Articles in NHL Teams

* Defensemen from past to present highlighted a jam-packed Saturday, with the Maple Leafs paying a heartfelt tribute to their all-time great Börje Salming.

* Cale Makar surpassed the 50-goal mark in his career with two quick tallies and joined an elite list of NHL defensemen reaching the milestone in 191 games or fewer.

* The Devils extended the League’s longest active winning streak to nine games thanks in part to a collective effort that features four players with 10-plus points since the streak began.

12 minutes of you time to watch.

On this edition of 32 thoughts, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discuss if there's clarity to come with the Canucks coaching staff, the central topics at this weeks GM meetings and what's next with Mitchell Miller's contract with Boston Bruins.

Watch at Sportsnet

NEW YORK (Nov. 12, 2022) – Washington Capitals forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel has been suspended for three games, without pay, for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Cal Foote during NHL Game No. 222 in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Nov. 11, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 1:52 of the second period. Aube-Kubel was assessed a match penalty.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Aube-Kubel will forfeit $16,216.23. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Watch the suspension video below.

added 7:59pm, YouTube version is below.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

One week later, no one in the Bruins organization has taken responsibility for the signing of Mitchell Miller. Not ownership, not management. It has all been blamed on something called “the vetting process.”

The lack of accountability, which would never stand in a Boston room that is led by Patrice Bergeron, has become the hallmark of the franchise’s hierarchy under the ownership of “Mr. Jacobs.”

But beyond that, beyond the tangle of moral issues and, most importantly, the revictimization of Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, something seems off in the timeline of the decision to grant Miller a three-year, entry-level contract that included annual signing bonuses of $95,000 a year.

According to team president Cam Neely in his Nov. 7 press conference, general manager Don Sweeney briefed deputy commissioner Bill Daly about the club’s intentions on Nov. 2. On that date, Daly told Sweeney that Miller would have to meet with commissioner Gary Bettman in order to be cleared.

Neely put it as, “From what I gather,” which would not seem to bode well for the GM, who may be in prime position as a scapegoat.

continued plus more hockey topics.

from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

“The Next Golden Era is Now.” It ties in a bit of yesteryear’s heroes, including Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Gordie Howe, and uses the balance of the 30-second spot to highlight sensational plays by some of today’s stellar talents, such as Auston Matthews, Cale Makar, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Trevor Zegras, and of course McDavid.

The key message highlighted: “Will you let the golden era pass you by?”

Translation: “Seize the day, people, because these are the kids who are defining the era that one day you’ll be reminiscing about like those old goats who gas up RVs every summer to visit that spot in the Canadian Rockies that has the visages of Orr, Gretzky, Howe, and Jean Beliveau chiseled into the mountain.

The next step for the NHL to take, like the PGA did, is to focus more acutely on specific kids, showcasing their speed, athleticism, and execution. No sport in the world has athletes, even those lower on the talent chain, executing at today’s NHL’s pace and dealing with its degree of difficulty and, let’s not forget, danger.

These guys are so good that it’s hard to appreciate fully until the video is slowed, allowing the degree of difficulty and athleticism to be highlighted and, to some degree, explained. At today’s pace, it can be difficult for even an experienced eye to detect how a play develops, never mind how it gets executed or finished.

more plus more topics....

If you haven't seen the Next Golden Era video, it is in the link or below.

from Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now,

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella, who has his team off to a 7-4-2 start, was not in a good mood Saturday morning when asked why he didn’t address the media after a sloppy 5-2 loss Thursday in Columbus.

During Thursday’s game, which was Tortorella’s return to Columbus for the first time since he parted ways with the team in the spring of 2021, the coach received a standing ovation as a tribute video was shown.

Did he not talk after the loss because he was upset at his team’s play? Sick of talking about returning to Columbus? Was there a family emergency?

“None of your business,” he snorted on Saturday.

The NHL requires head coaches to talk after games. Tortorella instead sent associate coach Brad Shaw to speak after the loss to the Jackets.

“I think during his career, he’s almost always talked to the media after every game,” GM Chuck Fletcher said. ” … I don’t think it will be an issue moving forward.”

Asked why Tortrorella declined to speak Thursday, Fletcher said: “I can’t speak for John. It’s up to John to speak for him.”

An NHL spokesman said the league was “handling” the situation.

more

Watch the hit below.

Less than 4 minutes to watch.

* Evgeni Malkin leads all active players in points per game against the Maple Leafs and played a pivotal role for the Penguins on Friday, propelling his club to victory in the annual Hockey Hall of Fame Game.

* It was a milestone night in Washington as John Carlson recorded his 600th career point. Only three active defensemen have reached the mark in fewer games than the Capitals blueliner.

* After making his debut with the Flyers during the 2007-08 season, Claude Giroux will make his much-anticipated return to Philadelphia as a member of the Senators after being dealt to the Panthers prior to the trade deadline last season.

He was in attendance for the Hockey Hall of Fame game tonight.

added 7:45pm, a little longer view is below..

from the Columbus Blue Jackets,

The Columbus Blue Jackets have placed defenseman Nick Blankenburg, center Sean Kuraly and right wing Jakub Voracek on Injured Reserve, General Manager and Alternate Governor Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. Voracek was placed on Injured Reserve retroactive to November 4, while Kuraly's designation is retroactive to November 5. The Blue Jackets have added defensemen Gavin Bayreuther, Marcus Bjork and David Jiricek to the roster on emergency recall from the Cleveland Monsters, the club's American Hockey League affiliate. In addition, defenseman Zach Werenski suffered a separated shoulder and torn labrum in Thursday's 5-2 win over Philadelphia and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.

continued

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

The snickering started more than eight hours before faceoff as the Vegas Golden Knights were waiting for the Zamboni to finish its rounds so they could take their morning skate at KeyBank Center.

A group of Knights were huddled in front of the boards laughing and you could hear a voice of one chuckle while saying, "We should boo him when he comes out here."

They thought better of it but it was clear everyone in the visitors' locker room knew what to expect Thursday night. Jack Eichel was back in Buffalo and that was going to spark rage in the crowd. The fans were at full-throated hostility for 40 minutes as Eichel – who got booed unmercifully every time he touched the puck – had no points and his team was clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Then they had no choice but to zip it.

Eichel came close to cracking the scoresheet in the first two periods but Eric Comrie stuffed him three times, twice on breakaways. In the third period, Eichel assisted on Alex Pietrangelo's goal at 3:52, banged home a Pietrangelo rebound at 6:13, sizzled a wrister past Comrie at 14:37 and then lofted an empty netter 190 feet to cap a hat trick with 7.6 seconds to go.

continued

Game highlights are below.

from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

Too many turnovers, not enough saves.

The Edmonton Oilers coughed up pucks all over the ice, allowing goals in the final seconds of two separate periods, and struggling goaltender Jack Campbell was — once again — just not good enough in a 7-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

“This league is too hard to recover from self-inflicted wounds,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft, “and tonight there were a lot of self-inflicted wounds.

“Pucks that were on our tape. We didn’t guarantee it out, or we didn’t get it deep, and a very good hockey team made us pay.”

The math, it’s simple.

If you’re going to hand pucks away, you’d better have a spectacular goaltender to clean up those messes. If you don’t — and Campbell’s game is anything but spectacular since joining the Oilers — then you’d better take care of the puck.

Campbell got ventilated for seven behind a sleepy Oilers group of skaters, but was shaky on a couple of early ones when the game was still well within reach. By the time it was over it wasn’t about the goaltending, as much as it was about a team that just didn’t give itself a chance to win.

continued

Game highlights are below.

* Former Sabres captain Jack Eichel tallied three times versus Buffalo, while Andrei Svechnikov also scored a hat trick Thursday and reached 100 goals in his NHL career.

* Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winning goal in his return to the Bruins’ lineup as Boston remained undefeated at TD Garden this season.

* Several hockey legends are expected to be in attendance when the Maple Leafs host the Penguins during the annual Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Friday. Click here to read the #NHLStats Pack for the Class of 2022, who are set to be officially inducted Monday.

All the goals scored on Thursday night in the NHL. 11:19 to watch.

from Steve Ellis of The Daily Faceoff,

Today, we’re looking at five players that have played big roles for their teams in the past or were expected to and have fallen short. There’s still plenty of time for course correction, but these five players will need to get on the right path sooner rather than later:

Juuse Saros, G (Nashville Predators)

So much of Nashville’s success last year revolved around Saros’ play, and he ended up as a Vezina Trophy finalist. But of the 26 goalies with at least eight games played this year – essentially, most of the league’s starters – Saros’ .897 save percentage at 5-on-5 is 24th, and his minus-4.26 goals saved above average is 25th. You can’t sugarcoat his performance – he’s not getting the job done, and the team in front of him isn’t good enough to make up for his shortcomings. The 27-year-old has had a handful of ups and downs in his career, and right now, it’s definitely on the low side.

Andrew Mangiapane, LW (Calgary Flames)

Mangiapane went from earning some Team Canada Olympic consideration last year to scoring just twice in 12 games this season. He had 35 goals last season, but in the past 65 games since Jan. 1, he only has 19. That means 18 of his 35 last year them came in his first 29 games.

read on

Five minutes of your time.

from Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun,

An 8-3-1 record, the best 12-game start in their rebooted history, good for first place in their division.

It all seems a little too good to be true for the Winnipeg Jets.

So is it?

Part of this job is to poke at nice, shiny things to find out if they’re real.

I wasn’t about to poke defenceman Brenden Dillon – did you see what he did to Dallas forward Ty Dellandrea, Tuesday night? – so I just asked him.

Thankfully, he laughed.

“I don’t know,” Dillon began. “As much as we’re excited about the start, we’re only 12 games in. There’s a lot of runway left. Every team talks about it, though. A start is really important.”

Over to Kyle Connor, a safer choice. I don’t think he’s thrown a punch in his career, yet.

Is this team this good?

“It seems that way, doesn’t it?” was his reply.

more

Trevor Zegras with another Michigan goal but entering the zone, the Ducks were offside after a challenge.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

All of which brings us to one obvious suitor when it comes to a potential trade for O’Reilly, Horvat or Toews: Colorado.

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Avalanche lost No. 2 center Nazem Kadri to the Flames in free agency this past summer, and I’m convinced they will try to go out and replace him — even if just for this year’s playoffs — closer to the March 3 trade deadline.

O’Reilly, Horvat and Toews would all be good fits on Colorado’s second line.

Horvat would be the most expensive acquisition, to be sure, but it’s worth pointing out that the Avs do still have their first-round pick for the June NHL Draft. (The Canucks would surely want a first-round pick as part of a bigger package.)

Toews, by virtue of his full no-move, limits Chicago’s ability to manufacture a true market, so he’s likely the cheapest to acquire, asset-wise, although someone has to pay an asset for the third-party broker to get involved.

A healthy Sean Monahan (also a pending UFA) from Montreal could be another option for Colorado.

But if I were Avs GM Chris MacFarland and were looking to bolster my lineup for a chance to repeat, O’Reilly and Toews are the two guys I’d zero in on closer to March 3 — two captains who have won and understand what it takes come playoff time.

more ($)

The Devils are among a group of top-performing clubs who will look to keep their recent hot streaks going during a 10-game Thursday in the NHL.

* A 40-save shutout by 21-year-old Spencer Knight allowed Eric Staal to skate away with a victory in his 1,300th NHL game. It also put Florida head coach Paul Maurice ahead of a legendary name on the League’s all-time wins list.

* The Wild tallied four unanswered goals to extend their franchise record head-to-head winning streak against the Ducks to 11 contests – the second-longest active run in the NHL.