Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger exited Friday's 5-4 win against the Ottawa Senators after sustaining a lower-body injury in the first period.Oettinger appeared to hurt himself after the puck got stuck under his right skate when making a save on a Claude Giroux shot.The netminder had allowed two goals on as many shots before stopping the shot that led to the injury.Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said Oettinger won't travel to St. Louis for Saturday's contest against the Blues and will need to undergo more tests to determine the severity, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Oettinger, 24, had an 11-7-2 record and a .904 save percentage in 20 appearances coming into Friday's action.Scott Wedgewood stopped 25 of 27 shots he faced in relief.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Seattle Kraken acquired forward Tomas Tatar from the Colorado Avalanche for a 2024 fifth-round pick, the teams announced Friday.Tatar, 33, scored one goal and nine points in 27 games with the Avalanche. He signed a one-year contract worth $1.5 million with Colorado in September.The Slovakian tallied 20 goals and 48 points last season with the New Jersey Devils, ranking fifth league-wide with a plus-41.Tatar's played just 11:17 per game for the Avalanche, nearly four minutes less than last season's average with the Devils. He didn't score his first goal with Colorado until Monday against the Calgary Flames.

The NHL and NHLPA are looking into how Arizona Coyotes defenseman Juuso Valimaki was left without care at a Dallas hospital for several hours after taking a slap shot to the mouth in November, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Valimaki and his wife were reportedly left to fend for themselves, along with a Coyotes employee, when he was dropped off at the emergency room by ambulance during an overtime loss to the Stars on Nov. 14.After performing an initial CT scan, the hospital staff told Valimaki to book a local hotel room and return the next morning, sources told Seravalli. The staff made the suggestion because they couldn't perform surgery on Valimaki until two days later. They said they had to prioritize more critical patients like those suffering from gunshot wounds.However, the Finnish rearguard required immediate attention given that he had significant internal bleeding, a hole in his mouth, and a bloodied face, sources said. He was reportedly unable to function.Doctors later told Valimaki that he may have suffocated on his own blood had he taken the hospital's advice and left for a hotel.The NHLPA helped arrange for him to get treatment five hours later, and he received 55 stitches in his mouth to seal the wound. Valimaki had a broken bone and also lost a few teeth.His wife, Vilma, reached out to the players' union after her husband waited in the ER for an hour without receiving care. Two hours after that, his wound and his face were finally cleaned up. He underwent the proper surgery the next day.The NHLPA reportedly divulged details of the incident to the NHL, which then met with both the Coyotes and the Stars. It's unclear whether either team violated league protocol because it's not shared publicly.The team employee who stayed with them at the hospital was high performance director Devan McConnell, according to Seravalli. McConnell maintained contact with Coyotes management, advocated for Valimaki to remain at the hospital to seek care, planned for a hotel and meals for Vilma, and flew back to Arizona with the Valimakis once Juuso's treatment at the hospital was finished.Valimaki was reportedly pleased with how the Coyotes handled his situation.He returned to the ice about two weeks later after missing six games. He's been wearing a full cage ever since and plans to do so until his injuries heal.The 25-year-old has six assists with what would be a career-high average ice time of 18:22 across 22 contests this season. He's in his second campaign with the Coyotes after playing his first three with the Calgary Flames, who drafted him 16th overall in 2017.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Thursday was a mixed bag on the ice. Both sides we backed struggled en route to ugly road losses, but all three player props cashed to give us a profitable night overall.We'll look to build on it with a couple more plays for Friday night.Ducks (+250) @ Rangers (-300)Lukas Dostal started the season with three quality showings, but the wheels have completely fallen off.Since Oct. 27, Dostal has recorded an absurdly low .865 save percentage while conceding nearly six goals more than expected. He ranks near the bottom of the league in both categories.Only one of Dostal's seven appearances in that span has featured fewer than seven combined goals. It was a 1-0 game against an abysmal Blackhawks team that has next to no offensive ability beyond rookie Connor Bedard.Dostal figures to be in for a tough night against the Rangers. They own a 9-3 home record and are netting nearly 3.5 goals per game in their building.The stars are aligning for a big offensive output from New York in this game. Not only is Dostal struggling mightily, but the Ducks are the league's most undisciplined team.A lethal power play featuring Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Adam Fox should have ample opportunity to go to work - a good recipe for offense.The Ducks should also be able to chip in a couple of goals. They've been forced to outscore their problems all season and are no strangers to shootouts.As well as Jonathan Quick has played this campaign, he has largely struggled in recent seasons. There's reason to believe he's playing over his head. And we may be at the start of some of that regression, as he owns a negative goals-saved-above-expectation total over the past three games, which includes a date against the Sharks.The Ducks may also be getting some firepower back in their lineup. Mason McTavish, who ranks second on the team in goals, is a game-time decision and may return tonight.That would be a welcomed addition. Either way, the Rangers are primed for a big outburst against Dostal and look more than capable of doing the heavy lifting to take this game over the number.Bet: Over 6.5 (+105)Sharks (+160) @ Coyotes (-190)The Sharks and Coyotes - somewhat shockingly - are on completely different trajectories right now. San Jose has won six of its last 10 and picked up at least a point in eight of those games.Meanwhile, Arizona has dropped four consecutive contests since its level of goaltending has returned to earth.This is a good spot to buy a little low on the Coyotes and back them to regain their groove.Arizona has enjoyed success at home this season, winning eight of 13 games and besting teams like the Golden Knights, Lightning, and Avalanche. An ugly road trip doesn't take away from that.On the flip side, the Sharks own a 3-11-1 road record this campaign. Scoring more than a goal or two in a contest has been challenging for them.Although San Jose deserves credit for its recent run of play, keeping things in perspective is important.The Sharks still lack high-end talent in any position. They don't have much in terms of firepower up front and impactful defenders. Their goaltending tandem is also a couple of castaways.The Coyotes may not be as good as some suggested when they took out all the recent Stanley Cup winners every other night. But they're still a competitive, well-coached team that plays its best hockey on home ice.I expect Arizona to kick off this three-game home stretch with a much-needed win against one of the league's bottom-feeders. Look for the Coyotes to take care of business within 60 minutes.Bet: Coyotes in regulation (-125)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine will likely be out for six weeks due to a clavicle fracture sustained in Thursday's win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, his club announced Friday.Laine left the Jackets' 6-5 overtime victory in the second frame and didn't return. He opened the scoring in the first period with his sixth goal of the season.The 25-year-old also has three assists across 18 games in 2023-24. He's endured numerous injuries in his career and hasn't played more than 68 contests in a campaign since 2018-19. The Finnish skater missed 10 games during the abbreviated 2021 season.Laine is in his eighth NHL campaign and his third full season with Columbus. The Blue Jackets acquired him in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets in January 2021.He's under contract through 2025-26 with an $8.7-million cap hit, according to CapFriendly. The Jackets signed him to a four-year pact in July 2022.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Thursday night was great for our player props, as all three of our shooters came through with room to spare.We'll look to build on that success and finish the week on a high with three more props for Friday's card.Artemi Panarin: Over 3.5 shotsPanarin is a monster in New York. He's attempted 109 shots through 12 games, averaging over nine per contest. And Panarin's well clear of the next closest Ranger, sitting 30 attempts above second-place Vincent Trocheck.What I love about Panarin is there's great consistency attached. He's not somebody who piles up double-digit attempts one night and fires three toward goal the next. The numbers are consistently high.Panarin has attempted at least seven shots in 11 of 12 home games this season. He's giving himself a legitimate chance to hit the over every night.There's no reason to expect anything different from Panarin against the Ducks. They're one of the league's worst defensive teams, and they've taken penalties in bulk all season.No club has spent more time in the penalty box this campaign than Anaheim. The same can be said when isolating the last 10 games.Panarin happens to be New York's leading shot-taker on the power play. He should be the prime beneficiary of a mouthwatering matchup.Odds: -130 (playable to -150)Matias Maccelli: Over 2.5 shotsMaccelli is red-hot. He's registered at least three shots in six of the past seven contests, falling short only against a low-event Capitals team.The 23-year-old winger finds himself in a great spot to continue his success against the Sharks. Although it's won its fair share of games lately, San Jose continues to struggle defensively, sitting 29th in shots allowed per game over the last 10.Based on how the Coyotes deploy their lines, their second unit - which features Maccelli - will likely see a ton of the Sharks' bottom six. That group is paper thin and bleeds shots and expected goals, giving Maccelli and Co. a cakewalk matchup to exploit.Expect another active offensive performance from Maccelli against one of the league's worst teams.Odds: +120 (playable to -125)Jack Eichel: Over 3.5 shotsEichel has been a model of consistency this season. He's registered four-plus shots in 18 of 30 games, good for a 60% hit rate. He also hasn't gone more than two straight contests without going over his total, which happens to be the streak he's riding now.Eichel should be able to ramp things up again versus his former team. The Sabres have gone through their share of defensive issues this campaign, and they likely won't spend as much time on their front foot with Jeff Skinner missing from the lineup.I think the Golden Knights will have a lot of the puck in this game. Eichel torched the Sabres for four points and seven shots on 10 attempts the last time these sides met.Those kinds of outputs will be difficult to match, but Eichel should be plenty involved again.Odds: -122 (playable to -140)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jordan Kyrou was emotional after being booed by his home fans in the St. Louis Blues' 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday."It's definitely the toughest game I've probably played, to be honest," Kyrou told reporters postgame, per Bally Sports Midwest."It's just tough, right? Like, I love playing here, so it's just tough to hear the fans booing me there," he added, fighting back tears.The crowd's reaction stemmed from Kyrou's lack of comment earlier in the day when asked about head coach Craig Berube's firing, saying, "he's not my coach anymore."

Canucks icon Roberto Luongo was the star of the show before Thursday's clash against the Florida Panthers, as he was inducted into Vancouver's Ring of Honour.Luongo is the eighth Canuck to earn the distinction, joining Orland Kurtenbach, Kirk McLean, Thomas Gradin, Harold Snepsts, Pat Quinn, Mattias Ohlund, and Alex Burrows. The organization has also retired the numbers of six players.Many of Luongo's former teammates were on hand for the ceremony. Henrik and Daniel Sedin presented their former netminder with a jersey featuring a captain's "C," symbolizing his run as the Canucks' leader for two seasons.Then, Vancouver fans serenaded him with a vintage "Luuuuu" chant before the banner was dropped.

Minnesota Wild general manager and president of hockey operations Bill Guerin was subject to an external investigation after a team employee filed a human resources complaint alleging verbal abuse in the workplace, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.The alleged incident occurred in late November. Guerin didn't attend the NHL's board of governors meeting or the Wild's four-game road trip while the investigation was ongoing.Two attorneys conducted interviews with more than 15 members of the Wild organization, and the investigation's findings were given to team ownership, which determined Guerin did not commit a fireable offense. League commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly are satisfied with the result, according to Russo.The Wild and assistant general manager Chris O'Hearn agreed to part ways on Wednesday after a separate investigation into code of conduct violations."The Minnesota Wild takes its code of conduct seriously," the team said in a statement to Russo. "We recently concluded two separate investigations into alleged violations of that code of conduct, and have taken appropriate steps to address the matters raised to our attention. The club will not comment further."Guerin and O'Hearn had worked alongside each other since 2019.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou didn't have much to say when asked about his relationship with ex-head coach Craig Berube."I've got no comment," he said Thursday, per The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "He's not my coach anymore."Berube was removed from his post following St. Louis' 6-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong discussed his decision to move on from the 2019 Stanley Cup champion in a press conference Wednesday, saying "things weren't changing" under Berube's direction.Drew Bannister is now running the Blues' bench on an interim basis. Kyrou played under Bannister with the AHL's San Antonio Rampage for parts of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons."It kind of feels like a little bit of a fresh start kind of thing," Kyrou said. "Yeah, we're all excited here. We want to turn the ship around right now and get our culture back a little bit and get back to how we know how to play hockey."Kyrou has struggled through the first two months of the campaign, totaling five goals and 17 points in 28 games. The 25-year-old is in the first season of an eight-year, $65-million extension. He put up a career-high 37 goals in 79 contests in 2022-23.In an effort to get Kyrou going again, Bannister put him on the top line with Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas at practice."When you talk about Robbie, Buchy, Jordan, the most success they had was last year together," Bannister explained, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Matthew DeFranks. "I want to give our team the best opportunity to win tonight and I think it's having them on a line together. Jordan's one player that we have to get going, but both of those players have to help in that progress."Some of Kyrou's teammates weren't as tight-lipped about Berube's dismissal on Wednesday."I guess the first emotions are you feel guilty," Captain Brayden Schenn said, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac. "You feel responsible for a lot of it. ... That one really stings for me personally because I've had him for so long and he's been so good for me throughout my career."Goaltender Jordan Binnington, meanwhile, understands the onus is now on the players to perform better."We've got to be proud to wear that Blue Note jersey and proud to be part of this organization and play for this city," he said. "If you're not, just get out of here, because we're not wasting time. These are special years; being able to play in the NHL, it's a privilege."St. Louis will square off against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Canada finalized its roster for the 2024 world juniors on Wednesday.The two-time defending champions are set to begin their tournament on Dec. 26 against Finland. This year's tournament will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden.Canada named 12 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goalies to its roster. The team is hopeful Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres or Matt Poitras of the Boston Bruins will be loaned, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Both players are enjoying strong rookie seasons in the NHL, and if their respective clubs opt to keep them in the pros, Canada can pull a 13th forward from the CHL.Here are the 22 players Canada selected:ForwardsPlayerAgeCurrent teamOwen Allard19Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)Owen Beck19Peterborough (OHL)Macklin Celebrini17Boston University (NCAA)Easton Cowan18London (OHL)Nate Danielson19Brandon (WHL)Jordan Dumais19Halifax (QMJHL)Conor Geekie19Wenatchee (WHL)Fraser Minten19Saskatoon (WHL)Carson Rehkopf18Kitchener (OHL)Matthew Savoie19Wenatchee (WHL)Matthew Wood18UConn (NCAA)Brayden Yager18Moose Jaw (WHL)Beck is the lone returnee from Canada's 2023 roster up front. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick entered the tournament as an injury replacement and managed one assist in three games.Celebrini is widely considered to be the top prospect in the 2024 NHL Draft. The Vancouver product has 25 points in 15 games for the Terriers this season.DefensePlayerAgeCurrent teamTristan Luneau19Anaheim (NHL)Jake Furlong19Halifax (QMJHL)Noah Warren19Victoriaville (QMJHL)Oliver Bonk18London (OHL)Tanner Molendyk18Saskatoon (WHL)Maveric Lamoureux19Drummondville (QMJHL)Denton Mateychuk19Moose Jaw (WHL)Luneau has split his 2023-24 campaign between the Ducks and their AHL affiliate after a prolific QMJHL career with the Gatineau Olympiques. He was a second-round pick in 2022.Bonk, Molendyk, Lamoureux, and Mateychuk were all first-round picks in 2023 or 2022.GoaliesPlayerAgeCurrent teamScott Ratzlaff18Seattle (WHL)Mathis Rousseau19Halifax (QMJHL)Samuel St. Hilaire19Sherbrooke (QMJHL)Ratzlaff is the lone netminder of Canada's trio to be drafted. He was a fifth-round selection of the Sabres this year and is 8-10-1 with an .889 save percentage this season with the Thunderbirds.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a fun eight-game slate ahead of us Thursday night. Let's take a look at a couple of my favorite ways to attack it.Senators (-120) @ Blues (+100)The Senators have traded wins and losses of late, but they've quietly posted some very strong underlying numbers.Even without top defenseman Thomas Chabot, they've shown the ability to consistently outchance their opponents.They've won the expected goals battle in five of the past six games, coming 0.17 short in the lone exception against a Hurricanes team known for its five-on-five dominance.The Senators' mediocre defense and inconsistent goaltending mean their positive chance differentials aren't always going to lead to results.It should be a different story against a team like the Blues. They've struggled at five-on-five all season long. While the team recently fired head coach Craig Berube, the reality is this Blues team simply isn't very good.They have a lot of players providing nowhere close to the value they're being paid to bring. A lot of said players are veterans on the back nine of their careers, meaning there isn't much reason to expect a sudden change.I think the Senators' team speed and skill up front will cause a lot of problems for a declining Blues side making schematic adjustments under a new coach.Look for Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and the Senators' big guns to exploit this vulnerable Blues defense.Bet: Senators (-120)Panthers (-120) @ Canucks (+100)One of the trademarks of a great team is having a response when things go the other way. That's been the Panthers' calling card all season. They've lost two consecutive games only once since Oct. 14.I expect their streak to continue at least a little longer. The Panthers are a well-oiled machine that can win in so many different ways.At five-on-five, they continue to generate shots in bulk while allowing very few. Their penalty kill is near the top of the league in almost every key metric, and the power play is very dangerous. It's hard to get an edge over the Panthers in any area.I think they're going to be able to control the run of play at even strength in this game. The Canucks' season numbers are pretty good but have dipped of late. They've controlled just over 46% of the expected goals share in December, nearly 10% lower than the Panthers.The Canucks also continue to struggle on the penalty kill. Over the last 10 games, they sit 21st in expected goals against and 26th in goals against while undermanned.That spells trouble heading into a game against Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and some of the Panthers' lethal power-play weapons.I think the Panthers are going to come out hungry after their worst performance of the season in Seattle.Given the Panthers are performing at good-to-great levels in every game state, they're poised to cool off a Canucks side that's generated a league-low 63 shots over its three-game winning streak.Bet: Panthers (-120)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

One of the league's co-leaders in goals, Auston Matthews, headlines Thursday's list of players worth backing - or fading - in the prop market.Let's take a closer look.Auston Matthews: Over 4.5 shotsMatthews is shooting the puck like there's no tomorrow. He's attempted at least 10 shots in five of his past seven games, with the exceptions coming against a pair of low-event teams in the Rangers and Kraken.He finds himself in a big pace-up spot Thursday night against the Blue Jackets. They've bled shots all season long and are showing no signs of defensive improvement. They rank dead last in shots allowed per game over the last 10.A lot of the volume they give up comes from opposing centers. Columbus sits 27th in shots allowed per game versus the position on the year and over the last 10.That should help raise Matthews' floor and ceiling, as should home ice. He owns a 54% success rate in Toronto this season and is averaging just under five shots on goal per game.That's a stark contrast from his road numbers, where Matthews is producing 3.9 shots per contest and has fallen short of his total in 10 of 13 appearances.Look for Matthews to make the most of home ice and a mouthwatering matchup.Odds: -122 (playable to -135)Cam Atkinson: Over 2.5 shotsAtkinson is a machine at home. He's averaging 3.4 shots per contest in Philadelphia and has gone over his total in 11 of 13 games. That equates to a juicy 85% success rate.Sean Couturier eats up all the difficult matchups at home, freeing Atkinson for plenty of offensive-zone starts against lesser competition. He's making the most of it on a nightly basis.The Capitals have conceded nearly 33 shots per game over the last 10, which ranks them in the bottom 10. They do give up plenty of volume, and Atkinson figures to be one of the primary beneficiaries.Atkinson recently did the job against the Devils, Hurricanes, Golden Knights, and Kings. He should have little problem generating three shots against the Capitals.Odds: -110 (playable to -140)Kirill Kaprizov: Under 3.5 shotsKaprizov hasn't been a prolific shooter under new head coach John Hynes. He's gone under his total in six of seven games, finishing at two or fewer in each failure. Those are not the kind of numbers we're accustomed to seeing from Kaprizov.Although his average attempt volume looks pretty good, the numbers are heavily inflated by a 16-attempt performance. For perspective, he's averaging just over 6.5 when excluding that game. It's much tougher to get four shots on net with those outputs.The Flames aren't great, but they don't give up a ton of shots, nor do they take many penalties. They profile as a team that should be able to keep Kaprizov to a manageable number.Odds: -135 (playable to -150)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor will miss six-to-eight weeks with the injury he sustained on a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome on Sunday, the Jets announced, according to team reporter Sara Orlesky.The Jets placed Connor on injured reserve while recalling Dominic Toninato earlier Wednesday. Connor already missed Tuesday's game against the San Jose Sharks.Strome wasn't suspended for the hit. He got a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Connor left Sunday's contest and didn't return following the collision early in the second period.He ranks among the NHL leaders in goals with 17 and entered Wednesday tied with Mark Scheifele for the team lead with 28 points in 26 games.The 27-year-old buried a career-high 47 goals along with 46 assists over 79 contests in 2021-22. He's netted at least 30 tallies in all but one of his six previous full seasons and 26 in the other one, which was the abbreviated 56-game campaign of 2021.Winnipeg drafted Connor 17th overall in 2015.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong had a lot of sleepless nights in the days leading up to his decision to fire head coach Craig Berube."I haven't really slept much since the Columbus game (on Friday)," Armstrong admitted in a press conference Wednesday. "Then the Chicago game (on Saturday) was a sleepless night, and then you hope that (Tuesday's) Detroit game will be different. But your mind is starting to work when you're everybody's homecoming game. It's not a good feeling."The last three games, I shared with the leadership group that when you get up and you read the clippings the next day, the players from the opposition, the coaches, are (saying) 'What a character win, what a gutsy win, I can't believe we did that last night, we're undermanned, we played the night before against a rested team.' So if they feel that way about their performance, how would we feel about our performance?"The Blues announced they'd fired Berube hours after Tuesday's 6-4 defeat at the hands of the Red Wings, the latest loss in a four-game skid that has St. Louis sitting in sixth place of the Central Division with a 13-14-1 record.For Armstrong, one of the main factors missing from the Blues' game is consistency."It's uncomfortable when you go to the arena every night and you're not really sure what your team is going to look like. ... That's something we haven't felt here for a long time," he said.Dating back to the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, the Blues are 25th in points (108) and points percentage (.491), while their power play (16.5%) and penalty kill (74%) rank within the bottom five.Berube piloted St. Louis' turnaround in 2018-19, which led to the team's unlikely Stanley Cup championship. Despite that success, Armstrong felt a shakeup was necessary."The definition of insanity: Keep doing the same thing and think things are going to change," he said. "It cost a great man his role on the team because things weren't changing."The executive didn't absolve himself of any wrongdoing, saying he feels "personally responsible" for the Blues' current situation."You come to an organization because you make it better and you want to leave it in a better spot. ... If I get fired in the next hour or I get hit by a bus in the next hour, I don't feel today I've left it any better than where I found it, and that's an awful feeling," he said.Drew Bannister is currently serving as the interim head coach. Armstrong said there's no timeline on finding a permanent replacement for Berube, but he'll be looking for candidates who compete and exemplify accountability.The GM also announced the Blues have brought in former NHLer Brad Richards as a consultant to help out with their sputtering power play.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We split our best bet Tuesday night. The Hurricanes picked up a sweat-free win over the Senators in Ottawa. Unfortunately, the Lightning couldn't get the job done to complete the mini-sweep.We'll set our sights on one Wednesday night with a pair of totals that popped off the page.Bruins (+110) @ Devils (-130)My initial point of attack in this game was going to be the Devils' moneyline. But with the price moving to -130 in favor of New Jersey and Vitek Vanecek starting, I now see more value in the total.Vanecek is an over machine, with six of his past eight starts going over the number. In one of those exceptions, he gave up four goals and the Devils were blanked for the first time in over a season.Vanecek is coming off a strong performance against the Flames, but red flags remain littered throughout his statistical profile. He owns a putrid .879 save percentage this campaign and ranks dead last in goals saved above expectation.Consistency remains a massive issue for Vanecek. He hasn't finished with a .900 save percentage or better in two straight games this season, and he's coming off a .920 performance.One solid start against an underwhelming Flames team is hardly enough for me to believe Vanecek is turning a corner.The Bruins rank top 12 in goals per game and shots per game. With Charlie McAvoy sidelined, Boston may need to rely more on their offense than defense to win this matchup. David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand should be able to do real damage against an inexperienced defense and subpar goaltending.On the flip side, the Devils have looked a lot more like themselves since captain Nico Hischier returned to the lineup. They've won six of eight games and scored an average of four goals per 60 minutes, third most in the NHL during that span.Giving Vanecek legitimate goal support will be imperative for the Devils. And the absence of McAvoy will certainly aid New Jersey in that cause.Both teams should be able to contribute their fair share of goals in what has the makings of a high-scoring affair.Bet: Over 6.5 (+105)Penguins (-150) @ Canadiens (+130)This game has the makings of a slow burn, particularly in the early going. The Penguins have mostly played low-event first periods. Only one contest in their past five have featured more than a goal in the opening frame.Slower starts have been a common theme for Pittsburgh all season. The club sits 28th in first-period goals and has conceded only 19 in the opening period through 27 games.In the latter half of a back-to-back situation, I don't expect anything different. The Penguins aren't going to be pushing the pace and looking to turn the game into a track meet against fresh legs. I expect a tight, professional performance as they allow the game to develop.The Canadiens are unlikely to disrupt that plan. They've scored only 14 first-period goals through 28 games, the lowest output in the NHL.Montreal doesn't have much firepower, and its goaltending has mostly been good this season, which is why they happen to be an above-average side at preventing goals in the opening period.With both power plays struggling mightily - each team ranks bottom three in goals per minute over the past 10 games - the under shouldn't be in danger even if we see some undisciplined play from the start.Bet: 1st period under 1.5 (+105)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Tuesday was a tough night on the ice. After sweeping our player props to begin the week, all three of our bets Tuesday fell short - two by a single shot - to bring us back to .500 through two days of action.We'll look to get back on track with three more player props for Wednesday's card.Jack Hughes: Over 4.5 shotsWe've targeted Hughes time and time again in recent weeks with great success. His shot volume has been high all season long, but he's taken it to another level since returning from injury, particularly at home.Hughes has generated 37 shots on 60 attempts in just five games. That equates to 7.4 shots and 12 attempts per contest, which is the highest volume you'll see from anybody in the NHL. He's firing on all cylinders right now.A date with the Bruins doesn't seem like the best matchup on the surface. The numbers tell a different story. They've conceded 32.9 shots per game over the last 10, which is more than all but five teams.Boston is also missing some key personnel. Top defenseman Charlie McAvoy is sidelined with an injury, as is one of the team's better centers in Pavel Zacha.With Hughes shooting at an unmatched rate and McAvoy not around to try and shadow him, I expect another big offensive performance in this one.Odds: +103 (playable to -135)Frank Vatrano: Over 3.5 shotsVatrano is sizzling-hot. He's registered at least four shots in seven of his past 10 games, averaging 4.3 on more than seven attempts per night.Vatrano faced a top-tier team in each game he fell short, recording two shots against the Avalanche (twice) and three against the Kings.Put another way, Vatrano consistently did the job against anything less than high-end competition. The Islanders certainly don't classify as such, at least defensively.They've bled shots all season long, and things are only getting worse. The Islanders rank dead last in shots against - at five-on-five and across all game situations - over the last 10 games. They've won games on the back of their offense and goaltending, not defense.Vatrano should have ample opportunity to shoot from anywhere in the offensive zone against this Islanders defense. Look for him to make the most of a pace-up spot.Odds: +100 (playable to -120)Rasmus Dahlin: Over 2.5 shotsThe Sabres and Avalanche both play very fast. Their team speed pops off the screen, and the numbers back it up. Buffalo and Colorado are each in the top seven in five-on-five pace - gauged by the combined shot volume generated and allowed - over the past 10 games. Lots of skating, lots of shots.That should bode well for Dahlin. He's an effortless skater who's always ready and willing to get up in the play offensively.Dahlin has recorded at least three shots in six consecutive games, logging at least 25 minutes in four of them.The Sabres are leaning on him heavily as they try and dig their way out of a big early-season hole. With a hefty workload coming in a high-pace matchup, Dahlin is in a prime spot to go over his total for a seventh straight contest.Odds: -102 (playable to -125)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, announced Wednesday his plans to move both of his franchises to a proposed new arena complex in Northern Virginia.Leonsis said he "reached a framework of an agreement" for a new entertainment district in Alexandria at Potomac Yard, which would become the Wizards and Capitals' home arena beginning in 2028. The $2-billion proposal is still pending legislative approval, as well as the completion of definitive documents.The Wizards and Capitals have played at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., since 1997. Potomac Yard is around six miles away from Capital One Arena."We are committed to providing world-class fan experiences while continuously evolving our teams, deepening community ties, and solidifying our role as leaders at the forefront of sports and technology," Leonsis wrote in a statement."The opportunity to expand to this 70-acre site in Virginia ... would enable us to further our creativity and achieve next-generation, leading work, all while keeping our fans and the community at the forefront of everything we do."Leonsis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin unveiled the plan at a press conference Wednesday in Alexandria. Virginia lawmakers voted Monday to approve the project to construct a new arena, according to the Washington Post."Virginia will not only be the best place to watch hockey, to watch basketball, but it will be the best place to innovate and press the envelope in what we can do together," Youngkin said.

The St. Louis Blues fired head coach Craig Berube after the team's 6-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.Berube had been the Blues' bench boss since November 2018. Taking over head coaching duties from Mike Yeo, Berube won the Stanley Cup with the team while still having the interim tag in his first season.The Blues are sixth in the Central Division with a 13-14-1 record after missing the playoffs in 2022-23. St. Louis has lost four straight games and is 3-7-0 in its last 10.Over parts of six seasons with St. Louis, Berube accumulated a 206-132-44 record. He ranks third in franchise history in games coached (382) and wins.Berube had a season and a half remaining on a three-year contract extension signed in February 2022. After their Stanley Cup triumph in 2019, his Blues only won a single playoff series: a six-game first-round victory over the Minnesota Wild in 2022.St. Louis named Drew Bannister as interim head coach. Bannister was head coach of the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.The 49-year-old had been behind the bench of the Blues' AHL affiliate for six seasons over stints with the San Antonio Rampage, Utica Comets, and Thunderbirds.Bannister coached the Thunderbirds to the Calder Cup Final in 2022. Springfield is 12-8-2 this season and ranks fourth in its division. He's yet to coach in the NHL.Bannister's first game on an NHL bench will be Thursday in St. Louis, as the Blues host the Ottawa Senators.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHLPA is appealing Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron's six-game suspension for cross-checking Ottawa Senators blue-liner Artem Zub, the players' association announced Tuesday.Commissioner Gary Bettman will first hear the appeal. As the ban is longer than five games, Perron and the NHLPA can go to a neutral arbitrator after Bettman's ruling, should the parties want to do so.Bettman opted not to reduce Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson's four-game suspension for his hit on Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine in October.Perron had an in-person hearing following the incident.

The NHL announced plans Tuesday for a new-look skills competition during this season's All-Star Weekend.The revamped format will feature 12 All-Stars competing for points across eight events. The player with the most points at the end of the night will take home a $1-million prize.Eight skaters from the 44-player pool will be selected by the league, and the final four will be voted into the competition by fans.Each player will choose to compete in four of the first six events. The top eight point-earners will advance to the seventh event, and the top six will move on to the final.Specific details on the events are yet to be revealed, but here's a look at the order of the scheduled festivities as well as the points system.

San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture worried about the future of his playing career while rehabbing a lower-body injury that's kept him out of the entire 2023-24 season.Couture met with the media for the first time in months on Tuesday and opened up about the struggles of being sidelined for an extended period."I can honestly say two months ago, I would wake up and didn't know if I was ever going to play in the NHL again," he said, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. "It's something that I thought of many, many days."He added: "When you're injured, your mind does some crazy things. There are some crazy thoughts. This is my life, and this is what I love to do, and your body doesn't allow you to do it."Couture and the Sharks haven't offered any specifics about the 34-year-old's injury. In late September, he was given a week-to-week recovery period and was hopeful to be ready for San Jose's season opener. He is now out indefinitely."That was the toughest part, the unknown," Couture said. "The waking up one day and feeling good, then waking up the next day and feeling really crappy. Just not knowing there was no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no timeline set, just kind of a week-by-week, day-by-day thing."Couture has resumed skating but isn't yet practicing with his teammates. A potential return to game action remains unclear.The Sharks drafted Couture ninth overall in 2007. He's racked up 700 points in 927 career games with the franchise and was named captain in 2019.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Winnipeg Jets star Kyle Connor has left his club's ongoing road trip and will miss at least two games with a knee injury, head coach Rick Bowness announced Tuesday."Kyle is heading back to Winnipeg. He'll be re-evaluated by our doctors tonight when he gets in and we'll go from there," Bowness said. "As of now, obviously he's not playing tonight or tomorrow."The Jets are scheduled for a back-to-back against the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings before returning home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.Connor was injured by a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome during the Jets' 4-2 comeback victory Sunday.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson revealed that he felt like he'd "been in a car wreck" after Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins caught him with a monster hit from behind during Sunday's contest."That's a bad hit," the rearguard said Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "If that hit takes place three feet before that, I end up going down and bending my neck. That's when you get a compression fracture, and who knows how the rest of your life is?""My kids were 85 feet away," Gudbranson continued. "It's a terrible hit. I was walking around pacing the hallways at home, trying to calm down and happy that my legs still worked."The collision occurred in the third period of the Jackets' 5-2 loss. Gudbranson remained down on the ice for a brief moment, then sprang to his feet and went after Cousins.

It may have occurred one day later than expected, but the St. Louis Blues officially placed Jakub Vrana on waivers Tuesday.J.P. Barry, Vrana's agent, told The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford the Blues informed his client Monday morning that he'd be placed on waivers, but the struggling forward didn't end up on the wire that afternoon.Vrana has been available for a trade, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.The 27-year-old mustered two goals and six points in 19 games while averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per contest. He has sat as an occasional healthy scratch throughout the season.Blues head coach Craig Berube deployed Vrana for a mere 8:59 during Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks after he was on the ice for two goals against in the opening frame.St. Louis acquired Vrana from the Detroit Red Wings at last season's trade deadline in exchange for forward Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Detroit retained 50% of Vrana's $5.25-million cap hit in the swap.Vrana initially made a strong impression with the Blues, potting 10 goals and 14 points in 20 games in 2022-23."You can't look at that from last year to this year," Berube said Monday, according to NHL.com's Lou Korac. "It's two different years. Coming in when he came in last year, there's nothing to lose. You just go play. He scored some goals and did some good things. This year it's been a struggle."Vrana can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.Selected by Washington with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Vrana helped the Capitals clinch the Stanley Cup in 2018.Vrana has amassed 110 goals and 209 points in 365 career NHL contests.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov is expected to be out "for at least a while," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said Tuesday.Svechnikov missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but what caused it isn't clear. He last played on Dec. 6 against the Edmonton Oilers and logged 18 minutes of ice time in the Hurricanes' lopsided 6-1 defeat.The 23-year-old underwent an MRI scan Monday.Svechnikov missed the entirety of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the first eight games of the 2023-24 season after undergoing ACL surgery in March.The Russian has chipped in with one goal and 11 points in 16 games this campaign.Last season, Svechnikov potted 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games, ranking third and fourth on the Hurricanes, respectively.Carolina is in the midst of a four-game losing streak and sits in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 14-12-1 record.The Hurricanes will square off against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We started the week on a strong note, going 3-0 with our plays Monday night. Let's look to keep things moving in the right direction with a couple of road teams worth backing on Tuesday's monster NHL card.Hurricanes (-130) @ Senators (+110)The Hurricanes have dropped four consecutive games and five of the past six. Despite their recent string of losses, they haven't played all that poorly.They've been sunk by the league's worst goaltending and an unsustainably low shooting percentage. Even for a Hurricanes team that struggles to finish chances seemingly every year, the numbers they're posting are simply too low.Their PDO (combined shooting percentage and save percentage) during this 1-5 stretch is around .930. That number generally hovers around 1.000 over the long haul, so positive regression is coming at some point.I think this could be a good get-right spot for the Hurricanes, who have largely played well at five-on-five and controlled the run of play.While the Senators have upped their game of late, losing Thomas Chabot to another injury could hurt them against such a strong forechecking team like the Hurricanes.The Senators have also gone through their share of goaltending issues this season. Things have stabilized a little bit of late, but they still own a sub-.900 team save percentage on the year. A tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg is hardly bulletproof.I expect an angry Hurricanes team - fresh off a players-only meeting - to come out with extra pep in their step in this game.Look for Carolina to right the ship.Bet: Hurricanes (-130)Lightning (+105) @ Canucks (-125)Don't look now, but the Lightning appear to be turning a corner. They've won three of the past four games and put together some impressive performances along the way.Tampa Bay started the run with a shutout victory over the Stars. It followed that up with a strong defensive effort against the Penguins, allowing only 25 shots in a multi-goal victory. The Lightning also picked up a road win over a desperate Kraken team in their last outing.The lone loss during this run came on the road against the Predators. Jonas Johansson made the start in that game and didn't give the Lightning much of a chance, allowing four goals on only 29 shots.The team's strong play goes beyond just a few games, though. The Bolts own a 53% expected goals share at five-on-five over the last 10, which is a top-10 clip in the NHL.We know how dangerous Nikita Kucherov and Co. are on the power play, and Andrei Vasilevskiy is one of the better goaltenders in the league. If the Lightning continue playing this well at five-on-five, they'll be a real threat.The Canucks are a solid team, but they have come back down to earth over the past month. They've essentially traded wins and losses, failing to find success with any sort of consistency.I think the Bolts are in better form right now at even strength and have an edge in special teams. Look for them to convert those advantages into another win.Bet: Lightning (+105)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We swept the board with our player props to start the week. Auston Matthews and Brock Nelson both soared over their totals with plenty of room to spare, while the Coyotes limited Tage Thompson just enough to cash our under.We'll look to pick up where we left off with three more props for Tuesday's big slate.Alexis Lafreniere: Over 2.5 shotsLafreniere has quietly piled up the shots of late. He's registered at least three in seven of his past 10 games, with the unders coming against the Flyers, Kings, and Predators. The former two are among the five best shot-suppression teams in the NHL, while the Predators are in the middle of the pack.Lafreniere has gotten the job done in almost any remotely good matchup. He finds himself with a great one Tuesday night.The Maple Leafs' defense wasn't great to start the campaign, and it's been missing multiple regulars for quite some time. That shows in the numbers as they rank in the bottom five in shot suppression over the last 10 games.This defense is vulnerable. I think it'll have a tough time handling the fantastic offensive combination of Lafreniere, Vincent Trocheck, and Artemi Panarin, especially in the latter half of a road back-to-back.Expect Lafreniere to stay hot and make the most of a high-event matchup.Odds: +120 (playable to -120)Connor McDavid: Over 3.5 shotsMcDavid has proven to be matchup-dependent this season.Let's use the past 10 games as a reference. McDavid failed to get the job done against strong defensive teams like the Hurricanes, Golden Knights, Jets, and Panthers. Versus clubs with issues defensively, or in contests that turned into track meets (like against the Ducks and Lightning), he hit the over on his total.The good news for McDavid is the Blackhawks most certainly have defensive problems. They're very inexperienced and lack the talent to sustain shifts in the offensive zone, meaning they spend a lot of time on their heels. As a result, only four teams have conceded more shots per game this season.McDavid is starting to heat up offensively, and after a dreadful start to the year, the Oilers need every point they can get. They can't afford to take teams lightly, so it should be pedal to the metal for the league's best player.Odds: -110 (playable to -135)Nikolaj Ehlers: Over 3.5 shotsKyle Connor suffered a knee injury last time out, opening the door for Ehlers to take on a much larger offensive role. Ehlers finds himself skating on the top line at even strength as well as on the power play.This led to more than 20 minutes of ice time for Ehlers, which is huge for him. He's always generated shots at a very efficient clip, he just didn't get the usage to be a consistent shot prop target. That'll change now.Dating back to last season, Ehlers has averaged 8.3 attempts per game when logging 20-plus minutes. If that's the kind of volume we're looking at, he'd need to hit the net on only half of his attempts to get the job done.Shooting opportunities should be there in bulk for Ehlers on Tuesday. He finds himself in a mouthwatering spot against a Sharks team allowing a league-worst 36.7 shots on goal per contest.Odds: +115 (playable to -115)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Never cross Mikko Rantanen.Fresh off of snapping a nine-game goalless drought in his team's 6-5 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night, the Colorado Avalanche superstar took aim at the father of one of his teammates for publicly criticizing Rantanen's offseason preparation."Actually, one thing where I got a lot of extra energy, one of our Finnish NHL players' dad was talking shit about me in the media, (saying) that I didn't train last summer like I used to do," Rantanen said postgame, per DNVR Avalanche. "He was just making things up. That was for him. If you talk shit, it's going to come back at you."Rantanen was referring to an interview Artturi Lehkonen's father, Ismo, gave to Yle, a Finnish broadcasting company where the elder Lehkonen works as an analyst. Ismo suggested Rantanen "didn't have a very good summer," as translated by Finnish journalist Ville Touru for The Athletic."There was a lot happening, many events of all kinds," Ismo continued. "He had to visit Helsinki and everything like that. ... Perhaps he consciously took the summer a little more calmly after the hard years. And maybe he didn't practice as much as in previous summers."Despite the recent drama, Rantanen assured The Athletic that he and Artturi's relationship "is totally fine," adding that they are "totally good friends and teammates."Rantanen currently leads the Avalanche with 13 goals and ranks third on the team with 34 points in 28 games. He's on track for 38 markers and just under 100 points this season.Last season, the Finn became the first player in franchise history to hit the 50-goal mark in a single campaign since Milan Hejduk in 2002-03. He also amassed a career-high 105 points and placed sixth in Hart Trophy voting.Rantanen led Colorado with a three-point effort Monday against the Flames. He knotted the contest at 5-5 just past the midway mark of the final frame, setting the table for Nathan MacKinnon's game-winning goal two minutes later.The victory improved the Central-leading Avalanche to 17-9-2. However, Colorado ranks third in the division in terms of points percentage (.643), trailing the Dallas Stars (.648) and Winnipeg Jets (.654).The Avalanche have yet to embark on their annual dad's trip this season.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares registered a goal and an assist against the New York Islanders on Monday to become the 98th player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points.The milestone point came on a game-tying goal by Morgan Rielly to force overtime, but the Islanders got the last laugh: Bo Horvat scored the winner 44 seconds into the extra frame.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been suspended one game for serving as the instigator and aggressor of an incident involving Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins on Sunday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.Gudbranson was given a game misconduct for the altercation, which came in the third period of a heated contest.

Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford fended off trade speculation surrounding Andrei Kuzmenko, but he acknowledged the club needs to find a way to help the struggling forward get back on track."Well, we'll keep an open mind," Rutherford told Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "I don't want to just lock ourselves into one answer. But we need to continue to try to help him."Kuzmenko was one of Vancouver's top players in his debut campaign, racking up 39 goals and 74 points in 2022-23. He was rewarded with a two-year, $11-million extension in January but has had difficulty producing this season with only 15 points in 25 games.The 27-year-old's ice time is down since the Canucks hired Rick Tocchet, and he's been a healthy scratch twice under the new bench boss. Teams are reportedly circling to see if he could be available via trade as his role in the high-powered Canucks' attack dwindles, but Rutherford wants to remain patient."I'm concerned only to the point that now he's feeling the pressure," Rutherford said. "And when you feel the pressure and you start pushing, squeezing the stick harder and passing when you should be shooting and vice versa, you get a little bit concerned."I believe in the staff we have and they will continue to work with him. He's a good player. He is a capable player. Is he a guy that's going to score 40 goals again? Maybe not. But certainly, the way he plays, you should be able to project him at 25."The Canucks' offense has thrived despite Kuzmenko's struggles. J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Brock Boeser all rank within the top 12 of the NHL's scoring race. Vancouver's arsenal of weapons is a key reason it sits second in the Pacific Division at 18-9-1 and owns the NHL's top goal differential at plus-34.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Last week, we discussed the market movers - up and down - over the first quarter of the NHL season. The Oilers weren't on that list because there was a nightly expectation that a turnaround was imminent, and oddsmakers weren't about to give you a deal betting on Connor McDavid. Their overarching hypothesis was due to Edmonton's even-strength expected goal share (XG%), which is among the best in the NHL and was still among the best even when the Oilers weren't winning. Knowing that metric was in Edmonton's favor didn't make it any easier to lay the high moneyline prices during its current seven-game win streak.Are there other under-the-radar teams - from both our "movin' up" and "fallin' down" lists - ripe for a turnaround?With their market valuation change in parentheses, let's examine those clubs and explore their even-strength expected goal share and high-danger chance conversion rate to see if the market's love is warranted.TEAM (Valuation change)XG%HDC CONV.%Rangers (+13.4%)49.612.9Bruins (+8.6%)51.611.7Canucks (+7.6%)50.213.3Flyers (+7.4%)53.111.6Panthers (+7.2%)55.914.1Hurricanes (+6%)54.112.9Red Wings (+5.5%)47.812.5Coyotes (+5.3%)49.512.5-Stars (-4.4%)53.211.7Canadiens (-4.8%)45.713.6Ducks (-4.9%)46.511.3Maple Leafs (-5.5%)49.813.6Blues (-5.5%)47.611.4Penguins (-6.7%)51.512.0Lightning (-7.5%)47.914.3Kraken (-7.8%)49.414.5Wild (-8.6%)51.214.1Sabres (-9.2%)48.011.9Blackhawks (-12.7%)42.511.9Sharks (-14.8%)41.014.3The Rangers, Bruins, and Canucks have seen the biggest valuation increase, but all have around a 50-50 expected goal share at even strength. The difference between New York and Boston versus Vancouver is that the Canucks weren't expected to be above average. The Rangers and Bruins could be ripe for a consistent fade as favorites.The expectations for the Flyers were even lower than the Canucks. But with a 53% expected goal share, Philadelphia's rating bump is as warranted as the Panthers, who are third in the NHL in XG%. Those two and Arizona should be considered bet-on teams based on quality even-strength numbers. Florida's high-danger chance conversion rate is well above the league average of 12.7%. However, teams with more talent should be expected to convert at an above-average rate.Other than their 4-7 moneyline record over a tough stretch of their schedule, souring on the Stars makes little sense. Of the other clubs that have seen their valuation drop, only the Penguins and Wild have played above average at even strength, with Minnesota seeing better results since a coaching change.Be careful of the Lightning, Kraken, and Canadiens, as they're surviving on high-conversion rates to offset getting outplayed. At least Tampa can boast the scoring talent to keep its conversion rate up and have a future Hall of Famer returning in goal.The cheat sheetThe dirty little secret in the betting world is that, while there are no bad bets at the right price, the discovery process of what a good price looks like is hidden.Each week, we balance market information from regular-season point totals and in-season advanced metrics - with an even-strength focus - to determine the win probability for each team and the moneyline needed to bet on either side. The idea is to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by outliers like special-team results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events.You can use whatever parameters you like to decide how much of an edge you need to trigger a bet, but here are mine:

Penguins general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas gave longtime head coach Mike Sullivan a vote of confidence with Pittsburgh mired in a four-game winless streak."As soon as a team doesn't reach its potential, it seems that right away the attention shifts to coaching," Dubas said Monday."What I would say to that is, with Sully, I had my impression of him coming in and my respect for him coming in," he added. "Being with him every day and not only seeing his attention to detail on the systems but also his attention to detail with the players and coaching them individually and personally, I think we're very fortunate to have Mike. And so, do I think that he's the right person for this job now and far into the future? I absolutely do."The winningest coach in franchise history, Sullivan has won two Stanley Cup championships with the Penguins, but his ninth year behind the bench isn't exactly going to plan.Heading into Monday's action, the Penguins sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with an 11-12-3 record, ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh has been outscored 12-6 during its recent skid and has mustered just one goal in each of its last three games.The Penguins have allowed the third-fewest goals against (68) but rank among the league's eight worst teams in goals for (75) this season. Not helping their lagging offense is the fact that their power play has converted on just 9.5% of its chances.Pittsburgh is six points outside of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2005-06 last season."The responsibility falls to me to chart the course for where we're at and where we're going," Dubas acknowledged. "We can get going in that direction if we just adhere to the No. 1 rule of holes, which is: 'When you're in one, stop digging.'"Dubas took over the reins in Pittsburgh this past offseason and made a variety of moves - such as acquiring defenseman Erik Karlsson - to try and get his new team over the hump.The executive opted to preach patience despite the Penguins' struggles."I'm not going to make any decisions based on how we do this week or next week," Dubas said, per team reporter Michelle Crechiolo. "When we get through the All-Star break and on the other side of that, we'll have a better idea of what we are as a group and where we need to go."Next up for the Penguins is a clash against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin is expected to miss "at least a week" with an upper-body injury, head coach Derek Lalonde said Monday.The Red Wings placed Larkin on injured reserve earlier Monday. Lalonde added that there's no specific timeframe for his return and that the team will know more about his status within the next few days.Larkin sustained the ailment during a scary sequence in the first period of Detroit's 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.Senators forward Mathieu Joseph appeared to catch Larkin in the back of the head with his glove during a netfront battle, knocking the captain into Parker Kelly and onto the ice. Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub then fell on top of Larkin.Larkin remained motionless for several moments before being helped off the ice without the aid of a stretcher. The 27-year-old has a history of head and neck injuries, but Lalonde didn't disclose if his newest ailment is related to a concussion or any past issues."I talked to him last night, he seems to be in good spirits," the bench boss said. "It's a lot, it's been pretty overwhelming and heavy in a lot of ways. ... It was just good to talk to him, hear his voice."The Red Wings also placed forwards J.T. Compher (retroactive to Dec. 5) and Klim Kostin (retroactive to Dec. 7) on injured reserve. Detroit recalled Zach Aston-Reese, Jonatan Berggren, and Austin Czarnik from the AHL in corresponding moves.Detroit is still waiting to learn the fate of veteran David Perron, who faces a potential suspension for cross-checking Zub in retaliation for Larkin's injury.Larkin has chipped in with 11 goals and 25 points in 24 outings this campaign. He's playing out the first season of an eight-year, $69.6-million extension."Obviously unfortunate to lose a player of that caliber for an extended period of time," Lalonde said.The Red Wings take on the Dallas Stars on Monday at 8 p.m. ET.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome has avoided supplemental discipline for his knee-on-knee hit on Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor during Sunday's contest, a league source told the Winnipeg Free Press' Mike McIntyre.Connor exited and didn't return after the hit, which occurred in the opening minute of the second frame during Winnipeg's 4-2 comeback win. He remained down on the ice for several moments but was eventually helped to his feet and down the tunnel by teammates Nikolaj Ehlers and Josh Morrissey.

We have a small four-game slate on the docket to begin the week. Nothing stood out regarding sides and totals, but a few props caught my eye.Let's take a closer look.Tage Thompson: Under 3.5 shotsThompson isn't generating a lot of shot volume this season. He's gone under his total in 13 of 19 games and 10 of his last 12 overall.He's not even coming close to going over the number on most nights. For example, Thompson averaged just 2.4 shots on goal in his last 10 games while recording two or fewer shots in seven contests.And it's not as if Thompson is taking shots and simply missing the net or going through bad variance. He just isn't attempting shots right now. Thompson averaged 3.4 attempts over his past five games.With such low volume, it's impossible for him to hit his total some nights, even if every shot he took made its way to the goaltender.The Coyotes rank 25th in shots allowed per game this season but have shown improvement lately. They sit 15th in shots allowed per game over the last 10 contests, meaning this isn't as enticing of a matchup for Thompson as it once was.Given how low Thompson's shot outputs are right now, I believe a total of 2.5 at this price would be more appropriate.Odds: -120 (playable to -160)Auston Matthews: Over 4.5 shotsMatthews is someone I generally prefer to target at home, but this seems like an opportune time to make an exception.Before we get to the matchup, I'll lay the foundation for Matthews himself. He's been firing at will lately, attempting 10-plus shots in four of his past five games.We've also seen a healthy uptick in his road volume, as Matthews combined to generate 23 attempts over the last two games away from Toronto.I expect Matthews to continue generating shots in bulk against the Islanders. They've conceded a league-leading 38.2 shots per game over their last nine. That's more than two shots clear of the lowly Sharks, who spend most of every contest on their heels.The Islanders are bleeding shots at five-on-five and in shorthanded situations. Matthews is the focal point of the Maple Leafs' attack and stands to benefit more than anybody from New York's poor play.We've seen top-tier shot volume from Matthews lately - even on the road - and the matchup is as good as it gets right now. Look for Matthews to take advantage.Odds: -110 (playable to -125)Brock Nelson: Over 2.5 shotsNelson is as consistent as they come on home ice. He's registered at least three shots in 11 of 14 games in Long Island, which equates to a healthy 79% hit rate.What I love about Nelson is he spends a lot of his time close to the goal. A high percentage of his shots hit the net as a result, meaning he doesn't need to attempt as many to get the job done.The good news is Nelson finds himself in a matchup where the volume should be there anyway. The Leafs have given up 33 shots per game over the last 10, a bottom-six rate.Toronto is also dealing with multiple injuries to a defense core that wasn't overly good in the first place. This should be a close, high-event game.Odds: -140 (playable to -155)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Though we're less than halfway into the season, a handful of teams are already looking ahead to the NHL draft at Las Vegas' Sphere amid disappointing campaigns on the ice.Our first mock draft of the 2024 cycle takes an initial look at the 16 lottery picks and where the top prospects of the class could go in June.Selection order is based on points percentage through games on Dec. 10, and no lottery was applied.Slackin' for Macklin.That's the slogan for the projected top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, but it could also describe the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks.It's been a tough go for San Jose fans already, with the Sharks coming out of the gate 0-10-1 and giving up 10 goals in consecutive games. But the light at the end of the tunnel is a chance to draft in the top three for the first time in 26 years and a 25.5% chance at the franchise's first-ever top pick, should the team finish 32nd.Celebrini isn't a Connor Bedard-level prospect. But he doesn't need to be that type of player to be a worthwhile first overall selection.What Celebrini's doing right now at Boston University is remarkable, considering his age. We've seen draft-eligible freshmen like Adam Fantilli and Jack Eichel dominate over the past decade, but we haven't seen it from someone as young as Celebrini in decades.Fantilli and Eichel both turned 18 in October of their draft seasons. Celebrini doesn't celebrate his 18th birthday until June.He's the only 17-year-old in the NCAA this season. The last under-18 NCAA player to score at Celebrini's current rate was Craig Simpson back in 1985.Sure, Celebrini isn't Bedard. But with 10 goals and 25 points in just 15 games at Boston University, he's making sure whoever gets the top pick won't be disappointed with who they're landing.Nine of 10 NHL scouts polled by TSN's Bob McKenzie in September slotted Celebrini atop the 2024 class. The only other player receiving a first-place vote was Eiserman.Sure, the gap has widened with Celebrini's exceptional start to the campaign. But that doesn't mean Eiserman should be overlooked.The 6-foot winger is going to crush every goal record at the U.S. NTDP. He has 26 goals in 22 games after tallying 69 in 62 contests a season ago. He's eyeing Cole Caufield's single-season mark of 72 goals and looks to cruise past both Phil Kessel and Caufield to be the top goal-scorer in NTDP history.The Blackhawks adding that level of shooter alongside Bedard should be a terrifying thought for NHL goaltenders.One of the rapid risers early in the season, the Ducks snag an elite power forward in Lindstrom to add to their abundance of exciting, young talent.The Chetwynd, British Columbia, native is a physical freak. He's listed at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, but doesn't lack speed and agility. Lindstrom can fly and is agile, too - a deadly combination when paired with his size.Lindstrom's taken a huge step this year with Medicine Hat, posting 24 goals and 40 points in 29 games. He's also got a league-leading 64 penalty minutes - a reminder of the mean streak he can tap into at a moment's notice.He may not have started the year as a projected top-five guy, but it's becoming increasingly likely we'll hear Lindstrom's name called on draft day exceptionally early.First and foremost, Demidov isn't in the same situation as Matvei Michkov was a season ago.Demidov's contract with SKA St. Petersburg expires after the 2024-25 campaign, one year after he'll be drafted. Michkov will still be on a KHL contract for another full season after Demidov can sign an entry-level contract.He's not the best player in the class, but Demidov may very well be the flashiest. He's a human highlight reel, combining silky smooth hands with quality shooting and playmaking.The Blue Jackets haven't shied away from drafting talent out of Russia, and they do so once again in this mock, landing another immense offensive talent to pair with Fantilli down the road.Dickinson ticks every box a general manager could hope for in a potential minute-munching blue-liner that can anchor a team's top pairing for the foreseeable future.The London Knight has an excellent frame, listed at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds. His defensive acumen has been lauded as some of the best in the class. He's been part of leadership groups with Hockey Canada at the under-17 and U18 levels. His skating is a standout trait, and he's tapped into more of his offensive side this season in the OHL.In a class rife with talent on the back end, Dickinson stands above the rest at this stage of the cycle. The Kraken are ecstatic to add a left-shot defenseman with his potential in this mock with their unexpectedly high pick.The Sabres have a plethora of young, exciting talent on the roster and in the pipeline at forward. With yet another top-10 pick, Buffalo adds a high-upside right-shot defenseman to potentially pair with Rasmus Dahlin or Owen Power in the future.Levshunov is on track to make Belarusian hockey history on draft day. The 6-foot-2, right-shot rearguard is in contention to be the first player from his nation to be drafted in the top five.Taking a unique path from Belarus to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to East Lansing, Michigan, Levshunov has been exceptional everywhere he's played. He landed on the USHL's All-Rookie Team a year ago and has been among the NCAA's best freshman defenders this season, recording 18 points and a plus-16 in 18 contests at Michigan State.Boasting similarities to his older brother and Blue Jackets top prospect David Jiricek, Adam is a quality two-way defender. He's shown an ability to chip in offensively at the junior level while also being an effective rush defender.His results in the Czech pro league have underwhelmed to this point, but expect Jiricek to help his stock at the world juniors later this month.Securing one of the top right-shot defensemen in this mock is a boost to an aging group of blue-liners for the Wild.Many were surprised when the Arizona Coyotes took Dmitriy Simashev sixth overall in June. Silayev is taller, similarly mobile, and has produced more than Simashev; he's going early in the 2024 draft.Silayev is a unicorn. He's 6-foot-7, but his skating is a plus trait, and you don't even have to grade on a scale for his size. He's playing regular minutes on a nightly basis for a good Torpedo squad. And he's been able to get on the scoresheet, already boasting the most points by a draft-eligible defenseman in KHL history.He's far from a perfect prospect - Silayev's decision-making particularly stands out as an area for improvement - but the tantalizing upside of his defensive ability, given his size, reach, and mobility is too much for the Flames to pass on at No. 8 in this mock.Note: The Penguins traded their first-round pick to the Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade. As it's top-10 protected, Pittsburgh retains the selection in this mock.A highly intelligent forward, the Penguins snag Helenius after an early run on defensemen.The Finn's resume is impressive: He became a Liiga regular as a 16-year-old and was a key member of Finland's under-18 squad as an underage forward in the spring. Helenius' 20 points in 28 games in Finland's top league ranks as the fifth-best scoring rate by a draft-eligible forward over the past 25 years.Not out of the question as a top-five candidate, Catton slips to the end of the top 10 with the aforementioned run on blue-liners.Listed at 5-foot-11 and a slight 163 pounds, the Saskatoon native has dazzled in the WHL the past two seasons. After captaining Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Catton's been as advertised with 19 goals and 41 points in 27 games.Note: The Senators have the option to forfeit this pick as punishment for their role in the invalidated Evgenii Dadonov trade.Norway isn't exactly known as a hotbed for top NHL prospects; the country has never produced a first-round pick, after all. Brandsegg-Nygard looks primed to change that fact as Norway returns to the world juniors for the first time since 2014.A forechecking menace with scoring ability, it's not hard to see Brandsegg-Nygard excelling down the road alongside the elite talent the Senators have in the top six.The Oilers lack high-end talent in the prospect pool and need options on the back end. Edmonton addresses both with the selection of Parekh in this mock.An electric offensive defenseman, Parekh scored a record-setting 21 goals for a 16-year-old OHL blue-liner last season. He's followed it up with 40 points in 27 games, making for the highest scoring rate by a draft-eligible defenseman in the league since Ryan Ellis in 2008-09.Connelly is one of the most skilled forwards in the draft. His blend of puck handling, skating, and ability in transition gives him clear top-six upside when he's on his game. A recent Providence Friars commit, a social media incident in March 2022 could impact where he ultimately goes on draft day.Note: The Blackhawks acquired this pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Brandon Hagel trade. It is top-10 protected.Buium, a native of San Diego, has blown away expectations as a freshman at the University of Denver. With 25 points and a plus-13 in 18 games, he's been the best defenseman on a top-five-ranked Pioneers team, vaulting himself into the conversation as a potential top-10 pick. The left-shot blue-liner will look to earn a spot on USA's world junior team over the next two weeks at selection camp.The Hurricanes dip back into the Russian pipeline as they've done so often in recent years to snag Artamonov in this mock. Artamonov's 14 points in 30 games rank behind only Vladimir Tarasenko and Michkov among draft-eligible forwards in the KHL's history.An excellent start on a poor Windsor squad has pushed Greentree up rankings in the early going. Without much help, the Oshawa native has produced 19 goals and 39 points in 26 games to rank second among draft-eligible OHLers in points per game.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings veteran David Perron will have a hearing for cross-checking Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub during Saturday's tilt, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.The hearing - which the department is referring to as "in-person" - is scheduled for Monday afternoon over Zoom. Since he was offered an in-person meeting, Perron could face a suspension greater than five games.The incident occurred Saturday in the first period of Detroit's 5-1 loss following a scary injury to Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin. Perron hit Zub in the head after the Senators blue-liner fell on top of Larkin at the end of the sequence. Referees handed Perron a match penalty for intent to injure.

Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson will have a hearing for his altercation with Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins during Columbus' 5-2 loss Sunday, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced.Gudbranson was ejected for instigating a fight with Cousins in the third period. Referees assessed Gudbranson with 27 minutes of penalties on the play: A 10-minute misconduct and two-minute minor for instigating, a 10-minute game misconduct, and five minutes for fighting.

Unrestricted free-agent forward Jesse Puljujarvi joined the Pittsburgh Penguins on a professional tryout, the team announced Sunday.Puljujarvi tallied five goals and 16 points in 75 games last season with the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes. The 25-year-old underwent double hip surgery in the summer and was recently cleared to return to full contact training."Jesse's a guy that has played in the league and had some success and could potentially help us in some capacity," head coach Mike Sullivan said after Sunday's practice.Puljujarvi alternated with Drew O'Connor on the Penguins' top line alongside Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby during his first reps with the team, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Seth Rorabaugh.Taken fourth overall by the Oilers in 2016, Puljujarvi struggled to live up to the hype of his draft pedigree. He went back to Finland after three seasons with the Oilers and returned to Edmonton in 2020.His second stint with the Oilers was more successful, recording a career-high 15 goals in 55 games during 2020-21. Puljujarvi tallied a career-best 36 points in 65 contests the following campaign.Amid scoring struggles last season, Edmonton traded Puljujarvi and his $3-million cap hit to the Hurricanes. The Finn failed to register a goal in 17 regular-season and seven playoff games with Carolina, posting just three assists. The Hurricanes didn't tender a qualifying offer to Puljujarvi, making him an unrestricted free agent.Puljujarvi can't play games with the Penguins until he signs a standard player contract. He remains eligible to ink a deal with any team, and Pittsburgh has no obligation to sign him.The Penguins have only $17,351 of cap space with its current roster, according to CapFriendly.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

During the peak of the Cold War in the 1970s, a new front opened: a cultural battle between the top hockey players in North America and the best from the Soviet Union. The winner would not just determine hockey dominance but would symbolize the triumph of an ideology.The Soviet system had moved to the forefront of the international game, dominating the world championships and Olympics in the 1960s by skirting the rules of amateurism with jobs that allowed them to train as hockey players full-time. Professionals were not allowed to compete in these international events, so the best players from the NHL had never faced off against the dominant Soviet teams.That changed in 1972 when the Summit Series pitted an NHL all-star squad featuring 13 future Hall of Famers against the Soviet national team. They repeated the event in 1974 against WHA players. Canada won in 1972, the Soviets triumphed in 1974.For 1975-76, an event was planned to have two Soviet league teams play eight games in North America during December and January: Super Series '76."This was a groundbreaking event in not only NHL history but in hockey history. It was the first time that the Soviet teams played NHL teams, as opposed to playing NHL All-Star teams," says Ed Gruver, the author of the new book "The Game That Saved the NHL," which chronicles what happened as a result of the 1976 event both on and off the ice.Early series results heavily favored the Soviets; CSKA Moscow, the famous Red Army team, bested the New York Rangers 7-3 at Madison Square Garden while the Soviet Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-4. In perhaps the most famous game of the series, the Red Army had a New Year's Eve date with a Montreal Canadiens team on the cusp of winning the next four Stanley Cups. Montreal outshot the Soviets 38-13, but the magnificent play of goalie Vladislav Tretiak earned them a 3-3 draw.Tretiak, center, with Montreal's Peter Mahovlich and Yvon Cournoyer following the New Year's Eve tie. Denis Brodeur / NHL / Getty ImagesBy the time the last of the eight games came around on Jan. 11, the Soviet Wings had won three of their four games and the Red Army was 2-0-1. The last NHL team standing: the two-time defending Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers.Almost 50 years have passed since that matchup, but its results are still felt throughout the NHL today. The Broad Street Bullies, as the Flyers were then known, managed to exact a measure of revenge with a 4-1 victory.The Flyers, known for their physical, domineering approach, stunned the Soviets with their aggression, and they left the ice in protest 10 minutes into the first period. When they did return to play, the Flyers didn't back off. The crowd roared when Flyers defenceman Ed Van Impe leveled a ferocious hit against Russian star Valeri Kharlamov, whose ankle had previously been shattered by Flyers captain Bobby Clarke in the 1972 series. Still, when the final whistle blew, relations between the teams improved, with players from both sides sharing drinks in the locker room after the Flyers' win.While that win might have saved face for the NHL, its legacy can be seen not just in what was proven that day, but in what was learned. The collision of two disparate styles of play led to significant on-ice changes for both the NHL and the Soviets. Meanwhile, the cultural significance of the series opened the door for more international competition between professionals and the eventual influx of Russian and Eastern European talent in the NHL.theScore spoke with Gruver, whose book focuses on that final game of the series in Philadelphia as well as the impact the series had on two hockey cultures.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: Why is this an important story right now?Gruver: Today, the story is especially important when we see relations between East and West, between the U.S. and Russia. The detente that came about after the fall of the Berlin Wall seems to be faltering again with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and all the negativity that has brought about.Can you describe the prevailing public sentiment around mixing sport and politics in 1976?It was very much an us-versus-them outlook, and that prevailed on both sides - whether you were North America, or whether you were Russia. Since the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union saw sports as a way to emphasize their political system. Their teams were seen as kind of Cold Warriors. The thought was, if they can defeat North American athletes in head-to-head competition, that proves to them that the Soviet system is superior to the North American system or, you know, democracy.The flip side was that from the standpoint of North America it was seen as: If we can defeat their athletes in head-to-head competition, we're proving that our system of government is superior to what's being practiced in the Soviet Union. It was very much an East-versus-West, us-against-them, democracy-versus-dictatorship matchup.Flyers defenseman Joe Watson fights for the puck in front of Red Army goalie Vladislav Tretiak. Philadelphia Flyers archiveThat's why the players who were in this Super Series, and particularly the Flyers, no team in NHL history ever felt the pressure, or will ever feel the pressure, again, of what they went through. It was left to the Flyers to uphold the honor of the NHL, which is kind of ironic because they were the Broad Street Bullies, they were almost universally hated outside of Philadelphia. But, it all came down to this.(NHL commissioner) Clarence Campbell went into their locker room before the game and said, "Boys, you've got to win this game." The players talked about that intensity - they were representing not only their team and the NHL, but North America, our form of government, everything was on the line for 60 minutes of hockey.If the players lose to the Soviets, then what does that mean for the NHL? What does that mean for the Stanley Cup? Now suddenly, it's all devalued? The Stanley Cup is no longer representative of the best team in hockey? Because the best team in hockey would have been in the Soviet Union. It was for hockey supremacy in the world, both sides understood that.Was the pressure the Flyers felt for this game comparable to the atmosphere of a Stanley Cup final?In 1972, when the Soviets played the NHL All-Stars, it was an eight-game series, and the NHL All-Stars pulled out a victory in Game 8 to win the series. Two years later, the Soviets soundly defeated the WHA All-Stars in the Summit Series. That set the stage for the Super Series in 1976 where you had the top two Soviet hockey clubs coming to the U.S. and North America to play some of the best NHL teams.But this matchup against the Soviets and the Flyers was just a one-game situation. It wasn't a best-of-seven. It wasn't like if you had a bad game, you can rebound and come back the next night like in a Stanley Cup Finals scenario. The Red Army team were the champions of the Soviet league. The Flyers were the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions of the NHL. It was the best against best in a one-game showdown. The players (interviewed for the book) told me that the Stanley Cup pressure was nothing compared to this.Flyers goalie Bernie Parent and captain Bobby Clarke skate with the Stanley Cup after defeating Buffalo in six games in the 1975 Finals. John D. Hanlon / Sports Illustrated / Getty ImagesYou talked to a lot of people who were present at this game, what stood out to you the most about what they remember almost 50 years later?Talking to the players involved and the media and everyone else involved who was there firsthand, what stood out was the intensity of the series and, in particular, that final game. The schedule makers really did everyone a huge favor by scheduling that game for the final game. I'm sure it was done for a reason because they wanted to match the champions up in the climactic game. It worked out well.The Red Army team rolled into Philadelphia to play the Stanley Cup champs and the Russians were undefeated. The Red Army team was unbeaten. There's no coming back from a loss in a one-game scenario like this.By the 1970s, the NHLers and the Soviets had developed two distinctly different styles of play on the ice. What made their approaches both so unique?The Soviet style was born out of a game called bandy. That was a sport that had been played in the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II, when the Russian government turned its attention away from war and to sports and entertainment, and the arts and things like that, they used the Canadian game as a building block to a point. But they more heavily relied on bandy because it was something they knew and had played. It was kind of like field hockey on ice. So the Soviets played a game that was less linear than what the NHL played.The NHL played end-to-end hockey. They played a dump-and-chase system. The Soviets played what would be considered more of an east-to-west game with more passing. They never did dump and chase, it was short passes basically aimed at trying to lure the opposing players out of position, which would give them the best shot possible.The NHL favored high-volume shots. They would just shoot anywhere inside the blue line and sometimes even just inside center ice. The Soviets would hold the puck for several stretches and then try to score with what they thought would be a premier opportunity. To the Soviets, a missed shot was like a turnover. The NHL didn't see it that way, they were willing to pepper the opposing goalie with as many shots as possible.It was such a contrast between Soviet hockey and North American hockey that it was very visual when you watched the game. It's very evident that these two teams were playing a brand of hockey that was completely foreign, in many ways, to one another.The Flyers' Bill Barber and Joe Watson shake hands with Red Army goalies Vladislav Tretiak and Nikolai Adonin after the game. Philadelphia Flyers ArchiveHow did both sides influence each other's style of play in the years that followed?It brought together two schools of thought on how hockey should be played. In the bringing together of these two contrasting styles, the clash between them made them both better in the long run.Interestingly, both claimed victory in the Super Series. The two Soviet teams won the Super Series by a 5-2-1 score. But, the NHL's viewpoint was that the Soviets had beaten some of their lesser teams, but not the three top teams.While both sides claimed victory, they also saw that they had to make changes. Following the proceedings, the Soviets began getting more physical in some of their games. They never resorted to the fighting that the NHL did, and particularly the Broad Street Bullies, but they did become more physical with their body checks and they did rely less on looking for the perfect scoring opportunity and began taking more shots.The NHL adjusted as well. They looked to improve their conditioning, which at the time was sorely behind the Soviet conditioning because the Russians trained year-round and the NHL didn't. NHL players also looked to improve their passing, getting away from the dump-and-chase and looking for better scoring opportunities.In your book, you highlighted that the influx of Soviet players after the collapse of the U.S.S.R. marked "the greatest migration of talent from one league to another league since the Negro Leaguers joined Major League Baseball." Was this Super Series a foreshadowing of that?I think so, yes. You start to see more of an influx of European players into the NHL from the mid-'70s on. When the Berlin Wall came down, then you started to see a heavy influx of Russian players coming into the NHL. Both sides realized that they could benefit from the other. In the end, the real winner was the sport of hockey because it truly became a global game.Hockey isn't regional anymore like it was in the '70s when you had North American style and European style. Now, it's more of a worldwide game. It matters less now who won the Super Series back then because the ultimate winner was the sport of hockey. The migration of talent from one league to another really benefited the sport as a whole.Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild had to play without Jared Spurgeon for the first month of this season due to injury, and now they'll have to overcome another setback on the blue line.Jonas Brodin will miss significant time due to an ailment, reports The Athletic's Michael Russo. Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane hit Brodin from behind Friday night. The Wild rearguard left the game and didn't return.

A scary scene unfolded in the Motor City on Saturday night involving Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who was forced to exit the game near the end of the opening period against the Ottawa Senators.During a netfront battle, and with Detroit on the power play, Senators forward Mathieu Joseph appeared to punch Larkin in the back of the head, sending the captain into Parker Kelly. Larkin then fell to the ice, and Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub proceeded to fall on top of his legs.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is sidelined week-to-week with a high ankle sprain, the team announced Saturday.Woll sustained the injury on a seemingly innocuous play in Toronto's 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. He stopped 29 of 31 shots prior to exiting the contest.

The St. Louis Blues dealt defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders for a 2024 seventh-round pick, the club announced Friday.Bortuzzo, who turns 35 in March, had played for the Blues since 2014-15 when they acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins.The Islanders needed defensive depth after placing blue-liner Ryan Pulock on injured reserve earlier Friday. They've also been without rearguards Adam Pelech and Sebastian Aho since Nov. 24 due to ailments of their own.Bortuzzo largely fulfilled a supporting role in St. Louis, but he did help the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019. However, the veteran has been limited to four games this season due to injury.He last played on Nov. 18, logging 12:59 of ice time in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jared Spurgeon is hardly noticeable for the casual hockey fan watching the Minnesota Wild.At 5-foot-9 and 166 pounds, the Wild captain is one of the least physically imposing players in the NHL. In fact, he's billed as the sixth-lightest player in the league this season and the lightest defenseman.While a lot of the best players in his weight class (Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Hughes) make up for their small stature with dynamic offensive ability, Spurgeon isn't overly flashy. His brilliance isn't found on highlight reels or box scores. He's posted 40 or more points twice in his 14-year career, which is good for a blue-liner, but nothing that will get him on the cover of a video game or make him a must-have player for your fantasy team.Spurgeon, though, is one of the most underrated players of his era. He's finished in the top 20 in Norris Trophy voting five times, but there's an argument to be made he should've finished higher in several of those seasons. He's somehow never cracked the top 10.Virtually every piece of underlying data shows Spurgeon has been one of the best two-way defensemen for the better part of a decade. Using expected goals above replacement - a catch-all metric aimed to signify a player's all-around impact - Spurgeon has ranked in the top 15 among defensemen every campaign since 2014-15, notably finishing first in 2019-20 and fourth last season.His player card over the last three seasons is off the charts. (Numerical ratings are percentiles.) Evolving-HockeyThe 2023-24 campaign hasn't gone perfectly. He missed the first 13 games with an upper-body injury, and the Wild, as a team, got off to a poor start. But Spurgeon has remained highly effective, especially defensively. Among rearguards with at least 100 five-on-five minutes, Spurgeon ranks first in both expected goals percentage and expected goals against per 60 minutes.Despite being 34 years old, one of the smallest players around, and playing on the NHL's 27th-ranked team by points percentage, Spurgeon is still thriving while routinely being matched up against the top players on opposing teams. So, how has he been able to do it?'Growing up, he was always the best'Spurgeon's journey to the NHL is remarkable. Growing up in Edmonton, he played forward until the age of 14 before moving to defense. At the 2004 WHL Draft, he didn't hear his name until the Spokane Chiefs grabbed him in the 10th round. The New York Islanders selected him in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL Draft but chose not to sign him, even after a productive junior career, which included winning the 2008 Memorial Cup."I obviously tried to use that as a bit of motivation for myself," Spurgeon told theScore about going unsigned by the Islanders.Spurgeon opted to sign with the Wild in 2010, and the rest is history. He's been a staple on their blue line ever since and is in his fourth season as team captain.He wasn't alone in his quest to make the NHL. He and Tyler Ennis - a 13-year NHL veteran - were good friends growing up, played on the same teams together, and remain close today. Spurgeon believes his friendship with Ennis - also undersized at 5-foot-9, 161 pounds - was beneficial to both of their careers."We always wanted the best for each other, but in the gym when training it was always pushing each other because we were both always told we were undersized and weren't going to make it," Spurgeon said. "So, we had this chip on our shoulder. We both made sure we were pushing each other to get to that next level."Spurgeon and Ennis were even able to live out a dream and play together in the NHL during the latter's lone campaign with the Wild in 2017-18. Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyAs a kid, Spurgeon idolized Doug Weight, who starred for Spurgeon's hometown Oilers from 1992-01. But as he grew older and moved to defense, he tried to model his game after blue-liners who fit his playing style, like Brian Rafalski and Dan Boyle.One thing Spurgeon shares with all of them is elite hockey IQ. Ennis knew from an early age that Spurgeon thought the game differently than his peers."His hockey IQ is better than everyone else's," Ennis, who now plays for Mannheim in Germany's top professional league, told theScore. "He was like that as a kid, but nobody gave him much of an opportunity or a chance. Growing up, he was always the best."Especially in our era, there's a huge bias against players that were small. They got overlooked a lot. I think what helped make our friendship so strong is that we were both small and going through the same troubles together, battling adversity together, and proving people wrong together."NHL scouts may always have a size bias when evaluating defensemen, but things are beginning to improve. If Spurgeon came through the ranks now, he'd likely be picked higher than the sixth round, and the Islanders probably find a way to get him signed."It took a little longer for everyone to realize that smaller D-men can play. I think now you see a lot more smaller D-men and puck-moving D-men playing important situations," Spurgeon said. "The rule changes definitely changed the game for smaller defensemen that can move the puck, skate, and get up and down the ice."'He's actually so hard to play against'While the conditions for smaller defensemen have improved over the years, numerous challenges remain. It can be more difficult to clear bodies out from in front of the net, and there's a significant reach disadvantage with the stick. But Spurgeon's brain seemingly enables him to overcome them all."He's so smart," fellow Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis told theScore ahead of a game in October. "The confidence he plays with, the details he has with his stick, all of the things that make up for his lack of height and size. He uses leverage to his advantage." Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / GettyWhen Spurgeon came into the league, opposing forwards might've thought they were in for a cakewalk. Newer forwards may look at him across the faceoff and expect an easy night. But those who've faced him over the years know that offense will be tough to come by when he's on the ice."A guy like that, maybe at first, you don't think it would be that hard to play against because he's smaller, but he's actually so hard to play against just because he's always in your face, always has good gaps, and competes so hard," said Frederick Gaudreau, who played against Spurgeon on two occasions with the Nashville Predators before joining the Wild in 2021. "To me, he's an amazing player."Despite being so hard to play against, Spurgeon rarely leaves his team shorthanded. Even with his reach disadvantage and the tough minutes he logs, he's somehow never racked up more than 20 penalty minutes throughout a season. It's a big reason why was a Lady Byng finalist twice.While discipline is partially about not committing physical infractions, there's also a mental aspect. Spurgeon rarely puts himself in positions that require desperation plays."I don't even remember him ever making a mistake," Ennis said. "It sounds ridiculous, but he just doesn't make mistakes. His decision-making is always right."Maybe if Spurgeon was more outspoken (teammates say he's a lead-by-example type of captain), he would get more attention. Perhaps playing in a bigger market would've earned him a few more Norris Trophy votes over the years.But those who've followed his career closely know how great he is, and that's what really matters. After all, for a shutdown defenseman, sometimes going unnoticed can be a good thing.(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears Tony DeAngelo's second stint in Raleigh could be short-lived.The Carolina Hurricanes have been shopping the 28-year-old defenseman for over a month, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reports.DeAngelo signed a one-year, $1.675-million deal with the Hurricanes as a free agent in the summer. He enjoyed a career year with Carolina in 2021-22, racking up 51 points in 64 games, but was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers the following summer. The Flyers bought out the final year of his contract after a poor campaign, making him a free agent.The 2023-24 season hasn't been kind to DeAngelo. He's failed to carve out a consistent role on Carolina's deep blue line, as he's averaging a career-low 16:11 per contest and has frequently been a healthy scratch. DeAngelo's tallied one goal and six assists in 16 games.The Hurricanes have five defensemen carrying a $4-million cap hit or greater, leaving only one spot up for grabs most nights. DeAngelo has proven to be a defensive liability, while his main competition for the No. 6 defenseman role, Jalen Chatfield, has been solid. Here's a look at their on-ice five-on-five numbers this season, per Natural Stat Trick.PlayerGoals forGoals againstxGF%DeAngelo41346.5Chatfield121256.5The Tampa Bay Lightning drafted DeAngelo in the first round in 2014. He's tallied 206 points in 356 career games between the Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Hurricanes, and Flyers.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As usual, we're heading toward a jam-packed Saturday in the NHL, as 24 of the league's 32 teams will be in action.Let's take a closer look at a couple of clubs worth backing.Devils @ FlamesDec. 9, 4 p.m. ETThe Devils are firing on all cylinders since getting captain Nico Hischier back in the lineup. They've won five of six games, losing only to the Sharks in a contest in which they held a 47-18 shot advantage. Go figure.New Jersey has posted fantastic underlying metrics since Hischier's return, controlling 59.57% of the expected goals at five-on-five. That's a top-tier rate.With their captain in the lineup, the Devils have a center who can eat up difficult minutes and dominate at both ends of the ice. It makes them better defensively and takes some of the load off Jack Hughes, ensuring he doesn't need to find the scoresheet a couple of times a night for his team to win.New Jersey looks the part of the elite five-on-five club everyone expected. Factor in that the Devils also have the league's best power play, and it's no coincidence they're piling up wins.I expect that to continue Saturday afternoon in Calgary. The Flames lack high-end talent up front, have middling five-on-five metrics, and will likely struggle to keep up with the Devils' high-powered offense.Jacob Markstrom's absence is also problematic. He has quietly had a solid campaign, while Dustin Wolf (minus-1.8) and Dan Vladar (minus-4.6) don't grade out well in goals saved above expected. If Calgary doesn't get good goaltending, New Jersey's firepower could cause a world of problems.I see edges all over the ice in this game and expect the Devils to grind out another win against the Flames. I would play them up to -135.Blues @ BlackhawksDec. 9, 8 p.m. ETThe Blues go as Jordan Binnington does. Even after getting bombarded by the Golden Knights, he still owns a .912 save percentage and has saved more than nine goals above expectation. He has been one of the better goaltenders in the league this season when also factoring in his difficult workload.After being lit up by Vegas on Wednesday, the expectation is St. Louis will start Joel Hofer versus the Blue Jackets on Friday night.That would mean the Blues turn back to Binnington against the Blackhawks on Saturday.Chicago is truly horrendous across the board. Its goaltending is inconsistent, and the defense is terrible. The Blackhawks also have next to no reliable offensive contributors beyond Connor Bedard. It's a one-man show.I'm not high on the Blues by any stretch, but they're clearly the better team. They aren't going to give up many opportunities to the Blackhawks, and Binnington should be able to put out the rare fire in front of him.Assuming Binnington is in net, I'd play the Blues up to -150.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ToddCordell.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL Department of Player Safety fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Austin Watson $2,022.57 - the maximum allowable - for unsportsmanlike conduct Friday.Watson unleashed a slap shot from his own blue line that struck Nashville Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon at center ice as time expired on a 5-1 loss Thursday.