CAROLINA HURRICANESdownloads.hurricanes.nhl.com/clips/clips102319.pdf · went to social media, posted, tweeted or put up a story and simply asked fans to vote. After qualifying in

CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • October 23, 2019

Gold: Hurricanes have the best fans in hockey

By Adam Gold

The Carolina Hurricanes have the best fans in hockey.

Says who?

Well, says Carolina Hurricanes fans — The Caniacs! Let me explain.

The official social media arms of the NHL’s United States broadcast partner, NBC, conducted a very (un)scientific poll as we approached the start of the season. Their goal, to find out which of the 31 teams’ fan bases were the most passionate, the most engaged, or maybe just which group was most “on-line”.

The answer, after about a month of polling, voting, tweeting and doing it for the ‘gram; your Carolina Hurricanes. Yes, unlike last spring, when the Boston Bruins ended Carolina's playoff run in the conference finals, there was no stopping the Caniacs from leaving their mark on this contest. The same people who made PNC Arena the loudest house in the National Hockey League in April and May brought home a trophy almost as prestigious. And no, there were no Russian bots involved. Just maybe a few fans in Moscow keeping tabs on Andrei Svechnikov.

“If we give our fans something to engage with, on or off the ice, they’re as passionate as anyone," said Mike Forman, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy for the Hurricanes. “We saw this in ticket sales during the second half of the season and then into the playoffs. And, we definitely saw this on social media, where we led the entire league in engagement rates across all three major platforms (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).”

If you’re asking me how did people vote, I’m not at liberty to reveal such matters. Mostly because I have no idea, but who really cares. I’m guessing that NBC went to social media, posted, tweeted or put up a story and simply asked fans to vote. After qualifying in the top 16, the remaining teams were put into a bracket and they “engaged."

Much like last April, the Canes beat the Washington Capitals (fans) in the first round. Note: This, as you might have expected, did not sit well with the folks up in D.C., but they’ll get over it. Especially when you

consider they’re in the World Series for the first time in 86 years. Then the local tweeters dispatched the fans of the Rangers and Canadiens (who were still smarting after owner Tom Dundon matched the offer sheet to the fans of Sebastian Aho) before beating the Nashville Predators fans in the social media cup finals.

I know what you’re thinking. How in the name of Sidney Crosby could a team from a small market (29th or 30th out of 31 teams, depending on how you want to look at the data), with attendance figures lagging near the bottom of the league, and one that had not reached the post season in half a generation, could slay so many giant fan “nations”? The answer is simple.

Caniacs are freaking crazy.

Nevermind my interactions with them, which range from humorous to curious to outright furious. We have a love-hate relationship. But, these people LOVE this hockey club. They love the players. They love the coaches. They love the uniforms. They love the broadcasters, and I’d like to point out as objectively as I possibly can — which is to say I can’t — that Carolina’s trio of John Forslund, Tripp Tracy and Mike Maniscalco (special get well shout out to the Big Rig) are the very best local crew in the sport.

All they needed was a reason to reconnect. Last season’s second half surge (pun intended) saw the Canes storm (pun intended again) into the playoffs and it lit a fire under the fans that hadn’t been seen in a long time. While the overall attendance numbers for the 2018-19 season were still among the lowest in the NHL, it was significantly higher in the second half. Then came seven straight sellouts in the post season, including a few where the fire marshall might have had to look the other way.

So far, through four home dates, the canes are at nearly 16,000 fans per game (last year’s average attendance was roughly 14,250) and 85.5% capacity. Winning helps. It’s what caused the increase last spring, and the 6-3-0 start will only continue that upward trend.

“It just goes to show what we’ve thought all along”, Forman said. “If we give them a reason, our fans are as engaged as any in the sport.”

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For those still bent out of shape at the results, who are you really upset with? I mean, all NBC did was ask fans who the best fans were. According to Hurricanes fans, it’s THEM. If Caps fans thought they were the best, well, they should have said so.

Though, secretly, maybe they agree with the results. It does just look like a lot more fun to be a Caniac than a … Capsatian? What are they called, anyway? We know what Carolina fans are called: Champs.

NHL Power Rankings: Avalanche overtake top spot, Capitals and Rangers move in opposite directions

What is the scariest thing about each NHL team right now?

By Pete Blackburn

You know what time it is. Well, yes, it's time for our weekly installment of NHL Power Rankings, but with Halloween right around the corner it's also officially Spooky Season.

Who needs scary movies or haunted hay rides when you've got the NHL? There are plenty of scary storylines and characters across the league. With that in mind, this week's Power Rankings will celebrate Spooky Season. We highlighted the scariest thing about each NHL team right now.

While we're still working with a pretty small sample size of action in late October -- a snack size even -- the league's landscape is starting to come into clearer focus. Some hot starts have already faded, others are showing signs of slowing down, and some might actually be sustainable. Other teams that were surprisingly slow out of the gate are starting to dig themselves out of a hole.

Paid content by Honda A different kind of Civic .

Speaking of scary, one team we all should be legitimately afraid of is the Colorado Avalanche, who overtake the Carolina Hurricanes in the top spot this week. The Avs came into this season with plenty of hype and they've certainly lived up to it through nine games, sitting atop the league with a 7-1-1 record and the league's second-best goal differential (plus-12).

Their top line has looked like a three-headed monster once again and Nathan MacKinnon has recorded a point in all nine games, making him the fifth player in NHL history to open back-to-back seasons with a point streak spanning nine or more games. However, Mikko Rantanen (five goals, 12 points) suffered an unsettling lower body injury on Monday night and his absence would be a huge loss for Colorado.

What other frights await beyond the Avalanche? Let's wander into this week's rankings to find out.

Biggest Movers

5 Capitals

11 Flyers

Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

1 Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon is a better bargain than free Halloween candy and will be until 2023.

1 7-1

2

Sabres

The ghosts of hot starts past.

3 8-1

3

Bruins

Only their top line is scoring and they still look really good.

-- 6-1

4

Hurricanes

Their top line isn't scoring and they still look really good.

3 6-3

5

Oilers

Connor McDavid is on pace for 155 points and, honestly, it doesn't seem that ridiculous.

2 7-2

6

Golden Knights

If Marc-Andre Fleury keeps this up the Knights may just ride him until his body disintegrates into dust.

2 7-4

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Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

7

Capitals

Braden Holtby hasn't been very good and...it hasn't really mattered?

5 7-2

8

Maple Leafs

None of this matters because they're getting Boston in the first round again.

2 5-4

9 Lightning

They're losing enough that they may actually have to play meaningful games in the final few months of the season.

1 4-3

10

Penguins

Alex Galchenyuk may have to leave the team to enter the Spider-Verse.

1 6-4

11

Ducks

John Gibson. That's it. That's the scary monster.

4 6-4

12

Blues

Jordan Binnington's CuJo mask.

6 4-2

13

Canucks

They looking good and coming off as likable and they haven't even worn the Flying Skate yet.

5 6-3

14

Predators

They're giving up more goals per game than Ottawa.

1 5-3

15

Canadiens

Max Domi is slowly morphing into the Joker.

2 4-3

16

Flames

They willingly traded for Milan Lucic.

2 5-5

17

Islanders

Now the official NHL team of Kylie Jenner.

3 5-3

18

Sharks

Martin Jones isn't even the worst starting goaltender in the state.

2 3-5

Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

19

Coyotes

It would appear they've learned that scoring goals is good.

5 5-2

20

Flyers

They'll be unbeatable if they can just keep facing third-string goaltenders all year long.

11 3-3

21

Jets

Remember what Patrik Laine looked like with a beard?

-- 5-6

22

Panthers

That Sergei Bobrovsky deal.

1 4-2

23

Red Wings

It's scary how little there is to care about with this team right now.

1 3-6

24

Blackhawks

The Bears are in a better place on special teams.

1 2-3

25

Devils

It's not even November and fake Twitter accounts are already trying to fire the coach.

4 2-4

26

Kings

Jonathan Quick's save percentage.

1 4-5

27

Blue Jackets

The cannon. The number of people that thing scares every year is off the charts. (Though it's not getting a ton of use this year,)

1 4-3

28

Stars

Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have combined for three goals in 11 games. Horse bowels activating.

2 3-7

29

Rangers

The Devils might somehow be winning this rivalry.

10 2-4

30 Their leading scorer continuously gets

-- 3-6

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Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

Wild mistaken for a valet attendant at the arena.

Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

31

Senators

Gary Bettman still thinks Eugene Melnyk is doing a bang-up job.

-- 1-6

NHL Power Rankings: Poor goaltending sinking the champs

By Ryan Lambert

31. Ottawa Senators (Last week: 31)

Just a note here to say the Senators ended last week (last Monday-Sunday) on pace to finish with 35 points and a minus-117 goal difference. The three points they have through seven games? Naturally, they’re against Tampa and Vegas, the two most talented teams in the league. Sure. Why not.

30. Minnesota Wild (LW: 30)

I was a little taken aback when Jason Zucker called out Bruce Boudreau as needing to be better, so it was nice that the guy publicly and privately apologized. I really feel bad for Boudreau, who got as much as he reasonably could out of the roster last year.

Does that mean he doesn’t need to figure some things out? I mean, I guess it would help, but what’s he supposed to do, realistically? Ask Dubnyk, “Can you try making a save tonight?” Come on.

29. Detroit Red Wings (LW: 25)

Last week, the Wings played three games, scored three goals, and gave up 12. Based on the roster, that sounds… well, about right, I guess.

28. Los Angeles Kings (LW: 28)

27. Columbus Blue Jackets (LW: 26)

26. New Jersey Devils (LW: 29)

Two wins helps relieve the pressure on the coach in theory. But with only two more games in the entire month of October, the perception that these guys are drowning in the division — even with the Rangers’ and Flyers’ slow starts — might be a real issue.

25. Chicago (LW: 27)

These guys have two more home games (tonight and Thursday) before they hit the road for eight of their next 11. They have one regulation win to date. If they can’t beat Vegas and Philly in these next two, I dunno

how you go into the road trip feeling like there’s a lot of winnable games.

24. Philadelphia Flyers (LW: 23)

We have our second official big losing streak of the season: 0-3-1 after the Flyers won the first two games. Monday’s win against Vegas notwithstanding, there are a lot of questions to ask for a stretch where they got outscored 15-7.

23. New York Rangers (LW: 22)

22. Anaheim Ducks (LW: 21)

21. Dallas Stars (LW: 20)

And by the way, the first official big losing streak of the season was, of course, the Stars’ run of 0-4-1. It ended, appropriately, in Philadelphia despite the fact that they got outshot 39-16. Gotta love this sport.

20. Arizona Coyotes (LW: 24)

They started the season with just seven goals in their first four games, which gave everyone that big “here we go again” feeling about the team’s inability to score. But in their last three games, they’ve put in 14 and continued to be pretty good defensively. And all of a sudden, they have points in five straight.

Not saying they have something here, but maybe they have something here.

19. Montreal Canadiens (LW: 16)

These guys have played nine games already? Huh, okay. Well, they’re on pace for like 91 points so I’m not getting too worked up about it.

18. Florida Panthers (LW: 19)

17. New York Islanders (LW: 18)

They’re getting insane goaltending (.927 for the season) to cover up the fact that they don’t have a competitive offence. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

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16. Winnipeg Jets (LW: 12)

On the one hand, they’re second in the division against all odds. On the other hand, to be second in the Central right now, you apparently only have to be .500 and have played more games than everyone else. Who knows? For now, it just seems like they’re wasting some truly inspired Connor Hellebuyck performances.

15. Nashville Predators (LW: 13)

14. St. Louis Blues (LW: 8)

Four straight losses, including two to the Canadiens by a combined score of 11-5, ain’t gonna cut it. Anyone who came into the season worried about the goaltending (that is, smart people) have so far been more or less right. Jordan Binnington looks average, Jake Allen looks horrible. Just something to monitor.

13. Edmonton Oilers (LW: 17)

I’m not even busting balls here, but I really wonder how long this team can keep winning with McDavid and Draisaitl providing 70ish percent of the offence.

12. San Jose Sharks (LW: 11)

Since adding Patrick Marleau, the Sharks are 3-1 with 16 goals scored. Obviously not saying correlation is causation here because this is a 40-year-old guy who has two goals in four games. But it’s really amazing how much better this team would be with, like, any goaltending. Jones and Dell are both sub-.900 again.

11. Calgary Flames (LW: 15)

The Flames are in an 0-1-1 hole against the Kings in what Drew Doughty clearly thinks of as his own personal Cup Final this season. Rocky record against the dregs of the league aside (all their other losses are at least “respectable”) and while I wouldn’t predict this team to have the same kind of season they did last year, any questions you might have had about the goaltending in particular seem moot.

Not bad, but their real issue is they need more offence; 25 goals in 10 games isn’t good enough.

10. Vancouver Canucks (LW: 14)

9. Pittsburgh Penguins (LW: 7)

8. Washington Capitals (LW: 10)

I know Connor McDavid is Connor McDavid but right now if I’m filling out an MVP ballot, it’s John Carlson at No. 1.

7. Toronto Maple Leafs (LW: 6)

6. Colorado Avalanche (LW: 9)

One guy who isn’t getting enough credit so far this season with this team? Andre Burakovsky. He was a little reclamation project who’s already almost a quarter of the way to his career high for goals and points. There’s more to the game than that, but they have the depth to put him in a position to succeed and, offensively at least, he has so far.

5. Carolina Hurricanes (LW: 1)

Three losses in the last four games, including 12 goals against and only eight scored. Two of them were on that California road swing (almost always three games in four nights) and they actually had to go to LA (win) to San Jose (loss) back to Anaheim (loss), which is a tough quirk of the schedule. Start the season with five wins and you give yourself some wiggle room, but they need everyone to tighten it up a little.

4. Buffalo Sabres (LW: 5)

It’s like I always say: If you have Carter Hutton (.952 in five starts), you’re gonna be fine.

3. Boston Bruins (LW: 2)

I talked about these guys yesterday but I didn’t get a chance to mention that Tuukka Rask has been awesome this season and while Jaro Halak has also been well above average, you can probably make the argument that Rask deserves more starts.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (LW: 4)

1. Vegas Golden Knights (LW: 3)

It’s cool that the top 5 has been so fluid this year. I love it. I still have a Vegas/Tampa Cup Final but I’m not as certain about it as I was a few weeks ago. Fun!

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Farm Report: Checkers split again, Swamp Rabbits open season

Another split for the Checkers, and after what seemed like an interminable wait, the Swamp Rabbits’ inaugural season as a Hurricanes affiliate gets underway.

By Justin Lape

Checkers Recap

The weekend didn’t start as expected for the Checkers as they were smacked 8-2 against the Utica Comets on the road. Alex Nedeljkovic was yanked in the first period after making just two saves on five shots. In the three games he’s started this season, Nedeljkovic has allowed 11 goals on 52 shots.

Utica scored four straight until Charlotte finally got on the board early in the third period as Hunter Shinkaruk scored his first as a member of the Checkers. Eetu Luostarinen added another Checker tally but the Comets attack was relentless and Anton Forsberg made 14 saves on 19 shots in relief.

The second game of the weekend swung to the other end of the seesaw, with the Checkers dominating the Syracuse Crunch 7-3. Forsberg stopped 31 of 34 shots for his third win of the season, and Luostarinen continued his hot start with his fourth goal of the season to open up the scoring. Morgan Geekie also added his fourth goal of the season just a few minutes later to extend the Checkers’ lead. Charlotte wouldn’t let up there, with the lead stretching to 5-0 before the Crunch finally got on the board midway through the second period. Julien Gauthier added another goal to his total with an empty-netter late in the third.

With the continued struggles of Alex Nedeljkovic to start the season, it may be in first-year head coach

Ryan Warsofsky’s best interest to run with Forsberg in net for the time being. Nedeljkovic was lights out last season but has struggled out of the gate so far. A 5.05 GAA and a troubling .788 save percentage are alarming numbers, but it is still very early in the season. Allowing Nedeljkovic to regain his footing by lightening his workload may be ideal for both the player and the team.

On Tuesday, the Checkers announced that they have signed forward Jamie McGinn to a professional tryout contract. The older brother of Brock has spent 617 games in the NHL with six teams over 11 seasons, and has also played 120 games in the AHL, most recently a four-game stint with Springfield on a conditioning assignment last season.

Swamp Rabbits Recap

The Swamp Rabbits opened their season with a resounding 6-1 win over the Jacksonville Icemen but faltered in a home-and-home against the Atlanta Gladiators. Greenville started strong in the first game against the Gladiators, taking a two goal lead before giving it away and losing the game 6-4. In game two against Atlanta, the two teams exchanged goals before the Gladiators edged ahead and won 4-3. Atlanta and Greenville will face off again at Bon Secours on Friday and Saturday for another weekend series.

With the Checkers signing McGinn to a PTO, they reassigned forward Jacob Pritchard to the Swamp Rabbits. Pritchard was signed by the Hurricanes as a college free agent from UMass last summer, and has played in four games this season for the Checkers.

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The Hurricanes’ next generation is growing - quickly

There are new dads all over the Canes’ locker room, and with the new arrivals come a whirlwind of new responsibilities for players who already have plenty of demands on their time.

By Brian LeBlanc

The pregame nap is one of the most sacrosanct rituals for hockey players. Disturb a player at your peril, and doubly so if that player is a goaltender.

But for a suddenly large contingent in the Carolina Hurricanes locker room, someone else’s nap is now the key concern, on gameday or any other day.

No fewer than five Hurricanes players have welcomed a new addition to their family in the past year. Three of them, Jaccob Slavin, Jake Gardiner and Jordan Martinook, are first-time dads; Jordan Staal just welcomed his fourth; and James Reimer has a pair of his own. There’s already plenty of juggling - time, family commitments, team commitments, travel - inherent in being a professional hockey player. Add a newborn to the mix, and it becomes even crazier.

For Gardiner, whose son, Henry, turned one at the end of September, there was even more zaniness than usual, considering the time-crunched move to a new city. The Gardiners made the move around opening night - “it was stressful,” he says - and for anyone who has ever moved with a toddler or preschooler in tow, you can certainly sympathize with the Gardiners’ predicament, although the whole “playing a professional sport” thing adds another layer of complexity.

But this being 2019, Henry Gardiner played a key role in announcing to the world via social media where his dad was headed to continue his career.

Reimer’s kids were both born in Florida, where he spent three seasons with the Panthers. Unlike Gardiner, his move to Raleigh had an added component, not just because they were moving two kids, but also because managing toddlers requires some additional planning. “Honestly, I think that’s the toughest part. I think with an infant it’s easier, because you just throw them in a seat and they sleep anywhere. When you have a toddler, it’s harder because they may be more ornery, you’re sleeping in hotel beds, they don’t want to go down and what not. You have to plan a little more because you’re moving around more.”

Slavin’s daughter, Emersyn, was born during the Canes’ first round series against the Capitals in April, and it led to a head-spinning amount of logistics to manage: flights back and forth, skipped off-day skates, catching a few winks of sleep wherever he can. Now that Emersyn is six months old and sleeping

through the night, Slavin’s life has calmed down considerably from those chaotic first few weeks.

“She popped her first tooth the other day, a couple more on the top are coming in, she’s doing great,” Slavin says proudly. “I honestly feel like we have a really easy baby. The only time she’s a little bit fussy is if she’s hungry, then you hear about it.”

Each of the new dads talks in reverent terms about how much they rely on their wives to do a lot of the heavy lifting, although Martinook joked last season that he would be on the clock pretty much the entire summer. (Or, to hear Reimer tell it, the secret is simple: “Have a superwoman for a wife, that’s the first thing, and the second thing is have an amazing wife, and the third is that again.”) But Gardiner admits that, while the game days typically aren’t much different, the off days have a different vibe to them. “You don’t sit on the couch as much, and you’re watching a one-year-old cruise around the apartment.”

Slavin is more pragmatic. “Honestly, now that the season is started, her sleeping through the night is what makes it work.”

Reimer says that, with the benefit of having gone through it once already, the routine becomes more tolerable as time goes by. “The panic level is way less. You’re not as fired up about little details as you were with the first one. But having said that, you still made a lot of mistakes with the first one, and you make a lot with the second, but probably a little less.”

When asked what has surprised them the most about parenthood, the players show just how much becoming a dad means to them. “Loving somebody like that, you can’t really describe until you have a kid yourself,” Gardiner says. “He changes every day. It’s been great for my wife and [me], and for both of our parents too.”

And there are always plenty of smiles from both sides when the kids show up, usually way past their bedtimes, to watch their dads at work. From what the dads say, the kids are going to be introduced to the ice sooner rather than later.

“Probably [in] a few months, just to try it out,” says Gardiner.

“As soon as she can walk,” Slavin echoes.

But Reimer isn’t so sure about starting early. His older daughter, who will turn 3 in a few months, hasn’t started yet. “I think the golden age is 3,” he chuckles.

And when asked what he’s learned about being a parent, Gardiner relays a real they’re-just-like-us moment that will resonate with every parent anywhere, in any occupation.

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“Some of the diapers are a lot grosser than I would have thought. I knew it wasn’t going to be fun, but it’s pretty bad sometimes.”

Checkers Sign Jamie McGinn To PTO

By Nicholas Niedzielski

The Checkers today added a significant piece up front, signing Jamie McGinn to a professional tryout. A second-round pick by the Sharks in 2006, McGinn has 11 pro seasons under his belt, the majority of which he spent in the NHL. The veteran forward has logged 220 points (117g, 103a) in 617 career games with San Jose, Colorado, Buffalo, Anaheim, Arizona and Florida. "He’s a bigger guy, a power forward that we kind of lack a little bit," said head coach Ryan Warsofsky. "He’s an older, experienced guy who’s played in the National Hockey League. He knows what it takes to be a pro so he’s going to help these young kids out and he’s going to try to get his game back to the next level." "I’m excited to be here, this is an organization that thrives on hard work," said McGinn. "I’m excited to be back in a locker room and back around the guys again, I missed it. I’m glad to be back and I can’t wait for this weekend." The 31-year-old has also appeared in 120 AHL games over his career with 79 points (38g, 41a) to his

credit. McGinn split his first three pro seasons between the AHL and NHL before becoming a full-time NHLer with the 2011-12 campaign, but suited up for four games with Springfield last season while rehabbing an injury that had kept him out for most of the year. Jamie, the oldest brother of former Checker and current Hurricane Brock McGinn, put up four points (2g, 2a) during his conditioning stint with the Thunderbirds. "I took some time off this summer which I really think let things heal," said McGinn. "Getting back into it now feels great. I’m excited for the opportunity and hopefully it can evolve to bigger things and maybe I can go play with my brother Brock. It came down to that once in a lifetime opportunity to play with a family member, that would be pretty special." "He’s determined, we spoke at length about that," said Warsofsky. "I think he’s going to be a great addition for us and hopefully he can help us win some hockey games." Additionally, the Checkers have assigned rookie forward Jacob Pritchard to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits. The 24-year-old debuted during last season’s playoffs and has suited up for four of Charlotte’s games this season.

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Shaya's 10 Thoughts: Oct. 22, 2019

By Nicholas Niedzielski

During the season, Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya checks in each week with his 10 Thoughts - a series of observations about the team and the hockey world in general.

1. Without question, Saturday night against Syracuse was Charlotte’s best game of the season. Until certain guys reach their potential each night, there will be fluctuations in production, but last Saturday was an indication of what happens when everyone’s on the same page and enthusiasm is high. 2. Congrats to Chase Priskie for his first AHL goal and adding three more assists to his stats. Another big step was taken by Chase on Saturday and it was an impressive display with and without puck. 3. The travel schedule for Charlotte is considered the toughest in the AHL outside of Manitoba. Players are not only exhausted from the games but also from constantly moving around the country on commercial flights and bus rides. I think one thing that was absolutely integral to the success of last year was managing energy expenditure. Science continues to show how rest is more vital to athletic performance and health than any other factor. That brings me to my next point. 4. Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was recently asked about morning skates and their effectiveness – “We’re trying to manage workloads. I’ve always been a believer that it’s the most overrated practice in hockey. It’s like, why does the whole league have morning skates? It reminds me of why my mother cut the side of the hams off before she cooked them. I asked her, ‘Why do you cut the side of the hams off’? She said ‘I don’t know. Because that’s how my mother taught me.’ So I asked my grandmother. I said ‘Why do you cut the sides of the hams off before you put them in the oven?’ She said, ‘That was easy. I didn’t have a pan that was big enough.’ That’s my analogy of morning skates.” 5. Right before my first TV game, Mike Maniscalco took me aside and told me, “Less is more on TV.” It was an adjustment that changed my day for the

better. He was helpful and he genuinely cared about my success on what was an extraordinarily stressful day for me. Mike is beloved because he’s the kind of guy that makes those around him feel better. The Canes broadcast need his presence and frankly, the team is 0-2 without him on TV. I truly believe Mike will return and the fans and team will give him a resounding welcome back. Get well soon, Mike. 6.There is absolutely nothing to worry about as it regards Alex Nedeljkovic’s start. Just remember: he didn’t get any full NHL exhibition games and there were zero AHL exhibition games available either. Goalies need to get into a rhythm and playing one game a week makes that difficult. He’s a consummate professional and he will be more than fine. 7. One of the best indicators of team success is the difference between goals scored and goals allowed. Right now Charlotte is pretty much even and the top four teams in the Atlantic are all on the positive side... except of course Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. They’re -4 right now. 8. Jamie McGinn signed a PTO with Charlotte and I believe he will make an immediate impact both on and off the ice. Someone said to me yesterday, “You can never have enough McGinns.” With over 600 NHL games played, the Checkers are excited about this addition. He could be ready to go by Friday night. 9. I’ve had the chance to call a few Haydn Fleury goals in my career. I’ve even been in net when he’s scored probably 100 times – although scoring on me isn’t really an accomplishment. Anyways, watching him score his first NHL goal in Anaheim was awesome. The excited looks on his teammates’ faces is a good indication of how he’s viewed by his team. Charlotte doesn’t win last season without him. He’s a great person and we are very happy for his success. 10. Lehigh Valley is considered one of the top teams in the division and Charlotte will have their hands full on Friday and Saturday. Pregame show on Friday begins at 6:45pm. Join us then.

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SPCA of Wake County dogs, cats pose with Carolina Hurricanes on the ice

By Steve Daniels

Wednesday, October 23, 2019 5:16AM

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The Carolina Hurricanes had some new teammates on the ice for practice at PNC Arena - dogs and cats in need of a forever home.

The animals are from the SPCA of Wake County and will be featured in a 2020 calendar showcasing Canes players holding dogs and cats that are available for adoption.

In a Facebook video posted by the SPCA, it is clear the team's new furry friends were a nice welcoming committee for the Canes, as they returned home from a West Coast road trip. The photoshoot took place with the players and animals in the locker room, on the ice and in the stands at the arena.

The SPCA said the fundraising calendar will be available later this fall.

TODAY’S LINKS

https://www.wralsportsfan.com/gold-hurricanes-have-the-best-fans-in-hockey/18715535/

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/nhl-power-rankings-avalanche-overtake-top-spot-capitals-and-rangers-move-in-

opposite-directions/

https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-power-rankings-poor-goaltending-sinking-the-champs-151018045.html

https://www.canescountry.com/2019/10/22/20926530/carolina-hurricanes-minors-roundup-charlotte-checkers-nedeljkovic-

forsberg-greenville-swamp-rabbits

https://www.canescountry.com/2019/10/22/20926238/carolina-hurricanes-baby-boom-jaccob-slavin-james-reimer-jordan-

martinook-jake-gardiner

http://gocheckers.com/articles/transactions/checkers-sign-jamie-mcginn-to-pto

http://gocheckers.com/articles/features/shaya-s-10-thoughts-oct-22-2019

https://abc11.com/pets-animals/adoptable-dogs-cats-join-carolina-hurricanes-on-the-ice-/5639376/

CAROLINA HURRICANES


1109215 Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets 4, Maple Leafs 3, OT | Blue Jackets break out of

overtime funk on Nyquist's winner

Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch

TORONTO — John Tortorella didn’t have many complaints when

he met with reporters Monday at the Blue Jackets’ morning skate.

His team came into a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena with a 3-3-2 record. But Tortorella knew it

could’ve been a much shinier mark had overtimes in their previous two games gone better for the Jackets.

“Wish our record was a little better right now, but I am

encouraged at how we have played,” he said. “I’m a little (ticked) off about getting scored on the first shift the last two overtimes. I

think we need to be better in those situations, but hopefully that’s something we can solve.”

Well, they got another chance in a game against the Maple Leafs and, indeed, solved it for a 4-3 overtime victory decided by

Gustav Nyquist’s goal on a penalty shot 1:57 into the extra period.

It was awarded to the Blue Jackets after Toronto’s Mitch Marner

hooked Nyquist on a breakaway set up by a pass from Alexander Wennberg. Nyquist’s shot in OT rewarded goalie

Joonas Korpisalo for an impressive night in net (28 saves) and gave Columbus a huge second point.

Despite losing two of three games played in a four-day span, the Blue Jackets (4-3-2) came out of it with four of six possible points

— getting the victory on a night they were largely outplayed.

Riley Nash and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in the first period,

providing an early 2-0 lead, and Alexander Wennberg’s second

goal of the season — which broke an 0-for-18 skid on the power play — tied it 3-3 with 9:51 left in the third.

That one forced overtime and guaranteed the Jackets would get at least a point in their third straight game to go beyond

regulation.

“We’ve protected the puck very well,” Tortorella said earlier in the

day. “We’ve developed offense. It’s just that last play. We just haven’t finished. If we can just get our guys more consistently

scoring goals when they have the opportunity, without sacrificing

the way we have to play away from the puck, we’ll be OK.”

Outside of the goals by Nash and Dubois in the first, this game

was a struggle for the Jackets, who coughed up the 2-0 lead by

allowing three unanswered goals by Toronto’s Kasperi Kapanen,

Auston Matthews and Alexander Nylander. That gave the Maple Leafs a 3-2 lead with just 14.5 seconds left in the second.

Columbus squandered its first four of five power plays, allowing Kapanen’s short-handed goal in the first, and just couldn’t break

through again on Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen until late in the game.

This was not like the Jackets’ recent games, when they

outplayed their opponent in tight games. This was survival after the Maple Leafs turned up the heat to a high setting.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for Korpisalo’s excellence, it might’ve been a Toronto rout. Instead, it was a huge road victory that

should provide a boost of confidence for a young, scrappy team that needed one.

Anderson back

It wasn’t an issue related to his shoulder injury from the playoffs last season, but Josh Anderson’s six-game absence for an upper

body injury to start this season was still upsetting.

Heading into the game against Toronto, the Blue Jackets’ 25-

year old power forward had played just two games after being injured in either the opener Oct. 4 against Toronto or the

following night in Pittsburgh.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Anderson, who was removed from

injured reserve Monday and played against the Maple Leafs,

totaling 18:02 of ice time. “You work your whole summer just to try to be in shape, and then you go through the whole training

camp for three weeks and you (exert) yourself just to get ready for the season, then two games in you’re right behind the eight

ball again. So, it’s stressful.”

Anderson was out two weeks with the injury, but it might’ve felt a

lot longer because of the timing. He also dealt with a nagging shoulder injury to start training camp, after arriving in Columbus

still feeling adverse effects from something that happened in the

Jackets’ playoff run last spring.

That injury, which didn’t require surgery, occurred in the second

round against the Boston Bruins and lagged throughout the summer. Getting injured again so soon this season stung even

more.

“It definitely hurts, but things happen in hockey,” said Anderson,

who didn’t record a point and was tagged with a minus-4 plus/minus rating in his first two games. “Injuries happen. You’ve

just got to take your time and get back to being healthy.”

Now that he has, Anderson’s goal is to get back to the level he ended at last season, when he set career highs in nearly every

offensive category — including 27 goals, 20 assists, 47 points and a team-high plus-25 plus/minus rating.

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“You can’t change it,” Anderson said of his heavy, contact-driven

power game. “I’m not going to go out there and play a skilled hockey game just because I’m coming back from an injury.

You’ve got to get into it, bang around a couple times and really

just get into the game. We’ve done such a good job of playing the right way this year and staying above the puck, so hopefully I

can add to that.”

Anderson is from Burlington, Ontario, located 45 miles south of

Toronto, and grew up a big Maple Leafs fan. He said 45 family and friends were slated to attend the game.

Murray plays

After missing the game Saturday against the Islanders with an

undisclosed upper body injury, defenseman Ryan Murray

returned to the lineup in Toronto.

Murray took the full morning skate and pregame warm-up before

the decision was made to play. Had Murray not played, Tortorella said Dean Kukan was slated to skate in his second

straight game.

Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.23.2019


Blue Jackets 4, Maple Leafs 3, OT | 3-2-1 breakdown

Brian Hedger The Columbus Dispatch Oct 22, 2019 at 7:54 AM

TORONTO – The question was about Joonas Korpisalo, who

was viewed by many as one of the Blue Jackets’ biggest question marks this season.

That’s putting it nicely, too.

Some analysts put it more bluntly, saying Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins were the Jackets’ weakest links after star goalie

Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, signed with the Florida Panthers.

Is Korpisalo, who is now 4-2-1 after a 28-save 4-3 overtime victory Monday in Toronto, using those worries as motivation?

“You’d have to ask him that,” coach John Tortorella said after the Blue Jackets edged the Toronto Maple Leafs on a penalty-shot

goal by Gustav Nyquist. “I know that he is a guy who doesn’t pay

too much attention about what the pundits are saying. I think our whole team is that way. We’re supposed to (stink) this year.

It’s too early to draw any long-term conclusions, but the Blue Jackets have definitely not stunk thus far – outside of two

periods Oct. 5 in Pittsburgh.

Columbus came into the game against the Maple Leafs looking

to end a two-game winless skid, but also to record points in its fifth straight game – which happened once the game went to

overtime. In fact, the Blue Jackets took four out of a possible six

points in a stretch of three games in four nights – and six of eight points in a span of four games in six nights.

They took the Chicago Blackhawks to overtime Friday before losing 3-2 at the United Center, earning a point in a tough

environment by outplaying their hosts. They did the same thing again one night later, only the Jackets were even better in a 3-2

overtime loss to the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena.

The Maple Leafs controlled the action for much of the game

Monday, but the Jackets (4-3-2) didn’t wilt – despite coughing up a 2-0 first-period lead, allowing a shorthanded goal and going 0-

for-4 on their first four power plays.

This was a game they could’ve easily lost, with more missed scoring chances and more defensive breakdowns putting

Korpisalo in bad spots, but they didn’t.

They didn’t stink.

They hung on, hung on, hung on and eventually won in overtime after goals by Alexander Wennberg in the third period, tying it 3-

3, and Nyquist’s penalty shot in OT – set up by Wennberg’s perfect pass that forced Toronto’s Mitch Marner into a hooking

minor on a breakaway.s

The Columbus bench was downright giddy after Nyquist’s penalty shot, which was the first overtime winner in franchise

history scored that way. It was also just the second game in franchise history in which the Blue Jackets scored shorthanded

(Riley Nash), on a power play (Wennberg) and with a penalty shot (Nyquist).

Korpisalo, meanwhile, was a huge reason it happened in a winning effort.

“The more he plays, the better he is,” Tortorella said. I don’t

know what we’re going to be. I don’t know what he’s going to be. It’s still so very early in the year. I’m not going to make a

prediction on what happens, but I think he’s handled himself very well, as far as preparing himself for the opportunity here.”

The same can be said of the Jackets.

They now have 10 points in the standings, which places them

just outside a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference – tied in

points with the Islanders and Montreal Canadiens.

Not bad for a team that was supposed to stink.

Here is a 3-2-1 breakdown of the Jackets’ big night in Toronto – three takeaways, two questions and one more thing to know.

Three takeaways

1) Special delivery

In the first game between these teams, a 4-1 victory for the Maple Leafs on Oct. 4 in Columbus, it was Toronto that benefited

from special teams.

The Leafs killed off four of the Blue Jackets’ five power plays in that game and also scored twice on five power plays of their

own. This time, the Blue Jackets flipped things around – even though they again went 1-for-5 again on power plays.

Wennberg’s goal was the only power-play tally of the night, thanks in part to Korpisalo and Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen

and partly because the Jackets weren’t sent to the penalty box as much.

Columbus took six penalties in the first game, but was only

called for two Monday – both in the first period. Toronto was whistled for six infractions in both games, including Marner’s

hooking minor on Nyquist.

“We’ve really been fighting it,” Wennberg said of the Jackets’

power play, which went 1-for-9 on shots and allowed a shorthanded goal by Kasperi Kapanen in the first. “It felt like we

were almost there, a couple of bounces here and there, and it’s so nice to end this game (this way). You’ve got to come up big

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and get rewarded. (The tying goal) might not be the prettiest one,

but it counts.”

2) Dubois playing big

Among the Jackets’ early-season trends, the sight of 21-year old

Pierre-Luc Dubois performing feats of strength to make plays is becoming a common sight.

Dubois, listed at 6-feet-3, 218 pounds, is beginning to use his size and strength more by holding off defenders with either his

body or an arm while using his other arm to make plays.

It’s how he scored a jaw-dropping winner Oct. 12 at the Carolina

Hurricanes, using a backhand-forehand deke while holding off center Eric Staal, and it’s how he scored his team-high fourth

goal Monday.

After digging the puck out of the corner in the Toronto zone, Dubois cut toward the net and fired a shot through traffic that

beat Andersen for a 2-0 lead just 5:52 into the game.

Dubois wasn’t used for a single face-off, an area he is still

struggling to succeed, but he also earned a breakaway in 3-on-3 overtime by outskating the Leafs up the right wing and taking a

pass from Seth Jones. Frederik made a nice blocker-side save, but there was Dubois making things happen yet again.

“He’s been playing as a power forward for a number of games,”

Tortorell said. “I thought he had the right type of energy. With him, he’s just playing with a ton of confidence with the puck. He

thinks he can beat people and he’s doing that – and also making some good plays along the way.”

3) 10-bell showdown

There were a combined seven goals scored, so it’s odd to heap

praise on the goalies. That, however, is exactly what should be

done, since Korpisalo and Andersen each made dazzling stops in high-pressure situations.

Korpisalo did his best work in the first, when Toronto outshot Columbus 13-9 and dominated puck possession. The Blue

Jackets earned a quick lead in that period on goals by Riley Nash (shorthanded) and Dubois, but gave it back on goals by

Kapanen and Auston Matthews.

It could’ve been 4-2 or 5-2 in favor of the Maple Leafs had it not

been for Korpisalo, who made some head-turning stops during a

later power play in the first. He was tested with four straight “Grade A” scoring chances within a minute and turned all four

aside – including a sprawling left skate save against Matthews, a blocker save against Matthews, a stick save against Marner and,

finally, a sprawling right skate save off a tip by Andreas Johnsson.

Those four stops prevented Toronto from tying it 2-2 on a power play that followed defenseman Ryan Murray tripping Kapanen

while defending a near breakaway.

“First period, he was outstanding,” Tortorella said of Korpisalo. “That’s a key. He gave us a chance. Even though we score two, I

mean, they had four or five (10-bell chances) there after the first period. So, that’s a big part of the game, as far as him giving us

a chance.”

As for Andersen, the Leafs’ goalie made a few outstanding saves

of his own. He denied Cam Atkinson a five-hole goal off a breakaway late in the third, with the game knotted 3-3, and

turned away Dubois on that breakaway in overtime.

Two questions

1) Has 2016-17 Wennberg returned?

Just as it’s too early to make any long-term predictions about the

team, it’s also too soon to confidently say Wennberg will put up

50-to-60 points again – as he did in 2016-17 with 59 points on 13 goals and 46 assists.

Injuries could happen. Wennberg could go cold again, without explanation. It’s just too early. However, he sure looks like that

Wennberg.

The Jackets’ enigmatic 25-year old center is tied for the team

lead with five points and his two goals match the amount he scored through 75 games last season. Wennberg’s scoring clip

has him on pace for 18 goals, 27 assists and 45 points, which

the Blue Jackets would happily accept and could increase.

One of the keys to replacing the scoring punch provided by

Artemi Panarin, who left in free agency, was fixing Wennberg. Through nine games, it looks like he has fixed himself.

“As we’ve talked about, he entered camp with the right mind-set,” Tortorella said. “You could tell, as I’ve repeatedly said, he’s

concentrating on the things that (have) been talked about for over a year with him. Quite honestly, I just think he’s sick of

conversations. I think he feels good about himself.”

2) Why was Zach Werenski on the same power-play unit as Seth Jones for Wennberg’s goal?

It comes down to the lack of production for both of the Jackets’ power-play groups in the previous four opportunities – and,

honestly, the previous 18 fruitless opportunities dating back six games.

Tortorella said there was too much passing, especially along the

perimeter of their 1-3-1 setup, so they needed a new look. Adding Werenski for Oliver Bjorkstrand on the right-wing wall

was the answer, at least for one successful power play that scored one huge goal.

“I feel like they kind of put me out there just to fire it,” said Werenski, who got off a one-timer that was blocked and then a

followed with a wrist that Wennberg cleaned up with 9:51 left in the third. “I’ve never really played that side on the half wall. I’ve

done it a little bit, but not too much.”

Werenski did play that side, briefly, in 2017-18, but not last season. After working on his one-timer all summer, with a

healthy shoulder and a new brand of hockey stick, his efforts paid off after Jones left him a perfect feed at the top of the right

circle.

“Jonesy put it right in my wheelhouse and I just tried shooting it

as hard as I could,” Werenski said. “I was hoping it would get by and get on net, but sometimes when we shoot the puck, good

things happen.”

One more thing to know

Tortorella said before the season that Columbus needed more

out of captain Nick Foligno. Well, he’s certainly delivering.

Foligno assisted on the Jackets’ first two goals and is tied for the

team-high in points (five) with four other players. The game was also his 850th in the NHL and 499th with the Blue Jackets, who

acquired him in a 2012 trade with the Ottawa Senators.

Foligno, who is skating at left wing on the top line, was also

credited with four more takeaways to extend his NHL-high to 17.

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Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.23.2019


LeBrun: Q&A with Jarmo Kekalainen on Columbus’ changes, the

team’s core and opening doors in the NHL

By Pierre LeBrun Oct 22, 2019

TORONTO — It really is night and day for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, the serenity enveloping the franchise a

stark contrast to the drama that played out all of last season. The Jackets did as well a job as one can expect from knowing fully in

advance they were going to lose two cornerstone players in

UFAs Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky; they talked about it head-on in a pre-season meeting with players last year, there

would be no elephant in the room, but even the best intentions can’t hide the fact it was a story hanging over the franchise all

year long. GM Jarmo Kekalainen added to the headlines when he went all-in at the trade deadline and basically doubled down.

He figured he’d give his team their best possible to shot to win before losing those two players in the offseason, adding the likes

of Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, both rental players. Now

they’re all gone — Panarin, Bobrovsky, Duchene and Dzingel — but the Jackets have had a decent start to the season, they’ve

turned the page, and it’s a lot quieter around the club these days.

I sat down with Kekalainen on Monday for a Q&A and had a lot

to catch up on.

Teams talk all the time about needing to re-establish its identity

every season, do you feel that’s even more the case with your

club given all the changes and younger faces in the lineup?

People make such a big deal out of how many people left. But

we still have our core in place. That’s the one thing we’re talking internally all the time about. ‘Let’s just talk about the guys that

are here rather than talk about the guys who have left.’ If you look at our team one week before the (trade) deadline, and now,

there’s one guy from the skaters which has left (Panarin) and one guy has come in, Gus Nyquist. We added a lot of guys at the

deadline for a reason, it was all planned and done with a

purpose and knowing the risks and knowing the price. But our core is still in Seth Jones, Zach Werenski, Nick Foligno, Pierre-

Luc Dubois and Josh Anderson and those guys. Everybody worried about our goaltending going into the season but I think

the first eight games they’ve shown … Elvis struggled in his debut in Pittsburgh but bounced right back and played a good

game in Chicago; Korpisalo has been very solid. Right now, we like what we see with our team. Yeah, there’s some young guys

that are getting used to the league but that’s every year, it’s a

good thing to have that; young guys are pushing to not only make the team but get a role and make the team better.

Certainly that’s the biggest change, in goal, with Sergei Bobrovsky leaving. Joonas Korpisalo was his understudy for a

few years and now gets his chance. But Elvis Merzlikins is also an intriguing player. He’s not a kid. He’s played pro hockey and

he seems ready for this opportunity?

Yeah, I think there’s been a lot of goalies from Europe that have

come at a later age that have been successful after waiting to

get mature in that position in Europe and in international competition. I think of Jonas Hiller from Switzerland when he

came over, Nik Backstrom from Finland came over at a later

age, or Tim Thomas never got his chance in the NHL until he took a big European tour and was very successful there and then

got over here. Elvis is very talented, he needs to get used to the

North American style and shooters, which he has. He’s getting better every day. But Korpisalo has waited for his opportunity for

years behind Bobrovsky and there’s no shame being behind Bobrovsky. Now he’s getting his opportunity and he’s taking

advantage of it.

We talked a ton last season, you were a team under the

microscope whether you liked it or not, people were intrigued by what was going to happen; you go all-in at the deadline and that

got people excited. It’s got to feel a little quieter around your

team this year for obvious reasons, right?

Yeah, I think there was a lot of controversy and internal

discussions and meetings that we had to go through because of the situation. We’ve said it all along, that guys who get to

become unrestricted free agents, that’s their right; if they don’t want to re-sign and want to go somewhere else, they have the

right to do that. We respect that. But at the same time, they have to be ours without any distraction and buy in 100 percent to the

team they play for and getting paid by. There had to be a few

meetings last year to make sure that everybody knew the rules and the values were the same for everybody on the team no

matter what their situation is and no matter what their future was going to look like.

Of course everyone’s goal is to win the Stanley Cup and you guys had big aspirations last season, can you still look back and

be pretty prideful of beating a 62-win team in the first round and

sending shockwaves around the league, or is it … you just wish you had kept going after that?

Yeah, absolutely we wished we had kept going. We gave Boston a pretty good run, too. I thought in the sixth game we had our

best game. I thought we really showed that we could play with them. You know how it is, it’s very tight margins. A lot of good

teams in the past haven’t won the Cup. I’ve talked to a couple of guys that have won the Cup, one of them told me one time that

by far the better team that he played for didn’t win the Cup. But

he won, I think, three Cups. It’s the momentum, the margin of error, how tight it is, you know, a little bit of luck, too, at certain

times. It’s hard to win the Stanley Cup. That’s why I think when you look at your team and say, ‘OK. Here’s momentum on our

side and we should try to go for it.’ Then you got to go for it. People talk about us going all-in and thinking that we were crazy

doing it. But if we just traded Panarin and Bobrovsky for draft picks and a prospect or two, they would have said, ‘Every year

they do the same thing, they keep building and re-loading and

they never go for it.’ No matter which way you go about it, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.

You guys have something that a lot of teams don’t have right now: salary cap space. I don’t know if it’s because the salary cap

didn’t go up as high last summer as teams had budgeted for, but it’s incredible the number of teams that are in LTIR already this

season, or tight against the cap, so it’s certainly a weapon that you have. What’s the right time to use that? Is it more the

offseason or will there be an opportunity at the trade deadline

maybe?

I think the opportunity could arise at any time. If it is the right

situation, we’ll take full advantage of it. But at the same time, we got to keep in mind what’s coming in the years after this, too. It’s

not just about this year. We have Pierre-Luc Dubois, his contract is up (after this season), Josh Anderson is up after this year, so

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we got to make sure we plan ahead, too, not just this year. But

yeah, it’s good flexibility to have and we’re going to monitor every opportunity ahead of us to see how we can make our team

better.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you guys have always tried to go about your team business your way, based on the way things

should run in Columbus, but the NHL doesn’t work in a vacuum, there are decisions made by other teams that sometimes have

an impact on your own business practices, contracts are used as comparables, there are trends, whatever you want to call it. And

this was a very interesting offseason, a lot of high-profile players coming out of entry-level who really pushed the envelope in

terms of compensation and the type of contracts they garnered.

We happen to be sitting here in Toronto, so what better place to start. You did a bridge deal with Werenski which goes in line with

a lot of the deals you’ve done over the years with those guys (coming out of entry-level). Can you keep going to the beat of

your own drum or is it hard not to be impacted by a deal like Mitch Marner gets here?

Well, I think everybody gets impacted by it a little bit. I think we’re still going to keep doing what we think is right for us and what’s

fair. We always try to be fair with the players. But then when you

get comparables that are much higher then the player probably doesn’t feel that he’s being treated fairly if we completely beat to

our own drum and try to go about our business with not looking at the comparables. So in that way, every decision around the

league will impact other teams and their signings and so forth. It is interesting, because I’ve said it many times, once we have that

leverage, the only time basically when players are coming out of

entry-level, I think we should use it. Because when they get to those UFA years, they’re going to use it and they’re going to just

tell us, ‘You pay me this or I’ll leave.’ They’re not going to give us any breaks. So I don’t know why we’re giving them breaks (out of

entry-level). That’s part of the business. It’s nothing personal. You still want to be fair. But if the only option for a player coming

out of entry-level is not to play in the National Hockey League or play in the National Hockey League with a fair contract that

works well for both sides, they’re going to sign. I’m convinced

that they’re going to sign. They’re not going to hold out a year and lose millions of dollars or go play in Europe for a tenth of the

money that we’re offering. I’m not criticizing anybody, everybody has their own pressures and why they make their decisions and

how they go about their business, and their marketplace, and their fans, their sponsors and all these different interest groups

that affect their decisions. So it’s not my place to criticize anybody else. But I just think in this system, in this CBA, you got

to take advantage of the one time you have that leverage.

Now having said that, depending what we are to believe, and I won’t ask you about Marner specifically because you’re not

allowed to comment on another team’s player; but is it accurate to suggest that you investigate the offer sheet idea to some

degree, generally speaking?

The only thing I would say is that we always investigate every

opportunity that could be out there to acquire a good hockey player and make our team better. So we don’t rule out any

methods that are allowed in the CBA. Whether it’s free agent

signings or trades or draft or an offer sheet, if it’s in the CBA as a tool that we can use to make our team better, we’re always going

to look at it. That’s the only thing I would say about it.

You mentioned Dubois earlier, in my mind, he continues to take

giant strides. He’s coming out of entry-level after the season. We’ve seen a number of 2020 guys take a different path than the

2019 RFAs and maybe it’s because the market has been set

somewhat, Nico Hischier being the latest. There are guys signing

early, is that of interest to you? Or would you rather wait until after the season?

No, I think we would, if it’s a fair deal for both sides, we’d look at

it right now for sure. Why wouldn’t we? As I mentioned with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Josh Anderson both, they’re core pieces.

So if they’re willing to commit to Columbus for long term and the dollars and term work for both sides, we’re absolutely willing to

talk about it right now. Those two guys have been a big part of our success in the last couple of years. They hopefully will be for

a long time. Again, it’s a situation where both sides will have to agree that this is a fair deal and good for both sides.

Life after J.D. You had worked closely with John Davidson for a

long time, in a couple of places, what’s it like now that he’s gone to New York? He wasn’t replaced in that role with your

organization. So is it about you and (AGM) Bill Zito growing into bigger roles essentially?

Not really bigger roles. Obviously J.D. is a big man with a big presence and I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities he’s

given me in the National Hockey League in St. Louis and Columbus. He’s a great guy to work with and I appreciate

everything he’s done for us and for me personally. But the way

we operate, that position, that President of Hockey Operations — I don’t know how many there are now in the NHL, maybe less

than 10 I think — so I’m doing the same job as I’m doing before. We’re going to miss his presence and his opinions and his

hockey knowledge, but now I’m reporting to Mike Priest who is the president of the whole club, and to ownership. But it doesn’t

really change my day-to-day duties. I got the additional title of

Alternate Governor which is something that is interesting to me where I get to attend the Board of Governors’ meetings and learn

something new from there. But other than that, my day duties don’t really change at all. I’m going about my business as a

general manager just as I would in the past.

I consider you a trailblazer, you’re the only European GM in the

NHL. Do you think it’ll open doors? You know, I think of Ron Francis just hiring Cammi Granato as a pro scout in Seattle and

how important that is. This is a league that’s been about the

same type of people holding down the same type of jobs for a very long time; not a lot of European GMs or coaches; obviously

not a lot of women, not a lot of people of colour. Obviously you have to be able to do that job, but are enough doors being

opened? Are you hoping what you’ve done and what you’re doing will open doors?

Yeah, I hope so. I think it always should be about ability and not nationality or any of the other things you discussed. I hope that

people are always open-minded about stuff like that. I’m certainly

open-minded about if I see an individual from any of those groups that you mentioned, that has a lot of hockey ability and

knowledge and passion for the game and work ethic to do a great job for us, I certainly won’t hold gender or religion or any

other orientation against anybody. I’m proud of my roots in Finland, but I’ve been here since 1987, I’ve been back and forth

a couple of times, but I got my college education in the U.S., I played over here, I’ve worked over here in the NHL since 1995 in

different front office roles. I don’t think my colleagues look at me

anymore as ‘He’s a European GM.’ I know most of those guys so well now, I think they just consider me a colleague and that’s the

way I would hope for any person from Europe who had aspirations of becoming a GM here. But I did a lot of miles before

I got to this job. So I would encourage anybody who wants to do that to go the same route. Pay your dues. Get over here and get

used to the way people work here and how things are done in

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the National Hockey League, and I think good things will happen.

There are a lot of people in Europe who have had good careers as scouts and who have been parts of NHL front offices; I’m sure

there’s going to be another European GM in the future. I know a

lot of bright executives in the European leagues that are fully capable of doing it. But I don’t think it’s going to happen very

often where people will go to Europe and pick a person from there that’s done a good job from a European club if they don’t

have experience over here. Anybody with the aspiration of becoming a GM or a front office executive in the NHL should

come over here and starting working and learn the business the right way. A great example of someone doing that right now is

Rick Nash (special assistant to the GM in Columbus). He had a

great career in the NHL, played over 1,000 games, and he’s going about getting into the hockey business the right away. He’s

scouting, he’s watching our prospects from the player development perspective, he’s watching our team, opponents,

amateur scouting, pro scoutings, doing all these different things, to learn the business. Even though you think that a guy who’s

been in the league that long could easily say, ‘Well, I know the hockey business.’ He’s going about it the right way. He wants to

learn. And I’m sure he has a bright future ahead of him as a

hockey executive if that’s what he has to do. That’s the way you got to go about it as a European as well. And as a European in

particular because I still think there’s going to be a higher hurdle for any European GM or head coach to be hired. That’s basically

how I would look at it.

Kiitos.

Ole Hyva.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.23.2019

1109196 Chicago Blackhawks

Kirby Dach’s 1st NHL goal isn’t enough as the Blackhawks fall 2-

1 in a shootout to the Golden Knights

By JIMMY GREENFIELD CHICAGO TRIBUNE |OCT 22, 2019 | 10:31 PM

Kirby Dach will never forget his first NHL goal, but by the time a shootout arrived Tuesday night, it was a distant memory.

Dach’s first-period goal nearly held up, but the Golden Knights tied the game with less than two minutes remaining in regulation

to send it to overtime.

After a scoreless extra session, Jonathan Marchessault and

Shea Theodore scored shootout goals to lift the Golden Knights to a 2-1 win over the Hawks on Tuesday at the United Center.

The Hawks dropped to 2-3-2 with one game remaining on their

seven-game homestand.

Nick Holden tied the game with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining

in the third period after the Golden Knights pulled goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for an extra attacker.

Robin Lehner had 33 saves in a brilliant effort but wasn’t able to carry the Hawks to their first victory over the Golden Knights.

The Hawks dropped to 0-5-2 against the third-year franchise.

The Hawks put together their second straight impressive game

against a tough opponent — they dropped a 5-3 decision to the

Capitals on Sunday — but once again weren’t able to come

away with a victory.

Dach’s first goal with 3:45 left in the first had the home crowd

buzzing. The No. 3 pick in this year’s draft parked to the left of

Fleury and was able to get just enough on Olli Maatta’s cross-ice pass to redirect the puck into an open net.

Dach dropped to one knee in celebration before rising for a fist pump, then got mobbed by teammates. At 18 years, 274 days,

Dach became the sixth-youngest Hawk to score a goal behind Grant Mulvey, Eddie Olczyk, Don Campbell, Harold Jackson and

Steve McCarthy.

Lehner made some huge saves, including a stop of William

Carrier on a breakaway late in the second period to keep it 1-0.

The Golden Knights had 2:38 of power-play time to start the third period after a Jonathan Toews double minor, but Lehner was

able to maintain the lead, stopping Mark Stone at the doorstep with a kick save at the last moment.

With the Golden Knights on an overtime power play, a Hawks defender lost a stick but Lehner made a remarkable double-pad

stack save to keep the game going with 22.8 seconds remaining.

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.23.2019


Can Kirby Dach stick in the NHL this season? Yes, if he learns

from the mistakes Dylan Strome made his 1st time in the league.

By JIMMY GREENFIELD CHICAGO TRIBUNE |OCT 22, 2019 | 4:09 PM

Now that Kirby Dach has played in his first NHL game, the Blackhawks’ top draft pick in June is finally on the clock.

The Hawks can have him in the lineup for up to nine games — he remained in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the

Golden Knights at the United Center — before having to decide if they’re willing to burn a year on his entry-level contract.

If Dach plays at least 10 games, he would remain eligible to be returned to his junior team in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but the

first year on his contract would be used up.

The games don’t need to be consecutive, so even though Dach could play in his 10th game as early as Nov. 5 against the

Sharks, he could stay with the Hawks much deeper into the season if they make him an occasional healthy scratch.

General manager Stan Bowman and coach Jeremy Colliton have said all along a decision about whether to keep Dach for the

season will be based on how he looks on the ice and not on his contract.

If Dach becomes a top-six center as the Hawks expect, it would

cost them millions against the salary cap a year earlier than if his contract doesn’t begin until 2020-21.

“His performance is going to dictate what happens with him,” Colliton said before Tuesday’s game. “There’s a lot of talk about

timeline and nine games and even before that, what’s the plan? Just like any player, his play will dictate where we use him. He

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knows that, and it’s important that he just focuses on the next

game (and doesn’t) worry too much about the future.”

Although Dach has said and done all the right things, that can be

easier said than done.

Dylan Strome was the Coyotes’ top pick in 2015 — like Dach, he was taken third overall — and he made their opening-day roster

in 2016-17. The looming deadline to remain with the Coyotes or return to his junior team in Erie, Pa., gnawed at Strome.

“I was too concerned about if I’m going to play the 10th game,” Strome said. “I got caught up in that.”

The Coyotes didn’t help matters by making Strome a healthy scratch for the opener, then playing him intermittently over the

first 16 games. After playing in three games following the opener,

Strome sat for four games, then played three more before heading back to the bench.

After Strome played in his seventh game on Nov. 17, the Coyotes returned him to Erie.

A lack of production — Strome had no goals and one assist in the seven games — was ultimately the reason for his demotion.

But he believes, in retrospect, that his mental approach had a big impact on why his first NHL stint didn’t last.

“I was always worried about who was playing where, what

position, what line I was on, how many minutes I was playing,” Strome said. “I didn’t just play. You block out everything else and

whatever happens, happens. You play good enough, they’re going to keep you here. I overthought it too much and I didn’t

really enjoy the NHL.”

Dylan Strome (20) struggled to establish himself during his first

NHL stint with the Coyotes in 2016-17.

The honesty of then-Coyotes coach Dave Tippett — who now coaches the Oilers — helped Strome to see the writing on the

wall during his first month with the team.

Tippett told Strome he was good enough to be in the NHL. Just

not yet.

“He thought I needed to work harder and I wasn’t good enough

to play every night yet,” Strome said. “That’s something that stuck with me. You’ve got to work hard to be in the lineup every

night and take nothing for granted.”

Strome doesn’t have a special message for Dach as he tries to prove he should stay with the Hawks the entire season.

“He’s part of the team and we’re looking at it like that,” Strome said. “Hopefully he’s not focusing on it too much. Just go out

there and play and have fun. You see him out there, he’s a good player. Good confidence and makes some plays with the puck.

Just got to keep doing that and the rest will take care of itself.”

Which is exactly how Dach seems to be approaching life in the

NHL.

“I’m not really focused on nine or 10 games later,” Dach said Tuesday. “More so focused on Vegas tonight, then on getting

through the next day and the next day after that. It’s a day-by-day thing for myself, and I’ve always been like that. Just trying to

make each day a stepping-stone to get toward my goal.”

Chicago Tribune LOADED: 10.23.2019


Blackhawks trade Aleksi Saarela to Panthers for depth defenseman Ian McCoshen

Saarela was off to a slow start in the AHL, a league where he’d

been disgruntled in the past.

By Ben Pope Oct 22, 2019, 11:23pm CDT

Aleksi Saarela’s stint with the Blackhawks organization didn’t last long.

The Hawks sent Saarela, a prospect forward, to the Panthers in exchange for depth defenseman Ian McCoshen in a minor-

league swap during Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout loss.

Saarela was acquired from the Hurricanes in June — along with Calvin de Haan — and lasted just four months in Illinois.

In August, he bashed the Hurricanes to a Finnish newspaper for numerous reasons, including not calling him up to the NHL

despite his strong 2018-19 season in the AHL.

But Saarela again didn’t make an NHL roster during Hawks

training camp, was sent down to Rockford prior to the Europe trip and had recorded just one point in five games for Rockford

entering Tuesday.

The Panthers will be the 22-year-old forward’s fourth NHL organization. He was originally a Rangers draft pick.

In exchange, Hawks general manager Stan Bowman added another item to his very flush cast of depth defensemen.

McCoshen, 24, has made 60 NHL appearances over the past three seasons for Florida, tallying seven points and a mediocre

46.4 percent Corsi rating. He had four assists in seven

appearances for Springfield, the Panthers’ AHL affiliate, so far this year.

Jeremy Colliton said after Tuesday’s game he knew little about McCoshen other than that he’s a “big defenseman who’s played

games in the NHL.”

Still, McCoshen could see some time with the Hawks later this

season, especially now that Connor Murphy’s injury troubles have reemerged.

Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 10.23.2019


Connor Murphy expected to be out ‘a couple weeks,’ dealing blow to Blackhawks’ defense

The defenseman had been playing on the top pair alongside Duncan Keith prior to suffering a groin injury Tuesday.


The excellent top pair of Connor Murphy and Duncan Keith that the Blackhawks had recently gotten rolling is no more, at least

for the next few weeks.

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Murphy suffered a groin injury, according to Jeremy Colliton, late

in the second period of the Hawks’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Golden Knights on Tuesday. He did not return to the game and

finished with 12:24 of ice time.

Colliton said he expected Murphy to miss “a couple weeks.”

It’s the 26-year-old defenseman’s second groin injury of the

young season. He was held out for the latter part of the preseason and the first game of the regular season with a similar

ailment, though he said recently that it was only minor and didn’t disrupt his fitness.

The setback comes at an unfortunate time for Murphy, who was enjoying arguably the biggest role of his tenure in Chicago so far.

He and Keith had developed a strong rapport on and off the ice

and were producing effective defensive results on a regular basis.

“Obviously, that’s a blow for us,” Colliton said. “It’s an opportunity for other guys. We think we need to continue to build depth.

That’s what we’re going to need. We can’t just play with six D or seven D all year. You’re going to need more than that. That’ll be

an opportunity for other guys to grow.”

The obvious candidate for a call-up is top defensive prospect

and recent first-round pick Adam Boqvist, though he’s been

dealing with his own injury issues during the opening weeks of the AHL season.

Journeyman puck-mover Philip Holm and hard-hitting prospect Dennis Gilbert, who both impressed during training camp, are

also potential call-up candidates.

Alternatively, the Hawks could also get by without a call-up, at

least for Thursday’s home game against the Flyers — Slater

Koekkoek has sat out as the healthy scratch lately and could easily shift into the lineup.



Kirby Dach scores first NHL goal in Blackhawks’ loss to Golden

Knights

The third overall pick found a soft spot in the Vegas defense and

potted the goal in the first period of a 2-1 shootout defeat.


Kirby Dach’s game isn’t perfect yet, and his first NHL goal wasn’t

perfect, either.

But in his first two games with the Blackhawks, he has

demonstrated an impressive array of promising skills. And his first-period tally Tuesday — even though the Blackhawks’

eventually crumbled late in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Golden

Knights — exemplified those traits perfectly.

While Olli Maatta skated out to the faceoff dot, Dach smartly and

quietly found a soft spot in the Vegas defense on the far side of the crease. Maatta didn’t appear to be trying to pass to him, and

Dach had to awkwardly knee the puck into the net.

But it did go in, and Dach celebrated madly, and the home crowd

erupted, and just maybe, the kid tabbed as the future face of the

franchise officially began his permanent lease on the United

Center.

“It was a pretty cool moment,” Dach said. “Grew up dreaming of

playing in the NHL, and two games in, you’ve got your first goal.

That’s pretty special, but at the same time, pretty disappointed that we lost.”

The Hawks nearly preserved Dach’s tally all the way to the finish line, but instead allowed a tying goal with 1:33 left and two more

goals in the shootout to suffer another heartbreaking, objectively undeserved loss.

Robin Lehner was truly spectacular throughout the night, making 33 saves — including a miraculous two-pad stack on a Vegas

overtime power play — and stopped his postgame interview to

deliver a passionate statement of optimism moving forward.

“When I chose to sign with this team, it’s because I really believe

in this team,” the goalie said. “The last few games have been really really good. ... Washington is a good team, Vegas is a

good team, and at times we were totally dominating. It should have been 4-0 after two (tonight). Couple of posts were in the

way, couple of missed bounces. That’s hockey sometimes.”

“If we just keep playing like we’re going, we’re going to get good

results.”



Blackhawks’ bottom-6 forwards inexplicably producing more

offense than their top 6

Coach Jeremy Colliton seemingly can’t win with his line

combinations right now.

By Ben Pope Oct 22, 2019, 6:55am CDT

Patrick Kane is the one Blackhawks star off to a characteristically

productive start. Many others, including Dylan Strome (left), are not.

The Blackhawks’ forward corps is in a strange spot.

The supposed first- and second-line stars are struggling, but the

supposed third- and fourth-line grinders and depth contributors

are excelling.

It’s an odd and not-easily-solved predicament for a team that

went through the offseason acting as though its depth, not its top-end talent, was the area most in need of improvement.

After the loss Sunday to the Capitals — the Hawks’ fourth defeat in six games — coach Jeremy Colliton was asked why Dominik

Kubalik, who just had recorded a whopping 10 shots on goal, wasn’t getting more ice time.

‘‘I think you can say that for a lot of guys,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘[Alex]

Nylander has been excellent. Kubalik’s been excellent. [Ryan] Carpenter [too]. Up and down. Now [Kirby] Dach steps in and is

really good. That is really good for our team — competition — and there’s nothing wrong with everyone probably deserving a

little bit more because that means we have depth and we’re going to be hard to play against.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


‘‘Over time, it’s going to add up to some pretty good

performances. Sometimes it’s easier to be really good if you just play a little bit less than maybe you can handle.’’

On one hand, Colliton is correct. The dominance of the Kubalik-

David Kampf-Brandon Saad line has been much-discussed. The new fourth line of Nylander, Carpenter and Drake Caggiula —

created when Dach’s insertion into the lineup Sunday bumped Caggiula down — also skated circles around the Caps.

So, yes, practically every player in that bottom six deserves more ice time, based on performance.

On the other hand, practically every player in the top six deserves less ice time, based on performance.

Jonathan Toews has yet to record a five-on-five point this

season. Andrew Shaw would be in the same boat if the home opener was excluded. Alex DeBrincat, coming off a 41-goal

eruption last season, hasn’t scored at even strength. Dylan Strome has had an unremarkable start, and Dach was the only

Hawks forward without a shot on goal in his debut. Only Patrick Kane has been productive.

In fact, the bottom six have been outright better than the top six in every category: goals, assists, points, shots, shots on goal,

scoring chances and shot accuracy.

And not by minuscule margins, either. For example, the third and fourth lines have averaged 5.3 points and 25.3 scoring chances

per 60 minutes at five-on-five; the first and second lines have averaged 4.7 points and 19.5 scoring chances.

The Blackhawks’ bottom-six forwards have been more productive than the team’s top-six forwards in three crucial

statistical categories. Chicago Sun-Times graphic | Statistics

from Natural Stat Trick

But Colliton can’t feasibly solve that by flipping his depth chart.

Despite their polar-opposite Octobers, no one reasonably can argue Carpenter should play 20 minutes and Toews 10 minutes

Tuesday against the Golden Knights.

Elevating the bottom-six forwards with top-six attributes among

their skills — Kubalik, Saad and Nylander are the obvious candidates — jumps out as the most obvious solution.

That, however, would split the trios that are clicking right now

and potentially destroy the little chemistry the Hawks have developed to date.

The problem will require nuanced tinkering to fix. And it’s not going to be easy to execute.



Fleury helps Golden Knights beat Blackhawks 2-1 in shootout

By JAY COHEN

CHICAGO -- Vegas played its ace, and it beat all the hands for Chicago.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves through overtime and two

more stops in the shootout, leading the Golden Knights to a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Playing for the second straight night for the last stop of a three-

game trip, Vegas used a stellar performance by Fleury to improve to 7-0-0 against Chicago since entering the league for

the 2017-18 season.

"He's our ace. I mean he's been outstanding all year for us,"

coach Gerard Gallant said.

Fleury was beaten by Jonathan Toews in the first round of the

tiebreaker, and then turned away attempts by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore

scored on Robin Lehner on the other end, giving Vegas the

victory after it lost 6-2 at Philadelphia on Monday night.

It was win No. 446 for Fleury, snapping a tie with Terry

Sawchuck for seventh on the NHL career list.

"I thought our game got better as the game went on," Fleury

said.

Kirby Dach scored his first goal in his second NHL game for

Chicago, and Lehner had 33 saves in an impressive performance. Dach was selected by the Blackhawks with the No.

3 overall pick in this year's draft.

"I thought we did a lot of good things tonight," Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton said. "It's frustrating not to get rewarded for it."

Lehner, who signed a $5 million, one-year deal with the Blackhawks in July, was working on his 15th career shutout

when the Golden Knights replaced Fleury with an extra attacker late in the third period. Nick Holden then tied it at 1 when he shot

it between Lehner's legs with 1:33 left.

Vegas had a power-play opportunity in overtime, but Chicago killed it off. Lehner had a great stop on Max Pacioretty's one-

timer with 22.8 seconds left.

"These games are really exciting," Holden said. "As a

defenseman and as a player in front of Fleury, you don't want to have him have to make those big saves. I'm sure that fans and

everybody enjoys it. We want to try and limit those, but it was kind of a back-and-forth game."

Standing all alone right outside the goalmouth, the 18-year-old

Dach got the Blackhawks on the board when a deflected puck went off his left leg and into the net 16:15 into the first.

Dach celebrated by skating away and pumping his right arm as the crowd of 21,172 cheered wildly.

"It was a pretty cool moment," Dach said. "I grew up dreaming of playing the NHL. Two games in, you've got your first goal. That's

pretty special, but at the same time, I'm pretty disappointed that we lost. That's my main focus, the team game, not myself."

Chicago almost added to its lead in the second, but Fleury made

a tumbling save on DeBrincat's shot off a slick pass by Toews. Brandon Saad had a one-timer go off the post with about 6:40

left.

Lehner denied William Carrier on a couple of prime chances in

the second. First, Lehner kicked Carrier's shot away about five minutes into the period. Lehner also got in the way of another

Carrier try with about four minutes left.

NOTES: Blackhawks D Connor Murphy departed with a lower-

body injury. Colliton said he will be sidelined for a couple weeks.

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... The Blackhawks acquired D Ian McCoshen in a trade with

Florida for forward Aleksi Saarela in a swap of minor leaguers. The 24-year-old McCoshen, a second-round draft pick in 2013,

will report to Rockford of the American Hockey League. ...

Chicago dropped to 2-2-2 on a seven-game homestand.

UP NEXT

Golden Knights: Open a four-game homestand Friday night against Colorado.

Blackhawks: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night.

Daily Herald Times LOADED: 10.23.2019


Blackhawks' Dach nets first career goal in loss to Vegas

John Dietz

In Kirby Dach's first game with the Blackhawks, the rookie

forward got his feet wet during a 5-3 loss to Washington on Sunday.

In his second game, Dach made a serious splash by scoring his first NHL goal during a tense 2-1 shootout loss to the Vegas

Golden Knights.

Dach scored 16:15 into the first period when he knocked in a puck -- with his knee, mind you -- off a feed from defenseman

Olli Maatta.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, nobody else solved goalie Marc-

Andre Fleury, and the Golden Knights prevailed thanks to Nick Holden's goal with 93 seconds remaining and shootout tallies by

Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore.

The biggest news of the night, however, came when coach Jeremy Colliton announced that D-man Connor Murphy will miss

about two weeks with what is believed to be a groin injury. Murphy has teamed with Duncan Keith to help the Hawks hold

their opponents to just 11 regulation goals over the past five games.

"Obviously that's a blow for us, but it's an opportunity for other guys," said Colliton, whose team is now 2-3-2. "We need to

continue to build depth. We can't just play with six (or) seven 'D'

all year."

Dach had an interesting game because while he scored, he also

was only on the ice for 8:22 and his lone shot on goal came without the aid of his stick.

"He's playing well," Colliton said. "Not a ton of minutes tonight. I think that's partly all the special teams, and then at the end we're

trying to defend a lead. We went with other guys down the middle.

"But probably could have had more points … so just keep going."

Said Dach: "It's my dream to play in the NHL, and two games in you've got your first goal. So that's pretty special, but at the

same time pretty disappointed that we lost.

"My main focus is the team game and not myself. I've got to take

a step back and realize what I can do better to help the team win and move forward tomorrow."

Lehner locked in:

Robin Lehner turned away 33 of 34 shots against Vegas, meaning the Blackhawks' new goalie has impressed in all three

appearances. Lehner's most impressive save came when he somehow snared a Max Pacioretty one-timer with 22.8 seconds

remaining in overtime.

Lehner's allowed just 5 regulation goals in three starts, while

Corey Crawford has yielded 14 in four starts.

The veteran, who helped lead the Islanders to the playoffs last

season, truly believes the Hawks are headed in the right

direction.

"A lot of great hockey players on this club and we've seen it in

spurts," Lehner said. "The last few games have been really, really good. Small, small details and we're going to be very

dangerous.

"I'm really liking what I'm seeing from a lot of the guys. A lot of

the young guys are playing great. Maybe it looks far away, but it's really close. It really is."

Hawks make trade:

The Hawks acquired 6-foot-3, 218-pound defenseman Ian McCoshen from the Florida Panthers on Tuesday in exchange

for forward Aleksi Saarela. McCoshen, who will report to Rockford, was chosen with the 31st pick of the 2013 draft by the

Panthers.

McCoshen has appeared in 57 NHL games the last two seasons.

Slap shots:

Ryan Carpenter has won 28 of 41 faceoffs (68.3 percent) over the last three games. He played a season-high 17 minutes, 50

seconds against Vegas. … David Kampf has 1 goal in his last 50 games. … Jonathan Toews has no points at 5-on-5 play this

season. … Dylan Strome saw just 9:01 of ice time against the Golden Knights. … Brendan Perlini, Zack Smith and D-man

Slater Koekkoek were the Hawks' healthy scratches against Vegas.



Despite pileup of penalties, Hawks' Shaw refuses to change scrappy style

John Dietz

On the second shift of Andrew Shaw's NHL career, he got into a

fight with the Flyers' Zac Rinaldo.

As soon as the referee dropped the puck to resume play after the Blackhawks had taken a 1-0 lead, Shaw removed his gloves

and helmet, and waited for Rinaldo to skate over from the opposite wing.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Shaw landed a vicious right, then absorbed multiple blows from

Rinaldo that opened a gaping wound above his right eye.

And just like that, a reputation was born.

The scrappy Shaw quickly became a favorite of coach Joel

Quenneville and he ended up playing a vital role in the Hawks' Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and '15.

Now in his second stint with the organization that drafted him in the fifth round in 2011, Shaw's reputation continues to follow --

and at times -- haunt him.

Both Shaw and coach Jeremy Colliton believe officials are calling

penalties against the forward simply because of what Shaw has done in the past. The 28-year-old drew 6 minors in the Hawks'

first six games.

"It's something he's got to be aware of, but I think he's got a bull's-eye on him," Colliton said. "If I go back through all the

penalties he's taken, he probably earned a couple and probably he earned (a couple) like five years ago. So that's something

he's got to deal with."

Shaw, however, doesn't believe he should have to deal with it.

If he commits a penalty, fine.

Call it.

But don't go looking for something that isn't there.

"The referees, no matter the history (of) the player, should call the game as it is," he said before the Hawks lost 2-1 in a

shootout to Vegas at the United Center on Tuesday. "I mean, yeah, I might have been too vocal in my younger days. But the

past three years I've been trying to clean it up a little bit.

"I just take my penalties when I get 'em. But I must have dug

myself a really deep hole. (Just) trying to climb out of it since."

The Hawks have managed to kill off 5 of Shaw's 6 penalties (although the Flyers scored with Shaw in the box while skating 4-

on-4 in the season opener). He wasn't happy with any of the last three calls -- a holding penalty against Washington's Nick

Jensen; a hooking call on Columbus' Alexander Wennberg; and an interference call on the Blue Jackets' Pierre-Luc Dubois.

One thing's for sure, though -- Shaw isn't going to change how he plays. He's still going to deliver huge, crunching hits. He'll

remain a pest in front of the opponent's goalie. And he's going to

continue to stick up for his teammates.

"I find if I'm not playing on the edge, I'm not playing great," Shaw

said. "I need to play physical. Even in preseason, I was just finishing checks -- clean, shoulder-to-shoulder -- and was getting

penalty after penalty.

"Hockey still is a physical game. There's still hitting. It's still legal.

So I'm going to go out there and play hard; make it hard on my opponents."

In other words, The Mutt's gonna keeping coming.

"Not going to change who I am now," Shaw said, then added with a wry smile: "I'm an old dog."



Blackhawks expected to be without Connor Murphy (groin injury)

for 'a couple weeks'

By Charlie Roumeliotis October 23, 2019 12:00 AM

The Blackhawks are expected to be without defenseman Connor

Murphy for "a couple weeks" after he left in the second period of Tuesday's 2-1 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights

because of a groin injury, coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed after the game.

It's the same injury that sidelined Murphy for the season opener in Prague, which is unfortunate given his promotion to the top

pairing with Duncan Keith has provided some stability on all

three pairings.

"Obviously that's a blow for us," Colliton said. "It's an opportunity

for other guys. We think we need to continue to build depth. That's what we're going to need. We can't just play with six D or

seven D all year. You're going to need more than that. That'll be an opportunity for other guys to grow."

Slater Koekkoek is serving as the seventh defenseman right now and he's the likely candidate to slide into Murphy's spot in the

lineup. But the Blackhawks might be inclined to make a call-up

from Rockford as insurance.

Dennis Gilbert started the season with the Blackhawks because

Murphy and Calvin de Haan were not cleared to play overseas, so he's a potential candidate to be brought back up.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.23.2019


Four takeaways: Kirby Dach scores first NHL goal but Blackhawks remain winless against Vegas

By Charlie Roumeliotis October 22, 2019 11:15 PM

Here are four takeaways from the Blackhawks' 2-1 shootout loss

to the Vegas Golden Knights at the United Center on Tuesday:

1. Blackhawks remain winless vs. Vegas

The Blackhawks knew the Golden Knights were coming in on the

second of back-to-back and would be "pissed off" after getting routed by the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 on Monday. The

Blackhawks wanted to get off to a good start, especially against a team that has the most first-period goals (14) in the league.

The first two periods were even. The third is when the Golden Knights took control and tied it up with 1:33 left in regulation to

force overtime. The Blackhawks fell in the shootout and remain winless against the Golden Knights (0-5-2).

"I thought we tightened up a little bit," Duncan Keith said. "I

thought the goaltender played good again, that always helps. We were right there and lose in a shootout so it could go either way.

Would have been nice to close it out there and take the win in regulation but give them credit, they found a way to tie it up and

got in a shootout. Kind of stings that way."

CAROLINA HURRICANES


2. Kirby Dach's first career NHL goal

There were a lot of positives to take away from Tuesday's game, and the highlight was Dach getting his first career NHL goal in

just his second game. It wasn't pretty, but he'll take it and it's the

first of many more to come.

"It was a pretty cool moment," Dach said. "Grew up dreaming of

playing in the NHL, and two games in, you've got your first goal. That's pretty special, but at the same time, pretty disappointed

that we lost. My main focus is the team game so I've got to take a step back and realize what I can do better to help the team win

and move forward tomorrow."

3. Goaltending battle

There were only two goals scored through 65 minutes of action

and it's because the sold-out United Center crowd witnessed a terrific goaltending battle between Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin

Lehner.

Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, stopped 31 of 32

shots for a save percentage of .969 while Lehner, a reigning Vezina Trophy finalist, denied 33 of 34 shots for a save

percentage of .971. The Blackhawks and Golden Knights each had to work for their regulation goal Fleury came out on top in

the shootout.

"They were both good, made a lot of good saves," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "I think it was a pretty tight game, weren't a lot of

chances either way. Certainly both guys were good."

4. A quiet, but busy night on special teams

The Blackhawks lost the special teams battle on Sunday in a 5-3 loss to Washington after going 0-for-5 on the power play and 0-

for-1 on the penalty kill, and it turned out to be the primary

reason they didn't come away any points. This is a game where the home team couldn't afford to do it again, with the Golden

Knights possessing the fifth-best power-play percentage (28.6) and fourth-ranked penalty kill (90.0) going into the matchup.

The Blackhawks went 0-for-4 with the man advantage and are still searching for some consistency in that department. Alex

Nylander was promoted to the top unit for Dylan Strome to get a right-handed shot in there to potentially free up Alex DeBrincat's

shooting lane, but the team stayed off the scoresheet.

On the plus side, the Blackhawks killed off all five penalties and allowed only five shots on goal in 8:05 of shorthanded action.

That's progress.



Instant reaction: Blackhawks squander late lead, fall to Golden Knights in shootout


FINAL SCORE:

Golden Knights 2, Blackhawks 1 (SO)

Snap judgments:

— The Blackhawks played a Golden Knights team that was on

the second of a back-to-back and coming off an ugly 6-2 loss in Philadelphia on Monday. They knew the visiting team would

come in desperate and it was an even battle, except in the third

period when the Golden Knights took control and tied it up at 1-1 with 1:33 left in regulation.

— It took just two games for Kirby Dach to score his first career NHL goal, which will be the first of many. Olli Maatta's pass went

off Dach's leg and in, to which Dach said on NBC Sports Chicago during first intermission: "It wasn't the prettiest goal, but

I'll take it."

— This was a straight goaltending battle between two of the

league's best in Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. Fleury

was coming off a 29-save shutout against Pittsburgh on Saturday and he followed that up by stopping 31 of 32 shots for

a save percentage of .969 against the Blackhawks. Lehner was just as good, if not better, turning aside 33 of 34 shots for a save

percentage of .971. He's now 1-0-2 on the season .

Three stars:

1. Golden Knights G Marc-Andre Fleury — Stopped 31 of 32 shots for .969 save percentage

2. Blackhawks C Kirby Dach — First career NHL goal

3. Blackhawks G Robin Lehner — Stopped 33 of 34 shots for .971 save percentage

Must-see highlights:

— Dach's first career NHL goal

KIRBY DACH'S FIRST NHL GOAL! pic.twitter.com/mbdCjWMeQL

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 23, 2019

— Lehner's desperation save in overtime

Unreal save by Robin Lehner in overtime. #Blackhawks

pic.twitter.com/H47I3kH4Xp

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 23, 2019

What's next:

The Blackhawks host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, Oct.

24 at 7:30 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago.



Blackhawks make minor league trade with Panthers, acquire

defenseman Ian McCoshen


The Blackhawks have acquired defenseman Ian McCoshen from the Florida Panthers in exchange for forward prospect Aleksi

Saarela, the team announced Tuesday. He will report to the

Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.

McCoshen is on a one-year contract that runs through the end of

the 2019-20 season. His cap hit is $700,000 and he's set to become a restricted free agent.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round (No. 31

overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft, McCoshen has appeared in 60 career NHL games and has seven points (four goals, three

assists) and an ice time average of 14:26 per game. He has four

assists in seven games with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL this season.

The motive behind the move appears to be giving each player a fresh start elsewhere, although Saarela's time with the

Blackhawks was short-lived. He was acquired by the Blackhawks in June, along with Calvin de Haan, for goaltender Anton

Forsberg and defenseman Gustav Forsling and had one assist in five games with the Rockford IceHogs.



Andrew Shaw trying to find balance between toeing the line and not crossing it for Blackhawks


The Blackhawks brought Andrew Shaw back to Chicago

because they lacked some bite to their game. He's already

meeting expectations in the physicality department, leading the team with 23 hits.

But the other part of his game the Blackhawks have to live with is the amount of penalties he takes. Through six games this

season, Shaw has taken at least one penalty in five of them and is tied for third among all NHL skaters with six minors. The only

two skaters above him are guys who have played in two and four

more games, respectively.

Because he plays on the edge, Shaw will occasionally cross it

and he's trying to find that balance between toeing the line and not stepping over it.

"I find if I'm not playing on the edge, I'm not playing great," Shaw said. "I need to play physical. Even in preseason, I was just

finishing checks — clean, shoulder-to-shoulder — and was getting penalty after penalty. Hockey still is a physical game.

There's still hitting; it's still legal. So I'm going to go out there and

play hard, make it hard on my opponents, make it hard on them physically, do what I do. Not going to change who I am now. I'm

an old dog."

Shaw's reputation may also contribute to the matter. He's racked

up more than 600 penalty minutes in his NHL career, including postseason, and the officials might be keeping a closer eye on

him when he's on the ice.

"It's something he's got to be aware of, but I also think he's got a

bullseye on him," coach Jeremy Colliton said. "If I go back

through all the penalties he's taken, he probably earned a couple and he probably earned them five years ago. That's something

he's got to deal with. We want him to play hard. I think we can handle the ones where he's running people over. We'll kill those

off. Obviously the stick penalties and stuff we don't want. But he's playing hard for the team. That's a good thing."

Said Shaw: "The referees, no matter the history of the player, should call the game as it is. If there's a penalty, call a penalty. If

there's not a penalty, you let it go. I mean, yeah, I might have

been too vocal in my younger days. But the past three years I've

been trying to clean it up a little bit. I just take my penalties when I get 'em. But I must have dug myself a really deep hole. Just

trying to climb out of it since."

Still, Shaw knows he has to be smarter about the timing of his penalties and where they're happening. The ones that occur in

the offensive zone are the penalties that must be eradicated from his game. The ones he earns from battling between the whistles

and sticking up for his teammates, the Blackhawks can live with those.

"Obviously I don't want to take penalties, I don't want to put my team down," Shaw said. "I also don't agree with all of the ones I

got. I think I got the short end of the stick on a lot of them. Bite

my tongue, go to the box. Our PK's been working hard and competing and killing some penalties. Hopefully they start going

my way, I guess."



Robin Lehner to start in goal for Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights

By Charlie Roumeliotis October 22, 2019 11:30 AM

Robin Lehner will start in goal for the Blackhawks when they host

the Vegas Golden Knights at the United Center on Tuesday, coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed after morning skate. It will be

his third start of the season.

Lehner is coming off a game in which he stopped 37 of 39 shots

for a save percentage of .949, which earned him the No. 3 star of

the game in a 3-2 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. He was fantastic.

Lehner is 1-0-1 with a 2.47 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in two starts this season.



Lazerus: Kirby Dach belongs in the NHL, and it would be a

mistake to send him back to juniors

By Mark Lazerus Oct 22, 2019

There are so many reasons to send Kirby Dach back to

Saskatoon in the very near future, that it’s easy to see why it seems like such a foregone conclusion.

The most obvious is that it kicks the can down the road a year on Dach’s next contract, which the Blackhawks can only hope will

be a massive one. For another, he wasn’t exactly dominant last

season in the WHL, at least not by third-pick standards, with 25 goals and 73 points in 62 games (for comparison, Pierre-Luc

Dubois had 99 points in 62 games in the QMJHL in his draft year and Leon Draisaitl had 105 in 64 games in the WHL).

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Then there’s the last guy the Blackhawks took third overall:

Jonathan Toews. He went back to North Dakota for a full season before entering the NHL in 2007-08, and all he did was score a

goal on his first NHL shot, post a point in each of his first 10

games, and get named captain the following summer.

In fact, since Toews’ draft year of 2006, only three No. 3 picks —

Matt Duchene in 2009, Alex Galchenyuk in 2012 and Jesperi Kotkaniemi last season — played a full season in the NHL right

out of the gate. Draisaitl played 37 games in 2014-15, and Zach Bogosian played 47 games in 2008-09. Meanwhile, the likes of

Toews, Kyle Turris, Erik Gudbranson, Jonathan Huberdeau, Jonathan Drouin, Dylan Strome, Dubois and Miro Heiskanen all

spent another year in development before hitting the big time.

Patience is typically a virtue with anyone past the first or second pick.

Whatever.

Damn the history, damn the caution, damn the financial

ramifications. Even just a couple of games into his NHL career, it’s clear that Dach is one of the Blackhawks’ 13 best forwards,

and he should be in the NHL lineup permanently. That’s not a knee-jerk reaction to him scoring his first goal in Tuesday night’s

2-1 shootout loss to the Golden Knights. If he were pointless

through two games, he’d still deserve to stay.

After all, there are just as many reasons to keep him as there are

to send him back to Saskatoon.

Let’s start with the obvious: the Blackhawks do not have the

luxury of patience. Unlike most teams picking No. 3 overall, the Blackhawks aren’t some moribund franchise in the midst of a

long-term rebuild. They got that pick through luck, not suck.

They’re a team that expects to contend year after year, but at the same time, hasn’t won a playoff series in four years. Four years!

Whether you think they’re going to be successful or not, the Blackhawks are built to win now. So if Dach makes your team

better, he should be playing. Full stop. And with his size, his skill, and his potential, he’s going to produce more than the myriad

bottom-six guys in Chicago and Rockford currently jockeying for position on the organizational depth chart.

The urgency extends to the next reason to play Dach now: the

core isn’t getting any younger. Never mind the much-discussed “championship window,” the window that matters is the one in

which both the veteran core is still playing at a high level and the next generation is ready to take on a larger role. If that next

generation takes too long, it’ll be too late. Alex DeBrincat and Strome are already there, but they need help. Alex Nylander is

getting a chance to be a part of that group. Henri Jokiharju never did. Having Dach play against boys in the WHL for a year will

only delay his arrival into that group. The sooner he learns to

play against professionals, the better.

Then there’s the matter of development. If Dach spends a year in

Saskatoon, he’s spending it far away from the Blackhawks’ development team. At least when Adam Boqvist was in London,

the Blackhawks had ties to the Knights, with Brian Campbell making regular trips to work with Dach. They’ll have little say and

virtually no hand in a critical year of Dach’s development if he’s in Saskatoon. If he’s in Chicago, the Blackhawks will have total

control of every step of his development. That matters.

Finally, the Blackhawks are in the entertainment business. Team president John McDonough is very conscious of his team’s place

in the Chicago sports hierarchy, and that 2015 Stanley Cup banner is going to start yellowing soon. In their letter asking

season-ticket holders to renew last season, the Blackhawks

touted the exciting future of the franchise, naming Jokiharju,

Boqvist, Ian Mitchell and Nicolas Beaudin. Well, those guys aren’t here. Dach is. In fact, he’s the biggest and most exciting

prospect the Blackhawks have had since Patrick Kane and

Toews, and the fans are genuinely excited to see him play. There’s nothing like an exciting young rookie to keep you in the

conversation. It might seem like a small thing, but it’s a big one to the Blackhawks brass.

If you heard the ovation he got when he was announced as a starter in his NHL debut Sunday night, or if you heard the

reaction after Strome’s pass banked in off Dach standing in the corner of the goalmouth, then you know the kind of excitement

he’s generating in the fan base. You can be sure those cheers

resonated in the front office, and in the ears of McDonough and Rocky Wirtz.

KIRBY DACH SCORES HIS FIRST NHL GOAL. PIC.TWITTER.COM/YD0YWZYC7J

— SCOTT POWERS (@BYSCOTTPOWERS) OCTOBER 23, 2019

The goal was fluky — “It wasn’t the prettiest goal, but I’ll take it,” he said during NBC Sports Chicago’s intermission interview —

but he put himself in the right spot to score it. And it was hardly

his only highlight. Earlier in the first period, he made a mad dash through the center of the ice before getting stymied by Vegas

defenseman Jon Merrill. But Dach stuck with the play, retrieved the puck, and kickstarted a sequence that led to a golden scoring

chance for Kane, who was robbed by Marc-Andre Fleury.

DACH GETS THE PUCK WITH SOME OPEN ICE AND THEN

KANE IS ROBBED BY FLEURY.

PIC.TWITTER.COM/SRVTD1CWVN

— SCOTT POWERS (@BYSCOTTPOWERS) OCTOBER 23,

2019

Of course, he’s still an 18-year-old, and he’s not a polished

player. This sequence on Dach’s next shift after his goal shows that he has a long way to go to become a 200-foot player and

reliable in his own end. There will inevitably be growing pains.

THIS IS DACH'S SHIFT AFTER THE GOAL. THERE'S GOING

TO BE SOME INCONSISTENCY IF HE STAYS UP THIS

SEASON. THE BLACKHAWKS HAVE TO DECIDE IF HIS UPSIDE OUTWEIGHS THAT.

PIC.TWITTER.COM/BKPMSNP9QC


2019

But it’s a price the Blackhawks have to be willing to pay. Just

look what he did during a tense third period, generating one of their best chances of the frame.

DACH SETS UP DEBRINCAT FOR A CHANCE

PIC.TWITTER.COM/PVEVPFLWV6


2019

Before Tuesday’s game, I asked Jeremy Colliton if Dach’s fate

truly was up in the air, or if he was going to have to force the team’s hand by being spectacular in order to disrupt a plan that

may or may not be in place. Colliton, for one, seems to want to give the kid a chance.

“His performance is going to dictate what happens with him,” he

said. “There’s a lot of talk about timeline and nine games and

CAROLINA HURRICANES


even before that, what’s the plan? Just like any player, his play

will dictate where we use him. He knows that, and it’s important that he just focuses on the next game, don’t worry too much

about the future. That future, he can’t control it, he just controls

tonight. And that’s what our focus is, too, with him — like, let’s let it play out. We don’t need to make up our mind before we have

all the facts. So we won’t.”

He’s right, the Blackhawks have a couple more weeks before

they need to make a call on Dach’s immediate future. But the plan should be for him to stay unless he forces their hand with

ineptitude, not the other way around. There’s simply no time to wait.



How chicken shit (yes, chicken shit) helped make Andrew Shaw the player he is today

By Mark Lazerus Oct 22, 2019

The thing about chicken shit is that it’s actually pretty dry. You

can pick it up with your bare hands and really not get any on you,

especially when it’s mixed in with the wood shavings that line the chicken coop.

That didn’t make it any less miserable for 11-year-old Andrew Shaw to shovel for hours on end, though.

“When he was shoveling shit, he’d bitch and complain like an old woman, and we’d say, ‘It smells like money, Andrew!’” recalls

Ontario chicken farmer Mike Heuving, a family friend. “He’d

whine back, ‘No, it doesn’t!’ Back then, we were probably paying him 10 bucks an hour. That was many moons ago. He was just a

little pest then.”

He still is a little pest, of course. And believe it or not, he’s still

shoveling chicken shit in his free time.

Most NHL players spend their summers on the golf course, or in

some tropical locale. Shaw gets a little of that in, too. But the rest of the time, he’s helping his dad frame a room on a rental

property he’s building. Or chipping in while he has his cottage in

Prince Edward County torn down and replaced with a brand-new house. Or, yes, shoveling chicken shit and sprinting with

thousands of newborn baby chicks across a sweltering barn that’s pushing 100 degrees.

On or off the ice, Shaw can’t stop working. It’s a character trait with which all the Shaws are blessed and cursed.

“I’ll tell you a story,” Shaw said. “I live next door to my parents. I was living in my cottage and my dad was building his house, so

he wasn’t making money for a few months. Every morning, I’d

wake up at 7 in the morning because I would hear the nail gun going off, or some sort of machinery going. I’d go let the dogs out

and he’d ask me, ‘Can you come and give me a hand for a second?’ And that second would turn into nine hours. Every

day.”

That was the summer of 2014, shortly after the Blackhawks’

season ended in heartbreak in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference final. In the previous 18 months, Shaw had

played 163 regular-season and playoff games — his mind and

body wracked by a grind known only to a few. But those walls

weren’t going to put themselves up. Heuving’s baby chickens weren’t going to walk themselves from the truck to the barn. That

shit wasn’t going to shovel itself.

With three boys in hockey — Andrew and his two brothers — and a sister in figure skating, Doug and Darlene Shaw worked

constantly. Doug worked construction, Darlene kept the books for a trucking company. Doug would even be at a job site for a

couple hours most Saturday mornings before driving the kids to their respective rinks. So when Heuving’s farm sponsored the

boys’ AAA teams, Doug made sure they thanked him properly: with shovels in hand.

Shaw spent five summers, five days a week, working on the

chicken farm. He worked 9-5 on his dad’s construction sites when he was old enough. He spent the three summers during

his Ontario Hockey League years working with his mom at the trucking company, washing old transport trucks and scrubbing

engines. And even after winning Stanley Cups, he was back at Heuving’s farm every eight weeks, helping out with the latest

shipment of baby chicks.

The 28-year-old Shaw always has had to work a little harder than

everybody else. He was deemed too small and too unskilled by

the NHL, passed over in the draft twice before breaking out with 10 goals in 20 games during the 2011 OHL playoffs and getting

picked in the fifth round by the Blackhawks a few weeks before his 20th birthday. He was in the NHL by midseason. He was a

Stanley Cup champion a year later, and a two-time champ two years after that.

With career earnings approaching $22 million, Shaw can afford

to hire someone to help out his dad, or take his spot on the farm. But he likes the work. “Real work,” he calls it. “Keeps me

grounded, I guess.”

“I watched how hard my parents work,” Shaw said. “We had four

kids, and my parents worked, worked and worked. And they made us work hard.”

Not that he always enjoyed it, of course.

Turns out adolescent Andrew Shaw was a lot like adult Andrew

Shaw — feisty, short-tempered, and yes, obnoxious.

On the way to hockey games, a bunch of kids crammed into a van, there’d be a fight nearly every day — and it was always

Shaw and one of the other kids. When he started working on the farm around 10 or 11, Heuving was still using hay instead of

wood shavings. Shaw and his brother Jay were too little to lift a bale of hay on their own, so they’d each grab a side and walk it

over to where it needed to go — jawing at each other with every side-step.

When Shaw was a teenager, his dad was working on a rental

property owned by Heuving, and one of the other workers was a man named Walter. Shaw repeatedly called him “Waldo,” —

“which really pissed him off,” Heuving notes — and would make binoculars out of his hands and holler, “Where’s Waldo? Where’s

Waldo? There’s Waldo!” Not once, mind you. Constantly.

“Wally would get so mad he almost left the job site,” Heuving

says with a laugh. “Andrew hasn’t changed one bit. He was born that way.”

These days, Shaw doesn’t get 10 bucks an hour when he stops

by Heuving’s farm. In fact, he uses his time on the farm as a unique form of exercise. Walter Payton had his hill in Arlington

Heights. Shaw has his baby chickens.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Andrew Shaw is just as much of a pest on the ice as he was off

of it all those years ago on the farm. (Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)

Every eight weeks, Heuving gets a new shipment of “broiler

chickens,” or chickens that are bred for meat production. The same day they’re born, sexed and vaccinated, they’re trucked to

the farm. After a three-hour drive, the chicks are understandably eager to get something to eat and drink, and time is of the

essence. This is where “running chickens” comes into play.

Workers unload the chicks quickly onto a wheelbarrow-like dolly

— 10 trays per stack, 102 chicks per tray. The runner — this is Shaw’s primary duty these days — grabs the dolly and races

across the barn to unload the chicks in their new home, then

races back to the truck to get another stack, which has been assembled during the run. Back and forth they go, over and over,

tens of thousands of baby chicks on the move.

Makes shoveling shit or baling hay seem like a day at the beach.

“It’s 98 degrees in that barn,” Shaw says. “You’re just fucking sprinting for like 20 straight minutes. You’re soaked. It’s fun.”

Well, fun in hindsight.

“Oh, man, he whines and complains the whole time,” Heuving

says. “That’s just Andrew. If he wasn’t whining, he’d be sick or

something.”

Shaw was always a favorite of Joel Quenneville’s; he was the

only guy who could get away with foolish offensive-zone penalties without fear of a benching. That’s because of that work

ethic. Quenneville had a soft spot for guys who had to work a little harder just to keep up.

Of course, Shaw’s hardly an unheralded diamond in the rough

these days. He’s a two-time champion, a fan favorite in two cities, and coming off a career year with the Montreal Canadiens,

posting 47 points in just 63 games. Jeremy Colliton didn’t know Shaw when the Blackhawks reacquired him over the summer,

but he had an idea what he was getting.

And Shaw has been exactly as advertised. He’s still taking too

many penalties (six minors in six games), still producing (two goals in his first game back in Chicago), still pissing people off

(he dropped the gloves with Washington’s Tyler Lewington in the

preseason), and still the hardest-working guy on the ice.

“(He’s) what I expected to get from just watching him from afar,”

Colliton said. “But it has been really nice to have him up close and be able to coach him. He shows up every day. He’s got that

energy and has a really positive effect on his teammates. Gets his nose dirty, plays the game hard. I think that adds a different

dimension to our team that we probably felt we were missing before.”

It’s a hard way to play, but it’s the only way he knows how. It’s

how he was raised, how he likes it, how he made it this far.

“It’s just what I was taught,” he says with a shrug.

OK, now back to the chicken shit (a phrase you can be sure the constantly chirping Shaw has yelled at opponents more than a

few times over his career). Over the course of the standard 34-day cycle, one crop of chickens on Heuving’s farm produces 300

cubic yards of manure (which is the volume equivalent of about 2 million hockey pucks, for those wondering). At the end of each

cycle, the barns need to be cleaned out for the next crop of baby

chicks. That’s when the shovels come out, filling a 21-cubic-yard dumpster trailer over and over again until it’s all been hauled

away to be used as fertilizer at a nearby mushroom plant (think

about that the next time you’re picking pizza toppings).

It’s long, hard, backbreaking work. And while Shaw’s not exactly

out there 9-5, five days a week like he was as a kid, he always

returns each summer to help out. Heuving helped give him his start — by sponsoring his team and by reinforcing the work ethic

his parents instilled in him, and Shaw remains grateful to this day

Because on the ice, off the ice or in the barn, shit happens. And

it’s not going to shovel itself.

“That’s what you do, that’s how you’re successful,” Shaw says.

“You work.”


1109194 Calgary Flames

Defensive, goalie lapses cost Flames again — this time against

Caps

Kristen Anderson, Postmedia

Originally, Bill Peters had been asked about the production of his top line.

But, using some colourful words, the Calgary Flames coach took

the topic elsewhere in his pre-game scrum on Tuesday, before they squared off with the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank

Saddledome.

“You can go and get three points and be a minus-six and get the

(expletive) kicked out if you and lose all your games, if you want to do that,” Peters said.

“Anyone want to do that? You want to cheat for offence and lose

all your hockey games? Or do you want to win hockey games. What do you want to do?

“You wanna lose 9-8?”

He continued.

“I don’t want to give up freebies,” Peters said. “We’ve given up some freebies this year … we all know where you gotta go to

score, right? If you’re going to rob a bank, you’ve gotta go to the bank. If you want to score goals, you have to go to the net.

“Get in the guts of the game.”

Unfortunately, the message seemed to fall flat on his group in the Flames’ 5-3 loss to the Capitals.

The exact opposite occurred in fact, especially in the third period which only saw the home side down by one goal when the final

stanza began.

Washington’s Tom Wilson gave his club some insurance at the

12:34 mark, a critical goal for Flames netminder Cam Talbot to allow. John Carlson nailed an empty netter with 1:45 remaining.

Calgary’s Tobias Reider chipped in a rebound marker with 15.2

seconds left on the clock, but it was too late by then.

The Flames didn’t get in the guts of the game nearly enough.

They gave up freebies.

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And they, certainly, did not get to the bank.

As a result, they dropped to 5-5-1 — which is exactly their record at this time last year when they faced the Capitals and lost 4-3 in

a shootout.

Outside of Elias Lindholm, who connected on the Flames’ powerplay in the second period, the first line was invisible.

Johnny Gaudreau had an assist, but is scoreless in six. Sean Monahan is scoreless in nine and has been held off the

scoresheet completely in three consecutive games.

“It’s not an easy league to score,” Monahan said. “We have to

step up here and I’ll take some of that on myself.

“It’s frustrating. I don’t think we played terrible tonight; we had

chances … we’re a good hockey team and we know that.

Obviously we have to show that, night in and night out.”

Braden Holtby faced 35 Flames attempts while Talbot, playing in

just his third start for his new club, allowed four goals on 29 shots.

A wild second period saw the Flames come back from a two-goal deficit, only to have the Capitals regain the lead before the

middle frame was over.

The ice had barely dried before a pinching Carlson scored on

Talbot — the third straight game the Flames have allowed an

early goal in the second period after letting goals in the first 16 seconds on Saturday against Los Angeles and the first 12

seconds on Sunday against Anaheim.

They made it 2-0 when Talbot appeared a little too casual

playing the puck behind the Flames’ net allowing Chandler Stephenson to beat him to it.

The Capitals forward dished in front and, unfortunately, it went

off Rasmus Andersson’s skate.

Talbot took the blame for both goals.

“(The first goal) was on me. When Ovechkin made the pass across, I had a bit of water in my eye and kind of lost sight of the

puck … I should have just went down,” Talbot said. “(The second one) I gave it away and didn’t get the puck off the wall quick

enough to G (Mark Giordano), those are two goals that team doesn’t need.

“They have enough offence and don’t need to be handed goals.”

Thirty-eight seconds later, his team responded when Lindholm cut the Capitals’ lead in half on the powerplay at the 3:19 mark.

And, using some momentum they gained from Carlson’s tripping penalty, they were able to knot the score 2-2 just as the

Washington defenceman stepped out of the box.

Austin Czarnik scored his first of the 2019-20 campaign after a

scramble in front of Holtby’s net.

But the feeling didn’t last long.

The Capitals responded on the following shift, pulling ahead 3-2

and capitalizing on a turnover from Andrew Mangiapane, Derek Ryan and Tobias Rieder’s line.

Just 10 seconds after Calgary had knotted the score, Alex Ovechkin let one rip from his wheelhouse at the top of the circle.

Every goal is a chain reaction and this one was no different. But Talbot, who had gloved down an Ovechkin shot in the first period

on a key penalty kill for the Flames, needed to stop that one,

especially 10 seconds after his team had made it 2-2.

“It’s that time of the year where teams start to separate

themselves already,” Talbot said. “We have to be in that

conversation. We have to find ways to not let teams get too far ahead of us. And when we do get that momentum back (in

games), we’re not giving it back right away.”

NOTES

Mangiapane (upper body) drew in after missing Calgary’s California two-game road trip … LW Sam Bennett (undisclosed

injury) was a scratch, along with D Oliver Kylington, who was recalled from the AHL on Tuesday morning. C Alan Quine was

dispatched to the Stockton Heat … Next up for the Flames? The

Florida Panthers on Thursday at the Dome (7 p.m., Sportsnet West, Sportsnet The Fan 960).

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.23.2019

1109195 Calgary Flames

New Capitals forward Hathaway 'wouldn't be here' without

Flames

Kristen Anderson, Postmedia

Nic Dowd didn’t really know Garnet Hathaway.

And other than playing against him in a few National Hockey League and American Hockey League games, he hadn’t seen a

ton of his highlights.

But, the Washington Capitals centreman did know one thing.

“I didn’t like him very much on the ice,” Dowd said with a

chuckle.

That is exactly why the Capitals signed the 27-year-old from

Kennebunkport, Me., for four years during the National Hockey League’s free-agency period this summer.

And it’s also an aspect of the player that intrigued the Calgary Flames back in the spring of 2014, when they gave him his first

professional contract.

Hathaway had wrapped up his senior season at Brown

University when he joined the Abbotsford Heat and translated

that into a full year in the American Hockey League that fall. In 2015-16, he made his NHL debut and skated 14 times with the

Flames and played another 44 with the team’s AHL affiliate, scoring eight goals and 13 assists.

Gradually, his games played in the NHL increased while his AHL appearances decreased until, finally, in 2018-19, he remained

with the Flames for the entire campaign.

The last two seasons really showcased Hathaway’s ability, snarl

and his aggressive style of play that forces turnovers and pushes

the pace.

Unfortunately, the Flames simply had no room to accommodate

him and his contract needs, due to their cap situation — at the time, they hadn’t signed Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett or

David Rittich to extensions — and he landed in D.C., inking a US$6-million deal with the 2018 Stanley Cup champions.

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Tuesday’s contest was the first time he faced his former mates

— a surreal feeling considering he’d spent his entire NHL career with the Flames.

But the transition, he says, has been relatively easy.

“Every guy is always open to answer any questions,” Hathaway said. “I’ve never had (a new team) before. The last time I went to

a new organization without knowing anyone was Abbotsford, five or six years ago.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been great so far. And that’s a testament to all of the guys in the room.”

Hathaway earned major brownie points with his new teammates in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers when he busted his

nose on a high hit from Jacob Trouba, disappeared down the

tunnel only to have it put back in place and returned to finish the game.

Then, he dropped the gloves with Brendan Smith of the Rangers, drawing an additional minor for cross-checking. The Capitals

turned that into a 4-2 lead while Hathaway sealed the deal by scoring an empty-netter.

“He plays physical, too, which I think is in the back of everyone’s mind when he steps on the ice,” said teammate Dowd. “Garney

brings a level of physicality and turns a lot of pucks over and is

able to get to the net, too.”

The winger was originally expected to fill out a fourth-line role, he

has earned a promotion to the third line alongside centre Lars Eller and Jakub Vrana.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, Hathaway had already contributed two goals and three assists for the Capitals.

The offence is nice, but for an organization that vowed to be a

better skating team this season, his forechecking ability rounds out the group nicely.

“He’s been a great addition for us,” said capitals head coach Todd Reirden, who had originally seen Hathaway at a

development camp when he was coaching in Pittsburgh. “He’s someone we went after hard this summer and a particular player

we had targeted. We feel real fortunate we were able to have him here with our team.”

Hathaway kills penalties, blocks shots, competes — the Flames

are well aware of all of those qualities, including his ability to draw penalties. He did so 28 times last season and was tied for

25th in the NHL.

“We were looking for a little bit more of a physical element to our

game that we felt we had when we won the Cup two years ago,” Reirden added. “That’s something we were missing. Now, with

adding him and Tom Wilson and Radko Gudas — and (Alex) Ovechkin also has a physical element to his game — and I don’t

think we’re that fun of a team to play against.

“That was a big piece we wanted to add this summer.”

Hathaway is thrilled to be in Washington, but owes a lot to the

Flames’ organization.

“I’ve always had a great respect for them,” Hathaway said. “The

coaching staff, too, took the time to help me grow as a player and help me learn. And it was the guys in the room that I grew

up with my game and off the ice.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Calgary Sun: LOADED: 10.23.2019

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The Athletic / Ice time trends: Who is playing more than expected, who is playing less and what it means for each team

By Dom Luszczyszyn

Oct 22, 2019

We’re approaching the 10-game mark of the season and while it’s still hard to infer much about what’s transpired so far and What It Means, there is one number that we can put immediate stock into: ice time.

If you want to know a coach’s true feelings about a player, check out how much ice time they receive. Generally, coaches play guys they like more and give fewer minutes to the guys they… let’s say “like less,” though there are other contextual factors in that equation. Minutes fluctuate throughout the season (one of my favorite visualizations shows just that over at HockeyViz), but they generally take immediate shape and give us a window into a coach’s mind. Though they sometimes have blindspots, most coaches know what they’re doing, meaning these early trends in usage can showcase which players are worth keeping an early eye on, for better or worse.

A big part of my season preview series was estimating just how many minutes each player would get. It’s the only subjective piece of the algorithm and was informed mostly by the talented ensemble of beat writers we have here at The Athletic in every market. Things change once the puck drops so I wanted to check in with every team to see which players are receiving more ice time than expected, which ones are getting less and what that means for each team.

Anaheim Ducks

Ryan Getzlaf

Projected: 19.4 minutes

Actual: 17.5 minutes

Projected: 58 percent of power-play time

Actual: 48 percent of power-play time

Teams with new coaches are always the most interesting when it comes to exercises like this as there will always be slight deviations from previous regimes. In Anaheim, the most telling ice time stat relates to Ryan Getzlaf’s shrinking role as he’s no longer the de facto top dog at evens or on the power play. What’s intriguing about Anaheim this year is the balance in minutes as Dallas Eakins begins to figure out who he can and can’t trust and that manifests in lower minutes for the team captain. Rickard Rakell is the minute leader for forwards and is only playing 18 minutes. Hampus Lindholm is at 22 minutes on defense. For now, the balanced approach seems to be working and we’ll see if that continues going into the season. At forward we’re already beginning to see some separation with the team’s top five.

Arizona Coyotes

Nick Schmaltz



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Everything in Arizona is pretty much as expected save for Nick Schmaltz who has been bumped from the top power-play unit and not playing on the top line with Phil Kessel. On a team with limited offensive catalysts that’s not ideal for his future production, but Schmaltz has made it work so far and is leading the team in points with eight in seven games. He’s been one of the team’s stronger players in the early going and arguably deserves minutes requisite of that – more in line with what was originally projected for him.

Boston Bruins

David Pastrnak



The Bruins’ top power play was already projected to be one of the most heavily utilized quintets in the league and that’s been taken up a notch yet again this season with Pastrnak earning 75 percent of the ice so far. The Bruins’ power play is naturally red hot, converting at 37.5 percent and Pastrnak is a big reason why with seven power-play points on the year, good for second in the league.

Buffalo Sabres

Rasmus Ristolainen



Rasmus Dahlin



As mentioned in 16 Stats last week, I expected Buffalo to play Dahlin more this season and Ristolainen less and despite the latter losing his PP1 job that hasn’t been the case as Ristolainen is still eating big minutes. It’s working for now, but for how much longer?

Vladimir Sobotka



Casey Mittelstadt



At forward, I figured Mittelstadt would begin seeing some top-six time, but he seems to be in the dog house to start the season and skating in his place is … Vladimir Sobotka? While I’m no Mittelstadt apologist (and at this point, why not get some much-needed playing time in the AHL?), it’s hard to argue Sobotka is a suitable replacement. He was one of the league’s worst players last year and is somehow sporting a 47 percent expected goals rate this season when both of his regular linemates are well above 50 percent. While things are working for Buffalo for now, again I wonder if it will continue given this strange usage and the lack of true top six options. Ralph Krueger has fresh eyes on the sport after being out of hockey for many years and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt after a hot start, but some of the early usage is puzzling.

Calgary Flames

Andrew Mangiapane



With the Flames winger depth being a bit lackluster, there was some expectation that Mangiapane might be able to forge a bigger role this season, but that hasn’t been the case in the early going as he’s back around the 10-to-11 minute mark he was at last season. With strong underlying numbers once again this year, he may deserve a longer look than the two-game stretch this year where he was at 15 minutes.

Carolina Hurricanes

Dougie Hamilton





Hamilton’s usage has always been puzzling. He carries huge value as an offensive driver, but hasn’t earned many sniffs on the top power play and has rarely used as a top-pairing defender at evens. It led to many in the analytics community wondering “what if Hamilton was actually used like a top defenseman – what would it look like?” Well, it looks something like the electric start he’s had this season where he has 10 points in nine games (four of which have come on the power play) with a 57 percent expected goals rate while leading the team in ice-time with 23:28, a career high. The Hurricanes’ power play is scoring 12.4 goals-per-60 with Hamilton on the ice, a big step up from their power play last year – though a high shooting percentage has a lot to do with that.

Sebastian Aho



The one issue with Hamilton being on the top power-play unit? Aho isn’t on it. The team’s best forward is off to a slow start and the minute reduction with the man advantage is part of it. His unit started as the go-to, but when one is clicking and one isn’t, the minutes readjust as they have in Carolina. I’d love to see Aho join that top five-some, but until they slow down, he’s going to see less power-play time.

Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Murphy



I was a bit surprised to see Murphy earn a big minute jump, but he’s usurped the defensively ill-equipped Erik Gustafsson on the top pair with Duncan Keith and has deserving underlying numbers so far to earn it. His 58 percent expected goals rate leads the team’s defenders.

Colorado Avalanche

Cale Makar



After an explosive postseason, many in hockey expected Makar to be the next big thing on defense. He was projected to take the

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keys to the top power play from the departed Tyson Barrie, but that role was stripped of him on Saturday against the Lightning in favor of Samuel Girard. At evens, he’s being treated as a third-pairing defender until he can prove more and without that top power-play time, it leaves him with fewer minutes than initially expected. None of this is set in stone, but it’s not the start many pictured for Makar. For what it’s worth, his 53 percent expected goals rate is among the highest on the team.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Alex Wennberg



For much of last season, Wennberg was in John Tortorella’s doghouse. But he’s emerged this year, playing above the 19-minute mark and is now the team’s second most-used forward behind Cam Atkinson. He’s driving play again, scoring at a higher pace than last season and is back on the top power play too. It’s unlikely he gets back to the heights seen in 2016-17 where he scored 59 points, but it won’t be as bad as last season.

Dallas Stars

Joe Pavelski



Tyler Seguin



John Klingberg



Alex Radulov



Jamie Benn



Jim Montgomery said at the start of the season that the Stars have “two No. 1 units.” I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but no, they absolutely do not. Some teams can, yes. The Dallas Stars, a famously top-heavy team with a lack of any semblance of forward depth, are not one of those teams. And it showed to start with those “two top units” clicking at 7.4 percent to start the season. Not loading up one unit is the key difference from last season — when the team was 11th. After adding Joe Pavelski in the offseason, it should’ve been a no-brainer, but here we are. Monday night’s game against Ottawa was a slight improvement at least.

Detroit Red Wings

Andreas Athanasiou



I thought Athanasiou would be on the top power play this season. To start he was not, but he is now. So basically, nothing to see here.

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid



I already projected McDavid to earn an even bigger piece of the power play pie compared to last season when he was at 77 percent, but he’s slightly higher than expected. So high that his 86 percent leads the league, ahead of Alex Ovechkin. That’s notable and part of why he leads the league in power-play points with nine. In the highest leverage offensive situation of any game, that’s the way it should be.

Florida Panthers

Keith Yandle



Under Joel Quenneville, the Panthers have employed a strict top four, bottom pair dynamic at 5-on-5 with the former getting 17 minutes or more and the latter earning under 13. Yandle and his $6.35 million salary find themselves in the latter camp, getting just 12:29 to start the season. That ranks 15th lowest in the league among defensemen that have played over 50 minutes this season. With a stunningly poor 36 percent expected goals rate, it’s not undeserved either.

Los Angeles Kings

Drew Doughty



Doughty is still eating a lot of minutes and is the team’s de facto top dog, but it’s not as many minutes as usual as he’s once again seeing some early-season struggles. His 47 percent expected goals rate is somehow a full 10 percentage points less than the next worst Kings defender. More interesting with his usage is that at 5-on-5 only 16 seconds is separating him and Alec Martinez, the team’s fourth most used defender.

Minnesota Wild

Mats Zuccarello



The Wild’s big splash during free agency isn’t seeing the big minutes some expected, averaging under 15 minutes in the four games he’s suited up for. That’s the case for many Wild forwards this year as the minute distribution has seen more balance overall.

Montreal Canadiens

Jesperi Kotkaniemi



The 2018 third overall pick was a revelation in his rookie season for his defensive acumen (albeit in sheltered minutes) and on a team without a true star down the middle, the opportunity was there for him to seize. He hasn’t taken the jump as expected and

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has instead been taken to school, earning a woeful 38 percent expected goals rate so far. That’s last on the team, matching his 13.4 minutes per game.

Nashville Predators

Kyle Turris



Turris’ fall down the depth chart continues as he drops even further, now playing just 13:22 per night after playing close to 16 minutes in his first two seasons. With Filip Forsberg currently sidelined though, he has an opportunity for a bit more on the second line and saw 18:11 against Florida on Saturday as a result.

New Jersey Devils

Travis Zajac



Kidding aside, Zajac has arguably been one of the team’s best forwards through New Jersey’s rough start and he’s a nice piece to have as Jack Hughes gets acclimated with the big leagues and Nico Hischier deals with an injury. That doesn’t make it less funny though.

Nikita Gusev



Oh yeah, and then there’s this. There was a lot of hype surrounding Gusev given his KHL totals and so far he has not delivered and has been swiftly dropped down the depth chart as a result. Through eight games his expected goals percentage is 25 percent. Twenty. Five.

P.K. Subban



Sorry, one last thing on the Devils. P.K. Subban is already off the top power play after the team’s brutal start to the season with the man advantage. My fantasy hockey team is not happy about the decision.

New York Islanders

Mathew Barzal



The Islanders power play is roaring to start the season, converting on one-third of their chances (though they’ve only had 12 in eight games to start the season) and that isn’t because of their star center. Barzal finds himself on the outside of the top unit for now, though what he loses in ice-time there he makes up for at 5-on-5, as he’s now averaging 19 minutes per night.

New York Rangers

Pavel Buchnevich



The Rangers’ top four power-play options were pretty obvious to start the season: Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba. The last piece was up for debate though with second overall pick Kaapo Kakko likely making a case for himself. For now, it’s Buchnevich’s job and he’s earning big minutes on a decidedly thin Rangers team, power play included.

Ottawa Senators

Nikita Zaitsev



Tyler Ennis



Connor Brown



I figured Toronto’s castoffs would see much heavier usage in Ottawa, but my word, I did not expect this. Nikita Zaitsev is on the top pair and is averaging the 18th most minutes in the league this season. Tyler Ennis is flirting with the top six. And Connor Brown is well surpassing his already lofty projection of 17 minutes to near 20 minutes a night. He’s Ottawa’s most-used forward! That’s probably very telling of the season to come.

Philadelphia Flyers

Oskar Lindblom



Like all new coaches, Alain Vigneault is still figuring things out to start his tenure with Philadelphia, and it seems he’s already figured out Lindblom is a player. At 17 minutes, he’s seeing a substantial bump from last season’s 13:45 and is doing great work with four points in six games. That’s more than Jakub Voracek, though that may be a bridge too far. Regardless, it’s great to see the faith being placed in Lindblom’s game.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Dominik Simon



It appeared as if Simon would start the year on the fourth line with the team’s glut of forwards, an ill-advised decision based on his strong underlying numbers. Then injuries happened. A lot of injuries. And, welp, now he’s next to Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Lucky him. Simon has the team’s third-highest time on ice at forward this season and now it’s on him to make these minutes count. His 1.71 points-per-60 is a solid start.

San Jose Sharks

Evander Kane



Timo Meier



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One winger is off to a hot start. The other has been chilly. The major difference has been power-play time as Kane has earned a spot on the top unit off the bat, while Meier has been relegated to PP2. Given Kane has never consistently played on a top unit in his career, his presence there this year is a mild surprise. But considering his performance so far, the real surprise should be what’s taken so long? He already has four power-play points in five games and it’s safe to say his career-high of 11 reached last year will be surpassed. From PP2 regular to sixth-highest usage in the league at 77 percent – that’s hard to predict.

St. Louis Blues

Robert Thomas


Actual: 9.9 minutes

Aside from Thomas easing back into the lineup from an injury, there’s not much to report here. Everything is basically as expected.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Kevin Shattenkirk



Mikhail Sergachev



Initially, it was expected that Sergachev would finally make the jump to the top four while Shattenkirk would be useful depth on the third pair hoping for a bounce back. The bounce-back indeed seems to be underway and that’s led to Shattenkirk jumping over Sergachev in the pecking order, now being used as a No. 3 behind Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. I’m still perplexed as to why the Rangers – whose defense is now routinely getting caved in – would buy him out and Shattenkirk seems to be vindicating that thought in the early going.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Trevor Moore



Moore looked to be fourth line fodder for the season, but someone had to move up with Zach Hyman out to start the season and he’s begun to prove his worth in the early going. With his impressive showing to start, it’ll be hard to take him out of the top nine once everyone is healthy.

Vancouver Canucks

Troy Stecher



Micheal Ferland



The dog house is never where you want to be and in Vancouver that looks to be the current residence of Troy Stecher and Micheal Ferland. Stecher made strides last season but is a victim of the numbers game right now as the team’s top four is proving

to be much more formidable than expected. As for Ferland, he hasn’t lived up to expectations at all with two points and a team-worst 41 percent expected goals percentage. His minutes have dropped hard going from 17:36 in the opening game, to 12:41 in the second game, to under 12 in every game since. On Sunday against the Rangers, he played just 7:15. Ouch.

Vegas Golden Knights

Shea Theodore



I pegged Theodore as a prime breakout candidate this season based on his stellar underlying numbers and the likelihood that he would be The Man on the team’s top power play. That’s exactly what’s happened … and then some as he’s pretty much taken over the entire man advantage for the team. The only players getting a higher share right now are Alex Ovechkin, Evander Kane and three members of the Edmonton Oilers. With Colin Miller gone and Nate Schmidt out, it’s Theodore’s time to shine.

Washington Capitals

Evgeny Kuznetsov



For most of his career Kuznetsov has been regularly out-chanced (compared to public metrics anyways) and this year it’s caught up to him in the early goings. His goals percentage of 43 percent matches his expected goals share and I would guess his weakness at 5-on-5 is part of the reason he’s seeing just 11:33 there per game this season. That’s sixth on the team and a full minute less than Lars Eller.

Winnipeg Jets

Anthony Bitetto



Anytime you have to give a defender of Bitetto’s caliber actual minutes, you’re likely going to have a bad time. His current rate isn’t a lot, but even just 16 minutes is still far too many for a team with playoff aspirations.


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The Athletic / Pronman’s NHL prospect impressions: Nick Robertson’s impact, plus positive signs from Connor McMichael and more

By Corey Pronman

Oct 22, 2019

Here is what I’ve seen, thought and heard lately from rinks across the NHL prospect world:

New Jersey prospect Graeme Clarke was having a promising start to the season, showing a little more quickness to go with his

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traditionally great goal scoring. His coach Andre Tourigny praised the improvement he made with his skating. Unfortunately, he recently suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out most of the remainder of the OHL regular season.

When I watched Victor Soderstrom (D, Arizona) in the SHL last season, he was good but seemed to play a safe two-way game with flashes of his skill. In junior he was much more willing to show his skill components. In limited time this season, he is showing a little more flair:

In watching a few games, I thought Nick Robertson (RW, Toronto) was impactful at the OHL level. His high-end skill and brain were consistently on display to go along with his great finishing ability and his high compete level. He’s fun to watch, although I’ve heard some scouts describe his style of play as a bit reckless. He looks like one of the top forwards in that league right now and a very likely candidate for the USA World Junior team.

Hunter Jones (G, Minnesota) looked good in the two games I watched this season. His save percentage numbers are a little better. I’ve seen the same big, athletic goalie with less chaos and better reads than I saw last season.

Declan Chisholm (D, Winnipeg) was good for Peterborough in the games I watched. His offense isn’t elite, but he sees the game well, has skill and is mobile. I don’t know if he’s going to be a top-four type in the league, but I could see the Jets getting NHL games out of that fifth-round pick.

Ryan Merkley (D, San Jose) was excellent in the one game I saw of London showing his high-end skill and brain almost every time he hit the ice. Reports from scouts seem to be mostly positive thus far in his fourth OHL season. He’s an elite playmaker who should be able to dominate the league offensively if all goes well.

Connor McMichael (C, Washington) had an excellent fall between his camp in Washington and production in the OHL. He makes a lot of plays and is a driver for London. I still have some concerns about his average skating, but his start is promising.

In one Grand Rapids game I saw Filip Zadina (RW, Detroit) take a pass through the neutral zone, hit the offensive blue line with speed and drive to the net for a chance. I didn’t see much of that last season, which is a positive sign and something I hope to see more of.

I talked to Germany’s U20 coach Tobias Abstreiter, who was also an assistant coach for Germany’s national team last season, about Moritz Seider (D, Detroit). “For his age, he was very developed,” Abstreiter said. “In battle situations, he was very strong. His poise with the puck as a defenseman of his age when he was in pressure situations [in the world championships], it was very special. His ability to solve those pressure situations is why we felt he was ready to play in the world championships.”

Bowen Byram (D, Colorado) is the best skater in the WHL. His ability to walk the blue line and dance around opponents is elite. This play at even strength shows how he uses his skating to scramble the opposition, which results in all five defenders collapsing to the net:

Ivan Morozov (C, Vegas) had a minor injury to start the season. Since coming back he’s looked very good. He’s shown more confidence using his skill to create offense, whereas in the past I’ve always viewed him as a pass-first type. I think Vegas could get value from that pick at No. 61 overall.

Philip Broberg (D, Edmonton) hasn’t been overly productive on the scoresheet but I’ve generally liked what I’ve seen when I watch his games. His ability to kill plays and quickly turn it to offense is something I didn’t see a lot of in Allsvenskan last season, but I’ve seen more of it this campaign. This play here is

a great example of a defensive stop he makes that turns into a skilled offensive rush:

We know he’s an elite skater, but making these kinds of plays to go with the feet makes his game very interesting.

Bobby Brink (RW, Philadelphia) translated his game well to the college level, becoming an important player for Denver as it looks early on to be a top team. His playmaking has looked high-end, and he helps drive the power play. His skating still looks rough, but he continues to get it done in spite of his stride.

Tyler Madden (C, Vancouver) hasn’t lit up the scoresheet to start the season but did have a two-goal game over the weekend. One thing I have noticed is his skating picked up an extra half step. His hands are elite, but the one criticism of his game has always been average skating. Advocates of his argued he was so underdeveloped physically with a clean stride and the speed would come with strength. I never saw him make plays like this in prior seasons, where from a standstill he would jet around the zone:

Cole Coskey (RW, New York Islanders) is a very smart player and has some pro attributes. I don’t know if he’s quick enough for the NHL, but if he has a big year, which he should as an overage player in the OHL, he could work his way into a pro contract with the Islanders.

Wisconsin’s head coach Tony Granato on K’Andre Miller‘s (D, New York Rangers) pro offensive upside: “He’ll be able to score in pro. He’s got a good shot, really good offensive instincts. He’ll get chances because of his mobility, he’s got great range, he has the same kind of skating ability as someone like Victor Hedman.” Miller’s offensive upside has been a point of contention in the scouting community.

Nathan Legare (RW, Pittsburgh) had a strong camp so I circled back to see how his play in the Q looked. He’s been a very good player in the league and a leading shot generator. I haven’t minded his skating. He’s got a bit of a hunch in his stride, but there is some quickness there. Scouts point to his first few steps as a problem, but he’s got straight away speed as shown in some examples here:

Minnesota-Duluth defenseman Scott Perunovich (St. Louis) on Mikey Anderson (Los Angeles): “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make a mistake. If you had six Mikey Andersons on your blue line, you’d win every game.”

Winnipeg defenseman Dylan Samberg was very solid in Saturday’s game versus Wisconsin. He played a reliable two-way game and made some offensive plays to go along with his impressive size and skating. He looked close to being ready in that match.

If Rasmus Sandin and Adam Boqvist stay down in the AHL, Sweden’s defense pool for the world juniors will comprise Sandin and Boqvist; returning candidates Nils Lundkvist, Philip Broberg and Adam Ginning; first-round picks Victor Soderstrom, Tobias Bjornfot and Filip Johansson; not to mention Mattias Norlinder, who has been a weekly highlight reel in the Allsvenskan.

I watched Bakersfield play Ontario and really liked Evan Bouchard’s (D, Edmonton) game. Whenever he was on the ice it felt like Bakersfield had the puck. He made so many good plays under pressure, made some good defensive stops and his skating looked more than fine at that level.

Sheldon Rempal (RW, Los Angeles) is a guy I’ve underrated a bit. I don’t know if he’s NHL caliber, but he’s got a chance.

Draft eligible forward Alexander Holtz scored his fourth SHL goal of the season over the weekend. The most ever by a U18 player in that league was 10 by Markus Naslund, according to Eliteprospects. That is within reach for Holtz.

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Alex Turcotte (C, Los Angeles) rightfully gets a lot of praise for his skill and playmaking ability. What evaluators often point out about him is how hard he competes. On Wisconsin’s sixth goal, you see how he starts with the puck behind the opponent’s net, the play leads to a shot and Duluth getting the puck, only for him to force the turnover that leads to the goal.

“If there’s a change of possession, he’s on the puck quick to try and get it back. He’s a hunter,” said Granato of Turcotte when asked about his play on that goal.

Granato went out of his way after Friday’s game to praise the play of Buffalo forward prospect Linus Weissbach, who plays on a line with Turcotte and Cole Caufield.

I talked with Cole Caufield (RW, Montreal) briefly about the freshman goal-scoring record. Per College Hockey Inc., it is 43, set by Chuck Delich with Air Force in 1974. Caufield said it would be tough to match that. He didn’t say it couldn’t be done.


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Sportsnet.ca / Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews calls out team after Bruins loss

Chris Johnston | @reporterchris

October 22, 2019, 9:51 PM

BOSTON — There is no joy in Leafland right now.

Losing is always hard on a NHL team, particularly when you blow a third-period lead on home ice one night and then get churned up in a grindfest with your biggest rival the next one.

Still, even in that context, there seems to be an undeniable strain on the Toronto Maple Leafs after going 5-4-2 through a brutal 11-games-in-21-nights stretch to open the regular season.

A lot of long faces. Tough words, too.

“It’s just not good enough,” Auston Matthews said after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins. “We need to be better and I think it comes from the leadership group. I need to be better. All of us need to be better.

“I think we just need to look each other in the eye and hold each other accountable and put this game aside and take a couple steps forward and just be better for one another.”

Some uncomfortable themes are developing.

The Leafs have shown a profound lack of discipline in the last four games — giving opponents 17 power plays, including a pair to the Bruins courtesy of Andreas Johnsson in a perplexing 52-second stretch that allowed Boston to take a 1-0 lead on Tuesday.

They’ve also demonstrated an inability to negotiate tight moments and squeeze out victories. This was a 2-2 game with 20 minutes to play and there wasn’t much push, especially after Brett Ritchie scored off a broken play at 6:35.

“We need to find a way,” said Matthews. “Going into it, we knew we’d need to grind it out. Keeping it simple was probably the play for us and I think at times we did that and at times we didn’t, but we were in a good spot going to the third period and obviously they got a big goal there and we couldn’t climb our way back.”

What stands out most is how little fun everyone seems to be having.

Whether that’s a product of the sky-high expectations, of the hectic schedule, of all the new faces still searching for a niche — or some combination of those factors — only those on the inside can truly know.

But there was an undeniable heaviness in the air as the Leafs packed up their bags and headed home.

“Tough building, tough team,” Jake Muzzin said of the Bruins.

“You always want to start the season off well,” said Kasperi Kapanen, who had a strong night with a goal and an assist. “I think our team hasn’t got off to the start that we’ve quite wanted. A lot of games that we’ve been losing by a goal or in overtime.”

As for this loss itself, it went down in a predictable manner.

The Perfection Line pinballed their way around the offensive zone and produced highlight-reel goals from David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. They also kept Matthews and Mitch Marner at bay by forcing them to chase the puck around their own end.

“They’re playing against a good line,” said Leafs coach Mike Babcock. “So which part’s the good line and which part’s them? We’ve talked about this a number of times over the years, who should play with who.

“In the end, your dominant players got to be dominant players for you.”

Matthews agreed with that assessment.

“They kind of do things differently,” he said of Marchand, Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. “For us, [the coaches] kind of preach a guy in the slot, a guy on the net and then a guy in the corner, but they’re kind of all over the place. Their ‘D’ get active and it’s really hard to defend and they obviously do a good job of finding each other.”

The truth of the matter is this was probably a schedule loss as much as anything, but the frustrating has started to build from earlier performances. The Leafs are built with a Stanley Cup push in mind and yet they haven’t dominated to the degree they’d like despite some improved underlying numbers.

Some of that falls on goaltending — although No. 2 Michael Hutchinson, with 35 saves, shouldn’t be blamed for what happened here in Boston — and some of it is on correctable mistakes like their ghastly penalty differential.

“It’s just been the same thing kind of over and over for us,” said Matthews. “We haven’t been disciplined. We’re taking ourselves out of the game with penalties and, I mean, it’s costing us. It’s taking us out of our rhythm so I think that’s on us.

“We have to hold each other accountable and obviously do a better job of staying out of the box and when we do get power plays, capitalize on them.”

They won’t find relief in the schedule.

After a day off Wednesday and practice Thursday, they host San Jose on Friday and visit Montreal on Saturday.

That doesn’t look like a fun stretch either.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.23.2019

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Sportsnet.ca / Horvat, Hughes dazzle friends, family as Canucks surge back vs. Red Wings

Iain MacIntyre | @imacSportsnet

October 22, 2019, 10:18 PM

DETROIT – From the Detroit Red Wings’ new arena, it is only about a two-hour drive to London, Ont., and just a half-hour to Canton, Mich.

So there were lots of Horvats and Hugheses in the crowd Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena, where it looked like there was more than just one Bo Horvat and one Quinn Hughes on the ice for the Vancouver Canucks.

But the most likely optical illusion was on the scoreboard, which showed the Canucks beating the Red Wings 5-2 after trailing by two goals going into the third period. Playing their fourth game in six nights, on the road.

But our eyes were not deceiving us, except for the sensation of multiples Quinns and more than a solitary Bo.

Horvat became the first Canuck in 17 years to record a third-period hat trick, Hughes spun and sprinted around the ice like Brian Leetch, running a Vancouver power play that upended the game with two goals in 91 seconds, and the Canucks flew home with six wins in seven games following a 0-2 start to the National Hockey League season.

“It’s just cool being part of a group that is blocking shots and is just fired up about winning and are kind of fighting for each other,” Hughes, who turned 20 last week, said after friends and family who made the short drive from Canton saw him set up Horvat’s first two goals.

“The energy toward the end of the third there, when we kind of had it in the bag, it’s fun for me to be a part of it. I’m the young guy here and I’m just trying to find my way, but I’m having fun.”

Well, how about the older guys then?

“It’s hard to explain. It’s just a good feeling,” veteran checking centre Brandon Sutter said. “I think there’s just a belief every night that we have a chance. I think guys are pretty enthusiastic about where we’re at.”

The Canucks finished their hectic four-game road trip at 3-1, staging third-period comebacks in Detroit and St. Louis, where the hockey team they beat is much better than the one that was overwhelmed here.

The Canucks have difficult home games against the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers on Friday and Monday before going back on the road for three more games in four nights in California.

“Winning is fun. It really is,” Canucks winger J.T. Miller, who at the moment looks like a bargain for the first-round pick Vancouver paid to get him from the Tampa Bay Lightning, said after helping lead the third-period swarming.

“It makes people stop worrying about stats or whatever it may be. When you’re winning, that’s all that matters. Everybody buys in and it feels so good.

“For that to be our fifth game in eight days and come back by two on the road right before the road trip ends, we want this to be part of our identity. Teams are going to know that we’re not going to have any quit in us.”

Despite the travel and hectic schedule, the Canucks were outstanding at the start of Tuesday’s game and excellent through 30 minutes.

But they couldn’t get a puck past Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard and trailed 2-0 on power-play goals by Anthony Mantha and Dennis Cholowski – one goal at 5-on-3, the other 4-on-3.

The Canucks seemed out of gas by the time Tyler Bertuzzi took a tripping penalty at 19:59 of the second period to give Vancouver a power play to start the third.

Horvat gathered the loose puck from Hughes’ point shot and guided it around Howard to make it 2-1 at 1:42, and the Canucks suddenly hit the nitro switch and stomped on the accelerator.

Horvat deflected in Hughes’ shot to tie it at 3:12 on another power play, before depth wingers Jake Virtanen and Tim Schaller scored goals two minutes apart starting at 12:19. Virtanen’s centering pass banked in off the skate of Detroit defenceman Filip Hronek before Schaller rattled a shot from left wing between Howard’s pads.

Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom, brilliant for a second straight game after returning from a difficult leave of absence, finished with 31 saves.

“Once we got that first one, I think we kind of knew it was game on,” Miller said. “(Bo) was unreal. Getting his big butt to the front of the net and scoring some very Bo-like goals, it was fun to watch. For the power play to get those to jumpstart the period and start our comeback, it feels really good.”

Miller is in no position to butt-shame Horvat, the newly named captain who completed his first NHL hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:48.

“I had a lot of friends and family in the crowd tonight, and to get it in front of them… It couldn’t come at a better time to get a win out of it,” Horvat said. “We came in here (in the second intermission) and we all said it’s going to feel a lot better going home 3-1 than .500, and we gathered it up here in the third period and scored big goals when we had to.”

“Last game of a road trip like that, fourth game in six nights, down by two going into the third, I don’t know that I’ve been on many teams that came back from that,” Sutter said. “It’s definitely a different feeling right now.”

“What a comeback,” Canucks coach Travis Green marvelled. “Wow.”


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Sportsnet.ca / Flames take step in right direction vs. Capitals, but struggles persist

Eric Francis | @EricFrancis

October 23, 2019, 1:33 AM

Exactly one year ago the Calgary Flames used Game 11 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals as a springboard to the top of the Western Conference.

They lost in a shootout that night, but a solid effort did well to erase the humiliation of a 9-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins their previous outing.

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From there the 5-5-1 Flames found their footing as the league’s second-best team the rest of the way.

It turned their season on a dime.

It gives backers plenty of reason for optimism in Calgary following the team’s rough start this year.

Fast-forward to Tuesday’s Groundhog Day performance against a red-hot Washington club in which the 5-5-1 Flames once again felt good about the bulk of their showing.

Alas, they lost again.

“Geez that’s similar,” was all coach Bill Peters would say about the striking parallels between the start of the last two seasons, shaking his head.

It’s where they go from here that has everyone guessing.

Earlier in the day, Peters channeled his inner Bob Hartley to sum up a significant frustration of his to start the season.

“We all know where you have to go to score,” said Peters in the midst of an unsolicited rant about playing the right way.

“If you want to rob a bank you’ve got to go to a bank. If you want to score goals you have to go to the net. Get to the net and get into the guts of the game.”

He went further.

“You can go get three points and be minus-6 and get the (crap) kicked out of ya, and lose all your games, if you want to do that.

“Want to cheat for offence and lose hockey games? Or do you want to win hockey games? I don’t want to give up freebies – we’ve given up some freebies this year.”

On Tuesday, there were more freebies.

This time they were courtesy of the goalie.

Following a gritty first period against Washington in which the Flames rolled with one of the NHL’s hottest and deepest squads, two free spots on the bingo card popped up.

First was a soft shot from the half wall by John Carlson, whose magic touch to start the season continued just 35 seconds into the period as he somehow eluded Cam Talbot. Talbot later explained he’d been sprayed in the eyes, panicked and lost sight of the puck before guiding the shot in with his stick.

Two minutes later Talbot struggled playing the puck off the boards behind the net, allowing Chandler Stephenson to bank a centering pass off Rasmus Andersson’s skate and in for a 2-0 hole.

“The two-minute lapse at the beginning of the second period was 99 per cent me,” said Talbot following his third start of the year, a 5-3 setback.

“If we don’t get a bad bounce – if that one doesn’t go in off Raz, it’s a 1-0 game and it’s a little easier to battle back from.

“You hand that team two goals they clearly don’t need with that kind of firepower, that’s the game right there. Both those goals are on me.

“I thought the team battled back hard, but couldn’t find a way to pull one out tonight with the two gifted goals.”

And just like that, the Flames were padding their stats as the NHL’s leader in playing from behind.

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.

Where does one go to fix that?

On this night, the powerplay.

Elias Lindholm’s sixth of the year came less than a minute later with the man advantage, stemming the bleeding to pull the hosts within one.

Austin Czarnik tied it 2-2 late in the period with a goal just after a powerplay expired.

But a mere 10 seconds after feeling good about themselves, Alex Ovechkin one-timed a Nicklas Backstrom pass into the net as he’s done hundreds of times before, to put the hosts back on their heels heading into the third.

A Tom Wilson insurance goal midway through the third set the stage for Carlson to add an empty-netter before Tobias Rieder scored a meaningless goal with 16 seconds remaining.

Carlson’s fourth and fifth goals made him just the fourth blueliner in NHL lore to notch 20 points in October, joining Al MacInnis, Brian Leetch and Paul Coffey.

“It was a step in the right direction as I thought we played well, but down going into the third period is tough against a team like this,” said Matthew Tkachuk.

“It’s not a recipe for success definitely.”


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Sportsnet.ca / Cracks starting to appear in Oilers lineup despite strong season start

Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec

October 22, 2019, 11:46 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Traditional hockey thinking tells us the Edmonton Oilers were due for a game like this, where all of those things that have been going so right go overtly in the other direction.

Particularly against a desperate Minnesota Wild team, whose 2-6 start had them ravenous for wins.

“The start we’ve been having, teams are going to come out and play hard,” said goalless Alex Chiasson. “That’s one thing this group has to learn how to handle.”

How does the old line go? “If you’d have told us we’d be 7-2-1 10 games into the season, we’d have taken that all day long.”

That is fair.

In the big picture, even after being shut out for the second-straight game in a 3-0 spanking administered by the Wild, the Edmonton Oilers are just fine, tied for top spot in the Western Conference and atop the Pacific Division. But some cracks are appearing in the foundation of Dave Tippett’s team, a roster flush with cheap, one-year signees among its bottom six forwards, a group that surely has not solved last year’s issues with depth scoring.

“It’s one thing to possess the puck in the O-zone, it’s another thing to get on the scoresheet,” admitted third-line centre Riley Sheahan, who has zero points in eight games as an Oiler. “We

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need to give our top guys some relief. Maybe (we) take the puck to the net a little bit more. Get the puck to the point, try and score some dirty goals.”

The Oilers have seven forwards on Tuesday’s roster without a goal, now 10 games into the season. Worse, the six forwards that comprised lines three and four on Tuesday — that is, before Tippett put his lines in the blender after a 3-0 first intermission deficit — had a grand total of two assists between them, both belonging to the ineffective Tomas Jurco.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are seeing increasingly acute checking schemes by teams that simply have no fear of the rest of the Oilers forwards. Shut down Nos. 97 and 29, they say, shut down the Oilers.

“We can’t rely on those guys every game,” said Chiasson. “They’ve been carrying the load, playing 20, 25 minutes a night. I’ll be the first one to admit, I have to help the group. The bottom six has to help the group. That’s just how you win in this league.”

And with the recent futility, comes a pair of ticking clocks: Edmonton ran its scoreless skein to 152:38, heading into Thursday’s visit by the mighty Washington Capitals. And McDavid, who hasn’t collected a point since his five-point game versus Philadelphia last week, has gone three games without a point for only the second time in his entire career.

The last time was the week around New Year’s Day 2018, while the Oilers record falls to 16-53-9 in 78 games where McDavid has been held pointless. It seems the Oilers, whose first 10-game segment ends with a stunning 15 points in the standings, have caught the attention of their opponents.

“Teams are playing us real tight,” said forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “The recipe for success is point shots, get pucks back… We’ve got to get back to that. Winning battles over the ice creates offence.”

Battles?

Sorry folks, but those all went the Wild’s way on Tuesday, as GM Bill Guerin’s club collected just its third ‘W’ of the young season.

“First time losing two in a row and the first real game where we probably got out-competed for most of the game,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “The first time a game like this has happened to us in the first 10. It’s just a matter how we respond back at home.”

“This is our first little test here,” admitted Sheahan, echoing Tippett’s post-game message to his troops.

“There’s no reason for panic, it’s our first little bit of adversity.”


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Sportsnet.ca / Q&A: GM Bill Guerin on being 'patient,' giving current Wild a 'chance'

Mark Spector | @sportsnetspec

October 22, 2019, 4:40 PM

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Billy Guerin sat across the table in the legendary St. Paul greasy spoon Mickey’s Diner. Eggs over easy, white toast, black coffee.

His Minnesota Wild are 2-6 to start the season. But, hey: There aren’t many Stanley Cup contenders hiring new general managers, right?

“Nobody’s handing you the keys to a Porsche,” said Guerin.

Here in the State of Hockey and the home of the great Herb Brooks, there will be no miracle on ice with the Wild, but rather a slow, proper build by a first-year general manager who has been around long enough to know that the long way is the right way.

“I’m not in a rush to do anything. I have to be patient,” said Guerin, fresh from speaking at a 7 a.m. breakfast meeting of the Twin Cities Dunkers, a local business group. “I don’t want to do anything knee-jerk to put my stamp on it. Makes no sense. I’m not saying one year or one month — this group just needs a chance.”

The plates at Mickey’s are big, and the breakfasts are as flavourful as Guerin, a man I go back with some many years. Here’s what the NHL’s newest GM had to say about repairing the state of hockey in the State of Hockey, and how it took eight NHL organizations to raise the Minnesota Wild’s new GM:

Sportsnet: You’ve played against some of the players on your roster. What’s it like now that you’re their boss?

Bill Guerin: “They’ve been super receptive. They’ve bought into everything. I played against (Mikko) Koivu, (Zach) Parise, (Ryan) Suter. Koivu told a story where it was his first or second year in the league and he did something to me, and I told him ‘you better keep your head up or I’ll kill you.’ We laughed about that.”

SN: You played under eight GMs over a 17-year NHL career…

BG: “Actually nine, because Slats (Glen Sather) left and Kevin (Lowe) took over when I was in Edmonton.”

SN: OK, nine. How does that shape you?

BG: “I’ve seen a lot of stuff in a lot of different places, and I’ve seen how different teams are run. I have relationships all around the league. I played with Kevin, he sat next to me in the dressing room, then he was our coach, then our GM. Then he traded me. I must have made a big impact on him.”

SN: What did you learn from Sather?

BG: “The biggest thing with Glen was his confidence. We would scratch and claw to get into the playoffs, but he made us feel like a top team. I’ll never forget the dinner we had going into Game 5 of the playoffs against Colorado (trailing 3-1 in 1998). He stood up and said ‘Don’t worry about a thing guys. You’ve got ‘em right where you want ‘em.’ We were down 3-1 and beat them in seven. I’ll never forget how we rattled off win after win. We dusted them in the last game.”

SN: Who are your Top-3 influences?

BG: “Probably Jimmy, Lou and Ray (Rutherford, Lamoriello and Shero). I learned a lot from Lou early in my career. Just before he traded me to Edmonton we had a talk and he said ‘You’re going to learn from this and realize how important a team structure is.’ I’m trying to build that here. When you’re sitting across from Lou at his desk and all you’re doing is listening, you’re learning. Jim is old school where he calls everybody. He doesn’t text people. One of the great lessons I learned from Jim was having lunch at the Saint Paul Hotel and he said ‘Billy, never try to win a trade. Don’t try to screw the other guy over. Make a fair trade and you’ll get more deals done.’ That stuck with me. With Ray, he was the second call I made after Philly let me go at my last training camp when I was 39. I phoned (wife) Kara, then Ray, and I said ‘I want to come and talk to you about the next stage of my life.’ He told me his biggest concern with former players was they just want a card with their name on it, a

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paycheque and a title but they don’t want to work. He told me I had to work.”

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.

SN: Define “work.”

BG: “To see how hard an amateur scout worked, to see a pro scout’s schedule where he works 30 games in a month. I thought, ‘How the hell do you watch 30 games?’ I learned how you do it, how you book a flight, getting hotel rooms. I wanted to be ready for this chance I have now, nine years ago. I wanted to go to Prince George and Penticton and Rouyn-Noranda, all the places in Europe. I wanted our scouting staff to respect my work ethic. I wanted to earn their respect.”

SN: You played 17 seasons? You didn’t know all of that?

BG: (Laughs) “We used to see a list of who was watching our games, and you just thought that they were a bunch of old guys just watching hockey games. No, no, no. They’re writing reports on you. So when they see Billy Guerin take a stupid penalty or blow the zone before the puck’s out, they’re filing all of that away.

“As a player, you drive up in your car, you go in, take your suit off, put your equipment on and play. Now, the world just opens up, all the things that have to happen for that game to get played. The one thing that really opened my eyes is how passionate the people are about the team they work for. As a player, you just don’t know that there is some Alberta area scout, or New England area scout, who is pulling for you every single night. You have no idea.”

SN: What did you tell your Wild scouts when you met with them at training camp?

BG: “Fight for your guys, and don’t be a yes man. I told my group, ‘I want your opinion. If we happen to agree, great. But I don’t want you to just reiterate my opinion to me. You’re not going anywhere, so give me your honest opinion. The final decision lies with me, but … everyone has a voice.’

SN: Tonight the Wild play Edmonton, where the GM is Ken Holland. There’s a little disparity in tenure there…

BG: “My first game (as GM) was in Nashville. David Poile was starting his 37th year, and I was starting my first. I saved the game notes from that night.

“I’ll make sure I run into Kenny tonight, and pick his brain. I’ve talked to him many times before, but the more I can be around a guy like him the better. If I can do half of what Ken Holland has done, it will be a great career.”


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Sportsnet.ca / Pastrnak sticking with Matthews-for-Hart prediction despite own hot start

Chris Johnston | @reporterchris

October 22, 2019, 2:29 PM

BOSTON — David Pastrnak is the NHL’s leading goal-scorer and fresh off being named the league’s first star of the week, but he’s not ready to adjust his pre-season Hart Trophy prediction.

Pastrnak is still calling Auston Matthews for MVP – his own hot start and the Boston-Toronto rivalry, be damned.

"He has an unbelievable shot and skillset and he can find the soft spot [on the ice], you know?" Pastrnak said before Tuesday’s game against the Maple Leafs. "Every time he’s 100 per cent healthy he’s showing that. I just think he’s a hell of a player."

Consider it a case of familiarity breeding respect.

Pastrnak said he didn’t take any playful jabs from teammates after naming a Maple Leaf as his Hart Trophy favourite despite the Atlantic Division rivals having met in the playoffs in consecutive years. Matthews had five goals against the Bruins in last spring’s seven-game series and set up Morgan Rielly’s overtime winner when the teams met Saturday night in Toronto.

"Hockey’s a team sport and I think we can all agree they have some great players," said Pastrnak. "I don’t think it’s something wrong with just giving him credit when he deserves it."

The respect goes both ways.

Matthews calls Pastrnak’s line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron the best in hockey, and had the ice tilted against him in the nine-plus minutes they went head-to-head on Saturday night.

Pastrnak has more goals (9-8) and points (15-11) than Matthews to start the season despite playing two fewer games. But with a 33 per cent shooting percentage, he doesn’t expect his pace to continue.

"I’ve been getting the looks and pretty much every time I get a look so far I was lucky to capitalize on it," said Pastrnak. "There’s going to be nights you can get five looks and none of them going to go in, you know, but so far it’s been going in.

"I’m not planning to change anything."

The 23-year-old Czech winger draws tough assignments every night, but takes a straightforward approach to striking the right balance between his offensive and defensive responsibilities.

"Spend the whole game in the O-zone, right?" he said. "That’s the focus."

The Bruins aren’t receiving very much secondary scoring these days, but coach Bruce Cassidy plans to ride his top line pretty hard during Tuesday’s game. They’re back to producing at an elite level and will have three days to recover before Saturday’s Stanley Cup rematch with St. Louis.

"I like the way they play, I like watching them play," Cassidy said of his Perfection Line. "They’re good players, they’re all well-conditioned and they’re all healthy. So I’m sure they’ll get their share of minutes."

With John Tavares out for the Leafs because of a broken finger, the Bruins can count on seeing even more of Matthews than usual at TD Garden.

He’s averaging a career-best 19:25 on the season and is generating more than four shots per game – among the best rates in the NHL. If that continues, he could challenge for the Rocket Richard Trophy and, perhaps, the Hart.

"It’s early in the season and he’s showing that he can score goals," said Pastrnak. "He’s been showing that since he got here."

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Sportsnet.ca / How five former Winnipeg Jets are doing on new teams in 2019-20

Rory Boylen | @RoryBoylen

October 22, 2019, 1:36 PM

Ten games into this season, the Winnipeg Jets are a team transformed.

Patrik Laine is crushing it on the top line alongside Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. But their team defence started slow and allowed a ton of high quality chances against. That slow start was due mostly to a couple reasons — the absence of Bryan Little impacted Adam Lowry’s minutes and effectiveness, and the blue line itself lost so many good options that they haven’t been as hard to play against yet.

It is worth noting that Winnipeg’s defence performed much better the past two games against the Islanders and Oilers, so perhaps they’re figuring it out. Not even a quarter of the way into the season, there’s a lot of hockey ahead and reason to believe the best Jets are still to come. Little is back, which should improve the second and third lines, snakebitten Kyle Connor will start having bounces fall his way, and while there were the makings of a goalie controversy in the first week, Connor Hellebuyck has been great ever since by posting a .929 save percentage.

And maybe it’s not unreasonable to expect it to take some time for this year’s Jets to settle in again. Still with the core of a contender, they did lose a number of quality players to trades and free agency over the summer. Meantime, top defenceman Dustin Byfuglien is still in limbo, figuring out if he wants to retire or suit up for the Jets again.

It’s fair to say all this has lowered expectations for the 2019-20 Jets, but also that we don’t really know what they are yet.

We do know, however, how the players who were traded or signed elsewhere over the summer are contributing to their new teams this season. After doing the same for the Maple Leafs’ ex-players last week, let’s check in on some former Jets.

After putting up three points against the Jets in the season opener, Trouba has totalled three points in the five games since and has been leaned upon heavily by Rangers coach Dan Quinn.

Trouba’s average of 25 minutes per game is the eighth-most in the NHL and more than two minutes up from his 2018-19 average. He leads all Rangers defence in time at even strength, on the penalty kill and power play. On special teams specifically, Trouba is 13th among all NHL defencemen in penalty kill time and trails only Kris Letang, John Carlson and Rasmus Dahlin in power play exposure.

He’s a horse that looks to be taking another step with more responsibility that likely would have also happened had he stayed in Winnipeg.

While the five-year, $31 million contract he signed to join the Canucks in the summer raised some eyebrows and received some criticism for the cost of acquiring a blueliner who’ll turn 30 midway through the season, Myers has been a great addition to this year’s team.

Sometimes a rebuilding roster just needs experienced players to log minutes rather than thrusting too much, too fast on young players — and as long as those vets aren’t giveaway machines or well past their prime, it’s a recipe for success.

That’s been Myers, who is mostly leaned upon for his even strength play, where he averages the second-most ice time among Canucks blue liners (17:50). While Myers is on the ice at 5-on-5, the Canucks are getting 56.94 per cent of the scoring chances — a team high. He’s got three points in eight games — all assists at 5-on-5 — and his placement on the top pair with Alexander Edler has allowed coach Travis Green to go with a second pair of Quinn Hughes and security blanket Chris Tanev, which has worked splendidly together.

We’ll start by saying that paying a third-line player for six years, with a $3.5 million cap hit, isn’t ever ideal. That doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate what Tanev brings to a team, it’s just perhaps not the best long-term salary cap management.

With that in mind, Tanev is doing well at what the Penguins acquired him to do. He leads the team’s forwards in hits and blocked shots by a wide margin. He’s got a Corsi For percentage over 50, has been on the ice for more Penguins goals than opponents’ and plays a notable role on their 14th-ranked penalty kill. He’s not a plodder, but brings some speed to the game — but if there’s a knock it’s that the third line doesn’t create much in the way of scoring at even strength.

Tanev does have a respectable four points in nine games, though all three of his 5-on-5 helpers were secondary assists. He scored the overtime winner against Colorado, though, and the early returns are overall positive. We’ll see if it remains that way over the life of the contract.

Senior Writer Ryan Dixon and NHL Editor Rory Boylen always give it 110%, but never rely on clichés when it comes to podcasting. Instead, they use a mix of facts, fun and a varied group of hockey voices to cover Canada’s most beloved game.

It was always a bit of a long shot that Hayes was going to stay in Winnipeg after they acquired him at the trade deadline. He served an short-term purpose for the team and while it didn’t really pan out, paying him north of $7 million for seven years was never something Winnipeg could afford to do.

Known as a playmaker, Hayes hasn’t recorded a single assist yet this season and has two goals — both of which came in blowout wins. But there’s lots of reason to believe he’ll start to turn a corner here.

When Hayes is on the ice, the Flyers have controlled the flow of play and outshot opponents by 16 at 5-on-5 — and yet, Philadelphia has been outscored when Hayes is out there. His teammates’ shooting percentage is just over three at this point when he’s on the ice, which is higher than only Claude Giroux. As that naturally comes back up, and if Hayes can get promoted back to the second line when Nolan Patrick returns, he could easily return to a 50-point pace.

The most obvious ingredient missing from the Jets this season is the size and strength their defence has been blessed with through the years. And though the six-foot-three, 225-pound Chiarot has a career-high of just 20 points (recorded last year) there is value in the physical tools he does bring at a depth level. But again, the three-year, $3.5 million AAV contract he signed with Montreal was always going to be a challenge for the cap-strapped Jets to manage.

Chiarot leads the Habs in hits and is near the top in blocked shots, while averaging the second-most ice time at even strength and on the penalty kill among Montreal blue liners. He’s been a great fit so far.

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Sportsnet.ca / Stars' Ben Bishop 'thankful' family is safe after Dallas tornado

Josh Beneteau | @jbenny

15 October 22, 2019, 10:09 AM

Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop said he’s thankful that his family is safe after a tornado touched down near his home Sunday night.

“We’re all good, thankfully,” Bishop said after Monday’s win over the Ottawa Senators, according to NHL.com. “Obviously, it was a scary night (Sunday) night. (It was) some minor damage to my house compared to (what I saw) this morning. I was able to walk one street up, and some of the houses are demolished. Roofs are missing and there are huge holes in people’s houses. I feel very thankful that everybody is OK.”

According to CNN, the tornado touched down in Dallas around 9:30 p.m. Sunday with winds gusting up to 140 m.p.h.

Bishop said the storm broke some windows in his home and knocked a tree over in his front yard. He added that teammate and captain Jamie Benn called to check in and eventually took the Bishops into his home.

“Jamie called me and asked if I was OK,” Bishop said. “I told him some windows were broken and then my phone died. Forty-five minutes later, Jamie was at my door. He picked us up and we went over to his house. We were over there until whenever.”

Bishop wasn’t the only Stars player affected by the storm. A house owned by Stars forward Tyler Seguin was badly damaged, but Seguin tweeted that he had moved and the house had been for sale.

“I just left the area and it is an extremely sad sight to see,” Seguin tweeted. “Prayers to everyone affected by the tornado.”

Bishop missed Monday’s morning skate but did back up Anton Khudobin in the win. Like Seguin, he had a message to anyone affected by the storm.

“I think everybody is OK and I guess that’s the main thing because all of that stuff can be replaced, but family can’t,” Bishop said. “Just prayers are with all of those people that got affected because it’s not pretty.”


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Sportsnet.ca / Flames captain Giordano heaps praise on Capitals' Carlson

Mike Johnston | @MikeyJ_MMA

October 22, 2019, 6:02 PM

“I’ve seen some pretty hot starts, but I’ve never seen something quite like this.”

That’s what Calgary Flames captain and reigning Norris Trophy winner Mark Giordano had to say about the way John Carlson of the Washington Capitals has come flying out of the gates to begin the 2019-20 season.

Giordano’s Flames host the Capitals on Tuesday night where Carlson has the chance to tie Washington’s franchise record.

Carlson, 29, has three goals and a whopping 15 assists through 10 games for a league-leading 18-points. He has registered an assist in seven consecutive games and if he extends his streak to eight games he’ll tie a franchise record currently held by Mike Green (2009) and Scott Stevens (1988).

“He’s always been a guy who puts up numbers and he’s right up there in the league offensively from the back end year in and year out,” Giordano added via NHL.com. “He’s obviously feeling good right now.”

Carlson has finished top-five in Norris voting in each of the past two years and since the start of 2017-18, his 156 points ranks second among blueliners behind only Brent Burns’s 158 points.

“I think he’s taken a step forward, obviously, in his game. His confidence level is really high,” Alex Ovechkin said of his longtime teammate. “We’re happy for him. I think he’s playing a different game right now. It seems like everything goes in. Passes, shots, plays. It’s good for us.”


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Sportsnet.ca / How five former Ottawa Senators are doing on new teams in 2019-20

Wayne Scanlan

October 22, 2019, 2:05 PM

A favourite pastime of any fan base is checking the status of franchise ‘expats.’

At times it can feel as though a fan’s former fave player is engaging in a very personal form of torture by performing very well with somebody else’s team.

Extreme torture Exhibit A is the player with so much potential, who only realizes it after leaving your team. Today this might be called the Mika Zibanejad Law.

Extreme torture Exhibit B is when your favourite player — yes, you have his jersey and spent $195 on it — either gets traded away or leaves through free agency. Already a star on your team, he continues to star on his new team, perhaps even more brilliantly. Today this might be known as the Mark Stone Law.

Seeing a pattern here?

This is not a masochistic mirage for fans of the beleaguered Ottawa Senators — ex-Sens are killing it early in the 2019-20 NHL season.

There was a point last week at which Stone, Zibanejad, Matt Duchene, Jakob Silfverberg and Mike Hoffman — former Senators all — were leading their respective teams in scoring.

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Heading into Tuesday’s games, Duchene was a single point behind Ryan Ellis in Nashville Predators scoring.

A sixth former Senators forward, Ryan Dzingel, was not leading the Carolina Hurricanes but still had seven points in nine games, a total that placed him ahead of all Ottawa scorers (the Senators played their 8th game on Monday in Dallas, a 2-1 loss that left them at 1-6-1).

Of course, there’s a good reason for ex-Senators to be thriving: Ottawa got rid of a lot of talent over the past few years, either because it couldn’t or wouldn’t pay a player or because it had advanced into an official rebuilding phase.

Four of the Senators’ top offensive talents were traded away last season alone — Erik Karlsson, Stone, Duchene and Dzingel — which helps explain why the Senators are struggling to score goals this season and continue to juggle lines like acrobats from the Cirque du Soleil.

Here’s a snapshot of five ex-Senators who, like Rocket Richard in the old Grecian Formula commercials, deserve two minutes for looking so good.

Mark Stone

The Vegas Golden Knights have been offensive high rollers, suitable for a gambling haven, and Stone has usually been the catalyst. With six goals, seven assists for 13 points, Stone leads all Knights, and all ex-Senators for that matter. Half of Stone’s goals have come on the power play. His 11 takeaways are among the NHL leaders in the category (former Senator Nick Foligno leads with 17).

Stone is getting more opportunities to steal pucks because his line hasn’t had strong possession numbers — Stone is around 48 per cent, down from nearly 57 per cent at 5-on-5 with Vegas after the deadline trade last season. Stone’s shooting percentage is a career-high 20.7 per cent, and likely due for a fall. After 10 games played he is on pace to set career highs in goals, assists and points. His best statistical year was 2018-19 when he had 33 goals and 73 points combined between Ottawa and Las Vegas.

Mika Zibanejad

Zibanejad has been a force for the New York Rangers, who haven’t exactly followed his lead. The Rangers and New Jersey Devils have been Metropolitan flops over the first three weeks of the season. The Rangers have also been idle, having played just six games in that span. Zibanejad has 11 points to lead all Blueshirts, including a triumphant return to Ottawa on Oct. 5, where he scored a hat trick, added an assist and won 88 per cent of his faceoffs.

His minutes played are soaring, a shade below 23 minutes per game (22:54), compared to 20:34 last season and 17:04 in his first season with the Rangers, in 2016-17. At 26, Zibanejad, a former first-round pick of the Senators (sixth overall, 2011), is on pace to top his career-high 74 points last season. Rangers observers are calling the July 2016 trade for Zibanejad and a seventh-round pick, in exchange for Derick Brassard and Ottawa’s second second-round 2018 pick, one of New York’s all-time best deals.

Matt Duchene

Duchene had an adjustment period with the Columbus Blue Jackets, after moving there from Ottawa at the deadline, but he settled in and was a strong playoff performer, producing a point per game in the Jackets’ two-round playoff life. He has had no such adjustment issues with his new team, the Predators, settling in with 10 points in eight games as their No. 2 centre behind Ryan Johansen.

In a strange twist, Duchene is now a linemate of a player he was once traded for — former Senator Kyle Turris, who has shifted over from centre to left wing to be alongside Duchene and Mikael Granlund. Duchene was traded to the Senators in a blockbuster, three-way deal that sent Turris to Nashville in November 2017, a move that signalled the Senators were still in go-for-it mode. Though Duchene’s faceoff numbers are down to 48.6 per cent from his usual 55-per cent range, his possession numbers at even strength are strong (60 per cent-plus).

Jakob Silfverberg

One of the true gentlemen of the game, Silfverberg is thriving on Anaheim’s most dangerous line, alongside Adam Henrique and Rickard Rakell. Silfverberg has never had more than 24 goals, his output last season, but already has five goals and three assists for eight points in nine games. His shooting percentage is 26.3, which will be difficult to maintain. At 18:13 per game, the hard-working winger hasn’t seen this many minutes since the 2016-17 season, when he averaged 18:29 per game.

Silfverberg was traded by the Senators along with Stefan Noesen and a first-round pick (used for Nick Ritchie) for Bobby Ryan in July 2013. An oddity with Silfverberg — he was once a shootout king, scoring nine times in 13 attempts (69.2 per cent) in 2014-15. His numbers slipped after that, and he doesn’t get called upon as often, failing to score on two attempts last season and 0-for-5 the year before.

Mike Hoffman

Traded to Florida in the summer of 2018 after a bizarre online harassment accusation involving his partner and the wife of Erik Karlsson, Hoffman was relaxed and productive in his first season with the Panthers, and continues to score goals. He has five, with three assists, for eight points in eight games as Florida’s leading scorer. Last season he sniped 36 for Florida, his best output from six NHL seasons.

Hoffman’s ice time is at an all-time high, 18:33 per game, just above his 18:24 with Ottawa in 2017-18. A lot was expected of Florida, a team that has played a lot of close games but has dropped three in overtime. The recent addition of centre Brian Boyle could help stabilize a Panthers club expected to at least threaten for a playoff position in the competitive Eastern Conference. Hoffman won’t be asked to carry the team, but he will be expected to score 30 or more goals.


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Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Byron confident he'll bust season-opening slump 'soon'

Eric Engels

October 22, 2019, 4:01 PM

BROSSARD, Que. — You’d think not scoring through nine games would be an all-consuming problem for a player who’s carved out a reputation as an established 20-goal man in the National Hockey League.

But for Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron, a slump to start the 2019-20 season isn’t exactly costing him sleep.

How did the Ottawa native spend his day off on Monday?

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“I woke up in the morning with my kids, went out and voted in the morning and got that out of the way, had lunch, and then in the afternoon I started building my ice rink for the winter,” Byron said after Tuesday’s practice.

Did his lack of production creep its way into his thoughts?

“Not once,” he said.

“I’m at a point in my life now where I realize where I need to focus, when I need to think about things and when I need to let them go,” the 30-year-old added. “That’s a big part of my game that’s matured over the years. Stuff like that used to really weigh on me when I was younger and now I’ve learned to kind of let it go. The only thing I can control is what I do on and off the ice, focusing and preparing. Other than that, there’s not much you can do.”

Perhaps it would be more troubling to Byron if the Canadiens weren’t filling the net at the fourth-highest rate in the NHL. They’ve scored at least three goals in eight of their nine games, their power play has managed to score on close to 28 per cent of its opportunities, and they own a winning record.

Is Byron satisfied with his play thus far? Certainly not.

But he’s not frustrated with it, either.

“Frustrated is the wrong word,” Byron said. “I’m encouraged I can do better. I know I can do better. It’s just one of those things right now where things aren’t going my way. But I wouldn’t say I’m frustrated because I know I’m a better player than what the stats say right now.”

What the stats say is that he’s been every bit as good as he’s expected to be on the other side of the puck. Byron’s only been on the ice for three of the 20 even-strength goals the Canadiens have allowed, and he’s only been on for two of the nine they’ve allowed on the penalty kill despite playing a primary role in that department.

That’s all part of the reason the assistant captain’s confidence hasn’t evaporated with the missed scoring opportunities that have piled up since the season began.

“I’ve been killing plays, forechecking, playing well defensively, being a good penalty killer, just being a player that can jump on any line and give that line some jump,” Byron explained. “I’m forechecking, getting the puck back, playing with pace. If you keep doing those things, breakaways will come, chances will come. They seem to come in bunches, but I’m just making sure I do everything in my game that will translate to good play and help the team win.”

It’s not as if he needs an attitude adjustment to make it happen. And his work ethic is unimpeachable.

“I can’t say I’m giving a lack of effort because that would be a lie,” Byron said. “I think every day I try my best and give it the best I can and there’s just some days where the game is easy and some days where the game is hard.”

If it’s not troubling him more, it’s because he’s faced and overcome much adversity throughout his hockey career. Byron’s a former sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres, a five-foot-nine featherweight who was traded early on to a big, heavy Calgary Flames team that didn’t believe in his ability to impact the game the way he has through most of his time in Montreal.

“When I was 24-25, I finally got called up and had a chance to play centre for the first time in Calgary and I got high-sticked and broke my hand on my second or third shift into the game,” he recalled. “That summer, the team pretty much told me it was better off if I just went to Europe. I had a good offer there. The Flames didn’t really want me, and they had other free-agent

college guys they wanted to sign instead of me, and they pretty much said they’d keep a tab on me if I left. They qualified me for that reason, but they felt it would be best for my progression to play in Europe.

“I had a long conversation with my American League coach about it and we decided it would be best to keep plugging away here and earn an opportunity — and I only played 23 games that year in the American League (before joining the Flames for 47). That was probably the hardest part of my life, but I dug out of it and it made me better.”

But it was after one more year in Calgary that the Flames waived Byron on the eve of the 2015-16 season. It’s easy to forget that he started his time in Montreal as a healthy scratch.

But it wasn’t long before he worked his way into Michel Therrien’s lineup, and Byron has since become a Swiss-Army-knife type under Claude Julien — a player who can play on any line and in all situations.

He’s also been a dependable scorer, one who’s managed 68 goals and 129 points in 290 games with the Canadiens. And Byron has done that despite averaging just a little over one shot on net per game.

He’d obviously like to get the frequency up right now, having gone four straight games (and six of nine) without a shot on net. But he feels breaking out of this funk is about more than just that.

“I’ve always been about quality over quantity, but there’s something that’s lacking in my game right now that I’m not getting enough of those quality chances,” Byron concluded. “There’s been a few times where I’ve had little tips and plays like that, and if the puck went in it would have given me more confidence. I had a 2-on-1 in St. Louis on Saturday where instead of forcing a pass to (Tomas Tatar) I could have just carried it and had a clear chance. I did the same thing in Minnesota (on Sunday). Those are just little things I can pick at and improve on.”

The last thing he said was that he’s not worried about it.

“I’ll score again soon,” Byron added.


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TSN.CA / Six Takeaways: Canucks vs Red Wings

Jeff Paterson

TAKEAWAYS

1) Five goals in a period doesn't happen often. The Canucks managed the feat once last season in the second period of an 8-5 win in Boston. Per NHL Public Relations, five goals in the third period of a game has only happened six times in franchise history and the last time was April 15, 1993 -- two years before Bo Horvat was born. So the Canucks 5-2 victory with five answered goals in the third was a generational occurrence. And twice on this road trip, the Canucks trailed by a pair at some point in the second period and found a way to win after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to earn a 4-3 shootout victory in St. Louis at the outset of this four game road junket. With the win, the Canucks took three of four games on their first extended road trip of the season. It's just one game, yet the difference between going 2-2 and coming home 3-1 feels significantly greater. The Canucks

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knew they had secured at least a .500 road trip with wins in two of the first three. But falling to the struggling Red Wings at the tail end of the trip likely would have been a massive disappointment. While it didn't look good for 40 minutes, the Canucks got fired up for the final frame, figured out a way to beat Jimmy Howard and ended up winning in a runaway. And suddenly this team has won six of seven putting valuable standings points in their back pocket in the process.

2) What a road trip for the captain. Bo Horvat entered the game in St. Louis -- the team's sixth game of the season -- without a goal. He comes home from the road trip as the team's leading goal scorer. Horvat scored in all three victories. He bagged his first against the Blues, added his second against the Blueshirts on Sunday and with family and friends making the trip across the border to see him, Horvat recorded his first NHL hattrick including scoring the first two Canuck goals to spark the comeback. Horvat who has scored 20, 22 and a career-best 27 last season now has five goals in nine games which is certainly a pace that will set him up to raise his personal bar again this season. The Canucks are 3-0 when Horvat scores and are 6-1 since he's had the C stitched to his jersey. He finished Tuesday with seven shots on goal giving him 14 shots in his past two games. And, interestingly, he doesn't have a missed shot attempt over the past two outings. Every shot he has put toward the net has been on goal -- and four of them have found their way in.

3) It's also worth noting that the Canucks went 3-1 on a road trip that took them across the continent and Elias Pettersson did not score -- and still hasn't scored on the road this season. And that's not to suggest Pettersson isn't contributing. He had two assists on Tuesday and now has a share of the team lead with 10 points through nine games (tied with JT Miller). Pettersson made a remarkable diving defensive play with six-minutes remaining and the Canucks clinging to a 3-2 lead. So he was effective at both ends of the ice. It's interesting to note that just a game after watching the final eight minutes from the bench on Sunday at Madison Square, Pettersson was out on the ice late in this one in Detroit and making his presence felt. Moments after the defensive effort at one end, he picked up his second helper of the night on Tim Schaller's first goal of the season. Last season, if Pettersson wasn't scoring it seemed no one was on many nights. It's a sign of team progress that the Canucks aren't relying on the second-year Swede to be their scoring saviour. He's certainly an offensive leader, but others stepped up on the road trip and the Canucks are proving they can win hockey games without Pettersson taking over.

4) It's felt like a matter of time before the Canucks fourth line found a way to contribute offensively. Last week against the Red Wings, the line of Jay Beagle, Tim Schaller and Tyler Motte spent almost every one of their shifts at even strength in the Detroit zone. That trio wasn't as dominant on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena, but Schaller had a strong night in terms of shot shares (64.2%) and Beagle kept his head above water, too (53.3%) -- and that was primarily against the only scoring line the Red Wings have. On Saturday in New Jersey, the Canucks fourth line had a goal disallowed on a quick whistle. On Sunday, Jay Beagle scored his first goal of the season (short-handed) and Tuesday Schaller broke into the goal column for the first time. Good teams need their best players to produce, but also need contributions from throughout the line-up. Earlier in the season, the defensemen were getting in on the scoring act. That offense -- not surprisingly -- has slowed, but the Canucks replaced it with goals from Beagle, Schaller, Jake Virtanen and Micheal Ferland on the road trip. While Schaller-Beagle-Motte are referred to as the Canucks fourth line based on their spot on the depth chart, they certainly weren't three lines better than they were on the road trip.

5) Jacob Markstrom is dialled in. He was terrific on Sunday in his return to the line-up and seemed to take his game up a notch or two on Tuesday against the Red Wings. The two goals he allowed were both on Detroit power plays -- a 5-on-3 in the first period and a 4-on-3 midway through the second. From that point on Markstrom was spectacular keeping the Canucks within striking distance with a number of spectacular saves including robbing Anthony Mantha twice after Mantha had opened the scoring in the hockey game. Markstrom was in the line of fire on a Wings power play to close out the second period. A goal there and the Canucks likely don't come back. Early in the third Tyler Bertuzzi had two whacks at a loose puck in front of the Canucks net, but Markstrom was there to close the door. Trevor Daley had a great back-door chance set up by Dylan Larkin when the game was tied 2-2. Again, Markstrom was there for his hockey club. After starting the season 0-2 in Alberta, Markstrom has rattled off four straight victories holding his opponents (LAK, PHI, NYR & DET) to two goals in each of the wins.

6) FInally, not to be *that* guy, but it should be pointed out that the Canucks have done a nice job taking advantage of a manageable early season schedule. Only two of their nine games so far (at Calgary and at St. Louis) have come against teams that made the playoffs last season -- including two against the Wings who have now lost five straight and have scored just seven times in that span. Look, the Canucks can only play the teams laid out for them, so they have nothing to apologize for when it comes to quality of opponent. You play the team you're scheduled to play and the Canucks have won six of their first nine games with six of them on the road. That is admirable to say the least. The point is that there are better teams in the National Hockey League and the Canucks will have to face them, too, starting on Friday when the host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. But all wins are good wins and all points matter for a team trying to claw its way into a playoff spot after being on the outside looking in the last four seasons. The hope has to be that early season success breeds confidence so that when this team comes up against better opponents there will be a new-found belief that this year can -- and will -- be difference. In that regard, they're off to a very nice start.

TSN.CA LOADED: 10.23.2019

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TSN.CA / Mike Babcock: Maple Leafs must ‘play harder and longer’ in Boston

Mark Masters

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Boston Bruins skated at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday morning. The Leafs held a media availability at TD Garden in the afternoon.

After beating the Bruins in overtime on Saturday night, Leafs centre Auston Matthews raised some eyebrows by calling it a "statement game." But the bigger statement game may be tonight as Toronto visits TD Garden for the first time since their Game 7 playoff loss in April. The Leafs are playing the second game of a back-to-back set against a rested Bruins team that hasn't played since the loss in Toronto.

The Leafs allowed 46 shots Saturday while squandering leads of 2-0 and 3-2. The Bruins actually felt pretty good about their effort.

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"The second period on we were better with puck possession, on pucks, winning pucks, competing harder," said coach Bruce Cassidy. "I thought in the first we were loose. We had some looks, don't get me wrong, but it was more their style of game than ours."

"I liked our start," recalled Leafs coach Mike Babcock. "I liked how we were able to get on their D. We took too many penalties, got in trouble in the second period, in the end found a way to win the game. We're going to have to be more consistent tonight. We're a better team than we've shown, I believe. We can play harder and longer and we have to do that tonight."

Boston had three power plays on Saturday converting once while the Leafs didn’t get even one man-advantage opportunity. There was some angst in the Toronto dressing room about the calls, but the Bruins believe they earned their chances.

"We got to our game better in the second and third period, that’s preferably how we’d like to play, where we're working inside, getting some second chances in close, drawing penalties by puck possession," Cassidy said. "I think, we tired them out a couple times. I don't know if 'tired them out' is the right word, but wore them down low and were able to get on the power play because of that."

The Leafs were the least penalized team last season, but have been getting whistled at an alarming rate recently while also failing to draw power plays. Babcock offered a stern rebuke to his players on Tuesday night.

Toronto generated only three power plays in their last three games while their opponents had 13 chances. It’s the first time since March 2008 that Toronto had at least 10 fewer power play opportunities than its opponents over a three-game span.

Masters believes tonight would be the 'statement' win over Boston

Auston Matthews called Saturday’s win over the Bruins a statement win, but tonight in Boston will likely be the bigger test. Mark Masters discusses the challenges of facing the Bruins on the second half of a back-to-back and discusses the different goaltending matchup tonight between Michael Hutchinson and Tuukka Rask.

At the start of the season, Cassidy sits down with goalie coach Bob Essensa to determine how to divvy up the schedule between Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. They also get some input from the analytics team.

"We determine how to get Tuukka to about 45 to 52 starts," Cassidy explained, "somewhere in there, probably more than 45 ... let's say 50 just for simplicity's sake."

Ensuring that Halak, who suited up on Saturday in Toronto, stays in a rhythm is a factor.

"We don't want him waiting too long between games, as well, so not only is it about Tuukka, it’s about Jaro," noted Cassidy, "if he’s in double digits between games how well is he playing?"

As for the back-to-back sets, unlike the Leafs who always start Frederik Andersen in the first game, the Bruins are flexible.

"He'll start the front end of some," Cassidy said of Rask, "the back end of others, depending on how the workload's been before that. We're not married to a certain system there. Our team has played pretty well over the years on back-to-backs and we feel we’re going to get a good effort in front of the goalie no matter which one we play.”

The Bruins were 8-3-2 in the second game of a back-to-back set last season.

Halak started on Saturday in Toronto while Rask plays tonight at home. It will be Rask’s 500th game. He's the 28th goaltender to reach that milestone with one team and the first in Bruins history to do it. The former Leafs draft pick also played his first NHL game against Toronto.

Bruins want Rask to start around 50 games; Cassidy 'not married' to system for back-to-backs

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy explains that he would like to see Tuukka Rask start around 50 games this year, and also says he isn't married to a system for back-to-backs.

During the summer, David Pastrnak raised eyebrows by picking Matthews to win the Hart Trophy.

His rationale?

“Unbelievable shot and skill-set and he can find the soft spot," the Bruins winger explained after Tuesday's morning skate, "and every time he's 100 per cent healthy he's showing that. He's a hell of a player."

Matthews has used his lethal shot to pot eight goals this season, which is one behind Pastrnak and James Neal in the early Rocket Richard race.

Pastrnak insists he didn't get any grief from teammates for pumping the tires of a divisional opponent.

"We can all agree they have some great players and there’s nothing wrong giving him credit when he deserves it," the Czech native said. "It's early in the season, but he's been showing he can score goals and he's been showing that since he got here."

Pastrnak benefits from playing on the wing with perennial Selke Trophy contender (and four-time winner) Patrice Bergeron. Matthews, meanwhile, is still honing his defensive game. He was beaten by Pierre-Luc Dubois on a goal Monday night.

"That’s my fault there on that second one," Matthews said after the game. "I should have had my guy, can't let him get to the net like that."

Pastrnak was asked how he balances offence and defence. How does he keep producing while not sacrificing on the defensive end?

"Spend the whole game in the O-zone, right? That’s the focus," Pastrnak said. "Sometimes when things don’t go well we try to score right away instead of trying to hang onto the puck in the O-zone and that's usually when the opportunities (against) come."

Both Pastrnak and Matthews will be looking to set up shop in the offensive zone tonight. Since 2016, they lead the way in goals scored in the first month of the season. Matthews has 33 while Pastrnak is at 31.

Pastrnak's latest goal came in the third period when he unleashed a wicked one-timer to tie things up. Does he aim for a specific spot on those blasts?

"It depends," he said. "You know, on power play I am, usually you have a little more time. On five-on-five I just try and get it off my stick quick and hit the net."

Pastrnak says Saturday's goal is an example of him emphasizing speed and power over accuracy. He's shown an uncanny ability to beat goalies clean thanks to the chemistry with Bergeron and Brad Marchand.

"As a line, we've been together for so long, that sometimes we don't even have a net front and we want to have a little more of that, but we've been together so long we just know where the other guy is and that's the main thing."

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Pastrnak has 40 points in 30 career games against the Leafs (including playoffs).

Bruins forward David Pastrnak explains why he selected Auston Matthews as his Hart Trophy pick in the summer, and why he sees nothing wrong with giving credit to Matthews despite him playing for the rival Maple Leafs.

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USA TODAY / NHL fact or fiction: Avalanche team to beat? Taylor Hall key to winning the Cup?

Kevin Allen, USA TODAY

Published 12:25 p.m. ET Oct. 22, 2019 | Updated 2:12 p.m. ET Oct. 22, 2019

We are only about three weeks into the NHL season and already it's not going the way forecasters thought it would.

Strong starts by the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers, plus poor starts by the Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks have us scratching our heads. What's up with the Tampa Bay Lightning? Is John Carlson's scoring for real?

Let us help you sort out the fact and fiction:

►Based on their start, the Colorado Avalanche are the NHL's team to beat

Fact: The Avalanche are a quality team. They are tied for the NHL lead in scoring (four goals per game) and rank in the top 10 defensively (2.67 goals per game). Phillip Grubauer is getting the job done in net, and with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, who left Monday's game with an injury, this is a very dangerous offensive team. Rookie defenseman Cale Makar also has been an impact player with eight assists. The Avalanche have cap space to add a player or two.

►The Lighting aren't the team we thought they were

Fiction: Don't be fooled by the 4-3-1 start. They were never going to duplicate last season's 62-win regular season. But this is still a formidable group and Andrei Vasilevskiy is the Eastern Conference's most talented goalie. It may be better for this group to finish behind Boston in the Atlantic.

►The Oilers will win the Pacific Division

Fact: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the top four players in the game, and the arrival of GM Ken Holland has given this team the most positive culture it has known in years. Holland's trade for James Neal has improved the team's scoring depth. Edmonton's defensive group is effective.

►The Devils' early struggles aren't the end of the world

►Fiction: It could mean the end of Taylor Hall in New Jersey, not to mention coach John Hynes. The Devils are trying to persuade Hall, a pending free agent this summer, to stay in New Jersey. The team's poor start doesn't help. Hynes is the same quality coach he was last season and Ray Shero has always been a loyal general manager. But he has to answer to ownership and the Devils are trying to compete now. The acquisition of P.K Subban told us that.

►Hall could be a key factor in deciding who win the Stanley Cup

Fact: If the Devils know they can't re-sign Hall, they have to trade him. Imagine if Hall ended up in Colorado. Could Shero work another deal with his mentor David Poile in Nashville? Hall, if traded, will be a big help for a contender.

►Without Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, the Columbus Blue Jackets are dead to us

Fiction: The Blue Jackets are younger, but enough talent remains to qualify for the playoffs in this division. Joonas Korpisalo looks like he will able to shoulder the load in net. Coach John Tortorella gets a lot out of this team.

►The Washington Capitals are the best team no one is talking about

Fact: So much attention is being paid to the early surprises, the Avalanche and the 5-1-2 Bruins, that we are forgetting about the 6-2-2 Capitals. If they get tighter defensive play out of Dmitry Orlov and Nick Jensen, they are as good as any team in the Eastern Conference.

► With 18 points in 10 games, John Carlson has a shot at being a 100-point defenseman

Fiction: Carlson, 29, is playing his way into Norris contention, but it is highly unlikely he flirts with a 100-point season. No defenseman has registered 100 points since the New York Rangers' Brian Leetch posted 102 in 1991-92. When Leetch did that, NHL games were averaging about seven goals per game. Today, NHL games average about six goals per game. Carlson had a career-best 70 points last season.

► We should believe the Arizona Coyotes have turned the corner

Fact: You won't be disappointed this time. The Coyotes have given up only 13 goals in their first seven games and younger players such as Nick Schmaltz, Conor Garland and Clayton Keller producing. The goaltending is solid. This looks like a playoff team.

►The St. Louis Blues have a Stanley Cup hangover

Fiction: They have points in seven out of nine games, and beat the Avalanche on Monday night. But they are another team that needs to tighten up defensively as it has given up 30 goals in nine games.

USA TODAY LOADED: 10.23.2019

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