Articles in NHL Teams

NHL Short Notes

12/05/2023 at 1:55am EST

* Tuesday’s slate is highlighted by the first-ever NHL game featuring brothers Quinn, Jack and LukeHughes as well as the Kings looking to tie the League record for longest season-opening road winning streak.

* Connor Ingram helped the Coyotes defeat another recent Stanley Cup champion and extend their winning streak to five games.

* Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning rebounded from an 8-1 loss to the Stars on Saturday with a shutout victory versus Dallas in Victor Hedman’s 1,000th career NHL game.

Stars Of The Week

12/04/2023 at 1:06pm EST

NEW YORK (Dec. 4, 2023) – Arizona Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram, New York Islanders center Mathew Barzal and New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 3.

A Three-Year Extension For Nino Niederreiter In Winnipeg

12/04/2023 at 11:07am EST

WINNIPEG, December 4, 2023 - The Winnipeg Jet Hockey Club announced today they have agreed to terms with forward Nino Niederreiter on a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $4,000,000. The contract extension will begin in the 2024-25 season.

Uncomfortable In Toronto

12/04/2023 at 8:52am EST

from Damien Cox at the Toronto Star,

The Maple Leafs can’t build a comfortable lead, and they can’t comfortably hold a lead. Which puts them comfortably in an Eastern Conference wild-card berth, which won’t make anybody comfortable.

This, of course, is why it is so very hard for first-year general manager Brad Treliving to sit back and enjoy his maiden voyage. The narrative with the Leafs is surging wildly between highs and lows, sometimes within single periods.

Eleven of Toronto’s 22 games this season, including Saturday night’s 4-3 loss to Boston, have gone to overtime. Sure it’s been entertaining, but it also puts a little added stress on the Leafs’ best players each time it happens. The hope is that a player like William Nylander can always be the hero, but in three-on-three hockey, he can also be the goat. That’s what happened against the Bruins with his untimely wipeout.

Other than back-to-back 4-1 wins over Washington and Minnesota in late October, the Leafs generally haven’t been able to cruise to many straightforward victories this season. Other than an ugly 4-1 loss to Los Angeles on home ice and a 6-3 loss to the Senators, they also haven’t been decisively thumped too often.

Most of the time, Treliving’s team is in a third-period tug of war, either hanging on desperately or desperately trying to equalize. They can surely fight back when they fall behind, as they did against the Bruins on Saturday. The Leafs erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, the latter with just seconds remaining, to force yet another extra session.

So it’s a rather complex question as to what element, or elements, might make the Leafs a bit more successful and allow Treliving and head coach Sheldon Keefe to relax once in a while.

continued

NHL Short Notes

12/04/2023 at 2:32am EST

* With the help of Artemi Panarin and Brad Marchand, AstraZeneca donated another $10,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, bringing the total up to $165,000 so far this season. Click here for more information on the fundraising efforts.

* Anze Kopitar factored on the game-winning goal to surpass Marcel Dionne for first place on the Kings’ all-time assists list.

* Mats Zuccarello and Marco Rossi combined for 3-2—5 as the Wild improved to 3-0-0 since naming John Hynes head coach on Nov. 27.

Ain't No Place For A Nervous Person

12/03/2023 at 10:29am EST

from Stan Fischler of The Hockey News,

New York Islanders games toughen your nervous system; at least last night's 4-3 melodramatic win over the Panthers did it for The Maven. (And all this minus Mat Barzal.)

If Hollywood had scripted the last two games, it would have been two-for-two in the Oscar Department; and especially last night's performance in Sunrise under the sheltering palms of Amerant Bank Arena.

Of course, Ilya Sorokin -- the leading man -- would get the lead Oscar thanks to a 42-save performance.

Oscars for Best Supporting Actors go to The Grit Guys.

* Anders Lee -- Scored the big opening goal on the power play at 12:36 of the first period. (Thank You, Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson, for assisting.)

* Pierre Engvall -- His third red light of the season made it 2-1 at 4:37 of the middle frame. (Thank You, Alex Romanov and Brocktober-December, for helping out.)

continued

Another Overtime Game For The Leafs

12/03/2023 at 2:22am EST

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

The good news: The Leafs are 7-4 beyond the 60th minute, slowly stacking points and staying in the thick of the Atlantic race as they ride through their blueline injuries and manage some structural hiccups and individual mini slumps.

More good news: Getting accustomed to battling through tight scores and rallying late is a character-building exercise that could come in handy when the results matter most.

"I thought our team was unbelievable," said Woll, not too shabby himself in a 36-save showing. "We looked really good against one of the top teams in the league. Pretty awesome to see us fight back and get the point there."

The bad news: Only one team in the league has fewer regulation wins than Toronto's five (rebuilding Montreal has four), and at last check, the playoffs still don't offer 3-on-3 skill shows or breakaway contests.

More bad news: Unlike Saturday, Toronto has blown leads and often allowed its opponent to push them into OT.

"The points we're accumulating, they're not nothing. Those are important," Keefe said earlier this week, hyperaware of the can't-get-it-done-in-60 narrative.

"We know we need to get better, and we will get better."

more

Below are the game highlights of Toronto's OT loss to Boston.

Quite The Start For The LA Kings

12/02/2023 at 6:17pm EST

from Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider,

13 wins and 29 points through 20 games. Not a bad place to be one quarter into the season.

Over the three seasons prior, the Kings posted between 21 and 23 points in each season through their first 20 games, with last year’s 11 victories their most in that span. The Kings had a shot at 30 points through 20 games for just the second time in franchise history, heading into Wednesday’s eventual defeat against Washington, but even with that result, consider this to be one of the best first quarters in franchise history.

The 13 victories are the third most in a season-opening 20 games in franchise history, behind only the 1990-91 Kings and the 1980-81 Kings. The Kings finished the first 20 games of the season with a goal differential of +30, finishing just one goal shy of the 90-91 squad for the best in Kings history. While franchise rankings are nice, franchise rankings don’t get you into the playoffs. NHL rankings do, and the Kings have set themselves up amongst the league’s best in several categories, as they sit between games 20 and 21.

continued

NHL Short Notes

12/02/2023 at 12:05am EST

* The Sharks scored six goals for the first time this season in their win against the Devils who had Simon Nemec, the No. 2 pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, record a two-point outing in his League debut.

* Rookies Dmitri Voronkov and Adam Fantilli accounted for two of the Blue Jackets’ four unanswered goals to help their club earn its first multi-goal comeback win of the season – the contest also featured Columbus boost its first-period goal total to 28, tied Tampa Bay for the second most among all teams behind Edmonton (32).

* Two Original Six showdowns will be featured on a four-game Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, which will also include Nikita Zadorov and his new club, the Canucks, visiting his former Flames.

Video - You Snooze You Lose

12/01/2023 at 8:39pm EST

Five hours later after deciding to take a 20 minute nap, I awake to news.

NEW YORK (Dec. 1, 2023) – New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith has been suspended for two games, without pay, for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny during NHL Game No. 344 in Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 17:07 of the third period. Smith was assessed a minor penalty for slashing.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Smith will forfeit $11,458.34. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/smith-suspended-two-games-6342185819112.

NEW YORK (Dec. 1, 2023) – Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith during NHL Game No. 344 in Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 17:07 of the third period. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Watch both incidents in one video below.

Stars Of The Month

12/01/2023 at 2:07pm EST

NEW YORK (Dec. 1, 2023) – Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of November.

A Three-Year Deal For Samuel Montembeault In Montreal

12/01/2023 at 10:16am EST

via the Montreal Canadiens,

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced today that the team has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension (2024-25 to 2026-27) with goaltender Samuel Montembeault. The deal will pay him an average salary of $3.15 million per season.

NHL Short Notes

12/01/2023 at 2:17am EST

* Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry claimed both a multi-goal comeback win and his first NHL goal as NHL EDGE tracked his empty-net shot moving 55.76 mph, covering 148.7 feet while airborne and reaching as high as 16.4 feet above the ice. Last season, LinusUllmark scored a “goalie goal” for Boston that clocked in at 53.24 mph, had an airborne distance of 132.9 feet and a max height of 15 feet.

* With the help of MitchMarner, ConnorDewar and Tom Wilson, AstraZeneca donated another $15,000 to the Hockey Fights Cancer Fund of the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

* Luke Hughes took a bow when he scored the winner for the Devils and was one of four players with an overtime goal Thursday (also Mathew Barzal, Nick Bjugstad & Nazem Kadri).

Vancouver/Calgary Trade

11/30/2023 at 6:29pm EST

Shadowing Craig Berube

11/30/2023 at 10:42am EST

from Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic,

It’s part of what will be a 19-hour day for Berube, 57, and it comes at the end of a four-game, eight-day road trip that has already had stops in San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. The night’s game is the third of the season against the Coyotes, and a win would allow the Blues to save face with a 2-2 road trip that began with a lump-inducing 5-1 loss to the Sharks.

Either way, though, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

The Blues are traveling back to St. Louis after the game, and when their chartered plane lands around 3 a.m., Berube will be reunited with his wife, Dominique, and his twin 15-year-olds, son Nashota and daughter Charlotte, for the holiday. They live in Philadelphia, where the children are in high school, and Berube hasn’t seen them since he left for training camp in September.

“It’s going to be good to just hang out for a couple days,” he says. “But today is today. I’m pretty good about separating those things. We’re right there, a couple points behind Winnipeg in the standings for the third spot. It’s a grind, so we just want to keep putting points on the board. That’s my focus: this game tonight.”

And from the early wakeup call Wednesday to the wee hours Thursday, he’ll keep that focus, even with an observer in tow. To give fans a better idea of what it’s like behind the scenes and off camera, Berube has agreed to let The Athletic shadow him from start to finish.

Here’s 19 hours in the life of an NHL coach on game day.

more ($)

NHL Short Notes

11/30/2023 at 2:11am EST

* The Rangers grabbed the top spot in the League standings with the help of Artemi Panarin who extended his season-opening home point streak to nine games – the longest by a Rangers player since 1996-97.

* The Capitals snapped the Kings’ win streak and improved to 7-3-1 in November – tied for the third-most wins by an Eastern Conference club this month.

* NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman helped open the 2023 White House Holiday Ice Rink by participating in a ceremonial puck drop alongside First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday.

* Thursday’s 14-game slate features the Hurricanes hosting the Islanders on ESPN+ and Hulu, several skaters concluding noteworthy Novembers as well as a general manager looking to climb the NHL’s all-time wins list.

Hockey Thoughts Before December Rolls In

11/30/2023 at 1:20am EST

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Man, that is weird seeing Patrick Kane in a Red Wings jersey. As word spread that Detroit was the landing spot, some people who knew him said they dropped their guard — admitting they weren’t surprised. Kane wanted to go to the Rangers last season, but had periodically discussed Detroit as a possibility if he ever needed another option.

On a personal level for him, it makes sense for family reasons, being close to his personal “hubs.” From a hockey perspective, there’s old partner Alex DeBrincat, his belief they are going in the right direction and a legit spot on the roster for what he brings....

- Toronto is down three defencemen: Mark Giordano (injured Tuesday, length of time to be determined), John Klingberg (could be rest of the season) and Timothy Liljegren (already out three weeks). As they consider what to do, the biggest question might be, “Is this the year to spend key assets on rentals?” A less-costly depth option, OK. Someone with term or that you know you can sign, all right. But a pure rental? Do they think that makes sense for this team, this season?

- You can see the strain on D.J. Smith. Ottawa’s new ownership/management is trying to set the tone of how they will run their organization: patiently, calculated and with purpose. I’ve mentioned this before, but when Mike Andlauer and Steve Staois took over, the players told them there was too much distraction/craziness around the team. They wish to show they will limit that. One of the theories is that if the Senators do decide to make a change, they’d rather make one than two (interim to permanent choice) for this reason.

more on the first topic and other hockey Thoughts...

Dean Evason Is Moving Forward

11/29/2023 at 5:36pm EST

from Michael Russo of The Athletic,

“I’m not going to hole up in my apartment worried people are going to look at me, saying, ‘There’s the coach of the Wild who got fired,’” Evason said. “I’m not embarrassed. I don’t think we did a crappy job. I want to be out and about. This has been my home for five years. I’ve lived in that same place for five years. I walked to the rink every day. I love it. I love living here. I love the people. I love the team, the organization. Does it get emotional sometimes? Sure. I mean, I get emotional. But I’m more thankful than anything.”

Mid-afternoon Monday — after coaches had met in the morning to put together video clips for players ahead of Tuesday’s Blues game, showing the type of fast hockey that had been missing in the first 19 games — Evason got a call from Guerin asking him to come down to his office at Wild headquarters.

Evason called his wife and told her one of two things was happening: “Either I’m getting fired or he’s going to ask me to fire some of my assistant coaches, and I don’t know what I’m going to do if he asks me to do the latter.”

In other words, Evason was willing to sacrifice his job to save Bob Woods, and it wasn’t the first time. That happened after last season, too, when Guerin was dismayed by the penalty kill.

Evason walked into Guerin’s office, looked at his face as he sat behind his desk and knew right away: “Are you firing me, bud?”

“He said, ‘Yeah,’ and he stood up, came around the desk and we hugged and he just started crying,” Evason said. “And so did I. I said, ‘Billy, I didn’t expect it to happen, but I’m so grateful and so honored to have the opportunity,’ and I thanked him. I’m not bitter. Do I want to still be the coach of the Minnesota Wild? Yeah, of course. But I understand what he’s doing. Do I agree with it? No, of course not, because I lost my job and Bob lost his job. But we had a fantastic conversation.”

more ($)

NHL Short Notes

11/29/2023 at 1:49am EST

* The Devils thrilled fans with a third-period, multi-goal comeback win – they became the 20th different team this month to achieve the feat, setting up an accomplishment witnessed only five times in NHL history.

* Connor McDavid continued his torrid scoring pace and has now accumulated 13 points over the past seven days, including a three-point period in three consecutive games – a feat achieved by only two other players in NHL history: Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

* A three-game Wednesday will feature the Rangers hosting the Red Wings on TNT and Max, one day after Detroit announced the blockbuster signing of three-time Stanley Cup champion and 2012-13 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Kane.

TSN Insiders On Tuesday Night

11/29/2023 at 12:44am EST

from TSN (Insidere),

Why did the Detroit Red Wings win the services of free agent forward Patrick Kane?

Chris Johnston: This was a result of a lot of hours on Zoom with Kane and his agent Pat Brisson at CAA. They talked to a number of teams these past few weeks and it probably extended a week longer than they initially thought it would before Kane made a decision.

When it comes to Detroit, what stood out was [head coach] Derek Lalonde had a strong impact on Kane during their discussions. We’ve talked [also] about the connection with Alex DeBrincat and the strong start to the season the Red Wings had.

The Red Wings also had the most cap space of any of the teams that were involved right up until the end.

There’s no timeline when Kane will play but it sounds like sometime next week we expect him to make his debut in Detroit.

Pierre LeBrun: What made a lot of headlines during this whole process was when the Toronto Maple Leafs poke their nose in this thing. [Maple Leafs general manager] Brad Treliving is notorious for investigating all the scenarios that can help his team, he’s been like that his entire career.

The reality is, yes the Leafs spoke to Kane and his camp but were not one of the three or four teams on his short list. It’s not surprising, Treliving said himself earlier this week that he is trying to upgrade the blueline and that’s their priority.

more (watch/read) on Kane, plus Corey Perry, the Senators and other topics...

Video- Come Back Toronto Fans

11/28/2023 at 10:06pm EST

Corey Perry On Waivers

11/28/2023 at 2:09pm EST

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