Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety for an illegal check to Florida Panthers blue-liner Oliver Ekman-Larsson's head in the third period of Monday's contest.McAvoy received a five-minute major and game misconduct for the hit.

We started the week with a mixed bag on the ice. Two of our three shot props came through as winners. Unfortunately, we lost our under by the hook and the Golden Knights blew a lead late in the third, thus failing to claim a regulation win.We'll look to rebound with a few plays for an abnormally light Tuesday in the NHL.Kings (+140) @ Maple Leafs (-160)The Maple Leafs are quietly on a nice little run of unders. Five of their past six games featured six goals or fewer. Excluding overtime, Toronto's last contest to have seven goals was its second of the year, which was against the Wild.While there have been bumps along the way defensively, the Leafs have mostly done a good job in their own zone. They sit seventh in shots allowed per 60 at five-on-five this season. They also don't take many penalties, and the workload isn't too difficult for their goaltenders.When things do get dicey, Joseph Woll has shown the ability to hold down the fort as the last line of defense. He owns a .961 save percentage and leads the league in goals saved above expected.He won't post those kinds of numbers forever, but I think he's more than capable of doing the job for a Leafs team that's limiting shots against.I expect the Kings will do their part to keep the scoring down as well. They rank top five in shots and expected goals against at five-on-five. They're a veteran team that plays with great structure, and they don't give up a whole whack of opportunities on any given night.That hasn't translated to low goal outputs thus far since the netminding has been horrific. An .870 save percentage is low for even a tandem of Pheonix Copley and Cam Talbot.The latter will be in goal Tuesday, and his numbers are drastically better than Copley's. That's a plus for the under.Given how well the Kings and Leafs suppress shots at five-on-five, and since neither parades to the box on a nightly basis, this has the makings of a tight and relatively low-scoring affair.Bet: Under 6.5 (+100)Filip Forsberg over 3.5 shotsForsberg is a one-man shooting gallery. He's registered at least four shots in six of eight games, landing on three shots in the outliers. His success is a byproduct of drastically improved shot volume under new Predators coach Andrew Brunette.Forsberg averages 8.6 shot attempts per game this season, which is among the league's highest marks. Brunette wants his best players to have the puck as much as possible and gives them the freedom to be creative when they do. Clearly, it's paying off for Forsberg.The Predators recently replaced Juuso Parssinen as the top-line right-winger, opting to use Gustav Nyquist instead. That's a welcome change for Forsberg as his volume has increased even more with Nyquist on his opposite side.Forsberg has averaged more than 30 shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play with Nyquist on his line. That's insane production.He's also the go-to shooter on the power play, and the Canucks are one of the league's worst shot-suppression sides while shorthanded.Forsberg had four shots on eight attempts when the two sides met last week. I expect a similar output this time around.Odds: -122 (playable to -140)Brock Boeser over 2.5 shotsDeath, taxes, and Brock Boeser at home. He's gone over his total in all three games in Vancouver this season. Boeser has averaged five shots on goal and nearly seven attempts in those games. He's not just sneaking by - he's getting the job done with room to spare.Boeser's hot streak in Vancouver is nothing new. Dating back to last season, he's hit in nine of his past 10 games on home ice.The Predators have tailed off at five-on-five after a strong start. Their shot share now sits at 46% in that game state, meaning Boeser and the Canucks could do some damage at even strength.Nashville also has a very poor penalty-killing unit, and Boeser's shot is a weapon of choice when the Canucks are up a man.This is a sneaky good spot for Boeser to continue firing away.Odds: -125 (playable to -145)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.

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry isn't cutting himself any slack as his early-season struggles persist."It's tough, obviously, when you're losing games," he said after his team's 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, per NHL.com's Michelle Crechiolo. "That's the hardest part. You never want to lose; you play the game to win. I don't think I've been giving the guys enough (of a) chance to win every night."Jarry added, "Obviously, I need to be better, and I think that's the bottom line."He surrendered four goals on 27 shots during the demoralizing defeat. The Penguins held a 3-2 edge early in the third period, but Mason McTavish struck twice - including a shorthanded tally in the final minute of the game - to hand Pittsburgh its second straight loss.Jarry now owns a 2-5-0 record on the season to go along with an .893 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average. New general manager Kyle Dubas showed his faith in the beleaguered netminder by signing him to a five-year extension with a $5.375-million cap hit on July 1.Evgeni Malkin wouldn't allow Jarry to shoulder the brunt of the blame following Monday's defeat."We should play better," he said, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "The team fights all night. We can't play like this. ... We should win tonight, for sure. We're not happy right now, how we play at home. ... We can't stop. It's just the beginning of the season. ... I believe in this group."Pittsburgh's last win came Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche, when Jarry pitched a 31-save shutout. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan hinted at a potential shakeup as his team attempts to break out of its 3-6-0 funk."Right now, we're finding ways to lose," he said. "We have to find ways to win. Do we have to make some changes? We might have to."The Penguins have plenty of time to digest their latest loss. Their next game comes Saturday against the winless San Jose Sharks.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anaheim Ducks head coach Greg Cronin was given a game misconduct Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after arguing with officials about a disallowed goal.The Ducks had a tally waived off for goaltender interference. Cronin challenged the call and lost the review, resulting in a delay of game penalty. He was visibly upset with the result and was penalized after getting vocal with officials, ultimately leading to an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct and a bench minor.The Penguins scored on the ensuing power play to tie the game at 2-2 before the end of the second period. Anaheim managed to pull out a 4-3 win thanks to a goal from Mason McTavish in the dying seconds of regulation.The NHL warned all 32 head coaches prior to the season about excessive tirades against officials, according to The Athletic.Cronin was hired by the Ducks for his first NHL head coaching gig in June.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Blake Wheeler had a rocky ending to an otherwise illustrious 13-year career with the Winnipeg Jets organization but is adamant he's moved on from the drama.Wheeler's status with the club began to fracture when he was stripped of the captaincy prior to the 2022-23 campaign. The decision stung, but Wheeler thinks it was best for him and the organization."Even as a 36-year-old, I had some growing up to do," he told Sportsnet's Christine Simpson. "You can grow and you can be better. I can lead better and in different ways and more effectively. I don't know if I would have identified that had that not happened. There was a lot of growing up that came from that moment."Wheeler played out the season, then had the final year of his contract bought out before free agency opened in July. He holds no ill will toward the Jets for how all that unfolded but admitted losing the letter he wore for six campaigns was difficult."Well it makes it easier to move on, right? I would definitely agree with that," he said."Last year was super challenging in the sense that there's a certain amount of embarrassment that comes with having the "C" taken away. To have to go through that and deal with that was definitely challenging at times. I think a lot of the narrative around our group going into last year was that there was dressing room issues and there was problems. Then you take the captaincy away, well, there's your problem right there, right?"The Atlanta Thrashers acquired Wheeler from the Boston Bruins in 2010-11, then relocated to Winnipeg the following season. He went on to set franchise records in games played (897), assists (550), and points (812).Wheeler signed a one-year, $1.1-million contract with the New York Rangers after hitting the open market this past summer. He played his first game back in Winnipeg on Monday night and received a rousing ovation from his old fans. New York won the contest 3-2 in overtime.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is a hair's breadth away from tying Patrick Roy for the second-most wins by a netminder in NHL history, but veteran Ryan Hartman doesn't think he and his teammates are doing their part to help him climb the ladder."We got a guy that's six games away from going to No. 2, and we're laying eggs for him," Hartman said, according to the Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan. "That's enough motivation to bring it every night."He's gonna get it, and I know he doesn't think about it. But I do, and I know some guys do. We want to be here and see it and do it for him and help him out, and we haven't really helped him out."Here's the all-time list as it stands now:RankGoalieWinsGP1Martin Brodeur69112662Patrick Roy55110293Marc-Andre Fleury5459894Roberto Luongo48910445Ed Belfour484963Fleury started the 2023-24 campaign just seven wins behind Roy and drew even closer with a victory in his first start of the year against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 17, but he hasn't picked up a win through three starts since then.Hartman's comments follow a winless three-game road trip. Fleury started the last two contests, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals and a 4-3 defeat to the New Jersey Devils. The future Hall of Famer now has an .888 save percentage and 3.25 goals-against average on the campaign.Both Fleury and No. 1 netminder Filip Gustavsson have endured a tough start to the season. The Wild have allowed the most goals against per game (4.11) and the sixth-most shots against per contest (34.3) at all strengths while owning the league's fifth-worst save percentage (.897) at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.Minnesota has been forced to contend with injuries to key players, including forward Matt Boldy, who has been sidelined since Oct. 14, and captain Jared Spurgeon, who has yet to make his season debut.Fleury isn't using those absences to write off his team's middling 3-4-2 start to the season, though."We can't use it as an excuse," he told reporters after Sunday's loss in New Jersey. "I think we're a good enough team that we can find ways to win games."This could be Fleury's last year in the NHL. Heading into the 2023-24 campaign, the beloved goaltender said he'd make a decision on his playing career at the end of the season."I don't want to think about it too much every game, you know, (like), 'Oh, it's going good, I'll play again' or 'Oh, it's going bad, I don't want to play anymore,'" he said in September. "There'll be ups and downs this season. I just want to get through it and then make a decision at the end."Next up for the Wild is a rematch against the Devils on Thursday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins announced a one-year, $775,000 contract for forward Danton Heinen on Monday.Heinen joined the Bruins for training camp on a professional tryout but went unsigned to this point of the season. The 28-year-old previously spent four seasons in Boston from 2016-2020 and has made stops in Anaheim and Pittsburgh since.He recorded 22 points in 65 games last season with the Penguins and owns 70 goals and 106 assists in 413 career contests. Heinen's most productive NHL campaign came in 2017-18 when he notched 47 points.The Bruins are off to a tremendous start this season, leading the Eastern Conference with a 7-0-1 record.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We are coming off a disappointing Saturday card. Although the Predators pulled off the plus money upset at home against the Maple Leafs, both player props lost to give us a down night.Kyle Connor and Jakob Chychrun fell one shot shy of glory while combining to miss the net eight times. The process was good, but the results weren't.We'll look to get back on the horse and put together a winning card for a surprisingly large Monday slate.Kraken (+135) @ Lightning (-165)The Kraken love themselves some unders. Despite rocky goaltending at times, Seattle has gone below a 6.5 total in seven of nine games this season.The club ranks closer to the bottom of the league in expected goal generation. Skilled winger Andre Burakovsky's long-term injury won't help matters.I don't see the Kraken as a team that can outscore shortcomings in goal at the best of times. Without Burakovsky, they should be even more determined to lock things down and keep games as uneventful as possible.The Lightning aren't likely to have a problem with that. Without Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes, the Bolts have little interest in playing run-and-gun hockey. Tampa Bay wants to make life as easy as possible for Jonas Johansson, who has held up surprisingly well thus far.I'm not expecting the Lightning to generate a ton on this slow, structured Kraken team. Conversely, Seattle is struggling mightily to score at even strength, and Tampa has spent less time shorthanded than any team. This isn't a spot where offense should come easy to the Kraken.Bet: Under 6.5 (-115)Canadiens (+200) @ Golden Knights (-245)The Canadiens are off to a solid 5-2-1 start, but I'm not buying what they're selling. Their early success appears to be smoke and mirrors.Montreal has allowed 2.96 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, ranking 30th in the league. That's translated to only 1.20 goals allowed per 60 minutes.The Canadiens also spend more time shorthanded per game than any NHL club and possess atrocious defensive metrics while undermanned.Jake Allen is great and all, but Montreal needs to be drastically better to stay afloat when he and his teammates come back down to earth.A road date with the Golden Knights is a good spot for that to happen. Vegas is showing no sign of a Stanley Cup hangover, winning eight of nine games thus far and claiming at least a point in each.Jack Eichel is firing on all cylinders, William Karlsson looks rejuvenated, Shea Theodore is performing like one of the best offensive defensemen in the league, and the team is getting good goaltending.I think the Golden Knights will outplay the Canadiens at five-on-five, and they have a big special teams advantage to boot.Vegas should be able to snap Montreal's mini-winning streak and pick up a victory inside 60 minutes.Bet: Golden Knights in regulation (-145)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.

With nine games scheduled for Monday night, we have an abnormally large plate of games to begin the week.Let's waste no time in getting to a few of my favorite shot props on the board.Mathew Barzal over 2.5 shotsBarzal is shooting the puck more this season, especially on home ice. He's averaged 6.2 attempts per game on Long Island and registered at least three shots in all five games.We're still dealing with a small sample size, but Barzal failed to go over the number in both road games and generated less than half the volume.Barzal is back home tonight in a sneaky-good matchup against the Red Wings. Although they look much improved this season, that's more a byproduct of Alex DeBrincat and the offense as opposed to stout defensive play.The Red Wings rank in the bottom 10 when it comes to five-on-five shot suppression. They've also taken penalties at an above-average rate, opening the door for plenty of extra shooting opportunities for those featured on the power play.Odds: +103 (playable to -125)Jason Robertson over 3.5 shotsRobertson is off to a slow start to the year but appears to be coming out of his shell. After failing to hit his shot total in four straight to begin the season, Robertson has bounced back with consecutive hits.The volume was strong in those games. Robertson averaged five shots on goal and eight attempts between a road matchup in Pittsburgh and a home game against a solid Maple Leafs squad.The fun should continue for Robertson on Monday night. He'll square off against a Blue Jackets side that continues to bleed shots each and every night.Only the Sharks and Canadiens have allowed more shots per minute across all situations. The Blue Jackets remain lost defensively despite the personnel changes made during the offseason.Expect a vintage Robertson performance against a Blue Jackets team allowing nearly 33 shots per game.Odds: +100 (playable to -130)Jack Eichel over 3.5 shotsEichel has recorded at least four shots in six of nine games thus far and is in the perfect spot to continue his shooting success.For one, Eichel is at home. He's averaged an extra 1.2 shot attempts per game in Vegas this season, so that's a nice feather in the cap.More importantly, though, is the mouthwatering matchup against the Canadiens. They give up a ton of shots at even strength and have spent more time killing penalties than anybody else on a per-game basis. It's a prime matchup for Eichel to do damage in any game state.The Canadiens also struggle immensely against opposing centers. No team in the NHL allows more shots per game to the position.To summarize, the Canadiens are bad defensively, can't stay out of the box, don't have the ability to control matchups on the road, and no team has fared worse versus Eichel's position thus far. He should have a field day.Odds: -125 (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.

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames 5-2 in the Heritage Classic outdoors at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday.The result snapped Edmonton's four-game losing streak while extending Calgary's skid to five consecutive losses.Sunday's contest marked the return of Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who missed two games with an upper-body injury. He had been given a one-to-two-week recovery timeline Oct. 22. The reigning MVP notched an assist and two shots on goal across 23:26 of ice time."It looked like the team that's put together 100 wins over the last couple years," McDavid said after the final buzzer, according to Sportsnet. "I'm not sure what the team was for the first seven games, but that looked a little more familiar and something that we can repeat game in and game out."Edmonton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Brett Kulak and Zach Hyman. Nazem Kadri cut the lead in half with his first goal of the season, but Evan Bouchard found the back of the net less than two minutes later to restore the Oilers' momentum.The second period featured one goal - forward A.J. Greer's first with the Flames. Vincent Desharnais and Evander Kane then scored in the final frame to seal the win for Edmonton.The Oilers outshot the Flames 34-27 in the contest despite Calgary having six power plays. Edmonton managed to dictate the pace at even strength, owning 55.29% of shot attempts, 70% of scoring chances, and 71% of expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick.This year's Heritage Classic was the seventh edition of the event and first in Edmonton since the spectacle debuted in 2003. It was a sellout, with 55,411 fans in attendance.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid returned to the lineup for Sunday's Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames at Commonwealth Stadium.McDavid missed the Oilers' last two games after suffering an upper-body injury on Oct. 21 against the Winnipeg Jets. He was initially given a recovery timeline of one-to-two weeks, which jeopardized his availability for the marquee outdoor event in Edmonton."I hate missing games, period," McDavid told reporters Saturday. "Whether or not this game was played indoors or outdoors, it would be something I was pushing for. I hate missing games, and sitting out two is not something that's fun. ... Being available is important to me."What caused McDavid's injury against the Jets wasn't clear, but he appeared to be favoring his side on his final shift in the third period, and he remained on the bench for all of overtime.Edmonton lost 7-4 to the Minnesota Wild and was blanked 3-0 by the New York Rangers without its superstar in the lineup. The Oilers have struggled to stay afloat in the early goings of the 2023-24 season with a dismal 1-5-1 record that stands in stark contrast to their Stanley Cup aspirations."I wish I could point to one thing that it is, but not quite sure what it is. ... It's very hard to win in this league, and this has been a good reminder of how difficult and how much it takes to win," McDavid said of his team's slow start. "You don't just get to show up and expect to win."The 26-year-old offensive dynamo has two goals and eight points in five games so far this season. McDavid has taken home the Art Ross Trophy in three consecutive campaigns as the league's leading point-getter.McDavid also won the Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 2022-23 after erupting for 64 goals and 153 points in 82 contests.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Joe Thornton confirmed his retirement from the NHL on Saturday after sitting out all of last season and remaining unsigned for 2023-24.He last played during the 2021-22 campaign as a member of the Florida Panthers. Thornton appeared in 1,714 games across an illustrious 24-year career that began with the Boston Bruins in 1997.The 44-year-old posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) through the San Jose Sharks - with whom he played 15 seasons - to reveal the news."Judging by how many people keep asking me, I guess I have to tell you: I'm officially retired from the NHL," Thornton joked."I thought you guys would have figured it out sooner, but you kept asking, so here I am retiring. I have so much love for the game of hockey, for a countless number of people that helped this kid's dream become a reality."Thornton was drafted first overall by the Bruins in 1997. He was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in 2005-06 and won the Art Ross and Hart Trophy. Thornton's the only player in league history to win MVP after suiting up for multiple teams in the same season.He enjoyed his best years in San Jose, racking up 1,055 points in 1,104 games with the Sharks to go along with 115 in 144 playoff appearances. Thornton left the Bay Area after the 2019-20 campaign and played one season each with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Panthers in pursuit of the Stanley Cup, but he came up short.Thornton ranks 12th all time in points (1,539) and seventh in assists (1,109). He was a four-time All-Star and won an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2010.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety suspended Buffalo Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton for two games on Saturday as a result of an illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier.The Sabres blue-liner drove his shoulder into Hischier's head with four minutes left in the first period of Friday's matchup.

We had another solid night on the ice Friday. We put together a 3-2 evening between our best bets and player props and turned a profit again.We'll look to keep the train on track with three more plays for Saturday's slate.Maple Leafs (-145) @ Predators (+125)Death, taxes, and backing the Predators. I think they've played a lot better than given credit for this season, and I see value in them again at home versus the Maple Leafs.Nashville has mostly looked good under new head coach Andrew Brunette. Led by Filip Forsberg, the club has threatened at five-on-five while playing the kind of defense that would make GM Barry Trotz proud.The Preds have conceded just 2.07 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, which is the best mark in the league. Factor in the strong goaltending behind that defense, and it's no surprise they've conceded just 1.75 goals per 60 at full strength.The Maple Leafs are a very good team, but they've shown some warts. They've lacked secondary scoring, and the defense has been mediocre.Those issues haven't looked as noticeable with Joseph Woll between the pipes. The youngster has played shockingly well and leads the league in goals saved above expected.Unfortunately for Toronto, it likely won't have Woll in net to mask the blemishes. The expectation is Ilya Samsonov will get the nod in goal for this game.Samsonov has conceded 5.2 goals more than expected through just four appearances. Not only has he failed to cover up Toronto's mistakes, but he's made plenty of his own.With a strong five-on-five profile, home ice, and a big advantage between the pipes - Juuse Saros is generally as reliable as they come - I see value in the Predators as home underdogs.Bet: Predators (+125)Jakob Chychrun over 2.5 shotsChychrun has logged at least 21:55 of ice time in four of the past five games, headlined by a 28-minute effort last time out. He took full advantage of that workload, firing a whopping nine shots on goal.Although Chychrun may not flirt with 30 minutes each night, he should routinely play 25-plus moving forward.The Senators are dealing with ailments on defense. Erik Brannstrom suffered an injury early in Ottawa's last game, which is why so much fell onto Chychrun's plate. Then news came that Thomas Chabot, who played 22 minutes against the Islanders, also suffered an injury and will be out for weeks, if not months.As a cherry on top, Artem Zub is also banged up. That means three of Ottawa's top five defensemen are sidelined.Chychrun is a minutes eater who has always generated shots in bulk on the back end. Given the injuries Ottawa is dealing with, Chychrun will get as much ice as he can handle from head coach DJ Smith.Expect him to make the most of it.Odds: -140 (playable to -160)Kyle Connor over 3.5 shotsConnor is firing on all cylinders for the Jets. He leads the team in goals, points, shot attempts, shots on target, and scoring chances through seven contests.The shot volume has been strong from Connor, who's averaging a hair under eight attempts per game. That's more than enough to go over his total on any given night, which is why he has hit the over more than he's come up short this season.Although Connor is a strong five-on-five player, he greatly benefits from his shot being the focal point of Winnipeg's power play. The good news is he has the best matchup imaginable to take advantage of that.The Canadiens lead the league in shorthanded time on ice per game, and they rank dead last in suppressing expected goals while undermanned. Put simply, Montreal takes a ton of penalties and is quite bad at killing them.This is a prime matchup for Connor to put up a big shot total.Odds: -106 (playable to -135)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.

When Christine Simpson began her career as a hockey reporter in 1998, Google did not exist. Viewers relied on broadcasters and print reporters to uncover information about their favorite players that wasn't accessible anywhere else. Today, information is instantly available and, as a result, the role of storytelling has changed.But Simpson, who you can catch this season on Sportsnet's Hockey Night in Canada, has changed along with the times, leveraging her vast hockey knowledge and deep contact list to continue to develop feature stories that show a different side of hockey and its biggest stars. As more hockey players get comfortable showing their personality, people like Simpson are there to bring them out of their shell.theScore recently caught up with Simpson to talk about the changing dynamics of storytelling in hockey and what stories she's paying attention to this year.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.theScore: How has the way you tell hockey stories changed from the beginning of your career to now?Simpson: So much of storytelling comes out of the preparation that you do for the interview. I would say that is one area that has changed so much from when I began. Keep in mind, I started at Sportsnet in 1998. So if I were, for example, heading to California to do a story on one of the Los Angeles Kings, it's not like I could Google the player.Back then, research started by looking up who is the beat reporter for the L.A. Kings and phoning them. Or, if I knew anyone from that player's past, like a junior coach where they played, a good friend, someone in their world, I would get a hold of that person. That would be kind of the only way that you could do research.Now, with technology, the players themselves tell you a lot about themselves, especially the younger generation who have social media. One of the first things I would do if I'm interviewing, for example, Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks, is go to his Instagram and find out, where was he this summer? Did he travel somewhere? Did he go to a teammate's wedding? Does he have a cool hobby that I could ask him about? There are so many other ways to find out about a player. It's been nice to see a lot of players now are a little more open to sharing more of their personality.How does hockey's culture of conservatism impact your approach to interviews?Hockey players have always been known as the conservative ones that don't really want to be bigger than the team. I do respect that very much. It's a team sport, but it's nice that a lot of the newer generation can kind of let their hair down a bit and have some fun. Trevor Zegras is a good example of that. They can tell us a lot about themselves through their own channels. It's certainly a helpful tool when I am deciding, "How do I approach this interview and telling the story of this particular player?"As far as interviews go, it all depends who the leader is. Any team that has, for instance, Lou Lamoriello at the helm - Lou's got his rules, and you will never be able to get around that. I mean, I remember being a rinkside reporter for the Toronto Maple Leafs when Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were in their rookie seasons. Two of the biggest superstars to come into the game. Lou's rule was, during the game broadcast, I was not allowed to interview rookies. And again, I respect him. Obviously, he's a Hall of Famer. In his mind, they haven't really earned the right yet to have the focus on them. I think he wanted them to just put their head down, do their job, not be distracted.Well, I'll never forget the very first game of that season: Auston Matthews' debut. They're playing the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa. I'm not allowed to talk to him at the pregame bench warm-up interview, intermission interview. The only caveat was if he does something truly special, then the Leafs' PR would go to Lou and see if he would rescind that rule and allow me to interview him. Well, of course, in Auston Matthews' first NHL game, he scores four goals.I've got to think that this qualifies as something special. Lou did let me do the postgame interview with Auston Matthews, which I did appreciate. Andre Ringuette / NHL / Getty ImagesThat might be an extreme example, where leadership just does not want, in any way, shape, or form, anyone to feel bigger than the team. It's all about the culture for hockey players. It's always all about the team. If you're too flashy, you're probably going to have some veteran on the team kind of put you in your place. I guess it's the old-school way of thinking. I do feel that it's changing. But for players, I also think they need to respect what the rules are of their team.It seems like many athletes today are also concerned about saying something controversial that could become a distraction.A lot of teams media-train their players. In my experience, that teaches them how to say something without actually saying anything at all, which is why it is so refreshing when a player does open up or even says something controversial, which people can jump on them for. But in my mind, you can't jump on a player. All we want is for them to show more of their personality or to say exactly how they feel.A huge example is Travis Dermott. Keep in mind, he is not a seasoned veteran with a 10-year deal, he's on a one-year contract. But it was so important to him to use Pride Tape, even knowing he's going against the NHL rules, that he did it. That takes a lot for someone like him to do that, because his convictions were so strong. I have all the respect in the world for him. It forced the NHL to look at their policy and change it. So there's an example of kudos to Travis Dermott of all people, who stood up for what he believed in and felt was right. That's not an easy thing to do. Zac BonDurant / Getty ImagesThere's so much information online now - does this change your role as a storyteller? It's hard to bring the viewer something new when they could just Google it themselves. Does that mean you have to ask different questions today than in the past?I feel like you do need to have a reason for wanting to talk to somebody. You're always trying to find a nugget of something about a great player that people wouldn't have necessarily known, or just get him to open up about something that he hasn't talked about before. Most of my favorite interviews are where we're actually not even talking about hockey. It's more about delving into something about that player - a passion they have, a story about their family, a story about their child, a story about what their goals are beyond hockey, anything like that.It's also about trying to ask the questions in a way that doesn't allow them to give the cliche answers. And, if they do give the cliche answer, you need to follow up with another way of asking the same question, but wanting to delve a little deeper into it.It makes you work harder to want to get an interview out of a player, where someone's going to say, "I learned something about them, or even just saw them in a different light."Is there one career moment that stands out to you when you think about everything you've done?I have been fortunate enough to be a part of so many Stanley Cup playoff games, All-Star Games, outdoor games, all of that. But, if you force me to pick one, I think I would actually say my biggest highlight was March 8, 2020: International Women's Day. I was part of the first-ever all-female broadcast of an NHL game in Canada. Myself, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, and Leah Hextall. We also had a female producer, director, and most of our truck was female. It was such an amazing feeling to have all of these women who do these jobs all together. I've worked with women over the years, but never kind of all of us coming together at the same time. It was just such an incredible feeling of pride for the industry. When I started in 1998, there was not a chance that any network would even try and do that. They wouldn't have been able to do it because there weren't enough women in those roles who could perform those duties. The fact that we did it, and it was such a huge, huge success, was absolutely one of the career highlights.Christine Simpson interviews Connor Timmins during a Maple Leafs preseason game in September. Nicole Osborne / NHL / Getty ImagesWhich storylines are you personally most interested in this hockey season?We all know that a Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens did it in 1993. When you saw all the pundits giving their predictions for the season, a lot of them had the Edmonton Oilers potentially playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup final. That would be a dream for us in Canada. The Oilers are going to have to get going, but I have every hope that they will.The other thing I would look to is Connor Bedard. What a phenom. I know the season is young, but he's been living up to all of the expectations and accolades that he got coming into the season. It'll be exciting to see how his rookie season unfolds.Lastly, for us here in Toronto, we've got the All-Star Game coming to town and that's always a fun event. To have it in our own backyard is something that I am very much looking forward to.Do you have any cool features in the works that you can give me the inside scoop on?I was actually just in New York City last week and did two sit-downs that will be coming up. One with Blake Wheeler, who was the captain of the Winnipeg Jets and had a bit of an awkward ending to his career in Winnipeg. He is now with the New York Rangers and will be traveling with the Rangers to Winnipeg on Oct. 30. We talked a lot about how it ended in Winnipeg and how he thinks he'll feel going back there as a member of the Rangers.The other one I got, and I'm very excited about this one, I sat down with Henrik Lundqvist, who will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Nov. 13. I spent a few hours with him in Tribeca, where he co-owns a restaurant. We did the interview at his restaurant and walked the streets of Tribeca. I remember interviewing him in his rookie season back in the day. So, just to have him in a very relaxed state and look back on his career and what some of the highlights were was fun for me.Jolene Latimer is a writer at theScore.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Andrei Svechnikov is back.The Carolina Hurricanes forward made his season debut Friday against the San Jose Sharks after missing 41 games due to a torn ACL.Svechnikov sustained the injury on March 11 against the Vegas Golden Knights. He tallied 23 goals and 55 points in 64 games last season prior to his season-ending injury."When he gives us the green light, we'll definitely chuck him in there," head coach Rod Brind'Amour told team reporter Walt Ruff on Wednesday.Svechnikov was kept out of the lineup Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.Carolina initially anticipated the 23-year-old to return for the start of the 2023-24 campaign.The Hurricanes entered Friday sitting in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division at 4-4-0.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks are taking a unique approach with Leo Carlsson's development, opting to play the rookie only twice per week and not on back-to-back nights.Despite an eagerness to get into game action, the 2023 second-overall pick is on board with the plan."It feels good," Carlsson told NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "Of course, after the Arizona game, I wanted to keep playing games because it felt so good, but I believe in the plan, too, getting bigger and strong and stuff like that."Carlsson has only dressed in three of Anaheim's seven contests so far but has received big minutes in each. He played 19:00 in his debut against the Dallas Stars and soared above 22 minutes in his two-point outing versus the Boston Bruins on Thursday."It's pretty easy, I think, because if you miss a game, you have so much energy for the next game and are just so excited for the next game," Carlsson said.The development plan is focused on allowing Carlsson to build up over the campaign and improve his strength, power, and speed with additional time that would otherwise be spent preparing for games."It's a great plan," Carlsson's agent Matt Keator said. "Because he's not going to wear down. He's going to have more energy and he's going to have more strength. I don't think the Ducks are planning on winning the Cup this year - though you never know - and I just think for him it's almost similar to what he would be doing if he was in Europe, but he's doing it here."Carlsson joins the NHL from Sweden's top professional league, which has a 52-game regular season.Linemate Troy Terry admitted he'd like to see Carlsson get into more games, but acknowledged the development plan is in the 18-year-old's best interest long term."I know he's on this development program and it's frustrating for me sometimes because I love playing with him," Terry said. "But how, I think, dominating he can be already, if you can get him even stronger, I think it's scary."The 3-4-0 Ducks face the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Carlsson's status for the contest has yet to be announced.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom has a concussion, head coach D.J. Smith confirmed Friday, according to TSN 1200.Brannstrom had to be stretchered off the ice midway through Thursday's 3-2 loss against the New York Islanders after landing awkwardly when opposing forward Cal Clutterbuck hit him into the boards.Brannstrom stayed in hospital overnight. Smith added that all other tests came back negative and that the blue-liner is returning to Ottawa on Friday afternoon.Clutterbuck was remorseful about the incident, even though it wasn't malicious.I've got 3,800 hits and I was just finishing him," the Islanders' veteran said postgame, according to the New York Post's Ethan Sears. "I kept playing, I turned around and everyone was yelling. Just hate to see it, honestly. I'm sick to my stomach about it. I was then. I am now. It's not something that you want to have happen."Brannstrom logged under eight minutes of ice time before the hit and played in all six of Ottawa's previous games this season.The 24-year-old joined the Senators' organization in the 2019 trade that sent Mark Stone to the Vegas Golden Knights.Vegas drafted Brannstrom 15th overall in 2017.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs reassigned Fraser Minten to the WHL's Kamloops Blazers on Friday.Minten, 19, unexpectedly made the Maple Leafs roster out of camp as the team's third-line center. He played in four games - recording no points - and was a healthy scratch for Toronto's two most recent contests.The 2022 second-round pick can't be recalled by the Maple Leafs from the WHL except in emergency roster situations.In a subsequent roster move, Toronto recalled defenseman William Lagesson from the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Jake McCabe's status for Saturday's contest against the Nashville Predators remains uncertain.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will miss four-to-six weeks with a fracture in his hand, head coach D.J. Smith said Friday, according to TSN 1200.Chabot sustained the injury Thursday when he blocked a shot in the Sens' loss against the New York Islanders. An MRI revealed the fracture after X-rays at the arena came back negative.

After losing 30 one-goal games last season, the Calgary Flames missed the playoffs by two points. A fractured dressing room led to the firing of head coach Darryl Sutter, with Ryan Huska, one of Sutter's assistants, taking over in the summer.Bringing in a fresh voice and tactics for a team that was on the edge of the postseason injected optimism into Calgary's room and fan base. Eight games into the new season, that optimism has morphed into pessimism.The Flames own a 2-5-1 record and a minus-12 goal differential. A 3-0 home loss to the Blues on Thursday made it four straight losses ahead of Sunday's Heritage Classic outdoor game against the Oilers (who are also struggling).As defenseman Nikita Zadorov put it, Calgary is "playing like shit right now." Gerry Thomas / Getty ImagesLast week in Buffalo, before the Flames' 4-3 victory over the Sabres, I asked Huska about team identity and what Calgary should look like on the ice."It's a team that's hard to play against," the rookie head coach said. "You don't give a lot of time and space. We may not have the most physical group. We may not have the most offensive group in the league. But we have a lot of guys that are really good hockey players, and when you play the right way together, they're hard to play against because they don't leave a lot of room."Huska went on to explain that "playing together and playing tight" on defense can force turnovers. Then, the Flames can attack in numbers off the rush."When you're in the defensive zone and you're really tight together, it's easier to break out and easier to come together as a wave of five," winger Dillon Dube said. The 25-year-old added: "We took notes from other teams, the hard teams you play. Every time you look up (as an offensive player), you have a guy in your face. We're trying to build that within our team." Gregory Shamus / Getty ImagesSo far, so good on that front: As of Friday morning, Calgary is tied for 13th in the NHL in scoring chances generated off the rush, according to Sportlogiq.In just about every other per-game category offensively, the news is not so good.Goals: 29th in the league. Expected goals: 25th. Inner-slot shots: 31st. Quality scoring chances: 25th. Chances generated off the cycle: tied for 29th. Chances off the forecheck: tied for 22nd. Chances off rebounds: tied for 25th.The club's two highest-paid players - forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri - have combined for just five points through eight games. The power play has capitalized on only three of its 26 opportunities. Top-four defenseman Rasmus Andersson is currently serving a four-game suspension.Ironically, goaltending, a major sore spot last year, has been an area of relative strength. No. 1 guy Jacob Markstrom is rocking a decent .906 save percentage through six starts and, among the 29 goalies with three or more starts, he ranks 14th in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes.The Flames have played fewer than 10% of their games, so it's not quite time to panic. But, if these trends continue deep into November, it will be.Making sense of Ovechkin's start Patrick Smith / Getty ImagesAlex Ovechkin's game will be under the microscope for the rest of his career. It's part of the deal when you're chasing down the all-time goals record.A slow start for Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals transformed that extra attention from "How much ground can Ovechkin make up on Wayne Gretzky this year?" to "Is Ovi washed?" Then, on Tuesday, in his fifth game of the season, the captain finally scored his first goal of the campaign late in the second period. It came on the power play (of course), and, incredibly, his 13th shot of the night against Toronto.Here are three takeaways from Ovechkin's first six games.1. Old engine took a while to fire upIn the Capitals' season opener, Ovechkin finished with four shots on goal off nine attempts. In the second and third games, he failed to record a single shot on goal off a combined nine attempts. The fourth game was better: five shots on goal off eight attempts. Then he broke out for a comical 14 shots off 17 attempts against Toronto. And, in the sixth Wednesday night, he recorded four shots off 10 attempts.Ovechkin, who potted an empty-netter Wednesday, needed to walk before he could run. He had to shake off some rust, adjust to how defenders were covering him (seemingly tighter than ever), and muscle his way into the slot.Ovechkin's always been a volume shooter, so it was fair to wonder if something was amiss after he went consecutive games without a shot on goal. His outburst over the past two games suggests he's fine.2. Expectations need to be loweredIn his prime, Ovechkin was a force of nature. A goal-scoring machine.At 38 years old, Ovi's still the same in many ways. He's still darting around the rink like a shark searching for blood - or, in his case, openings that may lead to a scoring chance. He's still calling for the puck with his stick and voice both raised. He's still exerting minimal energy defensively so he can flourish offensively. He's still delivering the odd brain-rattling hit along the boards or in open ice.Ovechkin is all of those things ... except toned down. He's a bit slower, a bit less precise with his shot, a bit less physical, and a bit less energetic - which is normal for 38. His days of scoring 60, and probably 50, appear to be over. But 40? Doable. John McCreary / Getty Images3. This isn't all on OvechkinWith an average age of 30.2 years, the 2-3-1 Caps are the NHL's second-oldest club. Most of the 2018 Stanley Cup core remains intact, but similar to Ovechkin, nobody's at the peak of their powers due to mileage, injury, or both.This is affecting Ovechkin's ability to generate chances and goals.Take the power play. Ovechkin needs to be fed one-time passes throughout each two-minute stretch. He does a lot of his damage from his "office" in the left circle. But so far, the puck's been spending too much time on the other side of the offensive zone. Top-unit regulars Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, and John Carlson have, for the most part, struggled to put Ovechkin in the best position to unleash his patented clapper.'Relentless' Benson looks at homeConnor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, and Adam Fantilli were all destined to make their respective teams out of training camp - zero suspense for the top three picks in this summer's draft. The only other 2023 pick to appear in a regular-season game? Zach Benson, who slid to Buffalo at No. 13 on draft night. Ben Ludeman / Getty ImagesA player picked outside the top 10 cracking an NHL lineup mere months after getting drafted is extremely rare. Only four players picked outside of the top 10 in the 2022 draft have played an NHL shift despite the extra year of development. Yet keeping Benson around was a no-brainer for the Sabres."He's been exceptional without the puck," head coach Don Granato said last week of Benson, who's very intelligent, especially with positioning, and uses every inch and pound of his 5-foot-9, 163-pound frame to win puck battles.Benson dressed for the first four contests of the season, missed two thanks to injury, and then returned to the lineup Tuesday for the fifth game of his career. A left-handed forward playing right wing, he's contributed a pair of assists and nine shot attempts. In Benson's 59 total five-on-five minutes, the Sabres have controlled 54% of the expected goals, according to Evolving-Hockey."He's relentless on pucks. For a smaller, skilled guy, he's pretty feisty," Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said. "I can tell you, just from practice, that he's a pain in the ass to play against. He's slippery, a really smart player." Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesPart of the appeal is Benson's comfort level. He's ready for the big time."We give a little pre-scout, and he's chuckling with one of the coaches, 'Of course, I know this team. I've watched them a thousand times on video and studied them,'" Granato recalled of a recent interaction. "That's an example of why he has some elite attributes. He's coached himself on the way up. He's studied the game, studied ways to be successful within the game."NHL rules stipulate Benson can't play in the AHL because he's still only 18. He can continue to suit up for the Sabres or go back to the Western Hockey League, which he tore apart last season (98 points in 60 games). Assuming his play doesn't tail off over the next week or two, there's a strong chance Benson sticks in the NHL all year.Parting shotsAttendance woes: The Sabres, Sharks, and Jets have an average attendance of 14,876, 14,437, and 11,823, respectively. Those are alarming numbers, and let's not forget the Coyotes are playing out of a 4,600-seat college rink for the foreseeable future. Sky-high ticket prices and difficult economic conditions are certainly key factors, and alternative entertainment options are surely keeping people away. The NHL can't hand-wave this attendance lull away. The league office and these individual teams should be investigating why - beyond poor performance - fans aren't showing up for live games, and adjust accordingly. In the Jets' case, the fans may simply be fed up with mediocrity.

Thursday was a great night on the ice. We won both of our best bets and two of three player props, giving us a 4-1 record for the day.We'll look to keep the ball moving with a couple of plays for Friday's card.Sabres (+165) @ Devils (-200)The Devils started the season slowly - at least analytically - but everything appears to be trending in the right direction.New Jersey ranks fourth in shot share at five-on-five and is a top-10 team in expected goals. The Devils are a tough squad to deal with at even strength, and, led by Hart Trophy candidate Jack Hughes, their power play is clicking at a historically good clip.Their offense is difficult for any team, especially one with defensive issues. The Sabres have struggled at five-on-five this season, controlling just over 45% of the expected goals. That puts them in company with teams like the Blues and Islanders.Buffalo's underwhelming expected goal share stems mostly from defensive issues. The club is giving up quite a few chances, which is translating to goals against. Only five teams have conceded goals at a higher rate during five-on-five play.The Sabres have also struggled to stay out of the penalty box. They're averaging 6:15 per game shorthanded, ranking them 25th in the league.It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that giving Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Co. extra time and space to work with is a recipe for disaster.New Jersey played very sloppy in its last game against the Capitals, throwing away a gettable two points with bad puck management. Head coach Lindy Ruff wasn't happy and let the team know it.I'm expecting the Devils - who have edges at five-on-five and with their special teams - to come out with a much more determined showing and pick up a win inside 60 minutes.Bet: Devils in regulation (-120)Kings (-135) @ Coyotes (+115)The Kings are a very good defensive team. They rank second in the league in expected goal suppression at five-on-five, allowing just 2.11 per 60 minutes.But Los Angeles has still given up its share of goals due to poor goaltending. You expect that from a tandem of Cam Talbot and Phoenix Copley. However, you don't expect them to stop just 87% of shots faced - especially behind a team that takes the danger out of so many of them.I think this is a good spot for some positive regression. Only the rebuilding Sharks have scored on a lesser percentage of their five-on-five shots than the Coyotes.Arizona lacks finishing talent outside of a couple of big names up top, and veteran Jason Zucker's injury will only magnify that.Conversely, the Coyotes should be able to hold their own without the puck. They're a top-10 team at limiting expected goals at full strength, and they don't take many penalties.This isn't a spot where the Kings should pile up the goals at even strength, nor should they be able to rely on an abundance of power plays coming their way.Despite how things played out last time the two sides met, there's plenty of reason to expect a tight, relatively low-scoring affair.Bet: Under 6.5 goals (-110)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.

Thursday was a good night for our shot props. We cashed two of three plays, with Adam Fantilli coming up one short of a sweep despite logging 18 minutes in a high-event matchup.At any rate, we'll take the profit and look to continue our strong start to the season with three more props for Friday night's slate.Jack Eichel over 3.5 shotsEichel is off to a very strong shooting start. He's registered at least four shots in five of seven games, falling only one shy in the other two.Eichel is averaging a healthy seven shot attempts per game, which is a massive number for him. He's a very accurate shooter and doesn't need as many attempts as some to go over his shot total.For perspective, Eichel registered six-plus attempts in 41 games last season. He had four-plus shots in 31 contests, good for a whopping 76% success rate. If we raise the bar to games in which Eichel recorded seven attempts - this season's average - he hit in 24 of 29 (83%).He shouldn't have much difficulty getting to that number Friday against the Blackhawks. They're dead last in five-on-five shot suppression and concede a ton of volume to opposing centers.Eichel went over his total against Chicago just a few days ago. There's no reason to expect any different this time around.Odds: -120 (playable to -135)Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shotsWhile I generally prefer backing Kaprizov on home ice, a date with the Capitals seems like a worthwhile exception.They're not a good defensive team and are routinely giving up shots and goals in bulk. A high-event game environment in Washington should serve Kaprizov well.There are a couple of other things that should aid Kaprizov's chances. For one, Minnesota can't defend a lick right now. The Wild need to generate a lot of offense to outscore their problems, which means loosening the leash for Kaprizov.His road volume is also extremely strong right now. He's averaging 8.7 shot attempts per game away from Minnesota, well above last year's rate of 6.7.So long as Kaprizov continues to generate shots at this clip, there's value in backing him anywhere.Odds: -115 (playable to -125)Quinn Hughes over 2.5 shotsHughes said he wanted to shoot the puck more this season. We're still dealing with small samples, but that sure doesn't appear to be wordplay.He's recorded three-plus shots in five of six games, and the shot attempt output we've seen is remarkably high.Hughes has attempted 51 shots through just six games. No other Canucks player is in the same stratosphere, with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser sitting tied for second on the team at 28 each.An average of 8.5 attempts is something you expect to see from players like Kaprizov, Jack Hughes, and Auston Matthews. That we can get someone with that volume at a 2.5 line is a bargain.Even if you expect Hughes to slow down, this is not the matchup for that to happen. The Blues rank 30th in shots against per game versus defensemen and are in the latter half of a road back-to-back.They should be an inviting opponent for Hughes to build on his early-season success.Odds: -105 (playable to -135)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.

Defenseman Darnell Nurse was blunt in his assessment of the Edmonton Oilers' performance amid the team's abysmal 1-5-1 start to the season."We gotta be better, like to a man," Nurse said after Thursday's 3-0 shutout loss against the New York Rangers. "Simple as that. That's the dialogue. Everyone knows. It's easy to point fingers and whatnot. Everyone just look in the mirror at this point and do a whole lot f-----g better."The Oilers' lone win came against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 17. They've since lost four straight games and are currently without superstar captain Connor McDavid, who's recovering from an upper-body injury sustained on Oct. 21.Nurse also expressed frustration with the perception that the poor start was solely based on the defense and the team's new systems."I've been here for nine years, and it's always the D," Nurse said. "For us, we do have to be better. We can't be relying on our goaltenders to make five, six two-on-one saves a night. Can't be putting our partners and goalies in bad spots."But at the same point, there's six guys on the ice at all times, and we gotta be out there helping each other."Head coach Jay Woodcroft backed the Oilers' change to a zone defense, box plus-one setup on Wednesday.The Oilers were expected to be contenders atop the Pacific but are already 11 points behind the 7-0-0 Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the division.Edmonton's next chance to turn their season around comes Sunday in the Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium against their bitter rivals, the Calgary Flames, who are also struggling so far.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Two days after calling out his team for lacking cohesion, defenseman Nikita Zadorov remains distraught at the state of the Calgary Flames.Fans booed the club throughout a 3-0 home defeat to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night, which marked Calgary's fourth loss in a row."I just want to apologize to our fans, we're playing like shit right now," Zadorov said, according to The Athletic's Julian McKenzie.Zadorov also mentioned he wasn't criticizing any specific teammates with his previous incendiary comments but was instead pointing out the team is struggling to gel early in the season.After yet another disheartening loss, the veteran defenseman wasn't Calgary's only critic."I would have booed too if I saw the way we played," said top-line center Elias Lindholm, per Sportsnet's Eric Francis."We weren't broken, we just sucked," added head coach Ryan Huska, per McKenzie.The Blues outshot the Flames 35-27 during the contest and owned 55.26% of scoring chances and 56.43% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.Calgary won two of its first four games before hitting its current skid and now sits sixth in the Pacific Division at 2-5-1. Its sputtering offense ranks 27th league-wide with 2.43 goals per game.The club's next chance to right the ship comes against the Edmonton Oilers - who have also lost four in a row - outdoors at the Heritage Classic on Sunday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Anaheim Ducks pulled off a furious comeback against the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, coming away with an improbable 4-3 overtime win after trailing by two goals with less than two minutes to go.Anaheim got within one goal with 1:55 left in the final frame thanks to rookie Leo Carlsson, and Troy Terry re-directed a pass in front with 14 seconds remaining to equalize.

Zack Kassian announced his retirement after a 12-year NHL career Thursday."To play in the NHL is one thing, but to make a 12-year career of it is pretty special," Kassian said in a statement. "From coaches to equipment staff and fellow players I've met along the way, I've made so many relationships that are going to last a lifetime."Kassian, 32, was released from a professional tryout with the Anaheim Ducks earlier in October. He was an unrestricted free agent after being bought out by the Arizona Coyotes this summer.A standout in junior hockey with the OHL's Peterborough Petes, Kassian was drafted 13th overall in 2009 by the Buffalo Sabres. He played 27 games with the Sabres in 2011-12 before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Cody Hodgson prior to the deadline.Kassian played parts of four seasons in Vancouver, racking up 32 goals and 59 points in 171 games. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2015 but was flipped to the Edmonton Oilers before suiting up for the Habs.The Windsor, Ontario, native spent seven years with the Oilers, which became his most notable stint in the league. He scored 55 goals and 135 points in 412 with Edmonton, reaching a career-high 15 goals and 34 points in 59 contests during the 2019-2020 campaign while featuring alongside Connor McDavid.Kassian was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes at the 2022 draft along with second- and third-round draft picks in order for Edmonton to clear cap space. Edmonton also moved back from 29th overall to 32nd in the transaction.In what ultimately became his final NHL campaign, Kassian tallied two goals and no assists in 51 games last season with the Coyotes before being bought out of the final year of his contract during the summer.Kassian totaled 661 games across 12 seasons, accruing 92 goals, 203 points, and an impressive 913 penalty minutes. From his debut season in 2011-12 through to his last campaign in 2022-23, Kassian ranked ninth in the entire league in PIMs.He made the postseason on six occasions - twice with Vancouver and four times with Edmonton - recording 45 Stanley Cup playoff games and nine postseason points.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators restricted free-agent forward Shane Pinto has been suspended 41 games for activities relating to sports wagering, the NHL announced Thursday.The league found no evidence that Pinto bet on NHL games."The NHL considers this matter closed, absent the emergence of new information, and will have no further comment," the league said.Pinto's suspension is the NHL's first betting-related ban in the world of online wagering, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun.The 22-year-old hasn't played a game in the 2023-24 season as he remains unsigned. The suspension began with the first game of the Senators' season and isn't dependent on him signing a new contract, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman."I want to apologize to the National Hockey League, the Ottawa Senators, my teammates, the fans and city of Ottawa, and, most importantly, my family," Pinto wrote in a statement. "I take full responsibility for my actions and look forward to getting back on the ice with my team."The NHL began investigating Pinto's actions during the summer, but that process ramped up over the past few weeks and his contract negotiations were put on hold while the league conducted a recent hearing, Friedman added.The Senators said the hearing concluded Wednesday when "additional information was made available to the club.""Shane is a valued member of our hockey club; an engaging, intelligent young man who made poor decisions that have resulted in a suspension by the National Hockey League," the organization stated. "We know he is remorseful for his mistakes."The Ottawa Senators fully support the NHL's rules on gambling. While saddened to learn of this issue, the entire organization remains committed to Shane and will work together to do what is necessary to help provide the support to allow him to address his issues and become a strong contributor to our community. When the time is right and with the league's blessing, we will welcome him back to the organization and embrace him as one of our own."The Senators' 42nd game of the season is scheduled for Jan. 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Since Pinto is not a Group 2 RFA and can't sign an offer sheet, the usual Dec. 1 signing deadline doesn't apply to him, according to LeBrun.Pinto returned home to New York earlier in October, per Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.The NHLPA won't appeal Pinto's suspension as it was a negotiated resolution between all involved parties, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Pinto netted 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games last season. He was limited to five contests in 2021-22 due to a shoulder injury. Ottawa selected him in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a juicy 11-game slate Thursday night. Let's waste no time in getting to our best bets.Maple Leafs (+100) @ Stars (-120)The Maple Leafs and Stars have met four times since the spring of 2022. The two sides combined to score 20 goals, good for an average of only five per game. Unsurprisingly, that has led to three unders.I expect a similar story this time around. For one, the Stars are a fantastic defensive side. They rank sixth in expected goal suppression at five-on-five and have conceded just 1.65 goals per game in that state. They play with a lot of discipline as well: Only the Islanders and Blues have spent less time shorthanded on a per-game basis this season.In short, the Stars aren't giving up many chances at five-on-five and they don't provide easy offensive opportunities by parading to the box.While Jake Oettinger starting would be preferable, the Stars are still in fine hands with Scott Wedgewood. He posted a rock-solid .915 save percentage over 21 games a season ago.Joseph Woll is expected to get the nod in the other crease. He has drastically outperformed Ilya Samsonov in the early going, saving 6.1 goals above expectation. The latter has allowed 5.2 goals more than expected.With Woll seeing the puck well and gaining more confidence every time out, the goaltending figures to be good at both ends of the rink.I think this will be something of a measuring-stick game for both sides with a playoff-like feel. Don't expect a ton of offense.Bet: Under 6.5 (-130)Wild (-125) @ Flyers (+105)The Wild are above .500, but don't let their record fool you - they have a lot of problems right now.At the top of the list is defensive play. They are nowhere close to good enough in their own zone without captain Jared Spurgeon. Minnesota is allowing 2.93 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five, putting it in the neighborhood of teams like the Blackhawks and Canucks.The Wild have already allowed seven goals to the Maple Leafs, seven goals to the Kings, five goals to the Blue Jackets, and four to the Connor McDavid-less Oilers. Even with a quality goaltending tandem, the team has shown zero ability to keep the puck out of the net.I think the Flyers will cause Minnesota a lot of problems in this spot. Aided by the return of star center Sean Couturier, they have played very well at five-on-five.Their share of the expected goals is seventh-highest in the league, putting them in the same ballpark as the Stars and Hurricanes. They obviously don't have comparable talent to make the most of their shot and chance differentials, but it is encouraging nonetheless.The Flyers are also defending quite well right now. I think they will be able to bottle up the Wild sans Matthew Boldy while taking advantage of the defensive shortcomings at the other end of the ice.As home underdogs, there is value in backing the Flyers.Bet: Flyers (+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.

A pair of Boston Bruins forwards will be unavailable for a handful of games.Milan Lucic is sidelined for a couple of weeks with a foot fracture, while Jakub Lauko is expected to miss a week with a facial fracture, head coach Jim Montgomery told Boston.com's Conor Ryan.Lauko was struck in the face by Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson's skate Tuesday.

The NHL is back in full force after a quiet Wednesday night. We have 11 games on the board and there is no shortage of value to comb through.Let's take a closer look at a few of the plays that stand out from the pack.Cole Caufield over 3.5 shotsCaufield had very drastic shooting splits a season ago. He registered at least four shots in 62% of his games in Montreal, a stark contrast from his 42% hit rate on the road. That trend has carried over so far.The Canadiens' star winger is averaging 4.3 shots per game through four in Montreal. The attempt volume is substantial, with Caufield piling up 30 in total (7.5 per). On the road, he has mustered up just one shot on goal in both games thus far.The good news for Caufield is he gets to play at home Thursday against a weak opponent. The Blue Jackets are a bottom-10 team when it comes to limiting shots at five-on-five and while killing penalties.Caufield skates on the top line at even strength and is the focal point of the power play, so he stands to benefit from the matchup as much as anybody.Odds: -125 (playable to -140)Adam Fantilli over 2.5 shotsFantilli is quickly carving out a bigger role for himself with the Blue Jackets. He started his NHL career playing fewer than 14 minutes as a third-line center. Last time out, he played nearly 20.Although the injury to Patrik Laine, who was being used down the middle, opened up the opportunity to take on a bigger role, Fantilli also earned it with his performance.He has three points over his past two games and four shots on goal in each of them. His shot volume has been pretty consistent: Fantilli attempted at least six shots in four of the last five games.Fantilli now faces a mouthwatering matchup against the Canadiens, who take a ton of penalties and are one of the league's worst sides at suppressing shots during five-on-five play. That raises the floor and ceiling for what Fantilli can do shooting the puck.Odds: +100 (playable to -120)Auston Matthews under 4.5 shotsMatthews has gone under this number in 63% of his road games over the last year and change. It's not that the Maple Leafs superstar can't create offense away from home; his shot line is simply too high a bar to clear in such situations.He's averaged an impressive 4.3 shots per game, which is very good when factoring in the difficulty of his minutes, but that doesn't get the job done when he needs 5-plus every night.Matthews has recorded four shots or fewer in two of three road games this season. There's plenty of reason to like his under once again versus the Stars.Matthews will see a steady diet of Miro Heiskanen, which is about as tough a matchup as you can ask for. Dating back to last season, Dallas has allowed shot attempts, chances, and expected goals at a lesser rate with Heiskanen on the ice than any other defenseman on the roster. It's going to be tough to accomplish a whole lot at five-on-five.The Stars don't take many penalties - and they're quite good on the penalty kill - so Matthews can't simply tread water at even strength and expect to take care of business on the man advantage, since there won't be many opportunities.Odds: -125 (playable to -145)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.

A lot is going wrong for the 1-4-1 Edmonton Oilers in the early days of the 2023-24 campaign, but head coach Jay Woodcroft is certain that a change in their defensive system isn't to blame."I think it gets magnified by the fact that our record is what our record is right now," he told the media Wednesday, including Sportsnet. "Any time you go do something new and you're working through something, there's growing pains. Can we be better? Yeah, we can. And we don't make any excuses for it."Prior to the new season, Edmonton switched its scheme from man-to-man coverage to zone defense, which the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins and Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights used last year.The Oilers led all teams with 325 goals for last season, but they also gave up 256 goals against, good for the 16th most in the league. Getting that number down with a new system was a focal point for the team through training camp and the preseason, but it hasn't paid off just yet.Edmonton has been outscored 17-27 through the first six games of the new campaign and is coming off a messy performance in which Woodcroft's squad surrendered seven goals in a loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.Woodcroft said he believed the new system "performed pretty well" prior to his team's shellacking in Saint Paul."I think through (the first) five games, we gave up one defensive-zone goal," he said. "(Tuesday) it wasn't good enough. Part of that's on us, part of that's a credit to the other team that did some unique things, some good things, and their top players found a way to break it."The Oilers gave up eight goals in their season opener against the Canucks, but Woodcroft argued that none of those tallies were a result of a breakdown in the new system."The first goal was off a rush where a player floated one, we missed it, a guy tipped it in. Second goal was off a breakout turnover. I think we gave up three power-play goals that night, so that's five," he explained. "Gave up a faceoff goal, that's six. We gave up a forecheck goal on the eighth goal where we didn't work above someone, that's seven. ... Oh, and then there was one off the rush where it kinda banged around in the second period there."He added, "That had nothing to do with D-zone coverage. That had everything to do with individual errors within those types of situations."According to Woodcroft, the one defensive-zone goal the Oilers allowed in their first five games came in Game 2 against the Vancouver Canucks, when Nils Hoglander scored on a tip-in."We weren't good enough around our net," he said.Hailed as Stanley Cup hopefuls heading into the season, the Oilers are 11 points behind the Golden Knights, who sit atop the Pacific Division with a 7-0-0 record.Edmonton will square off against the New York Rangers on Thursday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's proposal to change its draft format is apparently a popular one among its 32 teams.The vast majority of the league's clubs voted to decentralize the draft, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Under the proposal, the NHL Draft would operate similarly to those of the NFL and NBA, with prospects still gathering in one place while team personnel stay in their home markets, according to The Athletic's Chris Johnston.Tuesday was the deadline for teams to indicate whether or not they're in favor of the idea, which will be discussed further at the general manager meetings in November and then among the Board of Governors in December, per Friedman.The plan is reportedly for the new format to begin in 2025.Teams backed the change for several reasons, including the quick turnaround between the draft and the start of free agency on July 1, the cost involved in sending a full contingent to the draft, and "some teams felt their plans were being discovered because tables were too close and things were overheard," Friedman added.The league reportedly sent a memo to the clubs informing them of the majority support for the idea after sending one last week requesting the votes.It's still unclear where the 2024 NHL Draft will be held. Earlier this month, it was reported that the league was considering having it at The Sphere in Las Vegas.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Carolina Hurricanes will be without defenseman Brett Pesce for two-to-four weeks after he underwent surgery to correct a lower-body injury, the team announced Wednesday.Pesce has already missed two games with the ailment. He's collected a goal and two points in five contests this season.Head coach Rod Brind'Amour was concerned over Pesce's status earlier on Wednesday."I was hoping he'd be a day or two away, but that's definitely not the case," Brind'Amour told team reporter Walt Ruff. "Way more than (week-to-week). It's not good."The 28-year-old is in the final season of a six-year, $24.15-million contract he signed with Carolina in 2017. He's set to become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign.The Hurricanes also remain without star forward Andrei Svechnikov, who has yet to make his season debut while recovering from a torn ACL sustained in March.Carolina is 3-4-0 to start the season and ranks fifth in the Metropolitan Division.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Matt Dumba ripped into the NHL after the league rescinded its decision to prohibit Pride tape, questioning why the ban was in place to begin with."Why is that even a thing?" he told The Athletic's Eric Stephens. "Why did they have to do that in the first place? You'll never get the answers from them. You'll never get the answers for that. That's just something I've come to understand. They don't have answers for a lot of things that they do. They follow and try to save face.""The league's going to do whatever it wants to do and they don't really think about the meaning behind things," he added. "I think they try to lay it out in whatever format it works out best for the league."A co-founder of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, Dumba has previously called out the NHL for its lack of action when it comes to social causes. In August 2020, the rearguard said the league is "always last to the party on these topics" when criticizing its response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin.The league sent a memo to all 32 squads earlier in October prohibiting the use of Pride tape on sticks for the season. That decision came after a select few players opted out of wearing Pride jerseys and decals last campaign.Dumba's teammate, Travis Dermott, became the first known player to defy the Pride tape ban on Saturday, and the league reversed course just three days later."After consultation with the NHL Players' Association and the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition, players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season," the league announced in a brief statement Tuesday.Dermott called the NHL's reversal "amazing.""It's just given the players their voice back," he said, per Stephens. "If everyone wants to wear it, if one guy wants to wear it - no one is going to be forced to wear it - but now just having that voice, I think, really speaks volumes into what the league thinks of us, what the league thinks of the community, and really backs up their line that hockey is for everyone."Several players voiced their displeasure with the Pride tape ban when it was still in place.Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said he could understand the NHL's position, but added that it put players in a tough spot. Toronto Maple Leafs blue-liner Morgan Rielly said he wished players had the right to be more involved, while Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton said he would "probably" still use the tape despite the ban.Though Pride tape is back on the table, players are still not allowed to wear specialty jerseys during warmups on theme nights, including Pride night, Hockey Fights Cancer, and military appreciation celebrations.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson is over moral victories. So he's asking more of his team in the early days of his second season behind the bench."I'm kinda at the point, I'm tired," he said after the Blackhawks' 3-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. "One year is enough of, 'We're a hardworking team.' I think we want to push for more this year. I think we start off with a good intention, but I find the other teams - not outwork us work ethic-wise, I wanna say the hardness of the work. Physical one-on-one battles."Richardson plans address the issue with battle drills."They don't like that, but if you don't do it in game, you have to do it in practice," he said.Chicago hired Richardson prior to the 2022-23 season and the Blackhawks went on to finish in last place in the Central Division with a 26-49-7 record. The tank job was a success as the Windy City won the draft lottery and claimed Connor Bedard with the first overall pick.The Blackhawks are 2-5-0 on the 2023-24 campaign, but they've faced some pretty stiff competition and rank second in strength of schedule at this point in the season, according to The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn. Chicago has already squared off against the Vegas Golden Knights, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and the Bruins twice.Richardson isn't using that as an excuse for his team's record, though."We have to learn from what we're losing against and instill that in our game and play harder," he said.The Blackhawks are mired in a three-game losing streak in which they've been outscored 12-3. Richardson said he and his coaching staff are going to ensure doubt doesn't "sneak" into their rebuilding team's dressing room."We're going to push them and say that we're with them here, but tonight and last game, we're not going to accept that," he said. "It's not that it's unacceptable ... We are a team that maybe isn't there yet, but we have to find ways to make improvements and be determined, not discouraged."You can be discouraged tonight, the game's over and (be) disappointed, but that should drive you and fuel you. It shouldn't make you tense up and worried and concerned on the ice."The Blackhawks are staring down yet another tough matchup. They'll take on the Golden Knights on Friday in Vegas.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

As the elder statesman of the Ottawa Senators, Claude Giroux is advising his young teammates to stay calm after dropping back-to-back games to their Atlantic Division rivals."As frustrating as it is, we have 76 games left. ... It's not time to hit the panic button," the veteran forward told reporters after the Senators' 6-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. "But it's time to keep working on our game, keep finding ways to be consistent for 60 minutes. If we do that, we're going to win hockey games and a bunch of them."He added: "We know what we're capable of. ... It hasn't been a lot of games, but we've shown that we can play the right way and find ways to win. We've just got to be consistent in it."After starting the season 3-1-0, Ottawa closed out its five-game homestand by surrendering a combined 11 goals in defeats against the Detroit Red Wings and Sabres, two squads that are also looking to end lengthy playoff droughts.The Senators were down 5-1 heading into the third frame versus the Sabres, but Vladimir Tarasenko, Josh Norris, and Mathieu Joseph all scored in a 3:23 span late in the period.The comeback attempt would stop there, though, as Tage Thompson settled things down for Buffalo with an empty-netter."It just wasn't good enough," Senators rearguard Jakob Chychrun said of his team's dramatic finish. "Good on us for sticking with it there in the third and making a push, but we can't put ourselves in those situations."Like Giroux, Chychrun also believes cooler heads will prevail for the Senators."We have a lot of emotional guys in this room that care a lot and want to win," he said. "I think we wear our hearts on our sleeves a lot in here, and it's important to stay even-keeled in these moments."It's early in the year, we're not going to win every single game, but we need to really learn the lessons (from) some of these nights where we don't have our best stuff and move forward with it."Ottawa next plays the New York Islanders on Thursday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard is out six-to-eight weeks due to a fractured hand, the team announced Tuesday.Savard logged 16:54 and had an assist in Monday's win against the Buffalo Sabres. He exited the contest and didn't return after a remarkable shift on the penalty kill in which he blocked multiple shots despite losing a skate blade.

The Anaheim Ducks have Leo Carlsson on a tight leash.The 2023 No. 2 pick missed his second straight game Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of a series of planned scratches aiming to help the Ducks manage his workload in the first half of the season."I played in this league as a 19-year-old," general manager Pat Verbeek recently explained to The Athletic's Eric Stephens. "I kind of know at game 40, 42, somewhere in there, I hit a wall. It took me a while to kind of get through that wall, and I don't want (Carlsson) to go through that."I want him to be a horse in the second half of the season. So, we're going to manage his games for the next couple of months anyways."Carlsson watched from the press box as the Ducks lost to the Boston Bruins on Sunday, and he then missed his first opportunity to face off against Adam Fantilli, who the Blue Jackets took third overall at this year's draft.The Swede missed Anaheim's first two games of the season due to a lower-body injury, but he made an instant impact with a goal in his debut Oct. 19 against the Dallas Stars.Carlsson played in the Ducks' next game against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. He registered four shots and saw 21:33 minutes of ice time.The 18-year-old produced 10 goals and 25 points in 44 games with Orebro in Sweden's top league last season. Carlsson also notched six points in seven games at the 2023 World Junior Championship, as well as three goals and two helpers in eight outings at this year's World Championship.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the four-game suspension of Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson for charging Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine.The NHLPA had filed an appeal on behalf of Andersson on Sunday. Andersson and his representation made a case to reduce the suspension to three games, which was ultimately rejected.Andersson's camp attempted to justify a reduced suspension by leveraging the importance of the Heritage Classic against the Edmonton Oilers compared to a typical regular-season contest. "No weight" was given to this by Bettman, and as a result, the Oct. 29 outdoor game will serve as the final game of Andersson's ban.Andersson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, which occurred in the waning seconds of Columbus' 3-1 victory Friday.

Nikita Zadorov brought out the flamethrower when assessing the Calgary Flames' performance so far this season."We're trying to figure out our identity. ... The main thing for us, we're just not working as a unit yet," the defenseman told reporters Tuesday, per TSN. "We have too many individuals playing by themselves. We've gotta figure out if we want to play as a team or if we want to play as our own guy."He added, "We're only six games into the season, and we're trying to figure out who wants to be here, who wants to play for who."The Flames are currently 2-3-1 on the campaign and just wrapped up a hapless five-game road trip that ended with a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.It certainly isn't the start Calgary wanted. The Flames had a transformative offseason that saw them part ways with hard-nosed head coach Darryl Sutter after the team failed to make the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs."Last season was different. It was Darryl," Zadorov said. "Now there's no Darryl, so there's no excuses. You know what I mean? You guys don't like hard coaches? You don't like soft coaches? You don't like good coaches? Fair."It's a new-day league. You come up here, you play hard, and you leave everything on the ice. I think that's how simple it is."Zadorov added that adjusting to a different system and coaching staff led by new bench boss Ryan Huska is also contributing to the Flames' struggles but believes his teammates have to "buy in all the way" to ease the learning curve.Huska doesn't think the Flames are suffering from an "individual mentality" or that his players are being selfish on the ice."You get into stretches where you want to help the team win or find a way to get a goal at this point in the game, so you try a little bit too much instead of making the smart, simple play," he said.Huska explained, "The issue that we talked about yesterday is how we manage the puck at times, and that's something that we have to do a better job of cleaning up, and oftentimes that falls on the individual."The Flames have a handful of question marks on their roster. Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Zadorov himself can all become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season.The first domino has already fallen for Calgary, which signed Mikael Backlund to a two-year contract extension in September and named him captain. Lindholm and Hanifin, meanwhile, have both expressed a willingness to stay with the Flames.Calgary has 76 games left to get back on track, with its first chance coming Tuesday against the New York Rangers."We've got lots of time. ... Only one team (in our division) is rolling right now pretty much. Everybody's in the same boat as us," Zadorov said. "So I think we can definitely use some wins."Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL, NHLPA, and NHL Player Inclusion Coalition agreed to allow players to represent social causes with stick tape on Tuesday.The agreement comes after Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott became the first player to defy the league's ban on the use of Pride tape in a game Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks.The NHL's board of governors banned cause-based jerseys and the use of Pride tape during the offseason. A select number of players opted not to wear Pride jerseys and decals last season.The ban received notable pushback from players."For us - 99% of the guys in the league - it's all about growing the game and making sure it's inclusive for every single guy," Colorado Avalanche star blue-liner Cale Makar said.Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly voiced his displeasure with the decision earlier in October."I wish players had the right to kind of do more and be more involved," Rielly said. "As players, we're going to continue to be involved pretty much no matter what the league says."Dermott isn't expected to face punishment for using Pride tape while the ban was in effect, according to PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We created the 4% Club last February after culling over moneyline prices for all the games to that point. The group featured players the betting market seemed to believe mattered to their team's win probability on a given night because the club's baseline win probability changed by 4% or more when they missed a game.As we know, the moneyline is a function of probability. A +100 moneyline means a team is 50-50 to win (before vig is applied to each side). A -150 moneyline means a team needs to win the game 60% of the time to break even. That's a big difference in pricing, but it's only a 10% change in win probability.We made 4% the cutoff to get into the club because that number is high enough to create a bet if one of those players was out. We'll have the 2024 edition of this group later this season, but here's a bet we wish we could make - Connor McDavid, the reigning MVP, will be in the club.McDavid played all 82 games last season, so we couldn't compare the Oilers' team rating with him in the lineup to how the market changes the squad's rating without him. Given his singular greatness - as the runaway winner for a handful of awards - we fairly assumed McDavid would also be the MVP to the betting line, assigning him a 10% valuation. It took less than two weeks into the 2023-24 campaign for us to get at least a chance to have that question answered, as McDavid will miss time with an upper-body injury.The Oilers travel to Minnesota without McDavid on Tuesday, and our rating for each team would give the Oilers a win probability of 52%. You'd likely be required to pay around -120 to bet on Edmonton. Instead, at the time of this writing, the Oilers are +100. That's a 5% adjustment for McDavid's absence.If you think that's all McDavid's worth to the Oilers' win probability, there's no bet to be made. But if the three-time Hart Trophy winner is a bigger deal than that, the Wild would be worth a play as a short favorite.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:

We have a massive 16-game slate ahead of us Tuesday night. I see some of the biggest values in fading a pair of Canadian teams.Let's take a closer look.Devils (-215) @ Canadiens (+180)The Devils were quite unlucky over their first four games. Despite leading the league in five-on-five chances per minute and creating 8.45 expected goals, they scored only three times. That's the lowest total in the league.Shooting percentage is the driving force behind their struggles. They've scored on only 3.45% of their five-on-five shots, which slots them 32nd in the NHL.It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know a team featuring Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton won't continue converting at such a low rate over the long haul. Those kinds of numbers would be unsustainably low for even the worst of teams.New Jersey will come out of this dry spell and start filling the net sooner rather than later. Tuesday night's game against the Canadiens seems like a prime spot for that regression to begin.Montreal played a road game Monday night and spent a lot of time on its heels trying to defend. That'll take some of the juice out of the Habs. They won't have Jake Allen in goal to bail them out, either, as he'll be getting a night off after stopping 36 of 37 shots.That means Sam Montembeault or Cayden Primeau will get the nod for the Canadiens. Both are several tiers below Allen in terms of talent and noticeably worse bets to go out and steal a game on any given night.I expect the Devils' loaded attack to overwhelm whoever starts in this contest. They should dominate the puck and have a substantial edge in the chance department, which will translate to success on the scoreboard.Bet: Devils -1.5 (+105)Canucks (+100) @ Predators (-120)The Canucks have started the season with three wins over the first five games, but their success looks to be smoke and mirrors. They've benefited from extreme luck thus far, scoring on just under 15% of their shots while getting all-world goaltending.I quite like Thatcher Demko, so I don't expect as much regression in goal. That being said, there won't be room for any regression when opposing goaltenders muster up better than a .850 save percentage against the Canucks.Their underlying process is littered with red flags. At the top of the list is an alarming 40% share of the expected goals at five-on-five, ranking them ahead of only the Sharks.I don't expect to see meaningful improvement on the road against a Predators team that holds down the top spot in xG share thus far.The Predators' youngsters have held up well and provided them with quality depth behind stars like Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Throw a high-end goaltending tandem into the mix and there's a lot to like with Nashville right now.The market appears to be giving the Canucks too much credit for some good early-season results that are a byproduct of percentages more so than performance.This is a good spot to take a stand with a solid Predators team on home ice.Bet: Predators (-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.

We have the first 16-game slate in NHL history ahead of us Tuesday night. Let's waste no time getting to a handful of my favorite props on the board.William Nylander over 3.5 shotsThe Capitals have bled shots over their first few games of the season. Only the Sharks, who should contend for last place in the NHL, have allowed shots at a higher clip during five-on-five play.To make matters worse, Washington also takes a ton of penalties. The Capitals are averaging nearly eight minutes per game on the penalty kill, leaving plenty of opportunities for opponents to generate shots in bulk.All of this should be music to Nylander's ears. He's attempted 40 shots through five games - good for a healthy average of eight per contest - and is one attempt behind Auston Matthews for the team lead at full strength. Nylander is also one of the focal points on the man advantage, meaning he's in a prime position to exploit the Capitals' inability to stay out of the box.This is a great matchup for Nylander at five-on-five and on the power play. Look for him to stay hot and take advantage.Odds: -118 (playable to -130)Kyle Connor over 3.5 shots The Blues aren't a good defensive team on paper, and that's translated to the ice. Only three clubs have allowed five-on-five shots at a higher rate than the Blues.St. Louis has struggled most with left-wingers, ranking dead last in shots allowed per game to the position.It just so happens that the Jets' leader in shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances, and expected goals is a left-winger.Connor is averaging 4.6 shots on 8.2 attempts per game this season. He's also much more effective at home than on the road, as his hit rate in Winnipeg was 22% higher a season ago.Connor should be in for a ceiling performance against this underwhelming Blues team.Odds: -105 (playable to -125)Filip Forsberg over 3.5 shotsForsberg is on another level right now. He's generated 29 shots on goal and 56 attempts through six games. That's Nathan MacKinnon and David Pastrnak territory when it comes to shot creation.The market has yet to adjust as Forsberg's shot line remains at 3.5 each night.Forsberg has hit in five of six games and finds himself in a great spot Tuesday to continue his shooting success.The Canucks rank in the bottom 10 in shots against per 60 minutes at five-on-five, and their penalty-killing metrics are abysmal. Forsberg is the Predators' leading shooter at even strength, and getting him the puck in shooting position is priority No. 1 for the power play.Forsberg should test Thatcher Demko often in this one and go over the number with room to spare.Odds: -118 (playable to -135)Timo Meier over 0.5 pointsWe backed Meier for a point last time out, and he cashed us out with a primary assist in the first period. I see plenty of reason to return to him against the Canadiens.First and foremost, Meier remains on the top line with the Devils' best player. Jack Hughes has piled up 10 points through four games and has looked unstoppable.Riding shotgun with Hughes will provide a ton of opportunities for Meier, who's more than capable of taking advantage. He's averaged more than 70 points per season over the last couple of years.Meier also gets to square off against the lesser of Montreal's goalies. Jake Allen stole the show in Buffalo on Monday, which means the Devils will see Sam Montembeault.He's coming off a rough preseason in which he allowed nine goals on just 58 shots faced (.845 save percentage).Not very often do you get an elite offensive winger playing alongside a Hart Trophy candidate at anywhere close to this price, especially against one of the league's worst teams. There's immense value here.Odds: -120 (playable to -170)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 Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said he understands the NHL's decision to ban the usage of Pride tape, he also believes the league's choice has put players in a "tough" position."When one individual kind of goes astray, it kind of looks bad on the whole community," he told The Athletic's Peter Baugh. "For us - 99% of the guys in the league - it's all about growing the game and making sure it's inclusive for every single guy. ... (The NHL is) trying to take out that individual thinking and helping the league in terms of not putting any solo guy in that spot."At the same time, we live in a world where it needs to be inclusive for everybody. ... As an individual, with my point of view, I'm here to make the game as inclusive as possible."Some players refused to wear their teams' Pride-themed warmup jerseys last season. The NHL then announced in June that athletes would no longer be allowed to wear specialty jerseys during warmups on theme nights, which also include Hockey Fights Cancer and military appreciation celebrations. The league then sent a memo to all 32 teams in October prohibiting Pride tape on sticks."The tough part in media is now those guys' choices reflect everything on the league," Makar said. "That's kind of the hard point. ... To have those guys do that, it's a little bit of a cheap shot for everybody else, knowing that people are like, 'We're taking a step back.' In my mind, I think we just keep moving forward."There are a lot more things we could be doing, but it's unfortunate that stuff is still where it's at. You see one guy take his perspective out of line, and everybody gets associated with that. It's unfortunate, but at the same time, I think a lot of heads in the league are in the right spot where we want to grow the game for good reasons."Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott was the first known player to defy the NHL's Pride tape ban. Dermott explained his decision Monday, saying that the movement needs "supporters" to help everyone in hockey feel included.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In the early goings of the 2023-24 campaign, the Buffalo Sabres haven't looked like the same team that ranked third in the league with 293 goals last season.The Sabres have 13 goals through six contests this campaign, and their 2.17 goals per game is the fifth lowest in the league. Tage Thompson, who led Buffalo with 47 tallies in 2022-23, has scored only once.The offensive drought has contributed to Buffalo's 2-4-0 start, but Thompson is staying levelheaded."Yeah, it's frustrating, but I think as soon as you let frustration set in and negativity, then you're never going to get out of it," Thompson told reporters after the Sabres' 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. "I think goals come in waves ... and you get streaky. You've just got to do the right things every shift."Thompson added that he believes his team played the right way against the Habs. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period, but Brendan Gallagher broke the deadlock before Tanner Pearson iced the contest with a late power-play tally.The Sabres fired 37 shots on netminder Jake Allen but beat him only once."That's why that one hurts so much, but we can't change anything. We gotta play like that," Thompson said. "That's two games we've strung together in a row now that I thought we took away the will of the other team and had them kind of defeated mentally. ... We keep playing like that, that's a winning recipe."Sabres coach Don Granato has a solution for his team's offensive woes: Get to the net "with more conviction." Despite Buffalo attempting 69 shots during Monday's loss, it only strung together eight high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick."This team and this group will score. ... When you're struggling to score, go to the net more," Granato said. "Be willing to score the uglier one, the grittier one. That's how you resolve it. I think the group will, we know we have goal-scorers in here and guys who can make plays."Granato also emphasized a need to get Alex Tuch on the board. Tuch ranked second on the Sabres last season with 36 tallies, but he's goalless in 2023-24.One Sabre who hasn't struggled to light the lamp this season is Jeff Skinner, who has three goals and netted Buffalo's lone tally against Montreal.Skinner said his team's struggles are a part of the process."It's a long season, you're gonna go through ups and downs, you're gonna go through stretches of games where the team's feeling just a little bit off. ... The only way you're going to find it is to work through that," he said. "Other teams aren't going to take it easier or give us chances. Us earning it is what's going to have to happen."Next up for Buffalo is a clash against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Arizona Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott explained his decision to use Pride tape Saturday night, becoming the first known player to stand against the NHL's recent ban on the rainbow-colored equipment."You don't really want to go against rules that are put in place by your employer, but there's some people who took some positive things from it," Dermott told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports. "That's kind of what I'm looking to impact."You want to have everyone feel included and that's something that I have felt passionate about for a long time in my career. It's not like I just jumped on this train. It's something that I've felt has been lacking in the hockey community for a while. I feel like we need supporters of a movement like this; to have everyone feel included and really to beat home the idea that hockey is for everyone."The NHL sent a memo to all 32 teams in early October prohibiting the use of Pride tape. The decision came months after the league nixed Pride-themed warmup jerseys following controversy surrounding a collection of players who refused to wear them last season.Dermott included the colorful tape on the shaft of his stick for Saturday's victory of the Anaheim Ducks. The NHL said it will review the situation "in due course," and Dermott committed to his decision expecting backlash."I don't want to put my teammates or my coaches or my GMs or the equipment managers in any kind of bad light when it's their job to kind of look out for something like this happening," he said. "It was definitely something that I did just by myself and was prepared to kind of deal with whatever repercussions the league decides to push towards that. I'm not going to back off and say that this battle is won, but we're going to find better ways to do it."Dermott joined the Coyotes on a one-year, two-way contract in July. He spent the first six years of his career split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, recording 55 points in 279 games.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Joseph Woll is trending upward on the Toronto Maple Leafs' goalie depth chart, and he feels that now's the perfect time to seize the opportunity."This year, it just feels like all the experiences I've had recently have prepared me for this. I feel ready," Woll said, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.Woll played a huge role in Saturday's comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, stopping all 29 shots he faced after Ilya Samsonov was pulled in the first period. The performance earned Woll the start for Toronto's next game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.Woll has been working to this point since being drafted 62nd overall in 2016, but only recently has he felt comfortable with the possibility of being an NHL starter."No, I think it's perfectly on time," he said. "I don't think I was ready to be at this point a year ago, two years ago. Every experience I've been afforded has made me ready."Woll has recorded 13 NHL appearances dating back to the 2021-22 season, posting a 10-3 record with a .928 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average. He also made two starts during the second round of the 2023 playoffs after Samsonov was hurt, winning one of those games.Samsonov was Toronto's primary starter last season and posted career bests in wins (27), save percentage (.919), shutouts (four), and goals saved above average (17.4). He's been unable to replicate that form in the new campaign, owning a .831 clip and 4.34 goals against average through four showings.Head coach Sheldon Keefe recently said he welcomes the prospect of his two goalies competing internally."Oh, he's pushing," Keefe said of Woll on Saturday. "That's it. That's what you want. You want everybody pushing one another. That's what we got."The Maple Leafs are 3-2 with an even goal differential (19 for, 19 against) on the season thus far.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Although the Oilers are 1-3-1 and will be without captain Connor McDavid for one-to-two weeks, head coach Jay Woodcroft isn't declaring his team dead in the water. In fact, he hopes McDavid's absence can provide the jolt Edmonton sorely needs."You're always looking for opportunities that present themselves to serve as fuel. This is certainly one of them," Woodcroft said Monday. "We feel (our record) could be different, but it is what it is. ... You couple what the record is with losing your captain, great opportunity for other people to step up."Woodcroft added that McDavid feels the same way."He views (his injury) as the captain of this team and how this could be a really important, positive inflection point for our group," Woodcroft said. "He sees it for the opportunity that it represents."McDavid suffered an upper-body injury during Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He projects to miss the Heritage Classic against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 29, but Woodcroft isn't ruling out McDavid just yet."I've learned when it comes to Connor that nothing is off the table," the bench boss said.McDavid's absence leaves a gaping hole in the Oilers' lineup. The superstar has taken home the Art Ross Trophy for three straight seasons, and he's mere months removed from becoming the first player to score 150 points in a single campaign since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96."Obviously, nobody's going to fill his shoes," Evander Kane said. "Tough to lose a player like that and how much he means to our group and how he's an integral part of kind of all phases of our game. Hopefully, he'll be back soon. We've gotta settle up for him while he's gone."Without McDavid in the mix, Kane was promoted to the top power-play unit in practice Monday. The veteran winger, who remains goalless through the first five games of the season, said he viewed it as a "great opportunity."Kane stirred up some attention during Saturday's game when he made a quip about his limited ice time in an intermission interview. He addressed the moment Monday, saying his comments were taken out of context and that he was just "laying out the facts."Woodcroft, meanwhile, viewed Kane's comment as a positive thing."I see it as someone who's passionate and wants to get in a rhythm and wants to play," he said.The Oilers' first McDavid-less game will come Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.