Articles in NHL Teams

NEW YORK (Jan. 9, 2023) – Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Jan. 8.

Running late today, something about a power loss early in the morning.

* David Pastrnak pocketed 3-1—4 and climbed the Bruins’ all-time lists for 30-goal seasons, hat tricks and game-opening tallies.

* The Central Division-leading Stars defeated the Panthers to maintain their one-point lead on the Jets, who prevailed in a turbulent clash with the Canucks to remain at cruising altitude.

* Monday’s slate opens with Rasmus Dahlin looking to follow up his franchise record-tying five-point performance from Saturday and closes with League scoring leader Connor McDavid facing the Kings.

via Sportsnet's YouTube page,

On this edition of After Hours, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid joins Scott Oake and Louie DeBrusk to discuss how he's learned to become more 'selfish' as a player, his relationship with teammate Leon Draisaitl, his brother Cam, and more.

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- How big are the world juniors in Canada, still, after all the difficulties?

Big enough to have an audience for the final game on Thursday night that was almost 25 times larger than those who were watching the Maple Leafs play against Seattle at the very same time.

Big enough to have a televised audience larger than any of Canada’s recent games in the World Cup of soccer.

An average junior hockey game on television would normally draw about one-tenth the audience of an average Leafs, Canucks, or Canadiens game. The world junior final, which saw Canada beat Czechia in overtime, had 1.2-million viewers more than last year’s slap-happy Academy Awards. And it had 1.4 million more than November’s Grey Cup, with an audience on the rise.

- Jim Montgomery is running away with the coach of the year award in the NHL, just as the Bruins are running away in the standings. But consideration should be given to Rick Bowness in Winnipeg, Lindy Ruff in New Jersey, Bruce Cassidy in Vegas, Pete DeBoer in Dallas and Dave Hakstol in Seattle for the work they’ve been doing. And if there’s such a thing as coach of the decade, why not Rod Brind’Amour in Carolina, whose Hurricanes play a lot like Rod Brind’Amour every single season.

- Connor McDavid is phenomenal. Leon Draisaitl is terrific. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are having all-star-like seasons. So tell me, how is it that the Edmonton Oilers are this average, barely in a playoff spot nearing halfway through the regular season?

- John Tortorella was probably speaking for most hockey executives when he said he couldn’t care less about the NHL All-Star game. Others just aren’t as bold with their words as Tortorella. The only reason there’s an all-star game is not to entertain fans but to entertain league sponsors.

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* Rasmus Dahlin tied the game in the third period and helped the Sabres capture an overtime victory en route to matching a franchise record for points in a game by a defenseman.

* The Kraken scored early and often against the Senators en route to their third eight-goal outburst of the season and third consecutive outing with five or more tallies.

* Alex Ovechkin eyes his 400th career home goal when teammates Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson return to the Capitals lineup.

via Sportsnet's YouTube page,

On this edition of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek discuss the possible trade targets, this season's best valued contracts, Shane Wright's potential destination ahead of OHL deadline, and more.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

There are always Next Ones coming who salivate the imagination — the way there was Eric Lindros, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Jack Hughes, and the way there is Connor Bedard.

Bedard put on a show for victorious Team Canada in the World Juniors and capped it with an on-ice interview following his team’s 3-2 overtime victory over Team Czechia in Halifax that made this 17-year-old (!) poster boy for the sport’s evolving speed and skill also a virtual poster boy for our game’s credo that the logo on the front of the sweater is more important than the name on its back.

“I don’t want to talk about myself right now,” said Bedard, who was named MVP of the tourney after recording nine goals, 14 assists and 23 points to lead the event in each category. “We’re not talking about me.

“We just won the biggest tournament in the world, and man, I love this team, this country.”

Bedard is another of the influx of electrifying young athletes who, one-by-one and year-by-year, are transforming the sport. Coaching matters, of course it does, and so does discipline and so does the ability to get the puck in and get the puck out, but the NHL is a players league and it becomes more of one with each season.

These young whippersnappers are too self-assured and too talented to be shoehorned into left wing locks and traps. They are too rambunctious and cocky to believe that a three-goal lead is too much to overcome.

Outdoor games and shinny have come to the NHL.

read on plus more topics of interest...

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

Biggest surprises

▪ Bruins — All they do is win. Almost. Even those rare times when they lose, they snap right back. After last Saturday’s overtime loss to the Sabres, they pulled off a 2-1 comeback win over the Penguins in the Winter Classic at Fenway, leaving them 8-0-0 in games following a loss....

▪ Kraken — The sophomore upstarts will be at the Garden Thursday night (for Game No. 41 on the Bruins’ schedule) and they are in the thick of the mix for one of the West’s eight playoff seeds, currently dancing above the wild-card cut line....

Biggest letdowns

▪ Panthers — Rolled up the league’s best regular-season record (58-18-6) last year and then pulled off the biggest deal of the offseason, bringing in Matthew Tkachuk for scoring and grit....

▪ Avalanche — Last season’s Cup winner hasn’t struggled at Panthers-level, but their 19-15-3 mark heading into the weekend had them 2 points south of a wild-card spot in the West....

more on each of the above plus other teams too...

* Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Josh Morrissey both extended their respective streaks Friday and were among a number of players who found the score sheet after earning the honor of participating in the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

* Veteran Eric Staal and teenager Mason McTavish both produced notable performances as the Panthers and Ducks each skated to victories.

* Three of four division leaders are in action on a nine-game Saturday as the Bruins, Hurricanes and Golden Knights take to the ice.

“I watched it for two years. I don't think he could be better than a 20-goal scorer, he explained during a generous interview with TVASports.ca earlier this week. Not because I don't like it, but because it lacks speed. I figured he's a player they might be looking to trade.

“The Rangers have a good team and they want to win the Stanley Cup within two years. He is not giving enough right now to be on the first two lines and for the team to aspire to great honors."

-Ron Duguay, former NHL player on Alexis Lafrenière. Louis-Andre Lariviere of TVA Sports has more (translated).

from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

Just how competitive is the race to the bottom?

Well, Chicago has only eight wins so far this year. Meanwhile, Anaheim and Columbus have racked up fewer points than Boston has wins. A dozen other teams are closer to a draft lottery pick than a playoff spot.

In other words, we could be looking at one of the worst seasons in NHL history. At their current pace, the Blackhawks will finish the season with 44 points, which would be the lowest finish since 1993, when Ottawa and San Jose managed just 24 points in hopes of landing Alexander Daigle. And that was in a year where teams played 84 games.

More recently, Toronto finished last overall with 69 points in 2016 when Auston Matthews was the prized No. 1 pick. A year earlier, Buffalo tanked with 54 points in hopes of landing Connor McDavid. And Pittsburgh, Chicago and Washington all finished with less than 60 points when Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin headlined the 2004 draft.

No question, the chance of landing a really good prospect can cause teams to suddenly play poorly. And Bedard, who has broken every scoring record possible en route to the championship final, appears to be one of those players.

How else to explain why Columbus has lost 14 of its past 18 games. Or that Montreal, which headed into Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers, had allowed 22 goals in its past three games. Or why Anaheim had allowed 68 more goals than they had scored.

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HL ANNOUNCES 32 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2023 HONDA NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND
The NHL announced 32 players named to the four divisional rosters for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend. The 32 All-Stars – seven skaters and one goaltender for each of the four divisional rosters – were selected by the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department, with one player being chosen from each team. Click here to read more.

Western Conference is below.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet

It’s a dynamic they’ve never been able to figure out here in Edmonton, going all the way back to the days when they handed the keys to the car to a bunch of teenagers named Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Back then the veterans became alienated, and lost ice time for making mistakes the kids made every night. And the team, well, it wasn’t close to being any good.

Because it wasn’t a team. It was a few elite guys, and the rest were simply “the help.”

Today, the Oilers’ drivers are far more elite. And players like Zach Hyman, Evander Kane and Nugent-Hopkins give the Oilers as high-end a Top 6 as there is in the game.

But as a “team” Edmonton has faltered. They’re becoming just a few high-end guys and a roster that can’t win unless the two big guys win it for them.

They held a players-only meeting before Wednesday’s practice, on the heels of another noncommittal, soft and disinterested loss the night before.

There are issues here, both on the ice and off.

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from Eric Francis of Sportsnet,

Sportsnet.ca: If you had a new year’s resolution for the team, what would it be?

Brad Treliving: That’s a good one. You always hope for health. We want health and our team to play to the capabilities they’re capable of, and we’ve seen that the last month.

SN: You went into the season being public about your desire to add help to your top 9 up front, but given the fact you’re scoring at the same clip as last year has your wish list changed?

BT: No I don’t think it has changed.

That’s still an area, if you look at our group and the way it has performed, another forward in that top 9 group is something we could use. Whether that’s internal or external is yet to be seen.

SN: How would you describe the first half Huberdeau has had?

BT: I think there’s been a lot of adjustment for him in a lot of different ways, but I think he’s building.

I don’t care if you are 18, 20 or 30, a big part of this game is confidence and you’re seeing him build his confidence on a daily basis.

He’s changed a lot, especially the way our team plays compared to what he played in the past. His whole world was flipped upside down. I think we’re just seeing him more comfortable as we get going.

The guy is an elite player and we’re starting to see some of those plays getting made. You’re seeing him settle in with linemates – the chemistry between him and Naz is building,

We’ve had challenges with him and our group as we put all those pieces together, but I’ve seen growth there.

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5 1/2 minutes of your time.

* Nico Hischier celebrated his birthday with a goal for the second time in his career as the Devils continued their success as the visitors in 2022-23 and improved to 14-2-1 on the road.

* Rookie defenseman Calen Addison accomplished a franchise-first as his Wild captured their 10th consecutive home victory against the Lightning.

* Alex Ovechkin eyes his 30th goal and a rare feat in NHL history when he leads his Capitals into Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets on ESPN.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

They played like a team that was owed two points. As if, like the 18,297 fans, the Seattle Kraken had paid their way in to witness the mighty Edmonton Oilers dangle through another evening, just happy to have a front row seat to watch Connor McDavid tack on a few more points en route to his Art Ross Trophy.

So the Edmonton Oilers did the same, putting their feet up and taking the night off.

When it was over, and the Kraken had scored five consecutive goals to win 5-2, the Oilers said all the same things they’ve been saying for far too long now. The things they’ve been saying after each of their five consecutive losses at home.

“It is consistency. It is doing it every single night,” said Zach Hyman, an intelligent — and increasingly frustrated — spokesman in this dressing room. “We talk about it, but you have to go out there and do it for the entire game.”...

"We just stopped playing,” said Hyman, of an 11-minute stretch of the second period where the Kraken scored four times. “We weren’t tight on checks and they had a couple of faceoff goals, which we talk about all of the time. We go over things and talk about it, but it is just mental lapses and not being hard on the puck.”

Soft?

This team can be disturbingly soft, especially the blue-line corps.

If there was any disagreement over what the team needs as the Trade Deadline approaches, a night like this drives home the need for an assertive, hard-edged defenceman who can keep the slot clean.

read on

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

We know that Mika Zibanejad contributes in myriad ways even when he is not scoring. But here’s the thing, the Rangers need their No. 1 center to score if they are going to make an imprint on the NHL.

And No. 93 is off on one of his patented streaks, scoring goals even when he loses the puck on a move, as he did Sunday in Florida against the Panthers, and even when he is trying to make a pass to the front, as he did at the Garden on Tuesday against the Hurricanes.

“Obviously I want to score and help the team,” said Zibanejad, who has scored four in the last three games after going eight straight without one. “But I try not to focus on too much. The focus is on winning games.

“That’s all it is.”

The Rangers recorded one of their most impressive victories with this 5-3 triumph over a Carolina team that had won 11 straight games and had gone 17 straight (15-0-2) without losing in regulation. The Blueshirts competed and improved from start to finish, overcoming deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 (entering the third period). They are 10-2-1 over their last 13 contests.

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Game highlights are below.

The TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger discuss why Connor Bedard's amazing World Juniors run could spark teams to fortify their draft lottery chances via January trades, the status of former No. 1 pick Alexis Lafreniere in New York, and what the future may hold for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Watch and read the transcript of the segment at TSN.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

“I think we can all agree on Bedard’s ability/talent — but that he wants to make a difference almost every shift is exceptional.

“Exceptional players win championships.”

The injury-riddled Jackets, last in the Eastern Conference standings, will have a shot at him in the draft lottery, along with the Blackhawks, Ducks, Sharks, Coyotes, Canadiens and Flyers, among others.

I say among “others” because there’s lots of hockey left and time for teams to stumble down the standings and enter the Bedard-lottery fray. What about the Blues after the injury news Monday regarding Ryan O’Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko?

What will be interesting to follow in the next few weeks is how quickly some of those teams start to trade away players ahead of the March 3 deadline.

As they do, of course part of the aim will be recouping futures-type assets. But the other benefit, especially with the trades that happen sooner rather than later, will be to further weaken those teams’ current NHL rosters and help fortify the draft lottery chances.

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from Ethan Sears of the New York Post,

Lane Lambert has spent the season trying to say as little as possible when in front of reporters. So when he criticized specific elements of the Islanders’ performance following Sunday night’s 4-1 loss to the Kraken, it perked up the ears.

“We weren’t clean on our breakouts,” Lambert said. “It starts there. You can’t play with speed if you don’t execute or exit your zone cleanly and we didn’t do that. Then, when we did have the puck in the neutral zone at times, we turned it over instead of getting it in deep and establishing our forecheck.”

The Islanders spent much of Monday’s practice at Rogers Arena working on breakouts. But more telling than the minutiae is that entering Game 39 of the season, the Islanders are still struggling to find consistency in how they play.

The Islanders won three games on the hop before venturing out West for a four-game trip, clinically suppressing shots and forechecking as they gave up just three goals across those victories. The Kraken game was so bad, though, with the Isles giving up more shots than they generated on the power play, that Lambert went to an option he emphatically shot down less than a week ago and changed the composition of his five-on-four units at practice.

“That was last week,” he said. “Things have changed for sure.”

It’s nearly the midpoint of Lambert’s first season in charge of the Islanders and this season will be judged almost entirely on whether the team makes the playoffs. At 21-15-2 entering Tuesday’s game against the Canucks, they’re on the wrong side of the cutline, albeit only due to the Penguins — who are tied with them at 44 points and have one fewer regulation win — owning a game in hand. All of five points separate the Islanders, in sixth place and barely out of the playoffs, from the second-place Devils.

For much of the season, the Islanders have played up to good competition, with most of their poor performances coming against worse opposition.

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* Playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 39,243 fans at the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic, the Bruins staged a third-period comeback – and narrowly avoided what could have been a last-second tying goal by the Penguins – to claim their second victory at historic Fenway Park.

* The NHL announced that the Kraken will host the Golden Knights in the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners.

* Steven Stamkos, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews all can reach a “500” milestone during Tuesday’s 11-game slate.

from Steve Buckley of The Athletic,

Nice try by the hockey people in assigning Suite L-8 to Bobby Orr during Monday’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park.

Yes, No. 4 retreated to No. 8 after participating in a pregame “first puck” ceremony with former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, but soon he was stepping into the next suite, and then the one after that, and he appeared to be having as good a time as any of the 39,243 fans who filled this ancient ballpark to watch the Bruins emerge with a 2-1 victory over the Penguins.

Watching Orr shake hands and slap backs and flash that smirky grin of his — which always suggests he knows something that maybe you don’t — it occurred to me that we need more of this sort of thing. We need more of Orr. And if his appearance at the Winter Classic is any indication, 2023 is off to a fine start.

For those who don’t know the backstory, Orr has made only limited public appearances since October of 2020. It was around that time that an ad appeared in the Manchester (N.H.) Union-Leader in which Orr endorsed Donald Trump’s bid for reelection as president of the United States. The ad featured a photo of Orr and his wife Peggy posing with Trump, and the bottom of the ad included the words “Paid for by Bobby Orr.”

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from Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times,

On an October day the Mariners were to play one of their first divisional playoff games in two decades, their top ballpark officials met with NHL counterparts about a completely different sporting event featuring the crosstown Kraken.

The culmination of that meeting and others was announced Monday, with the Kraken being awarded their first-ever outdoor game to be played next Jan. 1 at T-Mobile Park against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said in a phone interview Monday the NHL’s decision to play the 2024 Discover Winter Classic in a city known for rain this time of year had plenty to do with the Mariners’ flexibility in making their retractable-roofed ballpark available for several weeks.

“They were just so impressed that they were even meeting with them the day of one of their playoff games,” Leiweke said of the meetup, which took place in the hours leading up to a Mariners road contest against the Astros in Houston. “And given the uncertainty of the weather and the risk involved, it helps to have that safeguard in there.”

Beyond the team’s flexibility in making T-Mobile Park available for the lengthy process of building the temporary hockey rink inside, the NHL liked that it would have the ability to only partially close the stadium’s roof directly over the rink if it rains. That would enable them to keep the remainder of the venue in an open-air environment the league believes is crucial to the appeal of its outdoor games.

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