The Montreal Canadiens have used a rotating cast of forwards to begin the 2022-23 season, and it appears the team is ready to deal with their logjam up front."The Habs have reached out to several clubs around the NHL trying to create a trade market for their glut of forwards," TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported on Thursday's "Insider Trading" segment. "Whether that's Evgenii Dadonov or Jonathan Drouin or Mike Hoffman and beyond, the Habs have too many guys up front."Certainly, Montreal is looking to make a move."Montreal acquired Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Shea Weber's contract in the offseason. The 33-year-old hasn't recorded a point in eight games with the Canadiens and has one year remaining on his contract with a $5-million cap hit. Dadonov was recently placed on injured reserve and is eligible to return to the lineup Tuesday.The Habs notably scratched Drouin from the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 27-year-old has two assists in eight contests this campaign and has one year left on his contract with a $5.5-million cap hit.Hoffman, 32, has tallied one goal and two points in nine games. He has two years remaining with a cap hit of $4.5 million.Despite their multimillion-dollar cap hits, Dadonov, Drouin, and Hoffman have all spent time in the press box as healthy scratches this season.The Canadiens sit seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 5-5-1 record. They face the Golden Knights at home on Saturday night.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The 2022-23 NHL season is less than a month old, but some legitimate front-runners have emerged in the Hart Trophy race.The league's best all-around player is making another strong bid to claim this award for the third time after finishing second in the voting last season. Meanwhile, a superstar in the other conference has raised his game in a contract year while his team's been undermanned.Elsewhere, Igor Shesterkin has played well in 2022-23, but he's not stopping pucks at the level that made him a Hart finalist last campaign. However, there's another goaltender whose value warrants recognition.Here are our top five MVP candidates at this point in the campaign.Goals saved above expected, goals saved above average, and expected goals for percentages in charts are at five-on-five5. Jake Oettinger Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images Sport / GettyGPRecordSV%GSAxGSAA75-1-0.9525.945.47Oettinger is the early leader in our Vezina Trophy rankings, and he deserves some Hart consideration, too. The Dallas Stars wouldn't be where they are without their promising goaltender. Yes, Oettinger is injured, but the recovery timeline the team gave Monday was at least one week, so the ailment doesn't appear significant.The American netminder, who turns 24 on Dec. 18, has played like a seasoned veteran this campaign. He's been excellent for a club that ranks 16th in xGF%. The Minnesota-born puck-stopper has helped turn a solid but middling Stars squad into a true threat in the Central Division.Dallas has been a defensively sound team in recent years, and it's continued that trend in 2022-23. But Oettinger's success has been vital to a club that's barely driving possession.4. Jesper Bratt Rich Graessle / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%1151216:4268.26The New Jersey Devils have been downright dominant at five-on-five this season, and Bratt is the biggest reason for their success. The Swede ranks among the league leaders in the Art Ross Trophy race early on, and he's tied for second in the NHL in even-strength points - sitting just one back of our leading Hart Trophy candidate.Bratt also ranks fourth in the NHL in xGF% among players logging at least 100 minutes at five-on-five. New Jersey is controlling 65.24% of the scoring chances in those situations with Bratt on the ice.The 24-year-old has collected six more points than the next most productive Devil, captain Nico Hischier, and has done so while averaging much less ice time. New Jersey will surely regret only signing Bratt to a one-year, prove-it deal in the offseason if he keeps this up.3. Jack Eichel John McCreary / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%125818:0866.42Eichel acknowledged in August that he wasn't himself last season after joining the Vegas Golden Knights in February following artificial disc replacement surgery. The ex-Buffalo Sabres star wasn't scoring at his typical rate when he first started suiting up for his new team, but he's looking like his old self now that he's had more time to heal.The 26-year-old hasn't racked up huge conventional numbers, though they're still solid. His underlying figures best illustrate his early impact in 2022-23. Eichel's xGF% is near the top of the league leaderboard among qualified skaters (using the same criteria as Bratt), and Vegas is controlling 61.71% of the scoring chances with Eichel on the ice at five-on-five.Eichel also ranks among the NHL's best in wins above replacement and goals above replacement in 2022-23. Only the No. 2 name on this list has a better GAR than Eichel among forwards this season, and the Vegas center is tied for third among all skaters in WAR.The Massachusetts-born pivot's play has been critical to a Golden Knights squad looking to rebound after missing the playoffs last season. He's done most of his damage at even strength, too. Eichel's scored four of his five goals and collected nine of his 13 points in those situations. This is the Jack Eichel that Vegas envisioned when the club acquired him.2. David Pastrnak Steve Babineau / National Hockey League / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%1181119:4359.14Pastrnak was bound to have some extra motivation as a pending unrestricted free agent, but the Boston Bruins winger has exploded out of the gate in 2022-23. He's provided immense value to a club still missing defensive anchor Charlie McAvoy after not having talented pest Brad Marchand in the lineup until recently.The Czech dynamo is also significantly outproducing his teammates. He's racked up six more points than the closest Boston skater, Hampus Lindholm, while topping the team in goals and assists. Pastrnak is among the league leaders in those categories, and the 26-year-old's average ice time would be a career high if he keeps it up over the full season.Aside from Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark's largely elite play, Pastrnak is the biggest reason Boston is the best team in the NHL by points percentage. He's carried the club in the absence of some important players and proven himself worthy of being among the top MVP contenders.1. Connor McDavid Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGAATOIxGF%11121222:0850.82It's important not to overthink when it comes to this award. McDavid should theoretically always be the leading MVP candidate if he's playing at the level he's already proven capable of and if no one is having a more dominant season.Unlike in 2021-22, that's exactly what's happening early this season. McDavid has become an even more potent goal-scorer than usual in 2022-23. He's leading the NHL in goals, points, points per game, and even-strength points. He also ranks sixth in average ice time among forwards.The 25-year-old's underlying numbers are surprisingly well below his usual outstanding standards, but chalk that up to the limited sample size. McDavid is barely driving possession if one only considers his xGF%, but his scoring chances for percentage (52.53) is closer to his typical rate. Regardless, there's little doubt the NHL's most dynamic player has also been the most valuable in the early going.(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a quiet two-game slate Friday night to ease us in before a whopping 14-gamer Saturday.Let's take a look at a player prop and a pair of sides worth backing for the action ahead.Martin Necas over 2.5 shots (-115)

Seattle Kraken rookie Shane Wright's NHL career hasn't gotten off to the start many probably expected for the youngster.After plenty of talk about going first overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wright fell into the Kraken's clutches at No. 4, and he's since been scratched for exactly half of Seattle's 12 games this season.Wright was on the sidelines for four consecutive games before finally getting back into the lineup during Thursday's 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild."Of course it's frustrating, not playing," Wright said in an interview with The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith. "Obviously you want to be in the lineup every night. You want to be that guy, relied on by the coaches."Obviously I want to be here long term," the center continued. "It's definitely the only goal and where I want to be, and I think that I can be here."I think I can improve, prove to the coaches, prove to my teammates, that I belong here. ... So I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I stay here."Wright logged a career-high 13:45 of ice time against the Wild while stepping in for the injured Jared McCann on the third line. Before Thursday's uptick, Wright averaged just under seven minutes per game.The 18-year-old's limited usage kickstarted a debate in the hockey world about whether the Kraken should ship Wright back to the OHL - since he cannot be sent down to the AHL - so he could develop while shouldering more responsibility and playing time.Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol is unperturbed by the discourse."Anything on the outside, that’s outside of our control," Hakstol said. "What we can control is on the inside, and that's the most important thing. ... Communication has to be clear and honest and open, and we know that we have that with Shane."We know what we have in Shane. He's going to be a great player."However, there is a clause in the agreement between the NHL and CHL which could allow Wright to spend some time in the AHL. As TSN's Darren Dreger reported on "Insider Trading," an under-20 player whose rights belong to the CHL like Wright can be sent to the AHL one time for a two-week conditioning stint if he is scratched for five games in a row.Dreger added it's "very likely" Wright will stay in the NHL with the Kraken.Wright is also dealing with being four games away from burning the first year of his entry-level contract, but he says he'll "worry about that more when the time comes."The young forward has logged one assist and one shot on goal in six games of NHL action so far.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators initiated the process for the sale of the franchise, the team announced Friday.Senators chairman and governor Sheldon Plener said a condition of the sale is that the team must remain in Ottawa."This was a necessary and prudent step to connect with those deeply interested parties who can show us what their vision is for the future of the team," he said.The organization retained Galatioto Sports Partners, a New York-based investment bank, as its financial advisor.Reports surfaced Tuesday that the team would be heading to the open market.The Senators are owned by Anna and Olivia Melnyk, who inherited the franchise from their father, Eugene, who died in March.Ottawa's National Capital Commission signed a memorandum of understanding with the Senators and other investors in June for a new downtown arena at LeBreton Flats, but no official agreement has been made yet.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday night was a great one for our best bets. All three plays - Maple Leafs -1.5, Auston Matthews over 4.5 shots, and Rasmus Dahlin over 2.5 shots - came through comfortably.We'll look to keep the train rolling with two more plays for Thursday night's juicy slate.Bruins (+105) @ Rangers (-125)I am really high on this Bruins team. In fact, they were one of my best bets to win the Stanley Cup prior to the season.Even though I think they have sky-high potential and are the hottest team in the NHL, I'm siding with the Rangers today.They are quietly playing some fantastic hockey. New York has picked up points in six of its last eight games - two Jaroslav Halak starts being the exceptions - and consistently outplayed opponents during that stretch.New York's share of five-on-five high-danger chances is just under 58% over the last eight, which is good for the fifth-highest in the NHL.That makes them an extremely tough team to handle because they are also lethal on the man advantage.While this Bruins team doesn't have a ton of flaws, they do have some. One of the big ones is an inability to stay out of the penalty box. Only five teams have spent more time shorthanded this season.That spells trouble against a Rangers side that generates shots and expected goals on the power play at the highest rate in the league.This handicap isn't just about the potential for real opportunity on the power play. New York's share of the high-danger chances is more than 7% higher than Boston's over the last eight games, and Igor Shesterkin should provide a real edge in goal.Factor in the Rangers having home ice and the ability to control the matchups, and I like them to prevail in a battle between two of the Eastern Conference's best teams.Bet: Rangers (-125)Ducks (+150) @ Canucks (-175)The Canucks have started this season in truly miserable fashion - sitting dead last in the league through 10 games - but there's reason to believe they are about to turn a corner, even if it's a small one.They have won two of the last three games, and Quinn Hughes, one of their most valuable pieces, recently returned to the lineup. That's good news.Their power play is heating up in a big way, too. They actually lead the league in goals per minute on the man advantage over the last eight games.With a dangerous power play to fall back on, Hughes healthy again, and the addition of Ethan Bear to make the defense a little deeper, the Canucks should be able to string together wins at a higher clip moving forward.I expect them to get on track Thursday night against a truly putrid Ducks team.They are as inept as anybody defensively, allowing expected goals at a worse rate than everyone but the Flyers at five-on-five.Each night, they put a ton of pressure on their goaltenders to perform and mask all of the team's issues. John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz haven't shown the ability to do that, having combined to allow 5.7 more goals than expected thus far.I think Vancouver's stars - if not at even strength, then on the power play - will be able to muster up plenty of dangerous looks in this game and should convert at a good clip, given the goaltending we've seen from Anaheim.Look for the Canucks to get their third win in four games - and in regulation, at that.Bet: Canucks in regulation (-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.

Jonathan Huberdeau's start with the Calgary Flames hasn't been disastrous by any means, but the talented winger expects more out of himself."I've still got a lot of work to do. I mean, obviously, it hasn't been easy for me at the beginning of the year. I'm way better than what I am right now," he told reporters Wednesday.He added, "You guys haven't seen anything yet. I'm not happy with myself right now."Huberdeau has one goal and four assists in eight games so far this season, which might be a tad less than what Flames fans had in mind when Calgary acquired his services in July. The 29-year-old potted a career-high 115 points with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22 and led the team with 10 points through its first eight contests of that season.He partially attributed his performance thus far to some growing pains as he adjusts to the Flames' system, which he said is "different" than the Panthers'."Last year, we won a lot of games 6-5," Huberdeau said of the Panthers, who scored a whopping 337 goals last campaign. "Obviously, you're going to get some points as an individual, but I think that's not the point. You want to play well defensively as a system. If you play well defensively, you're going to get your chance offensively."Flames head coach Darryl Sutter has been complimentary of Huberdeau's game, but the hard-nosed bench boss did say that the forward had to "speed his game up" following Tuesday's loss to the Seattle Kraken.Huberdeau agreed with Sutter's assessment."I think he's right. I'm thinking a little too much out there, not moving my feet as I used to last year," he said. "I think I've gotta start doing that. ... I've just gotta relax and kind of play my game. I know I'm a good player; I've gotta come back to the basics."Huberdeau has spent the bulk of the campaign on a line with Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli, but he played alongside Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane on Tuesday.The Flames acquired Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar from the Panthers as part of a package for star forward Matthew Tkachuk last summer.Calgary solidified its faith in Huberdeau, who could have become an unrestricted free agent after this season, by inking him to an eight-year, $84-million extension in early August.Largely considered one of the front-runners in the Western Conference, the Flames are currently fifth in the Pacific Division with a 5-3-0 record.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL's public relations department sent out a press release Tuesday highlighting amazing performances and trends from 146 October games.One particular line in the release jumps off the page: "Hits per game are among the highest on record at 47.8 - only 1999-00 (50.1), 2000-01 (47.9) and 2014-15 (47.1) have been north of 47.0 at this stage (146 GP)."Offensive skill is at an all-time high, and fighting has significantly decreased over the past decade. Yet, there's been an uptick in physicality early in the 2022-23 season. Mitchell Leff / Getty Images"Haven't noticed it," said a member of an NHL team's front office. "Teams get excited in the early season, but outside of one or two games, I haven't seen it.""Hard to say," an NHL assistant coach said. At ice level, he added, the amount of physicality "seems normal." The coach wondered if the league's stat keepers were trigger-happy to begin the year, counting loads of non-hits as hits.Whatever the reason, it's a curious development that deserves a future check-in.Here are four other eyebrow-raising numbers from the young season.Comebacks in 48% of all gamesIt's the year of the comeback, apparently. On Tuesday alone, seven of 12 NHL games featured a team rallying to victory, most notably the Bruins erasing a three-goal deficit against the Penguins before finishing the job in overtime.The league reported that a ludicrous 70 of 146 games in October - or 48% - were comeback wins. That rate tied 1986-87 for the highest percentage of comebacks at this stage of a season. What's more, 25 of 146, or 17% of contests, were won by a team that trailed by multiple goals, which the NHL said is the second-highest rate at this stage."Who knows what that's about," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said in late October when asked about the trend. "But I think a lot of coaches out there would say it's the early going, and we'll get that sorted out."Stars head coach Pete DeBoer added this with a laugh: "I think we coach the fun out of the game as the season goes on."Both coaches make a valid point. Some of this is surely early-season noise. Yet neither bench boss offers a satisfying answer as to why this particular year's early stage differs from the early stages of previous years.A few theories come to mind.1) This is the second season of 32 teams, and player talent appears to be spread out more evenly across the league compared to 2021-22. There are still a few walkover teams - Arizona, Anaheim, Columbus - but the gap between playoff-caliber clubs and the rest of the pack seems slightly smaller.2) Power-play opportunities have increased from 5.78 per game in the past two years to 7.02 per contest this year. A power-play goal can shift momentum.3) Comebacks, of course, can't happen without a surplus of goals, and goal rates are again on the rise, with the average contest featuring 6.4 total goals. So far, this is the fourth season out of the last five in which scoring is above six goals per game, a reverse of a trend that goes back to the mid-1990s. We're inching toward a golden era for offense - and maybe comebacks too.Avalanche's 39.3% power play David Becker / Getty ImagesAhead of two games in Finland this weekend, Colorado's power play is clicking at 39.3%. It's a gaudy number that nearly doubles the success rate of last season's league-average power play (20.6%). Even a high-octane group like the Avalanche can't possibly be this good with extra manpower … right?Let's unpack this anomaly by peeling back three layers of context.Contextual layer No. 1: The Avs rank 29th in the league in power-play opportunities with just 28 through nine games. Of course, the sample size is generally small because the season is young. Still, it's especially small in Colorado's case because it hasn't been awarded many power plays.Contextual layer No. 2: Raw power-play scoring percentage rarely accurately represents a power play's overall prowess. It's too reductive - a two-second power play and a two-minute power play are both recorded as one whole opportunity. Better indicators of success are the advanced metrics of goals per 60 minutes and expected goals per 60. According to Evolving Hockey, the Avs rank first in the NHL with 15.2 goals per 60 on the power play, which is great, and 18th with 7.5 expected goals per 60, which isn't so great. No team is outperforming expectations to that degree, and only 15 clubs even have a positive margin against expectations. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesContextual layer No. 3: Some discrepancies between the goals per 60 and the expected goals per 60 rates can be traced directly to the Avs' abundance of shooting and playmaking talent. Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Valeri Nichushkin, and Artturi Lehkonen are all dynamite on the man advantage. (Gabriel Landeskog, too, when he's healthy). As a group, they'll outperform the underlying data, and it'll be interesting to see how the data looks after the power-play percentage inevitably regresses to a realistic number.Regardless, Colorado's pedestrian 4-4-1 record would be significantly worse had the power play not been blazing hot. It's one of the lone bright spots early in the club's Stanley Cup defense, which is ultimately a marathon, not a sprint.Devils' 68.6% expected goals share Derek Cain / Getty ImagesThe Devils have been controlling five-on-five action at a truly absurd rate through 10 games, accounting for a 68.6% share of the expected goals, according to Evolving Hockey.Simply put, the Lindy Ruff-coached squad is generating a large number of shot attempts and plenty of high-quality looks. Equally as important, they're also defending the opposing attack at an elite level.These NHL-best underlying numbers have produced a 7-3-0 record and a plus-11 goal differential. It's safe to say the "Fire Lindy!" chants aimed at Ruff during a lackluster opening week of the season have not aged well.Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes - who may be the fastest forward duo in the league - have been humming, combining for 26 points and too many highlight-reel sequences to count. Meanwhile, two-way dynamo Nico Hischier is anchoring the other top-six line, and Ryan Graves, John Marino, and Jonas Siegenthaler are driving defensive excellence from the back end.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are currently mired in a six-game winless streak, and Evgeni Malkin knows much of the responsibility will fall on the team's veterans to get them out of it."Everyone is looking to us, the leaders, for sure," Malkin said after Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe. "I can play better. We can play better. We aren't playing perfect. I had a couple of turnovers in this game. Play smart. Play right. Try and be a leader."The Penguins had a 3-1 advantage in Buffalo after Jake Guentzel scored just eight seconds into the final frame. However, for the second time in as many nights, Pittsburgh squandered its third-period lead: The Sabres scored five unanswered goals - including a pair of empty-netters - to add another defeat to the Penguins' growing pile.Wednesday's meltdown furthered a concerning trend for the struggling Metropolitan side, which has only mustered a 3-1-2 record when leading after two periods so far this season.Malkin said the team "changed" during the third period against the Sabres, which is more or less symbolic of the Penguins' campaign so far.Pittsburgh went on a 4-0-1 run to start the season and led the league with 26 goals for. Since then, the Penguins have flipped the script in an unenviable way, going 0-5-1 while surrendering a whopping 30 goals against - the most in the NHL during that span."It's not easy right now," Malkin said. "It's a tough situation. It's time to deal with this team. It’s tough. When you're lost, you need to support each other, help each other. ... Why not win the next six games in a row?"Malkin is tied with Sidney Crosby for most points on the team with 12 in 11 games, seven of which have come during the winless streak. Crosby, meanwhile, has put up just two points in the team's last six contests."(The mood in the room is) what you'd expect for a team that's blown a couple of leads on back-to-back nights and winless in six," Crosby said. "I mean, it's not a great feeling, and we've got to find a way to get out of it."The Penguins sit in seventh place in their division with a 4-5-2 record. The club's next chance at redemption will come Saturday against the Seattle Kraken.Malkin, 36, inked a four-year, $24.4-million extension with the Penguins in July.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Welcome to the second edition of theScore's 2022-23 Norris Trophy Rankings and the first in-season version. New rankings will be published once a month throughout the season.These rankings focus on analytics and the all-around ability of defensemen rather than just points or reputation.

John Tortorella stuck up for Sheldon Keefe hours before their teams played each other.The Philadelphia Flyers bench boss directed his ire at the Toronto media for criticizing the Maple Leafs head coach amid the Atlantic Division club's disappointing start to the season."You guys don't know anything," Tortorella said Wednesday, according to the Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton. "I coach against Sheldon, and I think coaches know other coaches. You guys don't know what he does, you don't know what he's done for that team. I've watched so far, and I have to admit ... I coached him."Keefe suited up for Tortorella over his entire NHL playing career, joining the Tampa Bay Lightning for three seasons in the early 2000s. The pair have apparently kept in touch since."We've had conversations (as he's) a young coach in this league," Tortorella said. "You guys chuck darts at him because you want some results. It's always the coach that gets the darts chucked at him. But I know in watching him and coaching against him, I think he's a terrific coach. And I hope he jams it to you all, quite honestly. Not (Wednesday night). But I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.

St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O'Reilly provided a scathing self-assessment of his play with his club mired in a five-game losing streak."I've been absolutely horrible right now," O'Reilly said, per NHL.com's Lou Korac."I'm not really doing anything. I'm kind of fighting for my life right now. I've got to fight to stay in this league, I guess, but I've got to do a lot more, leadership-wise, my own play. If I can do that, just that small thing, I think I can make a big difference. For myself especially, it's pretty pathetic."O'Reilly has scored just a single goal through eight games this season and is a minus-11. In his previous four campaigns with the Blues, he collected 250 points over 287 contests with a plus-70 rating.St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong recently addressed the Blues' skid to affirm that Craig Berube would stay on as head coach and said he has faith in the roster getting back on track."I think Doug's message was clear," O'Reilly said. "This is unacceptable what's going on, and he's absolutely right. We all obviously have to look inside and find our own way out of what's going on. It's pretty much time to figure it out."The Blues started the season 3-0 but have been outscored 25-8 in five losses since. Their next chance to return to the win column comes Thursday against the New York Islanders.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames were licking their wounds after they surrendered a third-period lead to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night."We're not a young group of players. We're definitely one of the oldest and (most) experienced teams in the league, and it's unacceptable for us," Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov told reporters after his side's 5-4 loss."It can happen to young teams, but it cannot happen to us. ... We made individual mental mistakes on the ice in crucial minutes, and it cost us the game."The Flames held a 4-2 lead after forwards Tyler Toffoli and Trevor Lewis scored 17 seconds apart just under two minutes into the final frame.However, Seattle then potted three unanswered goals in the span of 4:55, including a power-play goal and a shorthanded marker. Rookie Matty Beniers netted the eventual game-winner with over six minutes remaining to help the Kraken beat the Flames for the first time in franchise history.Calgary center Nazem Kadri, whom Yanni Gourde stripped of the puck to tie the game, said the late lapse was "self-inflicted.""At the end of the day, having a two-goal lead in the third period, you should be able to close it out," Kadri said.He added: "It's a fast game out there - not every single time is going to go exactly the way you drew it up. You'd like to execute, but we're gonna clean that up and that's certainly something that we're capable of."The Flames dictated play for the majority of the contest, owning 60.4% of the shot attempts, 64.3% of the scoring chances, and 67.8% of the expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.Calgary also squandered a third-period lead in its previous game, allowing the Edmonton Oilers to score twice Saturday to erase a one-goal lead.The Flames currently sit in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 5-3-0 record. They'll take on the Nashville Predators on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas has been fined $5,000 by the NHL Department of Player Safety for colliding with Chicago Blackhawks netminder Alex Stalock on Tuesday night.Cizikas was handed a five-minute goaltender interference major and game misconduct for running over Stalock in the first period.

Despite a 5-3-1 start to the season, Winnipeg Jets head coach Rick Bowness isn't impressed with his team's form."Are we happy with where we are (in the standings)? Absolutely. ... Are we happy with our team play? Absolutely not. Not even close," Bowness said Tuesday before even being asked a question by reporters."I talked to the players about that today. We've had one really good game, and that was St. Louis. The other games have been below the standards and our expectations of how we want to play. We're in a good spot, and we're gonna have to play a whole lot better to stay there."Bowness, who's only coached one of his team's nine games this season due to a bout with COVID-19, added: "Good teams find ways to win. We found ways to win. ... The effort is inconsistent. The compete is inconsistent. And the puck management is a huge issue right now."Even though Winnipeg sits in second place in the Central Division, the Jets are giving up the 10th-most shots in the league (33.4 per game) and have an average shot differential of -3.8, which ranks in the bottom third.Additionally, Winnipeg is 24th in the NHL in shot attempts for percentage (46.6%) and 29th in expected goals for percentage (42.6%), all while giving up the eighth-most high-danger chances at five-on-five (104), according to Natural Stat Trick.The Jets' most convincing win of the season came on Oct. 24 when they blanked the St. Louis Blues 4-0 at home - which Bowness alluded to - but they were then outshot 54-95 at five-on-five on their proceeding three-game road trip. Winnipeg also only controlled 35.9% of the expected goals and 39.3% of the scoring chances during that stretch despite going 2-0-1."I think we were lucky to get away with some of the points that we did on this trip. ... We're just coming out sluggish," Jets forward Kyle Connor said.He continued: "We've got to realize that we can't sustain the way we've been playing right now. … We know that we have so much more to give in our standard and our expectation for us, so that is exciting."A major key to the Jets' success in the standings has been Connor Hellebuyck. He ranks in the top six in both goals saved above average (6.42) and goals saved above expected (7.98) at all strengths, according to Evolving Hockey.The Jets next play Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens at 8 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday night will be extremely quiet in the NHL, as only four of the league's 32 teams are set to take the ice.Luckily for us, there's still some value on the board. Let's dive into three plays for the two-game slate.Flyers (+250) @ Maple Leafs (-300)There's a lot of noise surrounding the Maple Leafs following a disappointing West Coast road trip.While Toronto has yet to play to its usual standards - at least in the regular season - it's not performing nearly as badly as the results suggest.Take the last five games, where the Maple Leafs own a 1-4 record. At five-on-five, they've generated just under 14 high-danger chances per 60, which is actually the eighth-highest output in the league.Despite their strong chance numbers, the Maple Leafs scored only 1.49 goals per 60 at five-on-five. That's well below their expected goal total of 2.89 per 60. Even with a lack of pop in the bottom six, the Maple Leafs have way too much talent to underperform to that extent.A date with the Flyers could be just what the doctor ordered. The Flyers rank dead last in attempts against per 60 and second-last in expected goals against per 60. They spend the majority of their games on their heels and have simply relied on Carter Hart (.943 save percentage) to bail them out and steal wins.The Maple Leafs shouldn't have to worry about that tonight. Having played an overtime game on Tuesday, the expectation is the Flyers will turn to backup Felix Sandstrom. He posted a .902 save percentage in the AHL a season ago and has allowed 1.5 goals more than expected through two starts this year.With the Flyers bleeding chances and Hart getting a night off, this is a strong matchup for the Maple Leafs to get back on track.Bet: Leafs -1.5 (-130)Auston Matthews over 4.5 shots (-132)Matthews is off to a somewhat quiet start in terms of scoring goals. It's not for a lack of opportunity, though.Toronto's superstar center has been his usual self when it comes to generating shots and chances. Matthews leads the Maple Leafs - by far - with 86 shot attempts and 61 scoring chances through 10 games. That's nine attempts and six scoring chances per game.Now, he draws a juicy matchup against a Flyers team that bleeds shots and is in the latter half of a road back-to-back. Whatever magic John Tortorella is using to help his team keep pucks out of the net, it isn't translating to success defensively.This team is going to give up a ton of quality shots to a Maple Leafs side desperate to get a result, and Matthews will be involved in a lot of them.Rasmus Dahlin over 2.5 shots (-132)Death, taxes, and backing Dahlin at home. The Sabres' top blue-liner has been a shooting machine in the early going this season, generating 31 attempts and 20 shots on goal through just five games in Buffalo. He has registered at least three shots in each of those games, consistently generating looks regardless of opponent.Dahlin draws a good matchup Wednesday night against the Penguins. They haven't defended as well as you'd expect and are among the league's worst teams in terms of allowing defensemen to generate shots. In fact, only four sides have conceded shots to the position at a higher rate than the Penguins.Dahlin is playing fantastic hockey, and he's at home, while the Penguins are giving up shots in bulk and - like the Flyers - find themselves in the latter half of a back-to-back.This contest has all the makings of another good one for Dahlin.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.

Welcome to the first in-season edition of theScore's 2022-23 Vezina Trophy Rankings. Off the hop, we'll concede that our preseason rankings are already incredibly outdated, with none of the top five favorites we outlined cracking the new list based on their October outputs.Small sample sizes have allowed for some unlikely candidates to emerge, and while some of the eye-popping numbers below are bound to regress, here's how things stand between the pipes nearly one month into the new campaign.HDSV% = High-danger save percentage

Ottawa Senators forward Dylan Gambrell received a match penalty for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak in the head Tuesday night.Gambrell caught Cernak up high in the second period. The officials also handed the Senators center five minutes for attempting to injure.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is blocking out the noise surrounding his future with the organization as he looks to erase an ugly start to the 2022-23 campaign."My focus solely is just to get our team to play better," Keefe said, per NHL.com's Dave McCarthy. "I think an area we can improve on the most is how connected we are, how we execute coming out of our zone and getting through the neutral zone and just getting on the attack from there."Speculation on Keefe's job security has picked up considerably over the past week as Toronto concluded its five-game road trip with four consecutive losses. The Maple Leafs sit 4-4-2 on the season and have lost to five teams that missed the playoffs in 2021-22.Keefe has guided Toronto to a 120-54-21 regular-season record since taking over for Mike Babcock in November 2019. The Maple Leafs collected a franchise-best 115 points last campaign but failed to escape the first round of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year and third under Keefe.The 42-year-old is under contract through 2023-24.Mitch Marner, subject to plenty of criticism himself this season, dismissed the notion that Keefe's job is in jeopardy."We're a hockey team that wants to win games," Marner said. "Keefe has done an unbelievable job with this team when he's come in and done what he's done. If you look at our numbers, we've really improved on a lot of things."It's been a lot of fun to play for him. For us, it's just making sure it starts with our effort, accountability, and once we get those two things going, I think we are really going to be moving in the right direction."Marner and Keefe have been in the spotlight together multiple times this season. Keefe recently called out Toronto's elite players after losing to the Arizona Coyotes. The coach also briefly benched Marner during the third period of Sunday's loss to the Anaheim Ducks after a pair of turnovers led to goals against the Leafs.Marner, who leads Toronto forwards in average ice time this season at 22:50 per contest, insists he had no issue with being benched."I take a lot of accountability in myself, and (Keefe) does with everyone here in this locker room," Marner said. "It doesn't matter who you are, you have to show every player is accountable regardless, and I've got no problem with that at all."The Maple Leafs' next chance to snap their skid comes Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Ottawa Senators are heading to the open market.Ownership has retained Galatioto Sports Partners, a New York-based investment bank, to sell the franchise, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.The Senators are currently owned by Anna and Olivia Melnyk, who inherited the franchise as part of the estate left to them by their father, Eugene, who died in March.The team is expected to stay in Ottawa despite the potential sale, Garrioch added.Sportico, which first reported the potential sale, unveiled its valuations of each NHL franchise Tuesday. The Senators ranked 27th with a $655-million valuation, but sources told Garrioch that figure would be much higher if the team were to be sold.The organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Capital Commission and other investors in June for a new downtown arena at LeBreton Flats. While there are still many steps between an official agreement for a new rink, such a deal would raise the value of the franchise.Ottawa currently plays at Canadian Tire Centre, which opened in 1996 and is located in rural Kanata - more than a 20-minute drive from the city's downtown.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Monday night was a mixed bag on the ice. Rasmus Dahlin had a huge game, hitting the over on his shot total while collecting a couple of points in a blowout victory.Unfortunately, the St. Louis Blues no-showed at home and were embarrassed by the Los Angeles Kings.We'll take the split and move on to our best bets for a juicy slate of games Tuesday night.Golden Knights (-155) @ Capitals (+135)The Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals are on drastically different trajectories.Vegas - now healthy - is playing excellent hockey at both ends of the ice with new head coach Bruce Cassidy behind the bench. The Golden Knights have won eight of their first 10 games and enter this contest on a four-game winning streak.Things aren't as rosy in Washington. The Capitals have dealt with a bunch of injuries in the early going and have struggled to stay afloat, winning five of 10 games to date.Sadly for Washington, things are going from bad to worse on the injury front. T.J. Oshie and John Carlson recently suffered injuries - although the latter doesn't appear to be serious - joining Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, Connor Brown, and Carl Hagelin on what's becoming a laundry list of sidelined players.The Capitals don't have the depth to handle so many bodies going down, with the likes of Connor McMichael - 18 points in 71 career games - and Marcus Johansson - who hasn't topped 30 points since 2017-18 - being thrust into top-six roles they can't handle.I think they'll struggle to create offense against a fresh Golden Knights team that ranks top five in high-danger chance suppression at five-on-five.On the other side of things, Vegas has done a terrific job of breaking down opposing defenses all season long. Only the New Jersey Devils have generated more high-danger chances per 60 minutes thus far.The Capitals, who sit 20th in high-danger chances against at five-on-five, are going to have their hands full trying to slow the Golden Knights down, especially in the latter half of a back-to-back.Expect the Golden Knights to flex their muscles and make it five wins in a row.Bet: Golden Knights (-155)Panthers (-250) @ Coyotes (+210)Everyone knew the Arizona Coyotes would be bad - check that, terrible. But the level of hockey we're seeing from them is almost unfathomable.They've dropped six of their first eight games and controlled only 30% of the high-danger chances at full strength. No team has generated fewer, while only the Anaheim Ducks - by a hair - have conceded Grade A looks at a higher rate.That's why it's not surprising the Coyotes have allowed six goals in half of their games thus far.What's crazy is a couple of the exceptions were perhaps aided by scheduling. They lost 3-2 in each of their last two games, which were home dates against teams in back-to-backs - Jets and Rangers - that also dressed their much lesser backup goaltenders.I expect Arizona to get back to its usual ways, and suffer a multi-goal defeat, against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.Even without Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers continue to chug along and dominate their opponents on a nightly basis. They rank fifth in high-danger chance share and third in shot generation, just a step behind Carolina and New Jersey.Florida should pepper the Coyotes from start to finish and dominate the run of play in this game. If the Panthers do, the scoreline will likely reflect that.Bet: Panthers -1.5 (-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.

We have a whopping 12 games to look forward to on Tuesday night's slate, which means there's an abundance of players in prime spots for shooting success.Let's dive into three that stand out from the rest of the pack.Alex DeBrincat over 3.5 shots (-105)DeBrincat is off to a terrific shooting start to the season, having gone over the number in six of his first eight games with the Senators.Playing alongside a premium pass-first winger like Claude Giroux at five-on-five certainly helps the cause. So, too, does the increase in ice time that's come in absence of Josh Norris.With Norris - a primary shooting threat - out for the long haul, the Senators have double-shifted DeBrincat on the power play and used him as the trigger-man on each unit.That really shows in the numbers. Over the last three games, he has played six more minutes on the power play than any other Senators player. That has led to extra shooting opportunities, as DeBrincat has attempted twice as many shots in that span as the closest Senator, Brady Tkachuk.While the Lightning are a strong defensive team at five-on-five, that hasn't translated to penalty-killing success. In fact, they're allowing shots at the highest rate in the league while down a man.As the go-to shooter for almost the entirety of each power play, DeBrincat is clearly the prime beneficiary.Roman Josi over 3.5 shots (-115)Timo Meier is the only player in the NHL who has recorded more shot attempts than Josi this season - and the former has played in two more games.Unsurprisingly, Josi's insane volume in terms of attempting shots is leading to a ton on target. The star blue-liner has amassed 43 shots on goal through nine games (4.77 per) and has gone over his total in seven of the last nine.While the Oilers might not seem like a dream matchup on paper, they are for defensemen. They've conceded 11.67 shots per game to opposing defenders, which slots them dead last in the NHL.With the Predators in a rut and desperate for points, they'll be leaning heavily on their captain.Aleksander Barkov over 3.5 shots (-105)This one is pretty cut and dry. Barkov is one of the hottest shot-generators in the NHL right now, having generated 41 shot attempts and 21 shots on goal over his last four games.Now he draws a dream matchup against a Coyotes team that can't defend a lick. At five-on-five, they rank dead last in shots on goal against per 60 and have a weak penalty kill.The Coyotes are going to be on their heels for the vast majority of this game and will likely be heading for another night of 40-plus shots against. If that's the case, you can expect Barkov to generate his fair share.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.

Though this is the second installment of theScore's 2022-23 Calder Trophy Rankings, it's the first time we've got some actual regular-season games to work with.Now that we've seen this crop of rookies in NHL action, three new faces make their debuts on this list. Meanwhile, one major name has been omitted from this go-round: Buffalo Sabres defenseman - and surefire Calder Trophy candidate - Owen Power.Yes, Power leads all rookies in average ice time, but we think five other players made a more significant impact in the early (let us reiterate: early) going. You can bet that you'll see Power on these rankings again, perhaps as soon as December, as he continues adjusting to his big role in Buffalo.With that caveat out of the way, let's get into it.5. Calen Addison, Wild Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGPATOI90718:22Ah yes, it's Addison, the savior of the Wild's power play so far.The 22-year-old defenseman is tied for the second-most points by a rookie thanks to his seven assists. Five of those helpers came on the man advantage, which has to be music to the Wild's ears: Last season, Jared Spurgeon led all Minnesota defensemen with a mere 14 power-play assists, while Jonas Brodin ranked second with six.Addison is clearly thriving while quarterbacking the Wild's top unit, and he's contributing to its success. Minnesota's power play ranks fourth in the league with a respectable 28.1% conversion rate, which is a promising and marked improvement over last season.Luckily for Addison's Calder Trophy consideration, point totals do a ton of the heavy lifting, since the youngster does need to clean things up in some other areas. The Wild have been outscored 10-2 with him on the ice at five-on-five but, to his credit, the expected goals for and against with him out there are both just over four.4. Jake Sanderson, Senators Kevin Sousa / National Hockey League / GettyGPGPATOI80418:57Sure, Sanderson hasn't been a points machine, but there's something to be said for the blue-liner's poise, confidence, and reliability.The 20-year-old has averaged the fourth-most minutes on the Senators while spending virtually all his time on the second pair with veteran Travis Hamonic. That level of responsibility has suited Sanderson quite nicely: Among all Senators defensemen to log at least 20 minutes at five-on-five, he leads the way in goals for percentage (69.2%), expected goals for percentage (56.2%), and shot attempts for percentage (53.6%).In addition, Sanderson paces the entire rookie class in shorthanded ice time per game (2:45) and he's tied for the second-most points by a first-year blue-liner.The early returns indicate that Sanderson is more than capable of playing with a maturity beyond his years. Time will tell if he can keep it up.3. Shane Pinto, Senators Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGPATOI86714:28Pinto forced his way into the Calder conversation after he casually set a Senators rookie record by going on a five-game goal streak - the longest in franchise history, surpassing the likes of Mark Stone, Daniel Alfredsson, and Alexei Yashin.Pinto leads the rookie goal-scoring race and his two game-winning tallies are the most on the Senators. What's more impressive is that he's been so productive while playing on the third line: He's scoring at a rate of 3.11 goals per 60 minutes, which is the highest clip among all NHLers to log at least 50 minutes in all situations this season. What's more, Pinto might get an even bigger opportunity in the Senators' top six soon because of a long-term injury to center Josh Norris.One thing to keep an eye on is Pinto's astronomical shooting percentage, which is at 42.9%. There's virtually no doubt that he'll regress, but the 21-year-old has at the very least rebounded spectacularly after a shoulder injury derailed his 2021-22 season.2. Matty Beniers, Kraken Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPGPATOI104817:40Beniers has the most points in the rookie class, which probably shouldn't come as too much of a surprise; the 19-year-old center proved he could hang at the very end of last season when he posted nine points in his first 10 NHL games.Fortunately for the Kraken, Beniers is once again flirting with a point-per-game pace, and he's already enjoyed a three-game goal streak.The team isn't sheltering Beniers either: He's Seattle's first-line center, he's logged the second-most minutes of all Kraken forwards except Alex Wennberg, and he's seen the most time on the team's power play.As the Kraken's first-ever draft pick, Beniers is seen as a pillar of the franchise's future. So far, the two-way player is doing all he can to fit the bill, but there's one more rookie who grabbed our attention in the first month of the 2022-23 campaign.1. Logan Thompson, Golden Knights Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyGPSV%GAASO6.9431.692A goaltender hasn't won the Calder Trophy since Steve Mason in 2008-09, but Thompson is fortifying an early case to end that drought. When the Golden Knights announced that usual starter Robin Lehner would miss the entire 2022-23 season, much of the pressure landed on the inexperienced Thompson's shoulders. Luckily for Sin City, Thompson has thrived under the weight.Among all goalies to start at least five games this season, Thompson has posted the third-best save percentage and second-lowest goals-against average while leading all netminders in shutouts. He also ranks in the top six in goals saved above average (4.97) and goals saved above expected (5.21) at five-on-five.Thompson's playing time might be affected once the injured Laurent Brossoit enters the fold - but Vegas' hopes of a playoff return are exponentially higher thanks in part to the 25-year-old's body of work.He may not be the only goalie in pursuit of the Calder Trophy: Keep an eye on Stuart Skinner, who has been stellar for the Edmonton Oilers across three starts. It's a small sample size - which is the only reason he was left off these rankings this time - but if Skinner keeps it up, he'll force his way into the conversation.Honorable mentions: Power (BUF), Kent Johnson (CBJ), Skinner (EDM), Kaiden Guhle (MTL), Jordan Harris (MTL), Cole Perfetti (WPG)(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jamie Drysdale will undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and will miss four-to-six months, the team announced Monday.Drysdale suffered the injury when Vegas Golden Knights forward William Carrier hit him into the boards Friday.The 20-year-old had been held without a point in eight games this season but is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign in which he tallied 32 points over 81 contests in 2021-22.The Ducks selected Drysdale with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Monday night will be a quiet one in the NHL, as just six of 32 teams hit the ice.Luckily for us, there's still value on the board. Let's dive into it with two best bets for the three-game slate.Kings (+100) @ Blues (-120)The Blues are in a rut. They opened the season with three consecutive wins before dropping four straight games, all by at least two goals.I expect them to rebound at home against the Kings on Monday night.L.A. isn't the stout defensive team we've grown accustomed to seeing. The Kings rank 22nd in high-danger chances against per 60 minutes, behind teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets. They're giving up plenty of looks.That isn't ideal considering the level of goaltending Los Angeles has gotten this season. Cal Petersen (minus-3) and Jonathan Quick (minus-4.9) have conceded significantly more goals than expected in the early going.St. Louis is off to a slower offensive start this campaign. However, on paper, it's essentially the same team that led the league in five-on-five shooting percentage a season ago. The Blues are a quality-over-quantity team with plenty of guys who can score goals.If St. Louis gets chances, the puck will go into the net sooner rather than later. If not at five-on-five, the Blues should get plenty of opportunities on the man advantage in this spot.The Kings have struggled with discipline this season, spending more time shorthanded than all but seven clubs. They haven't exactly been lights out at erasing those mistakes, either. L.A. sits bottom 10 in goals against per 60 on the penalty kill.Perhaps aided by power-play success, this is a good spot for the Blues to get their offense back on track. The Kings haven't played great defense, both goaltenders have struggled, and they're on the road against a team that's been unsustainably unlucky (St. Louis ranks 30th in five-on-five shooting percentage).This is a nice get-right spot for the home side.Bet: Blues (-120)Rasmus Dahlin over 2.5 shots (+110)The Red Wings look more competent this season, but the improvements certainly don't stem from the defensive side of the puck.At five-on-five, Detroit ranks 29th in shot attempts against and 26th in expected goals against on a per-60-minute basis.The Red Wings have given up a lot of good looks, and plenty of them come from opposing defenders. Detroit is one of just seven teams allowing more than 10 shots on goal per game to blue-liners.That's good news for Dahlin, who's off to a terrific start to the campaign. He's been especially good on home ice, generating 17 shots on goal and 28 attempts through four games.Dahlin's volume hasn't just come from one or two big contests. He's registered at least three shots on target in all four home dates, and each opposing team allowed fewer shots to defensemen than the Red Wings.This is a great spot for Dahlin to make it five in a row at home.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 Arizona Coyotes were on the road for a half-dozen games to start their season because the Tempe-area rental they found on Zillow wasn't quite ready for tenants. Here are the scores of their four losses: 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, and 6-2.If you had blindly bet on the Coyotes in each of those six games, your ticket got blown out to the desert immediately in four of them, as they were either down 2-0 or 3-0 at the first intermission.If you had blindly bet on the Coyotes' moneyline in each of those six games, you would also have more money in your account than you would have started with.Every team has a price, and Arizona's turned out to be valuable. A win over the Maple Leafs at +420 negated four other nights of feeling foolish, and beating the Blue Jackets on the way home for another +1.85 units returned all profit for that portion of the schedule.Since the point of this weekly article is to remind ourselves that price matters, it's good to look at an individual bet as being profitable over a period of time instead of as just one game. Four of the other lowest-rated teams before the season were the Blackhawks, Canadiens, Flyers, and Sabres, and they entered Sunday as a collective 19-13 on the moneyline. I don't have to tell you this group hasn't been favored much early in the campaign.There are no bad bets at the right price.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 our on-ice metrics of choice 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 sheetThe 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 will do my best to guess 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 BETOct. 31DET@BUF+105/-105DET +124/BUF -101WSH@CAR+142/-142WSH +168/CAR -136LAK@STL+118/-118LAK +139/STL -114Nov. 1VGK@WSH+137/-137VGK +161/WSH -131OTT@TB+168/-168OTT +200/TB -161PHI@NYR+193/-193PHI +233/NYR -185BOS@PIT+127/-127BOS +150/PIT -122MTL@MIN+215/-215MTL +261/MIN -206NYI@CHI-143/+143NYI -137/CHI +169LAK@DAL+118/-118LAK +139/DAL -113NSH@EDM+132/-132NSH +156/EDM -127SEA@CGY+187/-187SEA +225/CGY -179FLA@ARI-153/+153FLA -147/ARI +182NJD@VAN-108/+108NJD +103/VAN +119ANA@SJS+110/-110ANA +129/SJS -106Nov. 2PHI@TOR+303/-303PHI +381/TOR -288PIT@BUF-112/+112PIT -107/BUF +131Nov. 3CAR@TB+116/-116CAR +136/TB -111VGK@OTT-106/+106VGK +104/OTT +118WSH@DET-106/+106WSH +104/OTT +117BOS@NYR+119/-119BOS +140/NYR -114NYI@STL+129/-129NYI +152/STL -124MTL@WPG+167/-167MTL +199/WPG -160SEA@MIN+175/-175SEA +209/MIN -167LAK@CHI-156/+156LAK -150/CHI +186NJD@EDM+145/-145NJD +172/EDM -139NSH@CGY+134/-134NSH +158/CGY -129DAL@ARI-131/+131DAL -126/ARI +155ANA@VAN+194/-194ANA +233/VAN -185FLA@SJS-122/+122FLA -117/SJS +143Nov. 4CBJ@COL+199/-199CBJ +240/COL -190BUF@CAR+201/-201BUF +243/CAR -192Nov. 5COL@CBJ-141/+141COL -136/CBJ +167NYI@DET-103/+103NYI +107/DET +114CHI@WPG+184/-184CHI +220/WPG -176DAL@EDM+160/-160DAL +190/EDM-153ARI@WSH+214/-214ARI +259/WSH -205SEA@PIT+180/-180SEA +216/PIT -173BOS@TOR+142/-142BOS +168/TOR -136BUF@TB+198/-198BUF +239/TB -190VGK@MTL-142/+142VGK -136/MTL +168PHI@OTT+148/-148PHI +175/OTT -142NJD@CGY+148/-148NJD +175/CGY -142NSH@VAN+137/-137NSH +162/VAN -132ANA@SJS+110/-110ANA +129/SJS -106FLA@LAK+123/-123FLA +144/LAK -118Nov. 6DET@NYR+197/-197DET +238/NYR -189TOR@CAR+135/-135TOR +159/CAR -129FLA@ANA-114/+114FLA -109/ANA +134Matt 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.

The Anaheim Ducks snapped their seven-game winless streak in spectacular fashion against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night.With just under three minutes remaining in overtime, Ducks goaltender John Gibson denied Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner of the game-winner with an outstanding save to keep Anaheim's comeback hopes alive.

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a thumb injury, the team announced Sunday.Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said the injury occurred when Jones blocked a shot in the second period of Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres, according to the Chicago Tribune's Phillip Thompson.Richardson added that blue-liner Filip Roos will enter the lineup, while Jones' brother Caleb will quarterback the team's first power-play unit, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.Jones, 28, has put up four assists in eight contests with Chicago this campaign while averaging just over 25 minutes of ice time per game, the most on the team.The Texas native is playing out the first season of an eight-year, $76-million extension he signed in July 2021 shortly after the Columbus Blue Jackets shipped him to the Windy City.Jones has recorded 55 points in 86 games for Chicago, with the team struggling mightily since his arrival. The Blackhawks finished seventh in the Central Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2021-22 following a flashy offseason in which they acquired the likes of Jones and netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.Despite his frustrations as Chicago enters a rebuild, Jones said in September that he didn't have "regrets" about signing long term with the Blackhawks.Chicago currently sits in third place in the division with a 4-3-1 record. The team also leads the league with four shorthanded goals.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier underwent back revision surgery on Thursday and will miss approximately three-to-four months, the team announced Saturday, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman.This marks Couturier's second back surgery in less than a year after his season-ending procedure in February.He was originally expected to be a full participant at this year's training camp before getting hurt again. In late September, the team announced he wouldn't need another surgery.Couturier hasn't played since Dec. 18 and was limited to 29 games last season.When healthy, the 29-year-old is one of the game's premier two-way centers. From 2017-18 to 2020-21, he averaged 31 goals and 75 points per 82 games and only missed 13 total contests. He finished second in Selke Trophy voting in 2018 and won the award in 2020.The Flyers have relied on Kevin Hayes, Scott Laughton, Morgan Frost, and Lukas Sedlak to fill out their center depth this season in Couturier's absence.Philadelphia's forward depth in general has been tested this year. Cam Atkinson has yet to play due to an upper-body injury, and now James van Riemsdyk is set to miss six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken finger.Despite the injury issues and low expectations entering the season, the Flyers currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division with a 5-2-0 record.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Detroit Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen received a two-game suspension for high-sticking Boston Bruins center David Krejci, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.Officials handed Rasmussen a two-minute minor during Thursday's game for catching Krejci with an errant stick while finishing a check.

The Carolina Hurricanes are trading defenseman Ethan Bear and a minor-league player to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fifth-round pick, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun.The Canes are also retaining a portion of Bear's salary, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.Bear has been a healthy scratch in every game so far this season. He tallied 14 points in 58 contests a year ago, averaging 16:05 of ice time per game.The 25-year-old spent the first three seasons of his career with the Edmonton Oilers after the club drafted him in the fifth round in 2015.Bear has posted fairly average underlying numbers over the last three seasons. Evolving-HockeyThe Canes inked Bear to a one-year, $2.2-million contract in the summer. He'll be a restricted free agent at the end of the campaign.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We split our best bets Thursday night. The Dallas Stars took care of business with a shutout win at home. However, the Florida Panthers couldn't top the Philadelphia Flyers despite outshooting them 51-22.Let's take a look at two games that stand out over the next couple of nights as we look for a clean weekend on the ice.Penguins (-170) @ Canucks (+145)

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe pinned most of the blame for Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on his blue line."Moving the puck from our defense up to our forwards and getting on the attack, I thought we had a real hard time with that," he told reporters postgame. "Vegas (game) was similar. So I think our inability to move the puck right now is really slowing us down."The Leafs have historically been one of the league's better possession teams under Keefe, but the Sharks simply outplayed them in this outing. San Jose controlled 52.7% of the expected goals and outshot Toronto 26-21 at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.On the season, the Leafs rank a pedestrian 15th in five-on-five expected goals percentage after ranking third last season and second in 2020-21. They've also only scored 12 five-on-five goals in eight games."Our inability to move the puck up the ice efficiently is slowing down all of our game on offense, and it's really hurting our game defensively as well because we're just getting stressed," Keefe said. "Second period, we couldn't get our defense off the ice because we couldn't move the puck up."When given chance to bail out his defenders and spread some of the responsibility on the forwards, Keefe didn't take it."It starts with the D," he said. "Their touches. Their first touch has to be better."Keefe added that changing the pairs wouldn't make a difference.The Leafs have been rolling with the following defense pairs for the last four games:LDRDMorgan RiellyT.J. BrodieRasmus SandinJustin HollMark GiordanoVictor MeteVeteran Jake Muzzin has missed the last four contests with a neck injury, and he won't return anytime soon, either, with the team placing him on long-term injured reserve Tuesday, according to CapFriendly.However, Toronto's on the verge of getting youngster Timothy Liljegren back from a hernia injury suffered in September. The 23-year-old took part in his first rehab game with the AHL's Toronto Marlies on Wednesday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After starting off the 2022-23 campaign on a 7-game losing streak, the Vancouver Canucks finally secured their first win of the season by besting the Seattle Kraken 5-4 Thursday.Jaden Schwartz made it interesting by drawing Seattle within one goal with 30 seconds remaining in the contest, but Vancouver was ultimately able to hold on thanks in part to J.T. Miller, who was in some pain after blocking a shot in the final moments of the game.

The Boston Bruins dealt forward Jack Studnicka to the Vancouver Canucks for goaltender Michael DiPietro and the rights to defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg.Studnicka was once one of the Bruins' top prospects, but he hasn't been able to stick at the NHL level. Boston drafted him 53rd overall in 2017. He's produced only one goal and six assists in 38 games with the Bruins over the last four seasons.However, Studnicka is only 23 years old and collected 10 tallies and 25 helpers over 41 contests with the AHL's Providence Bruins in 2021-22.DiPietro, also 23, has spent most of his pro career with Vancouver's AHL affiliate - then the Utica Comets and now the Abbotsford Canucks. He's played three NHL games.Vancouver drafted Myrenberg 140th overall last year. The 19-year-old Swede is playing in his home country with Mora of the second-tier Allsvenskan league.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Apparently, Brad Marchand recovers quickly.The Boston Bruins star returned to the lineup much earlier than anticipated, suiting up Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings.Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said he'll sit Marchand in back-to-backs in the early going, so he won't play Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.The Bruins activated Marchand and added him to the active roster shortly before Thursday's game. Boston assigned defenseman Mike Reilly to the AHL in a corresponding move.While Marchand's early return may take many by surprise, the talented pest had targeted Thursday's game for a long time."We had this date circled on the calendar months ago," he said. "We obviously wanted to keep it kind of close (to the vest). There are a lot of different variables ... but I responded really well. I've got to give a ton of credit to the training staff. They did a phenomenal job."Marchand underwent surgery to repair both hips on May 27 and was given a six-month recovery timeline, but he's back exactly one month ahead of schedule.The Bruins managed to go 6-1-0 in his absence, putting them atop the Atlantic Division. Boston is also set to get workhorse defenseman Charlie McAvoy back in about a month.Marchand, 34, is coming off another productive season in which he tallied 32 goals and 48 assists through 70 games in 2021-22.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday was a solid night for our shot props. Troy Terry and Chris Kreider both hit comfortably, each generating at least one more shot than necessary. Victor Hedman - the biggest favorite of the bunch - let us down, but profit is profit.Let's take a closer look at three more players worth backing Thursday night's big slate.Alex DeBrincat over 3.5 shots (+110)The Ottawa Senators' marquee offseason addition has only scored one goal through six games, but it's certainly not for a lack of opportunities.Alex DeBrincat is piling up the looks at the net, leading the team in shot attempts (44), shots on goal (28), and sitting second in high-danger chances (13).That equates to 7.3 shot attempts and 4.6 shots on goal per game, and there's plenty of reason to believe DeBrincat can sustain his volume.With Josh Norris out for the long haul, DeBrincat is seeing reps on both power-play units. There's no mistake about what he's there for: shooting the puck. So, that alone will lead to a handful of attempts on any given night.Wednesday's matchup is also sneaky good. The Minnesota Wild have taken a lot of penalties in the early going this season, spending more time shorthanded on a per-game basis than all but seven teams.Minnesota's also been abnormally pedestrian in terms of suppressing shots at five-on-five and on the kill.This is a great spot for DeBrincat, who has at least five shots on goal in three of four home games thus far.Connor McDavid over 3.5 shots (-125)McDavid is on a bit of a shooting heater. Dating back to last season, he's registered at least four shots on goal in 14 of his last 19 games. That's a near-75% success rate.I expect his success to continue Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks. Although they've been surprisingly competent defensively at five-on-five, they've struggled mightily to stay out of the box. Only three teams have spent more time shorthanded per game than Chicago, which leads to plenty of extra looks for the opposing team's best players.It just so happens McDavid has been Edmonton's primary shooter on the man advantage in the early going. He currently leads the Oilers in attempts, shots on goal, expected goals, and high-danger chances on the power play. If the Blackhawks want to continue parading to the box, McDavid will benefit mightily.He's also positioned well to generate looks at five-on-five. Since the beginning of last season, McDavid has averaged more than 24 shot attempts per 60 alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. RNH was moved up to McDavid's line for Wednesday's game, which resulted in a multi-goal victory, so I'd assume he'll remain there in Chicago.If that's the case, playing with such a pass-first player has generally led to very high shot rates for McDavid.Jason Robertson over 2.5 shots (-132)The Washington Capitals haven't done a good job of preventing shots, especially on the road.Only the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Detroit Red Wings have allowed five-on-five attempts at a higher rate away from home.The Dallas Stars have only played at home twice this season, but - including last year - Jason Robertson leads the way in shot attempts and shots on goal, be it at five-on-five or across all game states.Unsurprisingly, that's led to success in the shot prop market. He's recorded three shots or more in 60% of his home games during that period.With the Capitals looking a little more vulnerable defensively than they've been in recent years, and the Stars in need of a bounce-back game at home, I like Robertson to have a strong offensive outing.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 split our best bets on Wednesday night's small slate. The Oilers came through with a win against the Blues, but unfortunately, our over fell a puck short with the Ducks.We'll look to get back in the green Thursday night with two plays against Metro Division teams.Panthers (-200) @ Flyers (+170)I thought Aaron Ekblad's injury would be crushing for a Panthers team already shallow on the blue line. It's only four games, but to this point, the Cats haven't skipped a beat.Florida owns a 2-1-1 record without its No. 1 defenseman and has posted some truly fantastic underlying numbers. At five-on-five, the team has controlled 63.18% of the shot attempts (first), 64.96% of the expected goals (third), and outscored the opposition 11-4. Very impressive.The Panthers' expected goal share sat at nearly 75% their last time out, but they couldn't convert that into a win against the Blackhawks. I like Florida to rectify that tonight in Philadelphia.The Flyers are off to an encouraging 4-2-0 start, but it's all smoke and mirrors - their process won't sustainably lead to wins.We know the Flyers aren't exactly a highly talented offensive team, but their defensive metrics are also putrid. No side has conceded five-on-five shots at a higher rate, and Philly sits bottom five in preventing expected goals. They're giving up a lot of volume - not to mention quality looks - every time out.That'll be extremely problematic when Carter Hart regresses, which is almost guaranteed to happen. Even if you believe he is turning a corner and becoming the high-end No. 1 he was once touted to be, he won't continue stopping more than 97% of the shots he faces at five-on-five.Last year's Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin posted a .932 save percentage in that game state last season, and even that would be an extreme ask. Suffice it to say, Hart has a pretty big fall ahead of him, and I expect it to come sooner than later.Look for the Panthers to be on the front foot for much of this game and grind out a victory within 60 minutes.Bet: Panthers in regulation (-135)Capitals (+105) @ Stars (-125)The Stars have dropped back-to-back games heading into this contest, but I don't think there is cause for concern. Both were road games in the latter portion of a long road trip, and both came against teams (the Senators and Bruins) that rank top five in high-danger chance share thus far.Dallas should benefit from being rested and back on home soil. I quite like the matchup as well, as the team's numbers beneath the surface are much more encouraging than the Capitals'.After adding Mason Marchment (six points in seven games) and promoting top-prospect Wyatt Johnston (four points), the Stars are a deeper and more threatening offensive team than a year ago. That has shown in the numbers, with Dallas ranking sixth in high-danger chance generation on a per-minute basis.The Stars are also respectable in their own zone, which is why it's not surprising they crack the top 10 in terms of high-danger chance share.The Capitals are lagging well behind to this point. They have taken just over 46% of the high-danger looks, slotting them behind the likes of Columbus and Chicago - that's not the kind of company you want to keep.Washington's goaltending has been quite hit-and-miss, too, while Dallas' Jake Oettinger leads the NHL in goals saved above expected (+7.2).I see a lot of edges for the Stars in this game. It's definitely preferable for Miro Heiskanen to play, but even if the team's without him, I think Dallas will pick up a rebound win at home.Bet: Stars (-125)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 Ottawa Senators have signed forward Mark Kastelic to a two-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $835,000, the team announced Thursday.Kastelic has found a role centering Ottawa's fourth line this season. He doesn't provide much offense, but at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he brings an element of toughness and physicality. He's also won 71.2% of his faceoffs this campaign."Mark has worked tirelessly to earn all that has come his way since being a late-round draft pick three years ago," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "He's reliable, competitive, takes exceptional pride in his conditioning, and routinely showcases a willingness to take on any challenge. He's set a very good example for the young players and prospects throughout the organization."The 23-year-old has recorded four goals (two this season) and two assists in 22 career NHL games - all with the Senators.Ottawa selected Kastelic in the fifth round in 2019.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin believes that in order for his club to dig itself out of an 0-5-2 hole, its top players will have to lead the way."I think we're a talented team, but we need to get this team and this group to play together," Allvin said, according to Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre."I think we need to (get) our top players to buy in and be our top players every single day you walk into the rink. And I think that's the difference right now."Many of the Canucks' core players are off to a rocky start this season. Elias Pettersson is the exception with seven points in seven games, but fellow youngsters Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser are already injured. Veterans Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller have shown promise of a turnaround recently, but it hasn't translated to any victories. Vancouver's most important piece, goaltender Thatcher Demko, owns an .872 save percentage and 4.06 goals-against average so far.The Canucks are the league's only winless team despite holding leads in the majority of their games. Vancouver was widely expected to be in the mix for a playoff spot in the Western Conference this season after a strong conclusion to the 2021-22 campaign under new head coach Bruce Boudreau.The team's early struggles have caught Allvin by surprise."I never anticipated that," Allvin said, according to The Province's Ben Kuzma. "This is a challenge for us facing adversity right away, but they're working hard and I do think we have a lot of good players. I have faith in the core and we were the sixth-youngest team in the league on opening night. (The team) has a lot to learn."Allvin conceded he's as much to blame as anyone for the Canucks' current form."I'm the general manager and I'm as responsible as the coaching staff and the players," he said. "I see the hard work the coaching staff is putting in and my job is to look at options to make us better."Vancouver's next chance to find the win column comes Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Josh Norris could be out for most of the 2022-23 campaign - if not all of it.The Ottawa Senators center is expected to miss at least three-to-five months with a shoulder injury suffered Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes, head coach D.J. Smith told reporters, including TSN's Claire Hanna.The team is still discussing whether Norris will undergo surgery or rehab the injury, Smith added.The injury occurred while taking a faceoff, during which Norris' left shoulder appeared to give out.It's the same shoulder that caused Norris to miss over a month last season, but a different injury.Norris, 23, is coming off a 35-goal campaign despite playing in just 66 games in 2021-22 and has recorded a goal and an assist so far this season. He signed an eight-year, $63.6-million contract in July.The Senators acquired Norris in the 2018 blockbuster trade that sent Erik Karlsson to San Jose. The Sharks originally selected Norris 19th overall in the 2017 draft.Norris and Tim Stutzle were projected to form a one-two punch down the middle of the ice for the Senators this season, but the injury has derailed those plans.In the meantime, veteran Derick Brassard has taken Norris' spot on the second line between newcomers Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. But third-line center Shane Pinto could see an increased role, especially considering his torrid start to the campaign with five goals in six games.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It was another good night for our best bets. The New Jersey Devils beat down the Detroit Red Wings in their own barn while the Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers gave us a relatively sweat-free under of 6.5 goals.We'll look to keep building on that success with two more plays for Wednesday's three-gamer.Oilers (-110) @ Blues (-110)The Edmonton Oilers have been very up and down in the early going of the season, having yet to claim two wins in a row. I think that streak ends Wednesday.While the Oilers' 3-3 record is nothing to write home about, they've mostly played quite well. They rank ninth in expected goal share at five-on-five and sixth in terms of high-danger chances.Edmonton sits near the top of the NHL in creating Grade A looks - as you'd expect from a team featuring Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - and, believe it or not, fifth in suppressing them. The Oilers are getting it done at both ends of the ice.That's not necessarily the case for the St. Louis Blues, who've shown some red flags despite their 3-1 start.At five-on-five, the Blues have been outchanced by at least six in three straight games. They've also scored only four non-empty-net goals over their last 180 minutes of regulation play, with three of them coming against Martin Jones.Pavel Buchnevich's absence makes them less dangerous up front and more reliant on their team defense, which ranks 23rd in expected goals against/60 thus far.I expect McDavid, Draisaitl, and Co. to be much more threatening than they were the last time these two sides met.Bet: Oilers (-110)Lightning (-145) @ Ducks (+125)If you like offense, this is probably the game for you.The Anaheim Ducks can't defend a lick. At five-on-five, they rank 31st in shot attempts against per 60 and dead last in terms of limiting expected goals. Opposing teams generate chance after chance after chance.Unsurprisingly, the goaltending hasn't been able to hold up behind such horrid team play. Between John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz, Ducks netminders have conceded at least four goals in five of six games thus far. Subpar goaltending coupled with arguably the league's worst defensive play isn't exactly a recipe for success.Even with the Lightning having won just three of seven games out of the gate, Tampa Bay should be able to score its fair share of goals against this Ducks team.On the flip side, it's a good spot for Anaheim to hold up its end of the bargain as well. The Lightning's defensive metrics at five-on-five aren't great, and they've taken a lot of penalties, which they've had an awfully tough time killing off.Tampa Bay ranks dead last in attempts against/60 and 31st in expected goals against/60 while down a man. Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, and Co. are more than capable of creating - and capitalizing on - some dangerous looks against the Lightning's penalty kill.Undoubtedly aiding Anaheim's cause is the presence of Brian Elliott, who's expected to get the nod in the latter half of the back-to-back. The 37-year-old has posted a sub .900 save percentage in two of the last three years and has allowed eight goals over two starts to begin this campaign.No matter which team comes out on top, there's reason to believe each will muster up its share of goals.Look for this one to go over the number.Bet: Over 6.5 (-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.

The Montreal Canadiens traded forward Cam Hillis to the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Nicolas Beaudin, the teams announced Wednesday.Beaudin played 22 NHL games with Chicago over three seasons after the team drafted him 27th overall in 2018. He featured with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs in 2021-22, tallying 16 points in 66 games.The 23-year-old captured gold at the 2021 World Championships with Canada. He suited up in all 10 games, scoring one assist and finishing with a -4 in the tournament.Hillis, who Montreal drafted 66th overall in 2018, made his NHL debut last season with the Canadiens. The 22-year-old split the 2021-22 campaign between the AHL's Laval Rocket and ECHL's Trois-Rivieres Lions.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wednesday night will be quiet in the NHL, as we have just three games to look forward to.With that number in mind, let's dive into the player prop market and look at three shooters worth backing.Chris Kreider over 2.5 shots (-125)Kreider is off to a somewhat slow start to the season in terms of shooting the puck, having fallen short of this line four times in seven appearances.The good news is there's plenty of reason to believe he can ramp things up a notch. For one, he's averaging just under six attempts per game.Kreider isn't a perimeter player by any stretch of the imagination. Most of his time in the offensive zone is spent around the paint. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know six attempts from prime locations are much better than six from range; there's less traffic, and you're much more likely to hit the target.The Islanders have given up shots at an abnormally high rate this season and have had trouble staying out of the box. The power play is where Kreider generates most of his shots, so that bodes well for his chances.It's also worth noting Kreider generated three shots or more in three of four meetings against the Islanders last season.Coming off a five-shot night against the Avalanche, I like Kreider to find success once again.Victor Hedman over 2.5 shots (-165)Hedman was a frequent target for us a season ago, and we're backing him tonight for the first time this season.He has registered at least three shots on goal in four of seven games thus far and is attempting shots at an efficient rate. He has attempted 43 in the early going, which ranks eighth among all defensemen.It just so happens Hedman finds himself in a smash spot Wednesday night against the Ducks. They have bled shots to date, allowing five-on-five attempts at a higher rate than all but the Flyers. Meanwhile, no team has conceded shots on goal at a higher clip than Anaheim.Not only do the Ducks give up a lot of volume, but much of it also stems from opposing defenders.Anaheim has given up 12.17 shots on goal per game to opposing defensemen. That is the highest mark in the NHL thus far.With Brian Elliott in goal, the Lightning might need to generate more offense than they're used to. Expect Hedman to be heavily involved in that.Troy Terry over 2.5 shots (-132)Despite all the offseason changes made, the Ducks once again look like one of the NHL's worst teams. They have won just once through six games and have been caved in on a nightly basis, no matter the opponent.That hasn't stopped Terry from tearing it up. The skilled winger leads the Ducks - by distant margins, at that - in points (seven), scoring chances (24), and shot attempts (35). He's a threat each and every night.Tampa Bay hasn't been stout at five-on-five and has performed miserably on the penalty kill as well. Terry is Anaheim's lead dog on the man advantage and the player most likely to capitalize on the Lightning's shortcomings.With the Lightning taking a lot of penalties, struggling to kill them off, and in the latter half of a road back-to-back, Terry is in a good spot to pile up a few shots.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.

Seven games into the 2022-23 campaign, it feels like the Vancouver Canucks' season is over before it even started. The Canucks have yet to crack the win column, sitting last in the NHL with an 0-5-2 record.This clearly isn't how president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin drew it up entering their first full season with the club. But it's at least partially their fault for failing to address a glaring team need: the defense.The Canucks are blessed with ample firepower up front and a franchise goalie in Thatcher Demko, but an inept blue line renders the team's strengths moot. The forwards can't generate the offense they're capable of because the defense can't break out the puck. And Demko is being hung out to dry because the team - forwards included - doesn't defend well.When fully healthy, Vancouver's defense depth chart looks something like this:LDRDQuinn HughesTyler MyersOliver Ekman-LarssonLuke SchennTravis DermottTucker PoolmanRiley StillmanKyle BurroughsInjuries have already depleted this group to begin the season, but even at full strength, there are a lot of holes. Quinn Hughes is the only real building block, and as great as he is offensively, he has defensive deficiencies. The prospect pipeline on defense isn't any more promising than the group on the active roster, either.What could new regime have done differently? Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettyThe Canucks hired Rutherford in December, while Allvin was hired in January. In that time, the only noteworthy blue-line additions have been Travis Dermott and Riley Stillman, who are, at best, third-pairing defensemen.Allvin's top offseason priority should've been upgrading the blue line. That's easier said than done, of course, but the Canucks could've used J.T. Miller as trade bait, as we suggested in the offseason, to help improve the back end. Instead, the Canucks signed Miller to a seven-year extension that carries an $8-million cap hit through his age-36 season. It's already becoming easy to see how that contract could go south.And despite already being deep up front, Allvin decided to use what little cap space he possessed to sign free agent Ilya Mikheyev, a middle-six winger, to a four-year deal with a $4.75-million cap hit. That money should've been allocated to the back end.Yes, the free-agent defense options (specifically on the right side where Vancouver's biggest needs are) were limited. But Allvin could've been more aggressive on the trade market. Someone like John Marino, who Allvin and Rutherford know well from their time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, would've been a great fit before he was ultimately dealt to the New Jersey Devils.Marino is just 25 years old, defensively sound, and signed to a team-friendly $4.4-million cap hit through 2026-27. New Jersey gave up Ty Smith and a third-rounder for him, which the Canucks could've topped if they really wanted to.It's far too early to fully judge Rutherford and Allvin given that they've been on the job for less than a year and inherited quite a mess from predecessor Jim Benning, but their vision hasn't worked so far.Ownership at fault, too Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / GettySpeaking of Benning, this flawed roster has his fingerprints all over it. But team chairman Francesco Aquilini and the rest of Vancouver's ownership group deserve the blame for giving Benning such a long leash.It had been evident for some time that Benning was an inadequate NHL GM. Hired in 2014, he had more than enough time to turn the Canucks into a consistent winner but was unable to do so. The team always lacked direction during his reign, yet Aquilini continued to employ him.It was Benning's final offseason in charge that really set the franchise back. Benning pulled off a blockbuster trade, acquiring Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Conor Garland from the Arizona Coyotes for a first-round pick, second-round pick, seventh-round pick, Loui Eriksson, Jay Beagle, and Antoine Roussel.Garland is a solid player, but Ekman-Larsson, 31, has been in decline since 2017-18, and the Canucks are stuck with his $7.26-million cap hit until 2026-27. Even though the cap is projected to start rising again, it's incredibly difficult to win in the NHL while carrying a burden of a contract.Also in an effort to improve the blue line that offseason, Benning signed Tucker Poolman - who's ideally suited as a No. 7 defenseman - to a four-year, $10-million deal as a free agent. This was a significant overpay from Day 1.Had Aquilini fired Benning after the 2021 campaign and given the next GM more of a clean slate, the Canucks would be on a much better track.What's next? Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyAs bad as it sounds, this horrendous start may ultimately be what's best for the Canucks. In a perfect world, they finish near the bottom of the standings, win the draft lottery, and land a potential generational player in Connor Bedard - a North Vancouver, British Columbia, native, to boot.With this blue line, the team's ceiling was probably capped at squeaking into the playoffs, losing in the first round, and not getting a high draft pick.While the Canucks have too much talent to realistically finish below the clearly tanking Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, among other teams, anything is possible.Rutherford and Allvin will have to make at least one major decision this season: determine what to do with captain and pending free agent Bo Horvat. If they can't agree to terms on an extension before the deadline, they'd be forced to trade him - assuming they haven't turned things around by then.A turnaround isn't impossible, either. After all, the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues were in last place at midseason and still ended up winning the Stanley Cup. But at this point, that seems like a pipe dream for the Canucks, who were always destined to fail with this lackluster blue line.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Phil Kessel is the NHL's new ironman.The Vegas Golden Knights forward broke retired blue-liner Keith Yandle's record by suiting up for his 990th consecutive game Tuesday night in Vegas' road tilt against the San Jose Sharks.Here's the updated all-time top five.PlayerConsecutive Games PlayedPhil Kessel990Keith Yandle989Doug Jarvis964Garry Unger914Patrick Marleau910Kessel's streak began Nov. 3, 2009, while he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yandle passed Jarvis to claim the record in January. His run ended March 29 as a healthy scratch April 2. Yandle then retired in September.Colorado Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano ranks seventh with an ongoing streak of 831. He's the next-closest active player. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns is currently in 10th with an active run of 685. Marleau retired in May as the NHL's all-time leader in total games played.Kessel tied the record Monday night in the Golden Knights' win over the Maple Leafs. The 35-year-old thought he'd also scored his 400th career goal early in that matchup, but the Leafs initiated an offside challenge and the tally was overturned upon review.Quite a few players have gotten a taste of the NHL since Kessel's run began.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine returned to the ice well ahead of schedule, suiting up Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes.Laine suffered an upper-body injury on Oct. 12 in Columbus' season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. He was originally expected to miss three-to-four weeks.Instead, the 24-year-old is back after just 12 days. He participated in line rushes alongside Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau at Tuesday's morning skate, according to team reporter Jeff Svoboda."I felt pretty good the last four, five days, so I was kind of surprised how good I was feeling that quickly after the injury," Laine said Tuesday.The initial timeline made Laine questionable for Columbus' upcoming NHL Global Series games in his hometown of Tampere, Finland. But his speedy recovery should allow him to play against the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, barring any setbacks.Laine tallied 26 goals and 56 points in 56 games in 2021-22, the first point-per-game season of his career.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the MLB postseason nearing its end, the door is opening for NHL shot props to return to prominence here at theScore.Let's look at three players to target on Tuesday's juicy 10-game slate.Matthew Tkachuk over 3.5 shots (+110)Matthew Tkachuk has been an absolute monster since joining the Florida Panthers. He's piled up 29 shots through six games and gone over his shot total in each appearance.The underlying numbers suggest Tkachuk's consistent hit rate is no coincidence. He's averaging 8.16 shot attempts per game, which means he'll only need to hit the target on about half of his attempts to surpass this number against the Chicago Blackhawks.Tkachuk's hard-nosed game and affinity for the area around the net make it much easier to hit the target frequently. While defensemen, for example, generally have to take longer-range shots through traffic, Tkachuk gets to generate many of his attempts from a few feet out.Though Tkachuk won't record four shots each and every night, getting plus money is too hard to pass up, especially in this matchup: Tkachuk registered 4.3 shots per game against Chicago last season, and this year's Blackhawks roster has even less talent.Dougie Hamilton over 2.5 shots (-140)It's generally better to target shooters at plus money or close to it. But at 2.5 shots, it's worth making an exception for Dougie Hamilton.The big-ticket rearguard is fully healthy and looking the part early this season. He has four points through six games and is shooting the puck a lot.Hamilton leads the New Jersey Devils in shot attempts and has recorded at least three shots in five of six games so far; Monday's outing against the Washington Capitals is the lone exception.Hamilton has consistently achieved those shot totals despite the fact the Devils have dressed seven defensemen in several consecutive games. Even with less ice time to go around, he's hit almost every night.The Detroit Red Wings are one of the league's worst shot-suppression teams so far this season, and the Devils are expected to dress six defensemen for Tuesday's contest. This is a great spot for Hamilton.Shayne Gostisbehere over 2.5 shots (+135)Shayne Gostisbehere is quietly off to a very strong start with the Arizona Coyotes. Through five contests, he's put up 19 shots on goal (3.8 per game) and 35 shot attempts (7.0 per game), comfortably leading the team in both categories.Most of those shots haven't come in one or two good games, either. Gostisbehere has been consistent, notching at least four shots on goal in four of five appearances. A clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs - a solid shot-suppression team - was the only game in which Gostisbehere came up short.Look for Gostisbehere to continue his shooting ways in a good spot against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They concede a lot of shots, particularly to opposing defensemen; only the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins have allowed more shots per game to the position, and the difference is negligible.Gostisbehere should have a productive night.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.

It was another good night on the ice. Although the Devils let us down, we still posted a 2-1 record, as the Oilers and Brent Burns came through.Let's take a look at a couple of our best bets for Tuesday.Devils (-105) @ Red Wings (-115)It's a day that ends in "y" - which means we're backing the Devils.The scoreline suggests they tossed up a dud on Monday night, but that was far from the case. New Jersey recorded nine more high-danger chances than the Capitals (18-9) and controlled nearly 70% of the expected goal share, recording 4.73 to Washington's 2.04.The difference was goaltending. In the second period, especially, the Devils' chances amounted to nothing, while every mistake ended up in the back of their net. Mackenzie Blackwood conceded four goals on 0.84 goals expected in a disastrous frame.New Jersey continues to rank at or near the top of the league in almost every key five-on-five metric. The Hurricanes (slightly) have them beaten in terms of shot share, but the Devils rank first in chances, high-danger chances, and expected goals.Simply put, they're dominating the run of play most nights. It's just a matter of whether or not they can get a save.Vitek Vanecek was terrible in his debut with the club - which also came against Detroit - but there's reason to expect better this time around.For one, Vanecek ranked top-10 in save percentage and high-danger save percentage at five-on-five a season ago. I doubt he grades out that high once again, but he should at least be serviceable.The Red Wings are also hurting up front, as two of their top-six forwards - Tyler Bertuzzi and Jakub Vrana - aren't available.Look for the Devils to take advantage.Bet: Devils (-105)Avalanche (-115) @ Rangers (-110)The Avalanche have one of the league's most dynamic cores, and the Rangers are also dangerous offensively - especially on the power play.Even so, I still see value in backing the under in this spot.At five-on-five, the Avalanche have been playing teams very tight. This isn't last year's version of the team that could simply overwhelm anybody and everybody with speed and skill. They're lacking depth and need to take a more cautious approach.As such, they rank bottom-10 in high-danger chance generation and top-10 in terms of preventing them. They're playing fairly low-event hockey at full strength.The Rangers are having their share of hiccups defensively, but as a whole, they have done a great job of limiting shot volume. Only the Hurricanes and Devils have allowed five-on-five shot attempts at a lesser rate.There shouldn't be a ton of chances in this game, which means the teams would have to be clinical with their finishing to push it over the number. That's absolutely possible - both teams have high-end goal-scorers on the roster - but I'm happy to side with the goalies here.Igor Shesterkin is one of the best goaltenders in the league. His save percentage sits at .901 right now, but we can expect that output to improve.On the flip side, Alexandar Georgiev is playing well heading into his revenge spot. He has won three of four starts and posted a .943 save percentage against a strong Golden Knights team last time out.You can bet he'll be extra motivated to put forth a strong showing against his old team in this game. So long as the Avalanche don't parade to the penalty box, I think he can do just that.Bet: Under 6.5 (+100)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 Vancouver Canucks' 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Saturday's home opener was an apparent tipping point for fans, as the crowd at Rogers Arena showered the team with boos - and a Canucks sweater.But Canucks forward J.T. Miller doesn't seem bothered by such things."If they want to throw their shit on the ice, that's up to them," Miller said Monday when asked about the crowd's actions, according to Sportsnet's Brendan Batchelor.He added: "I'm not worried about if people want to come to the game, pay all that money, and throw their jerseys on the ice. Go ahead."Miller said he's focused on trying to help Vancouver earn its first win of the season Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes."I've got a job to do. I'm worried about beating the Canes tonight," he said. "Having a good start to the game, and us really trying to come together as a team."The Canucks are 0-4-2 this season and sit last in the Pacific Division. They also became the first team in NHL history to blow four multi-goal leads to begin a campaign.Miller posted a career-high 99 points in 2021-22 and signed a $56-million contract extension in September, but his play has been a major point of discussion amid the team's struggles. The 29-year-old has three points in six games, and opponents have outscored Vancouver 14-4 in all situations with Miller on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.