelievable coach, unbelievable guy,” he said. “I think everyone kind of needs that belief in you to succeed and get that confidence back. I think that was big from him.

“So, I mean, I loved every minute I played under him and with the guys in Ontario.”

So Moulson decided to play another season. He signed a one-year AHL contract with the Bears on July 24.

“He went down to Ontario and really had a lot of fun playing the game,” said Sabres winger Kyle Okposo, Moulson’s close friend. “He really loves it again.”

In a cramped hallway outside the visiting dressing room in Blue Cross Arena following the Bears’ 5-1 loss to Amerks on Wednesday, Moulson sounded excited for the opportunities that another season presents. 1158588 Buffalo Sabres

Sabres recall defenseman Will Borgen from Rochester

By Staff

Published Fri, Oct 25, 2019

The Sabres have recalled defenseman Will Borgen from Rochester of the American Hockey League in advance of Friday night's game at the Detroit Red Wings.

The Sabres could be in need of another defenseman because Marco Scandella suffered a lower body injury in Thursday's loss to the New York Rangers. If Scandella can't play, it's possible that John Gilmour would be inserted in the lineup with Borgen being with the team as an emergency.

Borgen has played in all seven games for the Amerks after playing 71 games in Rochester last year.

Buffalo News LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158589 Calgary Flames great job they did. The ice was perfect. Fans were into it. All in all, it was an awesome, awesome experience.”

QUICK START Jets snuff out Flames at The Flames were flying out of the gates. Gaudreau led the charge.

Playing on a new-look trio with Lindholm at and Tkachuk on the Kristen Anderson, Postmedia right side, the snake-bitten star had the first shot on net on a breakaway.

October 27, 2019 12:21 AM MDT Flames head coach Bill Peters had put his lines in a blender prior to the game, placing Monahan with Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane.

REGINA — It wasn’t quite the high-scoring game of shinny that forces a Meanwhile, the team’s makeshift third line was Milan Lucic, Mikael sticks-in-the-middle trade before the frostbite sets in or Mom and Dad Backlund and Michael Frolik. American Hockey League call-up Alan ring the dinner bell. Quine was with Derek Ryan and Tobias Rieder.

But despite its lack of goals, the 2019 Heritage Classic “They were fine, we’ll leave them like that … I liked them,” Peters said. “I delivered. thought we were deep. We gave everybody a chance to play. One of the things you have to do, if you can, in this situation is to to keep guys And so did Bryan Little, scoring on a two-on-one with Kyle Connnor, going. The more roll your lines, the better it is. Otherwise, guys get iced if beating TJ Brodie and netminder David Rittich 1:56 into overtime to seal they’re sitting for long periods of time … I thought we had good a 2-1 victory for the ‘home team’ over the Calgary Flames. momentum.”

It wasn’t the result the “visiting team” wanted, but it was an experience Mangiapane hit a rut in the ice and fell in the first period. they’ll never forget. St. Malo’s own Travis Hamonic, playing in his 600th NHL game, hit the “I never grew up playing in atmospheres like that, in St. Louis and a little same rut later. bit in Arizona,” said Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk. “But it feels right. You know? It feels that’s how hockey should be, and how legends in the Monahan took a delay-of-game penalty after backhanding the puck off its past grew up playing. That’s how it used to be way back when they were edge and sending it over the glass as a result. Bennett and Brodie also practising. You hear all the greats growing up and talking about playing took penalties in the middle frame but Flames’ penalty kill, operating at on the outdoor rink. 88.9 per cent heading into Saturday’s game, didn’t bend.

“It’s cool to play in that environment where it’s snowing, where it’s The NHL’s ice crew broke out the shovels at the first TV time-out. causing the ice to be slower. You’re falling. You’re losing the puck. It The Flames, at one point, led 8-1 on the shot-clock but after two periods, bounces all over the place. You knew it was going to be a low-scoring were being out-shot 14-11. game. It was fun.” In the last minute of the first, Oliver Kylington skimmed the crease and That’s exactly what Saturday’s game at Mosaic Stadium was. Backlund nearly had a wide-open chance for a tap-in on Hellebuyck but The fun only ramped up when Sean Monahan took a tripping penalty missed. against Mark Scheifele thirty-nine seconds into overtime, putting the There were no goals after 20 minutes. pressure on Flames netminder David Rittich. Jets head coach Paul Maurice called a timeout and, right after, Blake Wheeler hit the post The second was stingy, too. (which Rittich, of course, kissed). Nostalgia rippled through the crowd when Adam Lowry crushed Kylington Fitting that Calgary native — and proud, loyal card-carrying member of into the end boards at the end of the middle frame, sparking an old the Saskatchewan Roughrider fan club — Josh Morrissey forced fashioned brawl and dog pile. At the bottom of it was Rittich, protecting overtime when he tied the game 1-1 with 4:11 remaining in the third his teammate. period on a powerplay marker. He beat Rittich with a rocket which was somewhat screened as sat helplessly in the penalty box The Flames started the third period on a power play as Lowry was for hooking. tagged for boarding, and could face supplemental discipline from the NHL. Rittich made 43-saves, the most-ever in a regular season outdoor game in NHL history while the Flames peppered Jets’ netminder Connor BRAVING THE ELEMENTS Hellebuyck with 30 shots. The snow swirled nearly the entire game and only stopped at the 5:24 “It’s cold out there for them, right?” said Flames goaltender Mark mark of the third period. Giordano. “They don’t get to come to the warm bench and sit. But I The wind howled. thought both goalies played well. “Experience Regina,” a local catch-phrase that mocks a poorly made “I thought there were some good chances in the game and really good 90s-era video promoting tourism to the Queen City, was the theme of the looks.” night.

Elias Lindholm made history, too, in the first-ever regular season NHL And it doesn’t get much more Saskatchewan than braving the elements, game in Regina, scored the game’s first goal on the power play with 5:13 no matter what they are, just to play a little . remaining in the second period. Hellebuyck slid across his crease, thinking Johnny Gaudreau was going to shoot but instead he passed “The wind is not very nice,” Rittich had said prior to the start of the clash. over to Lindholm. The 27-year-old Czech native, sporting old-timey brown vintage leather The biggest play on that goal, however, came when Tkachuk showed pads, also let out an exhale when asked about the ice conditions. superb hand-eye coordination when he batted down a clearing attempt “It’s really hard to say something,” he said with a grin. “It’s outside. It’s and kept the puck in play. not really good.” The Jets, in fact, felt that it was high sticking and challenged the play. Not that it mattered. The players played on, the spectators gripped their However, the referees ruled that Tkachuk’s stick “was at or below the beer, sipped their whiskey in flasks, and huddled together to stay warm. normal height of his shoulders when he contacted the puck prior to Lindholm’s goal.” All that was missing was mom and dad calling them in for dinner.

That resulted in a Jets penalty, part of a new rule this season that “The atmosphere, coming in here, it was cool,” Giordano said. “Playing penalizes a team for an unsuccessful challenge. outside, it’s funny, it feels like you have a lot of energy and it feels good in the lungs. It was a great atmosphere, we were obviously happy to play “They don’t give you two points for playing well for most of the game,” in it. But right now, it stings.” Tkachuk said. “You’ve got finish ‘er off. But, just to talk about the experience, what a great time it was. What a great host in Regina, what a MOVING ON

The team continues its longest road trip of the season, flying to Carolina after Saturday’s game.

They’ll square off with the host Hurricanes on Tuesday, the Nashville Predators on Halloween, the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and the Washington Capitals on Sunday.

It was tough luck for a group that has been inconsistent for the entire month, beating the Florida Panthers 6-5 in a sloppy shootout victory on Thursday and dropping to 6-5-2 after Saturday’s result.

After the Flames’ loss and the team’s 4-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens at the at McMahon Stadium, they are 1-0-1 in outdoor games.

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158590 Calgary Flames

Heritage Classic provides frigid conditions for Flames and Jets

Kristen Anderson, Postmedia

October 26, 2019 11:19 PM MDT

REGINA — The snow started falling two hours before puck drop. It didn’t stop.

The wind? Well, it was biting and howling all day.

And by the time the Calgary Flames squared off with the Winnipeg Jets under the stars in Saturday’s 2019 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic, temperatures had plummeted. When the Canadian Forces Snowbirds flew over Regina’s Mosaic Stadium and the fireworks were set off at 8:14 p.m., it was -2.5 C. Allegedly.

Anyone in the stands could protest that it felt much colder than that.

But, in the house that the Saskatchewan Roughriders built — the first neutral site in the history of the National Hockey League’s outdoor games — the spectacle was picturesque, idyllic and worth the price of admission before an over-capacity crowd of 33,518.

“This is awesome,” Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk told CBC’s after a wild second period. “This is exactly what you think about when you think about an outdoor hockey game. This is such a blast.”

The Flames wore their ultra-popular bright white retro jerseys while the Jets wore a sharp-looking navy blue retro set-up and their original logos. Both teams broke out the tinted visors to cut down on the shadows and glare from the falling snow. Sam Bennett’s Lanny McDonald-inspired- moustache was covered in snow and frost. (Lanny’s actual moustache was also covered in snow and frost as the legendary Flame was on hand to be part of the ceremonial face-off along with long-time Winnipeg Jets forward Thomas Steen).

Every single player wore tuques during warm-ups. The Flames’ coaching staff ditched their custom-made fedoras in favour of protective headgear, too (except assistant coach Martin Gelinas), but busted the retro-looking fedoras out at game time. The players eventually ditched the tuques, too.

Prior to the game, the NHL had released a lengthy list of contingency procedures should the element become, uh, unbearable.

All were at the discretion of NHL commissioner who, gleefully, had declared a few days prior that out door games provide the “ultimate reality” and the weather is, simply, “part of the intrigue of the game.”

Or so said the guy who doesn’t have to skate directly into 47-kilometre wind gusts.

Or stand in line for $8 Pilsners (although that price seemed like a bargain compared to prices at other professional sporting events).

Then, stand in line for the washroom.

But fans from 756-kilometres due west and from 573-kilometres due east travelled the distance to meet in the middle for the 28th outdoor game in NHL history.

And the players, battling snow and gale-force winds, put on a show.

Peters, wearing snappy NHL official letterman’s jackets, brought the team over to the Stadium early so that players could take pictures and videos — really soak it all in.

“Beautiful,” Peters had said. “Prairies, at this time of the year — wonderful. It’s good hockey weather. It’s a great hockey province and great to bring the NHL to Saskatchewan.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158591 Calgary Flames Peters was a coach on the Detroit Red Wings when they played the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1 at Ann Arbour, Mi., before 105, 491 fans at Michigan Stadium.

Flames notebook: Usual line combinations shaken up “I do know that during the first T.V. timeout in the Big House, we talked to the players and it was attentive,” Peters recalled. “In the second and third, they were looking around — 104,000 people, there’s snow coming Kristen Anderson, Postmedia down. And then they gotta play.

October 26, 2019 3:40 PM MDT “I think it’s important in these games to get everybody going and you keep everybody engaged.”

CZARNIK OUT WITH INJURY The Calgary Flames were sporting their brand new white retro jerseys at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium while the coaching staff was cruising around in A tough break for Austin Czarnik, who had been on a roll to start the new red tracksuits. 2019-20 season. The 26-year-old right-winger was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday after suffering what looked like a knee injury in the That wasn’t the only new look spotted as the team practised ahead of Flames’ 6-5 shootout win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Saturday’s 2019 Tim Hortons Heritage Classic. Peters said Czarnik would be out until Christmas. In attempt to generate more offence from his two top forwards — Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, specifically — head coach Bill Peters put “I just know it’s bad,” he said. “He was starting to play well. He had a his lines in a blender, splitting up Gaudreau and Monahan. On the first good opportunity and was playing on the powerplay . . . it is frustrating. line, he moved Elias Lindholm to centre and Matthew Tkachuk to right He’s had some time in the top-six, took advantage of that and was wing. providing some secondary scoring with us.

He bumped up left-winger Andrew Mangiapane and put him with centre “Frustrating for us because he’s a guy, we think he can help us.” Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett on the right side. Czarnik, who had two goals and an assist in the last three games, Then, he stuck Milan Lucic with and Michael Frolik, a including a powerplay marker in the first period Thursday, played one makeshift third line. Meanwhile, AHL call-up Alan Quine was with Derek shift early in the third period and disappeared down the tunnel. Ryan and Tobias Rieder. As a result, Alan Quine was recalled from the American Hockey League’s No biggie, according to Tkachuk. . Quine, 26, was called up a week ago when the Flames needed another forward in the wake of Sam Bennett’s injury at L.A. Even after the Flames generated five goals in a 6-5 shootout win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night at . But, following Sunday’s 2-1 win at Anaheim, was dispatched back to Stockton. “It’s just a little shake-up,” Tkachuk said. “It seems like whenever we do this, it could go back to how it was with a shift or at the end of the first period or a game. You don’t know. It’s good that we get a little shake-up here. Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.27.2019

“We scored a few more goals than normal last game but we’ve been snake bitten in the past however many games. It’s just a different look against a team that’s playing pretty good and pretty good defensively.”

Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters looks on during practice for the NHL Heritage Classic outdoor hockey game in Regina on Friday, October 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

The “visiting” Flames are 6-5-1 while the “home” Jets are 5-6-0 but Calgary’s lack of consistency in their big names — Gaudreau and Monahan — have been the story of the 2019-20 season so far.

Gaudreau is scoreless in seven and has three goals and six assists in 12 games.

Monahan has two goals and five assists in 12 games and hasn’t scored in 10.

“Obviously things aren’t going well right now,” Monahan said. “We have to score five-on-five. (Thursday) was a start but we still didn’t play great. Whenever you go on stretches like that, there are always changes. That’s part of the game . . . a bit of a wakeup call for guys, obviously.

“This is a team that has to make a mark this year. This early in the year, you shake things up and get back going.”

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

Saturday is the 28th outdoor game since 2003, and the first of three set for the 2019-20 NHL campaign.

Following the clash between the Flames and Jets, the Nashville Predators will take on the Dallas Stars at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 1 while the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche square off on Feb. 15 at Falcon Stadium at Colorado Springs.

Only four Flames have played in outdoor NHL games — Milan Lucic and Cam Talbot were with the Oilers when they played the Jets at Winnipeg’s IG Field; Mark Giordano and Mikael Backlund are the two leftovers from the 2011 Heritage Classic team that played at McMahon Stadium.

The Jets have 11 players with outdoor experience. 1158592 Calgary Flames The Flames are coming off a wild 6-5 win over the Florida Panthers Thursday, which raised their record to a modest 6-5-1 after 12 games. Monahan understood the messaging from the coaching staff – that the Duhatschek: The Flames are shaking things up as they get set for the changes were a “bit of a wake-up call for guys. This is a team that’s got Heritage Classic to make a mark this year and do something. This early in the year, you shake things up and you get back going.

“This league’s tough to win in. Any night, any team can win, it’s so tight. By Eric Duhatschek But we’ve got a group here, a deep team, we want to win, and need to put our best foot forward every night.” Oct 26, 2019 Tkachuk, for his part, said he was looking forward to playing his first-ever

NHL outdoor game – though pretty much every player on both sides has REGINA – Who knew that the biggest issue with staging an outdoor some childhood memory of playing the game in the open air. hockey game in Regina would be that the temperature, in the last week “I remember when I was younger, always watching the Winter Classic of October, might actually be too warm? and thinking that was the coolest thing ever,” said Tkachuk. “To get to But that’s what happened Friday, when the mercury soared to 17C in the play outdoors is awesome. The biggest thing is going to be the wind. The Saskatchewan capital, which pushed back practice times for the way the wind was going, you’re completely downwind at one end of the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames on the one and only day they had to ice and you’re going right against it the other end. So, it’s a factor for prepare for Saturday’s Heritage Classic outdoor game. sure.”

Organizers wanted to wait until the sun was lower in the sky, before the The Flames made the trip to Regina from Calgary Friday, many with their Jets went out on the ice for their practice. Glare was an issue for them. families in tow. Once the formal practice was over, wives and children Wind too. Further complicating matters was the ever-changing weather were permitted to go on the ice at Mosaic Stadium for a pleasure skate. forecast, which now suggests there could be snow falling by game time. “Even today, the whole day’s been awesome,” said Tkachuk. “Normally, Team captain Mark Giordano, one of two Flames players to have played by now, we’re having dinner, or close to being in bed. Now, we’re getting in the team’s previous outdoor game, gave both the ice conditions and double practised. No skate tomorrow. Eight o’clock game. It’s a different the lighting a positive report. vibe, a different feel, but one I’m really looking forward to. At the beginning of the year, this is one you’re looking forward to. This is one “It seems like you’ll be able to make plays out there, especially at the you’ve got circled. You don’t get many opportunities like this.” start,” he said. “As it went on and on, it got slower and softer, but I’m sure with the weather getting cooler, it’ll be good tomorrow night.” For Giordano, it will be the second outdoor game of his NHL career. He suggested Friday, he can hardly believe eight years have passed since And if it snows? the first – and thus, he will be drinking in the atmosphere right up until game time. “You’ve really got to simplify your game if there’s snow out there,” answered Giordano. “Whatever conditions there are, you just deal with it. “We had some fun out there today at practice, but tomorrow, it’ll be all I think the message is going to be keep it simple, especially early, and go business,” said Giordano. “It’ll be a good game and a fun atmosphere, from there.” but at the end of the day, we’ve got to realize this is a regular-season game that’s important. Both teams are going to be pretty desperate for a The other variable in their preparation, which is almost as unpredictable win. I don’t think either team is where they want to be.” as the weather, involved the massive line changes that coach Bill Peters threw at his team. Peters is a notorious line juggler, but this was One of the most popular players in Flames history, Lanny McDonald, is significant, even by his own standards. Still looking for greater here for the Heritage Classic and took part in a hot-stove session along consistency from his top players, Peters split up his No. 1 trio of Sean with fellow teammate Jamie Macoun, and a quartet of former Winnipeg Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm, putting Lindholm at Jets: Dave Ellett, , Thomas Steen and Kris King. centre between Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, while shifting Monahan to a line with Sam Bennett and Andrew Mangiapane. That left Milan Lucic Calgary-Winnipeg doesn’t have the same historical cachet as Calgary- patrolling the right side with Mikael Backlund and Michal Frolik, while the Edmonton, but Ellett and Steen both pointed out how hard a swing fourth line featured Derek Ryan between Tobias Rieder and Alan Quine. through used to be in the 1980s, when both were powerhouses. Quine was called up from the team’s AHL affiliate in Stockton to replace Naturally, all of them had an outdoor hockey story or two to spin, but the injured Austin Czarnik. If Peters sticks with that configuration for McDonald’s was maybe the best. Saturday, it’ll mean Mark Jankowski will be the odd man out against the Jets. “My mother was a school teacher at the country school I went to for eight years,” said McDonald. “My dad flooded the rink. We had the boards that So, there was a lot to digest in the early evening Friday — and it’s hard to were about 14 inches high. So, you’d pile the snow up and hope the know which was more perplexing: The challenge playing the game snow got hard enough on the ends that you didn’t lose the puck. outdoors? Or dealing with the new-look lineup? “One day, I forgot my skates. My mother had figure skates, so at noon “Changing the lines up sometimes helps,” said Gaudreau. “Who knows time, I tried her skates because I’d forgotten mine at home. They didn’t how long it lasts? Maybe one period. Maybe the rest of the season. You work very well, because I kept catching a (toe) pick. I was smart enough never know. So, you just hope to create some chemistry with your new to know how to sharpen skates, so I went in and ground the picks off – of line mates and be productive and win games and go from there.” mom’s skates. I got grounded for the longest time. My mom was Peters has talked about deploying Lindholm as a centre for a while now, absolutely livid. After my dad chuckled a couple of times, he said, ‘you but this is an entirely new configuration, according to Tkachuk, who know, that’s not the smartest move.’ suggested: “I’ve played with both of them before, but I don’t think I’ve “And we weren’t that rich so it took a long time for mom to replace the played with both of them together as a line. Hopefully it doesn’t take too skates – and I’m not sure she ever forgave me for that.” long to get used to each other. They know how I play. I know how they play. Hopefully, it’ll click early.”

Like Gaudreau, Tkachuk knows that Peters can shift things quickly, if the The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 team looks out of sync.

“It’s good that we get a little shake-up here,” said Tkachuk. “We’re not near where we want to be, but we’re trending a little in the right direction. We’ve got to get there soon. It’s not early in the season anymore. We’re picking up speed. We’re almost into November now.

“I think for us to be where we want to be, we have to play smart. We have to play really hard at both blue lines; play in the offensive zone as much as possible; be strong on the puck; and make some more plays.” 1158593 Carolina Hurricanes poor second period hurt, and the Canes’ second period on Saturday was their poorest of the game. But Mrazek had another 11 stops in the second to keep the Blackhawks stymied.

Svechnikov, Mrazek spur Hurricanes to shutout against Blackhawks “I loved the way we played in the third, with the lead and still going after it but doing it right,” Brind’Amour said.

In terms of strategy, having the last change at home helped. The BY CHIP ALEXANDER Blackhawks (2-5-2) switched up their lines, loading up their top line with centering and Alex DeBrincat. OCTOBER 26, 2019 03:24 PM Brind’Amour planned to have Aho center Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen but moved Teravainen to Staal’s line with Niederreiter to match up. RALEIGH This day, all the Canes’ moves worked. Had a few shots not banged off It was hard for Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour to pick and the post, the final score could have been 6-0. choose what he liked best about a 4-0 victory Saturday over the Chicago Blackhawks. “After losing the last three games, we knew we had to change something,” Niederreiter said. “I think it starts with working hard and The Canes ended a three-game winless streak. Brind’Amour liked that. playing simple in our own zone and go from there.” The Canes needed a win.

Andrei Svechnikov scored twice, getting his first career power-play goal. Nino Niederreiter scored his first goal of the season, and Jordan Staal News Observer LOADED: 10.27.2019 added another power-play score. Brind’Amour liked all that, of course.

Petr Mrazek, winning his 13th consecutive game at PNC Arena, earned his second shutout of the season and the 20th of his career. Against with a team with a load of firepower, he was poised in net but was also his usual fiery, competitive self, finishing with 32 saves.

“Phenomenal, right?” Brind’Amour said of his goalie, who was named the game’s first star. “He was sharp. You could tell, he was kind of ahead of it. He was solid all the way.”

But the Canes (7-3-1), as a group, were sharp, ahead of it and solid. The forecheck was good for the most part. The penalty killers did their job, snuffing out three Chicago power plays. The defense was active and sound.

“We played hard,” Svechnikov said. “We played hard all 60 minutes.”

Before scoring, Niederreiter made a hustling backchecking play in the first period with the defenseman caught back up ice that might have prevented a Chicago goal. Coaches, and teammates, always appreciate that.

Niederreiter had seemed snake-bit offensively in the first 10 games, often playing with center Sebastian Aho and getting his scoring chances but being unable to finish. His goal came after extended pressure in the offensive zone that gassed the Blackhawks on the ice.

“You’re paid to score goals and if they don’t go in it’s definitely frustrating,” Niederreiter said. “It’s something that I know I’ve got to do and have to do, and I’m happy one went in and got that off my chest.”

Svechnikov had one empty-net goal in the first 10 games of the season and had to wonder when he would finally beat a goaltender. But the second-year pro was fully engaged from the start Saturday, buzzing around the net, and twice beat the Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford — the first on a quick wrister on the power play in the first period and the second on a shot in tight late in the game.

The power-play goal took five seconds. The puck dropped, the Canes’ Erik Haula won the draw, Dougie Hamilton passed to Svechnikov and Svechnikov unloaded from the left side. Crawford was frozen in place.

Staal gave the Canes’ second power-play unit a goal. Some nice passing between Niederreiter and Aho, who had two assists in the game, set up Staal for a shot from the low slot, pushing the Canes ahead 3-0 early in the third.

“Nice to win one on special teams,” Brind’Amour said.

Mrazek took it from there. He was cool in net in the first, facing 13 shots, and made a key stop in the second, stoning Dylan Strome on a breakaway. The Blackhawks had 68 total attempts, having 20 shots blocked and missing the net 16 times.

“It was busy in the first period,” Mrazek said. “You have a lot of stuff coming at you, and I saw the puck very well. The guys did a great job in front of me and made it easier.”

The Canes lost a lead and then the game Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, dropping a 4-3 overtime decision on the road. A 1158594 Chicago Blackhawks Crawford had far from a poor performance against the Hurricanes. He made a number of good saves and certainly was not the reason the Hawks lost. But Crawford and Lehner will need to be judged on their body of work, and it’s in Lehner’s favor so far — in a landslide. 3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes, including Dylan Strome’s stunning demotion and Kirby Dach looking NHL-ready Lehner has a far better goals-against-average — 2.44 to 3.67 — and save percentage — .922 to .888. The numbers dictate that Lehner deserves more starts as the season moves forward, especially if the Hawks get into playoff contention. By JIMMY GREENFIELD 3. Kirby Dach keeps getting better. CHICAGO TRIBUNE The Hawks have four games down and five to go before they need OCT 26, 2019 | 7:40 PM decide whether to send Dach back to his junior team or keep him in the NHL and burn a year on his entry-level contract.

RALEIGH, N.C. If Dach continues to show the kind of improvement he has with each game, the Hawks might not need all that time. The pain on Patrick Kane’s face was evident as he struggled to explain how the Blackhawks offense was invisible. Again. Dach was one of the most noticeable players on the ice for the Hawks on Saturday, controlling the puck for long periods and setting up scoring What once was a given — that the Hawks would score in bunches and chances while playing on a line with Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw for pray their defense wouldn’t give goals right back — has been replaced by the first time. a concern that this lack of firepower could linger long enough to put them in a hole they won’t be able to claw out of. After having only a combined two shots on goal in his first three games, Dach had four against the Hurricanes. “Yeah it’s not fun, that’s for sure.” Kane said Saturday after the Hawks’ 4- 0 loss to the Hurricanes. “I thought we did a good job of coming in, being He has a goal and an assist in his four games, but that’s secondary to excited to play and having a good attitude, and we just couldn’t find a whether he belongs with the Hawks. After Saturday’s strong game, way to score a goal. It obviously hurts. We need to produce offense in there’s little question he is NHL-ready. this league and you need to score goals to win games.” Here’s the coverage from Saturday’s game: The Hawks have just two goals in their last three games. They have a The work ethic was better, the effort visible and the offensive chances chance to break out Sunday against the Kings, who have allowed 39 plentiful. goals in 10 games. Answers to ending the Blackhawks’ scoring slump? Well, those are Here are three takeaways from Saturday's loss: nowhere to be found. 1. Dylan Strome is in the doghouse. Despite a far better performance than they had in a miserable loss to the Call it the doghouse or a demotion. It doesn’t really matter. Either way, Flyers, the Hawks dropped their fourth straight game, a 4-0 decision to Strome’s descent to the fourth line is an enormous shock following a the Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon at PNC Arena. breakout season. [Most read] 'It’s medically sanctioned violence and torture': Intersex Strome finished last season as the newest member of the Hawks core, patients call for end to genital surgeries on children » scoring 51 points in 58 games after a November trade from the Coyotes. The Hawks, who have scored two goals in their last three games, fell to But it has taken only a few games for that role to be questioned. 2-5-2 and will host the Kings on Sunday at the United Center. Instead of discussing how large Strome’s contract extension could be "It's just a struggle right now to produce offense," Patrick Kane said. "So next summer, when he’s scheduled to be a restricted free agent, the hopefully it's one of those things we start putting them in and it opens the conversation has shifted to how he has fallen so far so fast. He has one floodgates." goal and three assists in nine games and is looking more like the fringe NHL player the Coyotes were happy to unload and not the budding star Coach Jeremy Colliton ripped the team’s work ethic after the Flyers loss the Hawks loved having in their lineup. Thursday, but that game was the exception and not the rule from the early part of the season. The Hawks played well in several games during Strome’s spot on the top power-play unit is gone, and he averaged less their seven-game homestand, even if they didn’t win. than 10 minutes over the last two games while playing a top-six role. On Thursday against the Flyers, Strome didn’t have any shots on goal. On Entering Saturday’s game, Colliton was concerned that his players would Saturday he had nearly three minutes of power-play time on the second get deflated if they continued not to be rewarded for their hard work. That unit but just 9 minutes, 15 seconds of even-strength time. concern proved prescient when the Hawks carried the play for much of the first two periods against the Hurricanes yet trailed 2-0 heading into Strome had a prime chance against the Hurricanes on a short breakaway the third. midway through the second, but goalie Petr Mrazek made a blocker save to keep him without a goal his last seven games. Not long after Jordan Staal scored a power-play goal with 16 minutes, 41 seconds left in the third to make it 3-0, the Hawks shifted from pushing to Colliton downplayed Strome's move to the fourth line and found positives get back into the game to waiting for it to be over. in his game. “When they got the third goal, we started pressing a little bit and got a “I thought he played well,” Colliton said. “Definitely saw a response. And little bit loose defensively,” Colliton said. “They got a lot (of chances) the he was fine last game too. He’s going to help us win. When his habits are last 12 minutes, which I didn’t love. No one’s going to lend us a hand out good and he’s on the puck and he’s competing, then all of a sudden he’s of this. We’ve just got to keep playing.” got some time to make plays and he’s playing in the offensive zone, and you could see that tonight.” Corey Crawford stopped 28 shots in his return to the net after Robin Lehner played the last two games but couldn’t keep up with the 2. Corey Crawford is looking more like the backup goalie. Hurricanes’ Petr Mrazek, who made 31 saves for his 20th career shutout. When the Hawks face the Kings on Sunday at the United Center, Robin The Hawks penalty kill had allowed just one goal in the last four games, Lehner is likely to be in net for his fifth start of the season. That will give but the Hurricanes needed only five seconds on their first power play to him and Crawford five starts each and provide Colliton an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead early in the first. Ryan Carpenter lost a defensive-zone take a step back and decide who the starter is. faceoff, and Andrei Svechnikov’s wrist shot from near the left point beat Colliton almost certainly will say both will continue to play a lot, and they Crawford through a screen. both will. But at some point, one will pull away in starts, and Lehner has It was the third time this season a Hawks opponent needed nine seconds earned that opportunity. or less to convert on a power-play chance. “Things are just kind of snowballing in the wrong direction for us,” captain Jonathan Toews said. “It’s really easy to get frustrated, and you start searching for ways to try and end the slide. But we’ve just got to stay with it. We’ve got good players. It’s a long year and we can turn things around.”

An unfortunate sequence led to the Hurricanes getting the only goal of the second period. Brent Seabrook lost his stick in the Hawks zone, and despite Toews being able to hand him his stick back, the Hawks essentially were down a man for about 45 seconds. Nino Niederreiter slipped a shot past Crawford to make it 2-0.

The Hurricanes’ two power-play goals were in contrast to the Hawks, who failed to convert on any of their four chances and fell to 0-for-17 in the last four games.

Colliton steadfastly has denied the offensive problems are tied to the Hawks’ line combinations, even as he mixed things up Saturday. He reunited Kane and Toews on the top line with Alex DeBrincat and moved Alex Nylander to a line with Dominik Kubalik and David Kampf. Brandon Saad joined Kirby Dach and Andrew Shaw on the third line while Dylan Strome moved to the fourth.

Colliton was asked the inevitable question: If line combinations aren’t the issue, why make changes?

“Sometimes you get a little energy from that,” he said. “That’s why you do it in the games sometimes. You have combos that work, but things aren’t going your way, and when you switch the combos, it gives the guys a jolt of energy.

"It doesn’t mean you don’t believe in the combos — you probably end up going back to them. But in those situations, just playing with a different guy can sometimes give you a little boost and that’s what you need.”

Right now, the Hawks need a victory and to focus on what they have been doing right, which Kane admitted can be difficult.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “Especially when you’re not scoring goals and hockey seems to be tough. A lot of hard work, a lot of 50-50 battles we’re trying to win, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s coming from it.

"The message in here (is to) stay with it. Hopefully sooner or later those things are going to break, and that work you do is going to become easier and (we’ll) get rewarded for it.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158595 Chicago Blackhawks level. We know that they can play at a very high level. It’s there. It’s just not clicking right now.”

Making the scoring slump even more frustrating is that nearly all of After a disappointing homestand, Stan Bowman addresses Kirby Dach’s Bowman’s offseason acquisitions have been as good or better than status, the Blackhawks’ offensive struggles and why he won’t blow up the expected. team again Defensemen Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta are the capable veterans the Hawks needed. Dominik Kubalik, 24, is closer to a finished product than most rookies, and Ryan Carpenter’s faceoff ability and smart play By JIMMY GREENFIELD have made him a perfect addition to the fourth line.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE Alex Nylander still has a lot to prove, but he has been a bright spot with his willingness to adapt to a fourth-line role and return from a one-game OCT 26, 2019 | 8:30 AM benching with a positive attitude.

But the most intriguing newcomer remains Kirby Dach, the baby-faced About a year ago, Stan Bowman began to makes changes to the center the Hawks drafted at No. 3 in June. A concussion at a prospects Blackhawks that still are reverberating. tournament in September delayed his NHL debut, but Dach is trying to prove he belongs with the Hawks. After a five-game losing streak in early November, the general manager fired legendary coach and replaced him with Jeremy Bowman was careful not to say Dach is here to stay. But so far the GM Colliton. A few weeks later, Bowman traded one of the team’s most likes what he sees of the 18-year-old. promising young players, Nick Schmaltz, to the Coyotes while the Hawks “The concern with young players is if they start changing their game just were in the midst of losing 19 of 22 games. to survive to get through a game and they stop being the player they Bowman had myriad reasons for the changes, to be sure, but one was could become,” Bowman said. "Then you have to make the decision: Is that the Hawks were losing. A lot. And they’re off to a disappointing 2-4-2 that the right environment for him. We don’t want (Kirby) to just be a start this season. player that’s trying to survive his shifts. I don’t get a sense of that. Each game he’s made some nice plays. Which begs the question: Could a shake-up happen again? “If anything, I see him gaining a little more comfort as we go along. I don’t “No, that was a different circumstance as far as where we were headed know how that’s going to play out over the next few games, but it’s and what we needed to get the team to the next level,” Bowman said certainly a nice start for him. He’s staying true to the player he was, and if Friday. “This is much different.” you’re able to do that, then there’s an excitement for how much better he’s going to get over the next three, four or five months.” It’s different but not necessarily in a good way. Nearly 10% into the season, the Hawks look more like a pretender than a contender. On the other hand, defenseman , the Hawks’ top pick last year, isn’t close to joining the Hawks. When Connor Murphy went down They weren’t run out of the United Center in any of the first six games of Tuesday with a groin injury, the Hawks had an immediate need for a their season-high seven-game homestand and even outplayed the right-shot defenseman. They called up Dennis Gilbert, who shoots lefty, Oilers, Capitals and Golden Knights for long stretches. But the last game and moved the left-handed de Haan into Murphy’s role. — a 4-1 loss to the Flyers on Thursday — was shocking both in how poorly the Hawks played and the way Colliton blasted his team’s work Boqvist, 19, who has played just three games for Rockford because of an ethic afterward. injury, was never considered.

The loss left the Hawks tied for the fourth-worst record in the league, "When he'll be in Chicago and at what point, it doesn't do a lot of good to based on percentage of possible points earned — not exactly where they sit here and try to map that out," Bowman said. "Because so much can had hoped to be when the season kicked off in Prague three weeks ago. change with our team here, with the health of our team, with his But Bowman isn’t ready to blow things up. He still has faith in the team performance. Let's just see how it goes. I liked his training camp. I he put together over the summer. thought he was good, impressive. His skill set is noticeable. His talent has never been questioned. “I don’t know if it’s ever too early to be concerned about things,” Bowman said. "Results certainly matter. I’m not trying to diminish that, but when “It’s just being able to be used enough so you can show what you can you do a lot of good things over a long period, it’s going to go in your do. It’s not that he can’t do it. He just hasn’t had a lot of reps as a pro.” favor. In the shorter sample, we did a lot of good things, but it didn’t translate into victories. Bowman took a lot of heat last year for hiring the unproven, 33-year-old Colliton to replace the future Hall of Famer Quenneville, and perhaps “At some point you need that to happen. You need that strong play when rightfully so. Colliton’s tenure with the Hawks has been marked more by you’re limiting the opponents’ opportunities and you’re controlling the hope than wins. game, you’re controlling the scoring chances. You do that enough times, your team is going to start winning a lot of games.” Bowman knew enough about Colliton two years ago to hire him to coach the IceHogs and trusts him enough to coach the Hawks. He still believes When retooling his roster, Bowman focused on a glaring lack of forward in Colliton. depth and shoring up the defense. He didn’t worry about finding players who know how to put the puck in the net. “The one thing is his ability to weather the storm in some tough circumstances and still be confident and upbeat,” Bowman said. “Preach Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Jonathan Toews combined for 120 the message of what it’s going to take for our team to get to that next goals last season, each setting a career high. Even accounting for some level. It took a little time last year, but we saw it. We saw progress and regression, Bowman had no reason to fix something that wasn’t broken. we saw the light bulb really went on.”

And now? Well, the offense appears to be broken. The Kane-DeBrincat- But so far this season, the light bulb is still flickering. Toews trio combined for six goals through eight games, and a power play that last season went 32-for-91 over a two-month stretch is just 3-for-27 this season. Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 “I’ve thought about it a lot, and there isn’t always a perfect answer to that question: Why?” Bowman said. "Players’ performances are variable. It’s not a straight line. Like last year, if you did this it’s not like next year you do that. It’s more absolutely. Things waver because they’re not robots.

“They’re humans and they’re athletes, and for whatever reason sometimes their performance isn’t perfect. But that’s what we’ve got to figure out as coaches and as managers. We’ve got to get them to that 1158596 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks forward Brendan Perlini, with little chance to crack the lineup, confirms he asked for a trade: ‘We’ve been exploring options’

By JIMMY GREENFIELD

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

OCT 25, 2019 | 2:02 PM

Brendan Perlini’s time with the Blackhawks may be coming to an end.

The 23-year-old forward, who played only 7 minutes, 49 seconds in his only game this season, confirmed a report that he asked the Hawks for a trade.

“Yeah, we’ve been exploring options,” he said Friday. “A lot of that stuff is between myself and the team, myself and the agents. I let them handle it. I just continue to play.”

Perlini is one of the most affable players on the team, but he spoke in hushed tones and barely made eye contact with reporters as he answered questions about a difficult situation.

He came to the Hawks from the Coyotes in November with Dylan Strome in a trade for Nick Schmaltz. He had 15 points (12 goals, three assists) in 46 games after coming to the Hawks, but his play was inconsistent. He played limited minutes on the fourth line when he wasn’t a healthy scratch.

3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to the Flyers, including Jeremy Colliton criticizing his players’ work ethic »

Perlini can’t be sent to Rockford without clearing waivers, and despite being unable to get off the bench this season, the Hawks believe another team would claim him.

The chances of Perlini finding his way consistently into the lineup are minimal. is also sitting out now while top draft pick Kirby Dach gets an opportunity to show the Hawks they should keep him in the NHL.

Smith, Dach and Alex Nylander are ahead of Perlini on the depth chart, though Dach could be returned to his junior team, opening a spot.

“You want to play,” Perlini said. “Wherever that may be, it doesn’t matter too much to me. As long as you play and get the opportunity, that’s all you can ask for as a player. But like I said, I’m here right now and trying to create opportunities here in Chicago to play and work my hardest, whether it’s in practice or games.”

Coach Jeremy Colliton has praised Perlini’s reaction to not playing, saying he has competed hard in practice. But off the ice it can be hard, and captain Jonathan Toews has made a point to try to keep Perlini’s spirits up.

“You’ve got to be cognizant of people making some pretty huge sacrifices for the team,” Toews said. “And I’m sure everybody knows the level of ability he has and how hard it is to sit around and watch when you feel like you can be doing way more. He definitely feels underappreciated, so sometimes you try and say little things. But it only goes so far. Obviously, he wants to play.”

That may be with another team, but for the time being, Perlini remains a Hawk.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m here, I’m a Blackhawks player,” he said. “I’m going to do my best for the team whether I play or I don’t. Any way I can help the guys get better, the team improve, I’m going to try and do that for the guys.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158597 Chicago Blackhawks Even though the Hawks offense hasn’t scored more than four goals in a game this season and has only two goals in the last two games, he’s not worried that the scoring won’t return.

3 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 4-1 loss to the Flyers, including “Not at all,” he said. "We create a lot of chances. I thought we were Jeremy Colliton criticizing his players’ work ethic trying to pass the puck into the net, so that’s an issue. Once we started to play more direct and shoot the puck, we were all around the net and we had multiple rebounds and we recover it and then there’s another big chance. Power play’s an issue for sure, but again, we have the players By JIMMY GREENFIELD for it. CHICAGO TRIBUNE “The focus still remains the work ethic and the commitment to the OCT 25, 2019 | 8:21 AM defensive side of the puck and then how we manage the puck when we have it and then not turning it over in situations that expose us defensively. And when we do that, we’re really effective and we can win. We’re a good enough team.” After playing two excellent games and not coming away with a victory, the stage seemed set for the Blackhawks. 2. The Hawks missed Connor Murphy.

They were facing the Flyers, who beat them in Prague three weeks ago, Is Murphy really that important to the Hawks that the defense looked lost and the Hawks were playing the final game of their season-high seven- in the first game since he went down with a groin injury? If he is, the game homestand. Hawks are in trouble for at least the next few weeks while Murphy recuperates on long-term injured reserve. The incentive was there to play well, take the two points and head out of town on a high note. Without Murphy, Calvin de Haan moved up to the top pairing with Duncan Keith while Slater Koekkoek entered the lineup paired with Erik Instead, the Hawks played their worst game of the season and finished Gustafsson. The Hawks outshot the Flyers 24-23 and had much better the homestand with a disappointing 2-3-2 record, falling to the Flyers 4-1 possession numbers, but the mistakes were glaring, frequent and costly. on Thursday night at the United Center for their third straight loss. The Flyers had multiple breakaways and odd-man rushes — three of The Hawks made bad decisions with the puck and committed turnovers which they scored on — and if it weren’t for a pair of disallowed goals, at the wrong time, and in a damning assessment, coach Jeremy Colliton the final score would have been far more embarrassing and more of a said the work ethic he has seen through the season was barely visible. reflection of how poorly the defense played. “I said to the team — and I think it’s always going to be true — the “Murph is a great defenseman, (but) we have other great defensemen teams that have success, they work and they manage the puck,” Colliton too,” Hawks goalie Robin Lehner said. “It’s just about managing the puck. said. “Those are two things that we didn’t do consistently enough tonight. Honestly, it’s just all it is. It’s not that complicated. You manage the puck, I do believe that when you do the right things over time again and again they don’t get all the breakaways and two-on-ones today and it might and again and again, you get rewarded. And tonight we let it slip. So it have been different. In spurts we’re dominating, but we don’t manage the gets in the way of the progress we’re trying to make.” puck.” Here are three takeaways from Thursday night’s game. The Hawks’ lack of right-handed defensemen — Henri Jokiharju sure 1. It’s not the line combos, it’s the work ethic. would come in handy right now — forced Colliton to have de Haan play on the right side, which he said gave him problems against the Flyers. At least that’s what Colliton said after the game in a long answer in which he seemed to be calling for an end to questions about his choice of line “It was kind of a sloppy game,” de Haan said. “Just really seemed like we combinations. couldn’t handle the puck that well tonight. The opportunities we gave up, they were Grade A’s. Can’t put that all on Robin; stopping those is on us. “There’s a lot of talk about combinations, line combinations,” Colliton There’s five guys on the ice as well, just felt like we got maybe outworked said. “It’s not the combos. The lines that have success, they’re playing a a little bit. But it’s a good learning curve at the same time. We can look at very direct, hard-working, team-oriented game and they’re willing to do video and see what we can do better and go from there.” the dirty work. They’re willing to get their nose dirty and pressure on the forecheck, back-pressure on the way back, no shortcuts in D-zone. 3. The Hawks’ poor homestand could haunt them. Those are the lines that have had success. When the Hawks lost to the Flyers in Prague in the opener, they at least It's not the combos, it's the work ethic came home to the prospect of seven straight games at the United Center. No travel, no sleeping in hotels and no more adjusting to a “The lines that aren’t having success, they’re not having success seven-hour time change. because they’re not doing those things. It’s not the combos. I could get the bingo balls out and with the players we have, I can throw any combos Any hope of getting off to a fast start has withered after a disappointing 2- out there and they would work.” 3-2 homestand that included a lot of close games but not enough positive results. In Colliton’s mind, the issue Thursday was not line combos but work ethic. It’s almost certainly a bit of both — the NHL’s history has shown “The results aren’t good enough, no question,” Colliton said. "I didn’t some line combinations work better than others — but it’s also true that love the Columbus game, which we won by the way. Up until tonight, I line combos work only when accompanied by a strong work ethic. thought we’d been improving. We were on the right track. It’s probably still the case, but it just ... I want our team to understand what we need to “If we had the work ethic away from the puck and we managed it and we do to have success. The quicker we learn it, it becomes part of our DNA, played a winning style, team-first mentality up and down the lineup, they then this team is good enough. We’ll make the playoffs. We’ll be a hard would work,” Colliton said. “Anything could work. You saw that in the team to play against. third. We jumbled it up. It wasn’t the combos; it was the work ethic. We dominated because we were skating, we were winning battles, we got “The longer it takes, the longer we don’t want it to be part of our identity pucks deep. That’s the recipe.” and we put ourselves in a bad spot, and we’ve been there before. This group has been there before. So we’ve got to learn. It’s ultimately how It was surprising to hear Colliton say that when one of the hallmarks of bad do you want to win.” his coaching style has been to change lines quickly. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews began the season on the same line before that changed At eight games, the Hawks have played the fewest games in the league after two games. along with the Flyers, Devils and Rangers, but the gap isn’t that wide from the rest of the league. Only 10 teams have played more than 10 Colliton even altered his most effective line in the home opener, moving games. The Hawks have the fourth-worst winning percentage despite Dominik Kubalik to the top line with Toews for the final two periods. That having played seven of their eight games at home. move produced poor results and received widespread criticism. Still, every game before Thursday’s loss to the Flyers was either a one- goal game or included an empty-netter at the end. The Hawks were competitive against top teams such as the Capitals, Golden Knights and Oilers, who are tied for the league lead with 17 points.

“I think we deserved better,” de Haan said. “There were a few games in there where we might’ve been the better team. There’s tons of games left. You can’t just look at this homestand and break it down, but you obviously want to be above .500. There’s some positives we can take away from the homestand and we played some good hockey. Tonight wasn’t our night and we played some good hockey in the previous games, so we can build off those.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158598 Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks’ brutal start continues with 4-0 loss in Carolina

By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Oct 26, 2019, 4:55pm CDT

RALEIGH, N.C. — When Patrick Kane, who has made the game look easy for more than a decade, admits hockey is tough right now, it’s clear things are bad.

“A lot of hard work, a lot of 50-50 battles we’re trying to win, and it doesn’t seem like anything’s coming from it,” Kane said. “Hopefully, sooner or later, those things are going to break.”

The Blackhawks’ effort improved slightly, but their execution was lacking again in an ugly 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday.

Through nearly two periods, the Hawks were generating more shots and scoring chances than the hard-forechecking Hurricanes. And despite a one-goal deficit, they seemed to be responding to the adversity after Thursday’s humiliation the way coach Jeremy Colliton was hoping for.

But a late second-period breakdown — a long shift in which the Hawks couldn’t escape their defensive zone, eventually leading to a Carolina goal — deflated the team and led to another lopsided third period.

“We were playing hard, and we just needed a goal, we needed somebody to make a play,” Colliton said. “Even then, I think we had a few shifts where we were fine, and then we started getting loose. Whether it’s pressing or whether we’re just wearing down, I’m not sure.”

The Hawks have lost four in a row and have scored only two goals in their last three games.

That lack of success is clearly weighing on the players. Jonathan Toews, still without a five-on-five point, was asked after the loss how difficult it is to keep searching for positives.

“It’s the only choice you really have. What else can you do?” Toews said with a shrug. “Things are just kind of snowballing in the wrong direction for us, and it’s really easy to get frustrated, and you start searching for ways to try to end the slide. But we’ve just got to stay with it.”

The “stick with it” mentality has been what Colliton has preached for weeks.

But with the Hawks 28th in offense, 19th in defense, 26th on the power play, 28th on the penalty kill and 21st in scoring-chance ratio, there’s not much to hang your hat on.

Colliton did try switching things up. He moved Zack Smith into the lineup, benched Drake Caggiula, slid Dylan Strome to the fourth line and reunited Toews and Kane, seemingly going against his Thursday rant that the line combinations don’t matter. Asked about that contradiction, he admitted that shuffling the lines “gives the guys a jolt of energy,” even though it “doesn’t mean you don’t believe in the combos” that already existed.

There were no jolts of energy to be found, though.

The Hawks might have deserved a goal or two — Petr Mrazek (32 saves) clearly bested Corey Crawford (27 saves on 31 shots) — but not much else.

“No one’s going to lend us a hand out of this,” Colliton said. “We’ve just got to keep playing.”

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158599 Chicago Blackhawks And we were able to take that feedback from the specific seat locations, and go to the people that were developing that sound system, and say, ‘If we’re going to do this right, let’s make sure we get these issues addressed.’” Blackhawks’ sellout streak and ticket demand prevail in post-Cup era Werner said he pays little attention to the decline in secondary market prices, but appreciates that the Hawks’ new affordability on those platforms has made games more accessible to more people. Increased By Ben Pope@BenPopeCST availability of partial-season packages and cheap events (like the $5 Oct 26, 2019, 6:55am CDT Training Camp Festival scrimmage) designed to introduce Hawks hockey to fresh eyes have also played roles in that phenomenon.

As a result, crowds during this seven-game homestand were just as, if Chris Werner feels a twinge of anxiety when he thinks about the future. not more, boisterous and engaged than in more successful years, and the portion of people in attendance wearing jerseys rather than suits or The Blackhawks’ vice president of ticketing knows he’s not Stan street clothes seemed significantly higher to the naked eye. Bowman, or Jeremy Colliton, or Patrick Kane. He has no influence on the team’s success, and the Hawks’ quest to prevent their two-year playoff That’s largely because young people and families have begun to infiltrate drought from becoming a long-term trend is out of his hands. Yet he must what was once a uniform mass of 21,000 upper-class businessmen. keep fans engaged and buying tickets regardless. “The excitement in the arena, to me, has continued to be there,” Werner “That’s the question that runs in my mind and the sales staff’s mind all said. “Some of that is attributable to new season-ticket holders, or fans the time,” Werner said. “We have no control over what’s happening on who are finding attractive prices in the secondary market that provide the ice, but we have to create a strategy that is going to keep fans in a them the opportunity to come to a game.” place where they want to continue to purchase those tickets.” “There’s a little bit of a learning curve to [Blackhawks fandom], and as we For now, the United Center remains one of the NHL’s top draws, even get new fans and younger fans, we find they’re really taking to that very going on four years post-Stanley Cup dynasty. well and join into that excitement.”

The Hawks sold out their 504th consecutive home game Thursday, so far On StubHub, standing room tickets are available for Sunday’s game surviving an October that has already killed comparable sellout streaks in against the Kings for $14, and the worst upper-bowl seat can be had for Minnesota and Winnipeg. And their average attendance of 21,000-plus $28. Tickets at those prices would’ve been gobbled up in milliseconds stands on track to lead the league for the 12th consecutive season. during the Cup years, and the fact they’ve fallen so precipitously since is both good and bad for the franchise. This robust fanbase seems a galaxy away from what it was in the mid- 2000s, when the United Center was cavernously empty most nights and But they’re still being purchased, which is more than many teams can the Hawks ranked second-to-last in average attendance in back-to-back claim — and more than the Hawks could say in 2006. And season-ticket seasons (2005-06 and 2006-07). But considering how exponentially packages remain sought-after commodities, despite Chicago’s many attendance and ticket demand increased from 2007 to 2011, who’s to say sports and entertainment options, and the United Center continues to be it won’t exponentially decrease in the next four years? stuffed wall-to-wall every night by the time Jim Cornelison’s belting begins. Akshay Khanna, StubHub’s general manager of NHL sales, will. He’s confident the Hawks are nowhere near attendance doomsday. Considering how disappointing the results have been on the rink lately, the Hawks find themselves in a relatively strong spot, attendance-wise, at “I don’t see that being an immediate issue for the Blackhawks just the moment. because of the special circumstances,” Khanna said. “Ultimately, the fact that there is such a big, rabid fanbase that has now experienced success “As we look at how we keep fans engaged, it’s continuing to provide hopefully translates into a few years where fans are willing to look past a value to what they’re purchasing,” Werner said. “We want them to find season or two where the team doesn’t make the playoffs.” that when they’re making the investment — both financially and time- wise — that they’re feeling good about it.” The prices of Hawks tickets on the secondary market have nonetheless declined in recent seasons.

The average resale value stands at $140 for 2019-20, per TicketIQ, a Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.27.2019 sharp contrast to the four straight years from 2013 to 2017 when that average never dropped below $280. That’s a drop of more than 50 percent in three years, though only six percent lower than last year’s average ($149).

Still, the Hawks remain one of the pricier draws in the league — that $140 average is ninth-highest in the NHL on TicketIQ, and StubHub ranks them the NHL’s fourth-most in-demand team, factoring in ticket sales as well as other metrics. For example, Blackhawks merchandise is more popular on eBay than every other NHL team.

“They are doing a hell of a job with the team’s branding, marketing, ticket sales piece of this, but ultimately, demand generation is such an important [thing], and that’s hard,” Khanna added. “Demand capture is easy — demand generation is a lot harder. It’s a combination of just organic excitement around the team, plus total credit to the team’s organization for capitalizing on it as they do.”

That sales piece, Werner says, revolves around making season tickets feel more like a membership than a package of just 41 tickets.

Season-ticket holders are provided exclusive off-ice events, develop personal relationships with sales representatives and asked to give input to improve the arena experience — leading to changes such as broader concession food options, different in-game music and the much- discussed new scoreboard.

“Another part of that was the sound system was also upgraded, and we took a lot of feedback from fans,” Werner said. “Based on where they were sitting, people would say either it’s too loud or it’s not loud enough. 1158600 Chicago Blackhawks

What's wrong with the Blackhawks offense?

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 26, 2019 10:00 PM

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Blackhawks gave up the second-most goals in the NHL last season and ranked 31st in penalty kill percentage. They spent all offseason and training camp working to shore things up in the defensive zone.

But right now, it’s what they’re not doing in the offensive zone that’s letting them down and it’s surprising because that’s the one part of their game that they were actually able to hang their hat on.

After getting shut out in Carolina, the Blackhawks have now scored only two goals in their last 195 minutes of hockey and have fallen to 0-for-16 on the power play in their last four games. They've also slipped to 29th with a goals-per-game average of 2.22. Something’s clearly off.

“It’s not fun, that's for sure,” Patrick Kane said following a 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes on Saturday. “I thought we did a good job of coming in, being excited to play and having a good attitude and we just couldn't find a way to score a goal. It obviously hurts. We need to produce offense in this league and you need to score goals to win games."

Head coach Jeremy Colliton tried shaking up the combinations to get some new energy, and it worked. Every line had positive possession numbers against the Hurricanes.

But for whatever reason, the Blackhawks couldn’t find the back of the net and they’re trying to break out of an ugly scoring slump without taking away from the steady improvements they’ve made on defense.

"It's tough,” Alex DeBrincat said. “It's been a few games here and we just got to figure out a way to turn it on and still be able to play D zone. Just not getting many chances, not putting them in the net when we do get the chances and we're losing games because of it."

The Blackhawks are getting their fair share of opportunities. Over the last four games, they’ve generated 117 scoring chances and 50 high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. They just haven’t been able to capitalize.

“It’s just a struggle right now to produce offense,” Kane said. “Hopefully it's one of those things we start putting them in and it opens the floodgates."

While there were positives to take away from the game, a deflated Kane admitted that it's hard to look at them because the results haven't been there. It's a real challenge to score just one goal, but the general message hasn't changed. If they keep pushing, at some point they're going to break through.

And when they do, the Blackhawks have to feed off that momentum and run with it.

“Hockey just seems to be tough right now,” Kane said. “A lot of hard work, a lot of 50-50 battles we're trying to win and it doesn't seem like anything's coming from it. That's the message in here: Stay with it, hopefully sooner or later those things are going to break and that work you do is going to become easier and get rewarded for it."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158601 Chicago Blackhawks The Blackhawks are looking for something to hang on to and they can't right now. Special teams is an area of the game that can help build confidence or offer some sort of momentum, but it hasn't been there on a consistent basis. Four takeaways: Blackhawks scoring drought continues in shutout loss to Hurricanes After killing off seven straight penalties in their previous two games, the Blackhawks went 0-for-2 on the penalty kill against Carolina and the power play also finished 0-for-3, extending the drought to 0-for-16 in their past four games. By Charlie Roumeliotis "I don't think we've won the special teams battle much this year, and it's October 26, 2019 3:17 PM difficult to get results," Colliton said. "There's no secrets in there, as far as what we need to do to get some wins."

RALEIGH, N.C. — Here are four takeaways from the Blackhawks' 4-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Saturday: Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1. Blackhawks response to work ethic being questioned

After calling out the work ethic in a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, head coach Jeremy Colliton was looking for and expecting a response on Saturday in Carolina.

"It doesn't need to be pretty," Colliton said before the game. "We just need to do what we need to do to get two points."

The Blackhawks responded with a solid effort, but they're still searching for the result to go with it. It's the fourth straight loss (0-3-1) for the Blackhawks, who are now 2-5-2 through their first nine games.

"I thought we did a good job of coming in, being excited to play and having a good attitude and we just couldn't find a way to score a goal," Patrick Kane said. "It obviously hurts. We need to produce offense in this league and you need to score goals to win games."

2. Winning the possession battle, but not the game

Since the start of the 2017-18 season, the Hurricanes rank first in even- strength shot attempts for per 60 minutes (63.9) and scoring chances for percentage (54.4), according to Natural Stat Trick. They've been one of the league's best possession teams for years while the Blackhawks have given up the fifth-most scoring chances per 60 minutes (29.3) over that span.

The Blackhawks knew this would be a challenging matchup, especially against a team that went to the Eastern Conference Final last season and got even better on paper.

The Blackhawks won the possession battle, leading 58-46 in even- strength shot attempts but the offense is struggling to find the back of the net and the Hurricanes generated 11 scoring chances to the Blackhawks' five in the third period, most of them coming after it turned into a three- goal game.

"We played well for two periods," Colliton. "Disappointed that we didn't get better for that effort. We've just got to keep playing, keep sticking to it. When they got the third goal, we started pressing a little bit and got a little bit loose defensively, they got a lot [of chances] the last 12 minutes, which I didn't love.

"No one's going to lend us a hand out of this. We've just got to keep playing. The idea is that you've got to stick to doing the right things over time and that's how we're going to get out of it, and when we do get out of it, those habits will help us go on a run. But right now, it's difficult for these guys."

3. Scoring drought continues

The Blackhawks shook up all four lines on Saturday, with Colliton and the coaching staff looking for a spark on offense. Most notably, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were put together on the first line and that trio had a strong day.

All four lines had positive 5-on-5 possession numbers, but it didn't translate on the scoresheet. The Blackhawks have now scored only two goals in their past three games and that's simply not good enough.

"Hockey seems to be tough right now," Kane said. "A lot of hard work, a lot of 50-50 battles we're trying to win and it doesn't seem like anything's coming from it. Like I said, that's the message in here, stay with it, hopefully sooner or later those things are going to break and that work you do is going to become easier and get rewarded for it."

4. Losing the special teams battle ... again 1158602 Chicago Blackhawks

Instant reaction: Blackhawks drop fourth straight to Hurricanes

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 26, 2019 3:00 PM

FINAL SCORE:

Hurricanes 4, Blackhawks 0

Snap judgments:

— The Blackhawks and Hurricanes are two teams that like to play fast, and that was on full display in the first period, which lasted only 27 real- time minutes. There weren't many stoppages and it featured a lot of end- to-end action, with each team generating eight scoring chances and four high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.

— The Blackhawks juggled up their combinations up front and all four lines worked when it came to possessing the puck. But the offense didn't follow and they've scored only two goals in their last three games.

— The Blackhawks have seen improvement in the penalty kill department recently, but they allowed a power-play goal five seconds into Carolina's first one of the day and a second 3:19 into the third period that essentially iced the game.

— A back-breaking goal was allowed in the second period when Brent Seabrook lost his stick, Jonathan Toews gave his up and the Hurricanes scored with 46 seconds left in the second period to make it 2-0. The Blackhawks liked how they played the first 10 minutes, but the final 10 it was all Hurricanes.

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Corey Crawford to start in goal for Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes

By Charlie Roumeliotis

October 26, 2019 9:30 AM

RALEIGH, N.C. — Corey Crawford will start between the pipes for the Blackhawks when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Saturday, coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed. This will be his fifth start in nine games.

Crawford is coming off a game in which he gave up four goals on 29 shots for a save percentage of .862 in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Blackhawks gave Robin Lehner back-to-back starts against Vegas on Tuesday and Philadelphia on Thursday.

Crawford is 1-3-0 with a 3.58 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in four starts this season. He has a 5-5-0 record with a 2.57 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 10 career starts against the Hurricanes.

The only other lineup change is Zack Smith drawing in for Drake Caggiula, likely on the fourth line.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158604 Chicago Blackhawks sideways on the trip, fans will revolt, or possibly worse for the organization, become apathetic.

Bowman told the Chicago Tribune in the past few days there wouldn’t be Powers: The next 10 days could decide a lot for the Blackhawks a shake-up like last season if things got really bad, but you have to wonder whether John McDonough is thinking the same. He’s the one who stresses accountability and how change can be good. If the Blackhawks are near the bottom of the league after 14 games, where is By Scott Powers his head? Firing Quenneville was a huge decision, but McDonough kept Oct 26, 2019 every other part of the organization intact and entrusted his hockey operations to fix things. If McDonough ever gets to the point where he deems things aren’t fixed, you would think his next personnel decisions would be much grander across the board. This Blackhawks’ season was supposed to be all about the start. As one league front-office source said Sunday, “I don’t know what he’d It was a fresh slate for everyone, and optimism was in the air. do if it got to that.” Stan Bowman overhauled the roster. He began that process last season That’s the thing, not many people do. You could sense Quenneville’s job and continued it in the offseason. He tapped into a rare abundance of was in jeopardy last season. With so much talk about how everyone cap space. He worked his phone and traded, signed and drafted players. expected this season to be different and even whispers of a potential He made massive changes. He addressed the defense with two key contract extension for Bowman, it’s been difficult to gauge what additions. He brought in players to help on the penalty kill and others to McDonough would do if the franchise endured another rocky season. make the Blackhawks tougher to play against. Thirteen players who Could he fire Colliton or even Bowman? Maybe it never gets to that, but weren’t in the organization to begin last season have already appeared in maybe it does. games this season. He reshaped the team, but the focus remained on winning in the present. A smaller question that should be answered over the next 10 days is the Blackhawks’ season-long plan for Kirby Dach. The Blackhawks are For Jeremy Colliton, it was all about having a normal start to the season. expected to decide soon whether to keep him in the NHL for the season He was thrown into the deep end as a first-time NHL coach and being or return to the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. He’s played four NHL asked to replace one of the all-time winningest coaches in Joel games so far. If he were to play every game in the next 10 days, he’d be Quenneville and to do so in season. Colliton took some lumps, but the at nine. That’s significant because if he plays nine or fewer NHL games Blackhawks finished the season on 96-point pace over the final 41 this season his entry-level contract would slide a year. Maybe that games. He appeared to be turning around the ship. With Colliton having decision will be determined by which way the team is heading in the a full training camp to teach his systems, evaluate what he had in players coming days. and just feel more comfortable as the head coach, there were many wondering how much better the Blackhawks could get. Over the past week, the tide has somewhat changed on the Blackhawks. There’s no way they would have guessed they’d have just six points You add in a favorable schedule with eight games of their first 10 games through nine games if you asked them a week ago. Back then, it felt like at home, including a seven-game homestand, and there were a lot of they were playing quality hockey, and it was a matter of time before the reasons why the Blackhawks were hopeful they could get on an early wins came. It didn’t seem fair to judge them on their record alone. Three course for a return trip to the playoffs. The Blackhawks certainly liked consecutive losses, an injury to Connor Murphy and an ongoing offensive their chances of not repeating last season’s start that brought the drought later, and it all feels different. The results have come to the coaching change and caused the Blackhawks to chase from behind most forefront. of the season. What happens over this next stretch is anyone’s guess. Neither direction This season was going to be different, and the start was going to dictate seems unimaginable. Either way, we should know a lot more about the that, at least that was thought. Blackhawks in 10 days. But none of that has come true. Here we are nine games into the 2019-

20 season, and the Blackhawks are off to a nightmarish start. They’ve looked better in some ways than last season and worse in others. But The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 regardless of which way their overall game has trended or whether they’ve deserved some better puck luck, the results are what matter now. With a 2-5-2 record through nine games, the Blackhawks are in a bad spot.

Which brings us to this — rarely do you want to put too much emphasis on any single stretch of the regular season, but this next 10-day stretch feels like it could be the most important of the season.

That begins with the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center on Sunday. The Blackhawks could use a win for a lot of reasons. For one, their losing streak reached four games with a 4-0 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. A win Sunday would steer them clear of a five- game losing streak, something they endured three times last season. There’s just a different feeling when a streak gets to five.

A victory Sunday would also prevent them from becoming the first Blackhawks team since the 1999-2000 squad to record just two wins over the season’s first 10 games. The 1999-2000 team went 2-4-4 to begin the season. Maybe too much stock is put into round numbers, but a 2-6-2 record can’t be too appealing any way you look at it.

Sunday’s game is also key for the Blackhawks because it’s their last home game until Nov. 7. They hit the road for four consecutive games. They play the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, the Kings on Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 3 and the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 5. The Blackhawks’ season could be looking a lot different one way or another by the time they return to Chicago.

If the Blackhawks can win Sunday and get things rolling to somewhere near .500 after the trip, fans will welcome them back to Chicago with open arms and optimism can return. If the Blackhawks’ season goes 1158605 Colorado Avalanche The Avs will regroup Sunday with an 11 a.m. practice and prepare for Wednesday’s game against the visiting Florida Panthers. Colorado concludes its three-game homestand Friday against Dallas.

Avs drop first home game of season with loss to Ducks Footnote. The Avs played their second game without all-star winger Mikko Rantanen, who is week to week with a leg injury.

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post Denver Post: LOADED: 10.27.2019 PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 10:05 pm | UPDATED: October 26, 2019 at 10:36 PM

Playing consecutive-night NHL games with travel is a challenging chore.

Just ask the red-hot Avalanche, which wasn’t up to the challenge Saturday night at the Pepsi Center.

The Avs, following a six-game road stretch, was looking to improve to 5-0 at home and win their 11th straight game at the Pepsi Center, dating to last season. Instead, they dropped a 5-2 decision to Anaheim Ducks, who had a day off in Denver on Friday after losing their third straight game Thursday at Dallas.

Colorado, which allowed an empty-net goal with 2:13 remaining, fell to 8- 2-1 but still is tied with Edmonton with a Western Conference-most 17 points. The Avs were coming off a 4-1-1 stretch on the road.

“Unfortunate that this is a homecoming after a really good road trip. Unfortunate that we showed up like this,” Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said.

Colorado’s two losses have both come after impressive road victories at Tampa Bay and Vegas. The Avs pounded the Golden Knights 6-1 on Friday in the desert.

“We just expected more out of ourselves. I don’t know if, after such a complete game against Vegas in their building, if we just expected it was going to happen — if we just had to show up tonight,” Landeskog said. “Clearly, that wasn’t the case. We worked hard at times but sometimes just not working smart.”

The Ducks never trailed and got a greasy third-period goal from rookie forward Max Comtois after Colorado got within 3-2 early in the final frame.

The Avs’ Nathan MacKinnon extended his team-record, season-opening points streak to 11 games when he scored his sixth goal of the season 1:38 of the third period to get the hosts within 3-2.

But Comtois, 20, scored his fourth career goal at 6:42 for Anaheim’s third two-goal lead of the game. He swatted in a loose puck from the doorstep while Avs goalie Pavel Francouz got tangled and was pinned against the ice.

The Ducks (7-5) led 2-0 after the first period and 3-1 after the second. The goals came from Adam Henrique, Carter Rowney and Ryan Getzlaf, the last of those just 3:06 after Colorado got within 2-1 on Joonas Donskoi’s bank-shot goal from behind the goal line.

Henrique beat Francouz with a wrist shot between the circles just 50 seconds into the game. Rowney outraced MacKinnon for a crease-front tap-in. And Getzlaf, on the power play, scored with a wrister from the right circle.

“You don’t want to start like that — get scored in the first minute,” Francouz (2-1) said after suffering his first loss as an NHL starter. “But I think we were still trying to make some offense. We were pushing. We just couldn’t score. They scored second and after they were defending pretty well. They blocked a lot of shots and were patient for their chances.”

Landeskog was serving a tripping penalty when Getzlaf scored. Landeskog took two of Colorado’s three penalties through two periods.

“We didn’t start the game on time and it ended up costing us the game. We weren’t ready to play at a high enough level. A little too casual to start the game, with the puck, mostly. If you look at the scoring chances they had in the first period — all off the rush, almost all of them on turnovers,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “Our goal today in what we talked about was trying to repeat (Friday’s) performance because it was an excellent performance from start to finish.” 1158606 Colorado Avalanche

Chambers: Las Vegas hockey lives large in the desert

By MIKE CHAMBERS | [email protected] | The Denver Post

October 26, 2019 at 10:00 am

LAS VEGAS — The Vegas Golden Knights are the NHL’s golden children. The gimmicks around the league’s newest franchise are truly golden. And because of the hockey team Friday, there was more to celebrate on Nevada Day.

At the conveniently located T-Mobile Arena, which sits behind New York- New York Hotel and Casino and beside Park MGM Las Vegas — between Las Vegas Boulevard and the Las Vegas Freeway — the infrastructure is awesome for any hockey fan looking to be entertained.

For an Avalanche fan, what goes on in this area could feel like deep spring playoff run in Disneyland. But for the Golden Knights, it takes place 41 times in the regular season and the bonus home games in the playoffs. And, oh yeah, the Knights are a big preseason attraction, drawing 18,131 fans for their Sept. 29 preseason finale against San Jose. The previous week, Vegas drew a crowd of 17,954 for a meaningless game against the Avalanche.

“It’s a home run for the league,” Avs coach Jared Bednar before Friday’s game against the Knights. “I think Vegas has done an unbelievable job in getting the fans in and around (the world) to support this hockey team. It’s a fun place to play. They put on a great show. The building’s always energized. It’s just a fun place to come and play.”

The Knights also have an ideal owner in Bill Foley and a solid television following on AT&T Sportsnet, which also does Rockies games. Foley starred in the pregame mini-movie shown on the big screen Friday, playing the character who flies the helicopter that tracks down the bad guy (an Avalanche guy). As for AT&T Sportsnet, that’s the company that used to carry Avalanche games — and seemingly doing quite well while the Avs continue to struggle to get their games to the masses on the team-owned Altitude.

The Knights have paved the way for the NFL’s Oakland Raiders to feel extraordinarily confident about their upcoming move to Las Vegas. There used to be a doubt of this city could support any of the four major professional sports teams. No longer. Take my word for it, if you attended a Golden Knights home game and see the construction of the 65,000- seat Allegiant Stadium across the highway, just west of Mandalay Bay, the Strip’s southernmost casino, you’ll see that this market screams success.

I’ve been to every market in the NHL. Montreal, Chicago, New York and Toronto are historic. Boston and Nashville are a blast. Vancouver and Tampa are beautiful. But outside of an Avalanche home game in late May or early June — being the Colorado native that I am — Vegas can’t be beaten for all its excitement and entertainment offerings.

As for the quality of the on-ice product, it was really good from Day One. The Knights are only beginning their third year of existence, but they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year and are again Western Conference contenders.

“They have a real deep forward group, (goalie Marc-Andre) Fluery gives them a chance every night in net and they can come at you in different ways,” Bednar said of the Knights. “They’re a committed team that checks hard, and then they’re dangerous on the offensive side. It’s a real good all-around team, a deep team, and when you come here you got to make sure you have to have everyone going.”

Vegas always has it going.

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Altitude Sports executive: We’ve proposed 4K technology, skycam to “stonewalling” distributors

By MIKE SINGER | [email protected] | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 9:46 am | UPDATED: October 26, 2019 at 2:46 PM

Until Friday night, negotiations among Altitude Sports and the Big 3 carriers — Comcast, Dish and DirecTV — had remained behind closed doors.

But Altitude chief operating officer Matt Hutchings, speaking on Altitude’s Channel 20 broadcast of Friday night’s Nuggets game, revealed some of what the latest offers to distributors have entailed.

“We’ve put on the table. We want to do 4K (technology). We talked about putting a skycam in the Pepsi Center. We talked about doing an extra channel so folks can have access into when you guys are preparing and when the guys are warming up,” Hutchings said.

He said the distributors have been intrigued with their innovative ideas but won’t budge on their carrier rates.

“We can’t accept that even though we’re coming back, talking about spending more money, doing more things,” Hutchings said. “They just won’t accept it. They’re stonewalling and the fans are losing out, and that’s not right.”

“No other NBA or NHL team is covered the way that we’ve brought to the table,” Hutchings said on the broadcast.

In addition, Altitude has offered variations of an app that could supplement a traditional broadcast feed, according to Altitude executive vice president Kenny Miller.

“I’m all about coming up with creative solutions to make the broadcast not only better for our fans but also broadcasts that benefit their customers,” Miller said.

In a nod to the mounting frustration over the impasse, Altitude Sports reached a “streaming” deal with Front Range bars and restaurants that will provide legal means to show Nuggets and Avalanche games through Monday. Hutchings said the deal was with “100-200” establishments.

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158608 Colorado Avalanche Colorado will rest until Wednesday when they face the Florida Panthers for the second and final time this season. Puck drop will be at Pepsi Center at 8 PM MST.

Avalanche deflated in first home loss of the year

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By Jeremy Jerez

October 27, 2019

In their first game home following a season-long six-game road trip, the Avalanche looked uncomfortable in an ugly 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. In what was the second night of a back-to-back set, Colorado was unable to get into a steady rhythm and Ducks backup goaltender Ryan Miller walked away with his third win in as many games this season.

Both Avalanche goals came on the power play; one from Joonas Donskoi at 5:22 into the second period and the second from Nathan MacKinnon 1:38 into the third. Neither goal was able to swing the momentum enough for the Avalanche to get back in the game in what was simply, just a bad game all around for Colorado.

Going a bit more in-depth, here are a few takeaways that contributed to one of the uglier nights we’ve seen from the Avs in a while.

Anaheim’s Adam Henrique scored the first goal of the game on his team’s first shot 50 seconds in so needless to say, the start was less than ideal. After that, it took Francouz a while to recover as he was slow to react and looked a bit shaky during the few rushes from the Ducks that followed the opening goal.

After a few snappy glove saves, Francouz looked to settle in and play a bit better, but 22 saves on 26 shots left more to be desired from the rookie goaltender, despite it only being his fifth career game and third of this young season.

The ugly start to the game wasn’t all on Francouz. The Avalanche as a whole, with the exception of a small handful of guys, looked quite shaky themselves. Unlike their goaltender, however, the rest of the team never bounced back.

Missed passes, bobbled pucks while stickhandling and poor defensive reads all dug the Avs into a hole right out of the gate and it didn’t improve as the evening went on.

Right before Joonas Donskoi’s goal to open up the Colorado scoring, the Avs had a small window where they were in control of the game and had a bit of momentum. Donskoi got a fortuitous bounce off of Miller and put the Avalanche within striking distance at 2-1 and everything seemingly swinging Colorado’s way.

Shortly after, Landeskog was called for his second minor penalty of the game and Anaheim was able to capitalize on a Ryan Getzlaf wrister that took all of the wind out of Colorado’s tattered sails.

These couple of penalties along with a few missed opportunities in the offensive end left coach Jared Bednar calling it an “uncharacteristic” game from his captain who has contributed only one point in the last six games.

Nathan MacKinnon’s streak is alive

Nathan MacKinnon is making some early noise for a Hart Trophy candidacy, scoring at least one point in all 11 games so far this season. His power-play goal on Saturday was his sixth goal of the year and he has also added nine assists to his point tally as well.

This 11 game streak is the longest any player has had to open a season since . It is not MacKinnon’s longest point streak, however, as he went 13 consecutive games with a point in 2013-14 and 14 consecutive in 2017-18.

Makar was magical Saturday night and aside from a few good moments from the fourth line, was really the only positive Avs fans could take from the loss. Makar had a game-high six shots on goal and really stood out with his speed, stickhandling and even hitting.

Makar was credited with an assist on Nathan MacKinnon’s goal which was good for his ninth assist and tenth point of the season, which remains among the top of all NHL rookies. 1158609 Colorado Avalanche the Norris conversation and the Avalanche will be no-doubt Stanley Cup contenders. Now just to build off two very good games in a row…

Gabe Landeskog had a rough go of it tonight with multiple penalties and The dog wins again as the Avs fall short in their Duck hunt a puck he slammed off the post on the PP that would have made it 2-1. It just wasn’t the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from 92 and if we’re being honest, there have been too many of those lately. Bednar broke up Landeskog and MacKinnon in the third and think it might be BY AJ HAEFELE worth taking a look at next Wednesday against Florida. OCTOBER 26, 2019 I can’t help but wonder if the Avalanche is coming to a moment of reckoning with Nikita Zadorov. At some point you have to stop believing that a young player will continue improving simply because he’s young. When Lazlo Holmes went showed up and said “Let’s do that hockey”, He will have four full season’s worth of NHL games played in the next one team in the Pepsi Center actually seemed to listen to him. few weeks. The problems that have long plagued him (inconsistency and penalties) still do and the upside that once tantalized (rare skating ability And it wasn’t the Colorado Avalanche. for a player his size and a booming shot) now only appears on the rarest Following a 6-1 destruction of the Vegas Golden Knights, the Avs of nights. Mostly, Zadorov is the player he was tonight – a low-impact returned home to the Pepsi Center for their first home game in two weeks player who makes one or two big mistakes per game (and I don’t mean and got beat up in a 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. penalties, which have been very iffy this year) and might make a highlight-reel hit along the way. Ultimately, he’s settled in as a third- The loss is their first at home this season but now their second in the last pairing defenseman who presumably is looking for a raise at the end of three games following a 7-0-1 start. Cause for concern? this year. I don’t think he’ll go anywhere right now but as the year goes Not yet. on and Ryan Graves (much cheaper) continues to be rock solid and Conor Timmins (younger and cheaper) continues showing he will be But this does mark the second time the Avs have come out with a very NHL-ready sooner than later, I wonder where that leaves Zadorov in the lackluster showing following a big win. Beyond that, however, tonight’s organizational hierarchy. game didn’t really resemble the loss to the Blues earlier in the week. That isn’t to say this was a terrible night from Zadorov. It wasn’t, just one The Ducks got on the board just 50 seconds into the game and then that has become all too common for a player who many believed had eventually built a 3-1 after two periods but Colorado was still outshooting top-pairing potential just a few short years ago. What do you do with a and out chancing the Ducks. It was merely a matter of a team capitalizing young player who has proven he belongs in the NHL but who might on opportunities and another not. become a luxury in your organization because the talent around him simply passes him up? It’s a difficult question and one with no easy Heading into the third period, one the Avalanche has owned this year, answer but this is what I found myself contemplating late in the third Colorado got a power play immediately and Nathan MacKinnon scored a period as I watched Jared Bednar run out Makar and Girard to try to nice backhand goal after an excellent controlled zone entry from Cale kickstart some offense. Makar created chaos in the Ducks penalty kill. Just a small quirk I also found myself thinking about in the third period. That made the game 3-2 and give Colorado plenty of life. They simply When the Avalanche scored their second goal and Anaheim failed a didn’t do anything with it. goaltender challenge, the Avs were awarded a power play under the new Anaheim’s dagger came at the 6:42 mark when a mad scramble in front rules this year. Instead of putting Kadri out there for the faceoff, they had of Pavel Francouz left bodies on top of him, making him helpless to do Compher take it. Compher is right-handed so they obviously liked that much about Max Comtois poking the loose puck into the net. matchup but Compher is a 39% faceoff guy in his career. Kadri, on the other hand, won 12 and lost six tonight (67%) and has been one of the From there, Colorado had some chances but didn’t do too much with top faceoff guys in the NHL so far this year. Why let Compher take that them as Ryan Miller eventually earned first star honors with his 35-save draw? Why not let Kadri take it despite handedness? It seems stubborn performance. for the sake of being stubborn. Compher predictably lost the draw and the Ducks killed the first 20 seconds of the power play with ease because The Avs are in the middle of a bizarre schedule quirk following a stretch the Avs put themselves in a bad position. Just seems unnecessary is all. of three days off followed by two games in two days in two different cities. They now have three more days off but at least get to stay at home during the major snowstorm heading to most of the country this week. BSN DENVER LOADED: 10.27.2019 Colorado returns to action on Wednesday when they take on the Florida Panthers for the second time in two weeks.

There are nights where teams fight themselves as much as the opponent. Tonight was definitely one of those types of nights for the Avalanche. In their loss to the Blues, they just got dominated all over the ice. That wasn’t the case tonight against the Ducks as they were finding shots and creating chances, they just weren’t burying them for whatever reason.

This was a classic “scheduled loss” with the Avs traveling after playing yesterday and the Ducks sitting in Denver waiting for them. Despite that, I didn’t really think fatigue played a major role in the outcome of the game. The Avs seemed to have plenty of legs and just didn’t use them very well.

There were times last year when the Avalanche offense was clearly misfiring and you could always tell because they were settling for tons of shots from the point instead of working the cycle more effectively. Tonight that old habit reappeared as every Avalanche defenseman had at least two shot attempts.

The defenseman who didn’t mind shooting tonight was Cale Makar, who looked like he was on a different planet tonight. His aggression with the puck was evident throughout and this was definitely a game that showed what a special player he’s going to be. The guy he was tonight is the guy he is capable of being nearly every night. When that happens, he’ll be in 1158610 Columbus Blue Jackets

Flyers 7, Blue Jackets 4 | Third-period collapse rocks Jackets

Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger

Oct 26, 2019 at 10:34 PM

PHILADELPHIA — Their goaltender held the Philadelphia Flyers off as long as he could.

Joonas Korpisalo was outstanding in the Blue Jackets’ net for 50-plus minutes Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center, but he just couldn’t keep it going against a hard-charging team that overcame a two-goal deficit to win 7-4 on five straight goals in the third period.

Shayne Gostisbehere cut it to 4-3 at 10:52 with a blast from the high slot, James van Riemsdyk’s second of two goals tied it at 4 at 12:37, and Kevin Hayes scored short-handed at 14:24 to put the Flyers ahead 5-4 in a shocking sequence for the Blue Jackets.

“We talked about it in one of the TV timeouts, where we came over to the bench,” said Josh Anderson, whose first goal of the season gave the Blue Jackets the 4-2 lead at 2:15 of the third. “Seven minutes to play, I mean, you’ve got a two-goal lead, you’ve got to find a way to win that hockey game. There’s just no reason. Korpi played unbelievable, and I thought we let him down.”

Boone Jenner led the Blue Jackets offensively with two goals, Pierre-Luc Dubois added his team-high fifth and Anderson’s first appeared to be all the support needed for Korpisalo — who stopped 17 of 18 shots in the second period, including back-to-back breakaways for Sean Couturier and Matt Niskanen plus numerous opportunities for others from close range.

“That falls on us,” Anderson said of Korpisalo allowing six goals on 46 shots overall, including four on 17 shots in the third. “That’s not on him, for sure. He made some huge saves and kept us in the game, but we’ve got to wake up during that game and find a way.”

After playing eight straight one-goal games, the previous four ending in overtime, the Blue Jackets had a streak of six straight games with at least a point snapped. It happened in shocking fashion, too, after Anderson provided the two-goal lead in the third. It looked like the Blue Jackets might actually cruise despite the Flyers dominating them outside of the score.

It just wasn’t going to happen the way the Flyers kept coming at them, kept putting Korpisalo under duress.

“It’s kind of smoke-and-mirrors that we’re up by two anyway, at that time,” coach John Tortorella said. “I just don’t think we played well enough. I don’t think we played hard enough — and I think we got what we deserved.”

Further bad news happened for the Blue Jackets midway through the second period, when rookie forward Alexandre Texier suffered a lower- body injury. Chris Stewart fell back on Texier’s right leg in the neutral zone, after the Jackets’ forward clipped his left leg from behind, and it appeared to twist awkwardly. No update was given after the game.

The postgame instead was a cauldron of regret.

“There’s eight, nine minutes left in the game, with the lead, you’ve got to find a way to get it done,” Jenner said. “No matter how the game’s gone, you’ve got to find a way to get it done and we didn’t.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158611 Columbus Blue Jackets Some are more comfortable with that than others, with Nutivaara being one of the most effective on his off side. Kukan also said he’s fine playing the right side, which he did Saturday while skating on the third pairing with rookie Vladislav Gavrikov. Dean Kukan, Scott Harrington get rare chances to play for Blue Jackets “It doesn’t really matter for me,” he said. Catching passes on the backhand "is the bad thing of playing on the right side, but then there’s good things, too. You’re on your one-timer side when you’re in the Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch @BrianHedger offensive zone, and if you go back for pucks, you’re on your forehand Oct 26, 2019 at 10:05 PM right away. So, there are advantages as well.”

Familiar faces

PHILADELPHIA — It is not a role that either player wanted this season, Zach Werenski is playing his fourth NHL season and has skated with but providing defensive depth is what the Blue Jackets are asking of Seth Jones on the top defensive pairing during even strength for most of Dean Kukan and Scott Harrington. his career.

Each is getting a chance to do that with Markus Nutivaara out because of Add special teams. Werenski also plays with Jones as one of the an unspecified lower body injury, but Kukan and Harrington will return to Jackets’ penalty-kill units, and they also have started playing together on watching games in street clothes once he returns. the same power-play group — flip-flopping between the quarterbacking and right-wing roles in the 1-3-1 setup. That is in the experimental stage, “I think we’ve settled on the six" regular defensemen, coach John but that’s a hefty dose of Werenski and Jones for opponents to handle. Tortorella said Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center before a game against Philadelphia. “Kuks will play tonight. Harry’s out. I’m kind of “Now, we pretty much play every shift together,” Werenski said, laughing. alternating them through, with Nuti being hurt.”

Harrington, who hadn’t played since the season opener on Oct. 4 against Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 the Toronto Maple Leafs, played Thursday in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at Nationwide Arena. He finished with a minus-2 rating after being on the ice for two of the Hurricanes’ three first- period goals, but he played a solid 12:15 overall — adding two shots, two hits and three blocked shots.

Kukan's appearance against the Flyers was his third game of the season and his first since logging 15:07 in a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 19 at Nationwide.

“It’s not easy,” said Kukan, who played more regularly at the end of last season, including the playoffs, because of injuries to other players. “After last season, you knew that we had a lot of defensemen, but I thought I was going to play a little more than I (have) so far. But we have eight defensemen, and all of us are good players, so it’s just not enough (room). But it’s my third game now, and I’m just trying to do my best, so I can somehow stay in the lineup.”

Tortorella said that will depend on Nutivaara’s health. Saturday's was the second game he had missed, after a practice absence Friday and not making the trip to Philadelphia, but the injury is still being labeled “day to day.”

That usually indicates that a short-term absence is expected, which could mean that the defensive depth chart — with Nutivaara back on the second pairing next to Ryan Murray — might not be far off.

“You know how it works: If one guy’s struggling, and the other guy’s playing better, he’ll play,” Tortorella said. “But right now, we’re pretty satisfied with our three pairs, with Kuks and Harry being our depth guys. I don’t want to put a number on ’em, but they’re the guys that are out" under normal circumstances.

Jenner making strides

The plus/minus rating doesn’t hold nearly as much weight as it did before the rise of advanced statistics, but a minus-7 in 10 games is still a number that no player would like next to his name.

That was center ’s situation heading into the Flyers game, but the veteran had shown signs of breaking out of his struggles.

After going without a point in the first seven games, resulting in a minus-6 rating, Jenner scored two goals in the first two periods Saturday night against the Flyers to give him three goals and an assist in the past four games. He also had the same wingers for the second straight game, being flanked by Sonny Milano and Josh Anderson.

“The chances are coming,” Jenner said. “You’re working hard and putting yourself in those spots, but you want to be able to bury them and chip in offensively a little bit more for the team.”

Heavy on lefties

Among the Jackets’ eight defensemen, only Seth Jones and David Savard shoot right-handed. The other six are lefties, which forces at least one to play on his off-hand point every game. 1158612 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones an asset on offense, too

Jacob Myers The Columbus Dispatch @Jacob_Myers_25

Oct 26, 2019 at 5:30 AM

It isn’t just his speed and overall defensive play coupled with 40-point seasons that make Seth Jones one of the best defensemen in the NHL. His ability to carry the puck into the offensive zone and out of the Jackets zone makes him an asset in every phase of the game.

On the power play, the Jackets struggle to enter the offensive zone at times, though Jones never seems to have a problem. The same goes for overtime when a team has to control possession or transition quickly to find the deciding goal.

Jones, 25, proved that Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Jackets’ fourth straight overtime game, the most since they played six straight in the 2014-15 season. Coach John Tortorella believes there’s more in Jones.

“He's a good player for us, but I think he can up his level,” Tortorella said.

Jones has been on the doorstep of winning the Norris Trophy, which goes to the league’s best defenseman, for the past couple of seasons, and should contend again. Tortorella alluded to other points this season when Jones hasn’t been as sharp. He just wants to see him take over a game like he has recently because he knows Jones can.

“I forget what game it was, just a couple of games ago, he took over the game,” Tortorella said. “He can dominate games when he decides to dominate a game. He's that good.”

With 14 minutes remaining in the second period Thursday and the Jackets on the power play, Jones gathered the puck in his zone, recognized the Hurricanes were trying to change lines and burst through the neutral zone to the end line. He knocked over former Jackets winger Ryan Dzingel in the process.

The play didn’t result in a shot, but it showed his ability to carry the puck past defenders, which can open options against an undisciplined defense.

Defenseman David Savard said Jones recently has shown that dominance because he was frustrated by losses in some close games. The Jackets have begun to win those close games because of Jones' increased intensity.

“You can tell he's stepped up his game and everybody kind of followed the last three games,” Savard said, “and we have the results now so I think that's a big part of why we kind of turned it around early in the season.”

Nutivaara day to day

Defenseman Markus Nutivaara did not practice Friday at Nationwide Arena ahead of a game Saturday night at the Philadelphia Flyers. He is out because of a lower-body injury. Tortorella did not have an update, only saying Nutivaara was “day-to-day.” Scott Harrington started in place of Nutivaara on Thursday.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158613 Columbus Blue Jackets

Versatility has been key to David Savard's longevity with Columbus Blue Jackets

Jacob Myers The Columbus Dispatch @Jacob_Myers_25

Oct 26, 2019 at 5:30 AM

Less than two minutes into the Blue Jackets' overtime win Thursday night, David Savard saw the puck on the stick of Carolina defenseman Jake Gardiner, who was walking in from the point on the left side for a clear shot on goalie Joonas Korpisalo.

Savard skated over and turned toward the goal, blocking the shot square with his back.

Savard isn’t the fastest defenseman in the game, although he’s a quality skater. He’s not the top scorer from the blue line, but has put up at least 20 points in four of the past five seasons, including a career-best 36 points in the 2014-15 season. It’s the blocked shots, checking and smart positioning that have made him a valuable defenseman in six full seasons with the Jackets.

"He makes the game easy on his partner,” defenseman Ryan Murray said. “He works so hard. He's a passionate guy on the ice and off the ice, but I feel like he's just an easy guy to play with.”

A game Saturday night at the Philadelphia Flyers will be Savard’s 500th game in nine NHL seasons, all with the Jackets. Only Fedor Tyutin (553) and Rostislav Klesla (515) have played more games as a defensemen for the Jackets. Savard has played in at least 65 games since the 2012- 13 season, so he should own that record by the end of the season.

He didn’t walk into the clubhouse as a starter. He played 31 games his first season and just four in his second, when he primarily played in the American Hockey League. Over time, Savard has molded his game into being as consistent as a defender can be and a reliable third fiddle to Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, who get most of the attention.

“They're talented guys … but I like my role right now on the team, playing well defensively and kind of being just a presence back there,” Savard said. “It's been pretty good for me the last few years in that role, and I'll try to keep it going.”

Savard, 29, might have played the best hockey of his career during the Jackets' playoff run last year. He scored once and added two assists but was most critical in locking down Tampa Bay’s elite offensive players in a first-round series sweep.

Savard said he has always prioritized consistency, which is what he has given through 10 games this season. Even if the defenseman is not a prolific scorer or the quickest blue-liner, his ability to play to his strengths has made him reliable, Murray said.

“Knowing your game is everything,” Murray said. “There's been a lot of highly skilled players that can't make it, and there's a lot of low-skilled players that do because they know their limits and they know what they can and can't do.”

Along with the blocked shot, coach John Tortorella mentioned Savard’s first of two assists Thursday night that came on Murray’s goal. Skating back into his zone, Savard got the puck and fired a quick, diagonal pass to the offensive blue line for Boone Jenner to skate onto. Jenner dropped it back to Murray for the primary assist.

“He doesn't get enough credit as far as some of his offensive skills because he's just such a big body in just the way he plays,” Tortorella said. “But he's a utility guy that we can move up and down with pairs.”

After Savard blocked the shot early in the first period, he got up and stayed in the play without a wince of pain, although it was probably there. He was just doing his job.

“I think the biggest thing is consistency,” Savard said. “If you can get (to the NHL), I think that's how you stick around.”

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158614 Columbus Blue Jackets Colorado) and they have the most cap space ($10 million or so, a little more than Colorado). And they look pretty good.

One difference between the Jackets and the Avs: The Jackets are Michael Arace | Young teams' rise is good sign for Columbus Blue averaging 1.6 fewer goals. Which is to say the Jacket are on pace to Jackets average 130 fewer goals than the Avalanche, which in a snapshot is still a ton.

Michael Arace The Columbus Dispatch @MichaelArace1 Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 Oct 27, 2019 at 5:31 AM

Heading into the weekend, NHL teams had played 10.3 games, on average. My smartphone not only collects personal data for Facebook and Russia, it has a calculator — and it says the regular season is already more than 12% gone. It’ll be beyond 13% by Monday morning.

This is enough of a sample for the first snapshot of the 2019-20 season. If you are a Blue Jackets fans looking at this picture, you’re looking forward to Wednesday night, when the Edmonton Oilers, one of the biggest surprises of the early season, visit Nationwide Arena.

The Oilers missed the playoffs in 13 of the previous 14 seasons. Perspective: The Jackets missed in 11 of their first 12 seasons. Think about that.

Previously, the Oilers were Exhibit A in Why Not To Tank: Three No. 1 overall picks in three years, 2010-12, did little to refine them. Two of these No. 1s — Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov — are long gone. Yakupov is 4,000 miles removed.

The Oilers may be Exhibit C or D in Why To Tank: They got Connor McDavid, a generational player, with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft (a year after they took Leon Draisaitl at No. 3 overall).

This morning, the Oilers sit atop the Pacific Division.

If the early season snapshot is any indication, the Oilers — who have ripped through nine coaches and four general managers in 10 years — are stabilizing. Finally. New general manager has a championship pedigree from Detroit. New coach , a less- animated version of John Tortorella, has brought a defensive structure and sanity to the enterprise. Alberta isn’t just Johnny Hockey, the Fringe Festival and tar sands anymore.

McDavid and Draisaitl play more minutes than Zach Werenski, which is kind of crazy — but McDavid (1.82 points per game) and Draisaitl (1.73) were second and third in the league in production. They were right behind Boston’s David Pastrnak (1.89).

(Speaking of the relative merits of tanking, Pastrnak, among others, was available when the Jackets took Sonny Milano with the No. 16 overall pick in 2014. So, like, nice job on Pierre-Luc Dubois over Puljujarvi, but there are no pure geniuses when it comes to projecting 18-year-olds — unless McJesus is available for selection. But I digress.)

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who began shaving last year, is now the longest- tenured Oiler. This excellent, two-way forward has found his groove as the No. 2 center. He now has a potent, if potentially malcontent, linemate in James Neal.

The Oilers lack depth all over the ice, but their first two lines are wicked and Tippett is an ex-Whaler, so he knows what he is doing.

Other snapshots:

The Washington Capitals are the unsurprising leaders of the . Defenseman John Carlson, the league leader in assists and points heading into the weekend, is being referred to as “John Norris” by Alex Ovechkin.

Colorado, atop the Central Division, is the best team in the league right now. The Avalanche got nine points in six road games against 2019 playoff teams. This, from the youngest team in the league.

The Buffalo Sabres are Oilers East with Depth. The Sabres, in first place in the Atlantic Division, have taken to the positive reinforcement and defensive structure of new coach Ralph Krueger. A lot of nice pieces are coalescing. Jack Eichel doesn’t have to try to do everything anymore.

If you are a Jackets fan, you probably like the vibe. The Jackets are the second-youngest team in the league (average age, 25.8, just behind 1158615 Columbus Blue Jackets Rookie left winger Alexandre Texier suffered a right leg injury early in the second period and did not return. The Blue Jackets didn’t provide further updates.

Portzline: 10 observations from the Blue Jackets’ late collapse and loss The injury occurred after a center-ice faceoff just seconds after Pierre- to Flyers Luc Dubois scored to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead.

Texier was tangled with Flyers forward Chris Stewart and his right leg wrenched awkwardly backward as Stewart put his full weight on him. By Aaron Portzline After a moment on the ice, Texier skated off, heading straight to the dressing room. Oct 26, 2019 4. Korpisalo allowed six goals … but wasn’t awful

No, really. Korpisalo is the only reason the floor didn’t give way for the Ten observations from the Blue Jackets’ 7-4 loss to Philadelphia on Blue Jackets in the second period instead of the third. He was facing Saturday in Wells Fargo Center: breakaways all night, it seemed. 1. Sloppy play comes at a cost He stopped a breakaway — yes, yet another — by Flyers defenseman Even when the Blue Jackets led 4-2 early in the third period, it was hard Matt Niskanen, who came out of the penalty box early in the second to argue that they were playing well or deserved to have a two-goal lead. without drawing the attention of the Blue Jackets. They were sloppy and slow, looking nothing like the on-the-toes, Korpisalo stopped that one with his left pad just 45 seconds after he defensively sound club that emerged in the first 10 games of the season. stopped Couturier’s shorthanded chance. He also made a left-to-right But who could have expected that third period? lunge with his right pad to stop Joel Farabee on a point-blank chance in front later in the period. The Blue Jackets allowed five unanswered goals and lost 7-4 to the Flyers on Saturday. One of those goals (No. 6) was an empty-netter, but “We have to play better in front of Korpi,” Blue Jackets forward Josh there’s no sugar-coating this one. Anderson said. “He played unbelievable tonight.

The Flyers scored their five goals in a span of 8:56. A shorthanded goal “We can’t give up a two-goal lead in the third period, especially to that by Kevin Hayes at 14:24 of the third period gave the Flyers a 5-4 lead, team. We saw ’em coming for the whole game. I thought we were a little and it only got worse from there for the Blue Jackets. too slow in our play.”

“It’s kind of smoke and mirrors that we were up by two anyway,” Blue Korpisalo stopped 39 of 45 shots. That’s the most shots on goal the Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “I just don’t think we played well Jackets have allowed this season. enough. I don’t think we played hard enough. And I think we got what we At one point in the second, Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom fell on deserved. Korpisalo after a play at the net. When they both got up, Korpisalo gave “We were fortunate we were up 4-2 at that time. We did not play a good Lindblom a one-arm shiver in the back as he skated away. hockey game. We did not play with enough energy. We didn’t have It didn’t come close to his outburst after Hayes’ goal. enough battle in our game. It just, it wasn’t good enough.” 5. Milano has two assists, is injured late It’s the second time already this season the Blue Jackets have allowed five goals in a period. They did so on Oct. 5 vs. Pittsburgh, when the Sonny Milano had two assists and a plus-2 rating and tied with captain Penguins scored five in the second on their way to a 7-2 win. for the club high with four hits. He suffered an injury late, though, and wasn’t around for the ugly end. But it’s the first time they’ve yakked up five in a third period since Dec. 19, 2013, a 5-4 loss in … yep, Philadelphia. With 3:52 to play, Milano was tripped up, clipped in the mouth by a stick and tumbled awkwardly into the boards. He got up slowly and skated off 2. The power play is doing great harm under his own power. The Blue Jackets went 0-for-5 on the power play, but that futility isn’t the The Blue Jackets might have wanted a high-sticking call, but once again half of it. The Jackets were outshot 4-2 while on the power play, and two it was ruled that the Flyers player was following through on his play of the of the Flyers’ shorthanded shots were wide-open breakaways. puck, in this case a clearing attempt from his defensive zone. Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped the first one, by Flyers center No update from the club on Milano. Sean Couturier at 5:41 of the second. When he wasn’t able to stop Hayes’ attempt late in the game, Korpisalo lost his noodle and bashed 6. Boone Jenner scores twice his stick against the goal behind him in frustration. After going without a point in his first six games, Jenner has broken Cam Atkinson, who has been bounced to the second power-play unit, through. He had two goals Saturday, giving him 3-1-4 in his past four made the turnover that sprung Hayes on the shorthanded breakaway. He games. was trying to send the puck across the blue line to the point, but the pass was way too soft. Dare we say it, Jenner’s first goal was a bit snipey. He was on the goal line — his stick blade beneath it, actually — when Milano skated along If the power play isn’t going to score enough goals and isn’t going to the back woodwork and shoved the puck to him with one hand. come through in clutch moments — let’s face it, it’s been a suck on the club’s energy and morale for almost three years — the least it can do is Jenner ripped the puck from an odd angle, scoring into the Flyers’ net off not inflict self-harm. Elliott’s right shoulder.

It’s easy to put all of this on assistant coach Brad Larsen, who coaches Meanwhile, Dubois scored his fifth goal of the season, and his fifth in the power play. This is the pros; he’s accountable. eight games, at 2:28 of the second period.

But I would submit that this is on the Blue Jackets players. They aren’t He took a pass from Seth Jones low in the right circle, skated in alone on being asked to play in a way that other NHL teams don’t play on the Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott and beat him with a nifty wrister that power play. Larsen and the rest of the coaching staff have changed clanged off the far post before settling in the cage. personnel, switched roles, tweaked the structure, etc. What they’re The goal was scored just five seconds after a Blue Jackets power play teaching shouldn’t be too much for the players to grasp. expired. It’s the power play, not quantum physics. You have five guys, the other Dubois leads the Blue Jackets with five goals and is tied (with Jones) for team has four guys. Play with pace, be creative, hound the puck on the points lead at seven. retrievals and keep going. 7. Gotcha! 3. Texier suffers right leg injury Hilarious moment at 11:23 of the first period, when the Blue Jackets and The best line offensively was the combination of Milano, Jenner and Flyers were constantly passing the puck to the wrong sweater and it Anderson. In 7:40 of ice time, the trio combined for three goals and had a happened to be ramped up into the seats. team-best 47.62-percent of all shot attempts and 50 percent of scoring chances when on the ice. Maybe the officials nodded off — couldn’t blame them, really — but it took a few seconds before the play was correctly whistled to a stop. In Gavrikov and Kukan played roughly 13 minutes of five-on-five play and those few seconds, Korpisalo started looking frantically around the zone, tilted the ice the most of any defensive pair (plus-2 shot attempts) with believing he’d lost sight of a live puck. offensive zone starts of just 33 percent for Gavrikov and 50 percent for Kukan. Flyers forward Travis Konecny, on the doorstep to Korpisalo’s right, sensed Korpisalo’s dread and lurched forward as though he had the puck The top individual performances in terms of game score: Jenner (3.92), and was shooting. Kukan (3.87), Gavrikov (3.79); and Anderson (3.39).

Korpisalo flinched as the whistles sounded. Two for flinchin’. Data via MoneyPuck.com, Evolving-Hockey.com, NaturalStatTrick.com, and reflects score and venue adjusted 5-on-5 play unless otherwise 8. Voracek always loved Columbus stated.

The Blue Jackets traded Jake Voracek to the Flyers way back in 2010, along with a first-round pick, for center Jeff Carter. That first-round pick went on to become Couturier. Carter was later shipped to Los Angeles The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 for defenseman Jack Johnson, and the rest is … well, ya know.

Voracek always loved Columbus. He used to hang out late, late at night at R-Bar, a local institution, and play the jukebox while the bar staff cleaned up from the night.

He didn’t want to be traded to Philadelphia, either, but he probably wouldn’t have become the player he’s grown to be with the Flyers. Playing with Czech legend Jaromir Jagr was good for his soul, his game and his long-term career.

Now Voracek is a big Columbus fan for a different reason. He has 7-15- 22 in 26 career games against the Blue Jackets. Believe it or not, Voracek is ninth on the Flyers’ all-time assists (353) lists and 14th in points (514).

9. Savard hits 500 games

For the second consecutive game, the Blue Jackets had a player dress in his 500th game with the franchise. Defenseman David Savard hit the milestone Saturday; Foligno hit No. 500 on Thursday.

Savard, who turned 29 earlier this week, is one of the most under- appreciated Blue Jackets players through the years. A fourth-round pick, No. 94 overall, he was drafted in 2009 as an offensive defenseman.

You’ll recall he faced a crossroads after the 2012-13 season when he was called out by then-president of hockey operations John Davidson, who said he needed to get in better shape or kiss his NHL aspirations goodbye.

Savard did just that. He also morphed from a skilled defenseman to a shutdown defenseman to stay in the league, and he’s played that role — a thankless task, with few points as a reward — with very little complaint or drama.

10. Morsels and croutons

D Markus Nutivaara missed his second straight game. Dean Kukan went back into the lineup, replacing Scott Harrington, who had subbed for Nutivaara on Thursday vs. Carolina. Kukan paired with Vladislav Gavrikov. … The Blue Jackets had killed 16 of their last 17 penalties before allowing two the Flyers. … Anderson had his first points of the season (1-1-2). … Gavrikov earned his first NHL point, an assist on Anderson’s goal at 2:15 of the third. … The Blue Jackets are off on Sunday.

The Athletic’s Alison Lukan provided these insights into the Blue Jackets’ loss:

Tortorella called the Blue Jackets’ early lead “smoke and mirrors,” and he wasn’t wrong. Columbus never led a period in shot share and in terms of scoring chances, the Blue Jackets held the advantage only over the first 20 minutes. While the visiting team had the better overall shot quality (58.2 percent of expected goals), without building on that in terms of total volume, a win was going to be hard to come by.

The final expected goal total, according to MoneyPuck.com, was 3.96 to 2.25 in favor of the Flyers. Evolving Hockey had the final total at 3.99 to 2.61, again in favor of the home team.

The power play continued its struggles. In 3:23 of power-play time, the Flyers generated 10 shot attempts and allowed none against while playing with the man advantage. In comparison, the Blue Jackets created only four attempts for themselves and allowed the same number against. 1158616 Columbus Blue Jackets “They were kind of jumbled, not what you’d see in a normal wrist,” Dubinsky said. “They were all over the place. So part of the surgery was to rearrange the bones and put them back like the puzzle it is in there.”

‘I won’t give up’: Brandon Dubinsky seems far away from Blue Jackets as At the end of the surgery, a stabilizing screw was inserted into his wrist to injured wrist lingers hold the bones in place in the hope that they’d heal. Two months later, in early August 2017, the screw was removed.

“We tried to choose the best (surgeon) who would give us the best and By Aaron Portzline fastest recovery time, because I wanted to get into that 2017-18 season and play right away,” Dubinsky said. “But I don’t think my wrist ever Oct 26, 2019 responded the way I wanted it to. It never felt right; it’s never felt good.

“Sometimes I regret even having the surgery and not just playing through COLUMBUS, Ohio — On the left side of the Blue Jackets’ dressing room the pain I was having.” sits an empty locker stall. It wouldn’t be the least bit noteworthy — two Dubinsky was ready for opening night in 2017-18, but he missed 20 other spaces in the room are vacated, too — except that it once held the games that season, including 18 with a fractured orbital bone after a fight loudest and proudest of players. with Edmonton’s Zack Kassian. On Sept. 25, the Blue Jackets announced that forward Brandon Dubinsky Last season, Dubinsky missed 21 games, 10 games with a torn oblique would be out indefinitely and miss the start of the season because his muscle in October, seven games with a hip injury in February and a long-nagging wrist injury had become too painful to tolerate. series of healthy scratches. Dubinsky, one of the franchise’s most important players since his trade All the while, he was suffering through debilitating pain in his wrist, from the New York Rangers in 2012, has barely been seen in Nationwide caused by post-traumatic arthritis after the surgeries, he said. Arena since the season started more than three weeks ago. Dubinsky slid down the Blue Jackets’ depth chart and saw his ice time He’s not skating, even on his own. He’s not attending games in dwindle, but he still took more faceoffs than anybody, and he continued Nationwide. He wasn’t at majority owner John P. McConnell’s annual to throw his body around, shove his way into the middle of scrums, etc. team party. It’s as if he’s disappeared. “It’s been a challenging time, a challenging last two or three years for “Obviously, I want to be there, it’s just … I don’t know how to put it,” me,” Dubinsky said. Dubinsky told The Athletic. “When you’re injured, you kind of feel like you’re in the way. The players and coaches are trying to prepare for This fall he decided he couldn’t fight through the pain any longer. He games. played in three preseason games, took 40 faceoffs, and seemed to be gaining momentum for the regular season. “For me, with this thing (the wrist injury), I don’t know what the timeline is. I just don’t want to feel like I’m getting in the way over there, interrupting “But the pain and my ability to do my job and play at an elite level in the guys’ routines … just to be there.” NHL … they just kind of collided,” Dubinsky said. “I saw myself kind of at a crossroads where I needed to do something else (to help the wrist) There’s no indication he’ll be back anytime soon, either. because it wasn’t working. Dubinsky said his surgically repaired right wrist is not improving despite “It was majorly painful again, and the fact that it happened so early in the five days a week of rehab and treatments. He’s made frequent trips to season, I was worried about it. I didn’t know if it was going to hang on or the doctor, with another appointment set up for this coming week. hold up for a whole season. And before it kept getting worse and worse, I At this point, he’s not day-to-day or week-to-week. He’s probably month- wanted to take a step back before I made any decisions.” to-month. Dubinsky is looking for ways, other than medication, to alleviate the “I’ve played a lot of games and dealt with a lot of injuries, and there’s arthritis pain in his wrist. He’s listening to specialists, seeking multiple nothing I haven’t been able to get through,” Dubinsky said. “But with the opinions and continuing to do daily exercises, but those are tricky. wrist … it’s something I’ve dealt with for four years now. If he doesn’t push hard enough, the wrist will never develop the grip “I dealt with it for two years prior to the surgery (in 2017). I had two strength or the range of motion it needs for him play in the NHL. If he surgeries that summer, and it’s been tough to play ever since. I don’t pushes too hard, the patchwork joint might not handle the stress. think it’s any secret. “I’m still training, staying in great shape,” Dubinsky said. “It’s not like I’m “I can say all the right things and I can play hard, keep my head in the sitting on my ass doing nothing. There’s no doubt I could get back into right place. But it’s really changed my ability to play the game.” (game shape) pretty quickly, but I need to see some improvement with my wrist. Four years ago, Dubinsky was hoping to avoid wrist surgery altogether, thinking he could play through the pain with the help of steroid injections “There are some days where I think it’s getting better, but there are days and anti-inflammatory shots. where it doesn’t feel much better. It’s frustrating, at times, but I’m sticking with this and we’ll see if I turn the corner. “But I was taking a (baby) stroller out of the car and I just dropped it, like my hand couldn’t hold the stroller,” Dubinsky said. “That’s when I knew I “I don’t want to rule (more surgery) out. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. had to get something done. I’ve been down that road already and it’s taken me here, but if it makes sense I’d 100 percent do it. If a doctor could promise they’ll make my “But I also knew the risks of having it done. Once you go in there and wrist better, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” they start messing with things, it’s tough to put it back together in the way you were made. The Blue Jackets are off to a 5-3-2 start without Dubinsky. They’re riding a six-game point streak into tonight’s game against the Philadelphia “They say with wrists that if you ask 10 doctors, they’ll give you 10 Flyers in Wells Fargo Center. different ways to fix it. So what does that tell you? There’s not one good way, right?” “It’s weird not having Dubi around,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno said. “Especially in certain moments. He was kind of the rah-rah voice in When Dubinsky had surgery in 2017, doctors discovered a badly here, somebody besides myself. So it’s something to get used to.” damaged joint. Doctors told him that his scapholunate ligament was “completely shredded” and needed to be replaced. Other ligaments were Foligno was acquired by the Blue Jackets in 2012, the same summer damaged, too. Dubinsky came aboard. Those two, and former Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson, led the charge in changing the organization’s reputation The bones were jumbled, cracked and scattered about, too, like stones in as lovable losers. ancient ruins. “We’ve almost grown up here together,” Foligno said. “Six years of him and I doing this. We have a lot of history, a lot of fun times and memories together, that’s for sure. “It’s got to be weird for him, too, being completely out of it. That’s what I’ve hated most about being injured, you just don’t feel like you’re part of it. But I just want him to feel good, because, at a certain point, it’s about having a life (outside hockey), too.”

Pierre-Luc Dubois now has an empty locker stall beside him. He was placed next to Dubinsky two years ago as a rookie so that Dubinsky could impart some wisdom and give periodic pep talks to him before games or during intermissions.

“He helped me a lot my first two years,” Dubois said. “Staying steady during games, concentrating on my next shift, little things I could do differently on faceoffs … not having him is one less guy to talk to.

“When I needed a little push, he’d give me a push. When I was frustrated, he’d help settle me down. I miss seeing him there.”

Dubinsky has stayed in touch with several players with text messages and phone calls, but only on off days or after practices. Never on game days, he said.

Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella and Dubinsky have been together for several seasons, first with the New York Rangers and now the past four seasons in Columbus.

But Tortorella has mostly left Dubinsky alone to work his way back. He has enough to worry about, he said, with the youngest team in the NHL, including five rookies.

“It’s been weird because he didn’t play with us from the start of the (regular season),” Tortorella said. “So it’s been this team, and that’s kind of what we’re focusing on.

“We wish him … there’s a number of things there with his (wrist) and all that … we just want him to get healthy.”

Dubinsky said the time away has helped him develop a wonderful habit. He and his wife, Brenna, have three kids.

“It’s called being a dad,” he said, with a chuckle. “School drop-offs and pick-ups, sports drop-offs, watching them play, picking them up … oh, I have enough to keep me busy.”

And though he hasn’t watched a game in Nationwide Arena yet this season, he’s watching them all on Ohio.

“It’s sad that you’re not out there competing with your teammates, but I can’t take my eyes off it,” Dubinsky said.

“These guys have a chip on their shoulders. Everybody’s counted them out — counted us out — since we lost some key guys. But we still have a good group of players and guys who can produce. It’s a fun team to watch. This is a group that believes in itself, and sometimes I think that’s the most important thing.”

Dubinsky said he still believes he’ll return to play another NHL game, but there’s no target date and only so much optimism one can muster. The NHL is a young man’s game, more now than ever. At 33 years old, Dubinsky is an elder statesman.

But he hasn’t considered retirement. In fact, he can’t even say the word.

“I’m not ready to think about that yet,” Dubinsky said. “I still have two years left on this contract. I still have the drive and the compete to play. I just have to figure out how.

“I won’t give up. I’ll turn over every stone before I even think about that.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158617 Dallas Stars sometimes throwing the puck away when we don’t have to. It’s frustrating but it’s something that we’re going to have to work on.”

Two periods worth of optimism come crashing down as Penguins Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.27.2019 dominate Stars in third, defeat Dallas 3-0

By Matthew DeFranks

4:43 AM on Oct 27, 2019

The Stars were the better team for two periods during a 3-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday night. But in the third period, Dallas was dominated.

The Penguins scored three times in the third period to snap the Stars’ three-game winning streak and leave Dallas with a sour taste after a promising opening 40 minutes. In the third period, Pittsburgh outshot the Stars 16-3 as Dallas went more than 10 minutes without a shot on goal.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Pittsburgh had a 28-5 advantage in shot attempts, 18-3 in scoring chances, 9-0 in high-danger scoring chances and 1.97-0.17 in expected goals.

“I think we came out more flat,” Stars defenseman John Klingberg said. “I think we had a pretty solid start in the first. Second period, I think we totally owned that period. Coming out in the third, we’ve got to keep rolling the same way as we did in the second. Those tough goals are going to happen, but you’re just going to have to bounce back. I think the way we played offensively today, we have to score more goals.”

The Stars had 22 shots in the first two periods, but couldn’t puncture Penguins goaltender Matt Murray. It was the second time this season Dallas was shut out. Stars goaltender Ben Bishop made 24 saves, but had a costly turnover that became Pittsburgh’s first goal of the night.

After Pittsburgh dumped the puck behind the Stars’ net, Bishop gathered it, but whiffed when he tried to pass to Esa Lindell. Dominik Kahun pounced on the turnover and tried to feed Sam Lafferty in front of the net, but Bishop cut off the pass. As Bishop laid in the crease, the puck squirted to Kahun and he buried the goal.

“I kind of hit it backwards before I was trying to hit it forwards,” Bishop said. “Guy made the play up front and I felt I made the save on my side. I just tried to pin it to my side, somehow pushed it underneath myself right on the guy’s tape. Kind of an unfortunate goal. Obviously, you don’t want to make the mistake behind the net, but then when you make the save, I felt pretty relieved and then sure enough, it goes right underneath me right on the guy’s stick.”

Stars coach Jim Montgomery: “The first goal is something that we usually do really well and didn’t on that occasion. Obviously, that ended up being the game-winning goal. That, to me, was the only part. The first two periods, really good hockey. All four lines were going, everybody was contributing. You hope that that would carry on in the third, but they came with a push. We didn’t respond to their push.”

On the Penguins’ second goal, Miro Heiskanen tried to get the puck to Denis Gurianov by bouncing the puck off the boards in the Pittsburgh zone, but instead went for icing. On the ensuing faceoff, Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust’s wraparound bounced off Klingberg and in.

“I’m thinking Miro’s thinking an indirect, off the end boards [pass] to Denis going with speed and Denis cut middle,” Montgomery said. “They just both thought different things at the same time. Either play would work and waive off the icing but one’s thinking one, one’s thinking the other.”

Power play 0 for 2: The Stars power play continued to struggle, going 0 for 2 on Saturday and running its season total to 3 for 36 (8.3%). Dallas only registered two shots on goal with the man advantage.

“Power play to me was just a lack of effort, especially the second one,” Montgomery said. “The first one, I thought the effort was there except for one moment. Then the second, we were just disjointed. It’s unfortunately been the story for our power play for the season so far.”

Klingberg: “You’ve got to read off each other. You’ve got to read off where the puck is going. You’ve got to move together and at the same time, it comes down to winning those 1-on-1 battles and getting the puck up and creating movement from there. I think right now, we are 1158618 Dallas Stars and Mattias Janmark. Gurianov scored twice in the Stars’ win over Anaheim on Thursday night, and Montgomery said he wanted to give Gurianov more ice time than the 10:52 he received against the Ducks.

Denis Gurianov moves up lineup, Joe Pavelski and Alexander Radulov On Saturday, he was noticeable again by drawing a penalty in the move down as Stars search for more production second period and putting two shots on net in the first.

“Denis looks like he’s ready to jump off the page,” Montgomery said. “We haven’t seen great chemistry with Seggy yet, so it’s an opportunity for By Matthew DeFranks him to develop chemistry.”

2:01 AM on Oct 27, 2019 Same defense: The Stars used the same defensive pairings for the fourth straight game on Saturday night, which included playing Dallas’ best two

defensemen — Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg — together. The Stars’ third and fourth-highest paid players occupied the third and It’s a change from last year, when the Stars used Klingberg and fourth lines during Saturday night’s 3-0 loss to the Penguins. Heiskanen on different pairings to maximize the time that one of them Joe Pavelski ($7 million cap hit) and Alexander Radulov ($6.25 million) was on the ice. were bottom-six forwards against Pittsburgh, a reflection of how they’ve “We know that we generate a lot of good exits and a lot of offensive zone started the season for the Stars. Entering Saturday, Radulov had one time with those two at the blue line together,” Montgomery said. “We’ve goal and three assists while Pavelski had two goals and one assist, liked the development of [Andrej] Sekera. We thought that his defensive distant results from what they were expected to bring Dallas. mindset with Esa’s strength would allow us to have two pairings with a On Saturday, Radulov and Pavelski combined for 10 shot attempts as clear identity. That being said, it might switch.” the Stars allowed three third-period goals to the Penguins. Dallas was Injured blue line: Three Dallas defensemen got hurt in some capacity on outshot in the third period 16-3 after owning the first two periods with a Saturday night. 22-11 shot advantage. Esa Lindell blocked a shot with his face with 7:29 left the Dominik Kahun scored after Ben Bishop turned the puck over behind his first period. He was helped off the ice but returned in the second period own net and Bryan Rust put a wraparound attempt off John Klingberg’s wearing a full face shield. foot after an icing for the second goal. Brandon Tanev scored an empty- net goal to ice the game. With 15:43 left in the second period, Taylor Fedun was hit in the face by a deflected puck. He left the ice for the dressing room, but returned to the “You saw a team that has won two Stanley Cups and their mindset to bench minutes later. start the third, and they didn’t have their best player,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “Crosby was in the locker room still. And they came With 13:42 left in the third period, Andrej Sekera crashed awkwardly into out and they shoved it right down our throat. We never recovered. We the corner while battling Nick Bjugstad for a loose puck. He did not never responded.” return, but Montgomery said the injury is not believed to be serious.

The loss snapped the Stars’ three-game winning streak. They finish a four-game homestand Tuesday against Minnesota. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.27.2019 Radulov is coming off back-to-back 72-point seasons for the Stars, while Pavelski scored 38 goals for San Jose last year. Radulov played with Radek Faksa and Jason Dickinson on Saturday. Pavelski was with Andrew Cogliano and Justin Dowling. Radulov and Pavelski remained on the top power play unit despite their dips in the lineup.

Montgomery said both Radulov and Pavelski’s play reflects the way the team has been playing overall as they opened the season 4-8-1.

“Like our team, we all need to be better,” Montgomery said. “[Radulov] needs to be better if we want to be a much better hockey team that adds to this three-game winning streak. We all need to be better and he’s just one of us.”

On Thursday night against Anaheim, Radulov played just 12:23, just the second time since 2008 that Radulov played fewer than 13 minutes in a game. He also did not register a shot on goal for the third time in the last six games. Last season, he was held without a shot twice.

Montgomery also mentioned Radulov’s shift on the power play Monday against Ottawa that lasted 1:29.

“We’ve had video meetings, talked about the two-minutes shift the previous game on the power play,” Montgomery said. “There’s certain things. But he’s a very proud individual and we all know how talented a hockey player and how much he’s going to help us. You just can’t go off the team page.”

For Pavelski, it’s been a long adjustment period to a new team after spending 13 seasons with the same organization in San Jose. He hasn’t been able to duplicate his production from the shot-happy Sharks with the Stars, who value quality of chances over quantity, lessening the availability of tips and rebounds that Pavelski typically feasts on.

“I think it’s like the team,” Montgomery said. “I think [Pavelski] makes tons of great support plays. I don’t think he’s gotten the opportunities in and around the net on tips and stuff like he usually is, those rebound opportunities. But that’s going to come with more possession time, that’s going to come with our checking skills.”

With the moves for Pavelski and Radulov down the lineup, Denis Gurianov was elevated to the second line to play alongside Tyler Seguin 1158619 Dallas Stars Benn is not one of those players. He has consistently been an above- average shooter with a 13.4% career shooting percentage. He’s never been below 10.9% and never above 16.6% in a season.

Advanced analytics say it’s only a matter of time before Stars forward This season, he’s shooting 3.6%. Among forwards with at least 25 shots Jamie Benn hits net instead of posts on goal, that’s the sixth-in the league.

Benn has also hit three posts, and only Washinigton’s Dmitry Orlov and Detroit’s Dylan Larkin have hit the frame more times. By Matthew DeFranks Recently, Montgomery has placed Benn on a line with Hintz and Corey 12:00 AM on Oct 26, 2019 Perry, a big, heavy line that was Dallas’ best one in wins over Philadelphia and Ottawa. They spend a lot of time in the offensive zone,

and perhaps more time with Hintz and Perry will yield results for Benn. FRISCO — Have you heard this one before? “I think it’s more just being predictable, being simple hockey players out The one about the Stars cornerstone forward going through a goal there,” Benn said. “We know where the puck’s going to go. We know drought, but he is near the league lead in posts hit and his underlying what we want to do with it when we get it. The more we play with each analytics suggest a turnaround is on the horizon. That one sound other, hopefully the better we’ll be getting.” familiar?

Last year, it was Tyler Seguin. This year, while early, it’s Jamie Benn. Dallas Morning News LOADED: 10.27.2019 “I think his last three games have been his best three games, probably been the three most consistent skating games and physical games he’s had, even including three games in a row last year in the regular season,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “So I think he’s feeling good about his game, and we need him to continue to build upon it.”

Twelve games into the Stars’ 4-7-1 season, Benn has just one goal and four assists and he’s yet to score at even strength. He hasn’t scored in the last seven games. The Stars captain would be on pace for a 34-point season, a campaign far from the expectations that his $9.5 million cap hit and $13 million salary carry.

But the advanced statistics favor Benn’s start, even if the production hasn’t.

(Expected goals is a metric that approximates how likely a shot is to become a goal based on situation and location. Advanced statistic sites Natural Stat Trick and Moneypuck both track the metric.)

According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5 on 5, Benn has had 26 scoring chances (tied for 14th the league), 15 high-danger chances (tied for second) and 2.49 expected goals (ninth) this season. He leads the Stars in all three categories. Yes, even more than Roope Hintz.

“It’s being predictable with your linemates and know where the puck’s going to go,” Benn said. “You play the right way, you’ll get your chances.”

Of the top 50 players in expected goals, Benn is one of just six who haven’t scored at 5 on 5. Four of the six players — Benn, William Karlsson, Cam Atkinson and Alex DeBrincat — have scored 40 goals in a season previously.

Now, Benn doesn’t get paid because of expected goals. He doesn’t get paid because of scoring chances or shots on goal or shot attempts. The end-of-season totals don’t care how many posts he’s hit. He gets paid for scoring goals.

And on a team that entered the weekend last in the league with 2.08 goals per game, the results certainly matter, especially when the rest of the big guns have also gotten off to slow starts. Benn, Seguin, Alexander Radulov, Joe Pavelski, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell have combined for eight goals. Hintz and Miro Heiskanen are responsible for nine.

“Like everybody else, [Benn] wants to produce more and we want him to produce more,” Montgomery said. “Same thing with Pavelski, Radulov, Seggy. It doesn’t matter who, we all know we need to score more goals. We just can’t get away from our identity in order to do it.”

Right now, those goals aren’t there. But shots underlying statistics can be indications of what’s to come later, like they were last year when Seguin bounced back from a slow start. After CEO Jim Lites’ public criticism, Seguin had 48 points in 44 games, which tied for the 10th most in the NHL. Before, he was in the top 10 in both expected goals and shots on goal in all situations.

For some players, the underlying stats don’t matter as much. What good is it if a player who can’t finish is generating quality chances? Some players shoot far below the league average, like Valeri Nichushkin and his 6.7% career shooting percentage or Jason Dickinson and his 7% career shooting percentage. 1158620 Dallas Stars Benn is not one of those players. He has consistently been an above- average shooter with a 13.4% career shooting percentage. He’s never been below 10.9% and never above 16.6% in a season.

Advanced analytics say it’s only a matter of time before Stars forward This season, he’s shooting 3.6%. Among forwards with at least 25 shots Jamie Benn hits net instead of posts on goal, that’s the sixth-in the league.

Benn has also hit three posts, and only Washinigton’s Dmitry Orlov and Detroit’s Dylan Larkin have hit the frame more times. By Matthew DeFranks Recently, Montgomery has placed Benn on a line with Hintz and Corey 12:00 AM on Oct 26, 2019 Perry, a big, heavy line that was Dallas’ best one in wins over Philadelphia and Ottawa. They spend a lot of time in the offensive zone,

and perhaps more time with Hintz and Perry will yield results for Benn. FRISCO — Have you heard this one before? “I think it’s more just being predictable, being simple hockey players out The one about the Stars cornerstone forward going through a goal there,” Benn said. “We know where the puck’s going to go. We know drought, but he is near the league lead in posts hit and his underlying what we want to do with it when we get it. The more we play with each analytics suggest a turnaround is on the horizon. That one sound other, hopefully the better we’ll be getting.” familiar?

Last year, it was Tyler Seguin. This year, while early, it’s Jamie Benn. The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 “I think his last three games have been his best three games, probably been the three most consistent skating games and physical games he’s had, even including three games in a row last year in the regular season,” Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. “So I think he’s feeling good about his game, and we need him to continue to build upon it.”

Twelve games into the Stars’ 4-7-1 season, Benn has just one goal and four assists and he’s yet to score at even strength. He hasn’t scored in the last seven games. The Stars captain would be on pace for a 34-point season, a campaign far from the expectations that his $9.5 million cap hit and $13 million salary carry.

But the advanced statistics favor Benn’s start, even if the production hasn’t.

(Expected goals is a metric that approximates how likely a shot is to become a goal based on situation and location. Advanced statistic sites Natural Stat Trick and Moneypuck both track the metric.)

According to Natural Stat Trick, at 5 on 5, Benn has had 26 scoring chances (tied for 14th the league), 15 high-danger chances (tied for second) and 2.49 expected goals (ninth) this season. He leads the Stars in all three categories. Yes, even more than Roope Hintz.

“It’s being predictable with your linemates and know where the puck’s going to go,” Benn said. “You play the right way, you’ll get your chances.”

Of the top 50 players in expected goals, Benn is one of just six who haven’t scored at 5 on 5. Four of the six players — Benn, William Karlsson, Cam Atkinson and Alex DeBrincat — have scored 40 goals in a season previously.

Now, Benn doesn’t get paid because of expected goals. He doesn’t get paid because of scoring chances or shots on goal or shot attempts. The end-of-season totals don’t care how many posts he’s hit. He gets paid for scoring goals.

And on a team that entered the weekend last in the league with 2.08 goals per game, the results certainly matter, especially when the rest of the big guns have also gotten off to slow starts. Benn, Seguin, Alexander Radulov, Joe Pavelski, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell have combined for eight goals. Hintz and Miro Heiskanen are responsible for nine.

“Like everybody else, [Benn] wants to produce more and we want him to produce more,” Montgomery said. “Same thing with Pavelski, Radulov, Seggy. It doesn’t matter who, we all know we need to score more goals. We just can’t get away from our identity in order to do it.”

Right now, those goals aren’t there. But shots underlying statistics can be indications of what’s to come later, like they were last year when Seguin bounced back from a slow start. After CEO Jim Lites’ public criticism, Seguin had 48 points in 44 games, which tied for the 10th most in the NHL. Before, he was in the top 10 in both expected goals and shots on goal in all situations.

For some players, the underlying stats don’t matter as much. What good is it if a player who can’t finish is generating quality chances? Some players shoot far below the league average, like Valeri Nichushkin and his 6.7% career shooting percentage or Jason Dickinson and his 7% career shooting percentage. 1158621 Detroit Red Wings they have to skate for themselves and go get the puck. If they want to be a line together, someone has to forecheck. They have to forecheck harder.”

Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin acting like a captain as losses mount: Athanasiou has the skill set to be a game changer because of his Blame me explosive speed and ability to finish around the net. Blashill described him as “kind of a home-run hitter — he gets big chances. He doesn’t necessarily produce tons of those dirty-type chances. He looks for those big chances because of his speed. Helene St. James “Last year, a lot of the home runs went out of the ballpark. Right now they 8:03 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2019 are staying in the ballpark," he said. "He has to find a way to start finishing on the chances he has and he has to find a way (to) bring that second element to your game, which is scoring dirty when you’re not Jeff Blashill pushed back against the Detroit Red Wings needing to show scoring pretty.” desperation because he doesn’t like what the word implies. The Wings don’t need to rob a bank, but as this losing streak has "When you’re desperate in life,” he said, “you do stupid things. When you ballooned, there’s a growing urgency to bank points to restore their have no money, you go rob a bank because you’re desperate. I always confidence. try to be real careful with that.” Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.27.2019 Blashill prefers the word urgency. Whatever verbiage is applied, the Wings want to redefine their season, want to prove they are better than the team that is on a seven-game losing skid heading into Sunday’s contest at Little Caesars Arena against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

“We need to get our confidence back as a team,” Dylan Larkin said after Friday’s 2-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. “We’ve played good. We haven’t played good consistently. We just need to get two points and grind out a win and pick up from there. We need it in the worst way. Luckily in November there is a game every other day, so we are going to have chances. We are going to have to figure this out pretty quick or else it’s going to get ugly.”

One might argue the 29-9 goal differential during the losing streak already is ugly. The Wings played well against the Sabres, created chances start to finish. Same result, though, as their poor outing at Ottawa on Wednesday: another loss.

The Wings are 3-8, their 3-1 start fading into memory. Larkin, who sounds like a captain every time he speaks, isn’t happy to be at two goals and seven points.

“I haven’t been good enough offensively or defensively,” he said. “You want to point fingers, point them right at me. I have to be way better for this team and carry the load up front and put the puck in the net.”

Larkin admitted that “you start thinking about it, you take it home with you.” He sounded very much like former teammate , who, when he wasn’t scoring last season, said he was losing sleep over it.

Larkin wants to lead by example, wants to be a scorer. He knows there’s attention on himself and Andreas Athanasiou because they’re coming off 30-goal seasons.

“We need to score big goals for our club and we need to find a way to contribute more offensively and be a better impact for our team,” Larkin said.

Larkin directed eight shots on net Friday and went 19-for-24 on faceoffs. He has, as he was last season, been one of the team’s best players most games, if not the best. That’s his inner drive coming through.

“He has to do it at 23 years old as the perceived guy who is kind of leading the franchise and he has to stand in front of everybody every night and that’s a hard thing,” Blashill said. “But I think he is growing. What makes Dylan special is he has great self-recognition.”

Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi had a fabulous opening weekend, combining for 16 points. But there aren’t enough other forwards contributing — Athanasiou has two assists and is a team-worst minus-11 in nine games; Valtteri Filppula has two points in 11 games, and Frans Nielsen, no points in eight games.

Blashill has tried various combinations in hopes of finding at least two lines that can score. Against the Sabres, he moved Mantha to play with Athanasiou and Filppula.

“Mantha is one guy whose production hasn’t dropped off when he hasn’t played with Larkin,” Blashill said. “Everybody else’s production drops off when they don’t play with Larkin. Mantha and AA had some good history together in the AHL — let’s see if we can get another line going. The one thing we have to look at with that Filppula, Athanasiou, Mantha line — 1158622 Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings are ice cold and Dylan Larkin says he has to be ‘way better’

Ted Kulfan

1:40 p.m. ET Oct. 26, 2019

Detroit – There are many reasons for the Detroit Red Wings’ seven-game losing streak.

Forward Dylan Larkin thinks he’s one of the biggest reasons.

Larkin has seven points (two goals) in 11 games, good for third on the team. But he hasn’t earned a point in the last five games, and the Wings’ losing streak has pushed them to 3-8 and to near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Though Larkin was shut out on the scoresheet Friday night in the Red Wings’ 2-0 loss to Buffalo, coach Jeff Blashill thought Larkin was Detroit’s best player on the ice.

“Larks was excellent – I mean excellent,” Blashill said. “He was the best player on the ice in my opinion. He had a ton of chances, he was damn near 100 percent on faceoffs. They (pucks) didn’t go in, I get it, but if he keeps playing like that – and he has, actually.

“He’s produced a lot of points. He hasn’t scored as much as he’s wanted to, but he’s produced.”

The way Larkin responded Friday was, for Blashill, a sign of Larkin’s growth as player on and off the ice, and so impressive for such a young player.

“I don’t want to use the word proud – it sounds like he’s my kid – but I was really proud of the way he came out and played,” Blashill said. “He caught some flack (Friday) morning in the meeting, and his line keeps getting switched around a little bit, and we changed the power plays up – there’s a lot of things.

“And he came out and played excellent. It’s hard, he’s competitive and it’s hard grinding away and you’re not getting results. But as we’ve talked about a ton, all you can do is learn and move on, and he has to do it at 23 years old, perceived as leading the franchise, and he has to stand up in front of everybody (media) every night and that’s a hard thing.

“But he’s grown and what makes Dylan special is he has great self- recognition, so he knows when he has to make an adjustment, his perception, the way he looks at things. He knows it.”

The Wings’ offense has gone cold during this seven-game losing streak. They’ve only scored nine goals during this losing streak, and numerous players are in fighting monstrous slumps.

“We have to score; this stretch we haven’t scored enough,” Larkin said. “Myself, I haven’t been good enough offensively or defensively. If you want to point fingers, point them right at me. I have to be way better for this team and carry the load up front and put the puck in the net.

"We need a win bad. We need to get our confidence back as a team. We’ve played good but we haven’t played good consistently. We need to get two points and grind out a win.

“‘We need to figure it out pretty quick, or it’s going to get ugly.”

Blues at Red Wings

Faceoff: 5 p.m. Sunday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit

TV/radio: FSD/97.1 FM

Outlook: The defending Stanley Cup champion Blues (5-2-3) haven’t encountered too much of a championship hangover. They are 5-2-3 and tied for second in the Central Division with 13 points. … The Blues have the sixth-best power play (25.8 percent) and 11th-ranked penalty kill (83.3 percent) in the NHL. … C Brayden Schenn (eight goals, 11 points) is off to a good start.

Detroit News LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158623 Detroit Red Wings Hirose played on a line with Athanasiou last season and in the early going this year. He’s been with Frans Nielsen and Evgeny Svechnikov the past couple of games.

Red Wings’ Taro Hirose dealing with rough patch he avoided last season “I think I’m feeling better the last couple of games with the chances I’m getting and we’re getting more as a line,” Hirose said. “Just throwing pucks at the net and maybe getting a greasy one to start off with, that’s what we need to do.” Oct 26, 2019 Injury updates Ansar Khan Defenseman Patrik Nemeth missed the first part of practice due to an

injury/ailment but Blashill said he’ll play Sunday. Adam Erne (upper-body DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings were winning, and Taro Hirose was injury) practiced again but won’t be ready until Tuesday at the earliest. producing during his smooth transition from Michigan State to the NHL at Justin Abdelkader (lower-body injury) didn’t practice and remains out. the end of last season. Michigan Live LOADED: 10.27.2019 Now he is experiencing a rough patch. The Red Wings are reeling, and Hirose is struggling.

He’s not alone. Other than the top line of Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi, the Red Wings haven’t generated much offense. They have been outscored 29-7 during a seven-game losing streak – their longest stretch without a point since November 1989.

The defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues visit Little Caesars Arena on Sunday (5 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit), and the Red Wings, while poor in all facets of the game (offense, defense, special teams), must find ways to put the puck in the net.

Andreas Athanasiou has the most room for improvement, with no goals, two assists and a team-worst minus-11 rating in nine games. But Athanasiou has generated chances (21 shots) and has a track record (30 goals in 2018-19), so the Red Wings believe it’s just a matter of time before he delivers.

Hirose doesn’t have a large sample size, so there is more uncertainty. He produced a goal and six assists in 10 games after signing as a free agent. This year, he has no goals and three assists – all on the power play – in 11 games.

“The fact he got off to such a good start, everybody’s expectations got real high, but the reality is sometimes it takes a little while, especially a guy like that, who is giving up size and speed,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s got to use his smarts.”

Blashill said it is not a case of opponents being more aware of Hirose and focusing on him.

“It just hasn’t gone in the net much for our team, so it’s hard to accumulate a whole bunch of points,” Blashill said. “And he’s an assist guy more than he’s a pure scorer, so when we’re not scoring it’s going to be hard for him to accumulate points. He certainly has made enough plays where he could have more points. He’s just going to have to keep grinding.”

Hirose, at 5-10 and 160 pounds, has been more active in the corners the past couple of games, but that’s not what Blashill necessarily wants to see.

“It would be really hard for him to match physicality for physicality,” Blashill said. “I think he’s just got to keep learning ways (to be effective).

“He’s a really smart player, but it takes time to learn some tricks of the trade, so he’s got to learn ways to free himself up, whether it’s on board battles, ways to buy a little space and use his smarts all over the ice. As a result, hopefully he’ll have the puck a little bit more.”

Said Hirose: “Puck battles, being a smaller guy, are things I have to work on. When the goals aren’t coming, you have to make sure you’re good defensively. I think that’s an area of my game that I can continue to work on.”

Hirose has only eight shots on goal.

“That’s an area I can improve on,” he said. “Not throwing pucks on net when I don’t have to, but definitely looking to shoot when I have the opportunity.”

Blashill frequently implores players to shoot more but doesn’t feel Hirose is passing up too many opportunities.

“I can’t say I’ve had a bunch of times where I said, ‘You got to shoot that puck,’ ” Blashill said. “I think he’s improved his shot, so he’s got more confidence. I think it’s volume of opportunity. He’s got to create more.” 1158624 Detroit Red Wings

Prospect Joe Veleno ends frustration with first goal for Griffins

Oct 26, 2019

Peter J. Wallner

Joe Veleno got his first professional goal Friday in the ’ 4-1 home victory over the Manitoba Moose.

The Red Wings' first-round pick (30th overall) in 2018 cleaned up a rebound off Chase Pearson's shot on the power play with 1:25 remaining in the third period.

It was the first point in seven games for the 6-foot-2, 200-pound center.

"It was a little frustrating," Veleno said of his goal drought. "There was really nothing happening offensively. It's a tough league to put up good numbers so I was lucky enough to capitalize on that one and it's a big relief for sure."

The 19-year-old Veleno had 104 points in 59 games for Drummondville in juniors last season. He was an MVP finalist in the QMJHL.

The Griffins' win was highlighted by a hat trick from Matt Puempel.

The Griffins are home again Saturday against the Texas Stars.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158625 Detroit Red Wings can’t just rely on certain guys up front to put the puck in the net. We need to do it by committee.”

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.27.2019 Dylan Larkin shoulders blame, but plenty to go around for Red Wings

Oct 26, 2019

Ansar Khan

DETROIT – Dylan Larkin took one for the team Friday, but he is among the least of this club’s seemingly countless concerns.

The Detroit Red Wings dropped their seventh in a row, 2-0 to the league- leading Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena, and their best player placed the blame squarely on his own shoulders.

“I haven’t been good enough offensively or defensively,” Larkin said. “You want to point fingers, point it right at me. I have to be way better for this team and carry the load up front and put the puck in the net.”

Larkin can produce more. He has two goals and seven points in 11 games. But the same goes for almost everybody else on a team that has been outscored 29-9 during this slide to drop to 3-8-0.

Larkin, in fact, was their best player on this night, registering a game-high eight shots on goal and generating some quality chances in the third period. He also won 19-of-24 faceoffs while going head-to-head much of the night against Sabres’ star Jack Eichel.

“He was the best player on the ice, had tons of chances,” coach Jeff Blashill said of Larkin. “They didn’t go in, but if he keeps playing like that … he has, actually. He’s produced lots of points. He hasn’t scored as much as he’s wanted, but he’s produced.”

Linus Ullmark’s 41-save performance marked the first time Detroit has been shut out since Dec. 2, 2018 (2-0 vs. Colorado). The Sabres are 9-2- 1.

This is the Red Wings’ longest winless streak since their eight-game slide (0-6-2) from Feb. 16 to March 5, 2019. It’s their longest pure losing streak since they dropped seven in a row from Nov. 3-16, 1989.

Andreas Athanasiou, more than any other Red Wing, must step up. He has no goals and two assists, along with a team-worst minus-11 rating, in nine games.

“I know he’s getting similar chances to what he got last year,” Blashill said. “Double-A is kind of a home-run hitter. He gets big chances; he doesn’t necessarily produce tons of those dirty-type chances. He looks for those big chances because of his speed. He’s got to find a way to start finishing on the chances and he’s got to find a way to bring that second element, which is scoring dirty when you’re not scoring pretty.”

Blashill said his team out-chanced the Sabres 21-7.

“You play that game 10 times, you’re winning nine,” Blashill said. “If we hadn’t lost all these in a row, it would be easy to move on, but when you’ve lost a bunch in a row you got to have great mental toughness. I told our guys you keep playing these kind of games, you’re going to win a lot of games. Do we have to score? A hundred percent.”

Blashill doesn’t like to label any situation as desperate; he prefers to say it’s urgent.

Players are feeling urgency.

“We need a win bad,” Larkin said. “We need to get our confidence back as a team. We’ve played good, we haven’t played good consistently. We just need to get two points and grind out a win and pick up from there. We need it in the worst way. … We’re going to have to figure this out pretty quick or else it’s going to get ugly.”

Jimmy Howard, whose record dropped to 1-5-0, said, “We have to steal one. Whoever’s in net has to do to the best of their capabilities of stealing a game for the guys, because we desperately need two points.”

Howard said everything is to blame for the slide.

“We need better goaltending. We need to play better in the defensive zone. When we have our opportunities, we need to score,” he said. “We 1158626 Edmonton Oilers Joel Persson, who has been on injured reserve undergoing concussion protocol since being clobbered behind the net by Chicago’s Andrew Shaw Oct. 14, is back practising. “He’s getting closer but won’t be ready for our next game (against Florida),” said Tippett. He could play Alex Chiasson is starting to see some daylight offensively on the three-game road trip to Detroit, Columbus and Pittsburgh next week, however. Right now, Oilers are carrying seven D with Brandon

Manning the No. 6 and farmhand William Lagesson No. 7. Jim Matheson SCOUTING REPORT ON FLORIDA CAPTAIN October 26, 2019 6:02 PM MDT Chiasson is a big fan Sasha Barkov, the Panthers’ unsung centre, feeling Oilers Leon Draisaitl is in the same mould. “A lot of their game is similar, both big guys, good down low. Leon’s defensive game is getting really Edmonton Oilers’ winger Alex Chiasson was last season’s warm-and- strong which makes him more dangerous because he can catch guys fuzzy story as he scored early and often and finished with a career-high who aren’t ready. Barkov doesn’t shoot as much but has the skill to make 22 goals, but he’s still looking for his first snipe as we get closer to the next play to a guy for a guaranteed goal. Leon is more aggressive in Halloween. the belief in his shot,” said Chiasson.

“Kind of a frustrating start for me personally but I’m starting to find myself This ’n that: Ex Oil Kings right-shot defenceman Mark Pysyk, a UFA July on that line (with James Neal and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) a bit more,” 1, has fallen out of favour as a regular on Florida’s back-end. They said Chiasson, who had his best game against his old Washington signed Anton Stralman and added the much cheaper Josh Brown. Pysyk Capitals club Thursday. “Our line could use a bounce. I know James has has seen some work at right-wing, scoring against the Flames last been playing great, be nice for Nuge (who has one goal) and I to get on Florida game … Cave ended a mammoth 11-player-a-side shootout to the board a bit more. I’m getting some good looks and the No. 1 key for beat Stockton Friday night. Haas was the second Bakersfield player to me is to play on the inside, usually my game goes in the right direction.” take a shot and was stopped by Jon Gillies … Ex Oiler Ty Rattie has left Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Craig MacTavish’s old KHL team, and he has two Chiasson might never score 20 again but he should be able to get to 15. offers, one from Barys Astana and another from Torpedo. Lokomotiv “You set expectations but if there’s one streaky goal-scorer in this locker wanted six imports with only five allowed in a game but then decided to room it might be me,” he said. “I’m not sure why … last year 20-plus go with just five so paid out Rattie (3-6-9, 16 games). They are also goals, but there’s certain things you can’t explain. Might have something bringing in another former Oiler, Magnus Paajarvi. to do with what’s up between my ears.” Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.27.2019 Oilers coach Dave Tippett has liked Chiasson’s work on RW on the second line.

“I thought our forecheck against Washington was as good as it’s been. There was a relentless aspect to it. Kass (Zack Kassian) was that way and so was Alex. They’re big-bodied guys who get it into the offensive zone and get the puck to the net and go after loose pucks,” said Tippett.

MAKING AN IMPACT

Sam Gagner had a strong first Oilers game against the Capitals, almost scoring on his first shift but stopped his 10-footer. “I tried to go quick five-hole but he closed it up,” said Gagner, called up from Bakersfield when Joakim Nygard hurt his ribs.

He doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder to prove the team was wrong to send him down after camp.

“I’m always pretty motivated with setbacks but as much as it can hurt (minors), I’ve got a lot of support and you want to prove the people right who believe in you. I relish being in this league.”

GM Ken Holland told Gagner to pay attention to the Bakersfield team as to how it’s run after he was sent to the AHL, the inference being he sees Gagner as a management type when he retires. “You always need a vision for your future because it’ll end at some point and I do want to stay in the game when I’m done, but I still feel I have a lot of hockey left and I want it to be in the NHL,” he said.

ONE TOUGH CUSTOMER

Winger Josh Archibald broke his foot stopping a point shot in the third period in Winnipeg last Sunday and soldiered on to play in Minnesota and against Washington before they found the crack. Archibald belted the much bigger Jordan Greenway so hard in the first period of the Wild loss, Greenway didn’t play the rest of the game or the next game in Nashville.

“Played two games with it … and deep down a player knows if it’s broken. But that’s old school. He didn’t want to tell us. He was bugging me this morning (Saturday), still saying he was good to go, tough kid,” said Tippett.

With Archibald out and the Oilers only having 12 healthy forwards, they’re bringing back centre Gaetan Haas, who was sent to Bakersfield a week ago to ostensibly play five or six games. He’s played two games on the farm, getting one assist. They could have recalled another role player, Colby Cave, to replace the PK/bottom-six winger Archibald but need more offence in the bottom six.

A PERSSON OF INTEREST 1158627 Edmonton Oilers “We stay with it,” said head coach Dave Tippett. “That’s one of the things we talked about from the start of the year. We have a saying on the bench: Just stay with the game, stay with it and see what happens. You don’t get flustered, you just go about your business, make sure you are Edmonton Oilers making hay as the NHL's comeback kids doing things right and see if you can get the result and so far it has worked out for us.”

The final layer is having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, a pair of Robert Tychkowski weapons that mean the Oilers are never out of any close game. McDavid October 26, 2019 4:59 PM MDT scored the tying goal with 1:38 left against Washington, before setting Draisaitl up in OT. McDavid also scored to tie it with 1:06 left in the third period in New Jersey.

It’s supposed to be a bad sign when a team gives up the first goal in “As a team we realize that if we keep it close we have some game- seven of its first 11 games. breakers,” said defenceman Kris Russell. “We have guys who can find the back of the net and create something out of nothing. The closer the And it’s supposed to be a concern when that team has fallen behind in game is, the most opportunity those guys have to put us over the top.” eight of those games. Or has only led after 40 minutes three times in that span. Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 10.27.2019 But, in a rebound season that is unlike anything Edmonton fans have seen in a long time, the 8-2-1 Oilers are here to tell you that they are actually gaining strength and confidence from all those early deficits.

“The biggest thing is we have found ways to win those games,” said centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as the Oilers returned to practice Saturday after Thursday’s three-goal comeback win over the Washington Capitals.

“Everybody stays positive in here. We’re down 3-1 to one of the best teams in the league going into the third period and we’re still confident in ourselves.

“We have a good belief system in here right now and that goes a long way when you face a team like that. It’s just about believing in ourselves and in each other and that’s what we have right now.”

Falling behind in games isn’t something they want to make a habit of — they all agree that eight times in 11 games is too much — but it’s nice to know they have a plan for when it happens.

“You don’t want to be playing from behind, but there have been games where we were playing well but some bounces went against us early,” said defenceman Kris Russell. “We didn’t get discouraged, we kept with it and found goals at the end.”

There are a few layers that have contributed to this statistical anomaly, starting with a structural shift that enables the Oilers to keep all of their games close. Yes, they’ve trailed eight times in 11 games, but they’ve only let the deficit grow to more than two goals once, in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota.

“When we get down, it doesn’t change the way we play and that’s a big reason why we haven’t had to deal with falling into a hole and then digging ourselves and even deeper one,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse, adding the concept of attacking and defending in five-man units, with nobody breaking ranks, is what’s kept them close in every night.

“It’s helped us stay in games because even when we’re down one, we’re not opening up the game and giving the other team too many opportunities, we’re keeping the score where it is.”

That takes poise, something that was lacking here in previous years. The Oilers would panic, try to force the issue and watch the other team counter-punch its way to a blowout. One- or two-goal deficits become insurmountable three- and four-goal deficits.

Now, the expression never changes no matter what the score.

“We’d be down one or two goals and we’d start pushing,” said Nugent- Hopkins. “Then there would be a breakdown and it would be in the back of our net. It’s on the players to not give up too much when you’re trying to find a way to come back. We have been managing that better. And big saves go a long way.”

That’s another layer in this. When a team is trailing by two goals and the goalie lets in a soft one, it’s usually fatal. This year, with Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith rocking .934 and .925 save percentages, Edmonton’s netminders are keeping them in every game.

“There have been times when we’ve been down and somebody has a hiccup and the goalies were there to make a big save,” said Russell. “That’s huge. It gives you some momentum.”

The cycle is resulting in a much more confident group this year, which becomes a self-perpetuating condition when the wins start piling up. 1158628 Los Angeles Kings Goals by Koivu and Spurgeon sealed it on a night when 11 Minnesota players found the scoring sheet.

Now the Wild face one more extended road stretch before they can catch Kings falter late, fall to Wild for second straight loss their breath and assess the first quarter of the season.

The Wild’s Jared Spurgeon scores past Kings goalie on “If after 18 (games) we can be 9-9 or better, that would be a real feather Oct. 26, 2019. in our cap I think,” Boudreau said.

NOTES: The Kings are 0-6 when trailing after two periods and have given up at least five goals in five of 11 games this season. Both teams Staff Writer ranked in the bottom third of the NHL on the power play and the penalty kill going into the game. Both power-play units went 0 for 3. The Wild OCT. 26, 2019 9:28 PM activated Eriksson Ek from the injured list. To make room for him on the roster, C Gabriel Doumont was returned to Iowa of the AHL. Dubnyk and F Jordan Greenway each missed a second straight game with upper- ST. PAUL, Minn. — Starting with 13 of 18 games on the road, the body injuries. Minnesota Wild know they have to make their early home dates count. On Saturday night, they gave their fans plenty of reasons to cheer. UP NEXT: The Kings are at Chicago on Sunday. The Wild visit Dallas on Tuesday. Eric Staal scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, Alex Stalock stopped 30 shots, and the Wild beat the Kings 5-1. LA Times: LOADED: 10.27.2019

Gerald Mayhew, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon also scored for Minnesota (4-7-0), which has won three of four after beginning the year 1-6.

Ben Hutton scored and Jonathan Quick made 22 saves for the Kings (4- 7-0) who have lost two straight.

The Wild ran their home record to 3-1, one season after suffering a franchise-worst 18 home losses, an uncharacteristic development for a team that has a reputation for being tough at home.

“We didn’t give the fans what they deserved last year at home,” said Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba, who had two assists. “We kind of butchered that. We have to get them back on our side here.”

The Wild have already played seven of 11 games on the road, and they play six of their next seven away from home as well. Stalock says that puts even more emphasis on the few home games they have this early in the season.

“We need to win games at home right now because we know our schedule — it’s road-dominant,” said Stalock, who filled in for injured starter Devan Dubnyk for the second straight game. “We need to make it really hard to come in here and even get one point out of us.”

With the game tied at 1, Staal took a pass from Jason Zucker at the blue line, skated in alone on Quick’s left and beat him over his far shoulder for his third goal of the season at 17:04 of the second.

Minnesota put it away with a three-goal flurry in the third as the Kings defense began to falter.

“When you start to press and you get frustrated, you work your way out of structure,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “You could see the mistakes at 3-1, especially at 4-1 (we) started to leak. We were lucky we didn’t give up six.”

The Wild took a 1-0 lead on Mayhew’s second goal of the season at 5:50 of the first period. The Kings evened the score early in the second when Hutton got his first goal as a King on a one-timer from the high slot.

That was all the Kings would get against Stalock, who bounced back after giving up four goals in a loss at Nashville on Thursday.

“He kept us in when we needed to be kept in,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “He wasn’t happy with his game in Nashville, and he comes right back and you could tell he was on point in everything today.”

Less than a minute after Hutton’s goal, Stalock made an acrobatic save to stop Jeff Carter on a two-on-one to keep the game tied.

“They had a great chance, and Alex shut the door at that point,” Boudreau said. “That was a huge, huge play for us.”

The Kings outshot the Wild 14-5 in the second, but Minnesota killed off consecutive penalties before taking a 2-1 lead late in the period on Staal’s goal.

The Wild expanded their lead in the opening moments of the third period when Quick couldn’t control the rebound of Dumba’s shot and Eriksson Ek jammed it home. 1158629 Los Angeles Kings

LA Kings fall to Wild, 5-1

Staff Writer

October 26, 2019 at 9:52 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Eric Staal scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, Alex Stalock stopped 30 shots and the Minnesota Wild beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 Saturday night.

Gerald Mayhew, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon also scored, and Matt Dumba added two assists for Minnesota, which has won three of four after beginning the year 1-6.

Ben Hutton scored for Los Angeles, and Jonathan Quick made 22 saves for the Kings, who have lost two straight.

With the game tied at 1, Staal took a pass from Jason Zucker at the blue line, skated in alone on Quick’s left and beat him over his far shoulder for his third goal of the season at 17:04 of the second.

Minnesota put it away with a three-goal flurry in the third.

The Wild took a 1-0 lead on Mayhew’s second goal of the season at 5:50 of the first period. Dumba took a pass at the right point, skated to the top of the faceoff circle and fired a wrist shot that deflected off Mayhew and in.

Los Angeles evened the score early in the second when Hutton got his first goal as a King. After gaining the zone, Adrian Kempe dropped a pass for Hutton, who beat Stalock on a one-timer from the high slot.

Less than a minute later, Stalock made an acrobatic save to stop Jeff Carter on a 2-on-1 to keep the game tied.

The Kings outshot the Wild 14-5 in the second, but Minnesota killed off consecutive penalties before taking a 2-1 lead late in the period on Staal’s goal.

The Wild expanded their lead in the opening moments of the third period when Quick couldn’t control the rebound of Dumba’s shot and Eriksson Ek jammed it home.

Five minutes later, Koivu made it 4-1 when he finished an odd-man rush for his first goal of the season. Quick stopped a point-blank shot by Marcus Foligno, but the rebound hopped out into the slot and Koivu chipped it into the net.

Spurgeon scored Minnesota’s fifth goal when he gathered a loose puck off a scramble in front of the net and fired it over a diving Quick.

NOTES: The Kings are 0-6 when trailing after two periods and have given up at least five goals in 5 of 11 games this season. … Both teams ranked in the bottom third of the league on the power play and the penalty kill going into the game. Both power-play units went 0 for. … The Wild activated Eriksson Ek from the injured list. To make room for him on the roster, C Gabriel Doumont was returned to Iowa of the AHL. … F Jordan Greenway and G Devyn Dubnyk each missed a second straight game with upper-body injuries. … Minnesota plays six of its next seven on the road.

UP NEXT

Kings: At Chicago on Sunday.

Orange County Register: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158630 Los Angeles Kings As of the last couple of games, JAD’s been more of what we’ve been expecting. Maybe it was a little bit of a slower start for him, as it has been for a couple of these guys. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – These kids, that come out of juniors, out of college, over from Europe, ONTARIO 3, SAN DIEGO 2 – ANDERSON-DOLAN, STOTHERS everybody thinks they’re going to set the world on fire, they find out when they get there it’s a very challenging league. The American Hockey

League is a league full of good players. It’s full of guys that are just a hair ZACH DOOLEY away from being in the NHL, they’re playing against men, so sometimes it takes a little bit of time. I think we’ve seen some good growth out of OCTOBER 26, 2019 JAD the last couple of games and he’s wanted the added responsibility, he’s wanted the extra ice time, but he’s deserved it. We’re not in the habit

of just giving it out, people have to earn it and that’s why the Kings won a The Ontario Reign turned in one of their more complete efforts of the couple of Stanley Cups a few years ago. They had guys who were willing season, as they skated to a 3-2 victory over the , to earn it and they were successful because of it. capping off the week with three wins from three games and pushing their LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.27.2019 record on the season to 6-1-1.

The Reign took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but left the final result until late, as Matt Luff scored for the third straight contest, tallying the game winner with less than five minutes to play in regulation. Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Tobias Bjornfot also scored for Ontario, while Carl Grundstrom added two assists and goaltender Cal Petersen earned his league- leading sixth win of the season with 30 saves.

The Reign opened the scoring inside the game’s first minute, as Anderson-Dolan tallied for the second time in as many nights with the game’s first goal. After a San Diego power-play goal from defenseman Chris Wideman tied the game at one, Grundstrom sprung Anderson- Dolan and Bjornfot on a 2-on-0 rush, with the former feeding the latter for his second goal of the season.

San Diego tied the game through forward Antoine Morand in the second, which set the stage for a dramatic third period, that felt like it had added implications despite being just an October regular-season game. As Mario Kempe fed Luff in the slot, with the third-year winger burying past Anthony Stolarz to keep San Diego winless on the season, an emotional victory was completed for the Reign, and a well-deserved one at that.

Ontario continues its reign atop the Pacific Division and finishes the month over October with just one regulation loss, just one year after it finished the same month with just one victory. A much sweeter start to the season, for a team that feels like its best hockey is still to come.

Mike Stothers on the Eyssimont – Sutter – Luff line contributing in all facets of the game

They’ve been good. They bring a little bit of everything to it, I mean, they play hard, they forecheck well and there’s guys that are capable of finishing too. Sutts sets the tone for that line, as he does for our team and it just feels like right now, Luffer, Sutts and Icey are clicking together, so we’ll leave it like that, no sense changing it.

On if it feels like the two wins over San Diego were two off the more complete games the Reign have played this season

I think so and I think it’s a better indication of what we’re trying to get accomplished. Sometimes it takes a while and I’m not saying that we’re over the hump by any means, we can very easily take a couple of backwards steps too if we deviate from what we’re trying to do. I think we’ve got some good buy-in from everybody, they’re willing to try different neutral zone setups, different forechecks, a little bit different in the d-zone. Again, you can say whatever you want, but Cal was outstanding again tonight. We really value the importance of a good goaltender.

On if there was ever a doubt of not playing Cal on the third game in four nights

Why does he need a rest, everybody else has to play, that’s a valid question isn’t it? Everybody says “oh, well they can’t play back-to-backs”, why, everybody else does. You know who it was started by, goalie coaches. Play him, play him until he tells you he can’t play anymore, especially when he’s playing this well. played 600 games in a row and he’s still kicking around, had a pretty good career, I think he’s in the Hall of Fame. Back in the day, you didn’t even know who the backup goalie was. Who was the backup goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers when they were winning Stanley Cups behind Bernie Parent? Bobby Taylor. You know when he started? Never. Print it!

On Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s development over the first month of the season 1158631 Los Angeles Kings Blake Lizotte, on the experience of playing an NHL game at Xcel Energy Center despite the result:

I mean, it was cool. Like you said, I’m a competitor, so when we lose, it’s OCTOBER 26 RAPID REACTION: WILD 5, KINGS 1 hard to take the positive out of it. But it’s like a dream come true to play here. It was awesome, but at the same time, as a competitor, it was not a fun night.

JON ROSEN Lizotte, on taking the solo lap before the game:

OCTOBER 26, 2019 Yeah, that’s pretty cool. You see that growing up. To have all my friends and family and supporters there was pretty cool with all the signs and

everything. That’s the experience I’ll forever be grateful for. Todd McLellan, on what Minnesota did well and how Los Angeles fell Lizotte, on whether he saw a lot of people he recognized during warm- short in the third period: ups: Well, let’s talk about our team. I don’t want to talk about their team. They Basically, yeah. Basically, everyone in a Chisago Lakes [jersey], or half have a coach, he can evaluate his own team. Ours was kind of a 50-50 of the Kings jerseys, I probably knew who they were. So that was a really first period. Thought we played a really good second period, a solid cool experience just seeing all the friends and family there. second period. We were on our toes and went after ‘em. Came out and we had the same game plan. Very strange goal scored early. I still think Postgame Notes we recovered from that. It was the fourth one that hurt us, and then after that, I’m not sure that the belief system stayed where it needed to stay. — With the loss, Los Angeles fell to 29-22-15 all-time against Minnesota, We’re working on that, but it felt different than it did in Vancouver when a record that includes a road mark of 13-12-9. L.A. has lost four straight we were completely done. Tonight, at least we worked through things. in the head-to-head series, going 0-3-1. These teams have two games That’s the game in a nutshell. remaining, November 12 and March 7 at Staples Center.

McLellan, on whether the third period had a “domino effect” and things — With the loss, the Kings fell to 4-5-0 against the Western Conference, “spiraled” away: 2-2-0 against the Central Division, 2-5 in games decided by three or more goals, 1-6-0 when their opponent scores first, 0-4-0 when trailing Well, you start to press and you get frustrated and you work your way out after one period, 0-6-0 when trailing after two periods and 4-6-0 when of structure. You could see the mistakes at 3-1, especially at 4-1, started outshooting their opponent. to leak, and we were lucky we didn’t give up five or six. We’re not structured well enough, we’re not built well enough yet to get out of what — Gerald Mayhew’s first period goal was the ninth goal Los Angeles has we’re supposed to be doing and roam, and I don’t think that works for allowed during the first seven minutes of first periods through 11 games. any team in the league, quite frankly, especially ours. So, we have to — All skaters recorded at least one shot on goal for the Kings. continue to do it right, whether we’re up by four or down by six, and eventually we’ll get better and better at it. But right now we want to roam — Anze Kopitar played 17:05, his lowest ice time since suffering a lower- a little bit when it’s not going too well, and it just gets worse. body injury at St. Louis on February 18, 2016 after only 5:12. Excluding games he left due to injury and did not return, it was his lowest usage Ben Hutton, on what Minnesota did well and how Los Angeles fell short since logging 15:31 in a 4-2 loss to Anaheim on February 4, 2016. in the third period: — In his last 25 starts, dating back to a 6-4 loss at Washington on They came out, their forecheck, we knew that it was going to be strong. I February 11, Jonathan Quick has allowed two goals or fewer six times thought we did a pretty good job in the first and second. In the third, the and five goals or more nine times. first goal, an unfortunate bounce, and then no one could really find it until they were walking down Broadway, and then they banged one in there — The Kings attempted 61 shots (31 on goal, 16 blocked, 14 missed). and then we were kind of on our heels from there on. We’ve got to give The Wild attempted 47 shots (27 on goal, 11 blocked, 9 missed). Mikko them credit, they came pretty hard, and once we had the puck in the Koivu led all skaters with five shots on goal, while Michael Amadio neutral zone, they just kind of set up a trap and waited for mistakes to registered a team-high four shots. Sean Walker led all skaters with eight happen. shot attempts, though four were blocked and three missed the net.

Hutton, on the roots of the third period challenges: — Los Angeles won 32-of-51 faceoffs (63%). Adrian Kempe won 5-of-6, Michael Amadio won 5-of-8, Anze Kopitar won 5-of-10, Ilya Kovalchuk It’s hard to put our finger on one thing. It does sting when they get an won 0-of-1, Alex Iafallo won 1-of-1, Trevor Lewis won 2-of-4, Blake early goal, for sure, when you’re trailing, especially when I thought the Lizotte won 8-of-10, Tyler Toffoli won 0-of-1 and Jeff Carter won 6-of-10. second period was pretty dominant on our side. But overall, we’ve got to be mentally strong and not let that get to us. LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.27.2019 Hutton, on Minnesota getting some “puck luck”:

I mean, yeah, the puck was bouncing a little bit, but that’s going to happen in hockey. Pucks are going to bounce, it’s going to go your way, it’s not going to go your way. At the end of the night, as long as you’re strong on the puck and in good position, even the lucky bounces shouldn’t matter.

Hutton, on rebounding to face Chicago tomorrow:

Yeah, exactly. That’s the good thing. We get to turn around, get back on the positive side.

Hutton, on scoring his first goal as a King, despite the loss:

Yeah, that one felt good. I had a couple looks these first few games. I was kind of itching for one, and I finally got one. It felt good, but like you said, if we got two points at the end of the night, it would’ve felt way better.

Hutton, on Drew Doughty’s defensive break-up shortly before his goal:

Yeah, that was huge. That’s what started it all was Dewey breaking up that two-on-one there. Juice saw me trailing in the late slot there and just had to put it home. 1158632 Los Angeles Kings

GAME 11: LOS ANGELES AT MINNESOTA

JON ROSEN

OCTOBER 26, 2019

GAME THREADS

Minnesota Wild 4, Los Angeles Kings 1

Third Period, 9:26 remaining

Preview

Box Score

Ice Tracker

LA Kings Audio Network

Fox Sports Live Stream (requires subscription)

SOG: LAK – 28; MIN – 21

PP: LAK – 0/3; MIN – 0/3

First Period

1) MIN – Gerald Mayhew (2) (Matt Dumba, Ryan Donato), 5:50

Second Period

2) LAK – Ben Hutton (1) (Adrian Kempe, Ilya Kovalchuk), 4:29

3) MIN – Eric Staal (3) (Jason Zucker), 17:04

Third Period

4) MIN – Joel Eriksson Ek (1) (Matt Dumba, Jonas Brodin), 0:28

5) MIN – Mikko Koivu (1) (Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman), 6:39

Los Angeles Kings (4-6-0) at Minnesota Wild (3-7-0)

Saturday, October 26, 2019, 7:00 p.m. MT

Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN

Referees: #30 Kendrick Nicholson, #11 Kelly Sutherland

Linesmen: #96 David Brisebois, #81 Ryan Daisy

Fox Sports West, FOX Sports GO, LA Kings Audio Network

LAK starters: G Jonathan Quick, D Ben Hutton, D Drew Doughty, LW Jeff Carter, C Blake Lizotte, RW Tyler Toffoli

LAK scratches: D Joakim Ryan, F Nikolai Prokhorkin

MIN starters: G Alex Stalock, D Jonas Brodin, D Matt Dumba, LW Zach Parise, C Joel Eriksson Ek, RW Luke Kunin

MIN scratches: F Jordan Greenway, D Nick Seeler, G Devan Dubnyk

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158633 Los Angeles Kings This is the State of Hockey, and in addition to being one of the most well- maintained arenas in the league, Xcel Energy Center is regionally specific and does a wonderful job honoring the deep hockey heritage across the state. The jerseys of every boys’ and girls’ high school teams VALKOMMEN TILL NHL, BLAKE LIZOTTE; WAGNER’S GAME are represented on a wall that surrounds the interior of the arena and DIVERSIFIES; FORBORT SKATING faces the concourse, and there hangs a jersey from his former high school, Chisago Lakes High, “but [with] an old one, from the ‘90’s, I

think,” Lizotte said. JON ROSEN “I played here in high school, the state tournament, and in college quite a OCTOBER 26, 2019 few times. But this is definitely a different feeling. Going on for practice was cool. Kind of a “hit-me” moment. ‘You made it here.’”

It’s obviously not the same as playing on the Xcel ice in the Minnesota Before the Blake Lizotte and Austin Wagner stories, some housekeeping High School Hockey Tournament. “Growing up as a kid, coming to Wild notes: games but dreaming about playing in the NHL in this building someday – that time has come, and I’m really excited,” he said. –Shared it on Twitter but not here, yet: Derek Forbort (back) began skating on his own yesterday at TSC in a tracksuit. There’s no timetable McLellan wants him to “just relax and play – he knows that.” He won’t on when he’ll return to action, but this is still an encouraging sign and have to say anything extra to him. part of the rehabilitation roadmap. “The benefits of getting fired, I got a chance to watch a lot of college –These are two of the oldest teams by average player age in the NHL, hockey last year with my son playing, and they played St. Cloud a lot. with The Athletic ($) calculating at the start of the season that Minnesota The NCHC Tournament here, Blake was really good in it, and as I was the seventh-oldest and Los Angeles the eighth. (This has since watched him play and listened to some of the college players talk about changed due to injury, particularly on Minnesota’s end.) his tenacity and how hard he was to play against, it intrigued me a lot. Heading into camp, he began strong and got better as it went on and has Kings-Wild games feature five combined skaters selected in the top 17 never looked back since. He deserves everything he’s getting right now, spots in the remarkable 2003 NHL Draft: Eric Staal (2), Ryan Suter (7), and we want to keep him there,” said McLellan, very much appreciating Jeff Carter (11), Dustin Brown (13) and Zach Parise (17). In previous the homecoming. installations, this match-up also featured Thomas Vanek (5), Dion Phaneuf (9) and Mike Richards (24). “I can only think of what it would be like if my son was put in that situation. We’d be so excited as a family. Everybody would be out to Independent of these specific teams, at ice level, do games or shifts watch and cheer on, not only him as an individual, but the team, and I’m contested by more veteran players have a particular stigma, as opposed sure that’s been happening for him and his family right now. We hope to games contested by younger players and teams? “The veterans tend that he’ll have a game like he’s had every other night.” to have a little more poise in certain situations, a little more calmness, but the youthfulness in the league is forcing those veterans to play a little It will be a BIG night for Blake Lizotte, who returns to his home state of faster and maybe the poise or the holding onto it for an extra second is Minnesota, to play just the 12th game of his NHL career. @CarrlynBathe costing some of them.” sat down with the @LAKings rookie to discuss the emotions involved. Hear more on #LAKingsLive at 4:30 PM. pic.twitter.com/36qtGTBw62 –There are a number of storybook aspects to Blake Lizotte’s swift rise to the National Hockey League. It was literally only months ago when — FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) October 26, 2019 Lizotte, who signed with Los Angeles as a free agent late in the 2018-19 season, was hearing the familiar refrains that discounted his terrific work –The team has moved past Thursday’s game, but there was one ethic and maturity in favor of a pesky detail he didn’t have control over – important footnote to share: Austin Wagner joined the group as the extra his height. skater with Jonathan Quick pulled during the late-game 6-on-5 situation.

Now, the 5-foot-7 center is looking “to show that I can play out here, McLellan explained that it’s not easy to practice such situations because because growing up, people always wondered, ‘oh, can he make it, is he it requires the full ice, even if the faceoff is the most important situation. too small, is he this, is he that?’ It’s cool to be here. I’ve been dreaming Wagner joined the play on the fly, and remained there for a faceoff, of this day for a while, so it’s really special, and I hope to just play well where Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown directed him where to go upon a and ultimately help the Kings play [well] tonight.” win at the dot, which Kopitar provided.

There will be large pockets of support at tonight’s game. Lizotte’s mother, It was a personnel decision that caught the eyes of several of us upstairs Lisa, purchased between 50 and 60 tickets for tonight’s game, based on and seemed to indicate that McLellan had thought highly of Wagner’s Blake’s estimation. An additional group of roughly 200 supporters will performance in several shifts leading to that point. That was part of the also make the drive down from Chisago Lakes – described by Blake as reason McLellan chose Wagner, an excellent skater capable of using his “a summer cabin town” – as well as his extended family that hails from an size to the team’s benefit. area just southwest of Duluth. “Definitely feeling the support here in “Austin has a tendency to show up in the chances-for sheet every night Minnesota.” because of his speed and his ability to pull away from players. It hasn’t He’s also feeling the support from his teammates, who called on him to translated into a lot of goals, but at least the chances are there, and he’s lead the stretch from the middle of the center ice circle at Friday’s a big body,” he said. “In that situation, I thought he had a good second practice. “I could hear the players talking about him – how mature they half of the game and it was a bit of a reward for him to be out there. In his think he is and how grounded he is,” McLellan said. “I think he’ll be just role, he’s doing everything we ask him to do, he’s got to clean some fine, and I’m not going to worry about him one bit.” things up in and along the boards in our zone, and he knows that. We’ve talked to him, we’ve worked with him a lot, and we’ll continue to do that. via Wikipedia When he gets that down, he’ll even become more effective.”

Lizotte is third generation Finnish-American, though he’s also of French In the end, the team was scored on, though the purpose became and German descent on his father’s side. But Minnesota is home to the disjointed the longer the team played 6-on-5. When Brayden Schenn largest concentration of Scandinavian Americans in the United States, scored into an empty net, Wagner was off the ice. (He returned to fight and his hometown of Lindstrom, adjacent to Chisago Lakes and just Ivan Barbashev with the game out of reach.) “We didn’t handle the under an hour away from the Twin Cities without traffic, is known for its situation well. We were set up to handle it well. A few individuals didn’t iconic water tower, fashioned into a Swedish tea kettle inscribed with handle the empty-net goal very well at all. We were equipped to play in “Valkommen till Lindstrom.” Its sister city is Tingsryd, . that situation and just didn’t execute at all,” McLellan said.

“My grandparents live up in Cloquet, Minnesota, and Esko, and if I go up Todd McLellan, on the balance of using hot players in 6-on-5 with those there and I run into someone, it’s a good chance I’m related to them who’ve practiced that role: somehow,” he said, laughing. He travels up there on the holidays to visit both sides of his family. Tonight, they’ll be among the contingent that With about four and a half minutes left we had a power play, and we ran traveled south to St. Paul. our power play units and we kept running them, one unit to the second unit to the end of the night, and when we pulled the goalie, we looked at what was left and tried to pick based on hunch and the type of game it was. Some would say, ‘well, Blake Lizotte or somebody should be out there.’ But the size in and around the blue paint was something we were looking for, and Wags provides it. Plus, he gets chances, so that’s how [Thursday] was deducted. As we go forward, you want guys that are having good night and are effective in the game on the ice at that time.

Austin Wagner, on where he was directed to play off the faceoff:

Obviously, you’re out there with some of the best players in the league in Kopi and Carts and guys like that, Dewey. They know where they want me, so they wanted me to be on the outside so if a puck got there, I could go get it or use my speed to basically disrupt or try to get the puck back for them. I got a chance, but I was right in front of the net, and I think that’s where I should be so if the puck does pop out for a rebound, I could jump on it quickly. I don’t think I’m going to be a guy that’s running the half-wall with an empty net, I think I’m going to be a guy trying to find that rebound or going and getting it and giving it back to them. I think that’s my job on that.

Wagner, on where he’s made strides in his netfront play, and where he’s looking to improve:

Coming in from last year, a lot of my chances came off straight speed and breakaways, but later in the year I started to learn that you can get an extra … five goals for sure just by being in front of the net. They’re not always going to be speed chances. There are a lot of guys that make a living off of just standing in front of the net and touching pucks or getting rebounds. For a long time, that was Tomas Holmstrom. He made a lot of money and scored a lot of goals by doing it. I think I learned that near the tail end of last year from Dave Lowry and guys like that – Marco tells me to go to the front of the net and I’ll get rewarded. Now I’m starting to learn that the front of the net is a good place to be.

LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158634 Los Angeles Kings “We can take the Nashville game, for example, where the first period we played extremely well and didn’t give them any scoring chances, and then you get behind the eight-ball and your shoulders are slumping and you go, ‘man, what do you have to do here?’ When things are going well, OCTOBER 26: QUICK IN GOAL; NO LINEUP CHANGES PROJECTED; we’re playing with the lead and we’re playing with confidence.” SCOUTING EACH TEAM The Wild, which swept last year’s season series, have points in 25 of the 33 all-time games between these teams in St. Paul. Greg Pateryn (IR / bilateral core muscle surgery), Kevin Fiala (IR / lower-body) and Jordan JON ROSEN Greenway (illness) won’t play, though Joel Eriksson Ek (lower-body) was OCTOBER 26, 2019 activated from injured reserve today and will play tonight, per Boudreau. They’re expected to line up with forward groups of Zucker-Staal- Zuccarello, Parise-Eriksson Ek-Kunin, Foligno-Koivu-Hartman and Donato-Rask-Mayhew with defensive pairings of Suter-Spurgeon, MORNING SKATE NOTES Brodin-Dumba and Soucty-Hunt. Defenseman Brad Hunt leads the team INSIDERS. So much to go over in advance of tonight’s game at in goals with four. Minnesota (5:00 p.m. PT / FOX Sports West / FOX Sports GO / LA Kings — There’s a lot more to come, especially from Lindstrom, Minn. Native Audio Network), beginning with the LA Kings’ projected lineup: Blake Lizotte, who played in this arena in high school and college but will Iafallo-Kopitar-Brown play his first professional game at Xcel Energy Center in front of an entire cheering section. He estimates that his mom purchased 50-to-60 tickets Carter-Lizotte-Toffoli for close family, and that another 200 supporters will make the drive Kovalchuk-Kempe-Lewis down from Chisago Lakes.

Clifford-Amadio-Wagner Even though yesterday was far from his first time on this ice, the practice – which he ended by leading the team in stretches from the center of the Hutton-Doughty circle – still resonated with him. “Kind of a ‘hit-me’ moment. ‘You made it here.’” Martinez-Walker Scandinavian roots run deep in Minnesota, and Lizotte is third-generation MacDermid-Roy Finnish-American. More to come on the background on his name and his Quick family, and why this game means so much to him.

Notes! — I’ll also have a lot more on Austin Wagner, whose offensive role is diversifying beyond his trademark bursts of speed. Wagner was the extra — The vitals: Today was an optional skate and no line rushes were held. skater during 6-on-5 play late in the St. Louis game because of his ability Nikolai Prokhorkin and Joakim Ryan remained on the ice for extra work to log scoring chances for, particularly over the second half of that game, with Jack Campbell and are not projected to play. Jonathan Quick left the and also because he has good size and battling ability around the net. “I ice first and is 13-7-5 in his career against Minnesota with a 2.53 goals- don’t think I’m going to be a guy that’s running the half-wall with an empty against average and a .901 save percentage. Anze Kopitar, among a net, I think I’m going to be a guy trying to find that rebound or going and handful of people on the traveling contingent to recently come down with getting it and giving it back to them,” he said. a cold, is feeling better. “I think you guys gave it to me, and I gave it to him, right?” Todd McLellan joked. — Tonight’s officials are referees Kendrick Nicholson and Kelly Sutherland and linesmen David Brisebois and Ryan Daisy. Let’s talk McLellan has liked the team’s recent progress since they lost their “will” soon, Insiders. in the ugly loss at Vancouver three games into the season. They haven’t been affected by any deflation since and are playing the quicker and Tomorrow @Jabs_13 is back in Minnesota for a fundraising event at the more aggressive game he hoped to instill, though the special teams Kings-Wild game, benefitting the @BEL13VEJabby13 Foundation. How obviously need improvement with a power play that ranks 27th and a to get involved: https://t.co/Krxx9GwrNZ penalty kill clocking in at 29th. It’s part of a counterbalance of the team’s — (@alex_faust) October 25, 2019 pristine shot-based metrics. “We’ve got some paint on the canvas, but it doesn’t look like anything yet,” McLellan said of the first 10 games. “Let’s LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.27.2019 put it that way.”

— Their vitals: Devan Dubnyk (upper-body) isn’t ready to play, so Alex Stalock will get the nod in net and Kaapo Kahkonen will again back him up. Stalock, who played for McLellan in San Jose and started Game 6 of the 2014 series, is 1-2-1 in five career games against Los Angeles with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. McLellan also caught up with another former player – Mikko Koivu, who played under him for the AHL’s Houston Aeros. “He’s their captain. He’s got a calmness to him. He’ll have his team ready,” McLellan said of the 36- year-old, 983-game veteran.

The Wild are in last place in the Western Conference with six points through 10 games but are traditionally a difficult team to beat at Xcel Energy Center, where they’re 2-1-0 this season and shut Edmonton out 3-0 in their last home game. “They’re a team that’s been poked by the bear a little bit,” McLellan said. “I think they’re not overly enthused with the way they’ve started, so you’ve got a team that’s not comfortable and that’s not easy to play against. This building’s always been a tough one. I think they still defend very well. Their special teams seem to be clicking here at home. I think they’re at 40%. Not a big sample size. Those are areas that we need work on, so of course that’s going to be a challenge for our group.”

Minnesota’s challenges have come on the road, where they’re 1-6-0 and coming off a 4-0 loss at Nashville. Because their home/road poles have been evident in their statistics, what are the inherent qualities when things are going well, and what needs to be cleaned up when they’re not? “I think when things aren’t going well, we’re getting frustrated because we can’t score, you know what I mean?” Bruce Boudreau said. 1158635 Los Angeles Kings LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 10.27.2019

PREVIEW – ONTARIO VS. SAN DIEGO, 10/26

ZACH DOOLEY

OCTOBER 26, 2019

GAME PREVIEWONTARIO REIGNUNCATEGORIZED

WHO: Ontario Reign (5-1-1-0) vs. San Diego Gulls (0-5-0-0)

WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME

WHEN: Saturday, October 26, 2019 – 6:00 PM

WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA

HOW TO FOLLOW: Video: AHLTV – AUDIO – Mixlr – TWITTER: @ontarioreign & @reigninsider

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Reign and Gulls square off again tonight to conclude their back-to-back set this weekend. Ontario skated to a 6-2 victory yesterday evening in San Diego to claim Round 1 of the So-Cal Series this season.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Morning skate today did not give away a ton, with only a handful of guys on the ice for the Reign. With the Reign winners of their last three, it wouldn’t be surprising to see consistency in the lineup that has given them success, though on the final game of a 3- in-4, you never know. Forwards Mario Kempe, Johan Sodergran, Boko Imama, Drake Rymsha and Jacob Doty, along with defenseman Chaz Reddekopp and goaltender Cole Kehler were the only skaters this morning in El Segundo.

ACTIVE SPECIAL TEAMS: Ontario and San Diego combined for 13 power plays in last night’s contest, with each team scoring once on the man advantage. Ontario’s penalty kill was especially active, as it killed of 7-of-8, with the only goal conceded coming on one of two 5-on-3 San Diego power plays against. On the season, Ontario is tied for third highest in the AHL in power plays against per game, at 4.86.

DUDE, WHERE’S MY CARL: Ontario forward Carl Grundstrom scored a pair of goals in yesterday’s victory, giving him five tallies from three games on the season. Grundstrom’s goals last night were the first two of the evening for the Reign in the 6-2 victory. Despite just being assigned to Ontario 8 days ago, Grundstrom is tied for fifth in the AHL in goals this season, with teammate Martin Frk also among those with five goals.

FOR PETE’S SAKE: Reign goaltender Cal Petersen turned in another strong performance, as he earned his fifth victory of the season with 33 saves on 35 shots. Petersen has faced at least 34 shots in each game he’s gone the distance this season, and has faced more shots than any AHL goaltender this season (255). Petersen also leads all AHL in victories (5), saves (239) and minutes played (406).

THREE LETTERS, THREE POINTS: Ontario forward Martin Frk collected his first three-point game of the season, the seventh time in his AHL career he’s tallied three points. Frk now leads all Reign skaters with nine points (5-4-9) on the season and ranks tied for fourth in the AHL in points and tied for fifth in goals. Frk has collected at least one point in six of Ontario’s seven games so far this season.

FOR THE LUFF OF THE GAME: Reign forward Matt Luff found the back of the net for the second straight game and collected three points (1-2-3) in total on the evening. Like Frk, Luff also tied an AHL career high for points in a game, the fourth time in his Reign career he’s reached the mark. Luff now has six points (2-4-6) in six games played this season, good for third on the Reign, and he leads all Ontario skaters with 19 shots on goal.

SCOUTING THE GULLS: San Diego has started the season slowly and is still in search of its first victory of 2019-20. Forward Kiefer Sherwood leads all Gulls scorers with four points (2-2-4) from five games played this season, while Sam Carrick leads the team with three assists, after a multi-point game yesterday. Carrick also led all scorers in the Ontario – San Diego series a season ago with nine goals and 16 points from 12 games played. 1158636 Minnesota Wild -Before Staal’s goal, the Wild was tested shorthanded but the team responded – killing off back-to-back penalties, including an abbreviated 5-on-3 advantage for Los Angeles.

Alex Stalock rebounds, backstops the Wild to another win “The PKs are huge,” Stalock said. “We’re taking a lot of pride in that. We always have but especially now, we know how every little play is so meaningful for us. To get out of where we are, it starts with our special teams and I think to kill off a 5-on-3 -- whether it was only 15 or 20 Sarah McLellan seconds – they’re going to create a chance if they get possession. So we OCTOBER 26, 2019 — 11:26PM eliminated that and then killed the rest.”

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019

Rarely do NHL backups get the opportunity to bounce back from tough outings.

Usually worked into the rotation on a spot start, they tend to be back on the bench the next time out with the No.1 resuming control of the crease.

But with Devan Dubnyk still on the mend from a fall in Tuesday’s win over the Oilers, Alex Stalock got the chance to rebound from a 4-0 miscue to the Predators Thursday in Nashville.

And Stalock took advantage of the opportunity, turning aside 30 shots in a 5-1 rout of the Kings Saturday at Xcel Energy Center that extended the Wild's rhythm to 3-1 since last Sunday.

“That’s one thing you don’t get sometimes, [the chance] to get right back in there,” Stalock said. “It’s good to do that.”

Stalock was especially clutch in the second period during a lull for the Wild’s offense.

After Los Angeles tied it at 1, Stalock was key in helping the Wild not fall behind and give up more goals in quick succession – a costly habit so far this season.

One of his best stops came on winger Jeff Carter, as Stalock kept out a Carter redirect – losing his stick in the process.

“He kept us in when we needed to be kept in,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “The competitive fire that he has, he wasn’t happy with his game in Nashville and he comes right back and you could tell he was on point in everything.”

The result improved Stalock to 2-2 with a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

Although Dubnyk earned the win Tuesday in the 3-0 victory against Edmonton, Stalock played a valuable role then, too – coming on in relief after Dubnyk was injured to help seal the shutout.

“Al is great,” defenseman Matt Dumba said. “He's a great team guy. He comes to work every day and works incredibly hard and pushes guys. He's reaping what he deserves. It's awesome. It's great to see. I know everyone is pumped for him.”

Stalock’s performance wasn’t the only positive Saturday.

-The Wild received offensive contributions from each line, with 11 different players notching at least a point.

Dumba led the pack with two, and centers Joel Eriksson Ek and Mikko Koivu buried their first goals on the season.

“As a team, we like to think we’re pretty deep and can play four lines,” said defenseman Jared Spurgeon, one of the goal scorers. “I think when you play simple hockey and get it in and start cycling the puck and get it moving, we’re going to be able to create some stuff. We just have to be able to bury our chances.”

-After center Eric Staal tallied the go-ahead goal late in the second to put the Wild up 2-1, the team added insurance in the third – much-needed improvement for the offense. The three-goal outburst started 28 seconds in with Eriksson Ek’s goal.

“We haven’t done that,” Boudreau said. “I was really happy for the guys that they were able to do that and get the third one right off the bat. We talked about they were going to push really hard [in the third] right off the bat and if we could meet their push for the first five minutes or so and then get into the game, the routine of the game, we’d be fine. But for us scoring that first goal right off the bat, I thought it was a real dagger for them.” 1158637 Minnesota Wild

Wild-Los Angeles game recap

OCTOBER 26, 2019 — 11:21PM

SARAH MCLELLAN

STAR TRIBUNE'S

1. Matt Dumba, Wild: The defenseman set up two goals.

2. Joel Eriksson Ek, Wild: Center scored his first goal of the season in his return from injury.

3. Alex Stalock, Wild: The goalie made 30 saves, many of which came before the Wild's offense took off.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 Consecutive wins for the Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

3 Goals for center Eric Staal in his past three games.

11 Different Wild players who recorded at least a point.

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158638 Minnesota Wild Now the Wild face one more extended road stretch before they can catch their breath and assess the first quarter of the season.

"If after 18 (games) we can be 9-9 or better, that would be a real feather Staal, Stalock lead Wild past Kings 5-1 in our cap I think," Boudreau said.

NOTES: The Kings are 0-6 when trailing after two periods and have given up at least five goals in 5 of 11 games this season. ... Both teams PATRICK DONNELLY ranked in the bottom third of the league on the power play and the penalty kill going into the game. Both power-play units went 0 for. ... The OCTOBER 26, 2019 — 11:20PM Wild activated Eriksson Ek from the injured list. To make room for him on the roster, C Gabriel Doumont was returned to Iowa of the AHL. ... Dubnyk and F Jordan Greenway each missed a second straight game ST. PAUL, Minn. — Starting with 13 of 18 games on the road, the with upper-body injuries. Minnesota Wild know they have to make their early home dates count. On Saturday night, they gave their fans plenty of reasons to cheer. UP NEXT

Eric Staal scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, Alex Kings: At Chicago on Sunday. Stalock stopped 30 shots and the Wild beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1. Wild: At Dallas on Tuesday. Gerald Mayhew, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon also Star Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 scored for Minnesota, which has won three of four after beginning the year 1-6.

Ben Hutton scored for Los Angeles, and Jonathan Quick made 22 saves for the Kings, who have lost two straight.

The Wild ran their home record to 3-1, one season after suffering a franchise-worst 18 home losses, an uncharacteristic development for a team that has a reputation for being tough at home.

"We didn't give the fans what they deserved last year at home," said Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba, who had two assists. "We kind of butchered that. We have to get them back on our side here."

The Wild have already played 7 of 11 games on the road, and they play six of their next seven away from home as well. Stalock says that puts even more emphasis on the few home games they have this early in the season.

"We need to win games at home right now because we know our schedule — it's road-dominant," said Stalock, who filled in for injured starter Devan Dubnyk for the second straight game. "We need to make it really hard to come in here and even get one point out of us."

With the game tied at 1, Staal took a pass from Jason Zucker at the blue line, skated in alone on Quick's left and beat him over his far shoulder for his third goal of the season at 17:04 of the second.

Minnesota put it away with a three-goal flurry in the third as the Kings defense began to falter.

"When you start to press and you get frustrated, you work your way out of structure," Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. "You could see the mistakes at 3-1, especially at 4-1 (we) started to leak. We were lucky we didn't give up ... six."

The Wild took a 1-0 lead on Mayhew's second goal of the season at 5:50 of the first period. Los Angeles evened the score early in the second when Hutton got his first goal as a King on a one-timer from the high slot.

That was all the Kings would get against Stalock, who bounced back after giving up four goals in a loss at Nashville on Thursday.

"He kept us in when we needed to be kept in," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "He wasn't happy with his game in Nashville, and he comes right back and you could tell he was on point in everything today."

Less than a minute after Hutton's goal, Stalock made an acrobatic save to stop Jeff Carter on a 2-on-1 to keep the game tied.

"They had a great chance and Alex shut the door at that point," Boudreau said. "That was a huge, huge play for us."

The Kings outshot the Wild 14-5 in the second, but Minnesota killed off consecutive penalties before taking a 2-1 lead late in the period on Staal's goal.

The Wild expanded their lead in the opening moments of the third period when Quick couldn't control the rebound of Dumba's shot and Eriksson Ek jammed it home.

Goals by Koivu and Spurgeon sealed it on a night when 11 Minnesota players found the scoring sheet. 1158639 Minnesota Wild

Wild continues strong play at home, winning 5-1 over Los Angeles

Streak at the X climbs to three as five players score.

Sarah McLellan

OCTOBER 26, 2019 — 11:40PM

Most of the Wild’s struggles have come on the road, where it’s a rotten 1- 6.

That wouldn’t be such an issue this early in the season if the team wasn’t designated the visitor almost every game.

Such is the Wild’s reality, though — through the rest of October, into November and even the start of December.

These road contests have the potential to determine the direction of the Wild’s season. But perhaps the antidote is being mixed in-house because after dismantling the Kings 5-1 Saturday in front of 17,444 at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild has won three straight at home for the first time since Oct.16-27, 2018.

Lugging this formula on the road is its challenge since that’s where the Wild (4-7) will play six of its next seven, starting with a back-to-back in Dallas and St. Louis Tuesday and Wednesday.

“We want to keep that confidence in this building,” captain Mikko Koivu said, “and now we have to find a way to win on the road.”

Although the blueprint wasn’t perfect, how the Wild shrugged off Los Angeles seems to be a workable strategy. After establishing an early lead, the team rebounded from a mostly stagnant second to pull away with a three-goal third. Each line factored into the offense, with 11 players securing at least a point.

“For a team that hasn’t scored a lot, any time we can get different contributors, you know they’re gaining a little confidence every day,” coach Bruce Boudreau said.

Add in steady goaltender from Alex Stalock (30 saves) and a stout showing by the penalty kill, and the Wild had more than enough to take advantage of a team that’s also underperforming.

“It’s huge,” defenseman Matt Dumba said. “We definitely have to win these games, so coming out here tonight and handling business like we did was awesome.”

A floater from Dumba that caromed off screener Gerald Mayhew at 5 minutes, 50 seconds of the first gave the Wild that valuable early lead, but the team had trouble growing it. In the second, Ben Hutton delivered the equalizer on a blistering shot over Stalock’s left shoulder at 4:29.

Not until 2:56 remained in the period did the Wild capitalize, after a string of key saves by Stalock and consecutive penalty kills.

Center Eric Staal kept the shot off the rush, lifting it over goaltender Jonathan Quick’s glove for his third goal in his past three games and fifth point in the past four, after the Wild was blanked on back-to-back power plays.

The spark from that tally seemed to carry over into the third. Just 28 seconds into the frame center Joel Eriksson Ek swatted in the rebound off a Dumba shot. This was Eriksson Ek’s first goal of the season in his return from a three-game injury absence. Dumba also notched his second assist of the game on the play and is tied for the team lead in points (six) with Staal and fellow defender Brad Hunt.

Another first came later in the third, when Koivu buried a loose puck in front at 6:39. Defenseman Jared Spurgeon tacked on a season-high fifth goal at 12:24.

“We dug ourselves a hole,” Spurgeon said. “But if you’re able to win every week the majority of your games, it’s slowly going to come. It’s not going to happen in a week. But if we keep doing this, we’ll slowly get back into a position where we want to be.”

Star Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158640 Minnesota Wild “You see that growing up, and to have all my friends and family and supporters there was pretty cool. All the signs and everything, that was an experience I’ll forever be grateful for.”

Wild samples comforts of home, but it won't last Star Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019

Sarah McLellan

OCTOBER 27, 2019 — 12:19AM

The Wild is near the bottom of the NHL in some key categories, such as wins and points, the residual effect of the team getting off to the worst start in franchise history.

But where it’s at the top of the leaderboard is in fewest home games played.

After taking on the Kings on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center, the Wild became the last club to make just its fourth showing on home ice — which is tied for the lowest number of appearances across the league.

Not only has this schedule magnified the importance of the Wild succeeding on the road, which has been a struggle so far with the team 1-6 as the visitor, but it’s also affected players’ lives off the ice since they’ve had less time at home.

“Obviously, we have quite a few guys with multiple kids,” goalie Alex Stalock said. “… That’s hard. I know I’ve kind of said to my family, ‘Once we get through this first couple months, we’ll be home a little more.’ ”

Before the third of four mandatory days off each month on Sunday, the Wild spent 13 of 26 days in October either flying out for a game or playing/practicing on the road — an itinerary that has limited the downtime at home. And players have felt the squeeze.

And November will be much of the same, with a four-game trip near the beginning of the month and a three-game trek around the end.

“I’ll go to practice, and then I won’t get home till an hour or two hours later because I have to get some stuff done,” Stalock said. “… You’re home, but you’re not home.”

Injury update

Center Joel Eriksson Ek returned to the lineup Saturday after missing the previous three games with a lower-body injury suffered after blocking three consecutive shots from Montreal’s on Oct. 17.

To activate Eriksson Ek from injured reserve, the Wild assigned center Gabriel Dumont to the American Hockey League.

Eriksson Ek started Saturday’s game between wingers Zach Parise and Luke Kunin.

Kaapo Kahkonen backed up Stalock for a second straight game, with No. 1 Devan Dubnyk still recovering from an upper-body injury suffered after he fell on his back in the 3-0 win over the Oilers on Tuesday.

“He’s doing fine, as fine as he could be,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “He’s not ready to play yet, but he’s practicing and he’ll be ready to play next week.”

Boudreau also expects winger Jordan Greenway, who’s in concussion protocol, to resume playing in the coming days. Greenway was idle for a second game in a row.

But the Wild did have winger Ryan Hartman on the ice vs. the Kings, after he was banged up Thursday in the 4-0 loss to the Predators following a shot block.

Special homecoming

Kings forward Blake Lizotte had a cheering section lining the glass during warmups when the Lindstrom native and former Chisago Lakes High School standout took to the ice for a few solo turns before the rest of the team joined him.

After making his NHL debut late last season following two seasons at St. Cloud State, this was Lizotte’s first NHL game in Minnesota.

“That was pretty cool,” said Lizotte, who was expecting more than 200 friends and family in attendance Saturday. 1158641 Minnesota Wild Star Tribune LOADED: 10.27.2019

Devan Dubnyk out, Joel Eriksson Ek returns for Wild vs. Kings

Sarah McLellan

OCTOBER 26, 2019 — 11:39AM

Wild goalie Alex Stalock will be back between the pipes as the team returns home to host the Kings Saturday at Xcel Energy Center.

Starter Devan Dubnyk remains out with an upper-body injury suffered Tuesday when he fell on his back after a collision in the crease. Kaapo Kahkonen will back up Stalock.

“He’s doing fine, as fine as he could be,” coach Bruce Boudreau said of Dubnyk. “He’s not ready to play yet, but he’s practicing and he’ll be ready to play next week.”

Although Dubnyk is still recovering, the Wild is starting to get a bit healthier.

Center Joel Eriksson Ek will return to the lineup Saturday after missing three games with a lower-body injury. To active Eriksson Ek from injured reserve, the Wild opened up a roster spot by sending center Gabriel Dumont to the American Hockey League.

Winger Ryan Hartman will also play after taking a maintenance day Friday, while winger Jordan Greenway (upper-body injury) is still out. Boudreau said Greenway will be ready to play next week.

Although the team is coming off a 4-0 loss to the Predators Thursday in Nashville, its last two home appearances have been wins.

Not falling behind to the Kings would help the Wild rediscover that rhythm.

“When things aren’t going well, we’re getting frustrated because we can’t score,” Boudreau said. “We can take the Nashville game for example. The first period we played extremely well and didn’t give them any scoring chances and you get behind the eight-ball and your shoulders slumping and go, ‘Oh man, what do we have to do?’ When things are going well, we’re playing with a lead and playing with confidence.”

Projected lineup:

Jason Zucker-Eric Staal-Mats Zuccarello

Zach Parise-Joel Eriksson Ek-Luke Kunin

Marcus Foligno-Mikko Koivu-Ryan Hartman

Ryan Donato-Victor Rask-Gerald Mayhew

Ryan Suter-Matt Dumba

Jonas Brodin-Jared Spurgeon

Carson Soucy-Brad Hunt

Alex Stalock

Key numbers:

2: Wins in three home games for the Wild.

1-2-1: Record for goalie Alex Stalock in four career starts vs. the Kings.

97: Career assists for winger Jason Zucker.

4: Points last season for captain Mikko Koivu vs. the Kings in 2018-19.

34: Points for Kings captain Anze Kopitar in 45 career games against the Wild.

About the Kings:

Like the Wild, it’s been a tough start for the Kings. They’re 4-7, with two of their victories in their last three games. Most recently, Los Angeles was upended 5-2 in St. Louis on Thursday. Goaltender Jonathan Quick has had a particularly rough debut. He’s 2-4 with a 4.39 goals-against average and .854 save percentage. Kopitar is one point shy of 900 for his career. 1158642 Minnesota Wild It was a step in the right direction for the Wild in getting the fans back on their side.

“They were awesome tonight,” Dumba said. “We want to keep them Wild continue stellar play at home with 5-1 win over Kings cheering all season long.”

Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.27.2019

DANE MIZUTANI

October 26, 2019 at 10:51 PM

Maybe it was being the laughingstock of the league at home last season. Maybe it was getting spanked by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the home opener a few weeks ago. Maybe it was watching a 230-game sellout streak come to a close.

Whatever the motivation, the Wild seem hellbent on getting back to their winning ways inside the Xcel Energy Center, and they continued to show that Saturday night with a decisive 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

“We are still very cognizant of what our record was here last season, and we don’t want to get into that situation again,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “I think every player’s aware of the critiques of our home record.”

There wasn’t much to critique Saturday night as the Wild ran away with the win to improve to 3-1-0 at home. That continued success will be key for the Wild getting fans back in the seats.

“We didn’t give the fans what they deserved last season at home,” Matt Dumba acknowledged. “We kind of butchered that. We have to get them back on our side here.”

It would help if every game was like this was. The Wild got contributions from up and down the lineup. Gerald Mayhew, Eric Staal, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon scored the goals, while Alex Stalock finished with 30 saves between the pipes.

“For a team that hasn’t scored a lot, anytime we can get different contributors, they’re gaining a little confidence every day,” Boudreau said. “Hopefully that continues. I think every line scored a goal. You’ve been around me long enough. I like to see that balance.”

It was arguably the best the Wild have looked this season from top to bottom, and they even battled through a lapse midway through the game.

After a back-and-forth start to the first period, Mayhew netted the second goal of his career, as a winding wrist shot by Dumba glanced off his body and into the back of the net.

Although the Wild sustained steady pressure after that, they couldn’t increase the lead, and Stalock kept them afloat in the second period while his teammates appeared to take a 20-minute nap.

“He kept us in when we needed to be kept in it,” Boudreau said. “That competitive fire that he has, he wasn’t happy with his game (on Thursday night), and he comes right back. You could tell he was on point in everything.”

Still, that lethargy from everyone else allowed the Kings to pull even with a goal from defenseman Ben Hutton, who fired a one-timer from the slot.

Staal helped the Wild regain the lead late in the frame with a snipe from the left circle, and Stalock finished off his stellar stretch with a flashy glove save to thwart a Grade A scoring chance from 36-year-old winger Ilya Kovalchuk.

“He was great,” Dumba said of Stalock. “There were a couple of saves where I was just tipping my hat. I think that one I remember was the save on Kovalchuk. It was a sweet snapper, and Al sprawled out and got the glove on it. If he can keep doing that, that’s awesome for us.”

Even though that would’ve been enough with the way Stalock was playing, the Wild poured it on in the third period to leave no doubt.

It started with Eriksson Ek scoring his first goal of the season, continued with Koivu potting his first of the season, and finished with Spurgeon putting the cherry on top of the rout.

“We haven’t done that,” Boudreau said of burying an opponent. “We talked about they were going to push really hard (in the third period) right off the bat and if we could meet their push and then get into the routine of the game, we’d be fine.” 1158643 Minnesota Wild That said, it sounds like Greenway is getting close to returning to the lineup.

“I think he’s fine,” Boudreau said. “He will be ready to play next week.” With trio of blocked shots, Joel Eriksson Ek proves to be what Wild need Pioneer Press LOADED: 10.27.2019

DANE MIZUTANI

October 26, 2019 at 4:29 PM

Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek showed no hesitation a week and a half ago when stepping in front of a bevy of shots from Montreal Canadiens blue liner Shea Weber.

He simply braced for contact and stood in as a 100 mph bullet came screaming right at him. Then he did it again. And once more for good measure.

All in a span of about 15 seconds.

“Everyone was going nuts on the bench,” teammate Matt Dumba said. “Just to see a guy committing himself to the team like that that’s huge. We play for each other, and something like that really proves it.”

As much as that trio of blocked shots riled up the Wild bench, Eriksson Ek left the game shortly after and did not return. He has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury, though he was slated to return to the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings.

“It’s never fun to be injured,” Eriksson Ek said. “It feels better now.”

Asked specifically about the Herculean effort that led to his lower-body injury, Eriksson Ek downplayed the situation.

“You’re just so into the game that it doesn’t matter,” Eriksson Ek said. “You just want to win so badly and don’t really think about it. You just want to help the team win. You aren’t thinking about anything else. That’s part of the game. I just play as hard as I can.”

That Eriksson Ek refused to take credit didn’t surprise goaltender Alex Stalock.

“That says a lot about him,” Stalock said. “He’d rather not talk about it. That’s how he’s wired. That clip shows up in video, and he’s the type of guy that kind of gets embarrassed when he’s got a good clip on there. It says a lot about him as a person. Those are the type of guys we want to have in our locker room.”

Although the Wild were to get Eriksson Ek back Saturday night, Victor Rask and Kevin Fiala are also nursing lower-body injuries sustained from blocking shots.

Not that coach Bruce Boudreau would ever tell his players to shy away from doing it.

“We have to do it, and unfortunately it’s got our guys hurt a little bit,” Boudreau said. “That just goes to show character. I don’t think there’s a coach in the world that doesn’t love it when they see guys selling out for the team. That’s what it’s all about.”

And it’s something Eriksson Ek won’t shy away from doing again.

“Those things are going to happen,” Eriksson Ek said. “It’s just mental. How much do I want to sacrifice to win games?”

He’s already answered that hypothetical.

DUBNYK GETTING CLOSE

Devan Dubnyk skated with his teammates before Saturday’s game as he works his way back to 100 percent. The Wild goaltender was injured earlier this week after getting his legs taken out from him in the crease.

“He’s doing as fine as he could be,” Boudreau said. “He’s not ready to play yet. He’s practicing and he’ll be ready to play next week.”

In place of Dubnyk, minor league goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen served as the backup.

GREENWAY FEELING BETTER

Jordan Greenway is still dealing with what the team is calling an upper- body injury, though anybody that watched him get flattened by Edmonton winger Josh Archibald earlier this week knows what that really means. 1158644 Minnesota Wild Boy, did Stalock play well to improve to 2-2 in six appearances with a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

After Ben Hutton scored his first goal with the Kings to tie the score at 1-1 Out to improve on a woeful 2018-19, Wild win third straight in St. Paul early in the second period, Stalock robbed Jeff Carter on a 2-on-1 to keep the game tied. In all, he made 13 saves in a one-sided second period.

Michael Russo Knowing the Wild’s bad trend of giving up goals in succession this season, after Hutton scored and the Kings kept coming, Boudreau even Oct 26, 2019 thought to himself, “Here they come.”

“But they had a great chance and Alex shut the door at that point. That The Wild aren’t about to celebrate and start claiming they’ve solved last was a huge, huge play for us,” Boudreau said. “He kept us in when we year’s home woes just yet. After all, they remember opening last needed to be kept in, and the competitive fire that he has, he wasn’t season’s home slate with a 5-0-2 record before winning only 11 of their happy with his game in Nashville (on Thursday night) and he comes right final 34 games in St. Paul. back and you could tell he was on point in everything today.”

But there have been plenty of good signs so far in four games at Xcel Another highlight save was a tricky one on Ilya Kovalchuk. Energy Center, the latest being a 5-1 victory over the lowly Los Angeles “There were a couple of saves where I was just tipping my hat,” Dumba Kings to give Minnesota a three-game home winning streak for the first said. “(Kovalchuk’s) was a sweet toey snapper and Al sprawled out and time in about a calendar year (Oct. 20-27, 2018). got the glove on it. … Al is great. He’s a great team guy. He comes to The NHL’s schedule maker so graciously allowed the Wild to make a work every day and works incredibly hard and pushes guys. He’s reaping brief pit stop home for one game Saturday night before sending them out what he deserves. It’s awesome. It’s great to see. I know everyone is on the road again for back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday in pumped for him.” Dallas and St. Louis. Maybe out of pity, the schedule maker’s even going Devan Dubnyk missed his second game in a row after falling hard on his to allow the Wild to actually return home for one game next weekend back against the Edmonton Oilers. He’s expected to start one of the before sending them out on the road once more for 10 days and four games in Dallas or St. Louis. games to the West Coast. Lots of players join the party So, with so few home games in the first couple months of the season (six of the Wild’s first seven on the road, 13 of their first 18 and 20 of their first Eleven different Wild skaters registered at least a point and the Wild got 30), the Wild know — particularly because of the fact they’ve dropped six five different goal scorers — Gerry Mayhew, Eric Staal, Joel Eriksson Ek, of their first seven on the road — that they better win their home games if Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon. they want any shot at making the playoffs. Eriksson Ek, back after blocking three Shea Weber shots last week in “We need to win games at home right now because we know our Montreal, and Koivu each scored their first goals, and they were big schedule,” goalie Alex Stalock said after his 30-save performance. “It’s because they never allowed the Kings to get back in the game after Staal road-dominant, and we need to make it really hard to come in here and scored off a 2-on-1 late in the second period. even get one point out of us. I think you saw a team in here that made another team super frustrated. It’s getting pucks deep, playing hard and “I was really happy for the guys that they were able to do that and get the playing physical — it goes a long way.” third one right off the bat (to open the third period),” Boudreau said. “We talked about how they were going to push really hard (in the third) right Look, to be fair, the Wild may have run into one of the rare NHL off the bat and if we could meet their push for the first five minutes or so opponents that has played worse than them to start the season, but the and then get into the game, the routine of the game, we’d be fine. But for Wild still rid themselves of some bad habits Saturday night. us scoring that first goal right off the bat, I thought it was a real dagger for them.” They generated a lot off their forecheck. They crashed the net. They scored off the rush. Despite a second-period lull, they didn’t allow one “FOR US, SCORING THAT FIRST GOAL IT WAS A REAL DAGGER goal to quickly become two and three against because of Stalock’s clutch FOR THEM.” – BOUDREAU goaltending. And they actually went for the kill and buried an opponent for once during a three-goal third period, which was impressive for a Wild HEAR MORE FROM BRUCE BOUDREAU AFTER TONIGHT’S WIN team that had been outscored 16-6 in the second period and 14-8 in the AGAINST THE LOS ANGELES!#LAKVSMIN | #MNWILD third period this season. PIC.TWITTER.COM/FR9KPTMKTB

If the Wild can keep up the strong play at home and prove last season’s — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) OCTOBER 27, 2019 misery was just as Stalock said “a blip,” maybe they can earn back the The Wild took advantage of 33-year-old Jonathan Quick, who looks like trust of the fans who pay a lot of money to be entertained and see actual injuries and age is catching up to him. Nothing was clean, everything was victories. Wild fans left St. Paul satisfied only 16 times last season. an event all game long. He is 2-5 this season with a 4.48 goals-against Despite three straight announced attendances of 17,000-plus, the reality average and .849 save percentage. is many of those fans are coming disguised as empty seats. That hasn’t He did make a tremendous save to rob Marcus Foligno after Ryan been seen by the Wild in years as evidenced by their 251-game Hartman’s sterling setup before Koivu potted the rebound, but on the fifth consecutive sellout streak that was snapped during the second game of goal, after a sensational shift by the Koivu line with Spurgeon and Ryan the season. Suter, he couldn’t handle a harmless Koivu shot and Spurgeon scored “We didn’t give the fans what they deserved last year at home,” said his second goal of the season. defenseman Matt Dumba, whose two assists against the Kings gave him Koivu said the Wild’s offensive onslaught Saturday stemmed from the 99 for his career. “We kind of butchered that. We have to get them back team being much better defensively than they were in Nashville. on our side here. They were awesome tonight. We want to keep them cheering all season long.” “I think as the whole team, we need to be strong defensively and I think we were, for the most part,” he said. “It’s not always easy when things “COMING OUT HERE AND HANDLING OUR BUSINESS LIKE WE DID are not going your way. You’ve got to still try to remember the little things WAS AWESOME.” – DUMBA you need to do right in order to win a hockey game and in order to score HEAR MORE FROM KOIVU, STALOCK AND SPURGEON IN THE goals. I thought we were strong defensively and that brought us some LOCKER ROOM AFTER TAKING DOWN THE KINGS!#LAKVSMIN | offense tonight.” #MNWILD PIC.TWITTER.COM/DUEN53Z5CC It was a good way to respond from a tough loss in Nashville, but it must — MINNESOTA WILD (@MNWILD) OCTOBER 27, 2019 continue for the 4-7 Wild, who have been blanked in consecutive road games. Stalock stellar in win “We know we’re not going to just win 50 in a row and be right back in it,” family, former coaches, tons of buddies and former teammates and Spurgeon said. “You’re going to have to put a couple together and when dozens of kids of the Chisago Lakes hockey association. you do lose one you have to get right back and get back on the winning train. For us, I thought it was a good game. The second period I thought During warmups, there were several wrapped around the glass in the we sagged a little bit, but after that, we got off to a good start in the third Kings’ end holding signs. and took it from there.” “You see that growing up and to have all my friends and family and Koivu the latest to click with Foligno and Hartman supporters there was pretty cool,” Lizotte said. “All the signs and everything, that was an experience I’ll forever be grateful for.” It’s got to be no coincidence that no matter the center Boudreau puts between Foligno and Hartman, they always seem to work. Everybody Lizotte, who weighed 115 pounds as a high school freshman, continued has gotten a turn and the latest Saturday was Koivu. to excel past high school for the Fargo Force, then in college. McLellan said he grew a great appreciation for Lizotte last year while he was out of The line did a solid job defensively, skated well, moved the puck well and work after losing his coaching job with the Oilers. He spent the year were all over the offensive zone. watching a lot of college hockey because his son, Tyson, played for the University of Denver. He watched Lizotte play a lot and felt his tenacity Boudreau tried to match the Koivu line up against the Kings’ top line of would translate into the NHL. Alex Iafallo, Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, but Kings coach Todd McLellan, who used to coach Koivu with the Houston Aeros and still He had a tremendous training camp and made the Kings faster than holds him in high regard, seemed to be trying to get away from the many expected. matchup. Lizotte confirmed the Wild were in the mix to sign him, but he felt there “They weren’t going in any sequence,” Boudreau said. “They’d go Kopitar was greater opportunity at center with the Kings because of the NHLers every second shift, then miss four shifts. So it was hard to judge when we in front of him with the Wild after they signed college free agent Nico were changing first. I think they were trying to get away from (Koivu). Sturm. That’s a good reason why we’re really happy to have Ek back. These teams that have really good lines or top two lines even, you can throw The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 Mikko and Ek out and sort of double team them. It is really advantageous to us.”

As for why everybody seems to work with Foligno and Hartman, Boudreau said, “Well, it’s work. They work hard and they like playing with each other and I just thought Mikko would be a good fit with those guys. (Foligno and Hartman) really relish their role and they know they’re out there to stop the opponent’s top line and they’re probably playing more minutes now as a duo than they’ve probably ever played in the NHL, so I think they’re relishing that as well. “

Odds and ends

Staal scored his third goal in the past two home games by showing what can happen when you actually shoot on a 2-on-1. On two other 2-on-1’s, he tried to force passes to Mats Zuccarello and they were broken up by good defensive plays by the Kings.

On those plays, you can bet Staal was trying to be a good teammate. Zuccarello is still searching for his first goal with the Wild. …

Mayhew scored his second NHL goal and first at home when Dumba’s first-period shot deflected off his pants. …

Defenseman Greg Pateryn has started to practice with the team after missing most of training camp and the first 11 games with a sports hernia that resulted in surgery. …

Center Gabriel Dumont was reassigned to Iowa in order to activate Eriksson Ek off injured reserve. Kahkonen will return to Iowa if Dubnyk can start or back up in Dallas.

Lizotte plays first NHL game at Xcel

It wasn’t his NHL debut, but Blake Lizotte, who was featured this week by The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman, got the solo treatment usually reserved for rookies as he played his first pro game in his home state.

IT’S NOT BLAKE LIZOTTE’S NHL DEBUT, BUT THE #LAKINGS STILL HAD HIM SKATE OUT ALONE IN FRONT OF A HUGE LINDSTROM/CHISAGO CONTINGENT IN THE LOWER BOWL PIC.TWITTER.COM/MF48NVW80B

— MICHAEL RUSSO (@RUSSOHOCKEY) OCTOBER 26, 2019

Lizotte, 21, a Lindstrom, Minnesota, native, is the first player to ever make the show from Chisago Lakes High, but he’s not a stranger to Xcel Energy Center. He played in the state high school tournament in this building, as well as college games for St. Cloud State.

“It was cool, but I’m a competitor, so when we lose it’s hard to kind of take the positive out of it,” Lizotte said. “But it was a dream come true to play here. It was awesome, but at the same time as a competitor, it was not a fun night.”

The support Lizotte had was unbelievable. He had more than 300 people in attendance from his mother, Lisa, his two brothers, one of whom is a nurse, the other a paramedic, his grandparents on both sides of his 1158645 MontrealCanadiens The announced attendance was 21,302, which is a sellout, although there were many fans dressed up as empty seats for Halloween.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019 In the Habs' Room: Claude Julian wants to curb late period, momentum- shifting goals

The announced attendance against Toronto was 21,302, which is a sellout, although there were many fans dressed up as empty seats for Halloween.

PAT HICKEY

October 26, 2019

Every goal is important, but some goals are more important than others.

That point was hammered home Saturday night when the Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 at the .

The Habs dominated the first period, but the momentum shifted after Jake Muzzin scored for the Leafs in the final minute to cut Montreal’s lead to 2-1.

And there was another momentum shift when Joel Armia scored seven seconds into the third period to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead.

“Those goals at the beginning and end of periods are so important because they affect the momentum,” Brendan Gallagher said.

Armia has a team-leading six goals and Gallagher, who opened the scoring with his fifth goal, said he isn’t surprised the Finn is having a breakthrough season.

“He’s winning more battles and he’s been given more opportunity and he’s taken advantage of it,” Gallagher said. “I remember playing against him at the world juniors and you always knew he was a big talented guy. He’s starting to put it all together.”

The opportunities includes more time on the power play and a spot on a top line with Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. In addition to his goal, Armia picked up an assist with a stretch pass that produced the first of two breakaway goals for Drouin. He played on the third line for most of last season with fellow Finns Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Artturi Lehkonen. In his previous stint with the Winnipeg Jets, he didn’t have a chance to move into the top six because he was playing behind Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler.

Armia said he’s not doing anything differently than he has in the past.

“I’ve always had a lot of chances but, this year, they’re going in and I have more confidence,” Armia said.

“He’s taken advantage of every opportunity he’s got,” Gallagher said. “It was a huge goal. You saw how the momentum changed when we gave up a goal at the end of the first. Those goals at the beginning and end of periods carry a lot of momentum and for him to step up. He’s been doing it all year and he’s going to continue doing it.”

While coach Claude Julien was happy to see Armia’s quick goal, he wasn’t pleased with the goal Muzzin scored with 16 seconds remaining in the first period. The Canadiens also gave up goals in the final minutes of the second and third periods in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

“That’s the next thing we have to fix,” Julien said. “No matter what it is, I don’t like it. I know we’ve given up 40 per cent of our goals in the first and last two minutes of a period. I know that stat and it’s way too much. We have to clean that up.

“Tonight, we scored 10 seconds into the third period and we’ve done that a number of times,” Julien said. “That’s not the part I want to fix; I want to fix those goals against us. If you look at tonight’s goal, the puck was rimming around the boards, there was no pressure, but it hit Mike Reilly’s skate and came loose. It started from there with guys out of position. For me, it’s finishing stronger. When we give up a goal early, it’s not like we’re not ready. I’m more concerned about the end and there’s more of those.”

It was Montreal’s second win in as many tries against Toronto and Montreal’s record improved to 4-5-2. 1158646 MontrealCanadiens

Canadiens whip weary Leafs 5-2 with three-goal barrage in final frame

Team speed was on display as Jonathan Drouin scored two breakaway goals in the game.

PAT HICKEY

October 26, 2019

Joel Armia is turning into a scoring machine for the Canadiens.

Armia, who scored a career-high 13 goals last season, snapped a 2-2 tie with his sixth goal of the season and also added an assist as the Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Saturday at the Bell Centre. It was the Canadiens’ second win over Toronto this season.

Armia’s goal goes into the books as a power-play goal, but it represented a strong individual effort by the Finn. The Canadiens lost the opening faceoff to start the third period, but Armia poked the puck away from defenceman Jake Muzzin and went in alone, lifting the puck over Michael Hutchinson’s blocker.

The goal ignited a three-goal third period burst for Montreal. The Canadiens’ team speed was on display as Jonathan Drouin scored his second breakaway goal of the game — and fifth of the season — and Nick Suzuki teamed up with Nate Thompson on a 2-on-1 rush to score his third goal.

The Canadiens had every advantage going into this game.

The Leafs were playing the second half of a back-to-back set after edging the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in Toronto on Friday.

Toronto was missing three injured players, including captain John Tavares.

And Toronto provided the Canadiens with an inviting target in net, starting backup Hutchinson, who (a) is still looking for his first win this season and (b) carried a 4.03 goals-against average into this game.

Given those circumstances, the Canadiens did what they had to do as they came out strong and outshot the visitors 19-5 in the first period. Give Hutchinson credit for limiting the Canadiens to two goals in that period.

Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring with a typical Gallagher goal. He absorbed several cross-checks from Frédérik Gauthier in the high slot before he wheeled to the net and converted a pass from Tomas Tatar for his fifth goal.

And Drouin took advantage of a stretch pass from Armia to beat Hutchinson on a breakaway.

There was only one hiccup for the Canadiens in the first period and it was a costly one. A failure to clear the zone allowed Mitch Marner to set up Muzzin for a goal from long range. It was the consecutive period in which the Canadiens gave up a goal in the final minute of play.

The goal appeared to give the Leafs a lift and they outshot the Canadiens 14-10 in the second period and pulled even when Andreas Johnsson scored off a scramble in front. Johnsson had to dig the puck out from between his skates and had his back to the net when he slid the puck past .

The Montreal penalty kill had a rare perfect night, but that was mostly because the Canadiens played a disciplined game and took only one penalty.

The Canadiens go back on the road for three games next week. They are in Arizona on Wednesday, Las Vegas on Thursday and Dallas on Saturday.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158647 MontrealCanadiens a lot of offensive chances. I think last year was his first year, really, getting a chance to create some offence a little bit. You can definitely see it, he came in faster this year. I think he’s faster than last year and he’d probably tell you the same thing.” Canadiens Game Day: The First Round Line shines in 5-2 win over Leafs GM acquired Armia from the Jets on June 30, 2018, along with goalie Steve Mason (whose contract the Canadiens bought out), a seventh-round pick at this year’s NHL Draft (Kieran Ruscheinski) and a STU COWAN fourth-round pick at next year’s draft in exchange for Simon Bourque. October 27, 2019 “He gets pucks that you don’t think he’s going to get,” Drouin said about the 6-foot-4, 213-pound Armia. “For me and Max, he’s the perfect player right now. He has skill … I’m not surprised. You guys are a little bit more “I think I taught him both those moves.” than me. I’ve seen it before at world juniors and I’ve seen it on a lot of videos. I know how skilled he is.” Brendan Gallagher said that with his mischievous grin after Canadiens teammate Jonathan Drouin scored two breakaway goals — one with a Living the dream backhand move and the second on the forehand — in Saturday night’s impressive 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.

Gallagher scored one of his patented Gally Goals to open the scoring in This is the way Drouin was hoping things would go right from the start the first period, banging in a rebound from the crease (where else?), when the Canadiens acquired him from the Lightning two summers ago while Joel Armia (power play) and Nick Suzuki also scored for the in exchange for Mikhail Sergachev. Canadiens, who outshot the Leafs 38-31. Skating around the Bell Centre ice as the first star after a game with the Gallagher, a fifth-round pick (147th overall) at the 2010 NHL Draft, fans cheering him. It happened for the second time this season Saturday scored his fifth of the season and is on pace for his third straight 30-plus night and Drouin also received the Conan the Barbarian sword in the goal season. Gallagher’s effort, determination and incredible work ethic locker room as the player of the game. have had more to do with his success than his natural skills. “You definitely dream of those moments,” Drouin said. “As a young kid, Drouin, a first-round pick (third overall) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in playing on the pond you dream of those moments where the Bell 2013, is all about skill and this season his work ethic has much improved Centre’s cheering for you and it’s something that’s very touching to me and we’re seeing the results. Drouin was named the first star Saturday for a kid who lived an hour and a half away from here (in Sainte-Agathe- night, Armia the second star and Gallagher the third star. des-Monts).”

The Canadiens improved their record to 5-4-2, while the Leafs fell to 6-5- Drouin heard the criticism last season when he went pointless in 16 of 2. the last 18 games and scored only once in the last 26 games. He also heard it during the pre-season this year when he struggled to find his What a game for Jonathan Drouin so far. game. Now, he is tied for the team lead in scoring with Gallagher, both with 5-5-10 totals. Here's a look at both his breakaway goals tonight. #Habs pic.twitter.com/N5tsKWpd2h— Here's Your Replay ḏ “Dru’s really handled it the best he can,” Gallagher said about the (@HeresYourReplay) October 27, 2019 pressure Drouin has been under since coming to the Canadiens. “None of us can relate to what it’s like to be a French-Canadian in this city, The Canadiens definitely have skill in their lineup. Drouin is one of seven dealing with criticism. I think he came in and there’s two options, really: first-round draft picks on the 23-man roster, along with Armia (Buffalo, you can feel sorry for yourself or you can do what he’s done and really 16th overall, 2011), Phillip Danault (Chicago, 26th overall, 2011), Max make the most of it. Domi (Arizona, 12th overall, 2013), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Montreal, third overall, 2018), Suzuki (Las Vegas, 13th overall, 2017) and Carey Price “He’s always been so talented when the puck is on his stick,” Gallagher (Montreal, fifth overall, 2005). added. “I think the big adjustment he’s made this year is he’s been relentless on going and getting it from other players and making sure that “On our team?” Gallagher said when told the Canadiens had seven first- he’s getting more opportunities. He’s been so hard on the forecheck, he’s round picks. “We’ve never really had that before, have we?” been playing strong at both ends of the ice. When he does that he’s The new line of Domi between Drouin and Armia — which played obviously a very important player for us.” together for the second straight game — could be called the First Round Never in doubt. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/J8NEdTB0eR— Line. Armia is 26, while Domi and Drouin are both 24. Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 27, 2019 “There’s maturity in them, which gives us the maturity of a team as well,” Power-play continues to click Canadiens coach Claude Julien said about his young players growing up. “Like the Victor Metes of this world. There’s a lot of guys with a year or The Canadiens went 1-for-2 on the power play with Armia scoring his two under their belt, they’re maturing. So we’re trying to take that next team-leading sixth goal and his third on the power play. Coming into this step and it’s not an easy one. We all know how tough this league is right season, Armia had two career power-play goals in 237 career NHL now and how anybody can beat anybody any night. So we’re trying to games, both coming last season. build a team here that can have that consistency and take that next step because the next step is us participating in the playoffs. “He’s unreal,” Domi said about Armia. “His reach is incredible and what he can do at the end of his stick when he pulls it in like that, there’s not “So it’s going to be a big grind, it’s not going to be an easy one,” Julien many guys in the league that can do that and have the skill to do it. He added. “You need those young players that we talked about to mature seems to just be able to hang onto the puck like it’s a magnet on his and you need your leaders to lead by example.” stick. It’s unreal. And then he can score with the best of them, too. So he’s been playing great for us and he’s going to keep it going, for sure, And no, Gallagher did not teach Drouin those breakaway moves. and he gets better every day. So he’s a big part of our team, for sure.” La 1re ⭐ de ce soir: Said Gallagher about Armia: “From Day 1 when he got here you could Tonight's 1st ⭐: pic.twitter.com/X1cELca762— Canadiens Montréal see how talented he is. You could see how good he is with the puck, how (@CanadiensMTL) October 27, 2019 poised he is, how strong he is on the puck. You know he’s in a good position now … he’s playing with good players. He’s found a way to The First Round Line make his game mesh well with that. The puck’s been on his stick a lot and he’s taken advantage of it and put it in the net.” Now that they have a nickname, what is it about the First Round Line that is making it click with Armia joining Domi and Drouin. The Canadiens are in the top 10 in the NHL on the power play this season, clicking at 26.3 per cent. “I think we’re on the same page,” Drouin said. “(Armia’s) confidence is there. Playing in Winnipeg he was on a good team where he didn’t have On aimerait vous partager ce vidéo avec le son, mais notre compte est The Canadiens won 49 per cent of the 68 faceoffs in the game. classé « tous publics ». 來 Kotkaniemi was the best faceoff man, going 8-for-11 (73 per cent). Nate Thompson went 6-for-11 (55 per cent), Danault went 9-for-21 (43 per We wish we could share this video with sound but this is a G rated cent) and Domi was 6-for-16 (38 per cent). account.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/UOVkMtDwLl— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 27, 2019 Gallagher played in his 200th consecutive game, dating back to Feb. 11, 2017. Domi played in his 208th consecutive game, the longest ironman Reilly gets back in lineup streak on the Canadiens, followed by Petry, who played in his 206th, and Gallagher. Canadiens defenceman Mike Reilly was back in the lineup Saturday night after being a healthy scratch for the previous six games, taking Déjà le troisième de Nick cette saison! Brett Kulak’s spot. Reilly logged 14:39 of ice time, picked up an assist and was minus-1. Already Nick's third of the season!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7WWjYwK7vu— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) “I think there was a lot of good things that came out from his game,” October 27, 2019 Julien said about Reilly. “He moved the puck well, he was assertive, and this is what we asked him. There was a little blunder there on that first How the Habs were built goal, it comes off his skate. But other than that, I thought most of his The Canadiens’ current 23-man roster includes six players who were game — and I say most of it — was very, very positive. So I liked what drafted, three signed as free agents, 13 acquired through trades and one he brought. Moved the puck well, skated the puck well, was assertive. on waivers. There’s times where we’ve seen him not be that … he’s a different player. But tonight, I thought he was well focused and played a pretty Drafted players (6): Cale Fleury, Brendan Gallagher, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, good game for a guy who hadn’t played in a while.” Artturi Lehkonen, Victor Mete, Carey Price.

Reilly said he felt good despite having not played a game since Oct. 10. Free agents (3): Ben Chiarot, Nick Cousins, Keith Kinkaid.

“Honestly, practice for me was like a game in a way,” he said. “Trying to Acquired through trades (13): Joel Armia, Phillip Danault, Max Domi, be as sharp as I can and just be crisp. I know it’s not easy, but just try to Jonathan Drouin, Christian Folin, Brett Kulak, Jeff Petry, Mike Reilly, Nick come out and just play. Don’t worry about anything else. Just come and Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, Nate Thompson, Jordan Weal, Shea Weber. play the game and have fun with it and move my feet and make plays.” Claimed on waivers (1): Paul Byron. Before the game, Julien was asked if his decision to put Reilly back in the lineup had anything to do with the opponent. 1-0  pic.twitter.com/U1RTcPiHcz— manu  (@MoeninGlory) October 26, 2019 “Not really,” the coach said. “I think right now Kuly’s really struggling with the puck and we need to make a change, so that’s what we did.” How the Leafs were built

#GoHabsGo back in the W column tn! ✍🏽w/ a huge 2night. 2pt night The Leafs’ current 23-man roster includes seven players who were for w/ huge 3rd period & . &👨🏼 also adding 1each. Adding drafted, seven who were signed as free agents and nine acquired through trades. ’s are ,,👨 � & . strong in 聾 w/ 29svs for the W! #SAFTB pic.twitter.com/ZVXBZtWVCb— Keith Kinkaid (@Blockaid1) October 27, Drafted players (7): Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Dmytro Timashov, 2019 William Nylander, Frederik Gauthier, Andreas Johnsson, Morgan Rielly.

Fixing the PK Free agents (7): Kevin Gravel, Nicholas Shore, Jason Spezza, Ilya Mikheyev, John Tavares, Trevor Moore, Justin Holl. The Canadiens’ penalty-killing has been terrible this season and they entered Saturday’s game ranked 30th in the NHL with a 67.6 per cent Trades (9): Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci, Alexander Kerfoot, Nic Petan, Jake success rate. Muzzin, Michael Hutchinson, , Kasperi Kapanen, Martin Marincin. One good way to fix a bad PK is to take only one penalty against the Leafs — a slashing call on Drouin in the second period — and then kill it What’s next? off. The Canadiens will enjoy a day off Sunday and then practise Monday in The Canadiens spent much of Friday’s practice working on the penalty- Brossard at 10:45 a.m. They will then head to the airport and hit the road killing units. for three games against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio), the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday “Obviously, I think we just clarified a lot of things,” Julien said before the (10 p.m., TSN2, RDS) and the Dallas Stars on Saturday (7 p.m., CITY, game. “Clarification is maybe not the best word, but we need to be a little TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio). bit more desperate and committed and take some pride in that penalty kill. Again, it’s about killing plays, it’s about making sure pucks get out, Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019 it’s about working hard and not giving them opportunities like we have. It’s the seam passes are there sometimes or loose pucks around the net end up on their sticks. So there’s a lot of things.

“Attitude is probably the biggest thing that we need to change,” the coach added. “But we clarified all the other stuff yesterday, so hopefully we put that into practice tonight. Not too much … obviously, we want to stay out of the box. But hopefully we do the job.”

They did.

Des câlins de hockey! 珞

Hockey hugs!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/gy7CuhLGmw— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 27, 2019

Some stats

Shea Weber led the Canadiens in ice time against the Leafs with 22:58, followed by Ben Chiarot (22:36) and Jeff Petry (22:33).

Five players tied for the team lead in shots with four: Gallagher, Domi, Armia, Drouin and Tomas Tatar. Paul Byron led the Canadiens with five hits, followed by Armia and Domi with four each. 1158648 MontrealCanadiens

Rocket lose to Hartford in OT as Laval's record drops to 3-5-1

Third straight defeat for Canadiens' AHL farm team as Ryan Poehling scores team's lone goal and goalie takes loss.

STU COWAN

October 26, 2019

The lost their third straight game Friday night in Hartford, dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to the Wolf Pack in AHL action.

Danny O’Regan scored the winner for the Wolf Pack at 4:18 of overtime, one second after the Rocket’s Josh Brook finished serving a tripping penalty.

Ryan Poehling scored for the Rocket, while goalie Charlie Lindgren stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced. The Rocket had 19 shots on goal.

“The effort was really good,” Rocket head coach Joël Bouchard told reporters in Hartford after the game. “For me, this was probably our team’s best effort of the year to date. We played against a good hockey team that has a lot of confidence and won games, but I found that the guys played with intensity and paid attention to details. … I really loved the guys’ effort (tonight]).”

Poehling, the Canadiens’ first-round pick (25th overall) at the 2017 NHL Draft, now has 3-2-5 totals in nine games with the Rocket. Lindgren’s record fell to 1-3-1 with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage.

“We did a lot of things right for 60 minutes, but they scored late,” Lindgren said after the game. “Losing in overtime sucks, but we got a point. … I think we’re building and we’re starting to play a lot better. Now we just need to start stringing together some wins.”

There was some good news for the Rocket as defenceman Noah Juulsen played his first game of the season. Juulsen, the Canadiens’ first-round pick (26th overall) at the 2015 NHL Draft, suffered headaches early in the Canadiens’ training camp and could no longer continue. Last season, Juulsen was limited to 21 games with the Canadiens after getting hit in the face twice with a puck during a game against the Washington Capitals in November, suffering a facial fracture.

The Rocket, who have a 3-5-1 record, are back in action Saturday night when they visit the . After that, the Rocket will return home and face the Wolf Pack Wednesday night at Laval’s Place Bell.

Caufield and Badgers shut out

The Wisconsin Badgers and Cole Caufield were shut out Friday night, losing 4-0 to the visiting Clarkson Golden Knights.

The Badgers, who were ranked No. 6 in the NCAA heading into the weekend, now have a 3-2-0 record. Caufield, the Canadiens’ first-round pick (15th overall) at this year’s NHL Draft, has 6-1-7 totals in five games and has now been held off the scoresheet in the last two.

The Badgers are back in action Saturday night against Clarkson.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158649 MontrealCanadiens

Maple Leafs at Canadiens: Five things you should know

Montreal will be more rested because the Leafs are playing the tail end of a back-to-back series after facing the Sharks Friday in Toronto.

PAT HICKEY

October 26, 2019

Here are five things you should know about the Canadiens-Maple Leafs game at the Bell Centre on Saturday (7 p.m., CBC, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio).

The matchup: This is the second of four games between these longtime rivals and fans can only hope the excitement level is as high as it was in their first meeting in Toronto on Oct. 5. The lead changed hands several times before the Canadiens emerged with a 6-5 victory in a shootout. The Canadiens are coming off a disappointing 4-2 home loss to the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre Thursday. Montreal will be more rested because the Leafs are playing the tail end of a back-to-back series after facing the Sharks Friday in Toronto.

The goalies: Toronto head coach Mike Babcock has a policy of starting Frederik Andersen in the first game of a back-to-back set and using Michael Hutchinson in the second game, which means the Canadiens get another break. While Carey Price’s performances have been uneven this season — he’s 4-3-1 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage — Hutchinson has been uniformly bad. He’s 0-2-1 with a 4.02 GAA and an .890 SP. He shut out the Canadiens behind an AHL- calibre lineup in a pre-season game, but his career record against Montreal in games that count is 0-2-1 with a 5.95 GAA.

No killer instinct: The Canadiens held a short practice in Brossard Friday, but a good portion of it was devoted to the penalty-kill, which has been terrible this season. San Jose had three power plays Thursday and scored on two of them. That left Montreal’s penalty kill with a 67.6 per cent success rate on the season and only Winnipeg has a worse record. The PK isn’t the only area in which the Canadiens need to improve. Montreal won only 39 per cent of its faceoffs against San Jose and ranks 27th in the NHL with a success rate of 47 per cent. The only full-time Canadiens centre above 50 per cent is Nate Thompson at 54.1.

Armia knows how to Finn-ish: Raise your hand if you thought Joel Armia would be the Canadiens’ highest-scoring Finn after 10 games. Artturi Lehkonen continues to be snake-bit — he has one goal on 19 shots (5.3 per cent) — and Jesperi Kotkaniemi has two goals as he deals with a sophomore slump. But Armia is learning to use his size and quick release, and has taken advantage of additional ice time to produce a team-leading five goals in eight games. Max Domi is the team’s leading scorer with 10 points, including three goals.

Keep an eye on Matthews: Auston Matthews loves to play against the Canadiens and it’s clear he’s not intimidated playing against Carey Price. Matthews has 10 goals and four assists in 11 games against Montreal and all of those goals were scored against Price. That’s the most goals he has scored against any goaltender. Mitch Marner has set up most of those goals. He has 10 points — all assists — in 11 games against Montreal. The Leaf who has scored the most points against the Canadiens is veteran Jason Spezza, who inflicted most of his damage while playing in Ottawa. He has 69 points, including 32 goals, in 69 games.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158650 MontrealCanadiens His focus in every game this season has been to get involved in the game early on. Hit someone. Force a turnover. Have some sort of positive impact on the game. This, he said Saturday, prevents him from getting lost in a game or, in other words, simply watching the game pass How humility can lead a supremely talented hockey player down the right him by. path to stardom “You’re just not involved. You’re skating around, not really touching anyone,” Drouin said. “You’re not involved in any play. So this year, I want to make sure I’m on the puck. Make sure I’m doing something.” Arpon Basu So, yes, Drouin scored two goals on breakaways against the Maple Oct 26, 2019 3 Leafs. And, yes, he has five goals and five assists in 11 games. But what is different in Drouin can be encapsulated in this one play from early in the third period. When Jonathan Drouin was first traded to the Canadiens back in June 2017, this is exactly what he imagined happening. He spoke of It was a play in which nothing happened. But the only reason nothing embracing the pressure of being a homegrown star, of leaving his happened is that Drouin got involved. struggles with the Tampa Bay Lightning behind him and becoming the He did something. player he always believed he could be in his home province, playing for the team he grew up watching. About a minute after Joel Armia gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead right off the third-period opening faceoff, Ben Chiarot got caught trying to break He wanted it and believed he was ready for it. He turned out to be wrong. up a play in the neutral zone and the puck got behind him. Leafs forward It is one thing to want something so badly you are willing to do almost Ilya Mikheyev had a full head of steam and was racing toward the loose anything to get it. It is something altogether different to know what you puck in the Canadiens zone with potentially a clear path to Price and a must do to get it, to properly identify the path you need to take to reach game-tying goal. your desired destination. Except Mikheyev never got anywhere near Price. The smile on Drouin’s face as he spoke of his new hockey life, fresh off “I’ve actually watched their games quite a bit this year, so I know how signing a contract that made him the Canadiens’ highest-paid forward, strong he is,” Drouin said of Mikheyev. “I don’t know how many people was one of comfort. He was genuinely happy to be embarking on this know who he is, but I know how fast and strong he is, so I just wanted to new journey in Montreal, blissfully unaware at the time that the journey make sure I got inside and make sure he didn’t put that arm up and block would begin with a total and utter lack of direction. me away if he wanted to cut to Pricey.” Drouin is hardly a unique case in this regard. Being so talented you After his half-hour mea culpa at the end of last season, Drouin sought out believe success will come naturally is something many players have the help of Canadiens assistant coach Dominique Ducharme, and the fallen victim to, not just Drouin. two of them watched video together over the summer. Drouin never got It became obvious as Drouin spoke to reporters at the end of last season into the specifics of the types of things he and Ducharme watched, but that his journey was remarkably similar to one taken by the Canadiens’ they had generally isolated situations in which Drouin was effective and biggest star. The smile that was prominent on Drouin’s face the day he those in which he wasn’t. was traded to Montreal was replaced with this: the face of a young man The situation with Mikheyev early in the third period, with the game still in who finally realized he needed a better road map. doubt, would have fallen into the latter category last season. Carey Price once believed NHL success would be handed to him on a “Those are the plays I looked at this summer,” Drouin said, “and those silver platter, and it took seeing his NHL mortality play out in real time as are the plays I want to get better at to be a better player.” he watched Jaroslav Halak shine in the 2010 playoffs for him to realize that absolutely nothing in this league is handed to anyone. It’s too early to say whether Drouin has arrived at the destination he envisioned for himself back in June 2017. We are only 11 games into this When Price was booed in his first preseason game of 2010-11, after season, and he still has a lot left to prove when it comes to being a Halak had been traded and he was re-signed to a new contract, he consistently effective player. famously told the fans to chill out. It was a defining moment in his career. But what is already clear, at the very least, is that Drouin has properly When Drouin had a very pedestrian training camp last month, he had a identified the path he needs to take to reach that destination. As long as similar moment, tersely answering questions about his lack of production he stays on it, it appears far more likely Drouin will get there than it did a in preseason games and making it clear he didn’t particularly appreciate month ago. the coverage it was getting in the media. The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 The NHL can teach the very best players a brutal lesson in humility. Price learned that lesson and acted upon it accordingly. But when Drouin spoke at the end of last season, and even when he spoke during training camp last month, it was impossible to know if he would do the same. It would be impossible to know without seeing it firsthand.

We are seeing it now.

This is about more than the two breakaway goals Drouin scored to lead the Canadiens to a big 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. More than his 10 points in 11 games. After all, we’ve seen this from Drouin before. He had eight points after 11 games last season.

But that was different because he wasn’t playing the way he is playing now.

“When you see the potential, you tell yourself eventually he’s going to figure it out and understand and see the results,” Claude Julien said. “Slowly, that’s what we’re seeing with Jonathan. He’s really seeing what it brings him, and that encourages him to do it even more.”

What Drouin learned more than anything else over the summer was that he can’t wait for success to come to him. He needs to go out and get it. He needs to be a catalyst for it. And it won’t come because of his talent; it will come because of his attitude and work ethic.

It will come because he earned it. 1158651 MontrealCanadiens The Leafs, reinvigorated after their late-period goal, came out swinging in the second.

Now, let’s make this clear: It’s easy to blame the last-minute goal as the Video Review: Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia power the Canadiens’ catalyst for a momentum switch, and to ignore it would be foolish. But it big win over the Leafs was more than that.

The Canadiens, who had free rein in the neutral zone in the first period, were suddenly met with a wall of blue and white. The Leafs also adjusted Marc Dumont to the Canadiens’ aggressive forecheck and applied a healthy forecheck of their own. Oct 26, 2019 That led to enough Canadiens turnovers to start a bakery and,

consequently, to the second Leafs goal. It’s probably too early to describe any game as a “must-win,” but seeing With a little help from my friends as the Toronto Maple Leafs were on the second game of a back-to-back and winless backup Michael Hutchinson was guarding the net, Saturday Armia, who is casually on a 50-goal pace to start the season (yes, you night was about as close as a game played before Halloween gets. read that correctly), scored his sixth of the season just seven seconds into the third period. It was yet another display of his fantastic reach and The Canadiens got off to a great start by dominating the first period with soft hands, which serve as wonderful offensive weapons when he’s given a tireless forecheck and speed through the neutral zone. They controlled enough space. 74 percent of the five-on-five shots (28-10) and 100 percent of the high- danger chances (6-0) in the first 20 minutes. That’s where Nick Suzuki comes into play.

And then came the dreaded curse of the last-minute goal struck for the Keep an eye on No. 14 and the great work he does to box out the Leafs eighth time in 31 periods, to be exact. Fortunately for Claude Julien, he defender to give Armia a clear path to the net. was able to get his horses back in the stable after a chaotic second period, which eventually led to a 5-2 win for the Canadiens. Suzuki wasn’t done there, as he would go on to score his third goal of the season. But the goal itself was really just icing on a 12-layer cake. Those Trust CLR to remove rust layers included sound defensive positioning, creativity leading to zone exits and entries and an efficient forecheck. There’s something to be said about players who have the ability to sit out several games, then jump back into action without showing signs of It’s worth noting that Suzuki is on a 20-goal pace, and while that’s not sluggishness. overly impressive, we have to consider the context of it. While he’s received some power play minutes, the bulk of his ice time is being Mike Reilly hadn’t played since Oct. 10, but he quickly made an impact played on the fourth line. And though Nick Cousins and Nate Thompson thanks to his offensive instincts and patience at the blue line. have started the season well, it’s hard not to picture how productive Keep an eye on the puck trajectory when Reilly feigns the shot. There Suzuki could be if he were surrounded by more talented linemates. was roughly a 100 percent chance it would have been blocked on its way A breath of fresh air to the net. Instead of sending the puck into the defender’s shin pads, Reilly readjusts and gets the puck on net, which allowed Brendan It’s hard to pinpoint which particular change in Drouin’s game has led to Gallagher to take advantage of a mismatch in front of the net. his offensive resurgence.

Have you ever watched a tugboat push around a much bigger ship as it It could be confidence, it could be sound defensive play, and it could navigates treacherous waters? Gallagher did exactly that to Cody Ceci even be a healthy dose of luck. In reality, it’s probably a little bit of all as he guided the puck to the back of the net. three, though it certainly doesn’t hurt that he can actually use both nostrils this season. Coach must be happy Either way, Drouin has blown away all expectations, and he’s doing it not Joel Armia and Jonathan Drouin aren’t just having a good season relative only in the offensive zone. He’s also been one of the Canadiens’ most to their previous underwhelming years. And they’re not just producing reliable defensive presences, which is a sentence that I never thought I because of lucky bounces or poor defence. They’re having great starts would write. by any measure. Final Word The key in their case is they are playing a very sound defensive game, which translates into instant scoring chances at the other end of the ice. At various times last season, I ended the postgame articles, particularly the losses, with the same sentence. “The Canadiens played well but In the first period, Armia gave us a perfect example of how to transition lacked a game-breaking forward when it mattered most.” defence into offence by blocking the passing lane, which immediately led to a breakaway opportunity for Drouin, who scored his first of two goals At the end of the second period, I prepared to find a fresh way to on the night. describe the same old issue that has been plaguing the Canadiens in recent seasons. Ultimately, I didn’t need to dust off the thesaurus Coach must be furious because this time the Canadiens had two game-breaking forwards in Remember how I said Reilly didn’t show any signs of rust? That was true, Armia and Drouin, two of their best forwards since the beginning of the at least for the first 19 minutes of the game. year.

His defensive woes were once again at the forefront in the last minute of Their great play is not just a matter of capitalizing on scoring the first period, when a lost puck battle led to the Leafs’ first goal. But it opportunities, though that certainly has been the case this season. Their would be unfair to pin the goal solely on Reilly. underlying numbers are fantastic, which suggests this might not just be a hot streak. There’s a strong possibility that the pair can sustain this level There was a lot to dislike on this play, including Phillip Danault not of play. skating deep enough to support his defencemen and Shea Weber’s inertia. But my biggest concern on the play, other than the timing, which The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 was devastating, was how poorly Carey Price read the play. The goal itself is forgivable due to the quality of the pass by Mitch Marner, but Price failed to recognize the situation and played as if he were expecting a weak backhand shot by Marner, a notorious playmaker, and not a pass.

A perfect read by Price wouldn’t have guaranteed a save, but it would have given him a chance at it. 1158652 Nashville Predators

Predators beefing up security with dogs sniffing vehicles at Bridgestone Arena parking garage

Nate Rau

5:49 p.m. CT Oct. 26, 2019

Fans visiting Bridgestone Arena for Nashville Predators games have been subject to ever-increasing security, including dogs sniffing for explosives inside the arena's parking garage.

The Predators have been implementing new security protocols from the National Hockey League over the last 12 months, team spokesman Kevin Wilson said.

“While we don’t comment in detail about exact security protocols and updates at Bridgestone Arena, we are consistently working with local, state and federal officials – as well as the NHL and industry security professionals – to improve the experience for our players, performers, patrons and employees," Wilson said.

Fans for hockey games and concerts already pass through metal detectors before entering the arena for events. Wilson said the team is continuing its efforts to educate fans about the security rules and is especially working to get the word out about taking bags into the arena.

Wilson said the Predators encourage fans not to bring bags to the arena. The team has set up express security lanes for fans with no bags, clear bags or clutch bags.

Backpacks and large bags are prohibited.

Bags that are made of solid material are placed through an X-ray scanner, Wilson said.

Tennessean LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158653 Nashville Predators

Predators vs. Lightning: Live game score, updates

Staff Writer

1:41 p.m. CT Oct. 26, 2019

Predators-Lightning TV, radio info

WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26

WHERE: Amalie Arena, Tampa

TV:

RADIO: 102.5 The Game (Nashville), NHL app

STREAMING: NHL.tv, Fox Sports Go app, ESPN+

► FOLLOW THE PREDS: Get the latest Nashville sports news on the Tennessean app

Central Division preview

The Avalanche are a team on the rise. They are entertaining, exciting, dynamic and dangerous. Nathan MacKinnon is as dominant as Connor McDavid. Puck-moving defenseman Cale Makar will be a Calder Trophy contender. ... Matt Duchene will upgrade the Predators' offense. This team has the depth to overcome the loss of P.K. Subban. One key question: Why haven't the Predators resigned Roman Josi? He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. ... The Stars went all-in with the signing of Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry. ... The Blues are the same team we watched win the Stanley Cup last June. Two key questions: Will Jordan Binnington have the same level of consistency as he had last season? Do the Blues have the same hunger? They may be a better playoff team than they are a regular-season team. ... The Jets are the hardest read. They were supposed to take a major step last season but it didn't happen. Why should we believe it will happen this season? If Dustin Byfuglien retires, the Jets will feel it mightily. ... The Blackhawks could be a significant sleeper. With an upgraded defense (Olli Maatta and Calvin De Haan) and healthy goaltending, they can compete for a playoff spot. .... No one seems quite sure what's wrong with the Wild. Now it's 's job to figure it out.

Tennessean LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158654 New Jersey Devils and Hayden got more time than the third line of Hischier, Gusev and Zacha. But Hischier also spent time with Hall and Palmieri, essentially giving extra shifts to the top two wingers as a part of the third line. Add that time into the third line’s total, and it’s more than the fourth. Making sense of Devils’ loss to Coyotes: 4 takeaways from disappointing defeat The fourth line also received zero offensive-zone face-offs. They started in the neutral zone six times (most of any line) and in the defensive zone four times (one behind the first line for most). Despite that, the trio accounted for 63.64 percent of the shot attempts while on the ice. Oct 26, 2019 Wood has one goal this season, and Rooney and Hayden are scoreless. Chris Ryan So the logic of wanting to take away ice time from them for goal-scoring players is understandable. But the fourth line was not a liability on Friday. And in the final 10 minutes of the game, the line played two shifts. One The Devils saw their nearly week-long layoff between games end with a came after the empty netter sealed the Coyotes’ victory. disappointing 5-3 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Friday at Prudential Center in Newark, where a strong effort and a 2-0 lead still weren’t They allowed just one scoring chance as a group, and while Wood and enough to string together a third straight win. Hayden were part of a neutral-zone turnover that led to the fourth goal, the 2-on-1 rush would have been avoided if Damon Severson didn’t go So what happened? Here’s a look at some of the key moments and for a line change with the puck not cleared. Each Devils line was effective decisions that swung the game against the Devils. on Friday, and there wasn’t a reason to go down to three lines — even while trailing by a goal — in the third period. Mistakes burned the Devils Raanta came up big From start to finish, this was arguably the Devils’ most complete game of the season. They controlled chances at 5-on-5 and limited the Coyotes to The Devils had a power play in the second half of the third period where eight scoring chances, a season-low allowed by the Devils. The penalty they did nearly everything well, except score a goal. The top unit kill went 3-for-3 and the power play cashed in for one goal. sustained a long possession and wore down the Coyotes’ killers. They generated chances from different angles, inside and out. The puck just And yet, the mistakes they did make haunted them, even at a didn’t go in. manageable number. Another late-period goal gave the Coyotes life before the first intermission, pulling them within 2-1 with 16.7 seconds Wayne Simmonds got a pair of chances at the crease late in the left. Three turnovers at the blue line or in the neutral zone led to two sequence. One looked like a sure goal, with the puck finding his stick rushes and one breakaway for the other three goals before an empty with the right side of the net open. He put it on goal, but Coyotes goalie netter. And once the Devils went down, they couldn’t find the goal to Antti Raanta reached his pad across to turn it away. On the second answer. chance, Simmonds’ shot went wide of the right post.

Introducing Devils Insider: Sign up for exclusive news, behind-the-scenes “I don’t know if we play that any differently. We had some shots from the observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers outside, we had some shots right in tight there," Hall said. "Over the course 82 games, those are going to go in. Palms had his hands up on “Even though we gave up that (first goal) in the last 30 seconds, we one of them, so it’s just the way it goes. We’ll keep building, we’ll keep should come in here feeling really good about our game,” Devils working on the power play, but I thought there were a lot of good things defenseman Andy Greene said. “Yeah that was a mistake, and always there.” first minute, last minute of a period always gets magnified, but at the same time, we did pretty much everything right. We had a breakdown, The goaltending needs to be better and it’s how we respond early in the second.” Of the four goals Mackenzie Blackwood allowed, it’s hard to pin any The Devils responded by getting a quick power play to start the second directly on him. The first came from the slot after a defensive-zone period, but it ended with a puck hopping over P.K. Subban’s stick at the turnover. The second was a shorthanded breakaway. The final two were offensive blue line, allowing former Devil Michael Grabner to burst into 2-on-1 rushes. Goals are going to happen in those situations. the neutral zone for a breakaway, where he beat Mackenzie Blackwood to tie the game two minutes into the second frame. But in a game where Blackwood faced just 16 shots, the Devils needed one or two more big saves. Regardless of how a team plays, there are The even-strength scoring chances favored the Devils, 8-5, over the final going to be breakdowns. Opponents are going to generate grade-A 40 minutes of play, but the Coyotes still walked away with two of the final chances, and they’re sometimes going to score. The Devils dictated play three goals. for most of the night, but the Coyotes still got capitalized when given opportunities. That’s when the goalie making the key save comes into “There’s going to be mistakes. That’s hockey. But I thought we played play. well enough to win,” forward Taylor Hall said. “There’s going to be parts of your game you want to have back. But the effort was there for a lot of “Could have been better, for sure,” Blackwood said. “It’s was a weird kind the night. We’ll take that effort.” of game. There wasn’t much action and then there was a scoring chance. But if I make two more saves, we win the game. I definitely could have Breaking down the ice time been better, but we’ll get back to that in practice.” This is getting addressed here because social media was up in arms Star Ledger LOADED: 10.27.2019 about the ice time distribution over the course of the night, primarily about the amount of time the fourth line saw.

Early in the game, when the Devils were either tied or leading, Miles Wood, Kevin Rooney and John Hayden had more 5-on-5 ice time than the third line of Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha and Nikita Gusev. That shifted in the third period, when, with the Devils trailing, Hischier (4:27), Zacha (4:13) and Gusev (3:57) got more ice time at even strength than Wood (3:35), Hayden (3:40) and Rooney (2:34).

At the end of the night, Rooney and Hayden had the least overall ice time of any forward, and Wood edged only Gusev.

Also, here’s the breakdown of the amount of time lines spent together at 5-on-5:

Devils-Coyotes stats

The way to look at this: The top two lines received the most even- strength ice time, which isn’t a shock. The fourth line of Rooney, Wood 1158655 New Jersey Devils of 31 seconds, as they let Oliver Ekman-Larsson get free on the other end and he made them pay.

A neutral zone turnover resulted in a goal by Barrett Hayton 1:45 into the Jack Hughes' 3-point night in Devils' loss shows confidence Taylor Hall third. The Devils had chances in the third period but Raanta stonewalled knew was in rookie them all and Clayton Keller pushed the game out of reach with an empty- net goal.

"A couple turnovers and obviously, you want to eliminate those, but they Abbey Mastracco happen sometimes," Hall said. "If you’re looking at the game, it was a pretty solid effort for us." 11:29 a.m. ET Oct. 26, 2019 Abbey Mastracco is the Devils beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For

unlimited access to all Devils analysis, news, trades and more, please NEWARK — The New Jersey Devils were the better team on the subscribe today and download our app. Prudential Center ice on Friday night, but the best player on the ice was Bergen Record LOADED: 10.27.2019 Arizona Coyotes goalie Antti Raana. New Jersey outshot Arizona 35-16 but still lost 5-3 to move to 2-5-2 on the season.

Jack Hughes scored a power play goal and assisted on two other goals for the first three-point night of his young NHL career, Sami Vatanen and Pavel Zacha scored. Mackenzie Blackwood made 12 saves.

"I thought overall we played well enough to win," forward Taylor Hall said. "That just wasn’t how it went."

Stealing the show

The final score was disappointing but the play of Hughes was anything but.

Hughes scored his second NHL goal in much the same fashion as his first. With the Devils on the power play, Hall hit him with a cross-ice feed in the right circle, he drew the goalie to the corner and sniped one over his shoulder.

“Hallsy made a pass to me, a really good pass,” Hughes said. “I saw a glove so I ripped it.”

While he may not have made the scoresheet in some of the earlier games of the month, Hughes was playing well and improving in each game. But getting that first point against the Rangers did help him relax a little bit. The rookie has looked comfortable and confident and it’s showing in his three-game point streak.

“He’s been playing quicker, faster, he checks better, he’s a better 200- foot player,” coach John Hynes said. “For a guy like him, when the puck finds him, it’s finding him more because he’s working harder without it. And it’s nice to see him continue to progress. He’s a good player and a good young guy. He’s very coachable and you see him learning and getting better every game here.”

Hall saw this coming all along. A former first overall pick himself, he remembered what it was like to have all eyes on him as he worked to make the scoresheet for the first time as an 18-year-old.

The line with Hall, Hughes and Kyle Palmieri has been a successful one throughout the last three games. Although Nico Hischier was moved back up there briefly on Friday night and reunited with his old linemates during certain situations, the Devils know they can always go back to their tried-and-true formula of Hall, Hischier and Palmieri.

But for now, it’s worth seeing what can happen with Hall and Hughes playing together.

“You can sense he wants the puck and he’s confident in it,” Hall said. “This is the first time he’s played against people older than him. There is going to be an adjustment there and there is going to be a little bit of time for him to figure out how to play against older guys but you’re seeing he has a point streak now and he’s involved in a lot, he wants the puck on his stick.”

How they lost

The Devils were twice caught off guard after goal celebrations, were burned by a few turnovers and Raanta was exceptional.

Less than a minute after Hughes put New Jersey up 2-0 with a power play goal in the first period, the Coyotes cut the lead. They tied it early in the second when onetime Devil Michael Grabner blew past defenseman P.K. Subban for a loose puck in the neutral zone and beat Blackwood for a shorthanded goal.

At 13:07 in the second, Hughes sent out an outlet pass up to Zacha who ripped one past Raanta to give the Devils back a lead. The lead lasted all 1158656 New Jersey Devils More games like the one Lemieux played on Thursday, and the more he projects to follow in the footsteps of his successful father.

“I’m more about team success,” Lemieux said. “Last game, I felt I had a Brendan Lemieux’s lineage prepared him for Rangers moment really strong game and our team had good success. So just trying to build on that.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.27.2019 Brett Cyrgalis

October 26, 2019 | 4:25PM

But the biggest thing that Rangers winger Brendan Lemieux inherited from his father, Claude, the Stanley Cup-winner with the 1995 Devils who had a 21-year career in the NHL, was the love of the game.

“I grew up in NHL dressing rooms, so a lot of good memories,” Brendan said on Saturday, as his Blueshirts tried to carry some momentum from their 6-2 victory over the Sabres on Thursday night that broke a five- game winless streak into Sunday night’s Garden match against the Bruins.

“He’s a big sounding board, every day,” Lemieux said of his dad. “So pretty regular communication.”

The evaluations between father and son for the early part of this season have mostly been positive, as Lemieux has played that hard-edged game that so defined his Claude’s career. The nickname, Pepe — or just Pep for short — has also crossed generations.

But Brendan wants to add a little more offense to the energy in his game, registering just two assists through his first seven games. But points are far from the only thing he judges his game on, which is the same evaluation coming from his dad.

“We’re on the same page,” Lemieux said. “If he was telling me I wasn’t playing good, I wouldn’t think I was playing good. Good opportunity here, and I’ve been happy with how I’ve been playing. Minutes are up from last year. Everything is going good.”

Lemieux was more than just a toss-in for the trade this past season that sent Kevin Hayes to the Jets. While in Winnipeg, he was not playing a ton of minutes on a team that was stacked with skilled forwards while trying to vie for the Stanley Cup.

Brendan Lemieux (l) and his father Claude LemieuxRobert Sabo, W.A. Funches Jr.

But when he got to New York and joined a team that was in its second year of selling off veteran assets in the name of rebuilding, Lemieux got a bigger workload. Coach David Quinn saw some underutilized talent there, and began playing Lemieux bigger minutes knowing that the only way a player gets into great game shape is from playing a lot in games.

The club liked him enough that they signed the 23-year-old restricted free agent to a one-year, $925,000 deal this summer, and he has come in as the player they expected. Even though Quinn said he had a “tough” night during Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Coyotes, when he was benched for long stretches, Lemieux bounced back with a stellar performance on Thursday against the league-leading Sabres. He won a battle in the corner and dug out the puck, starting the play that resulted in Brett Howden’s goal that made it 2-0 in the first period.

“I thought he had a really good night [Thursday] night,” Quinn said. “He was a guy beating people off walls, he did a great job on that second goal. There was a lot of purpose to his game in all three zones. When he’s doing that, we’ve got a chance to have success.”

Of course, that’s all part of the lessons that Lemieux had intrinsically drilled in to him since he was a kid, born in 1996, a year after Claude had won the Conn Smythe with the Devils. As Claude’s career went on, Brendan followed into locker rooms in Colorado, Phoenix, Dallas, and then for the 2008-09 comeback in San Jose when Claude was 43 years old.

“I was a bit older and I remember most of it, with Joe Thornton and an older group, a veteran group, a lot of fun to be around,” Lemieux said. “They were really nice to me, and that was my favorite time.”

Quinn said there are differences with players who have grown up in a NHL family, things like “communication, and how to be a pro.” Which doesn’t mean that those lessons don’t still have to occasionally be drilled home for Lemieux, but just that they’re “more instinctive.” 1158657 New York Islanders

Hey, NY sports fans, Islanders offer a winning alternative

Neil Best

The Giants’ and Jets’ young quarterbacks both looked very young in dispiriting home losses.

Top-seeded NYCFC got bounced early from the MLS playoffs.

Kyrie Irving missed a shot at the buzzer in overtime in his Nets debut.

Joe Girardi signed to manage the Phillies. It’s not what you want.

All this as the 2010s head into the home stretch as the worst decade in New York sports (in championship terms, at least) in a hundred years.

So allow me to offer a suggestion as the holiday season approaches: Adopt the Islanders.

Avid Rangers fans are excused, obviously. But many among you are not big hockey fans and thus can be considered free agents. This is your chance. With all of the losing going on in NY, what have you got to lose?

Friday night’s 4-2 victory over the Senators, the Isles’ sixth in a row, was a reminder of a few things about them, notably that they are the best hope for a metropolitan-area championship before this time next year.

The only plausible alternative is the Nets, their sometimes Barclays Center arena-mates, but no matter how dynamic Irving has been in two games, he is unlikely to win it all until Kevin Durant joins him in 2020-21.

The NHL’s playoffs are far less predictable than the NBA’s, so while the Islanders likely will not be a favorite come spring in the absence of elite scoring, they do have the look of a legit contender.

But wait, there’s more! This team is . . . interesting.

The boss is the inscrutable Yoda and three-time Stanley Cup winner , and his trusted lieutenant is the voluble Barry Trotz, who has won a Stanley Cup as a coach.

The roster returned almost intact from last season’s surprise, providing continuity, personality and grit.

On Friday, Nick Leddy made like Bobby Orr on an end-to-end rush, added a goal on a penalty shot, then came within a barely detectable Matt Martin deflection of the first hat trick by an Islanders defenseman since Denis Potvin. (Again, Rangers fans are excused from reading any of this, lest they post mean things about me on Twitter.)

“He’s underappreciated around the league,” Trotz said of Leddy. “He’s such a great skater. He’s the fastest guy we have.”

Perhaps, but he is not their most dynamic player. That would be Mathew Barzal, whose style and attitude are a hockey equivalent to Irving.

Has the fact that there were so few changes in the offseason helped fuel the fast start?

“Two weeks ago when we were 1-3, you [reporters] were probably talking about how it wasn’t the right thing,” Martin said. “Now we’ve won six in a row. So at the end of the day . . . we believe in the guys we have in this locker room.”

Then Martin limped off to the showers. His father-in-law, WFAN host Boomer Esiason, is an outspoken Rangers fan, so he is exempt from formal adoption beyond his basic family obligations.

As for the rest of you: Yes! Yes! Yes! Why not?

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158658 New York Rangers

Rangers may keep Kaapo Kakko from seeing Bruins’ best

Brett Cyrgalis

October 26, 2019 | 11:23PM

The Bruins have one of the best lines in hockey with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, so Rangers coach David Quinn keeping his 18-year-old rookie Kaapo Kakko away from them as much as possible seems like a smart idea.

That was at least part of the thinking that has Quinn set to move Kakko off his own top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider when the Bruins come to the Garden for Sunday night’s game. Kakko, the No. 2- overall pick in June’s draft, practiced Saturday with Brett Howden and Brendan Lemieux, while the defensively responsible Jesper Fast joined Zibanejad and Kreider, the likely top matchup line against the Bruins’ dynamic trio.

“First reason I did it was to get Fast with Kreider and Mika,” Quinn said. “And this will put Kakko in a position where he won’t be seeing people’s top lines. It might give him a chance to have more success.”

“I get a good chance playing first line,” Kakko said. “But I didn’t play so good. Last season [in Finland], I played good hockey, scoring goals, get some points. But winning the game, like last game, that’s the big thing. That’s what we want, what I want.”

As Quinn pointed out, that focus on scoring is common for teenagers, and the one goal and one assist through eight games is not what Kakko is used to. The coach also had a talk with Kakko before Saturday’s practice and explained to him why he was making the switch — and how it likely won’t be for too long.

“I told him I didn’t take him off that line for something he didn’t do, more me wanting to get Fast up there,” Quinn said. “I envision him getting another chance to play with Mika at some point, and maybe the next game or the game after.”

It’s been an up-and-down start for Kakko, but there is a lot of the 82- game schedule remaining.

“We have so many games,” Kakko said. “I think it’s coming, and I trust it.”

Defenseman Tony DeAngelo joined the first power-play unit, while Jacob Trouba went to the second. Adam Fox will remain at the point of the second unit, while Trouba will move to more of a shooter’s role on the flank.

Ryan Strome missed practice while battling the flu, but Quinn said he expects the second-line center to be available Sunday.

Henrik Lundqvist is set to get his second straight start and the sixth of the opening nine games.

The first of the Rangers-Bruins Alumni back-to-back was set to take place outside of Boston on Saturday, and the two teams would face off again at the Garden on Sunday at 1 p.m.

New York Post LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158659 New York Rangers More games like the one Lemieux played on Thursday, and the more he projects to follow in the footsteps of his successful father.

“I’m more about team success,” Lemieux said. “Last game, I felt I had a Brendan Lemieux’s lineage prepared him for Rangers moment really strong game and our team had good success. So just trying to build on that.”

New York Post LOADED: 10.27.2019 Brett Cyrgalis

October 26, 2019 | 4:25PM

He inherited the last name, the nickname, and the snarl.

But the biggest thing that Rangers winger Brendan Lemieux inherited from his father, Claude, the Stanley Cup-winner with the 1995 Devils who had a 21-year career in the NHL, was the love of the game.

“I grew up in NHL dressing rooms, so a lot of good memories,” Brendan said on Saturday, as his Blueshirts tried to carry some momentum from their 6-2 victory over the Sabres on Thursday night that broke a five- game winless streak into Sunday night’s Garden match against the Bruins.

“He’s a big sounding board, every day,” Lemieux said of his dad. “So pretty regular communication.”

The evaluations between father and son for the early part of this season have mostly been positive, as Lemieux has played that hard-edged game that so defined his Claude’s career. The nickname, Pepe — or just Pep for short — has also crossed generations.

But Brendan wants to add a little more offense to the energy in his game, registering just two assists through his first seven games. But points are far from the only thing he judges his game on, which is the same evaluation coming from his dad.

“We’re on the same page,” Lemieux said. “If he was telling me I wasn’t playing good, I wouldn’t think I was playing good. Good opportunity here, and I’ve been happy with how I’ve been playing. Minutes are up from last year. Everything is going good.”

Lemieux was more than just a toss-in for the trade this past season that sent Kevin Hayes to the Jets. While in Winnipeg, he was not playing a ton of minutes on a team that was stacked with skilled forwards while trying to vie for the Stanley Cup.

But when he got to New York and joined a team that was in its second year of selling off veteran assets in the name of rebuilding, Lemieux got a bigger workload. Coach David Quinn saw some underutilized talent there, and began playing Lemieux bigger minutes knowing that the only way a player gets into great game shape is from playing a lot in games.

The club liked him enough that they signed the 23-year-old restricted free agent to a one-year, $925,000 deal this summer, and he has come in as the player they expected. Even though Quinn said he had a “tough” night during Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Coyotes, when he was benched for long stretches, Lemieux bounced back with a stellar performance on Thursday against the league-leading Sabres. He won a battle in the corner and dug out the puck, starting the play that resulted in Brett Howden’s goal that made it 2-0 in the first period.

“I thought he had a really good night [Thursday] night,” Quinn said. “He was a guy beating people off walls, he did a great job on that second goal. There was a lot of purpose to his game in all three zones. When he’s doing that, we’ve got a chance to have success.”

Of course, that’s all part of the lessons that Lemieux had intrinsically drilled in to him since he was a kid, born in 1996, a year after Claude had won the Conn Smythe with the Devils. As Claude’s career went on, Brendan followed into locker rooms in Colorado, Phoenix, Dallas, and then for the 2008-09 comeback in San Jose when Claude was 43 years old.

“I was a bit older and I remember most of it, with Joe Thornton and an older group, a veteran group, a lot of fun to be around,” Lemieux said. “They were really nice to me, and that was my favorite time.”

Quinn said there are differences with players who have grown up in a NHL family, things like “communication, and how to be a pro.” Which doesn’t mean that those lessons don’t still have to occasionally be drilled home for Lemieux, but just that they’re “more instinctive.” 1158660 New York Rangers A: I try and be calm. I try and be poised with the puck and make the right decision.

Q: Every defenseman has his own style. Rangers’ Adam Fox on life as a rookie and how he felt after loss of friend A: I think I’m an offensive defenseman. I try and create plays and try and just get it to the forwards and kinda let them do their thing.

Steve Serby Q: You’re on the second power-play unit?

October 26, 2019 | A: It’s definitely a nice time to be creative and make some plays.

Q: You’re known for having hockey sense?

Rangers rookie defenseman Adam Fox of Jericho, L.I., and Harvard A: Yeah, I think I have a good hockey sense. My ability to see the ice and catches up with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A. see things develop is definitely a strong suit of my game. Definitely not the biggest guy out there or anything, but I think being able to use that Q: What is it like looking up in the stands and seeing your family? hockey sense definitely helps me.

A: Yeah, it’s awesome. My parents were pretty fortunate to come to most Q: Artemi Panarin? of my college games ’cause it was pretty close. I was able to see them a little more there. Not as many people in the crowd could spot them pretty A: I think just how deceptive he is. Sometimes it doesn’t look like he’s easily (smile). I kinda like when they’re there. It’s nice having them there going too fast, or whenever he has the puck, he doesn’t look like he’s and watch me play. My dad hasn’t had season tickets for a few years gonna outmuscle you, but he finds a way to do it and always seems to now, but I think I could kinda hook him up now with some tickets to make a play even when it looks like there isn’t one. games, which is nice (smile). Q: Kaapo Kakko? Q: Your dad was a Rangers season-ticket holder for a long time. A: You kinda forget that he’s 18. You look at him — the way he could A: He’s not necessarily watching as a diehard fan anymore — he’s handle the puck and the way he could skate — [and] he’s definitely a watching as a parent, so [that] definitely changes his view on each game, special player. A super-skilled, fun-to-watch player. for sure (smile). Q: Are you fun to watch? Q: Did you ever imagine playing for the Rangers growing up in Jericho? A: I think that’s for other people to decide (smile). I’d like to think so. A: I would have liked to, but I didn’t as a kid ever really think it would Q: Jacob Trouba? come to fruition. A: He’s a big, strong player. He’s a solid guy on the back end. Q: Are you more like your mother or father? Q: Hank [Henrik Lundqvist]? A: I’ll say my mom. I always watched her shows growing up with her — like we’d watch “Friends” together and that. But I have a little bit of both. A: I don’t score on him much. You could tell from that first game how Me and my dad play golf together and do all that. It’s a healthy mix of good he is and why he’s been so good for so long. their personalities. Q: Coach David Quinn? Q: Tell me about Nico. A: Played against him my freshman year when I was at Harvard and he A: I was friendly with his brother [on Long Island]. My mom got pretty was at BU [Boston University]. A coach that kinda understands where I’m close with their mom, and we went to their house a bunch. He kinda coming from and the adjustment I’m trying to make. became a big fan of my hockey career and followed me throughout different tournaments. He was calling me during the World Juniors and Q: Which New York teams aside from the Rangers did you root for everything. He passed away two years ago, and it was definitely a tough growing up? moment. He was one of [very few] people ever with chromosome 11 A: I liked the Jets and the Mets. I was a big David Wright fan growing up. deficiency. He was pretty normal up until, I think, 3 years old. I’m pretty sure he hung on a lot longer than he was supposed to. He always had Q: Athletes in other sports you admire? like an oxygen tank with him and trouble breathing and all that. He was stuck in a wheelchair for most of his life later on. We would always go A: Steph Curry, LeBron [James], Brooks Koepka. there and have hide-and-seek Nerf wars or whatever. He was a really Q: What is it about Koepka? nice kid, too. A: He’s just fun to watch. He’s obviously got a nice swagger to him. He Q: How old was he when he passed away? just goes and plays; doesn’t overthink much.

A: I think he was 21. Q: Harvard coach Ted Donato?

Q: How long did you know him? A: He kinda helped me mature as a person, a player, but also let me play A: Probably seven, eight years. my game and didn’t try to change who I was on the ice. He’s got a great personality to him, a lot of fun to be around, so I really enjoyed my time Q: You were an inspiration to him then? with him.

A: Hopefully. He was definitely a supporter of mine. I’d say more he was Q: Favorite Harvard hockey moment? an inspiration for me more than me to him, probably. A: Probably winning the Beanpot [in 2017]. Harvard hadn’t done it in … Q: How so? 24 years when I got there. Also making the Frozen Four [in 2017] was good — obviously disappointed to lose — but those were some fun A: When you actually saw him, it was obviously tough, and he was super moments. positive, never once was complaining about anything. Every time you went there, he always had a good energy and made you feel good. So it Q: What did you study there? was definitely tough when he passed away. A: I was a psychology major. Q: The day he passed away? Q: Did you have a favorite class? A: I was at school. My mom called me. I saw a lot of friends posting about it, and they still do on the anniversary of it, so it was definitely a A: There was a health psych class I took that was kinda just talking about tough one. how your mental state affects your overall health, and we kinda took it in the scheme of athletes, too. A lot of athletes took that and I wrote a paper Q: Your mentality on the ice? on people who are clutch and kinda what their actual thinking and mental state behind all that is. Q: What did you learn from writing that paper that you could apply to your Q: Three dinner guests? career? A: Dave Chappelle, Robin Williams, Tupac. A: Just being calm. I think a big thing is understanding that practice is where you’re gonna get better, and then the games, you just go out and Q: What drives you? play. In practice, you could focus more on specific things. … Just going in A: I guess people that have helped me get to this point. It kinda motivates confident and knowing that you’re prepared to play is one of the big me to do well and know that they helped me get here. things. Q: What do you like best about this Rangers team? Q: But a lot of guys are prepared to play and are not clutch. A: I guess just kinda the excitement of it. A lot of young guys on this A: There’s an aspect of nerves and all that and dealing with that, so I team, guys who are definitely trying to prove themselves and prove that think just staying calm. I think even for me, being a rookie, first few we could do something this year. games, a lot of nerves going and a lot of emotion, so just controlling that and being able to focus on playing hockey. New York Post LOADED: 10.27.2019

Adam FoxAnthony J. Causi

Q: Do you consider yourself clutch?

A: I want to be someone who’s relied on in those moments, for sure. You could say, “I’m fast, I’m strong.” I don’t really think people say, “I’m clutch.” How do you describe it, you know?

Q: How do you feel about being one of the few Jewish athletes?

A: It’s definitely nice to represent a community, for sure.

Q: You were 3 years old on 9/11.

A: I actually have a friend whose dad passed away in it. I couldn’t tell you anything about the day when it actually happened — I was too young — but obviously being from New York, you kinda see the effect it has on the friends of those families as well and kinda everyone connected.

Q: Winning a gold medal at the World Juniors?

A: That was awesome. Kinda the way we won it [shootout] made it even more special — beating Canada in Montreal, the Bell Centre was sold out, and it was definitely a nerve-wracking ending there.

Q: How old were you when you started skating at Iceworks?

A: Probably like 3 years old. My dad was a big hockey fan, and I have an older brother who played, and my dad kinda had a little roller rink in the basement — you know, the tile and everything — so had me on roller blades down there, just, I guess, walking more than skating (smile). I was the youngest, so me and my brother [Andrew] got thrown in the net, and I wasn’t too afraid of tennis balls, so I just kinda jumped in front of whatever, so, I guess I was pretty good in there. For as long as I can remember, I had a hockey stick in my hand.

Q: Your first hockey coach, Mike Bracco of the Long Island Gulls?

A: He was a big supporter of me. People were like, “Ah, not good enough,” and “too small,” and he always helped me out and was a big reason I was able to develop some of the skills I have.

Q: How much time did you spend at Jones Beach?

A: I’ve actually gone to a few concerts up there. I actually go to Tobay Beach.

Q: Hobbies?

A: Golf.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Superbad.”

Q: Favorite actors?

A: Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Jennifer Aniston.

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer?

A: Drake.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Sushi.

Q: Favorite Long Island restaurant?

A: Bracco’s (smile). I love the tuna nachos they have — big fan of those. 1158661 New York Rangers

Rangers' Tony DeAngelo promoted to top power-play unit, replacing Jacob Trouba

Colin Stephenson

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GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Even coming off a 6-2 win over the red-hot Buffalo Sabres Thursday, and ending a five-game losing streak, David Quinn couldn’t help himself. The Rangers coach, still searching for perfect combinations, tinkered with his lineup at practice Saturday, promoting defenseman Tony DeAngelo to the first power-play unit and dropping 18-year-old rookie Kaapo Kakko from the first line to the third.

DeAngelo replaced Jacob Trouba, who dropped to the second power- play unit. Trouba has a goal and five assists (three on the power play).

“I think Jacob's greatest attribute is his shot,’’ Quinn said. “But I don't think he's getting enough shots up there [at the point].’’

Quinn said Trouba, a righthanded shooter, will move from the point on the first unit, to the left wing circle on the second unit, where he will set up for one-timers, a la Alexander Ovechkin in Washington.

As for dropping Kakko, who played only 11:47 in Thursday’s game, Quinn said the move had more to do with wanting to put Jesper Fast back on the top line (he played there Tuesday against Arizona) than with dropping Kakko. However, the coach believes the move could benefit Kakko, who has one goal and one assist in his first eight NHL games.

“This will put Kaapo in a position where he won't be (playing against other) people's top lines,’’ Quinn said. “And it might give him a chance to have a little bit more success.’’

Quinn insisted the Rangers are happy with what Kakko has done so far, even if he hasn’t produced much in the way of offense. He said the Finnish star is still adjusting to NHL-sized rinks, the North American game, and living alone thousands of miles away from home.

“I'm sure some of the challenges he has, Jack Hughes (the No. 1 pick overall) doesn't have,’’ Quinn said. “Jack Hughes grew up around here. His family's here all the time. There's no language barrier; his daily routine hasn't changed much from where he was last year. Whereas, everything has changed for Kaapo.’’

Meanwhile, Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov, who on Friday left the Rangers’ Hartford farm team to return to the KHL, gave an interview to Russian sports newspaper Sport Express in which he sounded a little jaded at the experience of being sent down to the minor leagues, rather than make the Rangers’ opening night roster.

Speaking in Russian, Kravtsov, 19, said (according to Google Translate) when he was sent to Hartford, “I was told I’m not a (third- or fourth-line) player. Spending 5-6 minutes on the ice is pointless, and you need to go get experience at Hartford. It seems to me that these are the standard words of the coach for all players in such cases.’’

The reporter, Alexey Shevchenko, asked how it is that Brendan Smith, a defenseman, plays forward for the Rangers, ahead of Kravtsov. “So, he plays better than me,’’ Kravtsov said.

Kravtsov played in five games in Hartford, and had one assist. Per the terms of his contract, the Rangers can recall him at any time.

Notes & quotes: C Ryan Strome, who scored his first two goals of the season in the win over Buffalo, missed practice with the flu, but Quinn expects him to be available to play Sunday night . . . Quinn said Henrik Lundqvist will start in goal Sunday against the Bruins.

Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 10.27.2019

1158662 Ottawa Senators

Senators make minor-league deal with Florida Panthers

Bruce Garrioch

October 26, 2019 9:23 PM EDT

The Ottawa Senators made a minor-league deal Saturday that will give the club flexibility to make another and give the young players in Belleville a chance to play more.

The Senators sent minor-league winger Jack Rodewald to the Florida Panthers for the rights to college prospect Chris Wilkie, a sixth-round pick in 2015 who has three goals and six points in three games with the Colorado College Tigers. Rodewald was with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Belleville and had no future in Ottawa.

Not only does this give general manager flexibility to make a deal because it leaves the club with 48 players under contracts (two below the maximum of 50, it also allows the Senators to give young players like Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson and Max Veronneau more playing time in Belleville.

The Senators want their young players in the lineup and Rodewald is an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Dorion has been looking to add another forward who will give the club more depth. The reality is even if he does make a deal it’s quite possible he could get another team to take a contract in return, so this deal may be more about making sure Belleville coach Troy Mann can use the young players.

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158663 Ottawa Senators Thomas Chabot-Nikita Zaitsev Erik Brannstrom-Ron Hainsey

Mark Borowiecki-Dylan DeMelo GAME DAY: San Jose Sharks at Ottawa Senators GOALIES

Craig Anderson Bruce Garrioch Anders Nilsson October 26, 2019 7:09 PM EDT SHARKS’ LINES

Timo Meier-Logan Couture-Patrick Marleau San Jose (4-6-1) at Ottawa (2-7-1) Evander Kane-Tomas Hertl-Kevin Labanc Sunday, 7 p.m., Canadian Tire Centre, SN360, TSN 1200 AM, Unique 94.5 FM Barclay Goodrow-Joe Thornton-Noah Gregor

THE BIG MATCHUP Marcus Sorensen-Dylan Gambrell-Melker Karlsson

Logan Brown vs. Logan Couture DEFENCE

Called up from the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville on Wednesday, Brown Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Brent Burns will suit up for his third straight game with the Senators. His role is slowly increasing and he saw 15:35 of playing time vs. the Isles on Friday night, Brenden Dillon-Erik Karlsson including 3:24 on the power play. Couture, who spent his junior career Mario Ferraro -Tim Heed with the 67’s, has developed into one of the top centres in the league. This is a big challenge for Brown to go head-to-head against Couture. GOALIES

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME Martin Jones

1. Score on the power play Aaron Dell

You’re allowed to stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Senators SICK BAY went 1-for-6 against the Isles and it turned out to be costly. Yes, Tyler Ennis scored a power-play goal in the third period, but the Senators OTT: Artem Anisimov, Rudolfs Balcers, Colin White, Christian Wolanin didn’t generate much on a 5-on-3 in the second. That was the turning SJS: Radim Simek, Dalton Prout point. Maybe the power-play goal will give the club confidence.

2. Get the saves at the right time Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 Don’t finger Anders Nilsson for the loss Friday, however he wasn’t great, either, so Craig Anderson will make the start in this one. He stopped the nine shots he faced after taking over as the Senators tried to play catchup. The Senators need consistency from both of their goalies if they’re going to have a chance this season.

3. Work hard and work smart

A lot of what D.J. Smith is focused on is making sure the Senators compete every night. They didn’t have a great start against the Isles, but they worked hard to try to get back on track after the first period. That has to continue against the Sharks because this is going to be a difficult test against a team that has struggled.

4. Close out with a win

The Senators will have five days off after this one because they don’t face the Boston Bruins until next Saturday at TD Garden. A victory at home would be helpful because Ottawa will pay for the break, playing 14 games in November — with four back-to-backs.

5. Continue to put up a fight

The Senators had a rough one against the Isles, who were upset about a bench door accidentally being left open. dropped the gloves with Cal Clutterbuck and Brady Tkachuk also fought later in the game. The Senators can’t let teams walk into the rink and try to run the show. There had to be a response.

SPECIAL TEAMS

OTT: PP 6.1% (31st); PK 81.4% (13th)

SJS: PP 25% (7th); PK 92.5% (1st)

SENATORS’ LINES

Brady Tkachuk-Logan Brown-Anthony Duclair

Vladislav Namestnikov-Chris Tierney-Tyler Ennis

Nick Paul-Jean-Gabriel Pageau-Connor Brown

Bobby Ryan-J.C. Beaudin-Scott Sabourin

DEFENCE 1158664 Ottawa Senators

The key is try to find some consistency

Bruce Garrioch

October 26, 2019 6:00 PM EDT

Practice was short and sweet Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Ottawa Senators took care of business with a 30-minute skate, trying to clean up a few areas after a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday and getting ready to face the San Jose Sharks at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday night.

Head coach D.J. Smith didn’t mind the Senators’ effort against the Islanders, but said he knew there was work to be done to make sure his National Hockey League club was competitive at all times.

“Our team plays hard all the time and I even thought we played hard in the first period. We just couldn’t stop their speed,” Smith said Saturday. “(Islanders defenceman Nick) Leddy went right by us two or three times and it’s not lack of effort. I just thought we weren’t maybe as smart in the first.

“You could see the desperation and the effort in the second and third period. Guys will certainly be fired up (Sunday). This is a (Sharks) team that has some high-end names, and you’d be crazy if you weren’t ready to play this game.”

Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158665 Ottawa Senators “I don’t think you can ever count anyone out,” Smith said. “People go through slumps. Tyler Ennis, two days ago, couldn’t have felt any lower. He hadn’t scored, he was a minus (player), he had a horrible game (against) Dallas and then he came back, went to work and gets two goals Message sent as Bobby Ryan's role declines with Senators the next game.

“Sports is a funny thing because, when you work hard, usually good things happen, so if you get back to work, you get to the net and you find Bruce Garrioch ways to score. For us and for Bobby, he’s got to help us on the power October 26, 2019 5:33 PM EDT play and he’s got to be able to make plays. If he’s not making plays for us, then we’ve got to try some other options.”

Coming in hot might be going out cold. Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 Bobby Ryan was with the fourth line during the Ottawa Senators’ skate at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, and it wasn’t hard to figure out where his next stop would be if he doesn’t start to have some success shortly.

With the Senators coming off a 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday, Ryan, the club’s highest-paid player with a cap hit of $7.25 million this season, was on a line with J.C. Beaudin and Scott Sabourin during the 30-minute skate, and that’s likely where he’ll start Sunday’s home game against the San Jose Sharks.

And even that depends on Ryan being given a chance to redeem himself because head coach D.J.. Smith noted Saturday he hadn’t settled on the forward group yet.

It didn’t look as if the 32-year-old Ryan would be scratched Sunday, but it shouldn’t be ruled out, either, because he had only limited playing time against the Islanders: seven shifts in the first period, three in the second and one shift of 15 seconds on the power play in the third. He finished with 7:59 of playing time.

The Senators aren’t asking Ryan to set the world on fire, but they need him to be better and more consistent on a team in the midst of a rebuild.

“He’s got to get pucks out in our zone and he’s got to create some offence for us,” Smith said. “(Tyler) Ennis was down on the fourth line (against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday) and he scores two goals for us (against the Islanders).

“The big thing here is the guys that either produce or are working hard or playing hard get rewarded. That’s the way we’re going the rest of the way: If you play hard or produce, you get to play a lot. There’s no need in worrying about it. Just get back to work.”

The Senators don’t have a lot of veterans on their roster and that’s why they need to have guys like Ryan chip in offensively if they’re to have any chance at consistent success.

So, does Smith have to discuss the situation with Ryan or is the lack of ice time and skating on the fourth line enough to deliver the message?

“You certainly have to have enough respect for a guy who has been in the game as long as he has, but I also have 22 other guys to coach that need that same amount of time,” Smith said. “You feel for guys that have been around the league and you want to help them out, but, at the same time, you’ve got to hold everyone accountable and you’ve got to play the guys the most minutes that I think deserve them.

“Right now those guys that are in those spots deserve them.”

Ryan has been playing a big role on a power play that is ranked 31st in the 31-team National Hockey League with a success rate of just 3.7 per cent.

The decision to sit Ryan in the third period of Friday’s contest wasn’t taken lightly, but Smith was also trying to make sure Senators players knew where he stood and it would send the wrong message if Ryan was allowed to keep playing without any consequences. It wasn’t just a message to him, it was telling the rest of the room that anything less than 100 per cent wasn’t acceptable.

“You go to work in practice every day, you work at the game at every day and the guys who do that the most get to play the most,” Smith said.

“Over time, what I see is that we’re going to get more and more skill, but the skill will know how to work. That’ll translate into wins. That’s just my experience with it and that’s the way I’m going to go about it.”

Smith hasn’t thrown in the towel on Ryan and is hopeful the veteran winger can get back to the point where he’s an effective player. 1158666 Ottawa Senators quite as much and those other guys are going to do what they do (to defend a lead).”

THE LAST WORDS Not as much fanfare as Karlsson returns a second time with Sharks Dylan DeMelo did his part for a good cause Saturday when he participated in the Light the Night walk for Leukemia and Lyphoma that took place at Carleton University. He was joined by eight or nine Bruce Garrioch teammates, including Bobby Ryan and Cody Goloubef, along with some of the club’s staff. DeMelo first got involved with the charity in London, October 26, 2019 5:22 PM EDT Ont., when his best friend’s mother, Tammi Garrett, was diagnosed with leukemia. “I got on board with her and her annual golf tournament. I wasn’t able to attend the talk in London, but luckily enough we’re not This time, the date isn’t exactly circled on anybody’s calendar. playing so I can be part of it,” DeMelo said. “She’s doing well and she’s in remission, but we need more funds for medicine and research.” … No The Ottawa Senators, Erik Karlsson and the San Jose Sharks have been surprise in the decision to start Craig Anderson against the Sharks. He there and done that, so this visit to the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday stopped all nine shots he faced in relief of Anders Nilsson on Friday night won’t have anything like the fanfare that surrounded his first trip against the Isles and the Senators will have a prolonged break after this here last season following the trade in September 2018. game. This will be a good test for Anderson because the Sharks have The Sharks dropped a 6-2 decision in Karlsson’s return on Dec. 1 last plenty of firepower. … The “We Scare Hunger” campaign is being held at season, but the circumstances are different this season. Sunday’s game for the Ottawa Food Bank. Fans attending the game are being asked to bring a non-perishable food item that volunteers will be “We were in a different spot last year and arguably played maybe our there to collect at the main entrance along with the Ford Gate and the worst game of the year in there,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer told Lincoln Valet entrance. reporters in Toronto on Friday. “I think there has been a lot of water under the bridge. He’s in a different space, they’re in a different space. Every year (after) you leave a place, it’s not as big a deal.” Ottawa Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 Signed to an eight-year extension by the Sharks, Karlsson won’t be forgotten for the contributions he made with the Senators, but both sides have moved on and Ottawa players know, even though San Jose has struggled out of the gate, this is still going to be a good challenge.

“He was such a big part of this team for so long, I’m sure there’s a lot of parts of the fan base who are still going to have a tough time with it,” alternate captain Mark Borowiecki said Saturday afternoon. “Any time you trade away a captain, it’s hard for sure, but that’s unfortunately pro sports.

“Careers are going to move on different paths and the business side is going to take over a little bit. I’m very grateful for my time playing with him. I had some stuff I went through off the ice in my time here with Erik and he was always 100 per cent supportive of me, and I’m very, very grateful for that and it’s something I won’t forget.”

Borowiecki noted Karlsson is still one of the top players in the league.

“You can’t tell me he’s not one of the most naturally talented players in the NHL with the exception of maybe someone like (Connor) McDavid,” Borowiecki said. “(Karlsson”s) natural talent is pretty incredible and he’s gifted. When he’s on and he’s making plays, he’s pretty fun to watch.”

THOMAS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Blueliner Thomas Chabot is one player who benefited from the Karlsson trade.

Signed to an eight-year, $64-million extension before training camp in September, he showed Friday night why he’s going to be a difference- maker down the road. He played in excess of 30 minutes in the club’s 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders and had a strong effort.

“I’m never going to say no to getting a lot of ice time,” Chabot said. “(Friday) we had a couple of power plays and I had something like seven minutes on the power play. That adds up a lot of time, and this year we’ve had a lot of (penalty killing) and I don’t play (that role), so you have more 5-on-5. Every game is different.

“Once we scored that second goal (in the third) period, we were in the game and I kind of knew that I was going to get out there a lot trying to create some offence to get something going to get a goal. It’s something I like and enjoy, and when you gain more confidence the game kind of slows down a little bit in front of you because you spend a lot of time on the ice.”

Coach D.J. Smith says Friday was an example of why Chabot is going to be a force.

“He’s by far our best offensive player,” Smith said. “He makes special things happen out there. Over time, his defensive game is going to get better. He’s going to be a really good player for a long time.

“When you’re down a goal, (Chabot) is significantly more offensive than anyone else we have back there. When we’re up, he’s not going to play 1158667 Philadelphia Flyers seconds later, Columbus retook the lead when Jenner scored after Brian Elliott was unable to control a rebound

Earlier in the period, Pierre-Luc Dubois’ fourth goal in his last four road Late eruption gives Flyers stunning 7-4 win over Columbus as James van games put Columbus ahead, 2-1, with 17:32 remaining in the second. Riemsdyk scores a pair Five seconds after a penalty to Sean Couturier ended – he had yet to get into the play -- Dubois came in alone from the end line and beat Elliott. Defenseman Robert Hagg appeared to miss the coverage. by Sam Carchidi, Couturier (shorthanded) and Matt Niskanen were stopped by Korpisalo on second-period breakaways. Niskanen went in alone after he left the penalty box. Late in the second, Korpisalo also denied Joel Farabee, who Late eruption gives Flyers stunning 7-4 win over Columbus as James van was alone in front, and he made a sliding save to turn aside Konecny Riemsdyk scores a pair with 55 seconds to go in the period. The Flyers were badly outplaying Columbus on Saturday night, but their Flyers left winger Scott Laughton took a puck off his right hand early in modest two-game winning streak appeared to be ending because Blue the second period and did not return. Vigneault said he had a broken Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo was, in hockey parlance, standing on finger and would miss about four weeks. Tyler Pitlick will go into the his head. lineup Sunday against the host Islanders. And, then, a late-two goal deficit -- and the game -- took a stunning turn, Both goalies gave up bad goals in a first period that ended at 1-1. when Shayne Gostisbehere’s blast deflected off the Blue Jackets’ Nick Foligno to get the Flyers within 4-3. That started a shocking ending in “I don’t know if I deserved that win so much, but the guys did, and they which the Flyers scored five goals in the final 9 minutes, 8 seconds. pulled it out for me,” said Elliott, who was shaky after two straight outstanding performances. The 4-2 deficit turned into a 7-4 Flyers victory at the percolating Wells Fargo Center. The early 1-1 first period seemed like ancient history after the stirring late comeback, aided by Hayes scoring a goal in his third straight game. “It was huge,” Gostisbehere said of his first goal of the season. “It was a big one for the boys, and one of the biggest things was how we “We’re playing our best hockey. We’re getting a lot of chances,” Hayes responded. Down two goals in the third, and maybe some past teams we said. “JVR was playing lights-out at the end. He’s been unreal so far.” would have folded and gave that one away, but it was a big character win.” The Flyers started a string in which they will play 14 straight games against Eastern Conference opponents. They play the Islanders Sunday Less than two minutes after Gostisbehere’s goal, James van Riemsdyk’s night in Uniondale, and will get his first start in the last four second tally of the night tied it at 4-4 with 7:23 left. Kevin Hayes scored games. on a shorthanded breakaway, as he put in his own rebound with 5:38 remaining, sparking the Flyers to a had-to-see-it -to-believe-it victory that ended the dazed Blue Jackets’ six-game point streak. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.27.2019 The late outburst increased the Flyers’ winning streak to three games. They scored five third-period goals for the first time since Dec. 19, 2013, which was also against Columbus.

Van Riemsdyk had two goals and an assist to pace the Flyers, who iced the win on Michael Raffl’s empty-net goal with 1:39 left. With 13.3 seconds remaining, Travis Konecny added a power-play goal.

“That’s just sticking to it," Hayes said. "I think we had close to 50 shots again,”

Third-line center Boone Jenner scored a pair of goals for Columbus, which was outshot, 46-26.

“I don’t think there was one specific turning [point]. We deserved to win this game,” said coach Alain Vigneault, whose team had a 76-38 domination in shot attempts. “We were the better team. ... We gave up that an early goal in the third” to fall behind, 4-2, "and our guys just kept battling.

“Basically after two periods, we said we’re going to find a way to win this game, and we did,” he added.

Besides van Riemsdyk, Hayes and Jake Voracek had three points for the Flyers, who faced a

Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere celebrates his third-period goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere celebrates his third-period goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

4-2 deficit with less than 10 minutes left.

“It was smoke and mirrors that we were up by two at that time,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. “I just don’t think we played well enough. I don’t think we played hard enough. We got what we deserved.”

Gostisbehere’s goal ignited the comeback.

“He’s another guy who’s had a ton of good looks . ... and it was nice to see him get a bounce there to go his way,” van Riemsdyk said.

The Flyers had tied it at 2-2 with just 2:21 left in the second, as van Riemsdyk (power play) scored for the second straight game. Just 25 1158668 Philadelphia Flyers Flyers goaltender Brian "Moose" Elliott will make his third straight start Saturday night.

Flyers goaltender Brian "Moose" Elliott will make his third straight start Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux relieved after first goals; Saturday night. Brian Elliott to face Blue Jackets skate yesterday, we thought it was the right thing to do," Vigneault said about playing Elliott again. "We are aware of the situation, but Brian is telling us he’s never felt this good.” by Sam Carchidi, Carter Hart will play Sunday against the host islanders.

Lindblom blossoming Earlier in the week, Flyers coach Alain Vigneault didn’t sugarcoat words when talking about the line of James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux, and Second-year left winger Oskar Lindblom has five goals in eight games to Jake Voracek. pace the Flyers, who are using him in all situations — even strength, power play and penalty kill. Simply put, he wasn’t happy with the unit. “I didn’t know much about Oskar before coming here,” Vigneault said Kevin Hayes on Flyers rookie Joel Farabee: 'When I was 19, I wasn’t after Saturday’s morning skate, “but what I found is a real smart two-way even close to that’ player, a hard-working young man who has good hockey sense to play that 200-foot game and he has a real good skill level. ... He’s become a Samuel Morin staying patient as he waits his turn with Flyers real important player on our team.” “They have to figure it out,” Vigneault said. “The other lines seem to have Raffl ready some chemistry.” Left winger Michael Raffl, who blocked a shot late in Thursday’s win and Vigneault said Giroux’s line had “three experienced guys that have been hobbled off the ice with a lower-leg injury, will play Saturday, Vigneault around and should know the right way to play and have to play it.” said, adding he was not limited in what he can do on the ice. On Thursday, they responded. "What I loved about that play, it’s 4-1 and you pay the price and block the Van Riemsdyk, who has been among the NHL’s leaders in shots per shot, " Vigneault said. “Great message for our team — you have to play game, and Giroux each scored their first goals of the season and the line the right way from the beginning to the end, and that’s what he did.” was a combined plus-4 in the Flyers’ 4-1 win in Chicago. Breakaways Vigneault said he never doubted that the unit would get going. Travis Konecny (team-high 11 points) has points in seven of the eight Still, there was a feeling of relief from both van Riemsdyk, who had his games; the RW has 10 points in 11 career games vs. Columbus. ... first two points of the the season, and Giroux after going seven games Former Blue Jacket Jake Voracek needs three goals to reach 200 in his without a goal. career. … Columbus’ last eight games have been decided by a goal. The Jackets are 5-1-2 in those contests. … The Jackets’ Pierre-Luc Dubois “Certainly, it’s challenging, especially since I feel like I was getting a lot of has six points, including four goals, in his last eight games. He has goals good chances, a lot of good looks,” van Riemsdyk said. “Obviously, I’m in each of the last three road games. … Three Flyers — Joel Farabee, here to create offense and score goals, so it’s definitely tough on you Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski — have made their NHL mentally when that doesn’t happen. I’m trying to just stick with it. debuts this season.

“You don’t want to go through that, but you just have to respond the right way and have a good approach and a good process," he added. Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 10.27.2019 Unlike van Riemsdyk, Giroux had points (four) in the first seven games.

“You want to try to help the team win, and sometimes when it’s not going in, you have to do the little things right” to compensate for it, Giroux said.

The Flyers (4-3-1) will host Columbus (5-3-2) on Saturday night, attempting to stretch their winning streak to three games.

“The last four games, I think we’ve been playing the right way,” said Giroux, whose team is 2-2 in that span. “We didn’t always get the (right) result … but we’re playing the way we want to.”

Surging Blue Jackets in town

The Flyers will face a Blue Jackets team Saturday that has a six-game point streak (4-0-2). In the series against the Flyers, Columbus has won five straight games and the last three at the Wells Fargo Center.

Vigneault called the Jackets a “heavy forechecking team" whose defense jumps into the attack.

Cam Atkinson usually is unstoppable against the Flyers. The right winger has a total of seven goals over his last five contests against the Flyers, including three multi-goal games.

Goalie matchup

Brian Elliott (2-1, 2.09 GAA, .933 save percentage) will make his third straight start for the Flyers and is expected to face Joonas Korpisalo (5- 2-1, 2.72, .901.) ). In his last six starts, Korpisalo is 4-1-1 with a 2.47 GAA and .915 save percentage. He has replaced Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed with Florida as a free agent.

Vigneault said he talks daily with goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh about Elliott and he will not overuse him because of his past injuries.

“That’s definitely something we talked about after the last two games, but since we didn’t 1158669 Philadelphia Flyers he’s been unreal. It’s hockey, it’s tough. It’s hard to score. If it was easy we’d all have 80 goals a year. It’s fun to score goals.”

It should be fun for guys like Canadian rock music (well, sort of) fan Unexpected Flyers comeback sparked by money players Giroux, Sean Couturier and Voracek to see the slow season starts that have plagued their team dating to 2011 perhaps turning into a more consistent brand of hockey.

By Rob Parent And the occasional impressive comeback is a nice reward, too.

Shayne Gostisbehere, another non-producer over the first several games, got the comeback rolling with a rocket of a goal at 10:52 of the PHILADELPHIA — The Comeback, drawn from the concept of so many third to cut the Columbus lead to one. Then van Riemsdyk did his second years of slow starts and disappointing finishes, seemed wholly tip-in act of the night, scoring this time off an Ivan Provorov shot to tie the unexpected and every bit out of character. game at 12:37. But at that point, Couturier took a penalty, and you might Too many penalties early, too much of a return to last year’s level of wonder if a comeback was going to fizzle just like the old days of ... 2018 goaltending by Brian Elliott, too many typically good plays by a hot or so. Columbus Blue Jackets team that has stung the Flyers so often over the That’s about when Hayes stepped in front of a pass across by Cam years. Atkinson and bolted back up the ice, first fending off chasing Blue Except this time it all wouldn’t prove to be a gamebreaker. Jackets then fooling goalie Joonas Korpisalo and scoring the game- winning goal. If they keep playing the way they played until the very end of a 7-4 victory Saturday night, the Flyers just might not have such a bad start to the The Flyers would promptly score twice more to make sure. season after all. That’s new, just like a few other things. “The biggest thing was how we responded, going down two goals in the As Claude Giroux crooned at the end of a rather puzzling interview third,” Gostisbehere said. “Maybe some past games, we would have afterward, “As my friend Tom (Cochrane) says, ‘Life is a highway.’” folded and gave that one away. I think it was a big character win.”

So the Flyers are finally learning to ride it all night long? That, too, is something that’s a little different so far in this new and different season. “Hard to say,” James van Riemsdyk said after scoring two goals to lead the comeback charge. “Since I’ve been here the last two years we’ve always shown we have that firepower and are capable of coming back. Burlington County Times LOADED: 10.27.2019 But I think last year we probably had to chase too many games. That’s tough.

“We were chasing the game, chasing the lead; we were down so early so often last year. This year it hasn’t felt like we’ve been in those situations where we’re down a bunch of goals and trying to climb our way back into it as much. Our process has been better as far as staying in games longer.”

Just for perspective: The consistently slow-starting Flyers of 2018-19 continued a years-long Flyers trend by falling behind early. Only they heightened their special gift of falling behind to levels never before seen.

Over the course of the season, they fell behind by 2-0 scores 32 times. They wound up winning only four of those games.

On this night against the Blue Jackets, who hadn’t had a regulation loss in their previous six games, the Flyers would draw first blood on a Jake Voracek goal. But they were down a goal by early in the second period, and by the time Josh Anderson scored his first goal of the season for Columbus 2:15 into the third, the Flyers were down 4-2 and seemingly ready to pack it in.

Or is that now just the way things used to be?

“I think we deserved to win this game,” new head coach Alain Vigneault said. “We were the better team. We had a real strong second period, tightened it up, gave up that third goal. We gave up an early goal in the third and our guys just kept playing and kept battling. Basically after two periods, that’s what we said, that we were going to find a way to win this game and that’s what we did.”

Part of the reason is the two-pronged commitment the Flyers made recently in free agency. JVR was brought in (or brought back) by former general manager on the annual UFA day of 2018.

Kevin Hayes was brought in by GM successor exactly a year later. Both about $7 million per year player, both with past labels that proclaimed them to be scoring stars of limited worth. Neither one were particularly productive in the first several games this season, either.

But van Riemsdyk, who had a terribly slow start in his first season back with the Flyers but nonetheless finished it with 27 goals, has scored three times over his last two games, and Hayes has scored in three straight to produce the burning question, does it feel good to prove his worth to the home fans?

“It’s easy to say that when you score in three in a row,” Hayes said. “But honestly, some of the guys that weren’t scoring here early on, I think are playing their best hockey. We’re getting our chances. JVR was playing lights out and he had no goals for the first seven or eight (games); and 1158670 Philadelphia Flyers Delaware County Times LOADED: 10.27.2019

Flyers Notebook: Raffl recovered after shot to foot

By Rob Parent

PHILADELPHIA — No matter how bad he looked in Chicago after absorbing the effects of a shot to the foot near the end of the game, Michael Raffl wasn't about to let it get him down. Especially after showing in recent games that he's still capable of moving his career in an upwardly mobile direction.

Raffl, the former 20-goal scorer who the past two seasons has toiled relatively anonymously on Flyers checking lines, came into a game Saturday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets showing some real offensive spark. That included a game in which he scored a goal, was temporarily credited with another and assisted on yet another goal in a win last Monday over the Vegas Golden Knights.

But in Chicago Thursday, Raffl took a Slater Koekkoek shot off the foot in the closing minute and had to be helped from the ice.

"Yeah, it was big stinger," Raffl said Saturday. "I definitely felt that one."

He also felt a rush of concern at first, wondering if the pain was due to a fracture. Not so, Raffl was to learn later.

"In the first moment I was (worried), but it was better than I thought, thank God," Raffl said. "And thank God I didn't have to battle through (then), because the game was over anyway.

"But no, I'm good. ... It looked worse than it was."

So Raffl was able to suit up Saturday night against the Blue Jackets, who came in on a 4-0-2 run and one of five Metropolitan Division teams ahead of the Flyers. As for Raffl, he's been good in a similar role to what he played last season, when he scored just six goals and 18 points in 67 games. Along the way he's becoming more of a skilled defensive forward and penalty killer.

"Raffi's played some good hockey for us so far; he's playing 10-11 minutes per game," head coach Alain Vigneault said. "They're important minutes and he's playing well.

"Obviously he's one of our experienced players. My understanding was that throughout the last couple of years he's had different roles on the team. After training camp the way we envisioned using him was on a third or fourth line, whatever you want to call it. We wanted him there and we wanted him on the PK. So far that's how we've used him and that's what he's done for us."

Whatever he's asked to do, Raffl will do without hesitation. Even if it involves him putting unpadded limbs in front of speeding pucks.

"I just try to block shots," he said. "Sometimes it hits you in a nice spot, sometimes it gets you a little bit worse. That's the game we play, you know?"

"That's the role he has," added Vigneault. "It might expand, it might change. But that's an important role when you're playing 5-on-5 and you're killing penalties. That's as important as playing the power play and playing 5-on-5 on (a scoring) line."

• • •

NOTES >> Brian Elliott started his third straight game in net Saturday night, which says something about the way he played his previous two games (both wins), but also makes one wonder if Carter Hart should be considered the club's No. 1 goalie. Either way, Vigneault wasn't going there. He said simply that with two games in two days – the Flyers are on Long Island Sunday night to take on the streaking Islanders – he'd need both goalies this weekend. "(Elliott) has played extremely well the last couple of games and the fact that (Friday) was a travel day for us, we didn't hit the ice," Vigneault said, "so it made sense to use him tonight and use Carter tomorrow night." ... In five games, Hart is 2-2-1 with a 2.59 goals-against and only .890 saves percentage. ... After taking on the Islanders, who are on a six-game winning streak, the Flyers head to Pittsburgh Tuesday for an always entertaining road game there. 1158671 Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers survived a scare with Raffl. Losing Laughton for a period of time is a blow. He can play center or winger in the bottom six, scored a career-high 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) last season and is one of the team's best penalty-killers. Furious rally gives Flyers first 3-game winning streak in October since 2014-15 With Laughton sidelined, Tyler Pitlick will insert the lineup. He plays a similar role to Laughton's and is the Flyers' only extra forward. If the team calls up a forward, Carsen Twarynski, German Rubtsov and Andy Andreoff would be likely candidates (see story). By Jordan Hall • The Flyers' penalty kill went 5 for 5 and is now 24 for 29 on the season. October 26, 2019 9:45 PM Through nine games last season, the PK was 22 for 32, second worst in

the league at 68.8 percent. The Flyers absolutely ambushed the Blue Jackets in the third period • Might we see Samuel Morin make his season debut Sunday? Robert Saturday night for a 7-4 win at the Wells Fargo Center. Hagg has been durable but struggled Saturday and was a minus-3. The team ripped off five third-period goals to storm past Columbus, With Sunday's game being the second of a back-to-back set, the Flyers giving the Flyers (5-3-1) their first three-game winning streak in October could look to get Morin game action. since the 2014-15 season. • Flyers fans were in the Halloween spirit. Kevin Hayes scored the game-winner, while Shayne Gostisbehere, James van Riemsdyk, Michael Raffl and Travis Konecny also scored in A Flyers fan’s Halloween costume: the final stanza. Sidney Crosby. pic.twitter.com/cBlRlmLvoF The Flyers outshot the Blue Jackets (5-4-2), 46-26. — Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 27, 2019 The Flyers went 10-16-2 against the Metropolitan Division last season. They are 2-0-0 so far against divisional opponents in 2019-20. • The Flyers are playing their second of 17 back-to-back sets this season. They hit the road to play the Islanders Sunday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). • Late in the third period, Hayes delivered on why the Flyers wanted him so badly. Carter Hart will start for the Flyers. The 21-year-old goalie has allowed seven goals on 29 shots faced in his last two games after making 75 He came to Philly with a reputation for shorthanded goals and buried one saves on 80 shots over his first three outings. on a clutch play to give the Flyers a 5-4 lead in the final six minutes of regulation.

He has three goals in his last four games, had three points Saturday and Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 has been a terror on the PK.

Five third period goals, the Flyers are on their first three game winning streak in the month of October in five years, and multiple players are enjoying early season breakthroughs. @JHallNBCS coming through with the good stuff:https://t.co/d0WSOlSkqs pic.twitter.com/C5iVHp4buV

— Taryn Hatcher (@TarynNBCS) October 27, 2019

• van Riemsdyk is heating up.

He went scoreless in the first seven games but was creating so many chances that the goal-scoring winger was bound to start putting the puck in the net.

After delivering two goals and an assist Saturday, van Riemsdyk has five points in his last two games.

Jakub Voracek was also slow to crack the score sheet. He was without a point through the opening four games. Since then, he has seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games.

Jake Voracek making it look easy  pic.twitter.com/AGNBVUMzRp

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 26, 2019

• Brian Elliott made his third consecutive start after delivering 56 saves on 59 shots in the Flyers' previous two wins.

The 34-year-old came back to earth Saturday as he wasn't sharp. He just looked slow to react and on the third goal, which put the Blue Jackets ahead late in the second period, Elliott failed to corral a rebound on multiple tries.

However, he entered with a 1.69 goals-against average in his previous three starts. The Flyers should be happy with Elliott thus far.

Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who was 4-0-1 in his last five games, couldn't hold Columbus' advantage.

• Third-line winger Scott Laughton exited the game a little over seven minutes into the second period with an injury and did not return.

Scott Laughton broken finger. Alain Vigneault believes it’ll be four weeks. Tyler Pitlick enters lineup.

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) October 27, 2019 1158672 Philadelphia Flyers catalyst to send him back to B.C. for his fourth year. Then he just blossoms and he really became a player.”

Hayes was back for his senior year. Life-changing injury, nights in the hospital made Kevin Hayes a fit for "I didn't have a choice,” he said. Philly Good thing he didn’t.

A determined Hayes alongside a diminutive Johnny Gaudreau made up By Jordan Hall college hockey’s most prolific duo in a special 2013-14 season. October 26, 2019 8:00 AM Gaudreau, a junior, led the nation in scoring with 80 points (36 goals, 44 assists) through 40 games, while Hayes was second with 65 points (27 goals, 38 assists) in 40 games.

Kevin Hayes remembers the days and nights in the hospital. The two were a combined plus-76.

Those were dark doses of reality. “I got to play with Johnny and we kind of took off from there,” Hayes said. “I don't think I would be where I am today if that injury didn't happen. Life-altering times. “I was thankful that it happened in the weirdest way possible.” He didn’t have them when he arrived at Boston College in 2010. Hayes, 18 years old then, was just taken in the first round of the NHL entry draft The Eagles went 28-8-4 but fell short in the Frozen Four semifinal at the by the Blackhawks and was joining his older brother Jimmy Hayes with Wells Fargo Center, losing to Shayne Gostisbehere and eventual the Eagles. national champion Union College.

Boston College is about a 15-minute drive from the Noble and “Johnny was just hitting his stride going into his junior year,” York said. Greenough School, where Hayes was a force at the prep level. As B.C. “Johnny had a chance to leave after his sophomore year, so he decided recruited his brother, it built a seamless connection with Hayes, who was to stay through his junior year and with Kevin his senior year, boy, they a growing center with natural ability. were dynamic together. I always would like to see them at some point in their professional careers get back together, but it doesn't look like it's “I went to that school as a first-round draft pick, thought I was super cool. going to happen.” It turned quickly,” Hayes said last month in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I had a very average first year, very average second year You never know. and realized that it was going to take a lot more work.” "Terrific players for B.C., but together, they were a package that was so More work than he ever imagined. hard to handle for anybody,” York said. “They just continued to get better. John has gone on to become a legitimate NHL All-Star and I think Kevin's It would take the feeling of nearly losing it all. on his way to that level. They were fun to coach — on and off the ice, I Following his “very average” freshman and sophomore seasons, Hayes enjoyed both young guys." was playing a home game against UMass Lowell on Feb. 26, 2013. Little was York aware that he was actually getting to know two of his During the second period, he took a knee to his left leg. Hayes was in the future players when he had a home visit with the Hayes family as Boston hospital by the end of the night. College was recruiting Jimmy Hayes. “It was compartment syndrome and I popped all my blood vessels,” he “Kevin must've been in seventh or eighth grade, maybe even a little said. younger than that,” York said. “He was just kind of hanging around the His junior season was over, his hockey career suddenly up in the air. house and chatting with us. I had no idea he was going to turn out to be this type of player.” “There was some question of whether he would ever play hockey again,” Boston College head coach Jerry York said during a July phone interview As Jimmy committed to the Eagles, York and his staff kept an eye on with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “It was a major surgery to his quad muscle Kevin, the younger brother by two and a half years. in his left thigh — it just kind of blew up on him.” “It was obvious to any knowledgeable hockey person that he had size, he Hayes spent multiple weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple could skate, good with the puck,” York said. “What impressed me the surgeries. most was just his instincts of the game — when to pass, how to get open. Just a natural feeling for the game of hockey. A lot of us call it hockey An unexpected nightmare put his whole future in jeopardy. sense or hockey IQ, but he had that. He had the skating and the size to go with it. We actively recruited him after watching him play." To this day, he is thankful for the night of Feb. 26, 2013, and that hospital bed. York, college hockey’s all-time winningest coach with over 1,000 victories, molded Hayes through an environment at Boston College that It was probably the worst best thing that's ever happened to me in my emphasized qualities greater than the sport. life. It definitely changed me as a human being. Everyone says the words, 'Don't take things for granted' — it's pretty easy to say, but you “When you go to that school, Jerry York wants to win games, but he don't really realize anything until things that matter to you get taken away. cares more about graduating and leaving that way as a professional That was the case for probably about four, five months my junior year. I person, instead of a professional athlete,” Hayes said. “He taught me a decided since then, I was going to change the way I live my life — be a lot — whether it was my family teaching me things or Coach York, it's better teammate, be a better friend, be a better son, be a better brother, stuff that has stuck with me to this day. be a better person. It was probably the worst two months of my life but in the long run, it was probably the best thing that has ever happened to “How to treat people, how to act the right way in front of teammates, in me. front of coaches, in front of fans. That school was the best four years of my life and I go back there to this day." I'm a true believer in you need your own little community to get through life and I had a great one — family, friends, coaches, Coach York, couple In the summer following his huge senior year, Hayes signed with the of roommates, couple of buddies from home, my brother Jimmy. It's Rangers as a free agent. He played his first four NHL seasons in New crazy, you sit in a hospital bed for 23 days and you don't realize how York under Alain Vigneault and developed into a 200-foot player with many people come and visit you, and you don't realize what you almost untapped offensive potential. could have lost. When Chuck Fletcher decided to pursue Hayes as the Flyers’ big Who knows if Hayes would ever have found his way to the Flyers this acquisition this summer, the general manager did his homework. Adding summer if it were not for that injury at Boston College. Hayes would mark a major investment for the franchise in Fletcher’s first offseason as GM. He made sure the decision was calculated and “In retrospect, it was probably the best thing that could happen to him in thorough. In an effort to expedite the Flyers’ process to contention (and his career because he was probably on the line to sign after his junior brighten the future), Fletcher traded for Hayes’ contractual rights during year,” York said. “That kind of put everything in slow motion — it was the June before signing the 6-foot-5 center later that month. The deal: A headline-grabbing seven years, $50 million.

A part of Fletcher’s research was contacting York. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019

One of the key things I know, when Chuck Fletcher talked to me, he went back through history — because that's a big commitment for the Flyers. They were convinced that Kevin had the character and the drive to really become a key player in their organization. I fully backed Chuck in his rationale to sign Kevin.

I've known Chuck for a long time. Two of his children now are at Boston College, so he's got a good connection to us. He's a knowledgeable hockey person. When I talked to him, I was 100 percent with Kevin. I think he's a remarkable young man, great teammate, good character — he's a consummate pro when I look at him.

Fletcher and the Flyers liked a lot about Hayes — from his age to his do- it-all game and tough-to-play-against makeup.

The GM’s vision for acquiring Hayes was validated with the help of York’s recommendation.

"I've known Jerry for over 30 years since he was coaching at Bowling Green in the 80s,” Fletcher said last month in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I knew Jerry knew Kevin as well as anybody, having recruited him to come play at Boston College, coached him for four years, helped develop him into the player that he's become.

"He was one of my first calls when we were doing our due diligence to find out about Kevin, the background with him, his family, how he was at school, how he was with his teammates. Certainly Jerry gave a very strong endorsement."

Hayes played 15:44 minutes per game in parts of five seasons with New York. He scored a career-high 25 goals in 2017-18 and a personal-best 55 points last season between time with the Rangers and Jets. With the Flyers, he’s primed for his biggest role yet. Many believe Hayes is only scratching the surface at 27.

"I think he can take another step,” York said. “He's a really good professional player now, but I think he gets to that elite level, I really do.

“His compete level is very good. Just his desire to become the very best Kevin Hayes he can be, it's right there. You're going to notice that when you see him more. He really wants to become the very best player he can be — he's got that drive.”

It was one of many reasons why the Flyers were drawn to the multifaceted Hayes.

“We feel he's still evolving, he's 27 years old, he's played only five years in the NHL,” Fletcher said. “He played all four years at Boston College, so he turned pro a little bit later. I still think every player can continue to evolve, particularly as you gain more experience in the league and learn the league and find out how your game translates.

“The great thing about Kevin is we're not going to judge him just by his offensive production, but by how he can impact our penalty kill, how he can help us defensively through the middle of the ice and how he just gives us more depth. He's the right player for our team at this time."

Hayes is “ecstatic” to be with the Flyers. He can call Philadelphia home, finally with long-term security in his NHL career. He earned his contract and wants to make the most of it. As a Northeast guy, from growing up in Boston and playing in New York, Hayes understands a passionate market like Philly.

Along with the city, the chance to reunite with Vigneault was attractive.

So, too, were the talent and fit.

"I don't want to trash anything that's happened to me in the past in the NHL, but I think this will be the first year where every single night, I'm playing with elite players,” Hayes said at the beginning of training camp. “I've played with some good players in the past, but where my game is at right now personally, and playing with the guys I assume I'm going to be playing with, I think it's going to be an unbelievable year.

“I think the fans should be excited — I think they're excited, some of them might not be too excited — but I feel great, this is the best I've ever felt and probably the most in shape, most excited I've ever been in my hockey career."

And when Hayes ever feels the pressure, he can remember what he almost lost. 1158673 Pittsburgh Penguins • Blueger was 9 for 18 (50 percent). • Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson led the game with five

blocked shots. Empty Thoughts: Penguins 3, Stars 0 • Defensemen Miro Heiskanen, forwards Jason Dickinson, Mattias Janmark, Corey Perry, Alexander Radulov, Seguin and Dowling each led the Stars with two blocked shots. Seth Rorabaugh Historically speaking Sunday, October 27, 2019 2:19 a.m. • It had been a looooonggg time since the Penguins shut out the Dallas Stars. Like … Jean-Sebastien Aubin long. The former Penguins goaltender made 45 saves in a 4-0 home win on March 9, 2004. Goals DALLAS — Bryan Rust and Dominik Kahun are two different were scored by forwards Jon Sim, Matt Bradley, Aleksey Morozov and personalities. Mike Eastwood. Rust is as driven of a individual as you’ll find in a sport full of driven • Kahun became the 526th different player to score a regular season goal people. After today’s morning skate, he looked like he would have run for the Penguins. through a wall just to make get on the team’s bus back to the hotel. He was focused intensely all day Saturday, even on that mundane task. • Guentzel (169 points) surpassed forward Tyler Kennedy and defenseman Moe Mantha (168) for 48th place on the franchise’s career Kahun? He almost seems like he’s just happy to be here, in the NHL. scoring list. That’s not to say he doesn’t take his vocation seriously. It’s hard to believe an undrafted player who has reached the NHL would ever be • Rust (115 points) surpassed forwards Pete Mahovlich and Terry guilty of that, but Kahun has a carefree come-as-you-are way about him. Ruskowski (114 each) for 75th place on the franchise’s career scoring list. They’re two very different people who had not scored in any of the Penguins’ first 11 games. • Marino’s assist was his first career point.

Granted, Rust couldn’t score because he had a bad hand which kept him Randomly speaking out of the team’s first 11 games. Kahun’s futility was mostly related to bad luck. • There were anxious moments early in the third period as to the welfare of Sidney Crosby. With approximately eight seconds remaining in the Yet, they were the catalysts for an offensive surge in the third period second period, Crosby was struck on the left side of his head by a slap which allowed the Penguins to snap their three-game losing streak. shot from teammate .

“Finally,” Kahun remarked with a smile. Crosby was hunched over in discomfort immediately after being struck and staggered to the bench where athletic trainer Chris Stewart attended “The team has obviously been coming together here over the past few to him. As the period ended and teams left the ice, Crosby was able to weeks,’ Rust said. “I was just hoping to kind of jump back in seamlessly. I skate to the Penguins’ dressing room – the tunnel to the visiting dressing like to think I help contribute a little bit to the win.” room is not connected to the bench at American Airlines Center – without What happened any assistance.

Following a scoreless first two periods, which the Stars predominantly He did not come to the bench for the start of the third but eventually controlled, the Penguins struck first. After Stars goaltender Ben Bishop made his way back onto the ice recording his first shift 2:47 into the fumbled a puck exchange behind his own net, a forechecking Kahun period. stole it and fed a pass to rookie forward Sam Lafferty in the slot. Hurrying Crosby, who has had a well-documented history of head injuries, did not a shot on net, Lafferty shuffled a wrister into a scrambling Bishop who speak with reporters after the game but Sullivan offered a bit of an tried to fall backward and plop his 6-foot-7, 255-pound frame on the puck update on his captain. in hopes of freezing it. “We’re always concerned when somebody gets hit by a shot like that, the The puck came loose in the crease, however, and Kahun, positioned to way he did,” Sullivan said. “He was able to come back in the game. He the right of the cage, jabbed it into the net with a forehand shot at 7:29 of was evaluated by the doctors. We’ll continue to evaluate him.” the third period. Lafferty had the lone assist. • The Stars had a rough night physically too. They made it a 2-0 game at the 9:07 mark. Off a faceoff win in the right circle by Penguins forward Nick Bjugstad, forward Patric Hornqvist fed a At 12:31 of the first period, Stars defenseman Esa Lindell slid to block a pass to the right point where rookie defenseman John Marino chopped a one-timer by Crosby but got it in the face. He did not finish the period but slapper which was blocked by Stars forward Justin Dowling. The rebound returned for the start of the second with a full face shield. deflected to the right of the net where Rust collected the puck, swung around the net and swept a forehand shot into the crease where it Then, at 4:17 of the second, Stars defenseman Taylor Fedun blocked bounced off the right skate of Stars defenseman John Klingberg and into wrister by Blueger with his stick. The puck rode up his stick and struck the cage. Assists went to Marino and Hornqvist. him in the face. He finished the game luckily.

An empty-net goal by forward Brandon Tanev at 18:46 of the third The worst appeared to be Stars defenseman Andrej Sekera who crashed secured the victory. Forwards Jake Guentzel and Teddy Blueger netted into the end boards of Dallas’ zone while racing Bjugstad for a puck. assists. They were tangled up and Sekera just fell at 6:18 of the third. He required some assistance in leaving the ice. Statistically speaking • In his season debut, Rust logged 16:51 of ice time on 23 shifts, • The Penguins had a 27-25 edge in shots. including 50 seconds on the power. He had one goal on one shot, two attempts and two blocked shots. • The Stars led in shots, 22 to 11. In the third, it was all Penguins, 16-3. • Bjugstad, who had been sidelined for nine games due to an undisclosed • Bjugstad led the game with five shots. injury, logged 15:08 of ice time on 20 shifts and had five shots on six • Forward Denis Gurianov led the Stars with four shots. attempts and one block. He was also 5 for 12 in faceoffs.

• Klingberg led the game with 28:18 of ice time on 30 shifts. • Don’t dismiss the importance of Bjugstad as it pertains to Rust’s goal. After an icing calla gainst the Stars, the Penguins got to choose the • Defenseman Kris Letang led the Penguins with 25:18 of ice time on 30 faceoff circle in the offensive zone where Bjugstad won the faceoff in the shifts. right circle against Dowling. As the team’s only regular right-handed draw – Lafferty is also right-handed but he plays center only on sporadic • The Stars led in faceoffs, 35-28 (56 percent). occasions – Bjugstad was able to take the faceoff on his strong side and • Stars forward Tyler Seguin was 13 for 23 (57 percent). won it. • Murray bounced back after a so-so outing against the Florida Panthers Tribune Review LOADED: 10.27.2019 in a 4-2 road loss on Tuesday in which Murray allowed a puck to hit off his blocker, pop up and bounce off his back. He was very much the star of this game for the first two periods as he stopped several Stars chances with some flamboyant glove saves. He earned his first shutout of the season.

• The Penguins had to kill two power plays but did not get one of their own to work with.

• Kahun logged a season-low 7:57 of ice time on 12 shifts, including only four shifts in the third period. Yet, he scored his first goal. Go figure.

• The Stars were one of three teams Rust had never scored a point against. The two sole survivors for that designation are now the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets.

Publicly speaking

• Rust admitted his legs were … ahem … rusty … at times during the contest:

“I felt good out there. It was obviously good to get one. There were a couple of shifts in the second there where I was stuck in swamp water and a little bit tired, got caught in the (defensive) zone. (Murray) kept us in there in the second and we pushed back really well in the third.”

• Kahun on his team’s rebound after the second period:

“We didn’t play hard enough. Dallas was playing better than us. They played harder than us. They were faster. We said it here in the second intermission that we had to step up and we have to win one period to win a game. And that’s what we did.”

• Sullivan was happy for Kahun:

“It’s great for Dom Kahun. We felt he was all around it for the last handful of games. He’s had a lot of chances and the puck hasn’t gone in the net for him. He gets a big one for us tonight.”

• Rust broke down his goal:

“We just got the shot of the draw and I kind of saw Bishop was over there, overextended on the short side. I just tried to beat him on the far post, I actually tried to pass to somebody out in front. It hit a skate and went in.”

• Murray was pumped for Kahun and Rust:

“It was awesome. Dom has been playing super well for us but just hasn’t been able to put one in. But he’s deserved to. And he finally got one tonight. So that was awesome to see. And (Rust) stepped in and played great and scored a huge goal for us. Both of those guys had huge nights.”

• Rust on Kahun:

“He’s been playing really well the last handful of games. He’s been getting a ton of chances and he got rolling with an ugly one. That’s the kind of things you’ve got to do when you’re in a slump.”

• Murray on his play:

“I just tried to do my job. Honestly, I just tried to make as many saves as I could. They play a hard game, they get a lot of bodies to the net and they make it difficult. Definitely wasn’t an easy game. I loved the character we showed coming out of the third. We dominated the third.”

• Sullivan spoke highly of Murray, who had criticized his own play against the Panthers:

“These guys, they take ownership for their own respective games. Nobody is harder on our guys than themselves. They have high expectations of one another. Matt has high expectations on himself. It doesn’t surprise me that he responds the way that he does. He’s a real good goalie.”

• Sullivan on how the game flowed:

“We felt like we had one bad period, the second period. There wasn’t a lot of ice out there. The shot (total) was a little deceiving. Based on our calculations, the scoring chances were three to three. It wasn’t our best period but it certainly wasn’t our worst. I didn’t think we won a lot of puck battles in the second period. We had a discussion about that in between periods. Our guys responded well.”

1158674 Pittsburgh Penguins After not initially beginning the third with his teammates, Crosby eventually emerged from the dressing room and recorded his first shift 2:47 into the period.

First-time goal scorers lead Penguins to victory over Stars “We’re always concerned when somebody gets hit by a shot like that, the way he did,” Sullivan said of Crosby, who has suffered multiple head injuries during his career. “He was able to come back in the game. He was evaluated by the doctors. We’ll continue to evaluate him.” Seth Rorabaugh The Penguins were happy to evaluate and celebrate a win for the first Saturday, October 26, 2019 10:53 p.m. time in eight days.

DALLAS — Even in the midst of a three-game losing streak, the Tribune Review LOADED: 10.27.2019 Pittsburgh Penguins had spoken highly of their method. They were pleased with how they were playing. To a man, the players were implementing the style demanded of them.

But while a perfectly executed breakout or a precisely executed faceoff play will satisfy a coach, wins are ultimately what matter.

“We’re in a results business,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “That’s just the world that we all live in. And I think our players are well aware of that.”

They got the result they wanted Saturday with a 3-0 victory against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. They were buoyed by two players who hadn’t gotten any sort of result in the area of goal scoring over the first 11 games of the season: Dominik Kahun and Bryan Rust.

The Penguins got on the scoreboard at 7 minutes, 29 seconds of the third. Stars goaltender Ben Bishop fumbled a puck exchange behind his net and allowed a forechecking Kahun to steal it and feed a pass to forward Sam Lafferty in the slot. Lafferty shuffled a wrister into a scrambling Bishop, who tried to fall backward and plant his 6-foot-7 frame on the puck in hopes of freezing it.

The puck came loose in the crease, however, and Kahun, from the right of the cage, jabbed it into the net with a forehand shot. For Kahun, acquired in an offseason trade, it was his first goal with the Penguins.

“It’s great for Dom Kahun,” Sullivan said. “We felt he was all around it for the last handful of games. He’s had a lot of chances, and the puck hasn’t gone in the net for him. He gets a big one for us tonight.”

Rust also had been scoreless in the first 11 games of the season. But then again, he hadn’t played in any of those games as he had been sidelined since suffering a left hand injury in the preseason.

He struck at 9:07 of the third.

Off a faceoff win in the right circle by Penguins forward Nick Bjugstad, who also returned to the lineup after missing nine games because of an undisclosed ailment, forward Patric Hornqvist fed a pass to rookie defenseman John Marino at the right point. Marino whacked a slapper that struck Stars forward Justin Dowling and caromed to the right of the cage. Rust jumped on the rebound and darted to the left side of the net, sweeping the puck into the crease.

Trying to shield a potential pass, Stars defenseman John Klingberg inadvertently deflected the puck with his right skate into the net. It was Rust’s first goal since March 21, and Marino recorded his first career point with the primary assist.

“Its good for both of us to kind of get involved there,” Rust said of himself and Bjugstad. “It’s, obviously, good for the team to get a win here after losing three in a row.”

Forward Brandon Tanev secured victory at 18:46 with an empty net score.

Goaltender Matt Murray kept his net clean by stopping 25 shots for his first shutout of the season. The bulk of his work came in the first two periods as his team was outshot 22-11.

“I just tried to do my job,” Murray said. “Honestly, I just tried to make as many saves as I could. They play a hard game. They get a lot of bodies to the net, and they make it difficult. I loved the character we showed coming out of the third.”

There were anxious moments over captain Sidney Crosby’s well being. In the final moments of the second period, he was struck on the left side of his head with a puck shot by teammates Kris Letang. 1158675 Pittsburgh Penguins good outlets. If we lose a draw, it’s knowing who you’re covering and what your assignment is off a lost draw.”

“The big thing is just being on the same page,” Lafferty said. “Wingers Penguins focus on details of neutral-zone faceoffs definitely can help out winning the draw but just having a plan going in, knowing exactly what we’re going to do (is important.)”

Seth Rorabaugh Tribune Review LOADED: 10.27.2019 Saturday, October 26, 2019 5:04 p.m.

DALLAS — Faceoffs are an integral part of hockey. It pretty much is how any and all play begins.

But it usually is limited to three participants: two centers and a linesman.

Yet, during a practice in the American Airlines Center on Friday, Mike Sullivan demanded more involvement.

Actually, he yelled for it.

“All five guys got to know what we’re trying to do here! All. Five. Guys!”

For about 10 minutes, Sullivan directed a drill in which a squad of five skaters — three forwards and two defensemen — was expected to react by the team’s schematics to a faceoff win in the neutral zone. During the drill, Sullivan served as the linesman and allowed the team to “win” the faceoff by basically throwing it behind the center. The other four players were then expected to perform duties demanded of their position.

Sullivan wanted to spruce up the team’s play off neutral-zone faceoff wins after a dull effort in that area during Wednesday’s 3-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We had a fair amount of faceoff wins in the neutral zone, and we didn’t gain access to the (offensive) zone,” Sullivan said. “As I said to the guys, when we win faceoffs, worst-case scenario, we should be able to establish territory and have an opportunity to establish a forecheck. Best- case scenario, we should be able to create a scoring chance off of a won faceoff. We were getting neither in the last couple of games. So we just thought it was a detail of our game that we thought we would address.

”We addressed it with the film session before we went on the ice. Then we went out and practiced it.”

The message appeared to be received loud and clearly.

“Mainly, just our execution,” rookie forward Sam Lafferty said. “If we’re winning the faceoff, we need to be gaining the (offensive) zone. Whether it’s carrying the puck in or getting it deep, that’s the biggest thing.”

“We turned the puck over a lot in the neutral zone against Tampa,” forward Jared McCann said. “It’s something we worked on and we cleaned it up.”

By the team’s own statistics (something Sullivan supplied by barking it to players during practice, or to anyone with properly functioning tympanic membrane), the Penguins only accomplished the best-case scenario three times in the six draws they won against the Lightning.

“When you win a faceoff, you have possession,” forward Teddy Blueger said. “We just want to try and make more of it and use it to establish it maybe some more (offensive) zone and just execute better coming through the neutral zone.”

The center’s task is obvious when it comes to faceoffs, but it’s a little more nuanced than just taking the faceoff.

“(The job of) a centerman to kind of call the plays and dictate what to do,” McCann said. “I’ve got to be better in that area.”

A faceoff isn’t always strictly an affair between two centermen either.

“I don’t think it happens too often where you just snap it back clean,” Blueger said. “A lot of times, it’s battles. Wingers got to battle for position. A lot of times, when you win a draw, it’s because the wingers are helping you.”

What exactly entails the proper play for a five-man unit off a neutral zone faceoff?

“It’s just executing the play that we talk about or improvising if it’s not there,” Blueger said. “Making sure we’re supporting each other, helping each other, putting each other in good spots to get the puck, providing 1158676 Pittsburgh Penguins • This contest features teams heading in opposite directions as the Penguins have lost three consecutive game while the Stars are on a three-game winning streak.

Nick Bjugstad, Bryan Rust are game-time decisions for the Penguins

Tribune Review LOADED: 10.27.2019

Seth Rorabaugh

Saturday, October 26, 2019 1:51 p.m.

DALLAS – PIttsburgh Penguins forwards Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust will each be a game-time decision for Saturday’s contest against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.

Rust has yet to play this regular season after suffering a suspected left hand injury in the final game of the preseason against the Buffalo Sabres at home on Sept. 28.

“He brings a ton of speed to our lineup, he plays at both ends of the rink, he’s a good penalty killer, he’s a guy that we can utilize in so many situations,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “He can play the left side, he can play the right side. Since I’ve been together with (Rust), I’ve moved him all over the lineup. He understands what his role is on this team and he embraces it. He’s a valuable player for this team. So we’re certainly a better team when he’s in our lineup.”

Bjugstad has not played since leaving a home contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 5 due to an undisclosed ailment.

Having skated regularly since the injury, he is satisfied with his conditioning entering tonight’s contest.

“You’ve got to find ways to keep it simple to begin with,” said Bjugstad, who has no points in two games this season. “You can’t go out and try to do everything. You’ve got to get your feet under you and try to make the right play. It’s been three weeks. It hasn’t been too long. I’ve been able to stay in shape. The cardio is good. I’m not too concerned about that.”

Notes:

• With the departure of defenseman Erik Gudbranson via trade on Friday, defenseman Juuso Riikola may replace him in the lineup on the blue line. Riikola has played in three games this season but each came as a left winger on the fourth line.

Riikola said life as a forward was a learning experience.

“How it feels to be (a) forward in some situations,” said Riikola, who has no points this season. “Would you like to have a pass earlier or a little bit later? How it feels when the pass comes at different times. Would you want it to be (an) earlier pass, then you have more time? Or do you want it just to be later? That can help you see the game (differently).”

• Gudbranson was the team’s largest player at 6-foot-5 and 217 pounds, and by most measures, its toughest.

At a time where fighting is less and less prevalent in the NHL, the Penguins feel their collective ruggedness is sufficient post-Gudbranson.

“I believe we have a tough team,” Sullivan said. “We’ve got guys that play hard, we’ve got guys that take hard hits to makes plays. You can define toughness in different ways. What’s important for us is that we have team toughness. We’re just going to play the game as best we can to try to dictate the terms so we can play to our strengths.”

• Matt Murray is scheduled to start in net according to Sullivan.

• Murray was one of six participants in an optional morning skate. He was joined by backup goaltender Tristan Jarry, forwards Joseph Blandisi, Alex Galchenyuk, Adam Johnson and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel.

• Johnson’s presence on the ice was welcomed by Sullivan as Johnson had not skated for several days due to an undisclosed injury.

“It is a good sign,” Sullivan said. “He feels well enough to get back on the ice. We’ll take each day as it comes.”

• Ben Bishop is scheduled to start in net for the Stars. In eight games this season, Bishop has a 3-4-1 record along with a 2.38 goals against average and .920 save percentage. 1158677 Pittsburgh Penguins It was fitting, maybe, that in a game where both teams struggled to score it was Kahun, a player who had a slow start offensively this season, would finally be the one to crack through.

Penguins snap a three-game skid with win over Dallas “I tried to pass to [Lafferty] because he had the empty net there,” Kahun said. “Somehow it bounced back to me. Finally.”

Just over a minute and a half later, Rust extended Pittsburgh’s lead to 2- MIKE DEFABO 0. The Penguins won a faceoff to the point to defenseman John Marino. He fired the puck into the right corner. Rust used his speed, one of his OCT 27, 2019 2:53 AM defining characteristics, to raced around the goal and wrap the puck behind Bishop. Marino earned the primary assist on the play, his first point in the NHL. DALLAS – Sidney Crosby hunched over in pain and immediately skated to the Penguins bench after taking a puck off the side of his left cheek in “I saw Bishop was over there, he over-extended on the short side,” Rust the closing minutes of the second period. said. “I just tried to beat him on the far post. Actually, I tried to pass to somebody in front and it hit a skate.” Just one more injury to what was already an insulting 20 minutes of hockey. The Stars pulled their goaltender with about three minutes left.

The Penguins looked lackluster, playing what coach Mike Sullivan But one of the Stars snapped his stick trying to shoot. Tanev scooped up agreed was the worst 20 minutes of a three-game road trip. They were the puck and flipped it backhanded from the Penguins defensive blue line losing puck battles. They weren’t playing with energy. And now they were into the empty net to seal the win. 20 minutes away from losing not just their fourth straight game but – Throughout the three-game losing streak to the Vegas Golden Knights, possibly – also their captain. Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, Sullivan maintained that the But during the Penguins 3-0 victory, a game that could have gone off the Penguins played better than their record alone would suggest. But he rails, morphed into a feel-good, confidence building win for the team as a also pointed out that the NHL is a “results business.” whole and several individuals in particular who needed it. Saturday night, they finally got the result they’d been looking for. Columbus Blue Jackets' Justin Scott, right, checks Pittsburgh Penguins' “We really like this mix that we have right now,” Sullivan said. “They’re Erik Gudbranson during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey playing hard for one another. We only get one win on this road trip, but game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. we could have had more. When I look back on the whole road trip, we With Erik Gudbranson gone, who does the fighting for the Penguins? probably had one period that we didn’t like, it was the second period tonight. I really liked the response our team had in the third.” Dominik Kahun finally had a burden lifted off his shoulders by scoring his first goal as a Penguin. Bryan Rust returned from long-term injured reserve to recorded a goal of his own in what was a pseudo season Post Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019 debut. And goaltender Matt Murray, after taking responsibility for losing his last start in Florida because of a bad bounce, responded in a serious way by stopping 25 of 25 Dallas shots to pitch the 11th shutout of his career.

Brandon Tanev tacked on the empty-net dagger to help the Penguins snap their skid and improve to 7-5-0 in the young season.

“After two periods, to turn it around with a dominant third period, we really showed a lot of character,” Murray said. “That’s exciting to see for sure.”

Against a Western Conference opponent that plays a heavy style of hockey, the two teams played a scoreless game for more than 45 minutes. Chances were few and far between for either team during that stretch. The Stars out-shot the Penguins 22-11 during the first two periods.

“We didn’t play hard enough,” Kahun said about the first two periods. “Dallas was better than us. They worked harder than us. They were faster. We said it here in the second intermission that we have to step up to win one period and win the game. That’s what we did.”

By the end of the first 40 minutes, the most noteworthy development was a scary play at the end of the second period. Crosby was jockeying for position in front of the Penguins’ goal. The puck appeared to strike him just under the visor on his check.

The period ended seconds later. Crosby went into the locker room with the rest of the Penguins. He initially did not come out with his teammates to start the third period.

But, after several tense moments and one missed shift, Crosby returned to the ice. Everyone exhaled. Crosby was not available for comment after the game. His left check was extremely swollen.

“We’re always concerned when someone gets hit by a shot the way he did,” Sullivan said. “But he was able to come back in the game. He was evaluated by the doctors. We’ll continue to evaluate him.”

The Penguins broke the scoreless tie 7:29 into the third. Kahun won a battle for the puck behind the net and fed it in front to rookie Sam Lafferty. Lafferty shot. Dallas goalie Ben Bishop slipped and fell on his back on the puck. But it squirted out and Kahun was there. 1158678 Pittsburgh Penguins When he arrived in Pittsburgh, Gudbranson began to endear himself to Pittsburghers when he wrestled with Washington’s . This offseason, Gudbranson trained with Jorge Blanco, a former Spanish national kickboxing champion and former member of the Spanish With Erik Gudbranson gone, who does the fighting for the Penguins? national and Olympic boxing teams.

While getting in shape and finding new workout strategies was the main motivation, it certainly doesn’t hurt to work with the same skills coach MIKE DEFABO who trained UFC Hall of Famers like George St. Pierre and Rashad OCT 26, 2019 8:13 PM Evans and some other NHL heavyweights, including — wait for it — Tom Wilson.

In what we know now was his last-ever game in a Penguins uniform, DALLAS — A few weeks back, long after practice had ended and the rest Gudbranson picked up one roughing penalty and looked like he was of the Penguins made their way to the dressing room, Erik Gudbranson doing everything in his power to instigate a full-on fight. But maybe a sign and Brian Dumoulin circled each other near center ice. of how the game has changed, Gudbranson never logged a single penalty minute for a true fight during his stint in Pittsburgh. Gloves dropped. Fists raised. However, one could argue that his presence alone could have been a Don’t worry. There were no actual punches thrown. Instead, this was a deterrent. So now when a game gets out of hand and the Penguins need training session of sorts. Gudbranson, a heavyweight with nearly 30 NHL a steady hand, who steps in? bouts on his fight card, had become the Penguins’ de facto fight coach during his abbreviated stay in Pittsburgh, instructing Marcus Pettersson This season, Pittsburgh has logged exactly two fights. Blueger, who last year and more recently Dumoulin. looks tough with his missing teeth but isn’t exactly a heavyweight at 6- foot and 185 pounds, is responsible for one of them. Well, hopefully his pupils were paying attention. The other? Of all people Sidney Crosby. Dallas Stars' Tyler Seguin and the Penguins' Sidney Crosby become entangled while working in front of the Stars' net in the second period of Come to think of it, Sid the Kid would make a pretty good nickname for a an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. fighter.

Mike DeFabo Rust, Bjugstad officially back

Penguins snap a three-game skid with win over Dallas As anticipated, the Penguins activated forwards Nick Bjugstad and Bryan Rust from injured reserve in time for Saturday night’s game. They played When the Penguins dealt Gudbranson to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, together on the second line, with Rust at left wing, Bjugstad at center and they freed up cap space and created roster flexibility. By all accounts, it Patric Hornqvist on the right wing. was a trade that needed to be made and a sound business move. Pittsburgh also changed the status of forwards Sam Lafferty, Joseph But one of the things Pittsburgh lost in the process was a physical Blandisi and Adam Johnson from emergency recall to regular recall. presence who was more than willing to drop the gloves, if needed. Lafferty played right wing on the fourth line. Blandisi (healthy) and Now, with Gudbranson gone, the Penguins have a handful of players Johnson (upper-body injury) were scratched. who have chucked knuckles. Last year, for example, Pettersson fought a Reshuffled defense team-high three times (albeit rather unsuccessfully, promoting that lesson from Gudbranson). Zach Aston-Reese sparred twice. Four others – With Gudbranson gone and Dumoulin out with an injury, Juuso Riikola Evgeni Malkin, Teddy Blueger, Jack Johnson and Jared McCann – also earned his first minutes on defense. He skated on the left side of the third logged one fight. pairing with 22-year-old rookie John Marino.

But none of those players is nearly the intimidator that the 6-5, 220- Previously, Riikola had played in three games as a forward because of pound Gudbranson was. It brings up the question: Does a team really the numerous injuries up front. But with Gudbranson gone, the door is need a true enforcer in the modern NHL? open for him to earn more regular minutes at his natural position. When Dumoulin returns, Riikola would likely be battling with Jack Johnson for a “I suppose everybody has their opinions on that matter,” Penguins coach spot on the left side of the third pairing. Mike Sullivan said. “What I’ll tell you is I believe we have a tough team. We’ve got guys who play hard. We’ve got guys who take hits to make Johnson took Dumoulin’s place on the left side of the top pairing next to plays. Letang. Pettersson and Justin Schultz made up the second paring.

“You can define toughness in different ways. What’s important for us is that we have team toughness. We’re just going to just play the game the best we can to dictate the terms so that we can play to our strengths.” Post Gazette LOADED: 10.27.2019

There’s an old joke. Rodney Dangerfield is credited for saying, “I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out.”

Penguins trade Erik Gudbranson to Ducks for Andreas Martinsen, draft pick

But times are changing. According to hockeyfights.com — a site that logs stats and videos of NHL bouts — there were 0.65 fights per game in 2001-02. Last year, there were just 0.19 per game.

“You don’t need a player that’s going to be dressed and play two minutes and just have a fight like it used to be,” Letang said. “Now, [Gudbranson] was bringing more than that. He was finishing his hit. You felt his presence out there with his physical play. He also could play and move.”

The Penguins have acquired — and traded away — several similarly minded players in the past, including most notably . Jamie Oleksiak, who sort of filled that role last season before Gudbranson arrived, was in the opposite dressing room for Saturday’s game in Dallas.

“It’s good to have guys like that,” McCann said. “I played with a guy named Michael Haley. He was kind of like that for us in Florida. It’s got a place in the game still. We’re going to be missing [Gudbranson] for sure.” 1158679 Pittsburgh Penguins look to address a potential issue — high-end scoring depth after Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Malkin — by shopping Jarry and any from a group of forwards that includes Nick Bjugstad, Zach Aston-Reese or Dominik Kahun. Jarry’s .939 save percentage in three starts is an Trading Erik Gudbranson gives the Penguins cap space, so how might encouraging beginning to what feels as though is a make-or-break they use it? season for him with Pittsburgh, even though Rutherford said Friday he believes “Jarry has the potential to be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL.” The

Penguins already have one of those in Murray. Of course, the 2016 and By Rob Rossi 2017 clubs won Cups with two No. 1 goalies on the roster, so Rutherford might loathe parting with a talent such as Jarry given that history. Then Oct 25, 2019 again, Rutherford would probably sell off anything other than his son if it meant finding a missing piece to put around Crosby and Malkin for one

more great shot at Stanley’s silver chalice. DALLAS — Jim Rutherford wears sweaters, not cloaks. Still, could he be “I think everybody thought DeSmith was going to be one of the goalies a wizard? here, and he certainly deserved to be; he was coming off a good year,” With his Penguins inching closer to another salary-cap crunch, Rutherford said Friday. “But, you know, the fact of the matter is we saw Rutherford has managed to move an extra defenseman with one more more in Jarry.” season remaining on a $4 million contract for a journeyman minor-league Rutherford also said he has “seen enough to feel good about” the state of forward on an expiring deal and a future late-round draft pick. his Penguins, even if they have yet to play a game with a full complement And that, kids, is how a general manager ends up in the Hockey Hall of of forwards. Fame. Bryan Rust (hand) and Bjugstad (lower body) will be game-time Well, that or Rutherford actually does dabble in the dark arts. His decisions to dress against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Each Penguins tenure, which includes a couple of championships, has been practiced Friday afternoon, as did winger Alex Galchenyuk, who has punctuated by moves that have brought his clubs to the precipice only for dealt with a lower-body issue dating to the final week of training camp. him to pull them back from cap catastrophe. (Galchenyuk, who will not play against the Stars, also had an allergic reaction that forced him to get treatment at a Pittsburgh-area hospital.) While watching the Penguins practice Friday afternoon at American Airlines Center, Rutherford essentially predicted the type of trade he Malkin is out at least another couple of weeks, but it is increasingly finalized a few hours later. “We’re going to have to make a move here to appearing as though he will return to the Penguins’ deepest squad since free up some cap space,” Rutherford said. “Ideally, it’ll be a cap move their 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup clubs. In the absence of Malkin and that gives us cap space — enough that as we go along during the course other injured forwards, prospect Sam Lafferty has shown his NHL- of the season we can have normal conversations about our hockey team readiness and the likes of Dominik Simon, Aston-Reese and Teddy instead of somebody coming up with an idea and the first thing I’ll say to Blueger have won the confidence of coaches and management. them is ‘can’t do it because of the cap.’” The Penguins were only 5-4-0 since Malkin was injured Oct. 5. But each Defenseman Erik Gudbranson to the Anaheim Ducks for forward of their three consecutive losses was a one-goal game until late in the Andreas Martinsen and a 2021 seventh-round pick was the trade. third period, and they had previously won five in a row by a combined Though, the player and pick returned to the Penguins for Gudbranson score of 23-11. pale in comparison with the cap space they scored with this move. “We fixed what we wanted to fix,” Rutherford said. “We changed the If he wants to — and, really, when hasn’t he wanted to? — Rutherford speed level, the depth level to where the coach can use all four lines, and can swing an actual hockey trade at some point this season. The based on what I’m seeing, the team chemistry is better right now in the Penguins will be cap compliant even when center Evgeni Malkin returns first 10 or 11 games than it was all of last year.” from a leg injury, whereas only a few weeks ago they had to expose Rutherford conceded he would “think a lot” about any move that might goalie Casey DeSmith to waivers and keep Tristan Jarry as Matt alter “the team togetherness.” He also disputed that “moving one player Murray’s backup to get under the NHL’s payroll threshold. would hurt our chemistry.” But their newfound cap comfort does not mean DeSmith is about to again The Penguins’ current mix includes a rookie defenseman who might end be the No. 2 goalie or that Rutherford is looking to swing one of his up having made more than Gudbranson expendable by this time next trademark in-season swaps. season. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Rutherford said before making the John Marino is the kind of find a franchise such as the Penguins needs if Gudbranson deal. it is going to keep contending for championships despite committing a Oh, but it’s so fun to take one move by Rutherford and extrapolate what it bulk of cap space to a handful of veterans. could allow him to do for the Penguins this season and beyond. With that Marino’s emergence in training camp as an NHL-capable player did not being said, let’s at least acknowledge what the Gudbranson trade makes catch Rutherford off guard. To the contrary, Rutherford said that director possible: of player development Scott Young and pro/special assignment scout Murray is extended before next season. Rutherford said in training camp Kevin Steven each reported to him last season that Marino was “ready to he did not expect to open discussions with Murray’s representatives be an NHL player.” about a long-term contract. An argument could be made there is no “There’s not any surprises here for us,” Rutherford said. “Well, I’ll correct need, as Murray will again be a restricted free agent. But with him on a that a little bit. I am surprised he’s been able to play in the top pairing for one-year contract, the Penguins could work out a new deal for Murray us the last two games. I better clarify that.” later this season and sign him to the type of term and salary befitting a franchise goalie who has won the Stanley Cup twice. He currently counts Marino, a right-handed shot, is not ticketed for the top pairing when Brian $3.75 million against the cap. Tacking on $4 million probably would get Dumoulin returns from a lower-body injury. But Marino sure seems set to the Penguins close to the average annual value (AAV) Murray’s camp form a third pairing with Jack Johnson, who has gone from being on the will insist upon for him to do a lengthy deal. trade block during the offseason and in training camp to being what Rutherford always envisioned: a valued depth defenseman who can Or Marcus Pettersson gets his long-term contract. Rutherford has provide a physical component. repeatedly said a long-term deal with Pettersson is “going to happen.” As is the case with Murray, the Penguins would be able to lock up If Marino is this season’s equivalent of Pettersson and could quickly Pettersson for the long term at some point this season. He has already become a top-four staple, the Penguins would be better equipped to emerged as a top-four defenseman in Pittsburgh, so a $4 million AAV handle the presumed offseason departure of Justin Schultz by way of would not fly in the face of logic for a defenseman who will turn 24 in free agency. A top four of Dumoulin-Letang and Pettersson-Marino next May. season would conceivably provide the Penguins three tested defensemen under age 30 along with Letang, who will have turned 33. Jarry and a forward are packaged for a rental scorer. With DeSmith still thought of internally as a strong backup for Murray, the Penguins could Rutherford said at the end of last season he really liked the Penguins’ defense corps. At the time, those critical of the comment did not realize Marino might soon be the latest young player to help prop open the Penguins’ Cup window — just as the likes of Murray, Rust and Guentzel did in 2016 and 2017.

And it’s probably true that Marino has not yet done enough to draw such comparisons.

But he did make it easier for Rutherford to move Gudbranson, which somehow happened without Rutherford needing to sweeten the deal for the sake of cap space.

Whether it was merely a trade of players who weren’t going to play or a kind of magic Friday, Rutherford finally made a move to rid the Penguins of one of their three extra defensemen — and he conjured room under the cap, too.

He might not be a wizard, but that was some wizardry from a patient Penguins GM.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158680 Pittsburgh Penguins I tried using the game as a jumping-off point for that. I’m not sure if it worked, or whether it matters. I do know that I’ll never forget Cam Heyward’s face, or the catch in his voice.

The tragedy that made Pittsburgh stop, and what came after “I’ve seen kids walk past there — there’s a playground,” he said. Heyward spent time in Squirrel Hill as a child and lived there as an adult.

I’ll never forget Ryan Switzer, who’d been a Steeler for what seemed like By Sean Gentille 15 minutes, sitting in front of his locker in a shirt he’d bought weeks before saying, among other things, Love thy Jewish Neighbor. Oct 25, 2019 “There’s a lot of darkness going on,” Switzer said, “and I’m trying to do

my best.” Editor’s note: On Oct. 27, 2018, 11 people were killed when a gunman When I drove home that night, I had to take a long route — the opened fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood still felt more like a military occupation than anything else, neighborhood, the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. and network news cameras had engulfed the corner of Shady and history. The victims were Joyce Fienberg, 75; Richard Gottfried, 65; Rose Wilkins. Mallinger, 97; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Cecil Rosenthal, 59; David Rosenthal, 54; Bernice Simon, 84; Sylvan Simon, 86; Daniel Stein, 71; After each turn, at each traffic light, I felt an acute awareness of where Melvin Wax, 88, and Irving Younger, 69. my body was, relative to the site. It’s on my left. Now it’s on my right. Whatever internal compass I have was tuned in to that spot, and it was Three hundred sixty-three days ago, police sirens woke me up. something I didn’t shake for weeks. I felt that magnetization as I parked Far from an inherently weird thing. “That’s city living,” is a quote my dad and walked to the Squirrel Hill Cafe, for late drinks with Post-Gazette co- used to drop, and it plays on loop in my brain whenever stuff gets stolen workers. I felt it as I walked home. I felt it for weeks. out of my car. It plays on loop in my brain when I get splashed by Fifth A year later, I don’t feel it anymore. In its absence? Guilt, or something Avenue buses during runs. It played on loop in my brain for a little that like it. The shooting has retreated from my day-to-day life — not because morning. it has to, but because it can. I’m afforded that luxury. And it played. And it played. And then it played some more. City living is Am I closer to this than most? Sure. I’ve spent three-quarters of my life a cop car or two. When it’s Saturday morning, when it’s a parade’s worth, living in neighborhoods that border Squirrel Hill. I grew up getting when the fire engines join in like a brass section, when it stretches on basketball shoes at Little’s, hanging out at the Eat ‘N’ Park, trying to long enough to make you grab your phone and check to see what, sneak underage beers at the Cage, openly drinking of-age beers at the exactly, is going on — that’s something else. It’s something bad. Cage. So I made the rounds. In order, I checked my group text of, largely, fellow But if you subscribe to the Ring Theory of grief, I’m still comfortably local sports media doofuses. That made me check Twitter, which made outside. Nobody I know was killed. I’m not Jewish. I live down the street, me check the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Slack, which made me message and had to immerse myself in it temporarily, but eventually, I could climb one of my editors. Each step brought more information, and none of it out of the pool. I’m privileged enough — lucky enough, grateful enough was good. It was bad news matryoshka. — to not be haunted by any of it, or adversely affected in any real way, or That’s how I ended up reporting from Tree of Life. It’s not a half-mile from even inconvenienced all that much. my apartment. The state of the world is such where the best most of us can do is So, I did my job. I wasn’t in danger. I wasn’t the first on the scene from memorialize catastrophes like this. Functionally, tragically powerless to the newsroom. The photographers were, in both cases, because they affect real change, even as it sits on a shelf just above our fingertips, regularly are. I was one of several journalists — dozens by then, maybe we’re stuck trying to remember and honor and think and feel whenever — who’d bolted to the scene. By then, there was a police/media staging we can — or whenever it’s convenient. area at the corner of Shady and Northumberland avenues. I mainly hung So, I think of those 11 people and their families when I run past the out there, talking to whoever could offer … anything, really. The news got synagogue. I think of them when I see “Stronger Than Hate” signs in my worse, and the crowd got bigger. Politicians showed up. InfoWars neighbor’s yards. I’ll think of them on Saturday morning and Sunday showed up. Through it all, leftover from a Halloween costume the night afternoon and then on Monday night, at Steelers-Dolphins, because I’m a before, I was wearing a mustache. Didn’t have time to shave. You often sportswriter with a broken brain, and that’s how I bring order to a hear how Fast It All Happens. That mustache was my pathetic example. I ransacked room. was doing the most serious work of my life from the latest chapter in a modern, tragic book, looking as dumb as possible. It’ll be a reminder of what happened and what was lost, and how quickly people on the periphery can stop paying attention — even if it’s just to It’s a privilege nobody would ever want, but it’s a privilege all the same. function cleanly, on a day-to-day basis. The Post-Gazette staff, led by seven reporters with bylines on various stories, won a Pulitzer for its work that day and in those that followed for In the meantime, we’ll wait for that next set of sirens, wherever they are, what the committee called, “immersive, compassionate coverage of the and we’ll hope that they’re the last, because what else is there to do? It massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue that captured the might not have been city living before. What about now? anguish and resilience of a community thrust into grief,” which continues to this day.

The award was deserved, and conflicting, and profoundly sad for any The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 number of reasons. One big one: The category’s other finalists were the

South Florida Sun Sentinel, for their coverage of their community’s own mass shooting, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School; and the Bay Area News Group, for their coverage of the Northern California wildfires.

Worthy, both. It’s a testament to how good the latter’s work must’ve been to cut through the other outlets who had to deal with mass shootings of their own. God knows there were plenty to choose from. There always are. So goes modern life.

A day later, there was a football game at Heinz Field. I was there, too, trying to make sense of the city’s last 24 hours, of my last 24 hours, of Squirrel Hill’s last 24 hours last hours, of the Jewish community’s last 24 hours, of the congregation’s last 24 hours. 1158681 San Jose Sharks more recently is his decision making on the ice. He still makes eye- popping passes, either in close quarters or from 100 feet away, but some of the riskier plays have been eliminated.

Erik Karlsson “in a different space” for second trip to Ottawa with Sharks DeBoer said Karlsson was the “best player on the ice” when the Sharks beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 on Thursday, even though he went Two-time Norris Trophy winner’s return to Canadian Tire Centre to face without a point. Before that game, Karlsson had one goal and six assists the Ottawa Senators on Sunday figures to be more subdued in a five game stretch when the Sharks went 3-1-1.

Three of those assists came on the power play, which came into Saturday ninth in the NHL at 25 percent, scoring nine times in the last By CURTIS PASHELKA | [email protected] eight games. Bay Area News Group “He’s moving his feet. I think we’re starting to make more plays,” defense PUBLISHED: October 26, 2019 at 12:12 pm | UPDATED: October 26, partner Brenden Dillon said Friday after the loss to the Maple Leafs. “For 2019 at 3:36 PM him, when he’s at his best, he’s one of the best (with his) vision, able to make those great passes.

“When teams scout and do their homework, they know they’re going to OTTAWA — Erik Karlsson didn’t have to hold a press conference have to play him hard. He’s just trying to make more plays and hopefully Saturday in his return to the city where he spent the first nine seasons of create some more offense.” his NHL career and became one of the area’s most beloved athletes. San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 10.27.2019 No, things were a little calmer considering the Sharks simply flew into town from Toronto mid-day and had the rest of the afternoon and evening to themselves.

Although it will no doubt still be special for Karlsson to come back to the Cansdian Tire Centre on Sunday when the Sharks face the Ottawa Senators, the hype and hoopla will be nowhere near where it was more than 10 months ago.

Just about every media outlet in the city was in attendance when a smiling, casually dressed Karlsson held a press conference at a local arena Nov. 30, 2018, the day before the Sharks faced the Senators and two-and-a-half months removed from the blockbuster trade that brought him the South Bay.

Karlsson will always have deep connection to Ottawa, his “forever city,” as he’s said. But he also said midway through last season, after the return to the Canadian capital, that getting through the afternoon lifted a weight off his shoulders.

“A lot of emotions. I didn’t really know what to expect,” Karlsson said in January before the Sharks hosted the Senators last season. “It was nice to finally go there and get it over with, see everybody and have that thing done with.”

In the game, Karlsson was given a video tribute by the Senators befitting his status and was cheered by Senators fans every time he touched the puck.

Then the Sharks were demolished 6-2, their fifth loss in six games at that point, as Karlsson was held without a point and former San Jose forward Mikkel Boedker had a goal and three assists.

This year, the Sharks and Karlsson are just looking for a win against the struggling Senators to inch closer to .500.

Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped San Jose’s record to 4-6-1, as they entered Saturday in seventh place in the Pacific Division, eight points back of the first Edmonton Oilers. Rebuilding Ottawa (2-7-1) is in eighth and last place in the Atlantic Division after a 4- 2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday.

Karlsson is also now a Shark through and through, after the organization made him the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL in June with an eight- year, $92 million contract extension. Perhaps the difference is that he and his wife Melinda, an Ottawa native, are now parents to a baby girl, Harlow Rain.

“Totally different situation,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said Friday afternoon. “We were all in a different spot last year and arguably played maybe our worst game of the year in thee last year at this time.

“I think there’s been a lot of water under the bridge. He’s in a different space, they’re in a different space. Every year (after) you leave a place, it’s not as big a deal.”

Senators fans will see a different version of Karlsson than the one they witnessed last December. With eight points in 10 games, he’s been playing much more like he was during his standout seasons in Ottawa.

About five months removed from groin surgery, Karlsson’s skating has been at an elite level since the start of training camp. What’s changed 1158682 San Jose Sharks

NHL rumors: Brenden Dillon won't be punished for Auston Matthews hit

By Marcus White

October 26, 2019 3:11 PM

Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon reportedly won't face supplementary discipline for a hit that caused Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews to leave Friday's game, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.

Dillon hit Matthews around the midway point of the second period of San Jose's 4-1 loss to Toronto, stepping through Matthews after the Maple Leafs forward passed the puck on a zone entry. Matthews left the game and entered the concussion protocol, but he returned in the third period. Replays indicated Dillon made contact with Matthews' head, but Johnston reported the NHL determined the head "was not the main point of contact."

Brenden Dillon won't face any supplemental discipline stemming from this hit on Auston Matthews. Feeling is the head was not the main point of contact. https://t.co/pfRmadYdOO

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 26, 2019

Dillon told reporters in Toronto he didn't mean to catch Matthews up high and that he was happy Matthews returned to the game. During the game, Sportsnet's cameras caught Matthews pointing to his head and telling an official "that's a f---ing" hit to the head. https://youtu.be/G84N9IWG6HE?t=28

"I felt like it was hit to the head," Matthews told reporters after the game (H/T TSN's Mark Masters). "I saw the replay, kind of looked that way but it's a fast game, the refs are trying to make the best judgment, but I know what I felt. It's all good. We picked up two points, that's all that matters."

Dillon has been suspended once in his career, missing a game during the 2016-17 season after slashing then-Washington Capitals defenseman Madison Bowey.

The Sharks largely have relied on five defensemen with Radim Simek yet to debut this season, and Dillon has been one of San Jose's best blue- liners. Through 11 games this season, the 28-year-old is averaging a career-high 21:38 in ice time and ranks first among Sharks defensemen with a 52.71 percent Corsi-for percentage.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158683 St Louis Blues

Blues down 2-0 after two periods to Bruins

By Jim Thomas

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

In a tight-checking game featuring two of the NHL's top defenses, Boston took advantage of a rare odd-man rush to take a 2-0 lead in the second period.

Anders Bjork scored only the sixth goal of his NHL career, and his first of the season on a one-timer from the right faceoff circle to cap the 3-on-2 break with 10:29 to play in the second.

The Blues weren't without their chances in the period, particularly on a power play just 11 seconds after the Bjork goal when Torey Krug was sent off for hooking. The Blues had three shots on goal during the power play, including two by Ryan O'Reilly, and spent a lot of time in front of the Boston net. But they couldn't beat Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask and the Bruins took a 2-0 lead into the final period. it didn't take long for last season's Stanley Cup finalists to, uh, renew acquaintances. All of 38 seconds in Saturday's Cup rematch, Boston's 6- foot-9, 250-pound defensman _ Zdeno Chara _ flattened Oskar Sundqvist along the boards.

Brayden Schenn came to Sundqvist's defense and both Chara and Schenn ended up with minors for roughing. Late in the period, David Perron and Krug were both sent off at the same time with minors, leading to another two minutes of 4-on-4 play.

But on the next penalty, the first time either team had a man advantage, David Pastrnak made the Blues pay. With Perron off for holding, a Pastrnak one-timer from the left faceoff circle trickled past goalie Jordan Binnington nearside, giving Boston a 1-0 lead with 5:01 left in the opening period.

It was Pastrnak's league-leading 11th goal of the season, and his sixth power play goal, extending his point streak to eight games.

The Blues' best chance came seven minutes into the game, when Rask stopped a breakaway shot from the slot by Sundqvist.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158684 St Louis Blues "It was a lot more dirty when we left here last time," Sundqvist said. "It's nice to be back, it's going to be a fun game and I think we're all really excited to play tonight."

Sundqvist steps into Tarasenko's spot on Blues' top line The Bruins' room has been moved a bit down the hall from where it was during previous seasons.

"Nice," forward Sean Kuraly told the Boston Globe about the new digs. By Tom Timmermann "It's the best. Never want to go back in that room. Seriously."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch OH YEAH, THE GAME

14 hrs ago 0 Berube is confident the team will be able to block out the memories of their last time here and focus on the game.

"I don't think they're looking in the past at all," Berube said. "I think it's BOSTON • Oskar Sundqvist is the winner, at least for the time being, in another regular-season game against the Boston Bruins." the replace Vladimir Tarasenko Derby. Said Boston coach Bruce Cassidy: “Not a rematch. The Stanley Cup, With Tarasenko out for this weekend, at the least, with an upper-body unfortunately, is not in the building tonight. It’s two points.” injury, Blues coach Craig Berube dropped Sundqvist, who had been on the fourth line, into that spot. Sundqvist had been the most frequent LINEUPS player moved into the line with Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz on Thursday night after Tarasenko got hurt, though others stepped in as Blues well. Berube said that while Sundqvist would start there, others would Forwards likely play there over the course of the game. Schwartz-Schenn-Sundqvist "Not changing my game too much," Sundqvist said. "Just trying to create some space for Schenn and Schwartzie. That's about it. Just keep Steen-O'Reilly-Perron playing my game. Sanford-Bozak-Thomas "I played with them last year a little bit too so I'm kind of familiar with how they want to play and what they want to do. I don't think it's going to be a MacEachern-Barbashev-Blais problem. Just keep trying to make space for those guys and let them do Defensemen what they do best." Parayko-Pietrangelo Sundqvist has two goals and an assist this season. Bouwmeester-Faulk "Just a good two-way player," Berube said. "He hunts pucks down and gets the puck and goes to the net hard and has the ability to score. He Dunn-Bortuzzo showed us last year he has the ability to put the puck in the net. I rotated guys on that line throughout the game but he probably got the most looks Goalie there." Binnington

"We know what Vladi's all about," Schenn said, "but Sunny, he's going to Bruins work extremely hard, win his battles. Another guy who can take faceoffs on our line, another guy that can play on both ends of the ice. Me and Forwards Schwartzie are looking forward to playing with him." Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak Sammy Blais, who missed Thursday's game with a thumb injury, was back on the ice and will move into Sundqvist's spot on the fourth line, DeBrusk-Coyle-Ritchie though Berube said other players would likely rotate through Tarasenko's Nordstrom-Kuraly-Wagner spot on the top line along with Sundqvist, and he mentioned Blais as a candidate for that. Berube said Blais would be a game-time decision. Bjork-Lindholm-Heinen Blais said his hand had passed the tests it had to pass to be cleared to Defensemen play. Chara-McAvoy "The (hand) strength (was the issue) a little bit," Blais said. "It's gotten better the last couple days. This morning was another test and it went Krug-Carlo pretty well so I'm going tonight. I'm really excited." Grzelcyk-Clifton Berube said the team will approach the game as if Tarasenko was out there. Goalie

"No different than when he's playing," he said. "Same thing. Somebody Rask else will go in his spot, that's it. There's nothing else we can do." Halak MEMORIES St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 The last time the Blues were in the visiting dressing room at TD Garden, it was awash in champagne and beer after the team won the Stanley Cup. It's been cleaned up since, but otherwise is the same, small room it was before. But not for long. The Bruins' dressing room down the hall was renovated over the summer and the visiting dressing room is in line for an overhaul after this season.

"I got goosebumps or good memories," Schenn said. "You're walking down that hallway and the last time you were walking down it you were carrying the Cup out with you. Obviously very fortunate, very lucky. Could have had different memories if it would have went the other way. I think this group as a whole we're excited to be back here and we're looking forward to this game."

"Last time there was a lot of alcohol on the floor," Blais said. "It looks like they cleaned it a little bit." 1158685 St Louis Blues Herald. “We had our opportunity in Game 7 and it didn’t go our way. Now we’re focusing on this year.”

As are the Blues. Blues are back in Boston — scene of a championship “The feelings are gonna be with you forever, no doubt about it,” Schenn said. “Especially in that rink. But I think we’re there to win a hockey game. Grab two points. It’s gonna be hard. They’re playing well, too. We By Jim Thomas know they’re deep, they’re a good team as we experienced last year. So it’ll be a good game.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch The Blues seemingly have rediscovered their game following a players- 20 hrs ago only meeting last Sunday on the heels of a four-game winless streak (0- 2-2). Since then, they’re 2-0, handing Colorado its first regulation loss of the season and then beating what looks like an improved Los Angeles As the Blues loaded their equipment bags on a cart after their 5-2 victory squad. Thursday over the Los Angeles Kings, a giddy fan spotted David Perron and asked: “Are we gonna repeat?” If the Colorado game was the Blues’ best all-around performance of the young season, the LA game was the best offensive performance. The Perron laughed, shook his head, and said, “Seventy-two more games.” Blues seemed to be buzzing around Kings goalie Jonathan Quick all night. Yes, 10 down and 72 to go. And that’s just the regular season. “I guess you worry about — you know, you play Colorado, they’re first But oh, that Game No. 11: Blues vs. Boston Bruins at TD Garden. As far place in the league, they’ve got some superstar players,” Berube said. as Bruins fans are concerned, it’s the scene of the crime, where the “You play LA, they haven’t been a very good team for a couple years Blues defeated their beloved hockey team 4-1 on June 12 to take the now. You wonder if there’s gonna be a drop-off. But I was proud of our decisive Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. team that they did a good job of not allowing that to happen. They played “I can’t wait for it,” Blues center Ivan Barbashev said. “I’m excited. And hard.” I’m sure everyone is excited.” And now it’s Boston, once again a leading contender for the Cup. They are. “You’re going into that building,” Berube said. “We beat them last year in “Saturday night in Boston,” Robert Thomas said. “Should be a lot of fun.” the finals. And they’re gonna be ready. I think we’re gonna be ready. A lot of media hype will be made of it and things like that, but that’s just part The Blues won’t be given a heroes welcome. of the game.

“Probably not,” Barbashev said. “That’s OK though. We can handle it.” “Our guys just gotta focus on the game. That’s it.”

“I think it’s gonna be an emotional game for both teams, to be honest St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 with you,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “It’s gonna be a tough game. They’re playing really well. Their power play’s excellent. That top line’s excellent. So we’re gonna have to be ready.”

The official end of the Stanley Cup-memory tour supposedly came on Oct. 15, when the Blues were honored in a White House ceremony in the Rose Garden. But just when you thought last season finally had been packed in a crate and tucked into a closet, the Blues will walk into the building where they celebrated the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

“I’m sure they’re not gonna like us too much in that building,” Blues center Brayden Schenn said. “But obviously for this group in this locker room, a lot of great memories playing the Stanley Cup Final there. The celebration in the locker room.

“But all that’s behind us now. We’re looking forward to going in there. And I’m sure it’s gonna be a tough game because I’m sure they’re not happy.”

And why would the Bruins or their fans be? As far as they’re concerned, the Blues are returning to the scene of the crime. After a 5-1 Game 6 romp by the Bruins in St. Louis, the city of Boston was preparing for yet another championship celebration, and one that would take place on home ice.

The Red Sox had won the in late October. The New England Patriots had claimed yet another Super Bowl in early February. The boastful “End the Drought!” billboard in Boston proclaimed that it had been all of 128 days since the city’s last pro championship celebration.

But you know what happened that night. Jordan Binnington withstood an early Bruins onslaught. Goals by Ryan O’Reilly and Alex Pietrangelo late in the first period staked the Blues to a 2-0 lead. When Schenn scored with 8½ minutes left in the third period, the look on the faces of Blues front office staffers and extra players in the press box was magical. They realized at that moment they were going to win the Cup.

So Saturday marks day No. 264, and counting, for Boston in its championship wait. The Blues put at least a temporary halt to that city’s sense of sports entitlement with that convincing Game 7 triumph. And even if the Bruins win 10-0 Saturday against a Blues team that’s minus injured forward Vladimir Tarasenko, Boston cannot win the 2019 Cup. It belongs to St. Louis, now and forevermore.

“We’ll have a little extra motivation, but this isn’t a be-all, end-all type of game,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said, according to the Boston 1158686 St Louis Blues Tarasenko entered the Kings’ contest on a five-game point streak (three goals, five assists) but it has been a tough start to the season.

As he told the Post-Dispatch in a story published last week, he missed Blues' forward depth will be tested with Tarasenko sidelined about half the preseason because of an illness. In addition, he lost about a month of offseason training after the team’s Stanley Cup triumph over Boston because of knee surgery and wasn’t at top speed at the start of this season. By Jim Thomas And now this. Tarasenko, in fact, looked as quick as he had all season St. Louis Post-Dispatch against Los Angeles before the injury. 22 hrs ago “The way he started the game, he was flying out there,” Schenn said after Thursday’s game. “Hopefully it’s not too serious. Obviously he’s a huge piece for us, scores a lot of goals, makes a lot of plays.” Last year at this time, Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was into a six- week absence because of a lower-body injury. Forward Robby Fabbri “I think we’ll be fine,” Ivan Barbashev added. “We got a lot of players that and defenseman Carl Gunnarsson had yet to make their season debuts are not playing right now. They’re ready to jump in. We got really good as they completed the rehabilitation process from surgeries. players, so it’s all good.”

Forward Oskar Sundqvist had just made his season debut (Oct. 25, Well, actually not a lot of players are available on the bench. But enough 2018) after being sidelined because of a concussion and other injuries to get by in the short term. from a cheap-shot hit by Washington’s Tom Wilson in the preseason St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 finale.

We should also include forward Nikita Soshnikov, now playing in the KHL. He had yet to make his 2018-19 Blues debut because of a concussion from offseason training.

Partly because of those injuries, the Blues already had made five roster moves at this point in the calendar year, either calling up or sending players down to San Antonio.

This season, the Blues have yet to make a roster move. Gunnarsson and Robert Thomas missed a few games because of minor injuries, but Thomas is back and Gunnarsson’s now healthy. Sammy Blais missed the Blues’ 5-2 victory Thursday over Los Angeles because of a thumb injury, but could return this weekend.

That’s it. The Blues have been very fortunate so far with injuries.

But does that change now with Vladimir Tarasenko? Stay tuned.

Tarasenko did not accompany the Blues on their weekend trek to Boston and Detroit after suffering an upper-body injury against the Kings. He will be re-evaluated Monday.

With a little over six minutes to play in the opening period Thursday, Tarasenko attempted to break free from defenders on a breakaway. But Sean Walker got tangled up with Tarasenko and got under his left shoulder as Tarasenko was attempting to pull away.

Tarasenko didn’t wince in pain, but did grab his upper chest area underneath the shoulder before skating off the ice. He did not return to the game. The team provided no details on the nature of the injury after the game, and did not comment further on Friday.

Without clarity on the injury, it’s worth noting that Tarasenko had surgery on his left shoulder following the 2017-18 season.

If Blais is unable to play against either Boston or Detroit, the Blues will have no spare forwards available. In the short term, that shouldn’t be an issue.

Even if Blais is a no-go and somebody else is injured up front over the weekend, the Blues have been known to play with just 11 forwards — one under the full game-day complement.

They did it four times last season, three of which occurred after Craig Berube had replaced Mike Yeo as coach. One of those instances occurred Jan. 7 — Jordan Binnington’s first Blues start in goal and a 3-0 victory at Philadelphia. Another came the last time St. Louis played a regular-season game in Boston — a 5-2 loss last Jan. 17.

With just $165,000 of salary-cap space available according to CapFriendly.com, the Blues will find it difficult to call up a player from San Antonio.

Against the Kings, Tyler Bozak, , Sundqvist and Thomas all took Tarasenko’s spot on the Brayden Schenn line.

If Blais is available, it might make the most sense for him return to the Ryan O’Reilly line, which is where he started the season, and move Steen up to the Schenn line. 1158687 St Louis Blues

Preview: Blues at Boston

By Jim Thomas

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

23 hrs ago

Blues vs. Bruins

When, where: 6 p.m. Saturday, TD Garden, Boston.

TV, radio: NBCSN, WXOS (101.1 FM).

About the Bruins: There has been no Stanley Cup hangover for the Bruins (6-1-2), who rank third in the Eastern Conference standings and second in the Atlantic Division. Their only regulation loss came Oct. 10, at Colorado 4-2.

Once again, defense and the power play form the backbone of the team. Entering the weekend, the Bruins were first in the NHL in team defense, allowing only 2.11 goals per game, and first on the power play (35.7 percent success rate).

David Pastrnak had the league lead in goals, with 10, and was tied for third in power-play goals, with five, entering Friday’s games. Brad Marchand has five goals, but no other Boston player has scored more than twice.

Tuukka Rask is expected to start in goal against the Blues; he’s 4-0-1, with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. Forward David Krejci is doubtful because of an upper-body injury. The Bruins are fresh, having not played since Tuesday.

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158688 St Louis Blues

Injured Tarasenko does not accompany Blues on weekend trip; team offers no other details

By Jim Thomas

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Oct 25, 2019 0

Vladimir Tarasenko did not accompany the Blues on their weekend road trip to Boston and Detroit after suffering an upper-body injury in Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

The team said he will be re-evaluated on Monday.

With a little over six minutes to play in the opening period, Tarasenko attempted to break free from a couple of Kings defenders on a breakaway. But Kings defenseman Sean Walker got tangled up with Tarasenko and got up under his left shoulder as Tarasenko was attempting to separate from the contact.

Tarasenko didn’t wince in pain, but did grab his upper chest area underneath the shoulder before skating off the ice. He did not return to the game. The team provided no details on the injury after the game or on Friday as it left St. Louis for Boston.

And without any further clarity on the issue, it’s worth noting that Tarasenko underwent surgery on his left shoulder following the 2017-18 season.

Tarasenko entered the Kings’ contest on a five-game point streak (three goals, five assists) but it has been a tough start to the season.

As he told the Post-Dispatch in a story published last week, he missed about half of the preseason because of an illness. In addition, he lost easily a month of training after the team’s Stanley Cup triumph over Boston due to knee surgery and wasn’t quite at top speed at the start of this season.

And now this. Tarasenko, in fact, looked as quick on the ice as he had all season against Los Angeles before the injury.

“The way he started the game, he was flying out there,” teammate Brayden Schenn said after Thursday’s game. “Hopefully it's not too serious. Obviously he's a huge piece for us, scores a lot of goals, makes a lot of plays.”

St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158689 St Louis Blues David Krejci missed his fourth straight with an undisclosed injury. . Blues D Carl Gunnarsson didn’t dress for the fourth consecutive game, but forward Sammy Blais returned to the lineup.

Bruins blank Blues 3-0 in 1st meeting since losing Cup final UP NEXT

Blues: At the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon.

BY KEN POWTAK Bruins: At the New York Rangers on Sunday night.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Belleville News-Democrat LOADED: 10.27.2019

OCTOBER 26, 2019 10:17 PM

BOSTON

The stakes were drastically different for Boston’s first meeting with St. Louis this season. Regardless, the Bruins made sure the Blues left town with a loss this time.

David Pastrnak scored his team-leading 11th goal, Tuukka Rask stopped 26 shots for his second shutout and the Bruins beat the defending NHL champions 3-0 Saturday night in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final.

“I was just saying: ‘Unless they brought the Cup here, I don’t think it had anything to do with it,’” Rask said. “Different year, different teams.”

It was the first meeting between the clubs since St. Louis won its first Cup last season, skating with the trophy around the TD Garden ice in Boston on June 12 after a 4-1 victory in Game 7.

But on Saturday night, Bruins captain Zdeno Chara set the tone on the opening shift.

Like last spring’s Cup final, the matchup featured plenty of hard hits, beginning when Chara leveled winger Oskar Sundqvist in front of the Blues bench. Linemate Brayden Schenn skated in to defend Sundqvist and was sent to the penalty box — along with Chara — for matching roughing penalties.

“I think it does when it’s Z,” Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked if the play had an impact on the game. “Against a physical opponent, we knew they’re going to come out and bang — and they did. I think it’s important for us to initiate and not retaliate. I think we did that.”

Anders Bjork also scored for Boston (7-1-2). Brandon Carlo added an empty-net goal with 49 seconds left.

Rask, who played his 500th game with the Bruins in a win over Toronto on Tuesday, recorded his 47th career shutout. He is 5-0-1 in six starts this season, picking up his solid play that carried Boston to the final.

Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for the Blues (5-3-3), who won their previous two games. In his rookie season, the 6-foot-2 goalie sparked St. Louis to its run from last place in the Western Conference in early January to a title.

“Bad puck play for us tonight,” Sundqvist said. “It’s just one of those games we have to forget.”

With David Perron off for holding, Pastrnak one-timed a pass from Torey Krug at the top of the left circle for a power-play goal 14:59 into the opening period. The puck deflected off Binnington and trickled into the net, just as he looked over his shoulder.

Rask’s best save came when he made a blocker stop on Sundqvist’s clean breakaway with seven minutes left in the first.

“We had looks and didn’t capitalize on them,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. “There weren’t many looks either way. It was tight hockey all around.”

Boston capitalized on a 3-on-2 break when defenseman Matt Grzelcyk sent a pass to Bjork at the right circle, where he one-timed a shot over Binnington’s left shoulder to make it 2-0 at 9:31 of the second.

Clinging to the two-goal edge, Rask made a pair of splendid stops when the Blues were on a power play shortly after Bjork’s score. The toughest was on Tyler Bozak’s wrister from the slot.

NOTES: Pastrnak has an eight-game point streak (11 goals, seven assists). ... Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko missed the game with an undisclosed upper-body injury. He didn’t travel with the club. GM said Tarasenko will be sidelined Sunday in Detroit, too, and re-evaluated when the team returns home after that. ... Boston forward 1158690 Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.27.2019

Penalties cost the Lightning against Nashville

Once again, the Lightning played better five-on-five but couldn’t keep up on special teams

By Diana C. Nearhos

Published Earlier today

Updated Earlier today

TAMPA — Different game, same issue. Penalties cost the Lightning Saturday’s game … again.

After staying out of the box for two games, the Lightning went right back to what has been their biggest issue of the young season and took five penalties against Nashville.

The Predators only scored two power-play goals in regulation, one of which tied the score with about five minutes to play. In a game where the Lightning won the five-on-five play, those penalties added up to a 3-2 overtime loss.

“Again, we took some unnecessary penalties, some untimely penalties,” Steven Stamkos said. “Five-on-five was a step in the right direction. Special teams let us down.”

It was similar to the game against the Bruins: Tampa Bay played the better game five-on-five but let the opponent force overtime with power- play goals. That game, the Lightning found a shootout win.

They had a lead … at home … in the final minutes … and lost … because of a penalty.

Ryan McDonagh took an interference call in front of his net with 5:29 to play. About 15 seconds into the power play, Victor Hedman got the puck on his stick but failed to clear it. Ryan Johansen kept it in the zone and started a cycle that ended with Roman Josi landing a one-timer past Curtis McElhinney. Tie score.

“You can’t take five penalties,” coach Jon Cooper said. “And if you do, you have to find a way to kill them off. Especially the last one there. The game-tying goal, we had the puck on our stick and we can’t get it out. You can’t do that.”

The Predators’ first goal, with about five minutes left in the first period, occurred when Calle Jarnkrok took a one-timer that deflected off Erik Cernak past McElhinney.

That one bothered Cooper less. Cernak went for a block and “got a bad break.” He said he can’t fault a player for effort.

Cooper feels similarly about the penalties. Some come with tough play and he can live with those. Some are tough calls against them, which is how he characterized a couple of Saturday’s penalties. The careless ones are the most irksome.

Ondrej Palat committed a careless stick penalty when he got loose with his stick and was called for tripping. That play turned into Jarnkrork’s goal.

Cooper thought the team’s two too-men-men penalties were tough calls, though. He said the first was numbers missed by the official and the second featured two players not involved in the play.

“You’d have to ask the officials since they’re making calls on that,” he said. “If that were the way it’s going to be, there’d be 25 too many men every night.”

Even if he’s right, the Lightning have now had a handful of these penalties in this 10-game season.

None of the penalties in general should be this hard to clean up. The team started training camp talking about taking fewer penalties, instead they’re losing games because of them.

The Lightning took on the team that has given them the hardest time this decade and then beat themselves. 1158691 Tampa Bay Lightning teams have used that this year and the Lightning aren’t one of them. General manager Julien BriseBois traded Ryan Callahan’s contract to Ottawa instead of using it. He traded J.T. Miller and signed low-cost additions, plus Point at a bargain price. Now the team is carrying 22 The amazing, yet unsurprising abilities of players with a roster limit of 23 and has $2.4 million of space. (Numbers, as always, courtesy of the amazingly helpful capfriendly.com.) Slap Shots: Lightning power play questions, unsustainable stats and what would Vasilevskiy bring to a desert island. Three-on-three

NYC-area teams: 3. Devils. 2. Rangers. 1. Islanders

By Diana C. Nearhos Concerns with a Tampa Bay outdoor game: 3. Where to hold it? 2. Humidity 1. It doesn’t get below 50 here Published Yesterday Unsustainable stats: 3. Ottawa’s 3.7 percent power play. 2. San Jose’s Updated Yesterday 91 percent penalty kill. 1. Cedric Paquette’s 100 percent shooting percentage.

Andrei Vasilevskiy still dazzles, still amazes, but he doesn’t really Questions facing the Lightning surprise anymore. What happened to the power play? The Lightning goalie made two incredible saves on Wednesday. First Last season, committing a penalty against the Lightning was one of the there was a pad save on Sam Lafferty’s breakaway, then the glove save worst things you could do. This year, eh, it’s not great but probably not at the buzzer. much of an issue either. The Lightning are scoring on a respectable, but “He makes a lot of them, so you kind of come to expect it,” Brayden Point lower than expected, 24 percent of their opportunities. One of the said. “But when it happens, it’s always pretty amazing.” problems is a lack of shots. Sam Lafferty, a Penguins penalty killer, had more good chances on the Lightning’s power play than Tampa Bay did Kevin Shattenkirk has known this about Vasilevskiy — everyone knows before the winning goal Wednesday. This is oversimplifying the matter a this about Vasilevskiy — but this is the first he’s seen it up close and to little but the Lightning need to shoot the puck where they have openings his benefit. As a defenseman, he finds it comforting. As someone who and not wait for perfect openings. sometimes competes in the shootout, he finds it challenging. But the challenge isn’t to him anymore. What’s up with the Devils?

“Even in practice, it’s amazing,” Shattenkirk said. “You feel like you have Okay, this isn’t a question for the Lightning, but it’s relevant to the team, a wide-open net and he pushes out of nowhere.” which plays New Jersey on Wednesday. It’s been a rough six years for the Devils (except that one trip to the playoffs in 2018), but this offseason Did you catch that word again? Amazing. Somehow, Vasilevskiy started to look up. They drafted Hughes, traded for P.K. Subban and manages to make something expected and mind-blowing at the same Nikita Gusev, signed Wayne Simmonds and made hires in the analytics time. He’s that good. department. All of that has left them with six total points and at the bottom of the division … again. Neither of Wednesday’s saves were Vasilevskiy’s best. My favorite remains the kick save behind his back last year. Others might vote for the Where should we go in Sweden? glove save behind his back the season before. (Side note: Does he have eyes in the back of his head?) This question comes from reader Larry Youhn. If you have a question, @ me! Well, Larry, stay tuned. Next week’s edition of Slap Shots will be a “It’s pretty amazing how he keeps track of the puck,” Point said. “Just his whole lot of Victor Hedman telling us a whole lot about Sweden. But for flexibility, his attitude and effort to never give up on the puck it’s pretty now, I’ve been told some of the must-dos are the Vasa, Skansen and impressive.” Abba museums, as well as wandering around Old Town and Strandvägen (a beautiful street along the water). Also, there’s a I’m with Point on all of the above. Vasilevskiy is more flexible than restaurant called Aifur Krog where people dress up like Vikings. anyone his size (6-3, 207 pounds) has any business being — hence that Big Cat nickname — and he has some kind of internal puck radar. Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.27.2019 “It’s almost becoming too regular,” Shattenkirk said. “It’s just a save for Vasy.”

Quick hits with Andrei Vasilevskiy

Most used app on his phone: Vasilevskiy scrolls through the photos app constantly on the road, watching videos wife Ksenia sends of their son, Lukas.

Movie he re-watches frequently: Vasilevskiy isn’t sure how many times he’s seen Slap Shot, other than to say “many.” The original is clearly the best, and reminds him of his time in Syracuse.

MORE LIGHTNING: Don't miss a thing this season! Use promo code GOBOLTS to get three months of digital access for $14.

One object to bring to a deserted island: A helicopter, to escape.

So, I had a thought …

• I am in complete agreement with John Tortorella. Never thought I’d say that, but here we are. Tortorella advocated getting rid of the shootout because three-on-three overtime is “just dynamic.” Yes. Correct. Let’s leave shootouts in the skills competition and move on.

• The Lightning will see a couple of rookie phenoms this week. First up is Kaapo Kakko with the Rangers, then Jack Hughes and the Devils. We hear all the hype and we see the highlights, but it’s always fun to see them in person.

• Remember when it seemed the Lightning would have a serious salary cap and need to use the long-term injured reserve for relief? Well, 14 1158692 Tampa Bay Lightning

Nashville’s not the friendliest of foes for Lightning

Tampa Bay hosts the Predators in the final home game until mid November.

By Ryan Kolakowski

Published Yesterday

BRANDON — The Lightning welcome the Nashville Predators to Amalie Arena tonight to wrap up their current three-game homestand before going back on the road until mid November.

Nashville (6-3-1, 13 points) has hardly been a friendly matchup for Tampa Bay this decade. The Lightning (5-3-1, 11 points) do not have a regulation win over the Predators since 2013, and they are 3-10-2 against Nashville over their past 15 meetings since 2009.

Tampa Bay went 0-2 against Nashville last season, including a 4-1 loss at Amalie Arena in November. Their last win over the Predators, a 4-3 overtime victory at Bridgestone Arena, came on Jan. 23, 2018.

“They’re an unbelievably skilled team,” said Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. “Their depth on the back end is top in this league, great goaltending, just a complete team that obviously wants to win.”

The Predators have had the Lightning’s number, and Nashville is bringing a not-so-friendly face to Amalie Arena this year. Matt Duchene, who signed with the Predators as a free agent in the 2019 offseason, led the Columbus Blue Jackets to their first-round sweep of Tampa Bay in last season’s .

Duchene posted seven points for Columbus in only four games, leading the charge in ousting a record-setting Tampa Bay team. After failing to record a point in Game 1 of that series, Duchene recorded four points in Columbus’ Game 2 win.

So far this season, Duchene has 11 points in 10 games for Nashville, and the Predators’ 13 points have them tied with St. Louis for second place in the Western Conference’s Central Division.

The Lightning do not return to Amalie Arena until a Nov. 14 date with the New York Rangers. Over nearly three weeks, Tampa Bay will play five road games, including a two-game series against the Buffalo Sabres at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden.

Dan Girardi’s got jokes — dad jokes. The podcast is “just me making fun of myself, being who I am.” @TBLightning #GoBolts https://t.co/XBxekEG0vq

— TampaBayTimesSports (@TBTimes_Sports) October 25, 2019

Cooper satisfied with early start

With 11 points through nine games, the Lightning are currently tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division. Through Tampa Bay’s first nine games a season ago, the Lightning were 7-1-1 with 15 points. Despite the inconsistent play to start the season, coach Jon Cooper said he is satisfied with his team’s performance.

“We’re improving a lot of areas of our game, Cooper said. “After nine games, it’s probably still a little early, but I guess if you go 5-3-1 every nine-game segment, you should be in half-decent shape. We’ve been tested by some pretty good teams here at the start.”

Those early tests have included tight wins over Pittsburgh and Boston, and blowout losses against Toronto and Colorado. The Predators, who have reached the playoffs in each of the past five seasons and played in the as recently as 2017, present another test tonight.

“I think we’re getting better,” Hedman said. “We skate hard, we work hard, we battle hard, but it’s with a purpose. It’s to become better in certain areas of our game.”

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158693 Toronto Maple Leafs It might very well still shake out that way as the season rolls on. But as a No. 2 D-pairing constituent, Barrie has to date not brought either defensive resoluteness or the anticipated offensive production. And he knows it. The Leafs’ blue-line crew deserves an early-season D Over the past two years, Barrie has nudged the 60-point heights, putting up consecutive 14-goal seasons. He’s yet to find the back of the net, has collected only four assists (two of those in the season opener) and is a By Rosie DiManno minus-6. Conversely, and different positions granted, but as of this Star Columnist writing, Kadri — whose orneriness is sorely missed — had racked up five goals for the Central Division leading Avalanche, including a power-play Sat., Oct. 26, 2019 deuce in Friday’s 6-1 win over Vegas.

“Obviously I’m a guy that produces from the back end and it’s been a bit slow for me to start,” says Barrie. “I’ve gone through stretches like this in Thirteen games into the season and there’s still no consensus on who or the past. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. You just have to play what these Maple Leafs are. the right way and continue to play your game and trust the process, that Unless you outright reject what’s unfolded. things will work out.’’

They’ve shown flashes of brilliance, on some nights fully embodying the The adaptation factor to a new team is cited. “It’s definitely an doctrine of elite skill as envisioned by an outside-the-box general adjustment. You’re trying to feel out a new system, feel out new power manager who prioritizes speed and quick transitions and deft puck touch. plays and neutral zones. There’s a lot that goes into it and you’re trying to Grafted over those flashy qualities — papered over, many would say — get chemistry going with guys.’’ are the patchy elements of a roster stretched to cap capacity and He adds, pointedly: “I’ve never been traded before.” exposed for what it lacks in the margins of the NHL grind when the opposition doesn’t allow the team to execute as it was designed to do. His partner, Muzzin, has repeatedly emphasized that chemistry is rarely instant. Fluency is achieved over time and it’s been less than four weeks On Friday night, San Jose countered propellant finesse with a leaden of real hockey. They’ve yet to achieve that kind of instinctive feel for each trap, clogging up the neutral zone to choke off Toronto’s offensive other which is the hallmark of a complementary pair. There’s a lot of incursions in a game which — apart from eye-glazing to watch — was yelling between them on the ice rather than intuitive comprehension; mostly played to a deadlocked standstill until the final five minutes of knowing where the other is without looking, where the other will be going, regulation time. On Saturday in Montreal — fourth back-to-back set this how one will support the other as play unfolds. month for the visitors — the Leafs and Habs sparked and jazzed off each other, exchanging multiple breakaways that pitted Carey Price against “You play with guys for so long and you get to know their tendencies, Michael Hutchinson for nerve, with predictable results. their habits,’’ says Barrie, 28. “You almost know where they’re going to be.’’ Toronto’s backup netminder is still looking for his first W of the season, though this 5-2 loss couldn’t really be laid at his door, the winner a piece Which applies not just to a defensive partner but an entire roster of new of thievery — Joel Armia purloining the puck in an inside-out tangle with teammates. “I’ve played a couple of tournaments with one or two of these Jake Muzzin, waving his stick in futility. Which took the sheen off Muzzin guys but that doesn’t mean you know them. You see them once a year, scoring for the second consecutive game. sometimes. So you’re just trying to feel them out, understand their tendencies, their characteristics on the ice, and trying to fit into that.’’ For the 10th time, the Leafs surrendered the opening goal, although that wasn’t a defining factor because Toronto had rallied from an outclassed Through a middling October, it has become increasingly apparent that first period to draw even at 2-2 after 40 minutes before it went all pear- the back-end personnel is struggling in their basic assignments. There’s shaped. no real shutdown brace of blue-liners, though Rielly and Codi Ceci usually draw that duty five-on-five. Coach Mike Babcock has been True, Toronto’s alleged star players were all but invisible. Still, yet again fidgeting with his third pairing, with Justin Holl, Martin Marincin and Kevin it was the D-corps that was chronically frail, out of coverage position, Gravel drawing in and out of the lineup. outmuscled in puck battles in Montreal’s three-goal third-period surge, and failing to be alert about lanes opening up behind risky pinches. Those D-quarters will get crowded when Trevor Dermott is restored to the roster, all fixed up from off-season shoulder surgery, which will force Upside: The Leafs’ blue-line cadre has accounted for 34 points out of the roster decisions on the club, likely entailing — with the pending return of chute, second-highest back end tally in the league. Zach Hyman as well — the removal of two players to be salary-cap Downside: An unimpressive 6-5-2 record, nowhere near what had been compliant, either through demotion to the Marlies and waiver-wire expected from a team with Stanley Cup aspirations. exposure or a peripheral trade. None of which would impinge on Barrie, of course. And to this juncture, at least, he appears to still have the Key to Toronto’s system is slick movement from defence to offence as a confidence of his coach. five-man unit anchored by a mobile blue-line crew. Heaviness on the puck — also on the body — has been sacrificed for dexterity and flit. “Bear’s a good player,’’ Babcock was saying the other day, disclosing yet When a Morgan Rielly can get right up into the wheelhouse of a goalie, another of those cheesy nicknames he favours. “I don’t think we have driving the thrust, that strategy works well. Heck, even Muzzin, a sudden him playing at the level we perceive him to be or he wants to be at. But I scoring weapon for Toronto, adroitly jumps into the attack when the don’t think that’s a big surprise. Any time you go any place new and opportunity presents itself. And the bearded one is supposed to provide you’re trying to find where you fit, especially when you’re a power-play the hang-back ballast on that D-tandem with Tyson Barrie. guy and you don’t get to go out on the first unit like you used to.

Muzzin’s three goals and six assists have been a welcome contribution to “I’m not very concerned. He’s got a whole ’nother gear.” the Leafs package. What’s weird, definitely not as forecast, is that Muzzin Stripped gears at the moment, though. has so outshone his defence partner as an offensive component. Toronto Star LOADED: 10.27.2019 On the evidence thus far, Barrie is a puzzle.

On the evidence at the Bell Centre, Barrie was the culprit on two Montreal goals, most wincingly when Jonathan Drouin stripped him of the puck for his second marker of the evening.

Given that the Leafs have been framed as an attack-first freewheeling outfit that will have to score its way out of trouble, it was expected that Barrie would step adeptly into his projected dimension. That was surely the enticement when the right-hand shot was acquired with Alex Kerfoot from Colorado in the July 1 trade package for . 1158694 Toronto Maple Leafs 42 overall. It’s forced them to play from behind 76 per cent of the time in the first period and entering the second. That alters game plans, forces more risk taking and puts more pressure on goalies. It also puts pressure on the coaching staff. Babcock will continue to face questions about his The Leafs are still winless in the second half of back-to-backs after late team’s starts until there is a turnaround. “It’s the NHL. You’ve got to show meltdown in Montreal up every game no matter what the schedule is,” Matthews said. “Even if you’re not feeling your legs, you’ve got to find a way to be productive or

help the team in other areas … there’s really no excuse.” By Mark Zwolinski Up next: The Leafs host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals Sports Reporter Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 26, 2019 Toronto Star LOADED: 10.27.2019

Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock went to his wardrobe closet Saturday in search of something to change his team’s fortunes in the second of back-to-back games.

Babcock dug out a beautiful three-piece suit and looked splendid behind the bench at the Bell Centre, but it didn’t change the Leafs’ luck in a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

“Our back-to-backs, I don’t know if you have noticed but we haven’t exactly been sailing … so, change it up,” Babcock said.

Toronto lacked energy — again — in the first period but outplayed Montreal in the second, when they scored two goals, then allowed the game winner seven seconds in the third. That play developed right off the opening faceoff, with Joel Armia breaking in alone off a blown coverage by the Leafs.

The game wrapped up the fourth set of back-to-backs for the Leafs this month. They’re 3-3-2 overall and winless in the second games.

Brendan Gallagher scored the game’s opening goal after Cody Ceci and Dmytro Timashov didn’t do a good enough job tying him up in front of the net. That and Armia’s breakaway goal reflected the kind of night the Leafs were having defensively, turning pucks over and failing to make reads on the right coverages.

Another breakaway goal on Leafs goalie Michael Hutchinson followed, by Jonathan Drouin — his second of the night, the game-busting 4-2 marker before the midway point of the third period — and Nick Suzuki.

“You can’t give up two breakaways and a two-on-one in a game that close,” Leafs centre Auston Matthews told reporters in Montreal.

Backup plan: Hutchinson will continue to hear talk about the Leafs’ backup goalie situation, despite the fact he’s played well enough to win in his last two outings. He’s winless in four starts, though, all of them in the second game of a back-to-back.

Those games are a focal point with the Leafs now 6-5-2, but Hutchinson wasn’t the problem Saturday night. The Leafs broke down in several areas of the ice in the third period, leading to an array of breakaways and odd-man rushes. Toronto was also outshot 17-5 in the first, and gave up those three goals in the third before the period was 11 minutes old.

“That’s on us,” Matthews said about leaving Hutchinson in vulnerable spots. “To give up odd-man rushes, breakaways, … I mean, it’s one-on- one with the goalie there, so we’re not giving him much help in that area. That’s on us, it’s not on him.”

Hutchinson still shouldered the blame: “As a goalie, you want to be able to make those big saves at those key times, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make those big saves in the third period.”

Mixed Muzzin: Leaf defenceman Jake Muzzin’s goal late in the first period was his second in as many nights and third of the season. Toronto defencemen rank second in the NHL with 34 points. On Tuesday, the Leafs host the Washington Capitals, whose defenceman led the NHL with 39 points entering Saturday thanks in large part to John Carlson, who is off to a blazing start with 21 points. Muzzin, though, failed to contain Armia off the opening faceoff of the third period, and the Canadiens forward waltzed by him en route to a goal that broke a 2-2 tie. Muzzin smacked his helmet with his stick, knowing he had to be better on that play.

Holl in: Toronto blue-liner Justin Holl played his 11th game of the season Saturday night. He appeared in 11 all of last season.

Early warning: The Leafs have allowed a goal in the first period in 10 of their 13 games. They top the NHL with 16 first-period goals against, and 1158695 Toronto Maple Leafs In those days, the Wings were all about delivering substance without pretty packaging. They were an oasis beside a sinister and seemingly hopeless urban desert where abandoned houses were simply bulldozed.

Rejuvenated Hockeytown has everything but a winner — your move, Mr. Today, it’s all about the packaging for the Red Wings. It has to be. They Yzerman no longer have substance to sell. Attendance is holding its own for now in the third season at Little Caesars, but against Buffalo — for most of the night — the lower bowl resembled what you see during Maple Leafs games right after intermission. Lots of empty seats. By Damien Cox The Wings have no cap problems because they have no expensive stars. Contributing Columnist That translates into some optimism as the team may have more than $40 Sat., Oct. 26, 2019timer4 min. read million U.S. to spend next summer. They’ll just need something to spend it on, which is where Yzerman comes in.

In Tampa, he walked into a situation where Steven Stamkos and Victor DETROIT—In Chevrolet Plaza outside Little Caesars Arena, a place Hedman had already been drafted. In Detroit, there are two sixth overall where thousands of Detroit Red Wings fans could theoretically gather to picks, forward Filip Zadina and big German defenceman Moritz Seider, watch their favourite team outdoors on a giant screen, it’s all but silent on learning in Grand Rapids. Evgeny Svechnikov and Michael Rasmussen game night. Two small children do cartwheels. Otherwise, it’s empty, still have lots of upside. waiting for excitement to return. The skills Yzerman showed in Tampa while building an organization — The rink itself is gorgeous, the prettiest in the NHL, one part of a acquiring useful players and drafting stars outside the first round — are remarkable renaissance in downtown Detroit. They call it The District, what will turn this organization around. He hasn’t said a great deal since and on this Friday night Woodward Avenue is bustling with traffic and being hired. That’s smart. There’s not much to say at this point, and so activity. Comedian Joe Rogan is delivering his brand of humour a couple much work to do. of blocks away at the historic Fox Theatre. Country star Luke Bryan is drawing a sellout crowd over at Ford Field, home of the NFL Lions, and The NHL will be the better for it when Hockeytown rises again. That’s the Red Wings have a home game. going to take three to five years at least, and by the time Detroit is back in the Stanley Cup playoffs and Little Caesars Arena hosts its first post- Restaurants and bars are filled with patrons, while others wait 30 minutes season contest, The District will be among the best NHL places to be in for a seat. An Ann Arbor-based Cuban joint opened a new outlet this the spring. Trust me. month. The sounds of a live rock band reverberate throughout The District, and thousands of people walk the streets with a freedom and The Wings just have to get there. For now, they have to be about sense of safety that simply was not possible or appealing 25 years ago. packaging, waiting for the substance to return.

If you saw what downtown Detroit looked like in 1995, you can’t help but Toronto Star LOADED: 10.27.2019 be astonished at the transformation.

For the Wings, when the city was down in the dumps and the population was shrinking at an alarming rate, they were riding high with the NHL’s flashiest team. Now that a sense of self-respect, growth and even prosperity has come back to Motown, it’s the hockey club that struggles to win games.

Talk about a reversal of fortunes.

For those of us who watched the Wings set a standard for the rest of the league for 25 years, it just seems so strange now. The team is weak. If there was a belief in some corners that the mere return of the sainted Steve Yzerman to the organization would immediately return the club to its winning ways, the early results this season have quickly disabused everyone of that notion.

Yzerman preached patience when he supplanted Ken Holland last summer, and there will have to be a great deal of it in the next few years. Some nights will be tough, as may well be the case this Tuesday when Holland returns in command of the vastly improved Edmonton Oilers.

This past Friday night, the Wings meekly succumbed to another young team on the way up, the Buffalo Sabres. The Wings, 2-0 losers in their seventh consecutive defeat, seemed lifeless and unimaginative, a team without stars or even, at least this night, exciting prospects. So far this season, Detroit has scored 23 goals in 11 games, the second-worst offence in the NHL.

Optimistic Wings fans might have looked at Buffalo and seen their team in the not-so-distant future. But they’d have to acknowledge the Sabres have Jack Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin, and at the moment the Wings don’t have a young player comparable to either.

That type of athlete might arrive next summer in the NHL draft. There’s a good crop of elite prospects. The Wings need their Eichel, their Connor McDavid, their Auston Matthews.

For now, the contrast with their past couldn’t be more vivid. For a generation, the Wings delivered wins in architecturally uninspiring , perched on the edge of the Detroit River. The Wings made the building memorable by filling it with history and the roars of victory. It was distant enough from the decaying downtown for hockey fans to feel somewhat removed from the more negative Images of Motor City. 1158696 Toronto Maple Leafs the Hab came up swinging, but was not penalized … Capitalizing on the late momentum by Muzzin in the first, Toronto was the dominant team to start the second period, flipping the script with smart sticks and breakouts. That led to Andreas Johnsson’s goal against the back- Back to the drawing board for Leafs after loss in Montreal pedalling Habs, a Matthews rebound and Morgan Rielly’s assist. But it was the first regulation loss for the Leafs when Rielly has a point (5-1-1).

SPEZZA’S SECOND SERVING Lance Hornby The Leafs made no lineup changes other than Hutchinson in net, Published:October 26, 2019 Babcock knowing what the answer would be when he texted 36-year-old Updated:October 26, 2019 11:16 PM EDT Jason Spezza after the San Jose game and asked if he wanted to be in a second straight game.

“I told him at the start of the year he was never playing back-to-back,” MONTREAL — The back-to-backs keep biting the Buds in the backside. Babcock said with a grin. “That’s not our plan for him, but with our situation down the middle (John Tavares out at least few more days with With one of their best chances to win the second of consecutive games a broken finger), we’re trying to have the best depth we can and we this year — and take some heat off winless Michael Hutchinson — the thought Spezza and his line was all right (Friday).” Maple Leafs gave up 38 shots and some brutal turnovers in a 5-2 Bell Centre loss. Their game-start — falling two goals behind halfway through Now the Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott watch gets interesting with the the first period and undoing a comeback with a massive penalty-kill two players eligible to come off the injured list following their respective breakdown seven seconds into the final frame — put them 0-4, all with knee and shoulder surgeries. The Leafs have just one mid-week game, the hard-luck Hutchinson in net. home against the Washington Capitals, but some roster shuffling must accompany the two players’ salaries coming back on the books. It might “There really is no reason for (the slow start), I really don’t have an be that Babcock waits for Saturday’s game in Philadelphia to give both answer for you,” said Auston Matthews. “It’s something we haven’t done even more time to get comfortable in regular practice. well at (10 of 13 games overall giving up the first goal), especially in the back-to-backs. We’ve had plenty of them. We have to find a way to start MIKED UP IN MONTREAL better and start on time. Hutchinson had been hoping to channel some of the energy from a 3-0 “We battled back in the second (tying it 2-2), not necessarily taking our pre-season win here a month ago. foot off the gas, but making mental errors.” “It was a fun building to play in the last time around, fun to get that game Three breakaway goals, two in the third by Joel Armia and Jonathan in,” he said of a 38-save shutout. Drouin, doomed Toronto. “The rivalry is huge, the atmosphere is good, It feels like the fans are At least the heat is off on the schedule with the next back-to-back not right on top of you. It’s definitely stands out among (arenas in) the until Nov. 9-10. But Hutchinson could use a win before that. He’d made league. key saves during a Canadiens press in the middle period at 2-2. “My dad was a big Montreal fan growing up and he’s obviously switched “We gifted them three goals, which is disappointing because we’d over to the Leafs. They were always amazing games to watch in the crawled our way back and set the tone,’ coach Mike Babcock said. atmosphere.” “Three of (the back-to-backs) were right there in the third and we don’t get them done. SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

“Hutch kept us in big-time in the first period. I thought we were set up to Another Leafs-flavoured crowd managed to secure blocks of seats for get him a win here tonight and it’s unfortunate for him.” Saturday. Leaf Nation Network’s Paul Hendrick grew up in Rouyn- Noranda in Northern Quebec, about 60 miles from Kirkland Lake, Ont., a Before Saturday’s match, Hutchinson said there was pressure on him to kind of Checkpoint Charlie for Leafs and Canadiens fans in the Original win every night, not just focusing on when the games are played. Six era.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get a win yet,” he said. “But I feel “A microcosm of Canada,” said Hendrick. “You cheered for one or the my game is trending in the right direcion and I’m giving my team a other. We only had two TV channels for the games, CFCL Timmins was chance. Put yourself in this position enough, the wins are going to come. English, CKRN was French. Once the wins come, your numbers come and everything ends up evening out at the end of the year.” “Dave Keon was from Noranda, Jacques Laperriere was from Rouyn. The two towns were 10 minutes apart, but there was a lot of interplay. The fateful third period breakdown came after the Leafs had killed half an Jacques’ brother Gilles managed the Noranda Rec Centre, now the Dave Alexander Kerfoot minor for boarding Max Domi. At puck drop, Frederik Keon Arena. Kent Douglas came from Noranda and later on came Gauthier won the draw towards Jake Muzzin’s side, but the normally Rejean Houle from Rouyn.” reliable defenceman lost it to Armia. Muzzin didn’t address the media after the game. GOAT IN HOME PASTURE

Tyson Barrie lost a puck at the blueline that Drouin buried for a second As always, one of the hardest members of Frederik Gauthier’s family to unassisted Montreal goal. win over to the Leafs is maternal grandfather Guy. Frederik was drafted by the team that was likely Guy’s least favourite in the six-team NHL. GAME ON “It was harder for him. He was the big Habs fan. He grew up in the prime The Leafs gave up the first goal and looked bad in the process. when they won all the Cups,” Gauthier said before the game, as he Hutchinson had a catchable shot pop out and Brendan Gallagher beat assembled Bell Centre tickets for his parents, sisters, their boyfriends the much bigger Cody Ceci to the rebound … Ilya Mikheyev, a plus-4 and some childhood pals from the Laval area. against the Sharks on Friday, dropped a back pass into no man’s land, leading to a breakaway for Drouin, who let Hutchinson commit, then beat “I’ve had some little jokes with him (since 2013). I send him Leafs socks, him as he stretched … Hutchinson did snare a couple during a I think he gave me a Montreal shirt. Canadiens power play with Muzzin in the box. The latter came out But my parents just liked to watch me play, they weren’t really Habs fans. jumping into the play on a couple of shifts, ending with a last-minute pinch from the point to bury a Mitch Marner pass with Toronto down 19-4 “Some friends told me: ‘I guess we have to start liking the Leafs now’. I in shots … Otherwise, the Leafs’ shots weren’t getting through and Carey didn’t watch a lot of TV growing up, just a little hockey. But I certainly Price was there to stop them when they did for his 25th career win heard a lot about the Canadiens.” against Toronto … Montreal’s aggressive start included a Jeff Petry shoulder into Barrie’s jaw, echoes of Brenden Dillon’s collision with LOOSE LEAFS Matthews the night before that had some people questioning Toronto’s Babcock wore a snazzy vest to his pre-game media scrum, part of the ability to retaliate when really necessary. When Kerfoot boarded Domi, three-piece suits he used to wear in his first year with the Leafs for Original Six games. When the Leafs didn’t win any of them, he stopped, but saw a chance to reverse two curses on Saturday by going back. “With every suit I buy, I get a vest and they’ve been on the shelf for four years. With our back-to-backs, we haven’t been sailing, so I’m changing it up tonight” … On Friday, Patrick Marleau became just the eighth player in NHL history to have been a Leaf, then come back and play them aged 40 or older. The list begins in 1969 with Allan Stanley and includes Ron Stewart, Dave Keon, Steve Thomas, Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts and Dave Andreychuk … Domi, a Type 1 diabetic with the added challenge of a celiac disease, has a personal chef who cooks all his meals with no gluten … Trying to get the most out of his team after a disappointing home loss to the Sharks on Thursday, Canadiens’ coach Claude Julien canceled their Saturday game skate.

Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158697 Toronto Maple Leafs Republic. Acuna is from Venezuela. They’re all 21 and under … Last year, the Blue Jays traded Steve Pearce to the Red Sox and he went on to win the World Series MVP award. This year, they traded reliever Daniel Hudson to Washington and hardly anyone noticed. Hudson has Scotty Bowman changed Steve Yzerman into a winner. Can the Leafs do become the closer for the Nationals. If Washington holds on and wins, the same with Auston Matthews? the Jays will have played a significant role in two World Series victories, none of them theirs … Nationals GM Mike Rizzo ruffled some feathers

the other day when he said he still favours old-school scouting over new- Steve Simmons school analytics. That made ’s numbers crunchers apoplectic … The two top rookie scorers in the NHL this season are 24-year-old Victor Published:October 26, 2019 Olofsson of Buffalo and the Leafs’ 25-year-old Ilya Mikheyev. As Babcock would say — it’s a man’s league … The present June Jones left Updated:October 26, 2019 6:08 PM EDT behind in Hamilton: He turned Brandon Banks from kick returner to wide receiver. If I’m voting, Banks, with more than 100 catches, is the most outstanding player in the CFL this year … Been watching football my One of the most difficult conversations Scotty Bowman had in his entire life. Don’t know if I’ve ever seen a quarterback who can put the ball magnificent coaching career was sitting down to tell Steve Yzerman he in a more distinct place than Aaron Rodgers can. had to change his game. SCENE AND HEARD Yzerman was a star unlike few before him: In the years prior to Bowman coaching the Detroit Red Wings, he had scored 65 goals, 62, 58, 51 and The suspicion was, when Stan Bowman’s Chicago Blackhawks won 50. Only had more goals in that time period. Only Wayne three Stanley Cups with Joel Quenneville coaching, his legendary father, Gretzky and Lemieux had more points. Scotty, was never much of a Quenneville fan. That notion is supported in Dryden’s book, Scotty, where Quenneville is described this way: “He was “I said to him, ‘You’ve got to play a lot differently if this team is going to a steady unspectacular coach for a steady unspectacular team.” … I win,’ ” said Bowman, describing the extreme challenge in ’s don’t know, I think three Stanley Cup wins in the salary-cap era, the book Scotty: A Hockey Life Like No Other. closest thing we’ve seen to a dynasty in years, is pretty spectacular … “Hearing Scotty’s words, Yzerman might have sulked,” wrote Dryden. “Or Bowman named his son Stan after the Stanley Cup. He named another he might have turned against Scotty and fought back … son, Robert Gordon, after Bobby Orr … The combined scoring of the Edmonton Oilers’ third and fourth lines this season — and this isn’t easy “In the five years previous (to the conversation), Yzerman had finished in — is no goals, no assists … Connor McDavid has an impressive 20 the top 10 in scoring … In the remaining 11 years of his career, he would points in 11 games. More impressive, veteran Washington Capitals finish in the top 10 only once.” In those years, Detroit won three Stanley defenceman John Carlson led the NHL in scoring heading into Saturday Cups with Bowman coaching and Yzerman leading the way as captain. night with 21 points in 13 games. Carlson finished two points behind Morgan Rielly in scoring last year … This is an unusual stat: Jake Muzzin The uncomfortable conversation Bowman insisted upon having with leads the NHL in shifts per game at just more than 30 a night. But he’s Yzerman was similar to one he had years earlier with Jacques Lemaire in 30th in ice time among defencemen, which means he also leads the NHL Montreal. And it might be the kind of conversation Mike Babcock or Kyle in short shifts … The outdoor NHL game in Regina on Saturday night had Dubas should have one day with Auston Matthews, who is on pace for a me remembering back to Wild Bill Hunter’s bullish attempt to move the 60-goal season — and not playing particularly well for the Maple Leafs. St. Louis Blues to Saskatoon. The year was 1983. The late, great Wild The Leafs need Matthews to expand his game, grow his responsibilities, Bill was certain it would happen. The NHL vote was 15-3 against the take advantage of his gifts and his size and strength, take advantage of move … Dougie Hamilton, drafted by Boston with a pick acquired from aspects he has yet to demonstrate in an all-ice game. Like Yzerman, he the Phil Kessel trade with the Leafs, leads all NHL defencemen in goal- is capable of doing so. scoring. Over the past three years, only Brent Burns has scored more goals than Hamilton, now on his third team in Carolina … Anybody seen But in today’s millennial climate, you have to wonder: Is this kind of Jake Gardiner this season? Anybody? growth possible? AND ANOTHER THING THIS AND THAT The cooing over the return of Patrick Marleau to Toronto was rather It took Pascal Siakam 13 games last season to hit first seven three-point romantic, yet somewhat glossing over the facts. The bottom line: Signing shots for the Raptors. He’s hit seven already in two games this new Marleau to a three-year contract was a crappy deal for the Leafs. He had season. He made five on Friday night against the Celtics … Siakam and one good season in Toronto and one ineffective season, and to get rid of Fred VanVleet were the dominant players in the championship-clinching his contract, the Leafs had to relinquish a first-round pick in the process. Game 6 in Oakland, and the dominant scorers in Game 1 of the regular Sound management, this wasn’t … Marleau’s career reminds me of season … Under the department of rather ridiculous: The notion that fans baseball’s Don Sutton, who pitched forever and was rarely the best were cheated and Kawhi Leonard was virtually ignored in the Raptors’ starter on any team he played on. But he made the Hall of Fame, as will pre-game banner-raising ceremony and celebration on Tuesday night. Marleau one day … There was no load management when Vince Carter The ceremony was about as close to perfect as you can get … Although, was playing most of his career, but the best way to last more than 20 one thing: I’ve been to countries that weren’t as big as the Raptors’ years in the NBA is to occasionally put your career on cruise control… championship rings. Like, who is going to wear that anywhere? … Shai That somewhat awkward mid-ice drop pass the Maple Leafs use on Gilgeous-Alexander, the kid from Hamilton who didn’t play for Canada at every power play isn’t working or being properly executed. Time to come the World Cup, has scored 26 and 28 points in the first two games of the up with another way to enter the offensive zone with the man advantage NBA season in Oklahoma City. R.J. Barrett, who didn’t play for Canada, … The best defenceman in the NHL nobody says much about: Mattias is averaging 18.5 in his first two NBA games in New York, while the Ekholm of the Nashville Predators. He rarely gets scored on at even rather drone-like Andrew Wiggins is sitting at 18.5 after two games in strength … Happy birthday to Mike Ricci (48), Leon Draisaitl (24), Brian Minnesota. This must drive Team Canada coach Nick Nurse crazy when MacLellan (61), Lonzo Ball (22), Harvey Wippleman (54), Atlee Mahorn he isn’t going crazy over his early inability to figure out which calls to (54), Pete Vuckovich (67), Barry Bonnell (66) and Lou Williams (33) … challenge in the Raptors’ first two games … Kyle Lowry can be annoying, And hey, whatever became of Jimy Williams? polarizing, aggravating and singular, but man, when the Raptors need him, can he still play. He’s hard to love and hard not to love … If you had SWEET LOU MAKES MAGIC ON LONG ISLAND heard that the best player in the NBA was playing on opening night and When Lou Lamoriello was pushed aside by the roster-rich, payroll rich you’d never seen a game before, you would think that player was Kawhi, Maple Leafs to almost immediately sign on with the rather ordinary New not LeBron James. York Islanders, the hockey thought was he was taking a giant step HEAR AND THERE backward.

Will we ever see another World Series day game in our lives? … The It seemed the difference between the Leafs and Islanders would be even best young hitters in baseball — Ronald Acuna Jr., Juan Soto and worse with the Isles’ captain John Tavares leaving Long Island to come Fernando Tatis Jr., sure give reason to be optimistic about what comes home to Toronto. next for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Soto, like Guerrero, is from the Dominican So what has happened in the interim? Lamoriello is doing Lamoriello things: He did much to change the culture with the wonky Islanders. He hired a top-of-the-line coach in Barry Trotz. He even made some odd signings, like bringing in Leo Komarov, because he wanted to establish some kind of leadership.

Since Lamoriello has taken over the Islanders, they have won 55 games, lost 30, and have seven overtime losses in the 92 regular-season games played. In that same time, ’ Maple Leafs have won 52 games, lost 32, and have 10 OTL points. And over the same period of time, coach Barry Trotz’s Islanders have allowed 220 goals against while Mike Babcock’s Leafs have allowed 291 goals against.

And one more thing: The Islanders made the post-season and won a playoff series in Lamoriello’s first year on the job. The Leafs are still looking for a playoff-series victory.

No one saw this coming. Not even Sweet Lou. But you have to be impressed.

REPUTATIONS OF TAUBMAN — AND ASTROS — IN TATTERS

Brandon Taubman was going places in baseball. He would have been one of the names kicked around for any general manager opening. He and the Houston Astros had that kind of reputation.

Now, after some denial and lies and a few more lies, Taubman has been fired for his insulting, intimidating, pro-Roberto Osuna clubhouse outburst last week. And the firing will almost certainly be followed by a suspension of some kind from . The odds of him working in a prominent baseball position again? Well, not great.

It is rather remarkable, from the outside, to watch the brilliance and the ignorance of the Astros side-by-side. This is their third straight 100-win season for probably the best-built team in baseball. And this is an operation that will play with the truth, lacking conscience and common sense — tripping all over itself off the field while trying to win a World Series on it.

Taubman’s clubhouse rant, directed at female reporters, including Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated, was reported by Apstein and vehemently denied by the Astros. Not just vehemently denied. In a statement, they called her report “misleading and completely irresponsible.” It’s the Donald Trump fake-news approach to dealing with reality.

The general manager, Jeff Luhnow, took questions on the outburst the other day and was asked if he apologized to Apstein. He said he had been travelling and had been too busy to do so. Apstein was in the room when he said he hadn’t had time to apologize.

OUR VOTE IS FOR VAN KOEVERDEN

Long before he became a household name or an elected member of parliament, was someone worth listening to.

He said what other athletes wouldn’t say. He said it with a clarity and strength of conviction. You could disagree with his point of view, and on occasion I did, but you could not disagree with the passion and intelligence he brought to his words and the thought he had put into what he was going to say.

When Canadians didn’t do well in the early days of the Athens Summer Olympics in 2004, it was van Koeverden who took his fellow athletes to task for their lack of performance.

“If you’re training for the Olympics and you’re not ready, the only person to blame is yourself,” he said at the time, shocking words back then. “You can’t expect to get things done for you. We’re not prepared to accept any of the problems in the Canadian sport system. If there’s a problem with funding, fine, find something else. If you want to be successful, you can’t let it hinder you … it’s the Canadian way to blame and we have to get away from that.”

That was 15 years ago. Now van Koeverden has a place in Ottawa with the Liberal Party and, hopefully, they will take advantage of everything he can bring to the table. I wouldn’t hesitate to have him as the minister responsible for amateur sport. He already knows the portfolio and the landscape. Why not him?

Toronto Sun LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158698 Toronto Maple Leafs Over those five games, Matthews and Johnsson — the only two consistent components of the line, with Nylander and Marner trading spots occasionally — are just under 50 percent possession, and 53 percent expected goals, despite boasting almost 80 percent zone starts. The Leafs need fewer hit-or-miss nights from the Auston Matthews line And that’s the thing: Babcock has been loading the line up with starts in the fun zone, priming them to, well, prime the offence. Against Montreal, the trio didn’t line up for a single defensive zone draw. By Jonas Siegel The Leafs coach gave all — literally all! — of those faceoffs (13 in all) to Oct 26, 2019 the fourth line of Frederik Gauthier, Dmytro Timashov and Nick Shore. And while possession looked ugly for the group (33 percent), they largely did their job, getting the puck up, out and moving the other way. MONTREAL — It started on the very shift of the game in Montreal: Auston Matthews, Andreas Johnsson and William Nylander hemmed in Babcock ended up playing the second line of Marner, Alex Kerfoot and their own zone during a shift that ultimately lasted one minute and two Ilya Mikheyev almost as much as the Matthews unit: 13:52 to 13:15. seconds. Deservedly so, too, given the chances and pressure that line managed to create — if also costing the Leafs a couple of goals against on a pair of The Maple Leafs’ big line got going a bit after that, but not enough, or not failed point passes by Mikheyev. often enough, anyway, to really put their imprint on a second loss to the Canadiens in two games this season — this one in regulation. “Obviously, we were mad about our first period,” Nylander said after the 5-2 loss. “It wasn’t good enough. We dialed ’er up for the second and It’s been like that of late especially for the Matthews line, and for the most third.” part this season despite Matthews’ video game scoring numbers in October. Either his line has been a fearsome trio of destruction, pinning In fact, it was evident as soon as the second frame got going that the trio dudes in their own end shift after shift, playing keep-away with the puck was all charged up. All energetic and forceful, they managed to soon tie — as was mostly the case Friday night against the Sharks and old friend the score at 2-all on Johnsson’s third goal of the year, and first five-on- (and current top-liner) Patrick Marleau. five.

Or they’ve been a flat one-and-done attack, which was largely true NO-LOOK. THROUGH THE LEGS. MAGNIFICENT MANGO against the Habs on Saturday evening. #LEAFSFOREVER PIC.TWITTER.COM/BA8F21UFLL

It’s been one or the other, with little in between. — TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (@MAPLELEAFS) OCTOBER 27, 2019

The Leafs’ No. 1 line was contained in Montreal by the respectable, but Johnsson nearly scored again later on a hard drive to the net. Nylander hardly imposing, Canadiens top line of Brendan Gallagher, Tomas Tatar fired high himself with a great look right in front. He put his hands on his and Phillip Danault, along with the sturdy defence pairing of Shea Weber head in frustration right after, seemingly in disbelief that he missed on and Victor Mete. such a glorious opportunity.

Shot attempts were 15-9 for Montreal (38 percent possession for the Success for the line, he said, came down to skating. Leafs) in the 11-plus minutes when the two top lines went head-to-head. Scoring chances were 7-4. “We know when we’re skating that’s when we’re creating stuff all the time,” said Nylander, who has eight points in 13 games this season. Overall, the Leafs were a sub-47 percent bunch when Matthews, “That’s how you know we’re playing well and skating is when we’re in the Nylander and Johnsson were on the ice (though expected goals was a O-zone and creating chances.” sparkling 65 percent). That’s not good enough for a line booming with that much talent, especially during this chunk when the Leafs are playing Johnsson was easily best of the trio against the Habs, finishing the night without John Tavares. With him around, there’s another line to soak up with the goal and a game-high five shots. some top competitors, another engine to drive the Leafs’ offensive attack. “When we play good, we always have a guy that’s open for you,” Without him, it all largely falls on Matthews, Johnsson and Nylander to Johnsson said of the line functioning at its best. “And I feel like the guy create. with the puck is ready, too, to deliver it, ready to handle it and do what’s best for the situation. But you play the best (when) all three guys are “That’s the problem with being good players is you draw the best going. And sometimes someone wakes another guy up. You hit the guy matchup when you go in the opposition building — and you gotta be or you make a great play and then when you do that you make the other ready to go,” Mike Babcock said after the game. ones be like, Hey, you have to also do that for me.

The Leafs coach voiced similar displeasure earlier in the week when “Obviously, (it’s the) opposite when you don’t do that,” he added. “We Matthews and Johnsson, joined Tuesday night in Boston on right wing by play in our own end and we lose pucks.” Mitch Marner, were flattened by the Bruins’ top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. He actually thought the night in Montreal was one of the line’s best all season in terms of hunting down pucks in the offensive end. Dominant players, he said, needed to be dominant players. Maybe. Certainly not early, though, and not consistent enough of late. And generally speaking, the Matthews-led line has been a success this season. The Leafs are thumping teams in possession (61 percent), “Today, I thought our second and third was good, but our first wasn’t scoring chances (62 percent) and expected goals (63 percent) when nearly good enough,” Nylander reiterated. “One period, and then the next they’ve been out there. two were fine. Obviously, we would want to have three good periods tonight. That’s how it is.” It’s just been hit or miss more than it should be. “I thought second period we got playing a lot better and created Consider the possession numbers for Matthews the past five games, all opportunities,” Matthews said. of them without Tavares: Besides moving their feet, Nylander, too, thought a big thing for the line 44 percent vs. Montreal was chasing down pucks after the initial attempt on goal. In other words, less one-and-done action and more of the rolling around in the offensive 65 percent vs. San Jose zone that Babcock wants — and should get — more often than not with a 42 percent vs. Boston crew of this skill level.

62 percent vs. Columbus “You gotta know too that you play against their top players too and they’re good players — so where can I put the puck to put myself in a 43 percent vs. Boston good spot or my teammates in a good spot,” said Johnsson, a third-liner at this point a year ago. “I think that especially may be the biggest The Leafs are 2-2-1 in that stretch. difference from the first to the second, we took care of the puck. Then you don’t have to work your ass (off to get it back).” Six of Matthews’ first nine goals this season have come at five-on-five. He’s put up 2.4 points per 60 in such situations, down a bit from the previous two seasons but still mighty respectable. Though he joined Matthews for a good chunk of the second half last year, this feels like Johnsson’s first stint in serious prime time, and by and large, he’s been just fine so far. Nylander feels like the real wild card of the line, a force of speed, skill, creativity and persistence when he’s got it going, and a floating passenger when he’s not.

He can be the difference, the player creating openings for Matthews and Johnsson, or like he did against the Sharks, Morgan Rielly.

WHOA. MO.

LET'S GO!#LEAFSFOREVER PIC.TWITTER.COM/0DAMVCLN8N

— TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (@MAPLELEAFS) OCTOBER 26, 2019

He was among the more productive five-on-five players in the league two seasons ago, when he put up 2.4 points per 60. He was down at 1.8 per 60 during last season’s contract standoff malaise. Right now, the number is up slightly, inching closer to two.

He’s got six five-on-five points in 13 games.

He won’t turn 24 until May. Matthews had his 22nd birthday in September. Johnsson is 24.

Maybe part of growing up in the league is learning to find a more even performance throughout a long 82-game season.

The Leafs need them to get there though, likely together, and particularly come playoff time. But also in games like the one Saturday night. Important divisional test. Second night of a back-to-back. Tired team. Captain out. It’s those nights when the top guys have to rise to the front.

Turnovers leading to goals undoubtedly hurt the Leafs in defeat. Not getting a timely save or two from Michael Hutchinson didn’t help, either. But neither did the inconsistent showing of the Leafs’ undisputed No. 1 right now, a line that can be dominant, has been dominant and should be dominant most nights.

“I feel that too,” Johnsson said. “I feel like we have a lot of those (dominant) shifts, but I feel like we can have more in the games. It’s a process. It’s still early in the season. We haven’t played our best game yet. I think we all feel that. And still, we do a lot of good stuff.”

The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158699 Toronto Maple Leafs pucks in the offensive end, breaking the puck out with quick decision making on his passes and, as always, played tight defence in the neutral zone (something a lot of defenders on Toronto could learn from him).

Leafs Report Cards: Tyson Barrie blunders and defensive struggles cost Jason Spezza (C, #19) — After an underwhelming Friday night game, I Toronto in loss to Montreal thought Spezza looked great against Montreal. He was confident with the puck on his stick, making slick passes under pressure to get the puck up the ice. The way he’s able to sauce the puck into open space is just beautiful to watch (age has clearly caught up with his legs, but soft hands By Ian Tulloch are something veterans tend to keep, even later in their 30s). Oct 26, 2019 As a side note, can we just take a moment to appreciate that this conversation actually happened:

There’s something about these Toronto-Montreal games that make this MIKE BABCOCK SAYS HE TOLD JASON SPEZZA HE WOULDN’T rivalry feel special again. Unfortunately, the game wasn’t as close as PLAY BOTH GAMES OF BACK-TO-BACKS BEFORE THE SEASON. “I most fans would have liked. With some poor defensive miscues, the TEXTED HIM AFTER THE GAME LAST NIGHT AND SAID, ‘YOU WANT Leafs let the game get out of hand in the third period Saturday night, with TO PLAY TOMORROW?’ HE SAID YES, OBVIOUSLY.” the Canadiens winning by a final score of 5-2. — JONAS SIEGEL (@JONASSIEGEL) OCTOBER 26, 2019 Key takeaways from the game I’m still laughing at the thought of Spezza’s reaction when he got the text. 1. Second half of a back-to-back Mitch Marner (RW, #16) — Toronto struggled to generate quality looks, Before Leafs nation collapses in on itself, let’s remind ourselves that but Marner was one of the few players creating dangerous chances with most teams perform poorly in their second game in two nights (look at his passing. He must have got Muzzin into open space four or five times San Jose’s performance Friday). I know there’s a desire to start in the offensive zone, one of which ended up in the back of the net. I love panicking, but let’s remind ourselves that John Tavares, Zach Hyman watching Marner when he’s playing with this kind of confidence — it feels and Travis Dermott haven’t been in the lineup lately. like he’s really seeing the whole ice. He was making cross-ice passes to Mikheyev, quick little give-and-goes with Muzzin, not to mention some 2. But … the defence is still a concern nifty little plays in the neutral zone to maintain possession.

Again, you never want to take too much out of a one-game sample MOST PLAYERS WOULDN'T GO DOWN LIKE THAT TO INTERCEPT (especially on a back-to-back), but defensive concerns have been an THE PUCK. MARNER DOES. PIC.TWITTER.COM/FZAGP2XIA4 issue for years with this team. I’m pretty confident things will look better when some of those key players return from injury, but I’m still a bit — FLINTOR (@THEFLINTOR) OCTOBER 27, 2019 worried that the coaching staff is going to keep Cody Ceci alongside He easily could have had another assist tonight, but it was nice to see Morgan Rielly even when Dermott is back in the lineup. If anything, that him get rewarded on the score sheet for his creativity. should be Leafs fans’ biggest concern. Andreas Johnsson (LW, #18) — I loved his energy in this game. His 3. “Does Toronto have a backup problem!?” linemates didn’t have their greatest night offensively, but that didn’t stop As much as we tend to discuss this topic when Michael Hutchinson Johnsson from chasing down loose pucks like a maniac, battling hard for struggles (myself included), it’s worth noting that his team hung him out position in front of the net and getting rewarded for it with a nice rebound to dry in the third period (most notably, Tyson Barrie — whom we are goal. He might not be as strong of an F1 forechecker as Hyman, but he definitely going to talk about at the end). On the shots where he had a provides a similar element for the Matthews-Nylander line while providing chance, I thought he actually looked great in the crease, especially the much more skill and scoring touch. final two periods. ⭐⭐⭐ Heat map Kevin Gravel (LD, #25) and Justin Holl (RD, #3) — Neither defenceman Here’s a quick look at where each team’s shots were coming from, made any game-breaking plays, but they felt like a reliable third pairing, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick. which is a big compliment for a couple of guys being paid the league minimum. Gravel was winning some puck battles along the wall and Player reports closing his gaps in transition, and he found a way to block a quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ scoring chance from the slot (with his hand — ouch!). Holl just seems like a steady defenceman you can keep back there, knowing he’s going to Game Ball : Ilya Mikheyev (LW, #65) — Wouldn’t it be great if settle down loose pucks and make a good decision up the ice with it. everyone played like Ilya Mikheyev? You’d never have to worry about William Nylander (RW, #88) — This wasn’t Nylander’s best game in giving up an odd-man rush (knowing F3 — the third forward back — recent memory, but it also wasn’t his worst. He made some nice passes would be there to support your pinching defencemen), you’d win most of up the ice, created a few chances in the offensive zone and even used your puck battles, and you’d even generate some offence with some his body to out-muscle Victor Mete along the boards. Yes, Nylander is crafty plays like these. much bigger, but he took advantage of his size on that play — that’s what MIKHEYEV SHRUGS OFF WEBER'S HIT AND FINDS KERFOOT IN I want to see more from him. I’m sure the play most people will be FRONT. BIG SAVE FROM PRICE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/GLB3M5SZ0X discussing is the fact that he somehow put the puck over the net from the crease. — FLINTOR (@THEFLINTOR) OCTOBER 27, 2019 Let’s try our best to not mix up the narrative with facts. Before that shot, I can’t get enough of his game lately. I’m still not sure if he can finish at a Nylander had hit the net on 11-of-11 chances from the inner slot, where top-nine level (much like Zach Hyman, he seems to have a knack for he actually leads the team in dangerous scoring opportunities. whiffing on Grade-A scoring chances), which reminds me: Have we ever seen these two in the same room? Some mysterious Russian whom “IF A NARRATIVE EXISTS THAT HE’S A PERIMETER PLAYER, LET’S we’ve never seen play comes from overseas, and it just happens to THROW THAT IN THE GARBAGE RIGHT NOW.” come at the same time that Hyman goes down with an injury? MATTHEWS, MARNER & NYLANDER – WHO’S PRODUCING AND Coincidence? I think not. WHO NEEDS TO STEP UP FOR THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #LEAFSFOREVER

Jake Muzzin (LD, #8) — Let’s start by addressing the fact that he got FULL Video: HTTPS://T.CO/9B1QHREP5P walked by Joel Armia to start the third period. That was obviously a PIC.TWITTER.COM/YO0RFBRVZT terrible play, but Muzzin had such a strong night that I’m willing to overlook a poor moment (everybody gets one Jake Mistake if they can — THE POINT (@THEPOINTHOCKEY) OCTOBER 25, 2019 make up for it with solid 200-foot play). Muzzin did a great job of keeping Percentage of shots that missed the net since 2016 Nylander: 31 percent — JUSTIN BOURNE (@JTBOURNE) OCTOBER 26, 2019

Marner: 32 percent Maybe it just isn’t in his personality to get really fired up unless he scores a big goal in a key moment. Some guys just aren’t wired like that (Pavel If you’re going to complain about one player, you better air those same Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom never got “angry”), so maybe that’s just a frustrations about the other. bias I have in what I look for in hockey players. Does it matter? Probably Michael Hutchinson (G, #30) — After a rough start to the game (his not (if you’re making the plays with and without the puck to dominate rebound control looked brutal), Hutchinson bounced back and actually play), but Matthews hasn’t accomplished that on the defensive side of the looked fantastic for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to puck yet, so I can understand the frustration with wanting to see a bit stop either of the two breakaways that came his way (let’s say he should more from him on the emotion side — “Get angry and use your body!” have stopped one of those). There’s nothing he could have done about Morgan Rielly (LD, #44) — I have such a hard time evaluating Rielly. On that backdoor pass on the two-on-one — that’s on Barrie. So, yes, the one hand, I’m such a fan of his raw talent (the way he’s able to fly up Hutchinson did allow five goals, and yes, the Leafs should probably look the ice with the puck, join the rush and make things happen offensively is into addressing their backup situation this season, but let’s not pin this so fun to watch). On the other hand, he backs up way too much off the loss on Hutchinson. The Leafs were getting torched early, and he rush, which he doesn’t need to do as an elite skater. He can play a much actually helped keep them in it until the barrage of odd-man rushes in the tighter gap in the neutral zone since he has the speed to recover, but third period. he’s still conceding the blue line to guys like Victor Mete and essentially ⭐⭐ backs up onto his goaltender instead of angling his man toward the boards the way someone like Muzzin would, not to mention Travis Coaching staff — I completely understand why Toronto’s coaching staff Dermott or even Rasmus Sandin. I love what Rielly brings offensively, doesn’t trust its top nine defensively without Tavares — I wouldn’t, either but he still has some huge defensive holes in his game. — but you can’t keep trotting out your worst line when they’re getting Side note: I also can’t stand the weak wristers he takes from the blue line crushed at even strength. on the power play. It resulted in the Leafs losing possession and the 11 LEAFS SKATERS HAVE NOT BEEN ON THE ICE FOR A SINGLE Canadiens icing it a few times. When you have players like Matthews, DEFENSIVE ZONE FACE-OFF THROUGH TWO PERIODS. CECI AND Marner and Nylander on the ice, you can work for a better shot than that. RIELLY HAVE BEEN ON FOR ONE. BABCOCK'S RUN I understand that you need to make the defence at least respect your TIMASHOV/SHORE/GAUTHIER/MUZZIN/BARRIE FOR VIRTUALLY shot from the blue line, but if we’re being realistic, Rielly doesn’t have a EVERY D-ZONE DRAW. shot like that (which is why I’d like to see what Tyson Barrie could do in his spot on the first power-play unit). — NICK SHORE FAN CLUB PRESIDENT (@DRAGLIKEPULL) OCTOBER 27, 2019 ⭐

On a night when you desperately needed some goals to get back in the The Fourth Line — Some context: They started 10 of their shifts in the game, more ice time for Frederik Gauthier isn’t a good thing (see: Game defensive zone, zero in the offensive zone, and eight on the fly. With that 7 against Boston). There’s playing to your players’ strengths, but at some being said, they seemed to get cycled into oblivion in this game. They point you need to play your best players, especially when you’re playing had trouble regaining possession in the defensive zone and did a poor from behind and really need a goal. job of moving the puck up the ice. Combine that with the extreme defensive usage, and you’re going to be spending a long time stuck in Alexander Kerfoot (C, #15) — He made some solid plays up the ice in your own end. transition, where he’s been super shifty (avoiding contact so well while maintaining his speed), but this wasn’t Kerfoot’s greatest game. He had a Cody Ceci (RD, #83) — Let’s start with the positives: He looked pretty brutal turnover at his own blue line that led to a quality chance. Five good on the penalty kill and made a few nice passes at the offensive seconds later, he took an unnecessary penalty by hitting Max Domi from zone blue line (where he’s actually pretty good). Unfortunately, he really behind. I love what I’ve seen from Kerfoot this season, but discipline has struggled in other aspects of the game. He was giving up way too much definitely been a concern with him. space in transition, resulting in plenty of free zone entries for Montreal’s forwards. His defence on Brendan Gallagher, in particular, drove me With that being said, this was a pretty badass moment. crazy in this game, especially on the goal where Ceci let him get to his DOMI WITH HIS PATENTED SUCKER PUNCH spot for the backdoor pass. PIC.TWITTER.COM/CBIUPB8QQU I CAN SEE HOW CODY CECI WOULD LOSE BRENDAN GALLAGHER — LEAFS ALL DAY (@LEAFSALLDAYY) OCTOBER 27, 2019 THERE. WHO COULD’VE POSSIBLY PREDICTED THAT HE WOULD’VE GONE TO THE NET AGGRESSIVELY Blocks two Domi punches and doesn’t even flinch, then throws in the cheeky smile afterward for good measure? That’s my kind of hockey — DIMITRI FILIPOVIC (@DIMFILIPOVIC) OCTOBER 26, 2019 player. I tend to agree with Dimitri Filipovic here. It’s one thing to lose your man, Trevor Moore (LW, #42) — We all love Moore’s hustle (how can you but when it’s the most predictable play in the book, there isn’t much of an not?), but his puck skills have been a concern lately. I’ve been noticing a excuse. lot of offensive opportunities die on his stick, especially on the power Kasperi Kapanen (RW, #24) — This was a rough night defensively for play. We’ve reached the point where I think it’s clear that’s not the right Kapanen. At one point, he was the first forward back in the defensive place for him (much like Hyman or Leo Komarov, he looks like a round zone (F3), filling in for the centre defensively. He chased the puck-carrier peg in a square hole on PP2). I’d give those minutes to someone like around the net despite being well behind him, which left Jonathan Drouin Dmytro Timashov and try to offset it by using Moore on the penalty kill, open in the slot for a Grade-A chance. Kapanen also fired a puck into a where his great foot speed and puck pursuit would be much more shin pad when he was holding the line for Muzzin in the third period. The valuable. puck went the other way for a goal on a two-on-one. Auston Matthews (C, #34) — On a big night like this (prime time, “Hockey I’ve loved Kapanen’s play lately (even in this game, he was making some Night in Canada,” at the Bell Centre against your division rival), I solid passes to his linemates), but any time you’re directly responsible for would’ve liked to see some more jump in Matthews’ step. He wasn’t able multiple quality chances, it’s hard to say you had a great game to create as much offensively as we’ve grown accustomed to and didn’t (especially when those end up in the back of the net). impact the game that well at five-on-five, but what really bothered me is he didn’t seem to be super engaged with the play. Justin Bourne made a Which brings us to the man of the hour … really good point about this during the pregame warmup. Tyson Barrie (RD, #94) — Ooof. I love Barrie’s puck-moving ability and Y’KNOW WHAT’S KIND OF WEIRD? AUSTIN MATTHEWS IS IN HIS still think there’s more to come from him offensively, but this was a 4TH NHL SEASON, AND I CAN’T REALLY REMEMBER HIM BEING terrible night for him defensively, which has always been the biggest MAD AT ANYONE, EVEN HIMSELF ALL THAT MUCH. IT’S TOUGH TO concern with his game. He allowed not one but two breakaways Saturday GET THROUGH *WARMUPS* WITHOUT FRUSTRATION FOR SOME night and gave up the backdoor pass on a three-on-one. That’s three GUYS. HELL MOST OF US CAN’T GET THROUGH A DAMN REC goals that were essentially his fault (although it would be nice if your LEAGUE GAME. goaltender could make a save on one of them). This rarely happens, so let’s break down Barrie’s reverse hat trick:

Didn’t skate back as the weak-side defenceman after the Leafs turned the puck over: breakaway, goal

See Number 1

Slid too early on a two-on-one and gave up the back-door pass for an easy tap-in

I wrote about Barrie’s game back in the summer, touching on his poor defensive play. There are positives to his game that I would argue outweigh the negatives (elite puck-moving ability and dynamic offensive skill that I’d like to see unleashed a bit more), but we’d be lying if we said that was the case in this game.

Game Score

Game Score is a metric developed by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to quickly measure a player’s performance in a single game.

It’s not perfect, but it can help give us a decent idea of how well players performed in a particular game based on their numbers (although I’d always recommend combining stats with video, since single-game numbers can be wonky).

Most important clip of the night

THE WAY MATTHEWS GOT CONTROL HERE IS INSANE. PIC.TWITTER.COM/GUZIHOJYTH

— FLINTOR (@THEFLINTOR) OCTOBER 27, 2019

Maybe you don’t need to be physical when you have hands like that (although I’d still like to see Matthews engage in puck battles more often).

Final grade: D+

The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158700 Toronto Maple Leafs player excels in their role. Hyman is an excellent F1 forechecker, Marner works really well as an F2 (he’s great at intercepting passes in the offensive zone), and Tavares is your prototypical F3.

The reason Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner haven’t jelled at 5-on-5 The spacing of the offence works well with a “digger” like Hyman or Moore occupying space in all the dirty areas (pinning defencemen to the boards in the corners, winning puck battles below the goal line, and battling for position in front of the net to set good screens). That gives By Ian Tulloch Marner more space to freely roam around and read the play, which he Oct 26, 2019 loves to do.

Of course, you need a defensively responsible F3 to make this all work, which is where Tavares really helps things. After putting significant work In case you missed the memo, the Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner into his defensive game in 2016-17, he’s become one of the better partnership hasn’t been going very well for Toronto at even strength. This centres in the league at winning puck battles in tight spaces. When you has become a hot topic in Leafs Nation again after the two were combine that with his ability to complete short passes under pressure, it dominated by Boston’s top line on Tuesday night. But the issue runs allows the Leafs to use Marner as their primary puck carrier in transition. deeper. Tavares’ goal in the defensive zone since joining Toronto has essentially been “win the puck battle, regain possession, get the puck to Marner in Even across a larger sample, Matthews and Marner have never been open space,” which is backed up by the numbers. able to recreate the success they’ve had with William Nylander and John Tavares, respectively. Tavares has historically carried the load for his line in transition, but he’s been able to defer more to Marner — the best winger he’s ever played Data from Natural Stat Trick with by a country mile — in that regard. We’ve seen how dangerous So I have one simple question: Why doesn’t Matthews-Marner work as those two can be off the rush, but again, it’s important to remember F3 well as we think it should? responsibilities in this situation. Whenever they’re flying up the ice in transition, Hyman has to be the third man back – and he usually has to There are so many reasons why their respective skillsets should mesh, cover for Morgan Rielly (who loves joining the rush with Tavares and yet every time the two play together, they’re less than the sum of their Marner). parts. When they play with their more common linemate (Matthews- Nylander and Tavares-Marner), they’re historically dominant at 5-on-5. Not everyone likes hanging back as F3 (Marner and Nylander rarely do), So what’s going on here? but it’s a crucial part of preventing odd-man rushes. It gives your defencemen more freedom to pinch (knowing there will be support from We’ll try our best to answer that here. In order to solve this conundrum, F3) and ensures that the worst-case scenario on any turnover is a 3-on-2 we’ll have to break down why the Matthews-Nylander and Tavares- the other way (instead of a 2-on-1). Players like Hyman or Mikheyev tend Marner lines work so well. After all, there’s clearly something missing to get under-appreciated in this regard, but you’ll notice that coaches when Matthews and Marner play without their usual partner in crime. trust those players later in the game when they’re protecting a lead.

If we can determine what makes the successful pairings work so well With the Hyman-Tavares-Marner trio, you’re putting three players in the together, it should be easier to figure out which elements are missing roles that suit them best. Hyman as an F1 maniac on the forecheck who with the Matthews-Marner combination. can fill in as F3 when his linemates are making magic happen off the Why do Tavares and Marner work so well together? rush; Marner as F2 where it best suits his skillset- he’s a terrible F3 and nowhere near as strong as Hyman in tight spaces as F1; and Tavares as We know that these two dominate at 5-on-5 when they share the ice the do-it-all F3 as a defensively responsible centre with the offensive alongside a puck-hound at left wing (whether it’s Zach Hyman, Trevor talent to finish on Marner’s creative passes. Moore or Ilya Mikheyev). Kasperi Kapanen didn’t seem to fit as well in that role to start the 2019-20 season, although it is worth noting those Everything just meshes so well together. three controlled over 56 percent of the shots at even strength. Why do Matthews and Nylander work so well together?

There were definitely some “spacing” elements that limited their I’m not going to spend as much time on this one since I already wrote effectiveness in the offensive zone, but the Kapanen-Tavares-Marner trio that article back in March, but let’s quickly summarize the key takeaways weren’t nearly as bad as their goal differential made it seem. They were from that piece for subscribers who didn’t get a chance to read it (or don’t plagued with some truly awful luck in regards to goaltending (.732 save feel like re-reading it now. I know I don’t). percentage when the three shared the ice) and shooting percentage (the Leafs shot just 2.8 percent in the 70 minutes those three played Transition together). We all know that Nylander is a phenomenal puck carrier in transition. Eventually, that would have climbed back up and the three would have Whether you’re using Sportlogiq data or Corey Sznajder’s manual started out-scoring opponents at even strength (or breaking even at the tracking, it’s clear that he’s been one of the best forwards in the league at very least). With that being said, there was a noticeable difference when moving the puck out of the defensive zone and into the offensive zone Moore was moved up to left wing; the line started to look more like the with possession. Considering the research shows a controlled entry Hyman-Tavares-Marner combination that decimated opponents in 2018- generates twice as much offence as a dump-in, this is an extremely 19. valuable skill.

Why was that? Unfortunately, it’s an area where Matthews has weirdly struggled over the past few years, at least relative to his high-end talent. He’s never I'M NOT CONVINCED KAPANEN IS THE RIGHT FIT WITH TAVARES been a great puck mover out of the defensive zone the same way a AND MARNER. THEY HAVE A SHOOTER AND A PASSER ALREADY. centre like Tavares is, which comes down to positioning and quick THEY NEED A DIGGER (HYMAN) AS THE THIRD MEMBER. decision-making, in my opinion. Tavares is so good at finding open ice WOULD MOORE BE A BETTER FIT THAN KAPANEN? low in the defensive zone where his defenceman can get him the puck, whereas Matthews tends to skate up the ice more often, typically looking — MATT LARKIN (@THNMATTLARKIN) OCTOBER 8, 2019 for a breakout pass from Nylander.

I’m with Larkin on this one. In hockey, positions aren’t as concrete as we Now, it’s worth noting that Matthews has taken a significant step forward like to think they are. Instead of referring to players as “left wingers,” in this regard. Over the past three years, he’s essentially been deferring “centres” and “right wingers,” we’d probably be better off talking about to Nylander in transition, but he’s started to carry more of the load in them in the tactical roles they fill on the ice: F1, F2, and F3. 2019-20. Toronto’s centres have been doing a much better job supporting their defencemen low in the defensive zone this season, F1 is the first forward in on the forecheck (aggressively chasing down which has resulted in players like Matthews (and Alexander Kerfoot) pucks). F2 is the second forward in (looking to take away passing lanes). getting the puck in open ice and having room to skate with it. And F3 is the third forward back (filling the typical “centre” role). The reason the Hyman-Tavares-Marner line works so well is because each With that being said, Nylander’s ability to skate the puck up the ice and meaning both of his linemates need to be strong at filling both F1 and F3 find Matthews off the rush has been a key element of their success. roles when needed, something Hyman and Tavares excel at. Which leads us to our net topic… The issue is that Matthews isn’t as aggressive as Tavares as an F1 in The passer-shooter combination puck pursuit. Matthews shies away from contact in the corners and he isn’t nearly as strong defensively in the role of an F3. That was on full To put it simply: Matthews is a shooter. He’s always going to be a shoot- display against Boston on Tuesday night. first centre, as he should be with his ridiculous release, and especially now that he’s added a reliable one-timer. When your franchise centre’s Here Matthews isn’t moving his feet in the defensive zone, doesn’t use best attribute is his goal-scoring ability, you need to find someone who his strength to make life more difficult for Pastrnak, and he fails to make can get him the puck. a play with his stick. Now, star players in the NHL can make anyone look silly at times, but Matthews could have made life a lot more difficult for This is a big part of the reason why Matthews and Kapanen never Pastrnak on this play. For comparison’s sake, here’s a look at Sean worked together. I love Kapanen, and although he’s been making some Couturier’s one-on-one defence on Tavares when he pulled off this much better decisions lately since being moved back to his natural classic move in 3-on-3 overtime. position at right wing, he isn’t the greatest passer in the world. Nylander is a much more willing and able passer in transition. He’s so good at AS GOOD AS IT GETS @91TAVARES #ISLES gaining the zone with speed, which backs off the defence and gives him PIC.TWITTER.COM/UX47YML6VN room to find Matthews in open space. — ISLESBLOG (@ISLESBLOG) NOVEMBER 23, 2017 Matthews needs to play with a winger who can make these plays with consistency. Nylander definitely fits that bill. That’s textbook defence from Couturier, who should have probably won a Selke by now. At 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, he used his strength to pester Spacing in the offensive zone Tavares, aggressively stick-checking him every chance he gets and pinning him to the boards when Tavares runs out of room. The play still You’ve probably noticed that I use this term a lot. It’s a key concept in resulted in a goal because life is unfair sometimes in the NHL, but that’s other sports like basketball and football, and I’ve found that it applies exactly the kind of defence you want to see from your No. 1 centre. really well to hockey as well. Hyman’s role on the Tavares-Marner line is a perfect example. You’re not optimizing your spacing if you don’t have at Unfortunately, Matthews has really struggled in that department least one player who’s consistently going into the dirty areas (e.g. Patrick throughout his career. Hornqvist), but it’d also be unwise to put three unskilled “diggers” on a line since someone needs to carry the puck on the cycle and break down This is a perfect example of poor body position leading to a goal. the defence. Matthews needs to get between Pierre Luc Dubois and the net on this play, use his strength to keep Dubois to the outside and either pin him to This is where Matthews and Nylander work so well. Nylander is excellent the boards or strip him of the puck when he runs out of room. Instead, at maintaining possession on the cycle – he’s so strong on the puck in Matthews allows the net drive and the puck ends up in the back of the the offensive zone – which is a big part of the reason why his possession net. metrics have always been elite. Nylander occupies more space on the outside similar to playmakers like Marner, Nick Backstrom or Henrik Looking at Matthews’ NHL career, he’s never impacted the game very Sedin. This gives Matthews room to find open space in the middle of the well on the defensive side of the puck, which is frustrating considering his ice and generate quality looks. physical tools. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds with his hand-eye coordination, he should be winning way more puck battles. When we Throw in a skilled “digger” in Andreas Johnsson, and you have a line adjust for context (linemates, competition, zone starts, etc.), here’s a look that’s going to dominate at even strength. They’ve controlled over 58 at what his isolated impact look like at even strength. percent of the shots and 61 percent of the scoring chances in 283 minutes together at 5-on-5 over the last two seasons. And there’s no Red: More shots from that area (you want to see lots of red on offence) reason to think they’ll be slowing down anytime soon. Blue: Fewer shots from that area (you want to see lots of blue on So, why don’t Matthews and Marner work together? defence)

Diving deep into their success with Tavares and Nylander respectively, Images from Micah Blake McCurdy at HockeyViz.com there are so many reasons why Matthews and Marner should work at After taking a step forward defensively in his sophomore season, even strength: Matthews was clearly focused a bit more on offence in 2018-19. The Matthews is a shoot-first centre troubling part is that he hasn’t taken the step forward in Year 4 that many expected him to take after signing his contract extension. Marner is a pass-first winger My favourite comp for Matthews is Evgeni Malkin. The latter is more of a Nylander and Marner both excel at transporting the puck up the ice and pass-first player, but they have such a rare combination of size and elite finding their centre in the middle of the ice. puck skills, which makes them unique superstars. I can’t think of many other centres in recent memory who stood 6-foot-3 and weighed 220 Tavares and Matthews both shoot from the middle of the ice frequently, pounds, but also had some of the best hands in the league. It just doesn’t whereas Nylander and Marner occupy more space on the perimeter. happen very often. We’re talking about physical specimens like Mario (And this is okay as so do elite players such as Patrick Kane, Johnny Lemieux and . Hall-of-Fame talents. Gaudreau and Matt Barzal). Here’s a look at Malkin’s career trajectory: In theory, Matthews and Marner seems like something that should make sense together. He didn’t start putting in the work defensively until years 4-6 of his career and then again in Years 9 and 10 en route to back-to-back Stanley Cups. Matthews vs. Tavares This gives me hope that Matthews can follow a similar path. He’s never I’m of the opinion that a lot of it comes down to the differences between going to have a Selke-quality impact on the game like Anze Kopitar — Matthews and Tavares, specifically their play without the puck. Marner is who was already elite in that regard by age 20 — but can he develop into a player who thrives in open space, but in order for him to get all that a dominant 200-foot player like Malkin? I’d argue he definitely can, but he open ice, his teammates need to put in work without the puck. With needs to put in the work. Hyman and Tavares battling like crazy to win puck battles along the I’m not sure if he’s quitting on his coach or is simply hesitant to engage in boards, Marner is able to support the play as an outlet: “I’m open, get me puck battles after hurting his shoulder, but he needs to be better in that the puck!” department. Because he can be. I’m still of the opinion that a Johnsson- This is part of what makes him such a great F2 — he can take advantage Matthews-Nylander line is going to dominate secondary matchups — we of that open space like few others in this league — but he isn’t the have a large sample of evidence indicating they will — but I’d like to see greatest F1 forechecker and he doesn’t seem to care about his F3 Matthews take the next step defensively so he can be trusted in a key responsibilities as much. It’s an issue he needs to address. To get the defensive zone draw against Boston or Tampa Bay’s top line. He’s not most out of Marner on a line, you want him to be F2 as much as possible, there yet, but if he puts in the work without the puck, he can get there. Marner vs. Nylander

We just broke down why Matthews hasn’t driven play as well as Tavares, but I think we need to bring up the fact that Nylander has consistently driven play at 5-on-5 better than Marner throughout their careers. As I broke down last week, Marner is a game-breaking talent who can consistently generate goals with his passing ability, but his lines have didn’t significantly outshoot the opposition at even strength until he started playing with Tavares.

It’s worth noting that Marner did take significant steps forward last season in his play-driving ability that probably isn’t going to show up in a regression model since it’s going to assume the player who always drove play is the one doing it. He was carrying the load in transition, engaged in more puck battles than he was before, and he wasn’t blowing the zone early every time like he did during his rookie season when defence was an afterthought.

With that being said, Nylander has always been better at driving possession. Part of that is because of his elite puck carrying ability, but I don’t think we ever give Nylander enough credit for how great he is with neutral zone defence. I still get frustrated at how often he shies away from puck battles along the boards in the offensive and defensive zones, but in open ice, he’s phenomenal at getting his stick on the puck and forcing turnovers.

DETAIL ABOUT WILLIAM NYLANDER'S GAME THAT IMPRESSES IS HIS PLAY AWAY FROM THE PUCK IN THE NEUTRAL ZONE. GREAT AT TRACKING AND ANTICIPATING PLAYS AND HAS THE TOOLS TO GENERATE OFFENCE GOING THE OTHER WAY. LED ALL FORWARDS IN NZ STICK CHECKS LAST SEASON – BARKOV 2ND. #TMLTALK PIC.TWITTER.COM/U8PJFWAQGR

— MIKE KELLY (@MIKEKELLYNHL) SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

When you combine better puck carrying ability with stronger neutral zone defence, it’s clear that Nylander is superior to Marner in transition, which is where a lot of driving play comes from. When you look at the players with the best shot metrics in the league, they tend to either be excellent at advancing play up the ice with possession or preventing the opposition from doing so. Nylander is elite at both, which is why he’s always had such a strong impact on 5-on-5 play.

As of right now, neither Matthews nor Marner are strong enough play drivers to come out on top against the best lines in hockey, which helps explain why they don’t work as well together — they need Nylander and Tavares to help them out in that department. Realistically, it probably makes sense to keep the Matthews-Nylander and Tavares-Marner top six in a healthy lineup with a deadly Kerfoot-Kapanen speed combo on the third line. But I still think there’s a chance a Matthews-Marner partnership could work down the road.

Marner probably isn’t going to get any better than he was last season, but with Matthews, we can see elements of his game where he can still drastically improve: body positioning, aggressiveness on the forecheck, and just overall effort defensively.

Will he get there this season? It remains to be seen, but he clearly has the physical tools to take that next step forward in his 200-foot game.

The rest is up to him.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158701 Vegas Golden Knights “The lyrics kind of make sense, too, for a group of guys that we consider ourselves a family as well,” Merrill said. “I think the lyrics make sense, it’s a catchy tune and it’s one of those feel-good ones after you win.

Golden Knights trying on ‘We Are Family’ as victory song “It sounds like it’s sticking now. We’ll see what happens.”

By David Schoen Las Vegas Review-Journal LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.27.2019

October 26, 2019 - 5:39 PM

Updated October 26, 2019 - 5:49 PM

Jon Merrill has one of the most difficult jobs on the Golden Knights.

Forget trying to contain Edmonton’s Connor McDavid or shut down Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. The defenseman is in charge of the music that plays in the locker room and the gym, and his audience can be tougher than an internet comment section.

“Sometimes it sticks,” Merrill said, “and sometimes you get booed off.”

Lately, the Knights’ resident DJ and most funk-ified spirit appears to have found a locker room hit with the 1979 Sister Sledge classic “We Are Family.”

The song was at least temporarily adopted as the Knights’ postgame victory anthem and showed up twice on the last road trip, though they were in no mood to celebrate after Friday’s 6-1 thumping from Colorado.

The Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

“The first time I put it on, there was a few guys that were kind of mixed about it,” Merrill said. “Sometimes it’s a tough crowd out here. Sometimes there’s guys that want what they want, but it sounds like it’s going to stick a little bit right now.”

The Knights’ history with “We Are Family” actually dates back to last season when Merrill and center Cody Eakin, his music partner in crime, played the song in the gym during a losing skid.

Merrill, who rides a moped to practice at City National Arena and easily could pass for an extra on “Starsky and Hutch” with his facial hair and messy mullet, is known to enjoy 1970s disco and funk music.

“He’s living in the wrong generation,” center Paul Stastny said. “He’s always freestyling, always in a good mood, dancing anytime there’s a good jam song.”

Merrill couldn’t remember who, but following the 4-1 loss to Arizona on Oct. 10 it was suggested the team needed a postgame victory song.

Merrill started digging through the tunes and brought back “We Are Family” after the Knights dismantled Los Angeles 5-2 on the road Oct. 13. It’s since been played in the locker room following victories over Ottawa, Pittsburgh and Chicago.

“That’s what you want. I think you want a song that everyone can enjoy,” Stastny said. “Sometimes in today’s game, you hear a rap song and like four guys know it. You hear a classic song and only half the guys know it. So it’s hard to find a song that, whether you know it or not, it just has a good beat to it and everyone can bob their heads to it.”

Said Jonathan Marchessault: “I’d like to hear it more.”

The best victory songs develop organically, like last season when the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues adopted Laura Branigan’s 1982 hit “Gloria” after a night at a Philadelphia bar.

“We Are Family” is an all-timer in locker rooms and was first popularized in sports by the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

The disco beat is perfect for dancing, and the catchy chorus can be easily learned by players born in the 1990s who hadn’t previously heard it or aren’t native English speakers.

“We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up everybody sing” 1158702 Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights ready to ‘flip the script’ after ‘embarrassing’ game

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

October 26, 2019 - 3:54 PM

Updated October 26, 2019 - 4:16 PM

The Golden Knights went to bed angry after their 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, a performance coach called “embarrassing.”

Then they woke up, began a new day and got back to work. The Knights had a high-paced practice Saturday to get ready to their 5 p.m. game Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks and did what they could to put their worst game of the season behind them.

Questions from Friday still linger, but the team is ready to turn the page.

“I’m sure they were (mad) last night, but today, you come and you have a good practice and work hard and get ready for tomorrow,” Gallant said. “That’s all you can do.”

The game continued several trends for the Knights. They allowed 40 shots, raising their season average to 34.2, fifth-worst in the NHL. They took four penalties, raising their season total to 54, second-most in the league. And they were too reliant on goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, whose NHL-leading 7.55 goals saved above average has covered for his team’s defensive shortcomings.

But despite all that, the Knights are 7-5 and entered Saturday in second place in the Pacific Division.

“It’s not ideal,” left wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “But it’s not bad.”

It’s an improvement on last season’s 5-7 start. And the Knights have accomplished that with defenseman Nate Schmidt and right wing Alex Tuch playing a combined 3 minutes, 11 seconds.

That doesn’t excuse their performance Friday, but the team knows that.

“I think everyone was (mad) and ready to get to work today,” center Paul Stastny said. “And kind of flip the script on what happened yesterday.”

Lineup change coming?

The Knights switched up their bottom-six at practice Saturday. Tomas Nosek, who played the first 12 games at fourth-line center, was elevated to third-line left wing and 22-year-old Nicolas Roy took his spot.

That means Roy could make his Knights debut Sunday and left wing Brandon Pirri, who has one assist in nine games, could fall out of the lineup.

Gallant didn’t commit to keeping the change for Sunday’s game and Roy said he didn’t know if he was playing.

“I’ve been switching the lines up the last few games and I don’t like doing that, but we want results and we want people getting better,” Gallant said. “There’s too many guys not playing well right now. That’s the problem. Hopefully we got by that and we’re ready to go.”

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158703 Vegas Golden Knights Captain Alexander Ovechkin referred to his teammate as “John Norris” on Thursday.

NHL’s Seattle team isn’t concerned with Golden Knights comparisons LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.27.2019

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

October 26, 2019 - 1:54 PM

The nameplates at press box seats at T-Mobile Arena and around the NHL make one thing clear.

Seattle is coming.

The league’s 32nd franchise doesn’t begin play until 2021-22, but its front office already has begun preparations for its inaugural season. That means getting out to games, whether that’s in Las Vegas, Chicago or anywhere in the NHL is.

The team’s goal is to get as much information as it can now so it can be ready for the 2021 expansion draft, from which the Golden Knights are exempt. It will hard for Seattle to match the remarkable success the Knights achieved there, but the organization isn’t focused on comparisons.

“It was remarkable. Historic, actually, what they accomplished,” assistant general manager Ricky Olczyk said. “The way we’re approaching it, I think inevitably people are going to make the comparison every game probably to the minute detail, but at the end of the day, we’re going to be concerned and focused with Seattle. We’re not going to compare ourselves to Vegas or what they accomplished.”

The Seattle organization doesn’t have a name yet (it’s expected to get one early in 2020), but it has started to build its hockey operations staff since being approved by the NHL Board of Governors on Dec. 4, 2018. There’s general manager , a Hall of Fame player and former Carolina Hurricanes executive; Olczyk; director of hockey administration Alexandra Mandrycky; and five pro scouts.

One of them is Hall of Fame player , the NHL’s first female pro scout.

“Her resume speaks for itself,” Olczyk said. “She’s got a good eye for talent assessment and evaluation. She understands the game. She brings that insight that we expect our scouts to bring. She’s been a real good addition.”

Those scouts have spread across the U.S. and Canada early this season looking for talent. Olczyk said he was attending games from Tuesday through Sunday this week, including the Knights’ clash with the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.

All to get ready for 2021. Olczyk said he can already feel a “buzz” building up to opening night.

“I’ve always lived by the motto patience is a virtue, but, boy, it’s hard,” Olczyk said. “This is the kid going to bed Christmas Eve waiting for Christmas morning. It’s hard. It’s very difficult to wait for it to be here, but there is a lot of work to do. It’s a daunting task, but it’s exhilarating and exciting all in the same breath as well.”

The red-hot Colorado Avalanche (8-1-1 entering Saturday) received bad news when star right wing Mikko Rantanen sustained a lower-body injury Monday. He’s considered week to week.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said the team will have to replace Rantanen’s production “by committee,” something it’s more equipped to do after supplementing its roster this offseason.

“You lose one of your top guys and a guy that plays as big of a role as Mikko does, you can’t fill it with one player,” Bednar said. “We do like the depth of our hockey team here this year, especially in our forward group.”

‘John Norris’

The NHL’s points leader entering Saturday? Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson.

The 29-year-old has 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) through 13 games, and the other Capitals have already began his Norris Trophy campaign. 1158704 Vegas Golden Knights

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare moved by crowd in Golden Knights’ homecoming

By Ben Gotz Las Vegas Review-Journal

October 25, 2019 - 11:09 PM

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare admitted he couldn’t have scripted a better first shift in his T-Mobile Arena return.

Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar elected to start his fourth-line center against his former team Friday, and Bellemare delivered. He won the opening faceoff, then attacked.

Twenty-eight seconds into the game he picked off a wayward pass, shot and scored for his third goal. It began an incredible homecoming for the former Golden Misfit, who played two years for the Knights after being selected in the 2017 expansion draft.

He finished with a career-high three points (one goal, two assists) in the Avalanche’s 6-1 victory.

“The puck … it was like a magnet,” Bellemare said. “I fired it and it was in the net so I’m like: ‘The heck just happened?’ ”

The game was emotional even after the goal for Bellemare. The grinder, penalty killer and former alternate captain said he had “no bad words” for the Knights after leaving this offseason to sign a two-year, $3.6 million contract with Colorado.

His former teammates didn’t have any for him either. Defenseman Nick Holden said Bellemare “was friends with everybody.”

The 34-year-old wasn’t sure Knights fans would be as welcoming. Bellemare still has a house in Las Vegas and was in town as recently as early September for the birth of his daughter. He didn’t know if that would make up for the fact that he was going to take the ice wearing a different sweater.

Those doubts disappeared early. The Knights played a tribute video for Bellemare with 3:56 left in the first period after the Avalanche took a penalty. It led to a loud ovation.

“I just felt thankful,” Bellemare said. “Thank God the video wasn’t too long because I might’ve had a hard time focusing on the kill right after.”

Bellemare recovered after that moving moment to record two assists for the best offensive night of his career.

He also helped the Avalanche hold the Knights to 0-for-4 on the power play.

It was an impressive performance from a player who began his career in Europe and didn’t get his first NHL opportunity until he was 29. Three years after that, the Knights gave him another one. Bellemare will be forever grateful for that.

“I (feel) like (if) some guys get a video after 10 years, it makes sense,” Bellemare said. “Two years, I was telling the guys like ‘C’mon man, I had (31) points in two years,’ but I’m thankful. Really thankful.”

Nevada Day jerseys

The Knights debuted specialty white warmup jerseys in honor of Nevada Day. They featured the “Battle Born” banner and two pieces of sagebrush from the Nevada state flag, with the Knights’ secondary logo in the middle instead of a five-pointed silver star.

The jerseys also had two patches featuring the city of Las Vegas and city of Henderson logos.

The jerseys were awarded as part of the team’s 51/49 raffle, with the proceeds benefiting the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158705 Washington Capitals Washington Post LOADED: 10.27.2019

Evgeny Kuznetsov, fueled by an improved two-way game, is starting to take off

Samantha Pell

October 26, 2019 at 12:36 PM EDT

VANCOUVER — Evgeny Kuznetsov’s second goal Friday night ripped past Vancouver Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom with mere tenths of a second to spare before the end of the second period. It was a skilled goal that Washington Capitals Coach Todd Reirden said provided the swing in momentum in a lopsided game. The wrister from the circle also exemplified the center’s ability to remain calm and patient before seizing his opportunity.

Kuznetsov’s tally in the middle period led the Capitals’ four-goal comeback en route to a 6-5 shootout victory Friday against the Canucks, but his first goal, at 3:18 of the first, was just as impressive. His hit on Canucks forward Micheal Ferland on the boards led to a Vancouver turnover. The puck ended up on the stick of speedy Jakub Vrana, who dished it to a streaking Kuznetsov for a wrist shot from close range. Kuznetsov had a game-high seven shots on goal.

“I was just in the right moment and perfect position when guys just give it to me,” Kuznetsov said. “You know it felt like I shoot a little bit more than before, and I think that’s it for a couple games for sure.”

Reirden called the game Kuznetsov’s “strongest of the year.” With the coaching staff having to ask more than usual of some of its players during a 4-3 overtime loss at the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night because of missed reads and poor play in crucial situations, Reirden knew coming into Vancouver for the second leg of the back-to-back would be a challenge.

Knowing how easily Kuznetsov skates and creates on the ice, Reirden pulled him aside before the game and informed him of the plan: “Be ready to play a quite a bit tonight.” He finished with 21:58 of ice time, the most of any forward on the team. Reirden was double-shifting him throughout, playing him on the wing at the end of the second, which led to the goal at the buzzer. In a game in which Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson were stifled, it was Kuznetsov’s play that carried the team into its impressive third period.

“He had a really strong game and very happy for him,” Reirden said. “Obviously [he’s] been through a lot and continuing to improve and get better.”

While Kuznetsov’s offensive game again showed up on the stat sheet, it is Kuznetsov’s two-way game that has Reirden impressed. Despite recording 72 points (21 goals, 51 assists) last season, Kuznetsov was streaky, with stretches when you couldn’t remember seeing the skilled center on the ice. Kuznetsov needed to work on his defense, and in the offseason Reirden starting seeing him do just that.

John Carlson has 20 points in October. His teammates are starting his Norris Trophy campaign

Even when Kuznetsov wasn’t scoring goals in the previous four games before Friday night, Reirden was happy with how the Russian was focusing more on other aspects of his game, including faceoffs. Through 10 games, Kuznetsov has a faceoff percentage of 48.5. Last year he ended at 38.7.

“I think right now it is important to him,” Reirden said. “It allows him to have the puck more often, and he is so dangerous when he has the puck that I think it has allowed his mind to get him more possession time.”

Kuznetsov said he wanted to focus more on the details of his game in the defensive zone this season, working to maintain consistency on both ends of the ice, even when the puck doesn’t bounce in his favor. He has five goals and four assists through 10 games. After wanting to let his play on the ice speak for him after he was suspended for the first three games for inappropriate conduct, Kuznetsov is starting to find his spark.

“Yeah, I mean, you always believe,” Kuznetsov said. “It doesn’t matter how games go — you will be better next period.” 1158706 Washington Capitals

Alex Alexeyev says player who knocked him out of the Prospects Showcase 'shouldn’t play hockey'

By J.J. Regan

October 26, 2019 3:06 PM

Hershey, Pa. -- Not much seems to phase Capitals prospect Alex Alexeyev. Off the ice you can almost always find the 19-year-old defenseman with a smile on his face. On the ice he has already earned a role on the top-pair in his first professional season with the Hershey Bears.

But if there is one person that gets under Alexeyev’s skin, it is Josh Healey.

Alexeyev came to Capitals training camp in August and looked poised to compete for the roster spot left open by Michal Kempny’s injury. He never got the chance after Healey connected with a hit to the head of Alexeyev in the Prospects Showcase.

Healey, 25, a minor league player who currently plays for the Milwaukee Admirals, delivered a high hit to Alexeyev very late in the second period of a game between the Caps and Nashville Predators prospects. Alexeyev suffered a concussion on the play and did not return for the rest of the tournament or play at all in the Caps' preseason.

Yeah, Alexeyev is still mad about it.

“It's terrible. How old is this guy, like 26 years old?” Alexeyev said of the hit. ”I think there was like two seconds (left) of the second period and then just go straight to your head, it's stupid. This player shouldn't play hockey. If you want to do something like this go to beer league or something, but it's not at this level.”

The concussion was especially frustrating considering Alexeyev's WHL career was brought to an end by a knee-on-knee hit in March that ended his season with Red Deer.

But he did not get discouraged from the two bad hits or from being robbed of a chance to compete to start the season in the NHL. He battled back to return for the start of the AHL season where he scored his first professional goal in the first shift of his first game.

“It felt awesome,” Alexeyev said. “Had how many months, like six or something off, to not playing and first goal, first shift, unbelievable feeling. I think it's fired me up for the rest of this season so it feel better now.”

The key to coming back was keeping his positive attitude.

As mad as Alexeyev may still be about the hit from Healey, he never got frustrated or down about two two injuries in just a few months and just worked to return as soon as he could.

“It's hockey. Injuries happen,” Alexyev said. “I don't know how to answer, but I can tell you this, tough time (don’t) last long, tough people do.”

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158707 Washington Capitals nose is a magnet for pain evidently. Maybe he should just go full cage like they do in college hockey.

Turning point A heck of a comeback in Vancouver and a heck of a month for the Caps Evgeny Kuznetsov scored late in the second period to technically start the comeback, but that goal felt like window-dressing. It made the score 5-2 and Jakub Vrana’s high-sticking penalty to start the third seemed By J.J. Regan likely to end any threat of a comeback.

October 26, 2019 6:00 AM After some brilliant forechecking on the penalty kill by and Hathaway, Eller managed to get just enough of his stick on the centering

pass from Hathaway to send the puck barely trickling through the pads of Washington sports fans were forced to divide their attention between the goalie Jacob Markstrom. Capitals game against the Vancouver Cancuks and Game 3 of the World Play of the night Series on Friday. Midway through the second period with the Caps down 5-1, most fans probably chose the World Series and that was a mistake. Before the clock could strike 00:00 on the middle frame, Kuznetsov While the Nationals could not rally from their deficit, the Caps actually did rocketed his second goal of the game past Markstrom right before the and pulled off a thrilling, improbable, exciting, confusing, shocking, buzzer sounded. His goal came with 0.3 seconds remaining. baffling, 6-5 shootout win. At the time it looked like it would be a meaningless goal as it made the Observations from the win score 5-2, but it proved critical in terms of sparking the comeback from the start of the third period on. Boy, that looked familiar Stat of the night Friday’s game looked an awful lot like Thursday’s against the Edmonton Oilers, but with the roles reversed. Washington played well at the start, I hope you stuck with this game even after the Caps trailed because we Vancouver took full control in the second and the Caps retook witnessed history. A team overcoming a four-goal deficit doesn’t happen momentum in the third with a furious rally to tie the game. all that often.

There’s a lesson to be learned here on why the Caps struggle to maintain Quote of the night leads after seeing another team suffere the same fate and that is don’t play passive, prevent defense. Possession leads to pressure which leads The Caps scored five goals and won the game without a single point to momentum which leads to goals and even if it doesn’t, it doesn’t from Alex Ovechkin or John Carlson. Todd Reirden was asked about that matter because you don’t need goals when you’re already ahead. after the game:

Once Washington made it 5-3, the Canucks no longer took the play to “John’s carried us for a long time. Great to see Michal Kempny get Washington, they were hanging on for dear life and that is exactly why rewarded, shooting the puck really well with net-front traffic. What they lost. happens in these back-to-backs and we talked about it is you need to have other guys step up. When the game’s going to overtime like the I watched Ilya Samsonov at development camp a few years ago and one Edmonton game, we had to overplay some of our guys. Those are tough of the first things I noticed was that he let in more goals up high than you minutes chasing around Connor McDavid all night and then having to would expect for a goalie of his size. At 6-foot-3, Samsonov is a big guy, deal with Boeser and Pettersson and these guys all the time, it’s not easy but when I watched him more closely, I realized he sometimes plays very so you need to have depth through your lineup and we certainly showed low in his stance which leaves more net to shoot at up high. it tonight.”

This cost the Caps in the second when a deflected puck went to Elias Petersson. Samsonov was low in his stance and back in his crease showing Pettersson too much net. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019

Samsonov has a tendency to rely too heavily on his freakish athleticism and I wonder if this is a symptom of that, playing lower in anticipation of going after the loose pucks down low. This is something that is correctable with coaching, but it is a good reminder that this is still a young goalie learning how to play in the NHL and fans should have patience when he is not immediately perfect.

Overall, it was a good game for Samsonov despite the five goals given up. He was not given much help from his defense and Vancouver had a lot of high-danger opportunities from the slot. I really liked the way he stuck with it and rebounded with two huge saves in the shootout. Props to Todd Reirden as well for not giving him the hook. When it was 5-1 I wondered if he would pull Samsonov to protect the young goalie from continuing to get shelled. Luckily, Reirden did not and the rest is history.

Remember how this month was supposed to go?

One of the big storylines heading into the season was how would the Caps navigate their brutal October schedule? There may be one game remaining in the month, but the results are in and the Caps have handled the first month brilliantly.

Three games in four nights to start the season including the banner raising in St. Louis and all without a suspended Evgeny Kuznetsov, two games against the Dallas Stars, a trip to Nashville, a game against the star-studded Colorado Avalanche, two against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the western Canada road trip to boot.

If you had told me Washington would win eight of its first 13 knowing what this schedule looked like, I certainly would have taken that.

Poor Garnet Hathaway

Hathaway was hit in the nose by a puck, you know, the same one he broke against the New York Rangers before getting into a fight. That 1158708 Washington Capitals

Capitals rally from four-goal deficit for stunning shootout win in Vancouver

By J.J. Regan

October 26, 2019 12:52 AM

With five minutes remaining in the second period on Friday, the Capitals trailed the Vancouver Canucks 5-1. A furious rally by Washington saw the Caps tie the game midway into the third to force overtime and Nicklas Backstrom would finish the shootout to stun Vancouver for the 6-5 win. The win ties a franchise record for the biggest deficit overcome in a victory.

Both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Michal Kempny would score twice to lead Washington which has now won three out of four games on their five- game road trip.

Here is how the Caps managed the improbable victory.

A buzzer-beater

With time ticking away in the second period, it looked like this game was over. Vancouver surged in the second for three goals to take a 5-1 lead and the rout was on...or so we thought.

Before the clock could strike 00:00 on the middle frame, however, Kuznetsov was able to fire a puck past goalie Jacob Markstrom with just 0.3 seconds remaining.

At the time it looked like it would be a meaningless goal. The Canucks had all the momentum and all the control. This goal was just window- dressing, right?

Not quite.

Kuznetsov's goal made it 5-2 and that momentum carried into the third period. The Caps were flying at the start, but Jakub Vrana took a penalty 68 seconds in. Washington did not sit back, however, and an aggressive forecheck on the penalty kill resulted in Garnet Hathaway getting control of the puck in the corner. He centered the puck and Lars Eller was able to get just enough on it to squeak the puck through the 5-hole of Markstrom.

Suddenly the deficit had been cut to two and the game no longer felt out of reach.

Playing with all the momentum, the Caps were relentless with their offensive cycle. They were able to maintain possession after every shot and cycle the puck out to the blue line where Michal Kempny scored on a slap shot not once, but twice to tie the game at 5.

The Caps erased what looked like an insurmountable deficit before the period was even eight minutes in.

When the score got to 5-1, you had to wonder if Todd Reirden would pull his rookie netminder rather than leave him to the wolves. Reirden stuck with Samsonov and his confidence paid off.

Samsonov rallied to make two key saves in the shootout to help Washington earn the win.

In total, Samsonov made 29 saves on the night, tying a career-high. Friday's game was his fourth win of the season which leads all rookie goalies.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158709 Winnipeg Jets "I think you saw it at times in certain shifts, where we started to get that O-zone pressure, that O-zone time. Obviously, you slot in a new guy on the wing (Roslovic, taking the place of Brandon Tanev from last year), you’re going to take a little bit of time to get some chemistry with him," Classic a homecoming of sorts for Lowry Lowry said.

"But I think (Copp and I) are so familiar with each other, we read off each other so well and he’s so responsible and dependable on both sides of By: Mike McIntyre the puck, hopefully, we can start building. I like the defensive aspect of Posted: 10/26/2019 11:00 PM our game, and now it’s going to be important that we can chip in offensively, as well."

Head coach Paul Maurice said the early returns on Lowry’s line have REGINA — If there was an official face of the Heritage Classic, Adam been solid. Lowry would be a prime candidate. After all, he was raised in Alberta, played his junior hockey in Saskatchewan and now makes his "Those guys will get into their rhythm. Lots of faith in the chemistry professional living in Manitoba. between Andrew and Adam. And I’ve really liked the way Jack Roslovic has added a little bit different dynamic to that line," Maurice said Of course, that face would also be frozen, given the conditions at puck Saturday. drop Saturday night in Regina for the outdoor clash between the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames at Mosaic Stadium. The forecast The Jets will quickly be able to thaw out, as they were flying to California called for a temperature of -3 C, with north winds gusting up to 46 km/h, following the match to begin a three-game road trip. Winnipeg will play making it feel like -10 C. Tuesday night in Anaheim, Friday in San Jose and Saturday in Las Vegas. "A lot of hours on the bus, kind of going up and down. Looking back on my junior experience in Swift Current, I’ve got a lot of fond memories. I "I think, when you can have a little bit of fun built into your year, it’s a had great billets." good thing. We’re trying to do that. Just in our normal operating. Get the guys together, try to have a little bit of fun. But when you’re 5-6-0, you "I think a lot of us grew up playing outside. The wind’s definitely may not feel like you’re having as much fun," Maurice said of the entire something we’re not used to in normal games," Lowry said prior to the tilt, Heritage experience. which the Jets won 2-1 in overtime. Ville Heinola took a seat for the Heritage Classic — but the healthy Cold, blustery conditions aside, Lowry was excited about the game, with scratch is not a sign the Jets have soured on his play. However, it could all kinds of family and friends in attendance. And this trek to Regina has be an indication the 18-year-old’s time with the big club is running out, for meant a bit of a trip down memory lane for the 26-year-old, who got his now. game ready for prime time while spending four years with the Swift Current Broncos of the . Heinola has eight NHL games under his belt, and can only play one more until the first-year of his three-year entry level contract kicks in. Given "A lot of hours on the bus, kind of going up and down. Looking back on that Winnipeg currently has eight healthy defencemen on the roster, the my junior experience in Swift Current, I’ve got a lot of fond memories. I writing may be on the wall. Especially with injured blue-liner Nathan had great billets. The town of Swift Current was great, We always had Beaulieu closing in on a return and a candidate to play on the upcoming such good support and kind of travelling throughout Saskatchewan and road trip. going to some other cities, seeing how they get behind their junior teams, and obviously, the support they have for the Riders is huge," Lowry said. Maurice poured cold water on a question about whether Heinola could be kept around all year, coming in and out of the lineup, in a similar way that "First time they’ve had an NHL game. I think the city’s excited, and we’re the Jets have used 19-year-old Swedish centre David Gustafsson so far excited to get outside, throw on the jerseys and take in the experience." this year.

Lowry played in the 2016 Heritage Classic at IG Field, in which the "I don’t know that that makes any sense, for an 18-year-old to be in and game-time temperature was a balmy 10 C. He was hoping some lessons out of your lineup. The difference with Gustafsson right now, for me, is learned from that game against the Oilers (which the Jets lost 3-0) would he’s 19 and he’s also training for the job that he will personally have. serve his team well on Saturday night. That’s where David comes into the NHL, he comes in in that centre position on the fourth line. And then, where he develops into, we’ll see. "There’s a little bit of advantage just knowing the ice is going to get a little He may end up being a second-line centre at some point or in the Adam worse a little quicker. You might have to alter some of your decision- Lowry mould," Maurice said. making. You might think you have a clean pass, but the better option is just to put it at the net," he said. "But Ville would not be training for the job that he’s going to do by being in and out of the lineup." "Just in that sense, sometimes in these games, whether it’s the first playoff game or big events like this, the first few shifts, guys tend to want The Jets are expected to recall a forward from the Manitoba Moose to to do a little bit too much and tend to maybe want to put on a show." join them in California. Both Letestu (upper-body) and now Mason Appleton (broken bone in his foot) are currently out of action, leaving the There’s a business side to all of this, of course, with the Jets (5-6-0) and club with no extra healthy skaters up front. Flames (6-5-1) both trying to turn their struggling games around and grab a couple of valuable points in the competitive Western Conference. Appleton got hurt Friday afternoon while tossing around a football with teammates at Mosaic Stadium as part of a pre-practice warm-up. "I think it’s just trying to get that good feeling back, whether it’s playing at home, or on the road or kind of in a neutral site. And just trying to build. "There’s not really much to say. It’s a pretty junky situation to deal with. That’s what we’ve talked about in the room, just trying to get better as the And, obviously, we empathize and are there for Mason and wish him a season goes on, continuing to build, and hopefully, we can get on a roll quick recovery," centre Mark Scheifele said Saturday. starting (Saturday)," Lowry said. "But those things happen in life. You’re not going to stop living because In his case, that includes mixing his usual solid defensive play with an you might get hurt. I know all the boys had fun throwing around the offensive game that has been missing in action so far. Lowry has yet to football and kicking around the soccer ball. It sucks that happened." record a point through 11 regular-season games. He had 12 goals and 11 assists in 78 games last year.

After playing the first few weeks of the season with veteran journeymen Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.27.2019 Mark Letestu and Gabriel Bourque on his wings, Lowry is back to a more familiar role now with Andrew Copp beside him, along with young speedster Jack Roslovic. The trio have looked strong at times over the past two games. 1158710 Winnipeg Jets "He’s one of those guys who’s as consistent as they come. You can set your clock by him. You know what you’re going to get out of Hammer, he’s a really good pro, really good in the room, really good when things are going bad, a real good voice on the ice, brings a lot of energy to the Hamonic in disbelief as game vs. Jets to be his 600th rink and really has a passion to play the game," said Peters, in an interview Friday.

"He’s had a good career to this point and he’s a big part of what we do. By: Jason Bell Our PK numbers are good right now and he’s a big part of it on the back Posted: 10/26/2019 9:00 PM end and he’s willing to do all the little things like block shots which don’t show up on the scoreboard. He’s a glue guy. You need about four or five guys just like Hammer."

REGINA — The party wasn’t arranged in Travis Hamonic’s honour but the serendipity of moment wasn’t lost on the Calgary Flames defenceman. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.27.2019

Hamonic couldn’t have orchestrated a more unforgettable scenario with which to celebrate the 600th game of his NHL career — the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic under the bright lights of Mosaic Stadium.

"I was trying to keep that a secret," the Manitoba product joked to reporters, prior to the game. "It’s a neat experience, something I’ll always remember. Hopefully, many more (games) to come.

"He's a glue guy. You need about four or five guys just like Hammer."

- Flames head coach Bill Peters on Hamonic

"You grow up, and with the profession there’s always doubters, always people telling you that you’re never going to make it. You obviously want to keep building, keep building and keep playing more games, but I think it’s one of those things that at the end of your career you can look back. Whatever amounts of games I’m fortunate and moreso blessed from God to play, you appreciate.

"For this to be 600, in this kind of setting, in this venue, I think when I’m older I’ll look back and be happy with it."

While neither side has a participant born and raised in Saskatchewan, the significance of the outdoor game at the home of the CFL’s Roughriders likely resonates more with the 29-year-old from St. Malo than any other player here.

Hamonic spent the bulk of his four-year junior hockey career just 70 kilometres west on the Trans-Canada for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL and was a big part of some epic battles with the during that stretch.

Despite growing up in a household of Jets fans before the franchise moved to Arizona, he became an ardent Flames fan as a teen. Worlds are, indeed, colliding this weekend for Hamonic, who had plenty of family and friends from Manitoba in the crowd. His wife, Stephanie, expecting the couple’s second child next month, stayed home in Calgary with 17- month-old daughter, Charlie.

"Growing up as a kid in Manitoba you’re gonna be a huge supporter of the Jets. Obviously, the team left and, believe it not, playing junior hockey in Saskatchewan I became a huge Flames fan. All the games were on TV and those are the games you’re exposed to," he said. "It’s ironically how it’s worked out, as you get older.

"Nowadays, all my friends and family are just excited to watch and be here, and are wearing their Hamonic jerseys and just taking it all in."

Drafted by New York Islanders in the second round (53rd overall) in 2008, Hamonic played seven seasons south of the border before getting dealt to the Flames in the summer of 2017. Last season, he fired a career-high seven goals and chipped in 12 assists.

Hamonic, listed at 6-2, 205 pounds, had just a lone assist this season prior to Saturday’s contest. However, his offensive production has never jumped off the page and his true worth lies in his reliability as a solid, physical defender. He patrols the right side on the second defensive pairing with Noah Hanifin, and plays a major role on the squad’s penalty kill (PK), ranked fourth in the NHL (88.9 per cent efficiency).

Calgary head coach Bill Peters is grateful he’s got a guy like Hamonic at his disposal, an ‘old-school’ type of player unafraid to lay his body out to block a slapshot off the stick of Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, as he did last Tuesday, or rush to the defence of a teammate, as he did last year in a fight with Vancouver’s Erik Gudbanson. He suffered a broken jaw and shattered teeth in that scrap — and is still flashing a few missing Chiclets. 1158711 Winnipeg Jets of the American Hockey League) and got there before the team came in, and I had no idea the rink was on the fifth floor," he recalled. "Really exciting to play there. was playing for them then (the Rangers won the Stanley Cup that year). Then, we went off to meet the Struch relishes shot at outdoor game (New York) Islanders, then off to Pittsburgh and then home to Calgary to play the ."

The defining moments of his fleeting stint in the show? Getting schooled By: Jason Bell at the faceoff dot by a six-time Cup champion and NHL hall of famer. Posted: 10/26/2019 4:00 AM "(Penguins centre) Bryan Trottier beat me four straight faceoffs clean, as if he was making a one-time pass to his defencemen," Struch said. "We had on the bench, one of the best faceoff men in the league at REGINA — His passion kept him toasty on the outdoor rinks in frigid Flin the time. But our coach, Dave King, kept me out for all those draws. Flon and energized him during a long and winding pro career that When I came off, he and (assistant coach) Guy Charron laughed at me, featured a brief stay in the NHL and stops in Saint John, N.B., Waco, reminding me that guy I was up against ‘was pretty good."’ Texas, and Milan, Italy. The following season, Struch blew out a knee early in the season in Saint And it fuels him today as he coaches junior hockey. John and spent the following 16 months recovering from surgeries. The dream to return to the NHL evaporated then and there, but the memories Dave Struch has had a 45-year love affair with hockey — and he’ll add a remain for the coach, who has three kids — daughter Avery, 11, and few more snapshots to his album of memories on Sunday afternoon. The sons Rylan, 9, and Jesse, 6, with his wife, Andrea. Manitoban will be behind the bench at Mosaic Stadium when his Regina Pats host the in the Western Hockey League’s Prairie "As much as you want to play in the NHL, there’s no way to know if it will Classic outdoor game, the day after the Heritage Classic between the ever happen. So, when it does, it’s pretty surreal. Having a taste of it is a Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. real special feeling. Staying there is, obviously, the hardest part," said Struch, who still has family in the Flin Flon area and in other parts of the Struch, 48, says it’s only fitting that a kid who played shinny just about province. every night until his fingers, toes and cheeks stung would get an opportunity to participate in a game on a far grander stage, while still at Struch went on to play nine years in Europe, split between clubs in the mercy of Mother Nature. Austria, Italy, England and Germany. He spent the 2002-03 season with the Bracknell Bees (Berkshire) in southeast England, taking a regular "For me, being in Flin Flon, we had an outdoor rink right behind Johnny’s shift while making all the head-coaching decisions. Confectionary and we were there every day. And I tell you, it was the start of my passion for the game. This is the first time I’ve been involved "The hockey was really good, we had a lot of North Americans and they in an organized outdoor game, and with the magnitude of it and how well- all listened to me, thankfully," he said, laughing. "But I had known all my organized it is, it’s really special to be a part of," Struch told the Free life that when I was done playing, I wanted to coach. I was a career Press in a one-on-one interview Friday. minor-leaguer, but I knew the game, so I took a lot of my coaching levels in the summer so that when I was done playing (in 2005), I was ready. Ticket sales are pushing toward 12,000. Game time is set for 2 p.m., under a cloudy sky and a midday temperature of -2 C. "I still have so much emotion for the game of hockey, so it’s rewarding to see young guys develop and do well, make mistakes and then correct "It’s very special for me personally, but moreso for our Pats organization, those mistakes, and, more importantly, seeing them develop as people." our players, the entire staff and, most importantly, the fans. They’re going to get an amazing experience at the NHL game before, and that’s going to carry over into our game and really help us out-playing outdoors in our home city," he said. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.27.2019

The Pats definitely could use a spark. The squad is last in the WHL’s East Division, with just a pair of victories in 12 games, while the Hitmen are 6-2-1 and in the middle of the pack in the Central.

Struch missed the team’s 6-5 shootout victory over the Red Deer Rebels last Saturday after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. General manager and fellow Manitoban John Paddock called the shots for one game.

Struch is in his second season as the head coach in Regina after taking over prior to the 2018-19 season, when Paddock, a former Jets 1.0 coach head coach, stepped away from the bench to focus solely on his duties as GM. Struch had previously served as Paddock’s top assistant for four seasons.

He was interviewed for the Pats’ head-coaching job in 2014 but lost out to Paddock. Struch said he was pretty upset about getting the snub, and wouldn’t bite on the team’s offer of a position as an assistant coach — until he received a call from the fortunate candidate.

"I wanted to be a head coach. I was ready for it. I was adamant I didn’t want to be an assistant. Then John called me a week later, and we spoke for two hours. We only spoke for 15 minutes about hockey, the rest was on family, life, people, things about each other," Struch said. "An hour later, I called him and said, ‘I’m all in.’"

Coaching was always in the cards for the former Saskatoon Blades star centre, who was drafted in the ninth round of the 1991 NHL entry draft by the Calgary Flames and played in the organization for five seasons. He suited up four times during the 1993-94 campaign but didn’t register a point.

His NHL debut couldn’t have happened at a more regal hockey shrine.

"My first game was at Madison Square Garden and I remember getting lost in there before the game. I got called up (from the Saint John Flames 1158712 Winnipeg Jets Both clubs have partnered up for a new $300,000 "Hockey Is For Everyone" scholarship, which will be available to undergraduate students who play hockey at the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan. Jets co-owner and governor Mark Chipman, Flames Appleton injured playing football prior to Jets practice president and CEO John Bean, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman unveiled details during Friday’s Heritage Classic legacy luncheon.

The annual scholarship will be available to one male and one female By: Mike McIntyre hockey player at each school. According to the terms, recipients "will be Posted: 10/26/2019 4:00 AM | Last Modified: 10/26/2019 12:14 PM | those who strive to provide a positive and inclusive environment, while Updates | Comments: 0 also showing leadership and good sportsmanship on and off the ice."

Each scholarship recipient will receive a one-year grant to aid in covering post-secondary costs. REGINA — Mason Appleton’s Heritage Classic is over before it could even begin. And now the young Winnipeg Jets forward is going to miss at least a month of action after suffering a freak injury while warming up Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 10.27.2019 with teammates prior to Friday’s outdoor practice at Mosaic Stadium.

"He broke a bone in his foot trying to intercept a football. Stepped in front of (Kyle) Connor and he’ll be out for a while," head coach Paul Maurice revealed following the hour-long skate.

Appleton, 23, played the first nine games of the year for the Jets but was held without a point. He was a healthy scratch for the past two, but was likely coming back into the lineup for tonight’s marquee clash with the Calgary Flames.

A large group of Jets were tossing around the pigskin Friday afternoon about an hour before their on-ice session got underway. And that’s when it all went wrong for Appleton.

"When you think about the time that a man like that would have put in trying to make this team to try to grab a spot. The amount of commitment that he would have put in. His fitness numbers are outstanding. To get here, to get the opportunity, and it’s one of those things," Maurice said.

"They play soccer before the games, they play basketball, they do all kinds of stuff. They’re having fun out there. And it’s tough for him. We feel for him. In a week’s time, he’s going to get verbally abused, horribly for what happened and how it happened. But right now, you just feel for the guy."

Winnipeg now has just 12 healthy forwards on the roster, with veteran centre Mark Letestu currently on injured reserve with an upper-body ailment. Expect at least one skater to be recalled from the Manitoba Moose this week to take Appleton’s place.

"It’s going to be a month before you can ask about him again," Maurice said.

From New York to Anaheim to San Diego to Winnipeg to Regina, Luca Sbisa has had one doozy of a week.

The 29-year-old defenceman, who was born in Italy and has 504 career NHL games under his belt, took his first laps with his new Winnipeg Jets teammates on Friday.

"A bit unusual, with my first skate being outdoors. Nice to finally be here, it’s been a bit of a wild, crazy 48 hours. A lot of flying, lots of Uber rides, not much sleep," Sbisa said.

To summarize: Sbisa was on a professional tryout with the New York Islanders, then signed to a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks, who had to pass him through waivers and planned to send him to their AHL team in San Diego for a few games of conditioning. But along came Winnipeg, with all kinds of holes on the blue line, to grab him off the wire on Wednesday.

Turns out Sbisa’s camp and the Jets had been in talks as far back as last summer but didn’t get a deal done — until now.

"It’s an opportunity. It’s up to me to make the most of it. I think I have a lot of hockey left. I think my body, after not playing many games last year, is finally back to 100 per cent," said Sbisa, who is 6-3 and 204 pounds.

Indeed, injuries limited him to just nine games with the Islanders last season and 30 with the Vegas Golden Knights the year before. Where he fits in with Winnipeg remains to be seen. The Jets currently have eight healthy defenceman on the roster, and Nathan Beaulieu is getting closer to making his regular-season debut after suffering an upper-body injury during the last pre-season game. He’s not expected to play tonight, but could debut on the upcoming road trip next week through Anaheim, San Jose and Vegas. 1158713 Winnipeg Jets Calgary had led since Elias Lindholm tipped home a short centering pass from Johnny Gaudreau at 14:47 of the second period to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

Little lifts Jets past Flames in overtime at Heritage Classic The Jets appealed the goal, with head coach Paul Maurice suggesting that Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk had used a high-stick to keep the puck in the zone earlier on the power play.

Scott Billeck The replay certainly appeared to show a stick a little higher than Tkachuk’s shoulders, but the NHL’s situation room concluded that the October 27, 2019 1:23 AM CDT goal on the ice would stand.

Adam Lowry, meanwhile, could be facing some supplemental discipline REGINA—For over 55 minutes at the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic, a win from the NHL’s department of player safety. looked unlikely for the Winnipeg Jets. Lowry drilled Flames defenceman Oliver Kylington in the numbers as A curse of not being able to score in one of the league’s marquee time expired on the clock in the second period. Kylington laid on the ice outdoor games seemed to carry over to Regina and Mosaic Stadium. for a while as trainers tended to him. To his left, a melee erupted because of the infraction. That was until Josh Morrissey scored on a one-timer off a pass from Patrik Laine on the power play that erased a one-goal deficit late in the Lowry was handed a two-minute minor for boarding on the play. third period to officially lift the curse. “They can look at it,” Lowry said when asked about a possible And for proof that it was indeed over, Bryan Little converted a cross-ice suspension. “We looked at it in here. They called the penalty. There’s a pass on a two-on-one at 3:04 of the extra frame to give the Jets a 2-1 win lot of things that are borderline so we’ll wait and see. I think the refs — over the Calgary Flames under the bright lights and in front of a sell-out it’s boarding — they got the call right.” crowd of 33,518. The Jets came out with a different fire in the third, outshooting the “It’s up there, it’s pretty cool,” Little said of where Saturday’s winner ranks Flames 15-4 in the frame. in his career. “I felt like it was one of those games where I pretty much They had their best chance of the game up until that point when Jack didn’t have any chances and then you get a two-on-one like in overtime. Roslovic tried but whiffed on a puck on a breakaway. I’ll admit, I didn’t really do too much. I went to the net and put my stick on the ice and Kyle made a great pass. Definitely a great feeling.” Morrissey’s goal came after the Jets replaced Neal Pionk anchoring the point with the man-advantage. It was a shrewd move late on with the Jets Little didn’t play a part in Winnipeg’s outdoor game three years ago hunting for a goal that paid off. because of injury. He was the hero on Saturday. Winnipeg’s power play was dangerous in overtime, with Blake Wheeler “It was definitely frustrating watching from the sidelines and not getting to firing a wrister off the crossbar. Sean Monahan took a penalty just 39 experience it,” Little said. “So, when I heard we were playing outside I seconds in to allow the Jets to keep the momentum going. definitely had this one circled on my calendar and it definitely lived up to everything.” Little’s goal was his first of the season after he missed Winnipeg’s first nine games because of a concussion. The goal came 25 seconds after If you were looking for a more picturesque hockey setting, you needn’t Winnipeg’s OT power play had expired. have looked further than the 33,350-seat behemoth that is Mosaic illuminating the Regina skyline. Coach Maurice said he wouldn’t be barking as much from the bench during Saturday’s game. Cold, windy and snowing — a quintessential prairie night if there ever was one — was the perfect setting for one of the NHL’s marquee games. He has been a bench boss in one of these outdoor affairs before and did another for a charity event, but he said it’s tough getting into the game The ice became increasingly snow-clogged as the game wore on. given the spectacle of it all. Frequent dry scrapes were needed to clear the growing piles of the white stuff. “I think the players actually get to it (faster) more than I do because they are physically in the game,” Maurice said. “But you’re trying to figure out “The ice for skating was some of the best – we all talked about – we’ve what to forgive.” skated on in the NHL,” Morrissey said. “It was hard. The only challenge was the snow. Maurice looked back to Winnipeg’s 2016 outdoor game at IG Field (then Investors Group Field) and pointed to Mark Letestu’s goal shorthanded “On top of the usual wear and tear during the game, the snow made it for the Edmonton Oilers after Letestu stole it off Dustin Byfuglien. difficult. I felt in the first period maybe with the opening ceremonies and stuff, they didn’t have a chance to shovel for a while. So, maybe until that “Is that a, ‘Are we ready to play or are we not?’ So it’s hard for the coach. first whistle was probably the worst it was the whole game. Overall, once I found it difficult at times to find what I was going to complain about everyone settled in and got used to what the conditions were, it wasn’t because I’m not sure what was prep or what we were good at and can too big a factor.” we manufacture that again,” Maurice said.

Still, to score late was going to take quite the effort. Maurice said the game his team was trying to sell on Saturday was the same one they’ve been standing at the pulpit talking about for the past When Morrissey tallied at 15:49 of the third, it ended a goalless drought couple of weeks. that extended back three years to Investors Group Field when the Jets lost 3-0 to the Edmonton Oilers. “Our game,” he said.

Some 115:49 of goalless hockey. What a time to find a marker. The decision not to play defenceman Ville Heinola in Saturday’s Heritage Classic has bought the Jets some extra time. “I thought we battled hard on that power play to get pucks back, there was a couple of good plays down low,” Morrissey said. “We had talked If he had suited up, he would have played in his ninth game, the absolute right before that power play of trying to get some shots to the net and get maximum he can play in before the Jets would have to decide to keep traffic. When it’s not going well, that’s usually a good recipe.” him on the roster and burn the first year of his entry-level contract, or send him either down to the Manitoba Moose or back to Finland. The Jets had gone 0-for-3 on the power play prior to Morrissey’s blast, which ended a streak of 12 power plays without one. “As we get to this time, it’s really becoming not about the Winnipeg Jets at all and all about Ville,” Maurice said. “In part, because we’ve liked so “It was huge,” Jets forward Adam Lowry said. “I think it was tough for the much of his game. This guy is the only 18-year-old defenceman left. power play to get going, the ice was really snowy, and Calgary does a There’s just not a lot of them that play in their first year, for a good good job pressuring. That’s a big moment for the special teams to come reason. up.” “His play has certainly made us think long and hard and we will continue to do that, so we buy a little more time to watch. But again, the most important thing for the Winnipeg Jets is the right path for Ville to become as good as he can be based on what we have seen.”

Saturday’s game was Heinola’s fourth healthy scratch of the season after being sat for a clump of three games early on.

Having the rookie come in and out of the lineup isn’t something Maurice foresees.

“I don’t think that makes any sense for a young player, an 18-year-old, to be in and out of your lineup,” Maurice said.

But what about David Gustafsson, Winnipeg’s 19-year-old fourth-line centre?

“The difference with Gustafsson, for me, right now, is that he’s 19 and he’s also training for the job that we will have,” Maurice said. “That’s where David comes into the NHL at centre position on the fourth line. Where he develops, we’ll see. It may end up being a second-line centre at some point or the Lowry mold. But Ville would not be training for the job he’s going to do being in and out of the lineup.”

Given the addition of Luca Sbisa and with Nathan Beaulieu back practicing with the team, it would appear that Heinola will be sent down at some point.

When, and to where, remains undetermined.

If you ask Mark Scheifele what his fondest memory of playing outdoors is, he’d take you back to the middle school he went to.

Every winter, his school would have a rink and he and his buddies would spend hours crafting their game.

In Barrie, as a junior player for the Colts, Scheifele’s billet family had something pretty impressive as well.

“They had an amazing outdoor rink,” Scheifele said. “They had chillers and refrigeration and everything. I’d play a game in Barrie and after the game, we’d have 10 guys out there playing three-on-three and strapping on the goalie pads and everything. Have a lot of good memories.”

It hasn’t had the same impact as the ‘TLC’ line that came before it, but Lowry, Andrew Copp and Jack Roslovic are coming along as a line.

“I think you saw it at times on certain shifts where we started to get that O-zone pressure, that O-zone time,” Lowry said. “Obviously, you slot in a new guy on the wing, it will take a little bit of time to get some chemistry with him. I think we’re so familiar with each other. We read off each other so well and he’s so responsible on both sides of the puck. Hopefully, we can start building. I like the defensive aspect to our game.”

Maurice feels the line will begin to hit its stride.

“I’ve got lots of faith in the chemistry between Andrew and Adam and I’ve really like the way Jack Roslovic has added a little different dynamic to that line,” Maurice said.

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.27.2019 1158714 Winnipeg Jets

Cold, prairie night on tap for Heritage Classic in Regina

Scott Billeck

October 26, 2019 2:30 PM CDT

REGINA — The stage is set for a cold, prairie night for the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic in Regina.

By puck drop on Saturday night, the winds are forecasted to be howling from the northwest at 31 km/hr. The temperature will be -3 C but it will feel like -10 C for those siting in the stands at Mosaic Stadium and those playing on the 200×85 sheet of ice in the middle of it all.

Oh, and there could be a bit of snow coming this way, too.

It’s quite the 180 from the 18 C it hit here on Friday.

So how do you play in it?

“Who knows?” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “The outdoor game in Winnipeg, it’s a windy place, and we thought it would be tough all day and we get out there and it seemed to settle.

“We’ll see come game time.”

For the players, many of them grew up playing in this type of weather.

“The wind is definitely something we’re not used to for normal games but it’s going to be same for both teams,” Adam Lowry said. “The benches are heated, I don’t think it’s going to be too cold for us and hopefully it’s not too cold for the fans.”

To manage whatever mother nature throws their way, the Jets are preaching a simple game.

“It’s kind of just about managing and making smart plays,” Lowry said.

It’s just the nature of the beast, Mark Scheifele said, agreeing with Lowry.

“It’s going to be coming from both teams,” Scheifele said of that simple message. “At the end of the day, both reams are dealing with the exact same thing.”

Winnipeg Sun LOADED 10.27.2019 1158715 Vancouver Canucks On Friday against the Capitals, Benn and Stecher may not have played a lot, but when they did, they were most often backing up the Canucks’ top two lines, centred by Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat.

Winning all that matters for Troy Stecher That matches their general deployment on the season. About 70 per cent of the time, they’re skating with either the Horvat or Pettersson line.

Now, when you dig a little more into the numbers, you find that of the PATRICK JOHNSTON Canucks’ three defence pairings, Stecher and Benn pair are yielding the most dangerous shots. The Canucks’ goalies have been standing tall October 26, 2019 3:34 PM PDT when those two have been on the ice, so you may not have noticed that they’ve been yielding more quality chances against than you might like.

Canucks defenceman Troy Stecher is playing a lot less than he has in At the end of the day, it’s the winning that counts, Stecher said. His ice the past, but the team is winning and that's all that matter, he says. time isn’t an issue.

This is not a new movie for Troy Stecher. “Any time you win, you’re going to obviously enjoy things a lot more. But at the same time I’m a proud guy and I know what I can bring and I want Just about every season he’s been in the NHL, the defenceman from to contribute to this team. For right now, this is my role, the team’s Richmond has found himself starting the year down the Vancouver winning so you’re not going to say too much. The boys are rolling here, Canucks’ pecking order. we have a good vibe in the dressing room and the guys are happy.

But he’s proven to be durable and when others have gone down to injury, “That’s the most important thing.” he’s always been ready to step into the breach.

“There’s ebbs and flows with everything in life,” Stecher said Friday when asked about not seeing as much ice to start this season. “During a Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.27.2019 hockey season, as a group you’re going to experience some ups and downs and on an individual basis you’re going to experience it too. You just control what you can control.”

He’s averaged 19:18 per game in ice time since first breaking into the league in 2016-17.

Last season, between injuries to Alex Edler and Chris Tanev, plus Erik Gudbranson being traded away at the deadline, Stecher averaged 19:55 per game.

Through 10 games this season, he’s playing just 12:53 per night. He doesn’t play on the power play and he hasn’t been part of the regular penalty killing rotation.

The addition of Tyler Myers has been the biggest dent in his deployment, but it’s also that Quinn Hughes has now joined the squad full time. Their pairings — Myers with Alex Edler, Hughes with Chris Tanev — are being leaned on to play heavy minutes, while Stecher and partner Jordie Benn are playing far less.

He only played 11:27 on Friday night against the Capitals.

Stecher pointed to former teammate Alex Biega as an inspiration for how he’s handling his present, diminished, role.

Over his four seasons with the Canucks, Biega often spoke of his focus on making everything count. In practices, he never wanted to be seen taking a step back. Biega knew he was the seventh or eighth defenceman, likely playing in no more than half the team’s games.

Treat your practices like games, he’d say.

Stecher always took note of that spirit.

“He was always prepared every single day, even when he wasn’t playing. I’m just trying to adapt that into my game and make sure that I’m ready for my opportunity, if it comes. And if it doesn’t, I need to make sure I’m still playing well,” Stecher said.

He may not be playing anything close to the minutes he’s used to but he’s still proving to be a highly effective player.

According to hockey data-tracking website Natural Stat Trick, when he’s on the ice, the Canucks are attacking as much as they are defending, a fact that’s true of the whole team’s game this season. They’re controlling the puck far more than they have in recent seasons. They’re breaking the puck out better, they’re stopping opposing attacks better, they’re maintaining possession in the offensive zone better too.

The Canucks’ shot-attempts-against rate while Stecher is on the ice is second-best among all Canucks defencemen. Only Quinn Hughes has a better rate.

That’s meaningful. He may not be playing the heaviest minutes, but he’s helping his team do a good job of preventing shots against, the most basic thing you can do to help your team win, while also generating chances at the offensive end of the ice. 1158716 Vancouver Canucks The real tipping point, at least in the draft’s first round, came two years ago when the Colorado Avalanche took 5-foot-11, 190-pound Cale Makar fourth overall. Yes, the trail had been blazed for undersized defencemen by the likes of Tyson Barrie and Torey Krug but Makar represented the Today's game is too fast for Erik Gudbranson, but just right for Quinn first time a vertically challenged blueliner went that high in the draft. Hughes He also started something of a trend. In that same year, Erik Branstrom, a 5-foot-10, 180 pounder from Sweden, went 13th to Las Vegas. The next year the Canucks took Quinn Hughes seventh overall. With the next ED WILLES pick Chicago took 5-foot-11 Adam Boqvist and later in the first round, October 26, 2019 3:32 PM PDT New Jersey selected Ty Smith, another 5-foot-11 defenceman.

You may be aware of Hughes’s impact on the Canucks. Granted, he was minus-four in Friday night’s 6-5 shootout loss to Washington but that When the Vancouver Canucks acquired Erik Gubranson a little over number had as much to do with an off night for Jacob Markstrom as three years ago, your agent and the late, great Jason Botchford engaged Hughes’s play. It was also one of the few games this season where in a vigorous debate over the merits of the trade because, well, all Hughes hasn’t been a significant offensive driver for the Canucks but he debates with Botch were vigorous. still contributed a highlight-reel assist on Brock Boeser’s first-period goal.

My thesis went something like this: I’m unfamiliar with a game in which a One other thing to consider. The Calder race this season could very well 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenceman who can skate and has a mean streak come down to Makar and Hughes. is a liability. Botch’s counter was Gudbranson might be all those things but his reputation as a shutdown D-man is overblown and he contributes “Who cares how he defends,” said the aforementioned scout said of the next to nothing on the offensive end. To support his argument, he called Canucks’ defenceman. “He’s got the puck all the time.” on a dizzying assortment of statistical categories which, in retrospect, And that’s today’s game. Size still matters to a point but unless you can were telling but, at the time, I largely ignored because, well, Gudbranson play at NHL speed, or at least think the game at NHL speed, it’s largely sure looked like the real deal. irrelevant. In three years the Canucks have gone from Gudbranson to Over the next two-plus seasons, I came to the realization there is a game Hughes on their blueline. where a relatively mobile 6-foot-5, 220-pound defenceman who has a That story is also being repeated all over the NHL which is bad news for mean streak is a liability and it’s played in today’s NHL. Gubranson but good news for the game. The game, put succinctly, moved too fast for Gudbranson. He couldn’t make plays with the puck. He was consistently caught flat-footed and watching in the defensive zone, which led to an inordinate number of Vancouver Province: LOADED: 10.27.2019 penalties. He had trouble reading the rush.

For those two seasons I waited in vain for the light to go on for Gudbranson and when he was dealt to Pittsburgh at last year’s trade deadline for Tanner Pearson, it came as a relief. Subsequent events would prove that deal a significant win for the organization. At least it helps offset the usurious cost — former first-rounder Jared McCann, a second-rounder and a fourth, the Canucks also got a fifth-round in return — GM paid to land Gudbranson in the first place.

But the more interesting point concerns the regression of Gudbranson’s career and what that reveals about the NHL of today. When he was drafted third overall by Florida in 2010 ahead of some very good players, Gudbranson was considered a prototype. He’s since been traded three times in a little over three years and was essentially given away in the latest deal, going to Anaheim on Friday for 29-year-old minor leaguer Andreas Martinsen and a seventh-rounder in a move designed to shed his US$4 million salary from the Pens’ payroll.

So what happened? Plenty and let’s go to the history books for an explanation.

In 1998-99 the Dallas Stars won a Stanley Cup with a blueline which included Derian Hatcher, Richard Matvichuk, Craig Ludwig and Shawn Chambers who, collectively, were as mobile as your average oil tanker. They were, however, big, mean and could defend which, in the height of the dead-puck era, were prized attributes.

Brett Hull used to joke that Hatcher and Matvichuk were the greatest shutdown pair in NHL history because they could shut down the opposition’s offence and the Stars. But Ken Hitchcock also won a Stanley Cup with that group — in the interests of full disclosure Hitch also had Sergei Zubov and Darryl Sydor at his disposal — and the rest of the NHL lined up to build a similar defensive corps.

Don’t believe me? Consider this. Between 2000 and 2010 there were roughly 100 defencemen drafted in the first round. I could find one who was listed under six-feet tall, Ryan Ellis, who went to Nashville 11th overall in 2009. True, there were others who were suspiciously rounded up to six feet — Erik Karlsson was one of them. But, as one Western Conference scout says, “Unless they had size, we didn’t look at them in the first round back then.”

That began to change as the game became faster and while we’d like to tell you the Panthers drafting of Gudbranson represented a tipping point, it would take another six, seven years for the NHL to reassess defencemen. 1158717 Vancouver Canucks The result looked far worse than the process and to be quite honest, there isn’t a whole lot to dwell on.

“I don’t know if you learning anything,” Hughes said frankly when asked if The Armies: Jacob Markstrom’s fury, the Tim Schaller thing and the there’s something to learn from a game like this. “Like I said, I don’t think adrenaline junkies we played too bad, we just gotta keep going.”

To say Markstrom takes responsibility for his performances is an understatement. He’s an ultra-competitive athlete who expects nothing By Harman Dayal but the highest calibre play from himself and he’s very blunt in measuring his shortcomings when he’s even slightly off. It should come as no Oct 26, 2019 surprise that he was ruthlessly self-critical after the loss.

The frustration was evident as soon as the Canucks lost the game — Jacob Markstrom has been Vancouver’s saviour on multiple occasions after the buzzer Markstrom destroyed his stick over his knee with two big this season. hacks.

Against the Rangers, he singlehandedly stole the game by weathering an The first shootout goal was surely one Markstrom would like back — his onslaught of shots and chances so staggering you were left wondering if five-hole exposed as he took one knee against T.J. Oshie. the third period of that contest was just a 20-minute penalty kill Nicklas Backstrom’s shootout winner, meanwhile, found the daylight low Markstrom has stood tall against virtually every challenge thrown his way between his stick and pad. the past two years — he was arguably a top-five goalie last season and “We played a great game, I think they had seven shots in the third and I entered this game with a sparkling .933 save percentage. You could let in three goals,” said Markstrom when asked when the momentum make a compelling case that the 29-year-old Swede has been the shifted in the game. “I gotta be better, the team played great, end of Canucks’ MVP over the last 12 months. story,” he remarked with an intense glare. Tonight was not one of those nights where he bailed the team out. The Markstrom wouldn’t even get into the circumstances as far as how the highly competitive Markstrom seethed in the aftermath of the Capitals screens may have made it difficult for him to track the puck on the point scoring four unanswered in a span of 7:41 — not hiding any of his anger shots. in the most intense media scrum I’ve ever witnessed. “I’m not even gonna go into details, I’m too upset right now,” Markstrom Inside the comeback said. “If I just play okay we win this game. The guys scored five at home Vancouver’s approach to defending leads in sitting back and handing a on a Friday, great crowd, (I) can’t do that. Me personally, no (there’s heavy dosage of minutes to the third and fourth lines was put to question nothing I can build from this game), the team yes, (they can build from against the Rangers. The Canucks’ passive approach to defending leads this), keep playing the way we’re playing, we’re playing great.” has been well documented and it’s not a strategy that’s worked out They say body language, tonality, and other nonverbal communication particularly well for them under Travis Green. cues represent over 90 percent of overall communication and that’s It’s normal for score effects to kick in and to allow more, but keep in mind exactly how it felt in that scrum. Markstrom had a piercing look in his eye these numbers and ranks are for when all teams have been leading — and was as frustrated as I’ve seen an athlete postgame. The death stare Vancouver’s been territorially dominated when out in front, unlike most pales in comparison to the intensity of this scrum. Reporters seemed clubs. scared to ask the wrong question and the interaction lasted no longer than 45 seconds. Their 47.9 percent goal share in these situations since Green has taken over ranks 20th so it’s been a problem in the goal department too. One bad period doesn’t change a season that’s started positively on the whole for Markstrom. There’s no doubt he’ll be taking the crease for his I wouldn’t say tonight’s loss characterized the greater trend, however. next start with a significant chip on his shoulder. The Canucks allowed just seven shots in the third period and the dressing room, while obviously frustrated, thought they hadn’t actually let J.T. Miller has fit like a glove on the top line — he’s been their best the game out of their hands. forward to this point in the season. His elevation, however, left another hole on Bo Horvat’s line. “It stinks just because we could have gotten two points there for sure,” Quinn Hughes said. “I think they had a couple lucky seeing-eye shots Tanner Pearson was the constant variable with Horvat, but with that line and I don’t think we played bad.” struggling to generate offence at even strength, he was bumped to the third line with Brandon Sutter and Josh Leivo, while Jake Virtanen and “I don’t think it was as bad as it seemed out there in the last 20,” added Micheal Ferland got bumped up with Horvat. Tyler Myers. “I thought, for the most part, we played a pretty good hockey game. You look at the third period, we give up seven shots so it wasn’t The third line with Sutter was great in controlling play and was a big as bad as it looked. We’ll take a lot of the positives from this game, I reason why the Canucks kept Alex Ovechkin off the scoresheet while thought we did a lot of good things. outshooting their line.

“There’s no point in dwelling on anything, but certainly when the situation Keying in on the second line, they had a rough go of it early in the first comes up again, we wanna come up a little bit better.” period. Virtanen and Ferland both gave the puck away on multiple occasions. Ferland’s turnover in the first led to a goal against and had Allowing four goals in a span of less than 10 minutes is a tough pill to you wondering how soon it would be before Green would be forced to hit swallow. While I’m sure some want to see pitchforks, this one may have the switch on the line blender again. been bad luck and uncharacteristically weak goaltending. As the game got going, however, the line got its feet going. Ferland, in Washington’s comeback began with an Evgeny Kuznetsov buzzer-beater particular, was a lot more engaged physically. He was laying hits and in a that seemed like it would do nothing but taint the margin by which game where Tom Wilson was active from the get-go, it was Ferland who Vancouver eventually won the game. finally said enough is enough.

From there, a rare soft goal cut the lead to two after a botched power- The line got better as the game progressed, owning north of 50 percent play exit attempt. A rather harmless poke squeaked through Marsktrom’s of the shots when they were on the ice and in the second period they legs as he couldn’t get himself fully set following the broken play. connected for a brilliant goal following an excellent dish by Horvat.

Markstrom’s tough night continued as Michal Kempny scored a pair of I’m not bullish on a Ferland-Horvat-Virtanen line sticking long-term just point shot goals that saw twine without tips or deflections. because I feel it lacks a playmaker, and in a very up-and-down game for the line I’m curious how long of a leash it gets moving forward. Before the game was halfway through the third period, it was all knotted up at 5. Playing against Washington is always a special occasion for Jay Beagle. He spent parts of 10 seasons with the Capitals, became a fan favourite with his work ethic and selfless contributions to the community and of Thomas Drance wasn’t at the game today so after Tim Schaller’s first course won a Stanley Cup. goal I’m pretty sure he was at the local Western Union wire transferring some cash to Ilya Samsonov after letting this brutal softie in. If there’s one thing that’s remained constant as he’s made the shift to the West Coast, it’s that his two boys, 5-year-old Brandt and 3-year-old Schaller’s first tally may have been a gift, but his second one was a Colter, are stars in the dressing room. Beagle has routinely brought his stunner. sons to practice going back to his days in Washington and Thursday afternoon’s twirl at Rogers Arena was no different. Hand-eye coordination so good Washington wants to fly him back to suit up for the Nationals in time to bat clean-up for Game 4 of the World Thursday saw the young boys skate and play on the ice with their dad Series. after practice, but surprisingly hockey isn’t the main sport that the family has been enthralled with from generation to generation — that mantle A year or two ago, getting one point out of a game against the would actually belong to dirt biking. powerhouse Capitals would have seemed like a victory. It says something about the development of this Canucks’ team that the “My dad rides dirt bikes. I’m gonna say I used to ride dirt bikes,” Beagle conversation isn’t about how they kept up and essentially forced a draw, said with a smirk. but rather lament over not being able to capture the full two points.

If you’re not familiar, dirt biking is riding a light, specialized motorcycle at “Yeah, that’s a good point,” said Green when Bob “The Moj” Marjanovich high speeds on off-road terrain. At competitions and races, the sport can laid this perspective out. “We’re learning as we go too. I think you expect feature jumps and obstacles — dirt biking isn’t for the faint of heart. to win that game, but you see it a lot. Momentum changes fast, we could Beagle’s two boys, who might I remind you are only 3 and 5 years old, have put them away. shockingly already have multiple years of experience under their belts. “No, but again, I gotta be realistic with our group and we did some good “We have a farm and it’s easy to get them out and ride because we have things, some things we can build off of going into next game. You’d like a lot of land that we can get them on,” Beagle said. to have the two points tonight whenever you’re 5-1, you don’t expect you’re going to be standing here talking about a loss. “My 3-year-old was crazy he jumped on when he was a year and a half and he could ride. So I don’t know, I don’t know how you train that, I think “But the nature of the loss was a little bit different than what happened. that was just something he’s just been built with, something that was just Even the Ranger games we had the lead and I thought the Rangers were in him that he could ride. He could ride a pedal bike from the time he was really pouring it on us.” a year and a half, two years old too.” This game, as Green went on to explain, was a little different. In fact, the It’s not uncommon for families of dirt biking hardcores to have kids who high danger chances were 4-to-1 in favour of the Canucks in the third start riding as young as 3 years old. But to get started when you’re just a period. They weren’t dominated down the stretch and with a little better year and a half old? Calling that amazing would be an understatement. luck they’re probably walking away against a cream of the crop Capitals team with the win. “It’s just kind of weird, we’ve always been a biking family, into dirt biking, mountain biking, BMX,” explained Beagle. “(We’ve) just always been into I think you’ll take a performance like that nine times out of ten. doing that kind of stuff, snowmobiling — a lot of outdoor stuff, snowboarding, skiing.

“I like to try and get my kids out in the outdoors as much as I can and get The Athletic LOADED: 10.27.2019 them active and doing stuff, but they really enjoy it so I enjoy watching them. The 5-year-old (dirt bike) raced this year and it was pretty fun to watch him race. It was awesome, it was a lot of fun.”

Beagle was heavily involved through his youth and was very talented at both sports. It got to a point where he eventually had to choose between pursuing dirt biking or hockey at the highest level.

“I used to race when I was a kid, my dad put me in it,” Beagle recalled. “We always rode dirt bikes in the summer, played hockey in the winter and so it’s kinda cool to pass that tradition on.

“My dad was there helping out, he’s a mechanic so it’s awesome because he’s on the bike all the time making sure it’s dialed in and running right and he rebuilt my son’s motor even this year so yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

The hobby while incredibly cool, does come with some bumps and bruises — to say the least.

“I’ve had many (injuries),” Beagle said. “When I used to race when I was a kid and a teenager, it got to a point where my dad was like okay ‘hockey or dirt biking, what do you wanna pursue here and you gotta pick one because you’re injuring yourself (motocrossing) for hockey’ and in hockey I’d injure myself for motocross so it wasn’t transferring over very well.

“So yeah, there’s been some good injuries and my kids have had some good wipeouts too so it’s fun. We’re not rebels, but we like to have fun and we got a little bit of adrenaline junky in us,” Beagle smiled.

There’s no turning Quinn Hughes away from the first power-play unit after this dandy. The threat of him carrying the puck into the zone on his own completely neutralizes the predictability of the drop pass.

Best hands

Elias Pettersson’s gonna score off a ridiculous dangle like this one of these days and it’ll be a goal of the year candidate.

Those are some silky, silky mitts and he definitely put on a show on his shootout attempt. 1158718 Websites Mentally or physically, Toronto was the weaker side. "For sure it’s an advantage you have to take," Montreal coach Claude

Julien would say post-game. Sportsnet.ca / Leafs' costly trend of falling behind early continues in loss "I still prepared my team and said to them, ‘Listen, even if it’s two-in-two to Canadiens and Toronto played last night, it’s not a big trip to Montreal, and there’s no customs to clear, and I’m not sure they went to bed too late.’

Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox "I said that it could still be a pretty tight game and that we could find ourselves in our room after two periods in a 2-2 tie. I wanted that back, October 26, 2019, 9:57 PM obviously, but I also did mention that if we play the right way in the third period, if we have a good forecheck and finish our checks, eventually

we’ll have a chance to finish the game the right way. MONTREAL – Every new suit that Mike Babcock purchases comes "That’s what happened tonight—the fatigue at a certain point, after we complete with a second pair of pants and a vest. Backups. Options. put a lot of pressure on their defencemen, bore fruit." When he first secured the gig as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Muzzin got burned immediately off the third-period puck drop by Armia, he’d slip on a vest for Original Six matchups, spiffing up for the occasion, who scooted in alone and burned Hutchinson seven seconds in. lending a touch of ceremony to the evening. Drouin was gifted a second breakaway, this time beating Hutchinson "And we lost every single one of them," Babcock says. "They’ve been on clean blocker-side, setting the barn alight, and restoring a two-goal lead. the shelf now for four years." Nick Suzuki added a final blow for kicks. With his Maple Leafs — and, by extension, backup goaltender Michael "You can’t give them two breakaways in the third period if you want to Hutchinson — going 0-fer through the second half of their first three win," said Johnsson, making a valid point. back-to-backs this season and chartering late Friday night for a fourth Saturday at the Bell Centre, Babcock reached into the unused recesses It would be cruel to pin this loss on a goaltender flipped to the wolves; the of his wardrobe and pulled out a sleeveless Hail Mary. Leafs’ besieged backup still made 33 stops, including a number of beauties. He turned his suit into a three-piece. "That’s on us; it’s not on him," Matthews said. "Our back-to-backs, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, we haven’t exactly been sailing, so we’re changing it up tonight," a rather formal-looking Yet the facts remain. Babcock announced pre-game. Hutchinson is still searching for his first win, Toronto has yet to polish off To be sure, the coach does have a vested interest in the club’s success a back-to-back, and it’s costing the club valuable standings points this season. against the very teams they’ll be jostling for playoff positioning down the road. Unfortunately, not even the coach’s sartorial superstition could reverse the Leafs’ most disturbing October trends, as the Montreal Canadiens "It’s the NHL. You gotta show up every game, no matter what the soundly defeated their forever rival 5-2, seizing the first two games of the schedule is. Even if you’re not feeling your legs, you gotta find a way to season series and handing Toronto its third back-to-back loss to a be productive or find a way to help the team in other areas," Matthews divisional foe. said.

The Leafs’ head-scratching habit of letting their opponent draw first blood "So there’s really no excuse." continued when Brendan Gallagher outworked Cody Ceci in the slot and banged the first puck past Hutchinson.

Toronto has now surrendered the first goal in 10 of its 13 games, digging Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.27.2019 more early deficits than any other team in the NHL.

"There’s really no reason for it. I don’t really have an answer for you," said Auston Matthews. "It’s something we haven’t really done well in, especially in these back-to-backs, and we’ve had plenty of them, so we got to find a way to start better and start on time."

A silky Jonathan Drouin five-hole deke off a breakaway orchestrated by Joel Armia doubled the lead, and Hutchinson spent the opening frame under siege to a near-comical extent.

Through a ridiculously lopsided opening 20 minutes, the Canadiens outshot their visitors 19-5, out-attempted them 34-10 and generated seven high-danger chances to Toronto’s zero.

"The fans feel like they’re on top of you," said Hutchinson, whose father might’ve second-guessed his recent switch of allegiances from his beloved Habs to his son’s Leafs.

"They just seemed to have a lot of zone time, and they threw the puck in from everywhere, and they had good sticks. They tipped some things that were going wide onto the net.

"As a goalie, it’s not always the worst thing in the world to kind of get engaged in the game early on."

So when Jake Muzzin beat Carey Price on a nifty setup by Mitch Marner in the final minute of the period, the defenceman’s late goal served as a critical momentum-shifter, a testament to Hutchinson’s battening of the hatches, and a reminder how quickly and how often Toronto’s talent can cannon the Leafs back into causes that appear lost.

The Leafs came out buzzing in the middle period, Andreas Johnsson tying the contest by winning a puck battle in the slot, but it all unravelled in the final 20 minutes. 1158719 Websites of being put on both the power play and the penalty kill—and placed on a line with Drouin and Max Domi.

When you look at the plays Armia’s making on a nightly basis this Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Armia, Drouin show maturity in win over Maple season, you see the evolution. Leafs When teammate Jesperi Kotkaniemi looks at the goal Armia scored on Saturday, he sees the player he had a poster of on his bedroom wall from back when he was 12-year-old boy growing up in Pori. Eric Engels “It warms my heart to see,” said Kotkaniemi. “He had a long road to come October 27, 2019, 12:19 AM to this level and he’s finally there.”

Think about how long it took for Drouin to get to where he’s at right now. The former third-overall pick in 2013 had major steps to take after he was MONTREAL — It took a little more than six seconds for Joel Armia to traded away by the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenceman Mikhail make the deciding play in a game his Montreal Canadiens absolutely had Sergachev in the summer of 2017. to win. He came to Montreal as a 22-year-old kid who rarely had to apply himself It took the 26-year-old Pori, Finland native a little over five years of to the max to generate results. And after two seasons of largely playing at the NHL level to become the kind of player you’d expect to disappointing and inconsistent play, Drouin came into the 2019-20 score the type of goal he scored in Montreal’s 5-2 win over the Toronto campaign with much to prove. Maple Leafs on Saturday. When you look at how he has applied himself and how involved he is in It was Armia’s sixth goal in his ninth game—a play he started off by all parts of the game, he looks like a completely different player from the stripping the puck off Jake Muzzin and one he finished by sweeping from one who finished off last season by failing to score points in more than left to right and deking Michael Hutchinson from backhand-to-forehand two of his last 18 games. before shooting to the top corner of the net. It was a beauty registered on the power play to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead after they blew an early Does Drouin still see himself as a young player? 2-0 advantage. “I have grown up,” Drouin said. “I have matured as a person. I think A little over seven minutes later, Jonathan Drouin took off on a everyone matures at some point in their career. For me it’s just bringing it breakaway from his own side of centre and scored his second goal of the every night and it’s something a lot of veterans do every night. You watch game to give the Canadiens a 4-2 lead. It was the 24-year-old’s fifth of Shea Weber and every night he’s battling, and I want to be one of those the season and his 10th point in his 11th game. guys that every night you look up to.”

It was Armia who set up Drouin’s first goal, and without both players the There is no more important development for the Canadiens this season Canadiens would have likely lost a third straight game—and this one to a than that. They are a young team trying to get to the next level, a team tired Leafs team that was playing its fourth game in six nights and its that remains largely unchanged from the one that barely missed the second in less than 24 hours. playoffs despite earning 96 points in the standings a season ago. The difference has to be that some of their players – Drouin, Armia, Domi, It’s fair to wonder where the 5-4-2 Canadiens would be in the standings Kotkaniemi and Victor Mete amongst others – are coming of age. without the consistent production both Armia (eight points in nine games) and Drouin have provided. The consistency of their efforts have given “There’s a lot of guys with a year or two (of experience) under their belt, Canadiens coach Claude Julien a reason to elevate their roles, and they they’re maturing,” said Julien. “We’re trying to take that next step and it’s are leading a pack of young players on this team who are transitioning not an easy one because we all know how tough this league is right now towards becoming veterans. and how anybody can beat anybody any night. So we’re trying to build a team here that can have that consistency and take that next step “I’m kind of in the middle,” said Armia. because the next step is us participating in the playoffs. So it’s going to The hike to this point has been a difficult one. be a big grind, it’s not going to be an easy one, and you need your players—those young players that we talked about—to mature, and you He’s a player who was drafted 16th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in need your leaders to lead by example.” 2011. He barely had his feet underneath him as an NHLer when he was thrown into a massive trade with the Winnipeg Jets, with Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian going to Buffalo in exchange for the young Finn and Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.27.2019 defenceman Tyler Myers in February of 2015. By that point, Armia had played two strong years with the AHL’s before appearing in just one game with the Sabres.

When he got there, he was staring at a depth chart that would be near impossible to climb.

“They had pretty good right wingers,” Armia said after Saturday’s game. “Look how many goals (Patrik) Laine’s scored, look how many assists (Blake) Wheeler has had. It was tough.”

Armia’s first real opportunity in something more than a fourth-line role came after he was traded to the Canadiens on July 1, 2018 in a cap- clearing move for the Jets, who unloaded the remaining two years of goaltender Steve Mason’s contract and took back a C-level prospect in Simon Bourque.

In 57 games with the Canadiens, the six-foot-four, 215-pounder found the back of the net 13 times last season. He showed some real promise— despite missing 25 games mid-stream to a knee injury—and there was a sense he could elevate his game.

Julien certainly had it.

“He’s got a lot of talent and I know there’s more in his toolbox than what we’ve seen,” the coach said in an exclusive interview with Sportsnet prior to the regular season.

That it’s coming out now is the product of years of hard work and a maturity that’s developed. It’s a maturity that’s seen him take advantage 1158720 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / IIHF to meet with NHL, NHLPA over future of international hockey

Sportsnet Staff | @Sportsnet

October 26, 2019, 11:38 PM

As the process of hammering out a new NHL collective bargaining agreement slowly unfolds, the future of international hockey appears to be the “big hurdle,” according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.

In a couple weeks, that hurdle will be addressed head on.

On Hockey Night in Canada, Johnston noted that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, IIHF president René Fasel and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr will all be in Stockholm, Sweden for the NHL’s Global Series games between the Buffalo Sabres and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

That will provide a chance to further the conversation of the NHL’s involvement in the Olympics, as well as other international play.

“I believe as the CBA talks have gone along, the big hurdle remains what happens with the Olympics, where does that leave the World Cup (of Hockey) and how does this international calendar unfold?” Johnston said. “Even though there hasn’t been a lot going on of late, there’s a chance here in the next two weeks for things to pick up.”

NHL players were allowed to participate in the Olympics from 1998-2014, but kept out of the 2018 games (the next opportunity is in Beijing in 2022). The has had a choppier existence, with iterations in 1996, 2004 and 2016.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158721 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / NHL making plans for potential women’s league when time is right

Sportsnet Staff | @Sportsnet

October 26, 2019, 11:34 PM

As hundreds of women’s hockey players continue their boycott, the NHL is preparing for every scenario in case the matter needs resolving.

That includes the potential of starting a women’s league, but only if the time is right.

“[NHL] commissioner Gary Bettman has been very consistent about this,” said Sportsnet’s during the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “He says he will not get involved as long as the NWHL is still playing and in operation. But it is believed that he also knows that if something changes, he has to have a plan.

“He won’t comment on this,” Friedman continued, “he just wants to stay out of it, but there is word that the NHL is working on a women’s league if the time ever becomes necessary.”

The NWHL is still in operation, but with players pushing for a unified North American league, the NHL does have a tentative plan for its operation.

“I think six teams, maybe two in Canada,” said Friedman. “But it sure sounds like there is a plan being worked on and put in place in case the NHL needs to step in.”

The undefeated Boston Pride currently lead the NWHL through six games with a perfect 6-0-0 record.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.27.2019 1158722 Websites One of the National Hockey League’s premier draft-and-develop teams is grabbing NHL talent where it can, trying to hold open a Stanley Cup window that feels like it lasted about as long as a Manitoba autumn.

Sportsnet.ca / Jets struggling to rediscover contender identity with gutted “We’re awfully young,” Maurice said before a game last Sunday. “I think blue line we’re at 25.5 (average years of age) today. I don’t know if that leaves anybody younger in the league.” (According to RosterResource.com the Jets’ average age is 27.1 years, tied for the third-youngest roster in the NHL.) Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec “When you have a young team there isn’t as much team intellectual October 25, 2019, 8:33 AM capital to pass on,” Maurice said. “There’s not enough there. These guys haven’t been here long enough to know what to pass on.

WINNIPEG — As they arrive in Regina for the Heritage Classic on “We’re doing an awful lot of video with the young guys right now. Sure, Saturday, the Winnipeg Jets would be very interested in finding some of sometimes it’s, ‘OK, we just showed that to you this morning. And you’ve their own recent heritage. Maybe not all the way back to the Dave Ellett, done it again…’” Randy Carlyle or Freddy Olausson days, but they’d take a trip back 12 Goalie Connor Hellebuyck brings fabulous numbers into the outdoor months ago when they had Dustin Byfuglien, Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba game against Calgary, sporting a .929 saves percentage and a 2.38 and Ben Chiarot on one of hockey’s best blue lines. goals-against average. His win-loss record stands at 4-4, which tells how The Jets forwards are still one of the better groups in the National well the Jets starter has to play simply to break even. Hockey League, but their blue line has been gutted. Today, a team many were picking to win the Stanley Cup just a year ago is 5-6 and struggling to put together an identity — a task that was supposed to be long in the Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.27.2019 rearview mirror here in Winnipeg.

“I am standing here as the head coach and saying I am still trying to figure out some of these young players. Where everyone fits in all of this,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said before a game against Edmonton last week.

“I know the style of play we want to play. That part we’ve got. Getting them to that style of game is what we’re working on.”

It sounds a tad harsh, but the salary cap and Byfuglien’s absence have at best pushed back the Jets’ chances at NHL dominance, and at worst crippled them for good.

Facing cap issues after the 2018-19 season, general manager traded defenceman Trouba to the New York Rangers, allowed Myers to enter free agency (where the Canucks signed him) and watched Chiarot go as a UFA to Montreal. But he still had Byfuglien, Josh Morrissey, Neal Pionk (who came for Trouba from New York) and some up-and-coming kids.

Then, just before the opening of training camp, Byfuglien told the Jets that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play out the final two years of his contract anymore. Had Cheveldayoff known that in June, he might have re-signed Myers and likely would have kept Chiarot.

But with Byfuglien suspended, the Jets can’t sign a top-pairing defenceman even if they could get their hands on one, because they have to save the cap space in case Byfuglien deigns to resume his career. And we’re approaching the date after which Byfuglien, if he were to decide to return, might not be able to catch up the rest of the league this season anyhow.

The uncertainty leaves Maurice playing kids on defence, and even the under-rated Morrissey — who was an excellent second pairing D-man on a good Jets team — is leading the defence in ice time, and often playing next to Dmitri Kulikov, a third-pairing defenceman when the 2019 playoffs opened in Winnipeg.

The minutes and the steady diet of high-octane opposition are taking their toll on Morrissey, who was victimized by the Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar on the game-winner in the Jets’ 3-2 loss Tuesday.

“It’s funny,” Morrissey told the Winnipeg Free Press this week, “when things aren’t going your way, I know for me, you’re trying harder to make the simplest plays and it just seems like you’re working harder to do something smaller. And then you end up being in the wrong position or something like that, almost in no man’s land sometimes.”

Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman talk to a lot of people around the hockey world, and then they tell listeners all about what they’ve heard and what they think about it.

That run to the Western Conference final in the spring of 2018 seems like a generation ago for a Jets team whose blue line has been decimated to the point where journeyman Luca Sbisa was plucked off the waiver wire this week, a player who likely couldn’t have made their top six only 12 months ago. 1158723 Websites lead is always stunning. Having it occur amid the team’s most encouraging spell in five years was difficult to process.

Tim Schaller’s best night with the Canucks was ruined by the result. Sportsnet.ca / Amid hot start, Canucks' collapse vs. Capitals even more The fourth-line checker and penalty killer who scored only three goals all stunning of last season and none until March, scored twice against Washington goalie Ilya Samsonov. On the second, at 13:59 of the second period in the middle of Vancouver’s three-goal surge, it looked like Schaller Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet borrowed Elias Pettersson’s hands, bunting the puck from his blocked shot past John Carlson and batting it into the net on the other side of the October 26, 2019, 2:13 AM Washington defenceman.

For what it’s worth, Carlson, the National Hockey League’s surprise VANCOUVER – It was more a market correction than a collapse, but it leading scorer before Friday, did not collect a point anywhere among the had the same embarrassing effect on the Vancouver Canucks. Capitals’ five goals. Neither did Alex Ovechkin nor Backstrom. Yes, the win was as strange for the Capitals as the loss was for the Canucks. The team had a four-goal lead with 20 minutes and one second remaining Friday, and lost 6-5 in a shootout against the Washington Vancouver’s players have two days to make sense of it before facing Capitals, whose comeback consisted of four goals on six shots over eight Joel Quenneville’s Florida Panthers on Monday, and they leave for minutes. California and another three road games in four days.

The Canucks know a collapse when they see it. Vancouver played the “That’s the frustrating part: we didn’t play that bad in the third period,” entire third period in its own zone last Sunday against the New York Canucks captain Bo Horvat said. “Just a couple of breakdowns and Rangers, who riddled the Canucks with 17 shots in the final 20 minutes, unfortunately everything was going in for them. The hockey gods work in but still lost 3-2. mysterious ways. They seemed to even things out tonight.”

On Tuesday, the Canucks ventilated the Detroit Red Wings with five third-period goals to win 5-2. Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.27.2019 Friday’s shocking loss wasn’t like either of those games. The Canucks outshot the Capitals 7-6 in the third period while getting outscored 3-0.

“Right now it’s a terrible feeling, being up 5-1 and getting one point,” Canucks winger J.T. Miller said.

“We didn’t play a bad third period. It’s easy for people to just look at the scoresheet and think we played a bad period (because) we gave up a four-goal lead. We’re holding ourselves accountable. We have to be able to finish off those games. We played too well not to come out with two points. They definitely got momentum and got a little push in the third. But they got seven shots.”

Actually, just six, plus another seven in overtime for the Capitals, who eventually won it on Nicklas Backstrom’s shootout winner.

Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom, brilliant this month and especially since returning a week ago from a leave of absence due to a family emergency in Sweden, allowed Lars Eller’s semi-whiff to trickle through his pads for a shorthanded goal that turbo-charged the Capitals’ comeback at 1:57 of the third period.

Then Washington defenceman Michal Kempny, who had 12 goals in 178 NHL games, blew two slapshots cleanly through traffic and past Markstrom at 4:57 and 7:41 to tie it 5-5.

To be clear, the Canucks made defensive mistakes on all these goals. But until the third period Friday, none of those shots would have beaten Markstrom, who started the game with a .933 save percentage, then stopped 14 of the first 15 Washington shots.

On the 16th shot, Evgeny Kuznetsov launched the comeback by scoring with 0.3 seconds remaining in the second period when the Canucks became confused on a backcheck and defenceman Troy Stecher gave the Capitals centre too much room in the slot.

“For the most part, we played a pretty good hockey game,” said Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers, who lost the puck behind his net on the tying goal.

“You look at the third period, we gave up, I think, seven shots. It wasn’t as bad as it looked. I thought we did a lot of good things and we carry it into the next one. There’s no point on dwelling on anything, but certainly, when the situation comes up again, we want to handle it a little bit better.”

“Honestly, it’s not like we played that bad,” rookie blue liner Quinn Hughes said. “We definitely should have gotten two points, but it is what it is. They had a couple of seeing-eye shots. That’s just hockey. We’ve just got to move on and learn from this.”

We’ll see how the Canucks move on.

They’ve had an excellent month, going 6-3-1 in their first 10 games with a lot of positive statistics that support their strong start. Losing a four-goal 1158724 Websites win yet this year, but I feel that my game's trending in the right direction and I’m giving the team a chance so if you put yourself in this position enough the wins are going to come and once the wins start coming then your numbers come and everything ends up evening out at the end of the TSN.CA / With John Tavares out, Mike Babcock alters plan for Jason year." Spezza Hutchinson stopped 35 of 39 shots on Tuesday night and felt like the performance was a step forward.

Mark Masters "I felt good in Boston. I felt I was making good reads, I was seeing the puck well, had good depth in the net and was giving myself a chance to

make saves. So, it was definitely something I can build off of." Other than Michael Hutchinson starting, there will be no line-up changes Winless Leafs goalie Hutchinson insists 'my game's trending in the right for Toronto. That means 36-year-old Jason Spezza, who picked up an direction' assist while logging a season-high 12:26 of ice time on Friday against the Sharks, will suit up in consecutive games for the first time this season. Michael Hutchinson has failed to pick up a win in three starts this season posting an .890 save percentage. But Toronto's back-up goalie isn't "I told Spezz at the start of the year he's never playing back-to-back," feeling additional pressure ahead of a big test in Montreal. "I haven't coach Mike Babcock revealed. "I texted him last night and said, 'You been able to get a win yet this year, but I feel that my game’s trending in want to play tomorrow?' And he said, 'Yes,' obviously. So, that's not our the right direction and I'm giving the team a chance," the Barrie, Ont. plan for Spezz to play back-to-back, it's just with our situation right now native said. Hutchinson is looking for payback after losing 6-5 to the down the middle, we're trying to have the best depth we can and we Habs in a shootout on Oct. 5. thought Spezz and his line was alright last night."

Spezza got back in the lineup after John Tavares broke his finger in Washington, but was a healthy scratch Tuesday night in Boston where TSN.CA LOADED: 10.27.2019 Nic Petan played.

Auston Matthews took a high hit from Brenden Dillon in the second period last night. There was no penalty on the play and no one confronted the big Sharks defenceman on the ice. Was Babcock happy with the composure or would he have preferred someone to get in Dillon's face?

"Who's going to do that?"

Point made.

The Leafs are built for speed and skill, not physicality.

Is William Nylander worried that the lack of a deterrent may lead to him and other top players being targeted?

"I don't know, to be honest," Nylander said. "I don't know how to answer that question. It's just part of the game, it happens. I don't think that he intentionally tried to take his head off, but they just kind of stepped into each other in the zone. Obviously, it's a dangerous play and coming forward you'd like to see something happen especially a penalty, for sure."

At 6-foot-five, 239 pounds, Frederik Gauthier is one of the bigger players on the Leafs. Does he ever feel pressure to up his physicality?

"I think everybody has to finish their check," said Gauthier, who has 39 penalty minutes in 139 games. "I use my body as much as I can and that's it."

Poulin on Matthews: 'I do not believe the head was the main point of contact'

Auston Matthews took a big hit to the head in the second period from Brenden Dillon. TSN Hockey analyst Dave Poulin weighs in on why he thinks more discipline isn't going to come from this hit and how he doesn't think the head was the main target.

Last season, Babcock noted that Toronto's toughness was its power play. But even without Dillon getting called, Toronto got five power plays last night and failed to cash in.

"Our power play, in zone, last night was on fire," Babcock said. "We should have had three right at the start, but then our face-offs and our entries weren't good enough, and give San Jose credit, they got good face-off people, they do a good job staying on the line, but there's no sense going up and down the ice getting exercise, it's way more fun to stand in the offensive zone and shoot the puck."

The Leafs are 1-for-12 on the man advantage over the last five games. The Canadiens allowed two power-play goals in each of their last two games and rank 30th overall in penalty killing this season.

Is Hutchinson (0-2-1, .890 save percentage) feeling any pressure to get his first win of the season tonight?

"There's always pressure every game, you want to win every game you play," the 29-year-old said. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a