Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray returned to the crease Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.Murray hadn't played since the season opener on Oct. 12 after sustaining an adductor injury in practice that week. He'd been on long-term injured reserve since.Ilya Samsonov was injured on Nov. 5, leaving third-stringer Erik Kallgren with starting duties.Toronto acquired Murray from the Ottawa Senators this past offseason. He struggled in his lone appearance with the Leafs, allowing four goals in a loss to the Montreal Canadiens.Murray's return comes against the team he won Stanley Cups with in 2016 and 2017. He's faced the Penguins once since leaving Pittsburgh, stopping 42 shots in a loss last season.Toronto is 8-5-3 this campaign, good for second in the Atlantic Division.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier didn't shoot down the idea of potentially trading his top defenseman, Erik Karlsson, at some point this season."I'll listen, but at the end of the day, too, a lot will depend on Erik, too," Grier said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "He's got the trade protection and (has control over) what he wants to do. I know right now he's happy. He's happy in San Jose. His family's happy there. And we're thrilled with how he's playing."Karlsson's San Jose tenure has been plagued by injuries, but he's shown he still has plenty left in the tank in 2022-23. Through 17 games, he currently leads all NHL defensemen with 10 goals and 22 points.The 32-year-old is signed through 2026-27 with an $11.5-million cap hit and a full no-movement clause. The Sharks may have to retain a portion of his contract in order to trade him - as they did with Brent Burns this past summer - but it's easy to see how there'd be a market for Karlsson given his recent play."He's a dynamic player," said Grier, who joined the team in July. "To me, he's probably one of the three best offensive defensemen in the league, and he's been great for us. He's done everything we've asked as far as preparation, practicing, playing. He's been great."So, maybe there's a scenario where a team comes asking for him (in a trade) because I do think he's a difference-maker. He's someone who can go out there and win you a game - or win you a series, for that matter - so maybe something will come up down the road. We'll see."Amid San Jose's struggles in March 2021, Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, said he "didn't sign here" for a rebuild. However, he said in September he was "excited for the future here."A rebuild in San Jose could be inevitable at some point, though. The Sharks have missed the playoffs three years in a row and have just a 12% chance of making it this season, per MoneyPuck.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave a vote of confidence to head coach D.J. Smith on Tuesday, one day after the club suffered its eighth loss in nine games."Coaching isn't an issue. Not at all," Dorion said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.He added, "For me, it's the first time we've given D.J. a team that can compete for a possible playoff spot. So I think we've got to be patient there."This marks the second time Dorion has come to his his bench boss' defense in the last week."D.J. is our coach," Dorion said last Monday, according to The Athletic's Ian Mendes. "He’s going to be our coach. I have faith with how this team plays under D.J."Smith took over behind Ottawa's bench for the 2019-20 season and has guided the club to an 86-113-25 record. The 45-year-old signed a two-year extension in 2021 with a team option for the 2024-25 campaign.The Senators' current slump has dropped them to last place in the Atlantic Division and erased optimism following a 4-2 start to the season. Ottawa was a popular pick to qualify for the playoffs in 2022-23 after an electrifying offseason during which they landed Alex DeBrincat, Claude Giroux, and Cam Talbot while signing homegrown stars Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris to big-ticket extensions.Ottawa's new-look roster has improved in several categories compared to last season, albeit in a small 15-game sample size, but it's still struggling to keep the puck out of its own net.2021-22Stat2022-232.73 (26th)Goals per game3.40 (9th)3.22 (22nd)Goals against per game3.53 (26th)30 (21st)Shots per game32.5 (10th)19.3 (20th)Power play%23.2 (12th)80.3 (13th)Penalty kill%76.8 (19th)46.69 (25th)xGF% (5-on-5)50.7 (13th)7.68 (27th)S% (5-on-5)8.81 (11th).917 (14th)Sv% (5-on-5).918 (13th)(Stats source: Evolving Hockey)The Senators are currently dealing with injuries to two top-four blue-liners in Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub, while Norris, the club's No. 1 center, could miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury sustained in October.Ottawa's next chance to turn momentum around comes Wednesday against the Buffalo Sabres.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After the Columbus Blue Jackets landed Johnny Gaudreau - last summer's biggest free agent - the chatter in Ohio got exponentially louder.It's safe to say the team has fallen short of those rising expectations so far this season. A litany of injuries certainly hasn't helped the Jackets' situation, but Columbus has limped to a 4-9-1 start, the second-worst record in the league.Despite facing some early adversity, Gaudreau has remained confident in his surprising decision to ink a seven-year, $68.25-million pact with the Blue Jackets in July."I love the city here in Columbus. I love the team here. I'm really excited to be here," Gaudreau told ESPN's Emily Kaplan in a recent interview. "Even if it wasn't the start we wanted, I wouldn't change my decision for the world."He continued, "I'm here for the long run. I obviously want to make the playoffs this year, but if it doesn't happen yet, you have to learn from those things. I'm not putting it past our team to get out of this funk, but I also know whatever happens, we have a lot to look forward to."The Blue Jackets' pursuit of the postseason got more difficult, with top defenseman Zach Werenski expected to miss the remainder of the campaign with a separated shoulder and torn labrum.To make matters worse, Gaudreau's star linemate Patrik Laine has a sprained ankle and is already on the shelf for the second time this season. Also on the sidelines are Jakub Voracek, Justin Danforth, Nick Blankenburg, and Adam Boqvist.Columbus boasts the NHL's second-worst goal differential (minus-23) and a futile power play that has mustered just three goals on the man advantage.Gaudreau said he's been drawing on Blue Jackets head coach Brad Larsen's preseason message throughout his side's early struggles."He told me, 'I want you to do the same exact thing you did in Calgary, be the same player. Remember, you're just one player. You can't carry a team by yourself,'" the star winger said.Gaudreau, 29, tied for second in the Art Ross Trophy race after logging a career-high 115 points in 82 contests with the Calgary Flames last season. He currently leads the Blue Jackets with six goals and six assists in 14 games.The Blue Jackets were 19 points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference last season and haven't made the playoffs since the 2020 postseason bubble when they were taken out by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Monday was a quiet night on the ice but a good one. The Islanders took care of business for us in Ottawa, while Tyler Toffoli piled up the shots at home to the Kings.We'll look to build on a strong night with a couple plays for Tuesday's nine-game slate.Canucks (+100) @ Sabres (-120)The Canucks have won just four times through 16 games, and the numbers don't indicate things are destined to improve anytime soon.Over the last 10 games, the Canucks rank 26th in expected goal share at five-on-five. They're routinely getting outchanced, and their defense is quite a problem with and without the puck. They don't defend well - 26th in expected goals against per 60 over the past 10 - and they lack capable puck-movers to get them out of trouble and transition safely up ice.The list of issues only continues from there. The goaltending is struggling mightily, with Thatcher Demko looking like a shell of his usual self. J.T. Miller is making highlights on a nightly basis for all the wrong reasons, the players look out of sync, management is publicly criticizing Bruce Boudreau, and there seems to be a lack of stability from top to bottom.While the Sabres enter this game on a five-game losing streak, they're not playing too badly. In fact, Buffalo ranks ninth in expected goal share over the last 10 games. The Sabres are controlling much of the run of play, but they've been sunk by their 32nd-ranked goaltending.Even without Mattias Samuelsson, whose absence makes life more difficult on the netminders, the Sabres won't continue getting .870 goaltending forever.Perhaps some positive regression - coupled with a strong matchup for the Sabres' sixth-ranked scoring offense - will be enough to snap their skid.Bet: Sabres (-120)Flyers (-110) @ Blue Jackets (-115)I don't think much of these Flyers - regular readers should be well aware - but I'll back any team if I feel the value is there, and I see value on Philadelphia.The Blue Jackets have been a complete disaster through the first chunk of the season. At full strength, they rank 29th in high-danger chance share and dead last in save percentage. It should be no surprise then they sit tied with the Ducks for last in wins (four) and points (nine).Things appear likely to get even worse for the Blue Jackets. They have just been hit with a wave of injuries, and not just to run-of-the-mill players.Star defenseman Zach Werenski, sniper Patrik Laine, playmaking winger Jakub Voracek, and highly touted rookie Kent Johnson are among the handful of players who have suffered injuries and/or been placed on IR over the last few days.That's a lot of offense missing from a team that relies heavily on its big guns to create. With so much talent out of the lineup, it's fair to wonder how the Blue Jackets will put the puck past Carter Hart.The 24-year-old owns a ridiculous .937 save percentage on the season and leads the league in goals saved above expectation (+15.6). For perspective, Connor Hellebuyck (+10.5) and Ilya Sorokin (+10.1) are the only other netminders above 10.With a big edge in goal and the Blue Jackets missing so many key players, the Flyers have a strong chance of ending their three-game losing streak.Bet: Flyers (-110)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With this year's Hockey Hall of Fame festivities wrapped up, it's time to take a peek at who might be getting the call in 2023.This year's class signified a potential changing of the guard in induction procedures, as no players enshrined in 2022 won a Stanley Cup. Maybe that lowers the bar going forward, or maybe this year is just an anomaly. Either way, it strengthens the cases for a long list of players who have been on the bubble for a while now.Predicting a full class in any year is difficult, but next year's collection is especially difficult considering the lack of first-year star power. The list of recently retired players eligible for induction in 2023 is underwhelming at best, but we'll dive into that later.It's worth noting a maximum of four male players and two female players can be inducted in a single year.Now let's get to the list.Lock it inHenrik Lundqvist Jared Silber / National Hockey League / GettyGPWSOSV%GSAA88745964.918183.4The King is the only first-year eligible player we see making the Hall next year. Lundqvist retired fifth all-time in wins (Marc-Andre Fleury has since usurped him on the list) and was unquestionably one of the most dominant netminders the league has ever seen. He sits fourth in save percentage among all goalies to play at least 500 regular-season games, and he provided the Rangers 57.2 wins above replacement from 2007-08 (the season Evolving-Hockey's data dates back to) up until his final season on Broadway - nearly 20 more wins than his closest competitor over that span.Lundqvist won gold and silver medals at the Olympics for Sweden as well as gold and bronze at the world championship. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2011-12 and was a finalist on four other occasions. He never won the Stanley Cup, but Lundqvist was notoriously clutch in the playoffs throughout his career. He registered a 1.74 goals against average in 15 elimination games from 2012-15 and won an NHL-record six consecutive Game 7s over that span.The Hall of Fame might as well have started making Lundqvist's plaque the day he announced his retirement.Time to make it rightAlexander Mogilny Jamie Squire / Hulton Archive / GettyGPGAP9904735591032Mogilny sits alone in this category because, quite frankly, his omission from the Hall is ridiculous. Every year he's snubbed, hockey fans aware of his credibility get more irritated, and there's only one way to fix it: Induct him.He's entering his 14th year of eligibility, and several inferior forwards have been inducted while he awaits enshrinement. Mogilny meets the point-per-game threshold, is a Triple Gold Club member (Stanley Cup, world championship gold, and Olympic gold), and is one of the most influential figures in the sport's history as the first player to defect from the former Soviet Union to play in the NHL.With a relatively weak class coming up, it would be the perfect opportunity to give Mogilny the spotlight he deserves. If he's passed over again, it's time the Hall, at the very least, explains why they've continuously snubbed one of the all-time greats.Could be their yearRod Brind'Amour Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAP14844527321184Brind'Amour has now been eligible for a decade and is subject to one of the more divisive resumes among fringe Hall of Famers. He captained the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup in 2006, won two Selke's, and has two international gold medals for Canada. He falls well below a point per game, but nearly 1,500 contests in the NHL is nothing to scoff at. Brind'Amour's also nabbed a Jack Adams as Hurricanes coach to pad his credentials, so maybe a Cup ring from behind the bench will push him over the hump.Pierre Turgeon Rick Stewart / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAP12945158121327Turgeon has been eligible for 13 years but hasn't wooed the induction committee enough to this point. He has more points than any eligible player not already in the Hall of Fame but never won anything other than a Lady Byng in 1992-93. Despite suiting up for six teams in a 19-year career, Turgeon was never able to capture a Stanley Cup and didn't represent Canada internationally at the senior level. His numbers are Hall-worthy, but if he hasn't gotten in yet, it's hard to believe he ever will.Caroline Ouellette Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyOuellette was a surprise omission from the 2022 class, missing out in her first year of eligibility despite an impeccable resume. The Canadian icon won four Olympic gold medals, six world championships, four Clarkson Cups, and an NCAA national title. She's also the CWHL's all-time leading scorer. We don't expect Ouellette to be waiting much longer.Sergei Gonchar Mitchell Layton / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAP1301220591811Gonchar sits 16th all-time in points by a defenseman, and all those ahead of him - aside from Gary Suter - have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even rearguards below Gonchar in the scoring ranks have been enshrined, including Sergei Zubov, Borje Salming, Rob Blake, Scott Niedermeyer, and Chris Pronger. Of course, Gonchar doesn't have the same individual accolades as that group of legends, but he's a Cup winner, a two-time All-Star, and a five-time medal winner for Russia across various tournaments. It shouldn't come as a surprise if he gets in.Jennifer Botterill Harry How / Getty Images Sport / GettyBotterill is entering her ninth year of eligibility, which is quite a surprise considering her resume. She, like many in Canada's golden era of women's hockey, has a stack of Olympic and world championship gold medals, but Botterill stands above many of her peers thanks to an incredible 340 points in 113 games across four seasons at Harvard - good for first all-time in the NCAA.Henrik Zetterberg Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPGAP1082337623960Zetterberg is eligible for the second year after an impressive career as one of the best two-way centers of his generation. Despite his accomplishments, his case will probably be debated for years to come. The unflappable Swede is a Triple Gold Club member with a Conn Smythe to boot, but he isn't a point-per-game player and was never a finalist for a major regular-season award besides a Calder Trophy runner-up in 2002-03. It also may be controversial in the eyes of some fans to induct Zetterberg before former Red Wings teammate Pavel Datsyuk, who's not eligible yet but boasts a more impressive career. Perhaps the solution is to induct them both.Curtis Joseph Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPWSOSV%GSAA94345451.906126.8Cujo is approaching his 11th year of eligibility but will probably have to wait longer, with Lundqvist likely to headline the 2023 class. It's rare for the Hall to choose two goalies in one year, and the optics of inducting a lock and a perennially fringe candidate alongside each other would be strange. That said, if Lundqvist gets in without Joseph, the latter will be the only goaltender ranked top 10 in wins absent from the Hall. Joseph ranks seventh in that category, but having no Stanley Cups or Vezinas hurts his case. If you look closely, though, Cujo was a finalist for top goalie three times and was snubbed in 1993 despite leading the league in saves, save percentage, and goals saved above average. Joseph may have to wait at least another year, but one wonders how long he can be denied.Other First-year eligiblesJay Bouwmeester David E. Klutho / Sports Illustrated / GettyGPGAP124088336424Bouwmeester was a quality top-pairing defenseman for much of his 17-year career and has Triple Gold Club status, but his numbers are simply too low to warrant serious consideration. He had a terrific career, but the Hall of Fame is out of his reach.Brent Seabrook Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAP1114103361464Seabrook's situation is similar to Bouwmeester's: Lots to be proud about but not worthy of hockey's highest honor. Seabrook is mainly remembered for his albatross contract, but he was a star blue-liner at his peak, playing a vital role in three Stanley Cups for Chicago as well as an Olympic gold for Canada in 2010. He may have his number retired at the United Center one day, but don't expect any considerable Hall of Fame noise.Justin Williams Gregg Forwerck / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAP1264320477797Williams' resume tops the other first-year players in this category, but he's a longshot. "Mr. Game 7" is one of the most famous playoff performers in history, evidenced by his three rings and Conn Smythe from 2014. Although he's highly accomplished and universally liked, Williams just doesn't have Hall of Fame stats.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Muzzin is out indefinitely due to a cervical spine injury and will be re-evaluated in February, the team announced Monday.In addition, blue-liner T.J. Brodie will be out a minimum of two weeks with an oblique injury, general manager Kyle Dubas said, per TSN's Mark Masters. Brodie was a late scratch for Saturday's win over the Vancouver Canucks.Muzzin hasn't played since Oct. 17, when an awkward collision with Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller forced him to leave the game. The veteran defenseman has a history of head and neck injuries. Muzzin was stretchered off the ice during the 2020 qualifying round and also missed time last campaign due to concussions."We have to do what's right for his long-term health," Dubas said, per The Athletic's Jonas Siegel. "He's a father of two young children and a husband. We have to make sure that we're doing right by him. As important as he is to us as a player, his health is paramount."The 33-year-old is under contract through 2024. His $5.625-million cap hit will be placed on long-term injured reserve, and the Maple Leafs can exceed the salary cap by the same amount as long as Muzzin remains sidelined.Toronto acquired Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings during the 2018-19 season and signed him to a four-year contract in 2020. He's logged 81 points in 187 games with the team while averaging more than 21 minutes per contest.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine is expected to miss three-to-four weeks due to a sprained ankle sustained on Saturday, the team announced Monday.Laine was given the same recovery timeline after hurting his elbow on opening night, but he made an early return.The 24-year-old has appeared in eight games this season, collecting two goals and two assists while averaging nearly 20 minutes per contest. He's in the first season of a four-year, $34.8-million contract signed this past summer.Laine's notched 81 points in 109 games with the Blue Jackets since he was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets during the 2020-21 campaign.Columbus currently sits eighth in the Metropolitan Division after a 4-9-1 start.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

On Oct. 17 in Boston, just three games into the season, Aaron Ekblad suffered a lower-body injury that put him out for almost four weeks. His 25 minutes of ice time per game went with him.In betting terms, it was the type of injury that obviously wasn't accounted for in the Panthers' rating before the campaign, so an adjustment had to be made. Florida came into the season with a projected point total of 105.5, behind only Colorado and Toronto. That number suggests that the Panthers were deemed 15% better than an average team on neutral ice. If they played the NHL's most average squad, they'd win the game 57.5% of the time to the opponents' 42.5%.However, given Ekblad's presumed importance, how does Florida's win probability change? For example, does losing Ekblad make the club a merely average hockey team? That would mean his absence drops the Panthers' win probability by 7.5%, a level reserved for only the league's biggest stars.When projecting Florida's moneylines for the 11 games he missed, we made an educated guess and put Ekblad's importance at 6%. We based it on the number of minutes the Panthers would need to replace and that their next highest-paid defenseman was veteran journeyman Brandon Montour.The market disagreed.Over the next 11 contests, Florida's moneylines averaged -182, only coming close to being underdogs twice - pick'em games at home to Tampa Bay and Carolina. Since -182 translates to an implied win probability of 64.5%, the Panthers would need to win at a higher rate to be profitable. Despite facing a pretty soft portion of their schedule, the club went 6-5 (54.5%) on the moneyline.Does that mean Ekblad should be worth a 10% win probability? Not necessarily. Florida was one win away from breaking even, and 11 games isn't a large sample size. But in seven of those contests (six on the road), our betting guide suggested there was value on the Panthers' underdog opponent, going 3-4 for approximately +3 units.This is where value is found in betting the NHL, not on a barstool or your basement. Understanding where the edges are, a few percentage points at a time that pile up over the season, is how to bet hockey profitably.The recipeWe started the campaign using regular-season point totals as a baseline for rating teams since it's still our best measurement. Throughout the campaign, we'll adjust club ratings using on-ice metrics to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which various outliers like special teams results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events - such as three-on-three overtime and the shootout - can skew.The cheat sheetThere are no bad bets at the right price. But how do we know what a good price is?The following includes my fair price on the games (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd need to bet either side. I only need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. For games I project to be closer to a coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough for a worthwhile wager. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for a team on the second leg of a back-to-back without travel. When it comes to injured players, I do my best to estimate the impact on their team's win probability.When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's also a possibility that a moneyline moves into a betable range at some point between market open and puck drop.DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETNov. 14NYI@OTT+102/-102NYI +113/OTT +108CAR@CHI-203/+203CAR -194/CHI +244LAK@CGY+126/-126LAK +149/CGY -121STL@COL+143/-143STL +170/COL -138Nov. 15DAL@TB+131/-131DAL +154/TB -126NJD@MTL-168/+168NJD -161/MTL +200TOR@PIT+102/-102TOR +104/PIT +109VAN@BUF-106/+106VAN +104/BUF +117WSH@FLA+189/-189WSH +226/FLA -180PHI@CBJ+119/-119PHI +140/CBJ -114MIN@NSH+111/-111MIN +122/NSH +100DET@ANA+100/+100DET +110/ANA +110SJS@VGK+200/-200SJS +241/VGK -191Nov. 16BUF@OTT+163/-163BUF +194/OTT -156STL@CHI-145/+145STL -139/CHI +171LAK@EDM+120/-120LAK +141/EDM -115Nov. 17PHI@BOS+204/-204PHI +246/BOS -195MTL@CBJ+127/-127MTL +150/CBJ -122COL@CAR+132/-132COL +156/CAR -127DAL@FLA+148/-148DAL +176/FLA -142CGY@TB+115/-115CGY +136/TB -111NJD@TOR+126/-126NJD +148/TOR -121NYI@NSH+122/-122NYI +144/NSH -118ANA@WPG+154/-154ANA +183/WPG -148WSH@STL+109/-109WSH +120/STL +102PIT@MIN+112/-112PIT +132/MIN -108ARI@VGK+283/-283ARI +352/VGK -269NYR@SEA-117/+117NYR -112/SEA +137DET@SJS+101/-101DET +111/SJS +110Nov. 18LAK@VAN-101/+101LAK +110/VAN +111Nov. 19NJD@OTT-123/+123NJD -118/OTT +144CGY@FLA+130/-130CGY +154/FLA -125COL@WSH-117/+117COL -113/WSH +138PIT@WPG-110/+110PIT +100/WPG +122CHI@BOS+252/-252CHI +310/BOS -240BUF@TOR+210/-210BUF +254/TOR -201DET@CBJ+101/-101DET +112/CBJ +109PHI@MTL+110/-110PHI +121/MTL +101NYI@DAL+126/-126NYI +149/DAL -121TB@NSH+102/-102TB +113/NSH +108ANA@STL+168/-168ANA +200/STL -161CAR@MIN-102/+102CAR +108/MIN +113LAK@SEA+108/-108LAK +119/SEA +103VGK@EDM+118/-118VGK +139/EDM -114NYR@SJS-144/+144NYR -138/SJS +171Nov. 20FLA@CBJ-154/+154FLA -147/CBJ +182PIT@CHI-174/+174PIT -167/CHI +208Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We're heading for another quiet Monday in the NHL, with only four games scheduled.Let's dive into a couple of bets - one side and one player prop - that stand out from the rest.Islanders (-120) @ Senators (-105)The Ottawa Senators just ended a lengthy seven-game losing skid with a win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Unfortunately for them, the good times are unlikely to last very long.On Monday, the Senators play host to a rejuvenated New York Islanders team piling up points under new bench boss Lane Lambert.The Islanders have won eight of their last 10 games, averaging 3.37 goals and 2.28 goals against during that span.They've done a much better job of playing with pace, attacking in transition, and creating out of structure - Lambert seems to have given the guys more freedom - than we've seen in recent years.New York's refreshingly dangerous attack could be in for a big game against this undermanned Ottawa squad.Already without Artem Zub, one of their better in-zone defenders, the Senators are now missing Thomas Chabot due to a concussion. He's the team's No. 1 minute muncher and has posted strong underlying numbers this season. Suffice it to say, his absence will be felt.Although Ottawa certainly has some players who can stress New York's defense at the other end, the Islanders can generally rely on strong goaltending. Ilya Sorokin is one of the league leaders in goals saved above expectation. If he doesn't get the nod - even though New York is off until Thursday after tonight - Semyon Varlamov is pretty trustworthy as far as backups go.With the Islanders creating a lot of chances and the Senators missing two key defenders, I expect New York to get the better of the opportunities in this game. Look for them to take advantage of them, especially if Sorokin starts, giving the team a clear edge in goal to fall back on.Tyler Toffoli over 2.5 shots (-132)Toffoli lives to play on home ice. The veteran sniper has been a shooting machine in Calgary this season, generating at least three shots on goal in eight of his last nine affairs.Toffoli has managed to find consistent success regardless of the caliber of the opponent. He's already hit against stingy teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and Seattle Kraken, so a date with a low-event team like the Los Angeles Kings shouldn't impact him too much.If anything, a contest against one of his former clubs could serve as extra motivation. Toffoli has enjoyed plenty of success against L.A. thus far, recording at least three shots in three straight meetings.As good as the Kings are at suppressing shots, there's an uptick in volume when they're on the road and unable to control the matchups.Having scored more than three goals just once over the last eight games and winning only once in that span, the Flames should rely heavily on one of their better scoring threats.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot will miss at least a week of action due to a concussion, head coach D.J. Smith said Sunday, per TSN.With their No. 1 blue-liner set to miss time, the Senators recalled Jacob Larsson from the AHL. The club is also currently without Artem Zub due to injury.Chabot exited Saturday's win over the Philadelphia Flyers early in the third period after Travis Konecny hit him from behind. There was no penalty on the play.

The Calgary Flames, who entered Saturday amid a seven-game slump before topping Winnipeg, are reportedly in the market to add reinforcements up front."I heard this week the Flames have been looking around for a scoring forward," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts. "I've been told that's been going on since August, so I don't think there's anything pressing on that one right now."Calgary has just two forwards that have eclipsed 10 points through 13 games this season.Jonathan Huberdeau's absence from the lineup due to an upper-body injury has only exacerbated the Flames' lack of options up front, while Andrew Mangiapane has also struggled to repeat his offensive success from 2021-22.Calgary is currently 21st in scoring with 2.92 goals per game. They scored 3.55 goals per game last season, good for sixth in the league.The Flames have just $76,470 in cap space, according to CapFriendly.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL suspended Washington Capitals forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel for three games Saturday for a check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Cal Foote.Aube-Kubel caught Foote with the high hit early in the second period Friday.

Thatcher Demko admits he's had a hard time dealing with his struggles in the early stages of this campaign."I'm not doing as good a job as I know I can do," the Vancouver Canucks goaltender said, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre. "It's something that as a teammate, as a competitor, you know, it kind of eats at you."Demko is 1-7-2 with an .874 save percentage in 10 games this season. The San Diego-born netminder has saved minus-0.47 goals above expected and minus-1.74 goals above average at five-on-five in 2022-23, according to Evolving-Hockey. The latter two figures place him 38th and 46th in the NHL, respectively.He's particularly unnerved by his performance so far considering how much work he did in the offseason."That's the most frustrating part, I think," Demko said. "If I was sitting around all summer not doing anything, then you can look at yourself (struggle) and be like, 'alright, well, that makes sense.' I think that's where some of the frustration comes. Putting the work in in the summer, putting the work in every day ... (trying) to be one of the first guys that come to the rink. I'm in the gym all the time, working hard on the ice."You've always kind of been told that as you grow up, that's kind of what it takes to be successful. And so sometimes it feels like you're just trying everything. But, you know, it's part of the process. Nothing is going to be perfect all the time, so I'm sticking with it, and, like I said, I know it's going to turn."Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau believes his No. 1 puck-stopper is fully capable of turning things around."The one thing you always based everything on was, in the end, we had the goaltending to save us," Boudreau said. "And it will save us in the end, but it hasn't saved us too often yet. But there's not a guy in the room - coaches or players - that doesn't have the ultimate faith in him that it's going to come back. His body of work has been too good for it not to happen."No one works harder than him. He comes out half an hour early every day. He stays on (late) every day. His desire and drive to be the best is right up there with all of them. I mean, his slump has been a little longer than we would really have liked. But at some point, he's going to find it. Whether it's one save, whether it's one game ... all of a sudden it'll click back in, and his confidence will be there."The Canucks haven't excelled as a team this season. Vancouver is 4-7-3 through 14 games, and the club entered Friday's action ranking third-worst in the league in goals allowed per game.Demko went 33-22-7 with a .915 save percentage while playing a career-high 64 games last season. He finished seventh in Vezina Trophy voting and would've surely earned many more votes had the Canucks not missed the playoffs. Demko, who'll turn 27 on Dec. 8, led the NHL in GSAA at five-on-five and ranked third in GSAx in those situations in 2021-22.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association announced they've canceled plans for a World Cup of Hockey in February 2024. Instead, the two sides will aim to hold the tournament in February 2025."Unfortunately, in the current environment it is not feasible to hold the World Cup of Hockey (in February 2024)," the statement reads. "We continue to plan for the next World Cup of Hockey, hopefully in February 2025."There hasn't been an international best-on-best hockey tournament since the 2016 World Cup.The NHL hasn't participated in the Winter Olympics since 2014. The league aimed to attend in 2022, but COVID-19 threw a wrench in those plans.There have been three previous editions of the World Cup. The United States was victorious in the inaugural tournament in 1996 before Canada won in 2004 and 2016.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign after suffering a separated shoulder and a torn labrum Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.Werenski failed to connect on a hit with Travis Konecny and crashed hard into the boards in the first period.

Although there are only a few games scheduled Friday night, there's plenty of value on the board.Let's comb through it with three shot props for tonight's four-game slate.Evgeny Kuznetsov over 2.5 shots (-120)The Washington Capitals' players have been dropping like flies in the early going of the season, which has forced head coach Peter Laviolette to rely heavily on the few big dogs he has healthy and available. Kuznetsov is one of them.The dynamic offensive center logged at least 19 minutes in four consecutive games, and that's resulted in a nice uptick in shot volume. He went over the number each time, generating 15 shots on 24 attempts on aggregate.I like his success to continue at home to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They haven't defended nearly as well as in previous years - especially while killing penalties - and Kuznetsov facilitates a lot of the offense in all situations.The Lightning are one of the worst teams in the NHL when it comes to limiting shots versus opposing centers, so Kuznetsov should take advantage.Steven Stamkos over 3.5 shots (+105)Nikita Kucherov generally draws the most difficult matchups when the Lightning play on the road - even more so when skating on a line with Brayden Point, which is the expectation Friday night.That means Stamkos gets softer matchups and more room to operate, which the Lightning captain has certainly made the most of. Through seven road games, he averaged 4.7 shots and hit the over six times.With the Capitals missing an abundance of important players, struggling to limit shots on the penalty kill, and Stamkos avoiding top competition at five-on-five, this is a great spot for his road success to continue.Matt Boldy over 2.5 shots (-140)After his performance in a smash spot against the Anaheim Ducks, I'm going right back to Boldy versus the Seattle Kraken.This is less about matchup and more about my belief in Boldy. The star sophomore registered at least three shots in nine of 13 games this season (69%) and is generating shot attempts at a consistently high volume.In fact, Boldy is tied with Kirill Kaprizov at 48 shot attempts through seven road games thus far. Kaprizov's line is consistently 3.5 shots - sometimes priced similarly to Boldy for 2.5 tonight - so there's real value targeting the same kind of volume with an extra shot of wiggle room.It's also worth noting right wing is the one position the Kraken give up real shot volume to, so Boldy should get his fair share of looks in this game.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have another full weekend of hockey ahead, with 17 games scheduled over the next couple of nights.Let's dive into a couple that stand out from the rest with a pair of best bets.Sharks (+170) @ Stars (-200)

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy played his first game of the season Thursday after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.The talented blue-liner was paired with Matt Grzelcyk to start the game against the Calgary Flames.McAvoy was expected to miss approximately six months after he underwent the procedure in early June.The 24-year-old recorded a career-high 56 points over 78 games during the 2021-22 campaign en route to finishing fourth in Norris Trophy voting.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We split our best bets Wednesday night. The Pittsburgh Penguins responded in a big way, snapping their losing streak with a three-goal win over the undermanned Washington Capitals.Unfortunately, the Carolina Hurricanes - despite generating 40 shots and 4.39 expected goals - were blanked by Spencer Knight and the Florida Panthers.Let's dive into our bets bets for Thursday's big slate as we look for a clean 2-0 night.Coyotes (+220) @ Islanders (-270)The New York Islanders are sizzling hot. They won seven of the last eight games and now host one of the worst teams in hockey.While the Arizona Coyotes won two in a row and are only one game under .500, they very much look like the bottom-feeder everyone expected them to be.At five-on-five, they've controlled only 35% of the expected goal share and 32% of the high-danger chances. To put how bad that is into perspective, last year's version of the Coyotes - who won 25 games - came in above 42% in both categories.New York hasn't been winning by dominating in the shot department. It's more or less traded opportunities and relied on its improved rush offense - and strong goaltending - to see them through. And it has worked!If the Islanders can string together wins at a high clip while coming out around even in shots and chances, it's exciting to think about what they can do when they're able to spend most of every shift on the front foot.They'll almost certainly have that opportunity tonight. Forget winning the high-danger chance battle - the best the Coyotes have done in any game this season is draw even.New York should dominate the run of play. With Ilya Sorokin between the pipes, the Coyotes probably can't rely on opportunistic finishing - or a soft goal - to hang around.I like the Islanders to win convincingly in this spot - even more so if Connor Ingram gets the nod in goal for the Coyotes.Bet: Islanders -1.5 (-110)Sharks (+135) @ Blues (-155)The St. Louis Blues have been bad this season. Very bad. And yet they still don't deserve results this bad.Through 11 games, they conceded 15 more high-danger chances than they generated at five-on-five. That sounds like a fairly big number, but it equates to a net of minus-1.36 high-danger chances per game.While that differential isn't ideal, it's not exactly a huge number and certainly not what you'd expect from a team that dropped eight in a row.Don't get me wrong: St. Louis hasn't played well at full strength, and its special teams aren't good either. But the Blues aren't getting railroaded on a nightly basis - they sits 21st in expected goals for percentage.It's not an exaggeration to say their biggest problem right now is that they simply can't finish plays off. A season ago, they led the NHL with a 10.42 shooting percentage at five-on-five.This year - with a very similar roster - St. Louis sits dead last, converting on just 5.51% of its shots.I expected regression, especially without David Perron, but it'd be a huge stretch to say his departure should result in going from first to worst.The Blues still have Robert Thomas, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jordan Kyrou, Brayden Schenn, and Pavel Buchnevich, among others. Sooner or later, the pucks are going to start going in for those guys.The San Jose Sharks appear to be doing the Blues a favor to try and speed up the process. James Reimer (plus-3.9 goals saved above expected) is getting the night off, which means Kaapo Kahkonen will earn the nod in goal.Kahkonen owns a putrid .878 save percentage and conceded 6.2 more goals than expected through just five starts. His average of minus-1.2 GSAE per 60 minutes ranks 44th among 47 goaltenders who've played in at least five games this campaign.Kahkonen is really, really, struggling to stop pucks, and the Blues are converting at an unsustainably low rate. This could be just what the doctor ordered.Bet: Blues in regulation (-105)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have earned seven of a possible eight points in November, boosting their record to 7-4-3 and points percentage to .607, good for 11th in the NHL. General manager Kyle Dubas is no longer trending on Twitter daily, and head coach Sheldon Keefe's job is safe - for now, anyhow.The sky isn't falling anymore. Yet … the Leafs, who have played up or down to the quality of their competition this season, haven't satisfied expectations for a talented squad under immense pressure to finally win in the postseason.What, then, can we make of Toronto's first 14 games?In advance of this weekend's contests against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks, here are two reasons for optimism and two reasons for pessimism in Leafs land.Optimism: Tavares' terrific start Mark Blinch / Getty ImagesOn Sept. 20, John Tavares turned 32 - not an ancient age for an NHLer, but not young. Four days later, he strained an oblique muscle in preseason action.Was Tavares' body breaking down before our eyes? Would his $11-million annual cap hit become more burdensome than in the previous three seasons?The answer to those questions through 17% of the campaign: Nope and nope.Instead, the 6-foot-1, 216-pound center has looked like Prime Tavares. He's retrieving and protecting pucks in a way few can, displaying soft touch around the net, and skating well enough to be a threat off the rush. To my eye, Tavares' feet and hands are a tad quicker this year, allowing the stoic captain to play his best stretch of hockey since racking up career highs in 2018-19.Despite seeing his ice time dip from 18:04 to 17:26, Tavares leads Toronto with eight goals (five on the power play) while pitching in seven assists (five primary). A player many - myself included - believed would never again find his peak form is tops in the NHL in expected goals, according to MoneyPuck.Tavares' output has been supported by a promising start from linemate William Nylander, who has also authored several game-breaking moments en route to 13 points. Mitch Marner (16 points) and Auston Matthews (14 points) have yet to produce at their typical lofty rates, but by no means has either player disappointed. A true breakout is imminent for the top-line duo.Aside from the odd poor game, the star forwards have shown well.Pessimism: State of blue line Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesThe Leafs' blue line appears to be doing a perfectly fine job - on paper.In all situations, Toronto sits eighth in both goals against per 60 minutes and expected goals against per 60. The five-on-five numbers are similarly positive: second in goals against per 60 and 11th in expected goals against per 60.Watch just 10 minutes of a Leafs game, though, and it's clear that while the team as a whole is solid defensively, the blue line's personnel is insufficient.Sure, 39-year-old Mark Giordano has provided tremendous value at $800,000. And, yes, Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie have largely played to their standards. Otherwise, it's been a slog, especially with linchpin Jake Muzzin appearing in only four games due to injury. The fan base rightfully is losing trust in Justin Holl, and youngsters Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren are still working out the kinks.For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, the blue line is barely passable with a healthy Muzzin in the lineup. With him out - a harsh reality now and potentially for much, much longer - the blue line is a giant puzzle. On any given night, one of the club's three pairs is dysfunctional. From an offensive perspective, the defensemen have contributed just three goals.If Muzzin stays on long-term injured reserve, Dubas could use the cap space to acquire a top-four defenseman. The Leafs can't currently take on another contract as they hit the league-maximum 50 earlier this week. Perhaps the club could pair a depth piece like Holl, Alex Kerfoot, or Pierre Engvall with an early-round draft pick to form an enticing trade package for a rebuilding team.Potential targets include the Columbus Blue Jackets' Vladislav Gavrikov ($2.8-million cap hit and a pending unrestricted free agent), the Anaheim Ducks' Kevin Shattenkirk ($3.9 million, pending UFA), and the Chicago Blackhawks' Jake McCabe ($4 million, expires in 2025).Optimism: Effective depth line Kevin Sousa / Getty ImagesKeefe's line juggling may have produced a gem further down the lineup.The bottom-six trio of David Kampf between Denis Malgin and Zach Aston-Reese has existed for a mere 30 minutes of action, but the early returns are extremely encouraging. The line owns a 2-0 edge in goals, a huge 20-3 advantage in shots on goal, and a comfortable 31-16 lead in shot attempts.Each player offers a distinct skill set, helping everybody find a meaningful role. Kampf, 27, is the faceoff-winning play driver; Aston-Reese, 28, is the cool-headed checker on the left wing; and Malgin, 25, is the speedy, skilled finisher.The workmanlike trio makes a combined $3.1 million against the cap - an appropriate tally for a dependable fourth line. Realistically, with Nicolas Aube-Kubel gone via waivers, Engvall barely contributing, and a few other depth forwards providing little value on a nightly basis, the Kampf trio is currently profiling closer to a traditional third line. That's both bad and good for the Leafs.Ideally, the rest of the bottom six will get beefed up prior to the trade deadline so the Kampf line, assuming it stays together, can feast on easy competition.Pessimism: Unreliable 2nd goalie Minas Panagiotakis / Getty ImagesAh, the goaltending.Coming into the season, even the biggest Dubas supporters were cautiously optimistic about the Matt Murray-Ilya Samsonov tandem. One guy had become better known for being injury prone than winning two Stanley Cups. The other is a former first-rounder who had been allowed to walk as a UFA at age 25.Stability is still a major concern. Samsonov, who's done exactly what he's been asked by posting a .921 save percentage in eight starts, is "week to week" with a knee injury. Murray appeared in one game before injuring his groin in practice.Neither goalie is shelved for the season, so it could be worse. Yet, this is a troublesome situation no matter how you slice it. Even if Samsonov returns to deliver starter-caliber goaltending, that does nothing to address the elephant in the room: Murray's health is completely unreliable.If Samsonov runs into injury issues again, there's nobody qualified to take the wheel. Erik Kallgren's been decent in five starts, but you certainly don't want him starting a playoff game. The same goes for fellow AHLers Joseph Woll and Keith Petruzzelli.There isn't an obvious solution to this problem because it's difficult to acquire a goalie of any note midseason. Dubas and Co. may have to insulate the crease as best as possible with blue-line reinforcements and hope for saves.John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday night was a good one for our shot props as we once again won two of three.We'll look to keep the ball rolling with three more plays for Thursday night's big slate.Mark Stone over 2.5 shots (+105)Mark Stone currently finds himself in a nice little shooting stretch. He has generated at least three shots in eight of his last 10 games, averaging a healthy 3.4 during that span.Unlike many star players, his volume doesn't seem to be impacted by the location of the contest. Stone has hit in four of five road games this season, falling just one short - missing the net three times - in the lone exception. He is consistently getting the job done.Although the Sabres have done a good job of limiting shot volume of late, they have still struggled with right-wingers. On a per-game basis, only the Blackhawks have allowed more shots to the position.At plus money, there's value in backing a red-hot Stone to get it done.Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots (-128)Death, taxes, and backing Nathan MacKinnon at home. The Avalanche's star pivot has been a shooting machine in Colorado. Dating back to last season, he has registered at least five shots in 30 of 41 games, good for a 72% success rate.There are plenty of reasons to like him beyond his general home success. The Predators are not defending well right now, sitting bottom 10 in five-on-five shot suppression over the last eight games.It's also worth noting MacKinnon has enjoyed a lot of success against the laboring Predators in the past. Playoffs included, MacKinnon faced Nashville seven times last season and generated at least five shots in six of those games, averaging 6.6 per.Evan Rodrigues under 2.5 (+125)Evan Rodrigues isn't much of a shooter but, for some reason, he continues to be priced like one.The journeyman pivot has gone over this shot total just three times through 11 games this season. Two of those hits came when, due to the Avs' injuries, Rodrigues was playing more than 20 minutes per night and skating on the top line alongside MacKinnon.Rodrigues is back to his usual spot on the second line with Martin Kaut and Alex Newhook. Not only does that mean a healthy reduction in minutes, but he won't have the same talent around him to dominate the opposition.Excluding games where Rodrigues logged more than 20 minutes, he has gone over the shot total just one time in eight tries. I'm happy to back the under again at this price.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane is expected to miss three-to-four months and has been placed on long-term injured reserve after his wrist was cut by a skate Tuesday night, the team announced.Kane was taken to hospital to undergo a procedure after the incident, which occurred during the second period of the Oilers' win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kane was down on the ice when one of Pat Maroon's skates inadvertently clipped his arm.His long-term absence leaves a big hole in the Oilers' attack, as the 31-year-old winger has been a lock in Edmonton's top six this season and produced 13 points in 14 games before being injured. His $5.125-million cap hit will not count against the Oilers' books while he's on LTIR.Edmonton currently has approximately $12.2 million on LTIR between Kane, Oscar Klefbom, Mike Smith, and Tyler Benson, according to Cap Friendly.Edmonton recalled forwards Klim Kostin and Mattias Janmark from AHL Bakersfield on Wednesday to help fill out the NHL roster's depth.The Oilers currently sit fourth in the Pacific Division with an 8-6 record. They return to action Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Team Canada named its coaching staff Wednesday for the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championship.Everett Silvertips bench boss Dennis Williams will serve as the team's head coach, taking over for Dave Cameron. He was an assistant coach on Cameron's staff for Canada's gold-medal triumph at the 2022 tournament.Joining Williams as assistants are Sherbrooke Phoenix head coach Stephane Julien, Lethbridge Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio, and Sarnia Sting head coach Alan Letang. Kelly Guard will serve as the goaltending consultant and James Emery will be the video coach.Canada will hold a four-day selection camp from Dec. 9-12 before the tournament begins Dec. 26.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens rookie Juraj Slafkovsky was suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Wednesday for boarding Detroit Red Wings forward Matt Luff.Slafkovsky hit Luff from behind into the boards during the third period of Tuesday's game.Luff will have wrist surgery on Thursday as a result of the hit and will miss 10-12 weeks, Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said, per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.The 25-year-old has skated in seven games for the Red Wings this year, recording one goal and zero assists.Slafkovsky, the 2022 first overall pick, has tallied three goals and zero helpers in 10 games this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators placed defenseman Nikita Zaitsev on waivers Wednesday, according to CapFriendly.Zaitsev has two years remaining on his contract with a $4.5-million cap hit. If he clears and is assigned to the AHL, he'll count for $3.375 million against Ottawa's cap.The 31-year-old has tallied one assist in seven games this season while averaging a career-low 15:14 per contest. His 50.7% expected goals percentage is the third-worst among Senators defensemen, per Natural Stat Trick.Zaitsev signed a seven-year, $31.5-million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in May 2017. The Sens acquired him from their provincial rivals in July 2019.The Senators also placed goaltender Magnus Hellberg on waivers Wednesday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Warning: Story contains disturbing material, derogatory languageIsaiah Meyer-Crothers released a statement Wednesday through the Hockey Diversity Alliance about the racial abuse and bullying he endured from hockey player Mitchell Miller while the two were growing up together in Ohio.The Boston Bruins signed Miller to an entry-level contract on Friday, but after facing plenty of backlash from fans, media, the NHL office, and Bruins players, the club decided to part ways with him two days later.Meyer-Crothers' statement reads in full:

Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov has been fined $5,000 for roughing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty on Tuesday night.Kaprizov caught Doughty up high during the second period and received a match penalty. Doughty stayed in the game.

Tuesday night was a good one for our player prop best bets. Tage Thompson (+110) and Cole Caufield (-105) both came through, helping us to a 2-1 night.We'll look to build on that with three more plays for the upcoming four-game slate.Martin Necas over 2.5 shots (-125)Martin Necas has taken on a much bigger role for the Hurricanes this season and is making the most of it.He has produced a whopping 17 points through just 12 games and, more importantly for us, shot the lights out in the process, especially of late.Necas has registered at least three shots in six of his last seven games. He has done so sustainably, generating 46 shot attempts in that time. With an average of more than 6.5 attempts per contest, there's wiggle room for misses and blocks and Necas to still comfortably get there.I think this line should be much more heavily juiced - or perhaps even moved to 3.5Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (+105)Aleksander Barkov is one of the NHL's best volume shooters right now. He has attempted 57 shots over the last seven games, which is the ninth-highest total in the league, placing him ahead of snipers like Auston Matthews, Filip Forsberg, Jason Robertson, and Kirill Kaprizov.Unsurprisingly, all those attempts have led to juicy shot-on-goal totals. Barkov has averaged more than four per game during this run.Although the matchup is difficult, there's reason to believe Barkov can still take things up a notch. Matthew Tkachuk has taken a ton of shots this season and sits fifth in shots per minute. With him suspended, there's even more opportunity for linemates - like Barkov - to pull the trigger.He has logged at least 23 minutes in five of the last six games. In a marquee matchup such as this, I doubt that usage drops. He's going to have every opportunity to hit this total.Jake Guentzel over 3.5 shots (+100)There is a lot to like about Jake Guentzel's shot total. He has gone over the number in three of four games since returning to the Penguins' lineup. He has logged over 21 minutes per game during that stretch, which is important as well. Volume shooters getting heavy workloads generally leads to success with these props.What's really encouraging is Guentzel is getting the job done despite very difficult matchups. His last three hits came against the Kraken twice and Bruins. Boston is arguably the league's best team right now, and Seattle sits top five in terms of five-on-five shot suppression. These are not easy sides to generate opportunities against and Guentzel had no problem doing so.Now, coming off extended rest, he draws a much more enticing matchup against the Capitals. They're missing a ton of key pieces right now and their penalty kill is really struggling to prevent shots and chances. Guentzel is the primary scoring threat on Pittsburgh's power play, so he should be the biggest beneficiary.Look for his shooting success to continue.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a quiet four-game slate on the docket for Wednesday night. Luckily, there are a couple of games that really stand out from the rest.Let's dive into a pair of best bets for the headliners.Penguins (-135) @ Capitals (+105)The Penguins have dropped seven consecutive games. While they don't look the part of a contending team - and probably aren't after a poor offseason - they are better than the recent results suggest.Despite winning just two of the last 10 games, the Penguins have controlled nearly 52% of the expected goal share at five-on-five. That slots them 13th, just ahead of teams like the Maple Leafs and Lightning.Considering Jake Guentzel - the team's best winger - missed six games over the last 10, those numbers are pretty good.But five-on-five play isn't really the issue. What has gotten the Penguins into a lot of trouble is special teams play.The power play has struggled to create chances and put the puck in the net, which isn't all that surprising given Guentzel's absence. Even if there are fundamental problems, they should score at a higher clip moving forward with the talent on hand.Wednesday night offers a nice matchup to do just that. The bruised and battered Capitals have given up a lot on the penalty kill of late, slotting bottom-10 in expected goals allowed per 60.Washington's power play has performed pretty well, but with T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and, perhaps, John Carlson out of the lineup, the Penguins' struggling penalty kill stands a much better chance of keeping it off the board.What I think could help in this situation is all the time off the Penguins have had. Pittsburgh's played only one game since last Wednesday night. It's had a lot of time to refresh, focus on what to fix, and come up with solutions.This is a well-coached, veteran-heavy team, and I expect the Pens to respond after chewing on these losses for such a long period of time.Bet: Penguins (-135)Hurricanes (-115) @ Panthers (-110)The Hurricanes are off to an impressive start to the season. Despite all the offseason changes - and injuries to Max Pacioretty and Ondrej Kase - they have hit the ground running, piling up wins while posting remarkably strong underlying numbers.Carolina has won eight times through 12 games, sits fourth in the league in points percentage, and has absolutely steamrolled teams at five-on-five.Only the Devils have controlled a larger share of the expected goals, while just the Golden Knights and Devils sit ahead of the Hurricanes in high-danger chances.Admittedly, the Panthers are lurking in the top 10 of each category, but they are missing some extremely important pieces.Aaron Ekblad's return will come sooner rather than later, but he's expected to be out again in this one. Matthew Tkachuk will also miss this affair due to suspension. Tkachuk has 17 points through 12 games and a very good two-way profile, so that's a loss that will sting mightily at both ends of the ice.While the Panthers have posted strong underlying metrics, the reality is they have won one more game than they've lost. The process is great, but you still need the talent available to help translate it into results.Without Ekblad and Tkachuk - two of the team's three best players - I think they're going to be in tough against one of the league's best teams.Look for the Hurricanes, who are 5-1-1 on the road, to continue their success away from home.Bet: Hurricanes (-115)Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Edmonton Oilers winger Evander Kane was taken to hospital and will undergo a procedure after a skate cut his wrist during the second period of Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced.Kane was bleeding heavily and immediately left the ice after being clipped by Lightning forward Patrick Maroon.The 31-year-old is in stable condition and is expected to be OK, Oilers general manager Ken Holland told Sportsnet's Gene Principe.Head coach Jay Woodcroft said Kane is on the minds of all Oilers following the 3-2 win."Everyone on our team, within our organization, and probably most people in Edmonton are thinking about Evander Kane," Woodcroft said. "When an accident like that happens on the ice, that's where our first thought is."It's never fun to see one of your teammates in that kind of position, but shout out to the great medical staff we have within our organization and the people here at the arena that were quick to respond and make sure he was OK."Maroon also offered his support to Kane after the game."That's a scary situation," Maroon said, according to Lightning insider Erik Erlendsson. "I hope he's okay. When you look down, you see that much blood you know that there's something wrong. It's obviously not normal. So obviously, the boys are really worried about him. We’re all thinking of Evander."Kane entered the contest with 13 points in 13 appearances this season.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau defended his team, and himself, on Tuesday after president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford made some highly critical comments Monday.Rutherford took aim at the team's structure, stating that its run-and-gun style isn't sustainable long term. Rutherford added he didn't like the Canucks' training camp and thinks they "have to play with a stronger system."Boudreau plans to use Rutherford's comments as motivation."We play as hard as we can, we play as well as we can and lay it all out on the line every night," Boudreau said, according to The Province's Ben Kuzma. "It is what it is. I try to keep the noise out of the room as much as I can. I'm not in the players' mind, but if we take the positive effect, it angers them to show that everybody is wrong."This is my 47th year in the business and I've seen a lot of things. ... I think every person wants to prove people wrong when they say things. I'm a pretty competitive guy at heart and maybe that's the message: Prove that it's not a true statement."Boudreau is not under contract beyond this season, so he may be essentially coaching for his job.The 67-year-old took over for Travis Green 25 games into last season and led the Canucks to a 32-15-10 record. Things haven't gone quite as well this year. Vancouver went 0-5-2 to start the campaign but is attempting to dig itself out of the hole with three wins in its last five games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is expected to return to the lineup Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers, head coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday.Ekblad missed the last 10 games after suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 17 against the Boston Bruins.The 26-year-old has registered one goal and zero assists in three games this season. He finished sixth in Norris Trophy voting last year after producing 57 points in only 61 games.Injuries have been a common theme for Ekblad in recent years. He only played in 35 contests in 2021 after suffering a season-ending broken leg.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It appears as though the Toronto Maple Leafs will have to rely on Erik Kallgren between the pipes for at least another week or so.Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Tuesday that goaltender Ilya Samsonov is considered week-to-week, although the exact timeline is uncertain, per The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.Samsonov suffered a knee injury on Saturday in the second period against the Boston Bruins while falling back in an attempt to save Brad Marchand's penalty shot. He remained in the game for the duration of the middle frame but was replaced by Kallgren to begin the third.The 25-year-old had arguably been the Leafs' MVP through the start of the season. He holds a 6-2-0 record with a .921 save percentage and 2.23 goals against average.Kallgren, who held down the fort Saturday in relief, was rock solid in Sunday's 3-1 upset over the Carolina Hurricanes, making 29 saves. The 26-year-old carries a .904 save percentage in five appearances this season ahead of Tuesday's matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights.It'll be Kallgren and fifth-string netminder Keith Petruzzelli carrying the load for the foreseeable future. The duo has a combined 19 games of NHL experience - all of which belong to Kallgren. Fellow farmhand goalie Joseph Woll remains sidelined after offseason shoulder surgery.However, opening-night starter Matt Murray is on the mend. He took part in Tuesday's morning skate and will practice fully on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an adductor injury on Oct. 15. Murray was given a four-week timeline when he suffered the ailment.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have 11 games on Tuesday night's juicy slate, which means there are an abundance of player props to comb through.Let's take a look at three that stand out from the rest of the pack.Tage Thompson over 3.5 shots (+110)After a slow start to the season, Thompson has really started to find his game - especially at home.The Buffalo Sabres center amassed a whopping 44 shot attempts over his last four home games, including 27 shots on target. Absurd numbers.He now draws a mouthwatering matchup against the Arizona Coyotes, who can't defend a lick. They give up shots and scoring chances in bulk at five-on-five and on the penalty kill. Most of their shifts are spent chasing play and absorbing pressure in the defensive zone, which should lead to plenty of opportunities for Thompson.Oh, and the Coyotes rank dead last in shots allowed per game to the center position. Look for Thompson to stay hot and continue cooking on home soil.Cole Caufield over 3.5 shots (-105)Caufield is another player who's really hit a different level of late. The Montreal Canadiens' star sniper piled up 25 shots over the last five games.He attempted 36 shots over that span - 11 clear of the closest teammate - so his volume is also quite healthy.Much like Thompson, Caufield now finds himself in one of the best matchups a shooter can ask for.Despite all their offseason changes, the Detroit Red Wings remain putrid defensively. In fact, only the Philadelphia Flyers conceded five-on-five shot attempts at a higher rate over the last 10 games.Look for Caufield to take advantage.Jack Hughes over 3.5 shots (-115)Hughes' shot rate is way up. Last year, he averaged 10.33 shots on goal per 60 minutes across all game states. This season, that number sits at 13.56, good for 11th in the NHL.The New Jersey Devils center is particularly effective on home soil, generating four shots or more in five of six games. The lone exception was an airtight affair against the defending Stanley Cup champions.While the Calgary Flames are a strong defensive side, they're much worse on the road. Dating back to last season, they've given up 11 more shot attempts per 60 minutes of five-on-five play.They're also in the latter half of a back-to-back, which isn't going to help matters against one of the most fast-paced teams in the NHL.Hughes piled up seven shots against the Flames just a few days ago. Expect him to find success once again.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Leon Draisaitl wants the Edmonton Oilers to tighten up.Fresh off Edmonton's third loss in a row, a 5-4 defeat by the Washington Capitals on Monday night, the Oilers superstar called for changes to his club's approach."It's getting old, battling back," Draisaitl said, according to Sportsnet. "It's exhausting. It's tiring. We just give up too many goals."Edmonton got within one goal of Washington three separate times in the high-scoring affair, but the Capitals ultimately took the two points, aided by scoring four power-play tallies in five opportunities."We give up goals on the kill. We give up two-on-ones," Draisaitl said. "Not good enough right now. ... I'm no penalty-killing juggernaut. I think maybe right now we're a little hesitant. We don't really know when to pressure, when not to pressure, and then we just sit back and teams find a way to take advantage of us. Something that needs to be cleaned up."Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft agreed with his star player's assessment."You can't give up four power-play goals in a game and expect to win it," the bench boss said. "Flat-out not good enough on the penalty kill."After Monday's performance, the Oilers rank 30th in the NHL in penalty-kill efficiency (67.9%) and 27th in goals against (47) through 13 games.Goaltender Jack Campbell took his share of blame for the Oilers' struggles after Saturday's loss to the Dallas Stars, calling his play this season "pathetic." Edmonton's most notable free-agent signing of this past summer owns an .874 save percentage and 4.20 goals-against average in eight appearances with his new club.The Oilers' next three games are on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford isn't satisfied with the state of his club despite a modest turnaround in recent weeks.The Canucks are 3-1-1 in their last five games after starting the season with seven consecutive losses, but Rutherford said the team has a long way to go."First of all, this is not going to get changed in a real short period of time," he told Sportsnet's "Canucks Central" on Monday. "I know that we all recognize that, and there's a real challenge here related to sorting out contracts and different things like that. At this point, I would have expected better. I didn't like our training camp, and we continued into the early part of the season the same way as our training camp was."He continued: "There's a lot of things that have to happen, but in order for us to become a better team, we have to play with a stronger system and really be more accountable for some of the things some of the players are struggling with."Rutherford didn't mention anything about head coach Bruce Boudreau's status going forward. However, he said the run-and-gun style the team adopted when the veteran bench boss took over last season isn't sustainable for a club pushing for a playoff spot.But the veteran executive hinted that a trade could be coming to potentially shake things up in the dressing room."We're at a point now, and certainly will be at this point even more so at the end of this road trip, where we have to make players more accountable," Rutherford said. "We'll have to take the necessary steps to get players' attention. We tried to make changes in the offseason - a priority of ours is the right side of our defense. We need to make it younger."The Canucks recently acquired defenseman Ethan Bear from the Carolina Hurricanes in a trade Rutherford said took months to facilitate. The blue-liner has averaged over 20 minutes per night in three games with his new club.Vancouver is coming off a 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, squandering a three-goal lead in the process. The club is set to embark on a critical five-game road trip that features contests against the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Buffalo Sabres.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella isn't pleased with defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen's performances.Ristolainen, the second-highest-paid blue-liner on Philadelphia's active roster, was a healthy scratch Saturday in the team's 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators."He just hasn't met (my expectations)," Tortorella said Monday. "I think he just needs to play better. … I don't think he's played well enough. He's going to get another crack at it, but everything about his game, I think, needs to be better."Tortorella added that he's yet to decide if the defenseman will return to the lineup Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. Ristolainen practiced on the third pairing alongside Nick Seeler on Monday.Ristolainen missed the first six games of the season with a lower-body injury, but Tortorella denied the notion that he's still being hampered by the ailment.The 6-foot-4, 220-pound blue-liner failed to register a point in four contests this season while averaging 17:20 per game. His 16.4% expected goals share is the worst in the league by over 10 percentage points among NHL skaters with at least 60 five-on-five minutes this season, per Natural Stat Trick.Ristolainen, 28, is in the first season of a five-year, $25.5-million extension signed last March.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Boston Bruins president Cam Neely admitted the club could have "dug deeper" before deciding to sign Mitchell Miller, whom it ultimately cut a couple days later due to the player's history of discrimination and harassment."There's a lot of people that are let down today. I'm disappointed that we're in this position," Neely told reporters Monday, per Sportsnet. "We shouldn't be in this position. ... We should've done a better job."The Bruins have been under fire since signing Miller to an entry-level contract Friday. Neely admitted he "misread" the amount of backlash the team would face, which contributed to the Bruins' decision to move on."For me, it was not worth putting the organization through this any longer," Neely said.He added, "We like to take pride in what we do in the community and how we hold ourselves accountable. And we dropped the ball, and I'm here to apologize for that."Miller was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the fourth round in 2020, but the team renounced his rights shortly after.He admitted in court in 2016 to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black developmentally disabled classmate who grew up with him in Ohio. Meyer-Crothers said Miller frequently called him the N-word and "brownie" during years of harassment.In the Bruins' press release announcing their decision to part ways with the defenseman, Neely said the team was under the impression that Miller's bullying of Meyer-Crothers was an "isolated incident." Boston then reversed course "based on new information."Neely expressed regret that the Bruins didn't contact the Meyer-Crothers family throughout the process and said he now has plans to reach out.Isaiah's mother, Joni, said in a recent interview with The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa that if the Bruins had spoken with her family, they would have understood Miller's mistreatment of her son wasn't a one-time occurrence.Neely said he was initially made aware of the team's interest in Miller in August and the signing was "no question" the biggest regret of his career."The timing of (the signing) was never probably going to be good," he said. "I think it got down to the point where, 'Are we doing it or not?' And we made the wrong decision."He added, "I do believe in second chances, but maybe some don't deserve it. I'm not saying that in particular in this situation, but I do believe in second chances."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We use this space each week to discuss the valuation of teams to help us figure out what teams are incorrectly priced on a minute-by-minute basis.However, the basis for the change in those valuations - a team's on-ice metrics through just one-eighth of the season - can illuminate value in the futures markets as well.The Sabres and Kraken are still listed at 100-1 to win the Stanley Cup. Sure, maybe neither team is ready to go the way, and they certainly don't have the brand-name reputation, but through an admittedly small sample size, they've played as well as those who do, and it would be nice to have a 100-1 ticket on any team that makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs - something doable for both.The following shows the expected goal share at even strength - a metric that tells you how a team is playing relative to their competition - and high-danger goal share - a metric that shows how well a team converts its best chances combined with how good its goaltenders are at stopping them.TEAMXG% (5-on-5)HDG % (5-on-5)Kraken53%59%Sabres50%57%Maple Leafs53%54%Avalanche46%53%The Maple Leafs are still 10-1 to win the Stanley Cup, and the Avalanche, naturally, remain the favorites. However, keep an eye on where the Kraken and Sabres' odds go relative to the rest of the league, and you'll see how teams can move up or down in value even in long-term betting markets. This should provide a hint about how they're being viewed on a game-to-game basis as well.The recipeWe started the campaign using regular-season point totals as a baseline for rating teams since it's still the best measurement we have. Throughout the season, we'll adjust club ratings using on-ice metrics to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which various outliers like special teams results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events - such as three-on-three overtime and the shootout - can skew.The cheat sheetThere are no bad bets at the right price. But how do we know what a good price is?The following includes my fair price on the games (true moneyline) and the moneyline price I'd need to bet either side. I only need a 1% edge for a favorite if we're getting better than a fair price on the team more likely to win. For the underdog, I'll need 4% or better to make it a bet. For games I project to be closer to a coin flip, a 2.5% edge is enough for a worthwhile wager. I also have a 5% win probability consideration for a team playing in the second game of a back-to-back with travel and a 3% consideration for a team on the second leg of a back-to-back without travel. When it comes to injured players, I do my best to estimate the impact on their team's win probability.When the betting markets open up the night before, you can compare those prices with our "price to bet" column to see if you're getting any value with either side's moneyline. There's also a possibility that a moneyline moves into a betable range at some point between market open and puck drop.DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETNov. 7CGY@NYI-103/+103CGY +107/NYI +114STL@BOS+137/-137STL +162/BOS -132EDM@WSH-107/+107EDM +103/WSH +118Nov. 8VAN@OTT+109/-109VAN +120/OTT +102VGK@TOR+139/-139VGK +164/TOR -133CGY@NJD+140/-140CGY +165/NJD -134NYI@NYR+151/-151NYI +179/NYR -145ARI@BUF+178/-178ARI +213/BUF -171STL@PHI-107/+107STL +103/PHI +118MTL@DET+155/-155MTL +184/DET -149EDM@TB+145/-145EDM +172/TB -139DAL@WPG+106/-106DAL +117/WPG +105NSH@SEA-107/+107NSH +104/SEA +118MIN@LAK+116/-116MIN +137/LAK -112Nov. 9CAR@FLA-105/+105CAR +105/FLA +116VAN@MTL-107/+107VAN +104/MTL +118PIT@WSH-104/+104PIT +106/WSH +115MIN@ANA-120/+120MIN -115/ANA +141Nov. 10CGY@BOS+112/-112CGY +132/BOS -108PHI@CBJ+129/-129PHI +152/CBJ -124EDM@CAR+106/-106EDM +117/CAR +104VGK@BUF-125/+125VGK -120/BUF +147OTT@NJD+154/-154OTT +183/NJD -148NYR@DET-116/+116NYR -112/DET +137ARI@NYI+237/-237ARI +289/NYI -226SJS@STL+178/-178SJS +212/STL -170NSH@COL+137/-137NSH +161/COL -131CHI@LAK+236/-236CHI +288/LAK -225Nov. 11PIT@TOR+135/-135PIT +159/TOR -129TB@WSH-108/+108TB +102/WSH +120SJS@DAL+219/-219SJS +266/DAL -209MIN@SEA-111/+111MIN -107/SEA +131Nov. 12OTT@PHI-118/+118OTT -114/PHI +139EDM@FLA+105/-105EDM +116/FLA +106ARI@NJD+289/-289ARI +361/NJD -275VAN@TOR+145/-145VAN +171/TOR -139BOS@BUF-127/+127BOS -122/BUF +149PIT@MTL-129/+129PIT -124/MTL +152CBJ@NYI+167/-167CBJ +199/NYI -160NYR@NSH+110/-110NYR +121/NSH +101CAR@COL+108/-108CAR +120/COL +102WPG@CGY+163/-163WPG +193/CGY -156CHI@ANA+144/-144CHI +170/ANA -138STL@VGK+135/-135STL +159/VGK -130DET@LAK+156/-156DET +185/LAK -150Nov. 13DAL@PHI-140/+140DAL -135/PHI +166VAN@BOS+140/-140VAN +166/BOS -135SJS@MIN+200/-200SJS +241/MIN -192ARI@NYR+277/-277ARI +343/NYR -263WSH@TB+150/-150WSH +177/TB -144WPG@SEA+138/-138WPG +163/SEA -132Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With just three games scheduled, we're heading for another quiet Monday night in the NHL.Let's take a look at three plays - one side and two props - that stand out from the rest on the card.Oilers (-150) @ Capitals (+120)Things are going from bad to worse for the Washington Capitals. They've dropped four consecutive games despite holding leads well into each contest, and their players continue to drop like flies along the way.The latest loss was Dmitry Orlov, who'd been playing as much as 26 minutes per night in John Carlson's absence. While Carlson could get back into the lineup, the Capitals are more likely to take on the Edmonton Oilers without him, Orlov, Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and/or Connor Brown.Missing that kind of firepower and depth is problematic against any side - there's a reason the Capitals just blew a two-goal lead against the Arizona Coyotes - but it's especially worrying against a team like Edmonton.Although the Oilers are in the midst of their own losing streak, they've largely played well. They're 6-4-0 over the last 10 games and controlled over 55.67% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five. That's good for fifth in the NHL, just behind the Carolina Hurricanes.If not for newcomer Jack Campbell's putrid goaltending - he conceded 15 goals over his last three starts - things would probably look a little better.The good news is that his dreadful showing against the Dallas Stars means Stuart Skinner should get the nod in goal. Campbell hasn't made two starts in a row at any point over the last six, and Jay Woodcroft is unlikely to change things up based on what we just saw from Campbell.Skinner is hardly a big-name netminder, but he's played like one to date. Among those with at least five starts, Skinner sits third in the NHL in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes, behind only Carter Hart and Jake Oettinger.With the Oilers profiling much better at five-on-five and the Capitals severely hindered by injuries, this is a nice spot for Edmonton to get back on track.Bet: Oilers (-150)Zach Hyman over 3.5 shots (+110)Zach Hyman is firing on all cylinders. The hard-nosed winger skates on a line with Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - two pass-first players at heart - and is taking full advantage. Hyman averages over 22 shots attempts per 60 minutes with those two by his side. That kind of volume unsurprisingly leads to a lot of pucks hitting the net.Hyman registered at least four shots on goal in seven straight games. No Oilers player recorded more shots, shot attempts, scoring chances, or expected goals during this stretch.Now Hyman draws a sneakily good matchup against a Capitals side that sits 26th in expected goal share over the last 10. They're missing so many players that they're naturally spending a lot of time on their heels having to defend, and it'll only get worse if Orlov and Carlson are sidelined at the same time.Look for Hyman to keep his shooting streak alive.Nazem Kadri over 3.5 shots (+115)The New York Islanders are enjoying plenty of success these days and are much more offensive-minded than they were under Barry Trotz. The byproduct is that they're more susceptible to giving things up at the other end of the ice and making their goaltenders work.Over the last 10 games, the Islanders rank in the bottom 10 in shot suppression - at five-on-five and across all game states.Now they draw the Calgary Flames, who generate shots in bulk whether they win or lose. Only three teams have piled up attempts more efficiently over the last 10 games.Nazem Kadri is at the forefront, leading the Flames in attempts (68) and shots on goal (37) during that period.Kadri hit the over seven times in the last nine games. This is a good spot for him to make it eight in 10.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This is the second edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2022-23 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every other Monday during the regular season.In this edition, we look at each team's biggest cause for concern through the early part of the season.1. Vegas Golden Knights (11-2-0)Previous rank: 10Can Logan Thompson handle a starter's workload? Thompson has stepped into the Golden Knights' starting role and performed admirably with a .934 save percentage in eight appearances. The next test for the 25-year-old rookie is maintaining this level of play over a full NHL season.2. Boston Bruins (10-2-0)Previous rank: 3The cap situation. The Bruins are off to the best start in franchise history and are set to gain Charlie McAvoy by the end of the month, assuming he recovers on his initial timeline. Boston needs to create about $3 million in space to activate McAvoy, which could result in shipping out a roster player. GM Don Sweeney will have his hands full with this one.3. New Jersey Devils (9-3-0)Previous rank: 19Goaltending. It's the final puzzle piece for the Devils, who are frankly crushing it in basically every other area on the ice. New Jersey ranks 28th in team save percentage at five-on-five, but Vitek Vanecek has begun to string together some strong performances. The Devils will be even more dangerous if he keeps it up.4. Carolina Hurricanes (8-3-1)Previous rank: 4Penalty kill. The Hurricanes have been top five in penalty kill percentage each of the past three seasons and were the league's best unit in 2021-22, but this year, they're a lowly 16th. It feels like it's only a matter of time before Carolina's PK turns it around with minimal personnel changes from last year.5. Dallas Stars (8-3-1) Derek Leung / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 7Is this just a PDO bender? The Stars have received miraculous goaltending from Jake Oettinger and top the league in shooting percentage at 5v5. Dallas' 105.2 PDO nearly tops the NHL by a decent margin, meaning the team could be in store for some regression. Oettinger's temporary unavailability won't help either.6. Colorado Avalanche (6-4-1)Previous rank: 5A Stanley Cup hangover. The Avalanche essentially brought back the same squad, but they haven't been quite as dominant as we're used to seeing. Perhaps a team bonding trip to Finland, which included a two-game sweep over the Blue Jackets, is what they needed to get on track.7. Tampa Bay Lightning (7-4-1)Previous rank: 12Are they running out of gas? Three straight runs to the Stanley Cup Final have to start taking a toll, right? We'd be foolish to ever doubt the Lightning, but eventually, the grind of those playoff runs could catch up to them.8. Toronto Maple Leafs (7-4-2)Previous rank: 9Goaltending, but for a different reason than the Devils. The Maple Leafs came into the season rocking with a tandem of Matt Murray, who hasn't played since Game 1, and Ilya Samsonov, who has been great but went down with an injury on Saturday. Not ideal.9. Winnipeg Jets (7-3-1)Previous rank: 24Rick Bowness' health. The Jets' new head coach has barely been behind the bench to begin the season after a bout with COVID. Forget hockey - we just hope the 67-year-old is okay.10. Edmonton Oilers (7-5-0)Previous rank: 14 Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyJack Campbell. It's never a good thing when the 30-year-old goalie you signed to a five-year, $25-million extension mere months ago refers to his performance so far as "pathetic." The Oilers can outscore a ton of their problems, but Campbell has to do better than an .874 save percentage and 4.20 goals against average.11. Florida Panthers (7-5-1)Previous rank: 6Depth on the blue line. Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, and Radko Gudas are all averaging career highs in ice time. The Panthers had Montour playing over 30 minutes against San Jose last week! With Aaron Ekblad's injury already hard enough to overcome, any more injuries on the back end would leave Florida in a tough spot.12. Calgary Flames (5-4-1)Previous rank: 1Jonathan Huberdeau. What if the prized offseason acquisition isn't a fit in Darryl Sutter's system? The reigning NHL assist leader only has one goal and four helpers so far. The Flames need him to start producing offense because he isn't exactly a defensive specimen.13. New York Rangers (6-4-3)Previous rank: 11Shooting luck. The Rangers have converted on just 6.6% of their shots at 5v5, ranking bottom five in the NHL. New York has been a bit too reliant on its power play and will be hoping for some more puck luck at even strength.14. New York Islanders (7-5-0) Previous rank: 23Mathew Barzal's scoring touch. The Islanders' highest-paid player has 11 assists through 12 games, but he's yet to find twine. Barzal's always been more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer, but they need him to start finding the back of the net.15. Buffalo Sabres (7-5-0)Previous rank: 13 Ben Green / National Hockey League / GettyIs this early success another mirage? The Sabres have had hot starts to the campaign before. In 2018-19, they were 6-4. In 2019-20, they were 8-1-1. In 2020-21, they were 4-3-2. Last season, they were 5-1-1. All of those years, they finished with a sub-.500 points percentage. Is this the year they break that streak?16. Philadelphia Flyers (6-3-2)Previous rank: 16The reliance on Carter Hart. The Flyers goalie has easily been his team's most valuable player in the early going - and perhaps even the league MVP. But Philadelphia will have to start playing better in front of its star goalie if it hopes to continue this success. The Flyers are 31st - ahead of only Arizona - in five-on-five expected goals share.17. Seattle Kraken (7-5-2)Previous rank: 27Philipp Grubauer. The Kraken netminder is currently sidelined with a lower-body injury, but he was sporting an .860 save percentage before he went down. Grubauer's first season in Seattle was a disaster, and the start to this one has been even worse. He's the team's highest-paid player with a $5.9-million cap hit and is on the books through 2026-27.18. Detroit Red Wings (7-3-2)Previous rank: 18A potential sophomore slump for Moritz Seider. The reigning Calder Trophy winner is off to a slow start this season, tallying just five points in 13 games, and his defensive play is lagging, too. If he doesn't turn it around, it'll be tough for the Red Wings to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.19. Minnesota Wild (5-5-1)Previous rank: 22Ryan Hartman. The 28-year-old flew under the radar in 2021-22, scoring 34 goals and 65 points with the Wild. He's had trouble repeating that success, with just one goal in nine games this year, and he's now on the shelf for at least the next week. Minnesota needs Hartman to find his rhythm as a top-six center again when he returns.20. Los Angeles Kings (7-6-1) Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 20Goaltending. Yes, a lot of teams have issues between the pipes, but the Kings are on a different level. The tandem of Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen have combined for an .882 save percentage - the second-worst in the league despite Los Angeles being a top-10 team in terms of expected goals allowed. For a team with playoff aspirations, they need more saves.21. Washington Capitals (5-6-2)Previous rank: 17Injuries. Oh god, the injuries. Look, every team deals with wounded players throughout an 82-game season, but come on - this is getting excessive. The Capitals are still without Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, and Carl Hagelin, but now Connor Brown, T.J. Oshie, and John Carlson are all joining them on the sidelines. Please, have some mercy.22. Chicago Blackhawks (5-5-2)Previous rank: 26Too good to get Connor Bedard, not good enough to make the playoffs. The Blackhawks don't look as bad as almost everyone thought they would to start the season. Winning is fun, but Chicago parted ways with large swathes of its young talent and is supposed to be tanking. At this rate, the team may very well play itself out of the draft lottery with a decent campaign that falls short of the postseason.23. Nashville Predators (5-6-1)Previous rank: 21Young talent. The only player under the age of 27 in the Predators' top-10 scorers is Tanner Jeannot. A lack of internal progression from the likes of Philip Tomasino, Dante Fabbro, Cody Glass, and Eeli Tolvanen has left Nashville with underwhelming depth.24. Ottawa Senators (4-7-0)Previous rank: 15D.J. Smith. Ottawa's bench boss is the seventh-longest tenured head coach in the NHL despite never boasting a .500 points percentage in his previous three campaigns. The Senators created expectations this season after an aggressive summer, so Smith may not be the answer behind the bench.25. Pittsburgh Penguins (4-6-2) Joshua Bessex / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 2What if this is it? The Penguins have made the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons and by no means are we counting Pittsburgh out so early in the campaign, but the team looks listless amid a seven-game losing streak.26. St. Louis Blues (3-6-0)Previous rank: 8Maybe lightning can't strike twice. The Blues were memorably last place in the league midway through the 2018-19 season, but they didn't blow up the team and went on to win the Stanley Cup. St. Louis is in dire straits right now, but there's no guarantee it can recapture that unlikely magic.27. Vancouver Canucks (3-6-3)Previous rank: 32The penalty kill. The Canucks' penalty kill is operating at just a 60.5% clip - the worst in the league. A year ago, they were the NHL's third-worst shorthanded team. Vancouver has to sharpen up on the man disadvantage.28. Anaheim Ducks (4-8-1)Previous rank: 30Special teams. The Ducks have scored four power-play goals and allowed three back the other way. They're a lowly 63.3% on the penalty kill, having given up a score 18 times. You won't win many games when you lose the special teams battle every night.29. Montreal Canadiens (5-6-1)Previous rank: 28Veteran forwards. The kids are alright in Montreal. The veterans, on the other hand, are leaving a lot to be desired. Brendan Gallagher, Mike Hoffman, Jonathan Drouin, and Evgenii Dadonov have all scored three or fewer points. It's no surprise the Canadiens are trying to move a forward.30. Arizona Coyotes (4-6-1) Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / GettyPrevious rank: 31This 14-game road trip. The Coyotes just got acquainted with Mullett Arena, but now they'll be away from home on a grueling trek spanning 35 days. Arizona kicked it off with a win against the Capitals on Saturday, but there's no doubt it'll be a challenging stretch.31. San Jose Sharks (3-8-3)Previous rank: 29Shootouts. Somehow, the Sharks have gone to a shootout in three straight contests and lost them all. Their shooters are 3-for-11, with successful attempts from Logan Couture, Kevin Labanc, and Nick Bonino. At this point, head coach David Quinn might have to spend a whole practice on just shootouts!32. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-9-0)Previous rank: 25The power play. There's tons of stuff going wrong for the Blue Jackets right now, but we're going to hone in on their league-worst power play. It's operating at a dreadful success rate of 6.1%, and it took the team until Nov. 4 to get its first goal on the man advantage. A unit boasting both Patrik Laine and Johnny Gaudreau shouldn't be this futile.(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins have parted ways with prospect Mitchell Miller just two days after signing him, the team announced Sunday."The decision to sign this young man was made after careful consideration of the facts as we were aware of them: That at 14 years old, he made a poor decision that led to a juvenile conviction," Bruins president Cam Neely said. "We understood this to be an isolated incident and that he had taken meaningful action to reform and was committed to ongoing personal development. Based on that understanding, we offered him a contract."Based on new information, we believe it is the best decision at this time to rescind the opportunity for Mitchell Miller to represent the Boston Bruins."The Bruins faced plenty of backlash for the move due to Miller's troubled past. Miller admitted in court in 2016 to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black developmentally disabled classmate who grew up with him in Ohio. Meyer-Crothers said Miller frequently called him the N-word and "brownie" throughout years of harassment.In one instance, Miller and another classmate tricked Meyer-Crothers into eating a piece of candy they had wiped along the inside of a urinal. Meyer-Crothers had to be tested for hepatitis, HIV, and STDs.Meyer-Crothers' mother said earlier Sunday that the only time Mitchell ever apologized was about a week and a half ago when he reached out via Instagram only because the Bruins told him they wouldn't sign him otherwise.Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that the team didn't speak to the Meyer-Crothers family beforehand but that the Bruins were involved in getting Miller to reach out to Isaiah.Sweeney himself even admitted Friday that signing Miller could be the "wrong" choice.Several Bruins players, including captain Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Nick Foligno, said they weren't consulted on the decision to sign Miller and weren't on board with the move.Commissioner Gary Bettman said Saturday that the league also wasn't consulted and that Mitchell may not ever be eligible to play in the NHL.The Arizona Coyotes originally selected Miller in the fourth round in 2020 but renounced the pick shortly thereafter."To Isaiah and his family, my deepest apologies if this signing made you and other victims feel unseen and unheard," Neely said. "We apologize for the deep hurt and impact we have caused."Finally, as a father, I think there is a lesson to be learned here for other young people. Be mindful of careless behaviors and going with the group mentality of hurting others. The repercussions can be felt for a lifetime."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The mother of the classmate Mitchell Miller bullied said the Boston Bruins' decision to sign Miller to an entry-level contract "blindsided" her family."Isaiah is just victimized over and over again because Mitchell's a good hockey player," Joni Meyer-Crothers told The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. "So it's like you don't have to show that you've grown and you're remorseful because you're a good hockey player. ..."So it minimizes what Isaiah's went through and makes him feel like he went through everything in vain. That his life doesn't matter. And his life does matter. His life matters significantly."Miller admitted in court in 2016 that he bullied Joni's developmentally disabled son Isaiah, according to the Arizona Republic's Craig Harris and Jose M. Romero. Isaiah, who is Black, said Miller frequently called him the N-word and "brownie" while harassing him for years as they grew up together in Ohio. In one incident, Miller and another classmate tricked Isaiah into eating a piece of candy they had wiped along the inside of a urinal.Joni said Miller contacted her son through Instagram recently."The only time he sought Isaiah out to apologize to him was about a week and a half ago when Boston told him, 'We're not signing you unless you apologize,'" she said."So then he decided, 'Hey, I better get ahold of Isaiah and apologize.' ... He tried to sit down with Isaiah and tell him he was sorry, but it was all because of this, because of being signed by Boston. It was about hockey. ... So it's empty."Boston general manager Don Sweeney admitted Friday that signing Miller could have been the "wrong" choice, per WEEI's Scott McLaughlin. Sweeney added that the team didn't speak to the Meyer-Crothers family but that the Bruins were involved in getting Miller to reach out to his former peer.Joni said she has no interest in speaking to Sweeney, but that she would invite Nick Foligno, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand into her home after hearing their comments."I was very impressed with what they said. Extremely impressed," she said. "That definitely gave us comfort."In the press release announcing the signing, both Miller and Bruins president Cam Neely said the 20-year-old will continue to participate in educational and community programs.Joni said she's "thankful" the Bruins want to help Miller but the signing still sends the wrong message.Miller's agent, Eustace King, addressed the situation Sunday morning.

Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson was suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on Saturday.Anderson received a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play.Pietrangelo, who also received a two-minute minor for his part in the skirmish, was bleeding from his nose but stayed in the game.This marks the first time Anderson has been suspended in his nine-year NHL career. He's eligible to return to the lineup Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk has been suspended two games for high-sticking Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick on Saturday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.The incident occurred in the final minute of the Kings' 5-4 victory. Tkachuk appeared to poke his stick into Quick's mask, which drew the ire of the veteran puck-stopper's teammates once the final buzzer sounded.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to a two-year, entry-level contract Sunday as they grapple with a growing pile of injuries in the crease, the team announced.Ilya Samsonov exited Saturday's contest against the Boston Bruins after the second period. He injured his knee after falling backward in an attempt to stop a penalty shot from Brad Marchand, but the young goalie was able to stay in net for the remainder of the middle frame.Samsonov will undergo an MRI on Sunday and is expected to miss more than a week, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters, according to TSN's Mark Masters.Toronto goaltender Matt Murray hasn't played since the first game of the season after suffering an adductor injury during a team practice, while Joseph Woll hasn't played at all this season as he recovers from shoulder surgery.Petruzzelli has a 6-0-0 record with the AHL's Toronto Marlies this season with a .922 save percentage and a 2.31 goals-against average.The 23-year-old spent last season with the Newfoundland Growlers, the Leafs' ECHL affiliate, where he posted a 16-6-1 record to go along with a 2.01 GAA and a .927 save percentage.He was named the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Year in 2021 while playing for Quinnipiac and was also a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.Petruzzelli is expected to back up Erik Kallgren during Sunday's contest against the Carolina Hurricanes.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear that there's no guarantee Mitchell Miller would ever play in the league after the Boston Bruins signed him to an entry-level contract Friday."What he did as a 14-year-old is reprehensible, unacceptable," Bettman said during his media availability Saturday at the Global Series in Finland, per DNVR Sports' Jesse Montano. "Before the Bruins made the decision to sign him, we were not consulted."I happened to talk to (Bruins president) Cam Neely since the time that he was signed. He's not coming into the NHL, he's not eligible at this point to come into the NHL. I can't tell you that he'll ever be eligible to come into the NHL."Miller admitted in court in 2016 to bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black developmentally disabled classmate who grew up with him in Ohio, according to the Arizona Republic's Craig Harris and Jose M. Romero. Meyer-Crothers said Miller frequently called him the N-word and "brownie" during years of harassment.In one of the incidents, Miller and another classmate tricked Meyer-Crothers into eating a piece of candy they had wiped along the inside of a urinal. Meyer-Crothers had to be tested for hepatitis, HIV, and STDs.The Arizona Coyotes initially selected Miller in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft but renounced his rights shortly after learning more about the "impact" his actions had on the Meyer-Crothers family.In the Bruins' press release announcing the signing, Miller said he is striving "to be a better person and positively contribute to society."But Bettman said he "would need to see a whole bunch of things and understand a lot more" before considering Miller's status."If, in fact, at some point, (the Bruins) think they want him to play in the NHL - and I'm not sure that they're anywhere close to that point - we're going to have to clear him and his eligibility," Bettman said."It'll be based on all the information that we get firsthand at the time. … They were free to sign him to play somewhere else - that's another league's issue - but nobody should think, at this point, he is or may ever be NHL-eligible. And the Bruins understand that now."The initial plan was for Miller to report to the AHL's Providence Bruins on Nov. 4, but the league said it is still mulling over the situation."Per our bylaws, any player under suspension to another league who seeks to play in the AHL would have the matter reviewed by the president to determine his eligibility," the AHL told reporter Sean Shapiro.On Friday, general manager Don Sweeney said some of the Bruins players asked why the team signed Miller, according to WEEI's Scott McLaughlin.Bruins forward Nick Foligno elaborated on some of his teammates' hesitancies Saturday."It was a tough thing to hear for our group. I'm not going lie to you," he said, according to the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. "I don't think any guy was too happy because of how proud we are to say that this is a group that cares a lot about ourselves and how we carry ourselves and how we treat people."Captain Patrice Bergeron echoed some of Foligno's comments."If it's the same 14-year-old walking into this locker room, he would not be accepted and wanted and welcomed," he said, per Koshan. "Our culture is not going to change. It's something that I am proud of. We don't need to change that. The changes are from the individual himself."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Senators forward Claude Giroux will play against the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time Saturday when his former team visits his new digs in Ottawa."It's a little weird, obviously, being in Philly for so many years," Giroux told reporters Friday, according to TSN. "Playing them for the first time, it's definitely different. I'm not too sure what to expect. ... It's definitely weird."Giroux played the first 1,000 games of his NHL career in the City of Brotherly Love, serving as the Flyers' captain from 2013 until his departure last season. With Philadelphia far outside of the playoff picture, the team traded Giroux to the Florida Panthers prior to the trade deadline.He narrowly missed out on facing the Flyers as a member of the Panthers, whose last clash against Philadelphia of the 2021-22 campaign came March 10, nine days before his trade.Though the new Senator joked that he'll need to make sure he doesn't go into the "wrong penalty box" Saturday night, he was all business while staring down the sentimental matchup."As weird as it's going to be, and different, I think, at the end of the day, it's a hockey game, and we're there to get two points," he said.The Senators take on the Flyers again next Saturday, this time at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.Giroux spent the first 15 seasons of his career as a Flyer and ranks second all time in games played for the franchise (1,000), assists (609), and points (900).The veteran has 299 career tallies after potting two against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and could crack the 300-goal mark against Philadelphia.Ottawa sits in last place of the Atlantic Division with a record of 4-6-0 despite its electric offseason.The Flyers, meanwhile, enjoyed a hot start to the new campaign and are fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 5-3-2 record.Both teams will be looking to stop a multi-game losing streak Saturday.Giroux signed a three-year, $19.5-million pact with the Senators as an unrestricted free agent in July. He has five goals and four assists in 10 games with Ottawa, and his nine points are tied for the third most on the team.Puck drops on Giroux's reunion with the Flyers at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Boston Bruins signed renounced Arizona Coyotes draft pick Mitchell Miller to an entry-level contract, the team announced Friday.Miller will report to the AHL's Providence Bruins beginning Nov. 4.The Coyotes drafted Miller in the fourth round in 2020 despite knowing that he bullied a Black developmentally disabled classmate in 2016.Arizona president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez didn't immediately cut ties with the defenseman after facing backlash for the organization's decision because he felt a "responsibility to be a part of the solution in a real way," according to the Arizona Republic's Craig Harris and Jose M. Romero.However, Gutierrez and the Coyotes reversed course a few days later after learning more about the "impact" Miller's actions had on his former classmate and ultimately renounced his rights.Miller admitted in court in 2016 that he bullied Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, who grew up with him in Ohio. Meyer-Crothers said Miller frequently called him the N-word and "brownie," while harassing him for years. In one of the incidents, Miller and another classmate tricked Meyer-Crothers into eating a piece of candy they had wiped along the inside of a urinal."He pretended to be my friend and made me do things I didn't want to do," Meyer-Crothers said in October 2020. "In junior high, I got beat up by him. … Everyone thinks he's so cool that he gets to go to the NHL, but I don't see how someone can be cool when you pick on someone and bully someone your entire life."Meyer-Crothers' mother, Joni, said at the time that Miller had never apologized to her son outside of a court-mandated letter.On Friday, Joni told sports podcaster and color analyst Guy Flaming that Miller has since tried to contact Meyer-Crothers on Instagram to apologize while also informing him that the attempted amendment had "nothing to do with hockey."