Ten saves in seven minutes.
from Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun,
This shouldn’t diminish what Hellebuyck has done so far this season. He’s only put together the most spectacular numbers of his career.
Has it been helped by the team play in front of him? Absolutely. That was one of Bowness’ intentions, to lessen the load on Hellebuyck.
But it’s not as if the 30-year-old netminder has changed anything.
I’d argue that he’s only elevated himself further, becoming a better version of himself while adapting to what must be a sight for sore goalie eyes.
Look no further than his goals saved above expected number this year.
In all situations (so 5-on-5, power play, penalty kill, etc.), Hellebuyck outpaces every goaltender in the league with 20.5, a full four more goals than second-place Thatcher Demko in Vancouver.
only widens. There, Hellebuyck entered Wednesday at 20.1, nearly a full seven goals more than Toronto’s Martin Jones, who has played less than half the games.
More traditional stats suggest a similar story.
* Childhood friends Juraj Slafkovsky and SimonNemec met for the first time since their names were called 18 months ago in an historic NHL Draft, with both registering a point in the contest.
* The Eastern Conference playoff race is heating up – much like Panthers forward Sam Reinhart who set a franchise record for longest goal streak – as the Red Wings stayed red hot to climb into the top three in the Atlantic Division for the first time in more than a month.
* Nikita Kucherov will look to maintain his lead in the Art Ross Trophy race during the opener of an ESPN+/Hulu doubleheader, while half of the League’s top eight scorers will take the ice in games available nationally on Sportsnet (Nathan MacKinnon, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen and Connor McDavid).
from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,
The Edmonton Oilers simply don’t lose hockey games.
Against a Maple Leafs team that is experiencing some big-time issues, that wasn’t about to change.
A 2-0 Leafs lead on Tuesday night in Edmonton seemed too good to be true, and sure enough, it was.
When Ryan McLeod beat a screened Martin Jones — by Connor McDavid, no less — at 16:55 of the third period, the Oilers needed no more, scoring their third unanswered goal in a 4-2 win.
An empty-net goal by Evan Bouchard put an exclamation mark on the Oilers’ 11th win in a row.
For the second time this season and first since Oct. 24-Nov. 4, the Leafs have lost four games in a row. It won’t get any easier as their four-game trip continues in Calgary against the Flames on Thursday.
As much as the Leafs have played uneven hockey this season, it was just the fourth time they lost in regulation on the road. That won’t dampen speculation that it’s time for a coaching change, though it could take some heat off Sheldon Keefe if the Leafs can pull it together and win a couple before they return home to face the Winnipeg Jets next Wednesday.
Game highlights are below.
* Ryan McLeod scored a late go-ahead goal against his hometown team to help the Oilers complete the comeback and extend their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games.
* Kyle Connor and the Jets moved back into first place in the League standings, while the Avalanche kept pace after Nathan MacKinnon tied Nikita Kucherov for the most points in the NHL this season.
* A three-game Wednesday will see national broadcasts when the Sabres host the Blackhawks (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT & Max) and the Canadiens visit the Devils (7 p.m. ET on SN).
via the YouTube page of the NHL Network,
NHL Network insider Elliotte Friedman joins NHL Tonight to discuss how the goalie trade market is shaping up, as well as Jake Guentzel's approaching free agency and Tampa's announcement that they will be be trading Steven Stamkos.
TSN’s Hockey Insiders discuss the future of the NHL’s second-winningest regular season goalie, what’s next for Steven Stamkos, the Jets potentially bolstering their playoff run, the Blackhawks at the trade deadline, the market for Elvis Merzlikins and the latest on the Coyotes in Arizona.
via the Chicago Blackhawks,
The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Jason Dickinson on a two-year contract that runs through the 2025-26 season ($4,250,000 salary cap hit).
“Jason adds a unique two-way game to our lineup and his compete level is consistently strong every night,” said Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson. “He’s showing his offensive game this year, which has been a huge lift to our team. His leadership has been instrumental, and the impact has been evident around the room, particularly with our young guys. We’re excited to bring him back and to see him continue to grow with our team.”
* Marc-Andre Fleury foiled the Islanders at Xcel Energy Center to pass Patrick Roy for sole possession of second place on the NHL’s all-time wins list.
* Fleury’s former teammate Mark Stone scored his first hat trick since the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup-clinching win last spring.
* The NHL and Professional Women’s Hockey League announced rosters for the Canadian Tire PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase, taking place during NHL All-Star Thursday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Feb. 1. Tickets to NHL All-Star Thursday are on sale via Ticketmaster.
* Trevor Moore, who tallied twice in the Kings’ 5-2 victory Monday, is set to go head-to-head with fellow Californian Jason Robertson on ESPN+ and Hulu tonight.
With the win, he moved past Patrick Roy and is now in second place for career wins.
He won't catch Martin Brodeur at #691.
TORONTO/NEW YORK (Jan. 15, 2024) – The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association announced today that forward Valeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche will be unavailable to his Club for an indefinite period while he receives care from the Player Assistance Program of the NHLPA and NHL.
Under the terms of the joint program, he will return to the Club when cleared for on-ice competition by the program administrators.
NEW YORK (Jan. 15, 2024) – Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson, Calgary Flames center Blake Coleman and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 14.
Team sport isn’t about individuals. It isn’t about contracts. It isn’t about trophies and all-star team choices.
It’s about a group of players coming together, working together, playing a system, playing with structure, playing with intensity, working in cohesion with the coaching staff.
Right now, the Maple Leafs are none of those things.
-Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun where you can read more on the Leafs.
* The Red Wings staged their seventh third-period comeback win of the season – tied for the most among all teams – with the help of 2024 All-Star Alex DeBrincat and captain Dylan Larkin.
* Rangers forward Artemi Panarin and Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner both scored to reach milestones Sunday and became the fastest players in their respective franchise’s history to do so.
* The Kraken (9-0-0) will look to match the idle Oilers (10-0-0) for the longest winning streak in the NHL this season when they face off against the Penguins during Monday’s 10-game slate.
from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,
Another 12 goalies were signed to NHL contracts — including Ilya Samsonov post arbitration — before the Maple Leafs got around to finalizing their deal on Jones, some seven weeks after the free agency process began.
In all, it took some lost offers, missed opportunities, clarity on the condition of Matt Murray, and a touch of good fortune for the Leafs to sign Jones on Aug. 9 for the same money David Rittich signed for in Los Angeles as the first goalie reportedly signed for on July 1.
“We talked for a long time to get a deal done” said Brad Treliving, the Leafs general manager. “Our first reaction after signing him was — ‘great’. Our second reaction was ‘Can we get him through waivers in two months time?’
“It used to be you needed two goalies to get through a season. Now if you look around, you need three.”
Jones, the 29th goalie signed last summer in free agency, cleared waivers in October and has since become paramount for the Maple Leafs success. Playing behind a spotty defensive team, Jones ranks second in the NHL in goals against average and second in league save percentage....
“We were surprised he was available to be honest,” said Treliving. “Everybody has their own situation every year, they do the math, they look around, they see what’s available. It’s like playing musical chairs. You count how many seats there are available and there are only two per team.
“He told us at the beginning he would be competing for a spot on the Leafs.”
more and other notes on hockey
from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,
Team president Luc Robitaille declined to comment on the team’s state. But it’s clear that a promising start to their season has dissolved into a muddled middle. On Dec. 7, after a shutout win at Montreal, the Kings were 16-4-3. Since then, they’re 4-6-5.
“We’re at that point where the line [between] winning and losing is so fine,” coach Todd McLellan told reporters Thursday in Florida. “At the beginning of the year it came easily, now it’s really tough. But everybody, cliches that coaches use and reporters and players, that the adversity will help you later on, well, it’s never any fun when you’re in it, and that’s where the frustration comes from.
“But I like the fact that we are sticking with each other and we’re really digging in, trying to pull ourselves out. If it was going the other way, I’d be concerned.”
The turnaround has to come by efforts from everyone. That includes renewed energy from a fourth line that once was the team’s spark plug, more assertiveness and scoring from $68-million-dollar man Pierre-Luc Dubois, offensive contributions from a defense corps that can and should be supporting the attack, and better decisions from McLellan too.
* Saturday will be packed with announcements for the 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend, including the unveiling of the 12 additional players selected via fan vote across ABC/ESPN+ (during first intermission of the Rangers-Capitals game at 1 p.m. ET) and Sportsnet, NHL Network and TVA Sports (during pre-game shows before 7 p.m. ET games).
* The second 16-game day of the season (third in League history) begins with the first ABC telecast of the season (simulcast on ESPN+) and will see the 2023-24 regular-season schedule reach the halfway mark (with the NJD-FLA game) before a four-game Hockey Night in Canada slate. Click here for #NHLStats ahead of the halfway mark.
* Friday’s games saw the Flyers and Predators improve their playoff positioning with wins, setting the stage for a jam-packed Saturday that will include all 32 clubs – four of which are riding a winning streak of at least eight games.
via the NHL PR department,
After the League’s two newest franchises ushered in 2024 outdoors following a calendar year to remember, the #NHLStats team is delivering another look at storylines entering the second half of the 2023-24 regular season which will hit Saturday when the Devils and Panthers contest the NHL’s 656th game. All stats below are entering play Friday, Jan. 12 (through 650 GP).
* For the first time in NHL history, four teams are simultaneously riding an active win streak of eight-plus games after the Panthers, Oilers, Jets and Kraken all earned wins Thursday.
* Elias Pettersson and Mathew Barzal both scored a game winner after posting four-point outings. The Canucks and Islanders were two of six teams to record an overtime win Thursday, marking the third day in NHL history to feature six games decided in overtime (also 6 on April 13, 2023 & Feb. 7, 2019).
* Jordan Kyrou and Yegor Sharangovich each scored a hat trick to add to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation, helping both the Blues (21-18-1, 43 points) and Flames (19-18-5, 43 points) move within two points of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
* NHL Central Scouting will release its mid-season rankings for the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft today at 11 a.m. ET. Full rankings will be available on NHL.com.
Sam Reinhart with his 30th goal is also the OT winner with less than two clicks on the clock.
Game highlights of the Panthers 3-2 win over the LA Kings can be found below.