Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes is week-to-week with a lower-body injury, the team announced Monday.Hughes was unable to suit up for the Canucks' home-opening 5-1 loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Head coach Bruce Boudreau initially told reporters after the game that the blue-liner was day-to-day while indicating the issue wasn't a long-term problem, according to The Athletic's Thomas Drance.The 23-year-old's absence is yet another heavy blow for the winless Canucks. Hughes put up five assists in five games to start the campaign while averaging 27:14 of ice time per contest - the second highest in the league behind only Drew Doughty.Vancouver's injury woes don't stop there, though: The team announced that rearguard Travis Dermott is also week-to-week, while defenseman Riley Stillman and forward Brock Boeser are both day-to-day.Dermott has yet to make his season debut due to a concussion, while Stillman exited Thursday's contest against the Minnesota Wild with an undisclosed issue.Boeser, meanwhile, is also out with an undisclosed ailment. He underwent hand surgery in late September, and the team initially expected him to miss the start of the season, but Boeser suited up for Vancouver's first six games of the campaign while chipping in with four assists.Vancouver also placed blue-liner Tucker Poolman on injured reserve and recalled defenseman Guillaume Brisebois from the AHL. Poolman has missed the team's last two contests with an undisclosed issue.The shorthanded Canucks will attempt to pick up their first win of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Breathe a sigh of relief, Montreal Canadiens fans: Carey Price isn't calling it a career just yet."We'll have to really just take it step by step," the injured goaltender told reporters in a press conference Monday. "I don’t have a plan to retire right at this moment."My first goal is to get healthy," he added. "Once I do that, then I can start considering being able to train at a professional level. Right now, I cannot train at a professional level. So once I get to that, then I'll consider (coming back)."Price, who reiterated his desire to be pain-free, underwent knee surgery in the summer of 2021 following his incredible performance during the Canadiens' march to the Stanley Cup Final. As a result, he wasn't able to make his 2021-22 season debut until mid-April and was limited to five games.The veteran admitted that his slow recovery has been mentally challenging, but he wouldn't change a thing about his career or how he played the demanding position."Right now, goaltenders are better than they've ever been. They're that way because they play the way they do," he said. "It's a competitive world out there, everybody wants to be here at the end of the day. I don't think there's a kid out there that wouldn't sacrifice anything to be here."It's part of the cost that you pay. I've paid it. If I were to do it all over again, would I do it? You know I would."The 35-year-old is continuing to try and stay positive, but he is aware that he might have played his last game in a Canadiens sweater."It's something that you digest, and I don't think I've fully done that yet, to be honest," he said. "There's that outside hope of a miracle happening, that I could maybe come back and play at some point, but I've always been a bit of an optimist."I'm not giving up, I'm definitely not giving up on winning a Stanley Cup in some aspect, whatever position that would be."Price hinted there will be some opportunities for him to get involved with the organization at some level this season, but he opted to stay mum on the details.For now, with his 15-year playing career on pause indefinitely, Price is feeling an "overwhelming sense of gratitude" for the fans."I just can't believe how fast it's gone by. I'm really envious of all these young players coming into the league now," he said. "The league is better than it's ever been. They're just very lucky to be here, and I'm very envious of them."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

This weekend produced good on-ice results for our best bets. The Lightning (-110) and Stars (-145) both came through with road victories, giving us a clean mini-sweep.We'll look to pick up where we left off with three more plays - two sides, one prop - for Monday night.Capitals (+100) @ Devils (-120)The Capitals and Devils have both picked up three wins early in the season. While the results are similar, their processes certainly have not been.Washington's five-on-five profile is very pedestrian, with the team controlling just 46% of the expected goal share and 47% of the scoring chances. The underwhelming numbers in those categories stem from an inability to create offense consistently.Believe it or not, the Capitals have created just 2.14 xG per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, ranking them 27th in the NHL - just ahead of teams like the Sharks and Canadiens. Not ideal.It's been a much different story in New Jersey. The Devils have steamrolled teams at full strength, leading the league in shot attempt share, chance share, and expected goal share as a result. They're generating a ton while allowing very little.That's not new to the win streak. Despite dropping the first two games of the campaign, the Devils still outshot their opponents by 30 in that span. The biggest difference - they couldn't get a save while the opposition could.A stout defense has helped the cause - the most shots the Devils allowed over the last three games is 22 - but Mackenzie Blackwood appears to have righted the ship, conceding just four goals in that span.With stars like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton tilting the ice in New Jersey's favor each time over the boards, all the Devils need is half-decent goaltending to get wins.New Jersey's getting it right now, and I like that to continue against a Capitals team that is struggling to create chance volume.Bet: Devils (-120)Penguins (+105) @ Oilers (-125)Considering expectations and the fact they have played all five games at home, the Oilers are off to a somewhat disappointing start.Edmonton's underlying numbers suggest it's not exactly time to panic. The team has controlled nearly 54% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five - seventh best in the NHL - and we all know how lethal the Oilers are on the man advantage.If the club can play well at five-on-five, the Oilers will win a lot of games moving forward.I think this is a nice price to back them for a rebound. Although the Penguins have won four of five, and their numbers are popping off the page, it's worth noting they've already played the Coyotes, Habs, and Blue Jackets. Oh, and their date with the Lightning came against Brian Elliott. The schedule's been pretty soft.A road game against Edmonton is a pretty stiff test, especially without Jake Guentzel in the mix. The star winger has produced 43 goals and 89 points since the beginning of 2021-22 while mostly riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby.Rickard Rakell is a nice player to have in your back pocket and move up, but he's nowhere close to Guentzel's caliber. Losing that level of firepower stings, particularly when going up against a team featuring two of the NHL's most dangerous players in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.Look for the Oilers to respond and get two points against a Penguins team that, while solid, probably isn't as good as they look on the surface.Bet: Oilers (-125)Brent Burns over 2.5 shots (-105)Brent Burns is off to a terrific start with the Hurricanes. He has piled up 37 attempts with 18 shots on goal through five games, both of which lead the team.Burns has also logged no fewer than 22.5 minutes in any game thus far. He is clearly an ultra-efficient shot generator, so getting that kind of usage allows for a very high shooting floor, as we've seen in the early going.The Canucks have a very pedestrian blueline, they're giving up goals in bunches, and the team looks completely disjointed each time out.There will be breakdowns, and Burns is not someone who will hesitate to jump up and get involved in the play when they happen.Look for Burns to bounce back from his worst shooting game of the young season last time out and generate good volume.Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris is expected to miss "at least a couple weeks" with a shoulder injury, head coach D.J. Smith said Monday, according to TSN.The team is still waiting for the results of Norris' MRI.Norris exited Saturday's contest against the Arizona Coyotes during the third period. He fell to the ice in apparent discomfort while taking an innocuous-looking faceoff opposite Travis Boyd.The 23-year-old skated to the bench under his own power but was visibly frustrated, swinging his stick as he went to the dressing room."He was really emotional after the game. He wants to be a part of these guys, he wants to be a part of turning things around here, and obviously, he's a huge part," Smith said. "He went through this last year where he dealt with injury."The guys love playing, they love being around each other, it's no fun to be hurt. ... Clearly, he was upset."Norris scored his first goal of the campaign before leaving the Senators' 6-2 victory. He has two points in five games this season.Derick Brassard, who has yet to make his season debut, replaced Norris between Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux during Monday's skate.Norris missed 15 games with a shoulder injury in 2021-22 but still posted 55 points in 66 games while pacing the team with 35 goals.The native of Michigan is in the first season of an eight-year, $63.6-million extension he signed as a restricted free agent this past summer.Originally selected by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Norris joined Ottawa in the trade sending defenseman Erik Karlsson to San Jose.Norris has 53 goals and 39 assists in 130 career NHL games, all with the Senators.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What would you rather pay for a 2009 Toyota Tacoma - $11,000 or $12,500?That's an easy answer, but it's not an either/or question. Both prices might apply depending on where and when you buy the lightly-used reliable sport pickup truck. It's the same thing in betting the NHL.Last Thursday night, you could have bought the winless Sharks for +200 on the moneyline at the Rangers. If you had waited, you could have bought them at a +250 payout before puck drop. Same purchase, different price.San Jose won its first game of the campaign, and both bets cashed, which might not feel like a big deal. However, in moneyline-centric sports like the NHL, the win column is as impactful as losses are. Would you rather have laid -240 with the Rangers or -300? Losing "just" 2.4 units instead of three adds up during hockey's high-volume betting season.The hardest thing for novice bettors to understand is that no one can predict who's going to win with any level of certainty, but what's important in betting on hockey is getting the best price - not whether a bet wins or loses (like in point spread bets), but how much you win or lose when they do.Using last week's guide would have told you that the Sharks weren't a good bet at +200, a wager unlikely to be profitable long-term. However, it also would have said San Jose was a good bet at anything better than +217. Both can be true.Like the Sharks, the Coyotes, Canadiens, Sabres, and Flyers all had big upsets last week at prices that would have gotten the green light from our weekly pricing helper. In turn, the Oilers were a good bet at home against the Hurricanes, but only if you found an available -110 price. If learning about how price shopping works isn't for you, then neither is money.The recipeWe started the campaign by 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 start adjusting club ratings using our on-ice metrics of choice to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records, which can be skewed by various outliers like special teams results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events like three-on-three overtime and the shootout.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. 24WSH@NJ+112/-112WSH +132/NJ -108DAL@OTT-104/+104DAL +107/OTT +114PIT@EDM+120/-120PIT +141/EDM -115STL@WPG-102/+102STL +109/WPG +113TOR@VGK-104/+104TOR +106/VGK +115CAR@VAN-107/+107CAR +104/VAN +118Oct. 25ARI@CBJ+155/-155ARI +183/CBJ -148DAL@BOS+150/-150DAL +178/BOS -144MIN@MTL-152/+152MIN -146/MTL +180NJ@DET+121/-121NJ +142/DET -116COL@NYR+103/-103COL +114/NYR +107FLA@CHI-143/+143FLA -138/CHI +170PIT@CGY+149/-149PIT +177/CGY -143BUF@SEA+124/-124BUF +147/SEA -119TB@LAK+104/-104TB +115/LAK +106VGK@SJS-103/+103VGK +107/SJS +114Oct. 26NYR@NYI+132/-132NYR +155/NYI -126EDM@STL+106/-106EDM +118/STL +104TB@ANA-119/+119TB -114/ANA +140Oct. 27MTL@BUF+134/-134MTL +158/BUF -128FLA@PHI-124/+124FLA -119/PHI +146MIN@OTT-114/+114MIN -109/OTT +134DET@BOS+157/-157DET +186/BOS -150STL@NSH+141/-141STL +167/NSH -136WSH@DAL+120/-120WSH +141/DAL -115EDM@CHI-142/+142EDM -136/CHI +168VAN@SEA-107/+107VAN +103/SEA +119WPG@LAK+140/-140WPG +165/LAK -134TOR@SJS-155/+155TOR -148/SJS +184Oct. 28ANA@VGK+164/-164ANA +196/VGK -158BOS@CBJ+100/+100BOS +110/CBJ +110COL@NJ-109/+109COL +101/NJ +121NYI@CAR+146/-146NYI +173/CAR -140PIT@VAN+119/-119PIT +141/VAN -115WPG@ARI-110/+110WPG +101/ARI +121Oct. 29NYR@DAL+111/-111NYR +131/DAL -107OTT@FLA+136/-136OTT +161/FLA -131TB@SJS-143/+143TB -137/SJS +169CHI@BUF+146/-146CHI +173/BUF -140TOR@LAK-103/+103TOR +107/LAK +114CAR@PHI-154/+154CAR -148/PHI +183MIN@DET-119/+119MIN -114/DET +140MTL@STL+203/-203MTL +245/STL -194COL@NYI+113/-113COL +133/NYI -109WSH@NSH+123/-123WSH +145/NSH -118PIT@SEA-105/+105PIT +105/SEA +117EDM@CGY+119/-119EDM +140/CGY -115Oct. 30CBJ@NJ+152/-152CBJ +180/NJ -146MIN@CHI-135/+135MON -130/CHI +160TOR@ANA-128/+128TOR -123/ANA +151WPG@VGK+139/-139WPG +164/VGK -133NYR@ARI-133/+133NYR -128/ARI +157Matt 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.

This is the first in-season edition of theScore's NHL Power Rankings for the 2022-23 campaign. Check back for updated rankings every other Monday during the regular season.In this edition, we offer an early overreaction based on each team's performance.1. Calgary Flames (4-1-0)Preseason rank: 4The Flames are the Western Conference's undisputed champions. Calgary has started the campaign spectacularly and already beaten some of its rivals for the crown in the Oilers, Avalanche, and Golden Knights. No one can take that away from the Flames, but there are still plenty of games left.2. Pittsburgh Penguins (4-0-1)Preseason rank: 9The early, torrid pace of the Penguins' offense is sustainable. Betting against Sidney Crosby and Co. is rarely wise, but Pittsburgh leads the league with 5.2 goals per game. The Penguins have scored six goals in four out of their five contests. Terrifying? Yes. Tenable? Probably not.3. Boston Bruins (5-1-0)Preseason rank: 10Reports of the Bruins' death were greatly exaggerated. Heading into the season, it wasn't irrational to think Boston might struggle due to long-term injuries to some key players. But the Bruins haven't really missed a beat. It remains to be seen whether that's sustainable.4. Carolina Hurricanes (3-1-1)Preseason rank: 3Martin Necas' true breakout season has begun. The Hurricanes forward would've produced 64 points had the abbreviated 2021 campaign been the typical 82 games. After posting only 40 over 78 contests last season, he's off to a flying start in 2022-23 with three goals and four assists in the first five.5. Colorado Avalanche (3-2-1) Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyPreseason rank: 1The Avalanche have the best power play ever. There's an obvious caveat that Colorado has played only six games, but the club has converted nine of 17 opportunities (52.9%) on the man advantage. Valeri Nichushkin has scored four of them. For those wondering, the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens hold the NHL record at 31.9%.6. Florida Panthers (4-1-1)Preseason rank: 7The Panthers are fine after giving up a king's ransom to get Matthew Tkachuk. Many believed Florida would take a step backward after giving up Jonathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, and a first-round pick in the offseason's biggest trade. That might still happen. But for now, the Cats and Tkachuk - who leads the team in scoring - are looking good.7. Dallas Stars (4-0-1)Preseason rank: 17Jake Oettinger is the Vezina front-runner. This may not hold up as the season rolls on, but the Stars goaltender has been nearly unbeatable so far. Oettinger is 4-0-0 with a sparkling .959 save percentage. He also ranks in the top five in both GSAx and GSAA at five-on-five.8. St. Louis Blues (3-0-0)Preseason rank: 12The Blues may never lose again. Sure, St. Louis has played in three games - the least amount in the league - but did it lose any of those contests? Nope. An 82-0-0 season is surely coming.9. Toronto Maple Leafs (4-2-0)Preseason rank: 5Ilya Samsonov has erased any questions about the Leafs' goaltending. After getting non-tendered by the Washington Capitals this past offseason, Toronto inked the 2015 first-round pick to a one-year, $1.8-million contract. It's looking like one of the best signings of the summer. The 25-year-old is 4-0-0 with a .938 save percentage.10. Vegas Golden Knights (4-2-0) Ethan Miller / Getty Images Sport / GettyPreseason rank: 16Logan Thompson will be a name to watch at the NHL Awards. That's right, Thompson is coming for the Calder Trophy and Vezina. The Golden Knights rookie is having a spectacular season in Sin City, ranking among the top-10 goaltenders in GSAA (2.81) and GSAx (2.56) at five-on-five.11. New York Rangers (3-2-1)Preseason rank: 8Igor Shesterkin's Vezina season was an outlier. This one is a stretch, but the Rangers goaltender hasn't been his elite self to begin the campaign. He's 3-0-1, but with a .901 save percentage and subzero figures in GSAA and GSAx at five-on-five. New York has played relatively well despite that, and no one will be shocked if (when) Shesterkin rounds into form.12. Tampa Bay Lightning (3-3-0)Preseason rank: 2The Lightning are starting to lose some of their luster. Anyone who's followed hockey over the last few seasons knows the Bolts save their best for the playoffs, so jumping to conclusions based on six games isn't prudent. But it's mildly concerning that Tampa Bay ranks in the middle of the pack in goals for and goals against per game and in expected goals for percentage.13. Buffalo Sabres (4-1-0)Preseason rank: 25The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy belongs to Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres defenseman owns the longest season-opening goal streak by a blue-liner with five tallies in five games. He'll score 82 easy-peasy if he keeps that up. We see no problems with this logic.14. Edmonton Oilers (2-3-0)Preseason rank: 6This is who Jack Campbell is. The Oilers clearly expected more out of the goaltender when they signed him to a five-year, $25-million deal over the summer. Edmonton should've foreseen some inconsistency from Campbell, whose underlying numbers were among the NHL's worst last season. But a .889 save percentage in his first four games leaves something to be desired.15. Ottawa Senators (3-2-0) Andre Ringuette / National Hockey League / GettyPreseason rank: 20The Senators could be a playoff team. Even after the "Summer of Pierre," Ottawa's upgrades and promising core didn't make the club a lock for the postseason. A playoff berth for the Sens still seems unlikely, but this squad has looked good in the nascent stages of the campaign. This suddenly isn't so far-fetched.16. Philadelphia Flyers (4-2-0)Preseason rank: 30John Tortorella has a legitimate shot at winning the Jack Adams Award. Few would've predicted the Flyers would be this good out of the gate. Their new head coach deserves some credit for the strong start. Philadelphia could still end up as one of the league's worst teams, but that's not the case through six games.17. Washington Capitals (3-3-0)Preseason rank: 14Alex Ovechkin has lost his touch. Despite leading the Capitals with 22 shots, the legendary marksman has converted a mere 9% of his attempts on target. If only there were 18 years of evidence to suggest he's due to breakout.18. Detroit Red Wings (3-0-2)Preseason rank: 23Give Steve Yzerman the GM of the Year award already. Free-agent signings David Perron, Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalik, and Ben Chiarot are fitting in superbly with their new team. They're providing the Red Wings with the veteran infrastructure needed to support the young core.19. New Jersey Devils (3-2-0)Preseason rank: 19Lindy Ruff is safe. The veteran coach has changed the minds of Devils fans who booed him to start the season. He's bound to stick around thanks to a tidy three-game win streak.20. Los Angeles Kings (3-4-0) Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / GettyPreseason rank: 13The goalies are doomed. Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick are sporting .842 and .889 save percentages, respectively, this season, derailing the momentum the Kings built during a promising playoff showing last season.21. Nashville Predators (2-4-1)Preseason rank: 15Playing in Prague ruined the Predators. Nashville hasn't won a game since downing the Sharks in back-to-back contests overseas. Jet lag must be a hell of a thing (and it must last a couple of weeks).22. Minnesota Wild (1-3-1)Preseason rank: 11Marc-Andre Fleury is washed. OK, we'd be foolish to write off the future Hall of Famer this early, but Father Time catches up to everyone eventually. The 37-year-old owns a .847 save percentage and a 5.25 goals-against average in four games.23. New York Islanders (2-4-0)Preseason rank: 22No amount of money can get Mathew Barzal to find the back of the net. Even with a lucrative long-term contract extension secured, the Islanders' most dynamic offensive threat is goalless through six games.24. Winnipeg Jets (2-3-0)Preseason rank: 21The Jets need to blow it up since they're not winning anything with this core. Stripping Blake Wheeler of the 'C' was already a telling sign of issues in Winnipeg's dressing room. However, the on-ice performance is the clearest sign that change is needed. You can bet trades will be made if Winnipeg misses the playoffs in consecutive seasons considering Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck, and Pierre-Luc Dubois can be unrestricted free agents in 2024.25. Columbus Blue Jackets (3-4-0) Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / GettyPreseason rank: 24The Blue Jackets have a goalie controversy. Elvis Merzlikins has struggled mightily, and Daniil Tarasov's strong performance Sunday against the Rangers should give him more starts moving forward.26. Chicago Blackhawks (3-2-0)Preseason rank: 31The Blackhawks will break the NHL's shorthanded goals record. Chicago already has four of them through its first five games. The Oilers set the current benchmark with 36 in 1983-84, so the Blackhawks could blow that out of the water if they somehow maintain their current pace.27. Seattle Kraken (2-3-2)Preseason rank: 26There's a reason Shane Wright fell to fourth overall. The Kraken swung and missed on this year's first-round pick, as the teenager once destined for superstardom has offered next to nothing five games into his career. There's not even a point in playing him more than the 7:06 he's averaging per game this season.28. Montreal Canadiens (3-3-0)Preseason rank: 29Arber Xhekaj (pronounced JACK-EYE) might be the NHL's toughest player. Sure, he's only fought once, but he put the league on notice by rag-dolling Zack Kassian. Who'll take on the 21-year-old rookie next?29. San Jose Sharks (2-6-0)Preseason rank: 28Connor Bedard could be Bay Area-bound. The Sharks weren't expected to contend this season, but they weren't supposed to be this bad. San Jose's slide toward the league's basement puts the team squarely in the Bedard chase. However, there's no guarantee the Sharks will actually finish with the best odds to land the first overall pick.30. Anaheim Ducks (1-4-1) Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyPreseason rank: 27The Ducks need a rebrand to fully take the next step. Anaheim hasn't had many positives to start the 2022-23 campaign aside from its Reverse Retro launch. The club found the perfect medium between the Mighty Ducks era and its current color scheme with the new kits. But until the Ducks permanently look like a contender, they can't play like one.31. Arizona Coyotes (1-4-0)Preseason rank: 32The Coyotes have a future star in J.J. Moser, an unknown to most NHL fans. The second-year defenseman is averaging a team-high 23:58 of ice time and has collected four points through five contests.32. Vancouver Canucks (0-4-2)Preseason rank: 18The Canucks may never win a game again. This one is pretty sad because it doesn't totally feel like an overreaction right now.(Analytics sources: Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dallas Stars veteran Tyler Seguin recently revealed he considered retiring in January 2021 while at a friend's cottage in Muskoka, Ontario."I looked over at my friend and said, 'I don't know if I'll ever be able to play anymore,'" Seguin told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger this week. "'My career might be over. This might be it.' I just didn't see any light at the end of the tunnel."He added: "Whenever there are dark times, whenever I'm down, I think about that, about being in Muskoka, about where I've come from. That keeps you going."At the time, Seguin was recovering from offseason surgery to repair significant damage in his hip. The 30-year-old sustained the injury in the 2020 postseason and played through the ailment during the Stars' run to the Stanley Cup Final.The surgery limited him to just three games during the 2020-21 campaign, delaying his season debut until early May as Dallas missed the playoffs.Seguin posted just 49 points in 81 games last season, an output he's certain he can eclipse by at least 15 points in 2022-23."I still think there is no way in (heck) I should be statistically where I was last year," he said. "So I keep thinking that, keep believing that, keep working towards that."Seguin - who said he feels better than he has in the last three years - already has two goals and three assists through the Stars' first five games of the season.Dallas, meanwhile, is 4-0-1 to start the 2022-23 campaign, with two of those wins coming against the Central Division rival Nashville Predators.Seguin and the Stars face the Ottawa Senators on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki was released from hospital Saturday night after he was stretchered off the ice during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers.Borowiecki was resting at home Sunday with no major injuries. He'll undergo further testing and observation to determine a timeline for his return.The veteran blue-liner's head made contact with the boards after a hit from Flyers forward Morgan Frost. There was no penalty on the play.Borowiecki was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities, the Predators said Saturday. He was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.The 33-year-old is in his third season with Nashville. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Ottawa Senators. Borowiecki has no points in three contests this campaign while averaging nearly 12 minutes per night.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford understands fans' disappointment as the team's woeful start to the season drags on, but he isn't about to make any rash decisions."If something comes our way that we feel is going to make the team better, we're going to do it," he said Saturday during Sportsnet's "After Hours" segment following his team's 5-1 defeat against the Buffalo Sabres."We're being cautious in how we go about that. ... But I'm the same as the fans and everybody: It's getting frustrating, it's hard to watch. We'll just have to be careful as to what our decisions are. I don't think we can make panic decisions at this point in time."He added: "I think people have to realize how long rebuilds are. ... We may very well be in a rebuild in the direction we're going. But ideally, we'd like to transition this team on the fly. ... These guys just have to keep working and try to work through this at this point."The Canucks are 0-4-2 in the 2022-23 campaign and became the first team in NHL history to lose the first four games of a season while blowing multi-goal leads in each contest.Vancouver initially seemed hopeful that its fortunes would turn with Saturday's home opener, but that wasn't the case. Fans tossed Canucks sweaters on the ice at Rogers Arena as boos rained down from the stands, which was a first for head coach Bruce Boudreau."It's just totally embarrassing," Boudreau told reporters postgame. "It's something you never want to see, and I've seen it happen in other arenas and everything and never thought it would happen here or on a team that I'm coaching."If I were the fans, I would have been frustrated too because they're watching what we're watching."The Canucks entered the third period down 2-1, but Sabres forward Victor Olofsson extended the lead just 1:54 into the frame. His tally came only 26 seconds after Buffalo had an apparent Vinnie Hinostroza goal disallowed because it didn't completely cross the line. Zemgus Girgensons added an empty-netter before Olofsson beat Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko with 2:39 remaining.Though Boudreau said he was concerned by his players' lack of effort in the third period, he wouldn't go as far as to say they quit."I never like to use that word; it just looked like they said, 'Oh, there's no way we can catch up,' type thing because they haven't had success yet," he said. "I mean, I would like to think that there wasn't anybody that was saying there, 'Oh, I don't care what happens now, I quit.' I'll never accept that in my mind."Boudreau said he told his players to "look in the mirror."Vancouver won three of its first six games last season, eventually firing head coach Travis Green in early December after going 8-15-2 under his guidance.The Canucks' next shot at redemption comes Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens rookie Juraj Slafkovsky is not in the lineup Saturday against the Dallas Stars.Slafkovsky is day-to-day with what the Canadiens are calling an upper-body injury.It's unclear how and when the first overall pick in this year's draft got hurt. The 18-year-old scored his first NHL goal in a win over the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.Slafkovsky played 14:26 in that game, his largest workload of the first five contests of his career. The Slovakian took only one shot on goal in his NHL debut and then none over the next three games before logging three Thursday night.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers signed forward Eric Staal to a one-year contract Friday.Staal played for the Panthers during the preseason on a professional tryout. He did not record a point in four contests.The 37-year-old last played in the NHL in 2020-21, a season he split between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. Staal made a brief four-game appearance in the AHL in 2021-22, scoring five points with the Iowa Wild. He later captained Team Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, tallying four points in five contests.Staal will play with his younger brother Marc Staal in Florida. The two played together during the 2015-16 campaign with the New York Rangers.The elder Staal is expected to make his season debut Sunday against the New York Islanders, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Although Friday will be pretty quiet in the NHL, we still have 16 games to look forward to over the next couple of nights.Let's take a look at a couple teams that stand out.Lightning (-110) @ Panthers (-110)

Warning: Story contains coarse languagePhil Kessel is the sniper who was drafted last at an All-Star Game as Alex Ovechkin laughed and snapped photos. He subtly roasted USA Hockey for omitting him from a World Cup roster that flopped. When his time with the Maple Leafs ended sourly, one Toronto columnist blamed his rumored love of hot dogs.Kessel placed hot dogs in the Stanley Cup after winning it in back-to-back years. Then he raised the benchmark for NHL durability. When Kessel's Vegas Golden Knights host Toronto on Monday, he'll skate in his 989th consecutive game, equaling the ironman streak Keith Yandle set last season - a mark Doug Jarvis had previously held alone since the late 1980s.On track to break the record Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks, Kessel must avoid injury for another month to get to 1,000 straight appearances. The winger from Madison, Wisconsin, recently turned 35 and eventually will retire as a 400-goal and 1,000-point scorer, cracking the top 100 all time in both statistical categories.Kessel's resilience is legendary. Diagnosed with testicular cancer as a rookie, he returned to win the 2007 Bill Masterton Trophy. Shelved with a shoulder ailment to start the 2009-10 season, he debuted with the Leafs that Nov. 3 and hasn't missed a game since. Kessel played one shift on the road in consecutive appearance No. 956, then hopped on a private plane to see his daughter be born.Kessel is whiny, quippy, and a unique hockey character. When the Penguins visited the White House as Cup champs, President Barack Obama singled him out for kudos. When a realtor staged his Pittsburgh home, he made it seem as though Kessel watches movies in a lonesome chair. When broadcaster Pierre McGuire asked about his stamina, Kessel, misunderstanding the question, apologized for how his breath smelled.Kessel signed in Vegas this past offseason. Jeff Bottari / NHL / Getty ImagesSoon, Phil "The Thrill" will stand alone as the ironman. How did he do it?Teammates from each of Kessel's career stops - junior, college, and five NHL cities - spoke to theScore to break down what makes him indestructible.(Note: The following quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and length.)'He's the least-hit guy in the league'Ironmen are of a different breed. There is nothing normal about playing more consecutive games than anybody else in the history of a sport. For Kessel, longevity is the product of approaching every day with a muted fearlessness.Carl Hagelin, former Penguins teammate: He tolerates pain. I think that's where it starts.Alex Goligoski, Coyotes and University of Minnesota: I remember for a pretty significant period in Arizona he had a soft-tissue issue. It was bothering him and it was lingering for a while. But he kept going. He'd miss practice days and make the games.Colton Orr, Maple Leafs: He's overcome a lot in his life - he's overcome cancer, overcome shoulder surgery. All the things he's overcome, he seems to be able to battle through, so little injuries aren't really going to hold him up too much.Darcy Kuemper, Coyotes: His mindset is that he never wants to miss a game.Matt Cullen, Penguins: He probably doesn't get enough credit for that because of his laid-back personality and fun-loving nature.James van Riemsdyk, Leafs: He's a gamer. That's how I would describe him.Kessel races up ice as a Bruins rookie in 2006. Elsa / Getty ImagesKessel complains to an official last season. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesMorgan Rielly, Leafs: There's a lot that goes into it. Work ethic is one of them. Luck is one of them. And then just a commitment to playing - playing these back-to-backs and playing these 82 games a year for as long as he's done it. Even when you're healthy and there's nothing going wrong, it's still a grind.Hagelin: He doesn't put himself in situations where he's going to get run over by a defenseman. He doesn't play on the penalty kill. He doesn't get hit by unnecessary pucks. That helps, too. I think overall, it's his determination and his willingness to be in games no matter how the body's feeling.Goligoski: He told me one time, "The only fun part is playing the games."Marc Savard, Bruins: The funny stat I see every year is that he's the least-hit guy in the league. He's avoiding checks. But he still contributes every night.Rick Tocchet, Coyotes and Penguins coach: Phil isn't hammering guys against the boards or always getting in front of the net and taking crosschecks. He's just not that player. He's a very calculated guy on the ice.Savard: He's quick. He's able to read situations and make plays, and then dodge the hit. He's smart. That helps him in knowing where to be on the ice at all times.Orr: He got in a fight one time (against Brian Flynn in the 2013-14 preseason) and was throwing a few rights. I remember joking around: He hurt his hand a little bit and was a little sore from doing that. That was one of the scary ones. I told him to keep his gloves on. We don't need him fighting to mess up that streak. I'll take care of that for you. (Laughs) Hold off, Phil. Hold off.Kessel would regularly receive pre- and postgame treatment from the Leafs' trainers, Van Riemsdyk said. Jared McCann, Kessel's dressing-room stall neighbor in Pittsburgh, recalls his teammate's recovery routine centering around trips to the club's cryotherapy machine. (Evgeni Malkin quite hilariously documented one of Kessel's cryo sessions.) Otherwise, Kessel has more or less relied on natural athleticism.Tocchet: He's got a little bit of a belly. His stature doesn't scream out "well-toned athlete." But what people don't understand is that he's a hell of an athlete.Orr: He could pick up any kind of football, tennis racket, golf club, and he'd be good at that sport.Kuemper: He can jump super high. Looking at him, you wouldn't expect him to have such a huge vertical.Goligoski: He's definitely more naturally gifted than probably 99% of the guys he's around.Kessel jumps between Sharks defensemen in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Gregory Shamus / NHL / Getty ImagesMark Stone, Golden Knights: When I first saw him, I was expecting him to be 300 pounds overweight. He's the furthest thing from it. The guy can throw weight around in the gym.Nathan Gerbe, U.S. National Team Development Program: We used to give it to him all the time - chirp him - and then he would go into the gym and take a 90-pound dumbbell and snap it over his head.Hagelin: When it comes to squatting or leg-pressing, but also 20-yard, 30-yard sprints, he's fast and he's explosive.Clayton Keller, Coyotes: Absolute freak. Can squat more than anyone.Tocchet: When he does the squat tests, he's always in the top five of every team he's on. His leg strength is great. Do you wish as a coach that he would do some more cardio every once in a while? Well, yeah. And he'll tell you, "I need my rest, I need my rest." We used to laugh about that. But he's a freak. He's a natural freak athlete.Kuemper: He's a little bit of an enigma in that he's not a guy who's spending a bunch of time warming up. He's just a natural skater that can go out there and fly, and it doesn't put a lot of stress on his body.Nick Bonino, Penguins: I played with (830-game ironman) Andrew Cogliano, who is very cognizant of his body and works out all the time. I wouldn't say Phil is as cognizant as Cogs. But he definitely knows what he has to do. He knows his body, he knows what it needs.Gerbe: He's not necessarily a guy who you're going to tell a young kid to follow to a T. Because Phil is Phil. Phil is one of a kind.Kessel is not the type to be ahead of the curve with respect to nutrition. Gerbe remembers a teenaged Kessel trying to smuggle candy onto the team bus but being denied by a coach, who would search his luggage for treats. Tocchet says Kessel was consuming three-to-four Coca-Colas a day early in his Penguins tenure. Team trainer Andy O'Brien then made a rule: If players want soda in the dressing room, they'll have to buy and store the product themselves.Tocchet: I think he took soda right out of his diet after that. It's not like Phil doesn't keep up with science and bucks the system all the time. He does listen.Cullen: He is not the typical guy you'd picture as the ironman, right? He's not talking to you about how he is gluten-free, or how he's on a super strict diet, or this super crazy training regimen. It's hard to put your finger on it.Kessel fires a shot on net in 2015. Francois Lacasse / NHL / Getty ImagesVan Riemsdyk: What we do on the ice is what matters the most. Sometimes people want to get wrapped up too much in certain training methods around the game.Gerbe: I'm sure organizations have tossed and turned: "Should we be harder on him? Should we try to change him?" But at the end of the day, I don't think he'd be who he is today if he did change. People are always like, "Oh, could you imagine if he was a lot leaner and ate healthier? He would be such a better player." I don't necessarily think so.Van Riemsdyk: People find what works for them, and you can't really argue with the results.Cullen: You look at Tom Brady and watch his combine video and you laugh. But here he is. Probably the same would have been said about Wayne Gretzky. And then you have Phil, who is pretty deep on your list of guys you'd expect to be in an ironman conversation. And yet, here he is.'He likes to complain about stuff'Teammates chortle when they think about Kessel's off-ice quirks. Eager to play Texas Hold 'em for the duration of a cross-country plane ride, he'd urge Savard, his roommate as a rookie, to resume the card game at the hotel. Goligoski describes Kessel as a social butterfly and pot stirrer, the teammate who brings young players to dinner and is forever engrossed in some debate.Van Riemsdyk: He's a cult hero slash legend.Keller: One of my favorites I've ever played with.Bonino: Character. That's a good word for him.Van Riemsdyk: When Jake Gardiner and I were playing together in Toronto, our friends from back home in Minnesota would call us and it wouldn't be like, "How ya doing, James?" It would be like, "OK, give me the latest funny thing that happened with Phil …"Kessel and Rick Tocchet celebrate Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup victory in 2017. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesTocchet: I was running the Penguins' power play and we were in Tampa Bay. The way Tampa had their PK set up, I said, "Phil, you've gotta get to the net. You're wide open there." He goes in front and Kris Letang takes a slap shot and it hits him right in the knee. So Phil goes down and he's got his one leg on the ice, basically lying there.Goligoski: You get into games and he's emotional. If he sees something he doesn't like, it's gonna piss him off.Tocchet: So we score a goal. All of the guys crowd around, Phil's still there on the ground, and he gets up really slowly. He's shaking his head. He's all mad. He comes to the bench, he looks at me, and he goes, "I'll never go in front of the net again! So don't ask me again!" I broke out laughing. I was worried about cameras being on me, so I just put the lineup sheet over my face.Goligoski: I just picture his goofy smile. He's always miserable but always happy too.Cullen: It's kind of his default state. He likes to complain about stuff.Goligoski: He likes living in that negative space. Like, "Ah, I'm so tired," or "I don't want to practice …" But at the same time it's always lighthearted.Gerbe: He could finish a game and be like, "Ah, that game sucked!" And we'd be like, "Phil, you just scored four goals …" And he goes, "Yeah! But I should have had five!"Hagelin: He's one of the few people who can be negative and still bring happiness to the people around him.Tocchet: He could get Starbucks, order a coffee, and just the way he orders it will be funny to me. (Laughs) Or when he comes into practice, his hair - whatever hair he has left - is all disheveled. He looks like he's just woken up. All the guys are eating breakfast, and he walks in, and you just chuckle.Van Riemsdyk: He won't be trying to be funny, but everyone will be dying at what he says. And then he'll be like, "What are you guys laughing about?"Savard: Very friendly guy. A guy that you can jab and he'd jab you right back with chirping.Bonino: He can take it. He can give it out. Nothing's really over the line with him.The "HBK Line" in 2016. Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesBonino would know. When he centered Pittsburgh's famous "HBK Line" in the 2016 playoffs, he scored in overtime to eliminate the Capitals in the second round and potted the late game-winner against the Sharks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. And then …Hagelin: We're sitting in the locker room the day after he scored his big goal against San Jose. Phil goes to me, "Hey, Haggy. How fucking lucky are we? We get to play with the great Nick Bonino. Guys like him, they come around - I don't know - once every 100 years?"Jack Eichel, Golden Knights: He brings a unique element to the room.Hagelin: He would say things in the playoffs that made me not think as serious about the game. That would loosen me up and make me play some of my best hockey ever.Tocchet: We were playing Game 7 against Washington on the road in 2017. This is when we won the Cup and Washington was one of the best teams in the league. So it was gonna be a dogfight. Two hours before the game, some guys are playing soccer, other guys are doing their sticks. It's a very tense moment. And Phil is being typical Phil. He doesn't stretch. He's got his sandals on, underwear on.Keller: If you're having a bad day and you come to the rink and you see Phil, you're always going to end up smiling or laughing.Tocchet: I got talking to Phil and I started busting his balls. I say, "You have no arms." Back then, I had bigger arms than him. He goes, "Those are all fluff." I say, "Oh, really. You want to make a bet on something?" He goes, "Yeah. You can't do 13 chin-ups." There's a chin-up bar right outside our room. He says, "I'll bet you $200." I say, "Make it $300." A couple of guys started coming around. I took my suit jacket off, so I still had my tie and dress shirt on. All of a sudden I started doing chin-ups - 1, 2, 3. Anyway, I got to 14 to win the bet. Guys are cheering. Phil starts to laugh.Kessel and Cullen celebrate a series victory. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesCullen: The locker room, the bus rides to the airport, the plane - he was always in the center of all of it.Tocchet: That was Phil's way of loosening up the room, the atmosphere. We won the game, and I'm not saying that's why, but that's what Phil does. He doesn't change for the moment.Van Riemsdyk: He's unapologetically himself.Goligoski: I played with him in college for one year 15 years ago, and then recently I played with him in Arizona. Exact same person. Didn't change one bit. Which is great. I mean, if nothing else, he is a very authentic person.Tocchet: I just remember going back into the office and Mike Sullivan goes, "Where did you go?" I say, "I just made a quick $300." I told them the story, and they were laughing. And then Phil went out and played a great game.'I think he'll be a Hall of Famer'Pittsburgh is where Kessel established himself as a playoff performer. He led the team in goals over the course of the two Cup runs, thriving as soon as he left the Leafs. During Kessel's rough ride in Toronto, one local writer asked if he was difficult to coach, to which he retorted, "This guy's such an idiot." Another writer criticized his hot dog intake, which inspired Kessel's cheeky Cup celebration. Through it all, he stayed on track to surpass 400 goals and 1,000 points.Orr: These are big accomplishments. Some of the great players haven't accomplished that over their careers.Cullen: People love to poke at guys' games and different things about them, but the numbers tell the story. He's performed at a higher level than almost anybody. He'll probably be looked back on as a little underappreciated because he didn't fit the mold of the perfect ironman guy or perfect goal-scorer.Orr: He's a guy who took a lot of heat from the outside looking in.Hagelin: He was a star when he played for Toronto. It was probably more the media. They wanted, maybe, to pick on some guy. He was an easy target, I guess.Orr: Dion Phaneuf was like this as well, being the captain: They would take the fall if they had to in the media, take the brunt of the blame. They had no problem stepping up in those situations.Kessel and Phaneuf in 2014. Graig Abel / NHL / Getty ImagesHagelin: He was the No. 1 star on a team that didn't have much other than him. When he got to Pittsburgh, there were more stars there. He kept doing his thing.Savard: He went in and played with a star-studded cast. They were a good hockey club and he fit like a glove.Tocchet: Crosby, Letang, Malkin loved him, just like Bryan Rust and the other guys in that room. He's a very well-liked guy in the room. That means a lot to me when you're talking legacy. It means you're a good teammate.Cullen: He's maybe as big of a big-game player as I've played with. He was a guy who could flip the switch and take his game to a completely different level come crunch time.Hagelin: No one really shoots the puck like him. The way he leans on his stick when he rips it, it's pretty special. He's also a great playmaker.Cullen: I remember people talking about Brett Hull and what a great passer he was. And I was like, "What do you mean? Look at him shoot the puck." But he doesn't get those types of shots and that many opportunities if he's not also a great passer. I was so impressed with the way Phil created plays and passed the puck, and then in return he found ways to get it back and score.Hagelin: He was a great player when he was in Toronto. He was a great player in Pitt. That's the reason he's gotten to the amount of points he's gotten, the amount of games he's gotten, and the amount of Cups he's gotten.

The NHL reignited its Reverse Retro craze on Thursday, unveiling alternate uniforms for all 32 teams for the second time in three seasons.Some are incredible, some are not. Most fall somewhere in between. Without further ado, scroll down and find out where your favorite team ranks.32. Detroit Red Wings NHLSure, Detroit's options are limited, but a red version of these, with the addition of black, is a massive failure.31. Chicago Blackhawks NHLThese are basically the same as Detroit's, only slightly less bad.30. Tampa Bay Lightning NHLIf a storm came and swept these jerseys away, nobody would be upset. The sleeves in particular make these dreadful.29. Columbus Blue Jackets NHLFans mainly want Reverse Retros to be fun, and these aren't. The Blue Jackets' short history doesn't give them a ton of colors to work with, but incorporating the infamous bug mascot shoulder patch as the primary logo could have been a hit.28. Calgary Flames NHLIt's a good thing Calgary's primary uniforms are nearly perfect, because yikes.27. Winnipeg Jets NHLThe throwback logo is great, but the Jets' current color scheme doesn't do it justice. An ode to the Thrashers days will have to wait.26. Philadelphia Flyers NHLSubtracting most of the orange from the Flyers' threads wasn't a good idea in the early 2000s, and it still isn't now. The one saving grace is the usage of Cooperalls, but unfortunately, the team will only wear those in warmups.25. Nashville Predators NHLThis is basically the same as the mid-2000s alternate without the mustard shade of yellow. We like the logo, but a blue base color would've worked better.24. Ottawa Senators NHLThis is extremely similar to Ottawa's current black jersey, albeit with an ode to the design of the pre-lockout reds. The Senators' refusal to apply gold to their Reverse Retros after featuring it in these mid-2000s alternates is simply befuddling.23. Carolina Hurricanes NHLUsing the "Canes" wordmark instead of a logo is a big miss. At least there are warning flags in the bottom stripe.22. Seattle Kraken NHLThe design is clearly an homage to the Seattle Metropolitans, but it's not a perfect match with the Kraken's color scheme.21. Montreal Canadiens NHLWhile the baby blue may be a shoutout to MLB's defunct Montreal Expos, a Canadiens jersey without the color red (aside from the logo) just seems wrong.20. New York Rangers NHLThe Lady Liberty logo is always a hit, but we're not loving the base shade of blue.19. St. Louis Blues NHLThe Blues are supposed to be blue, not yellow, and there's a reason the franchise didn't go with this prototype design.18. Vegas Golden Knights NHLWithout a long history of hockey in Vegas, the Golden Knights had to get creative, and they did so by making these glow in the dark.17. Arizona Coyotes NHLThe sand color goes well with the desert theme, but we find the previous purple Reverse Retros superior.16. New Jersey Devils NHLThe Devils incorporated blue and yellow into their standard design as a throwback to the Colorado Rockies, who moved to New Jersey in 1982. We're neutral on it.15. Boston Bruins NHLThese aren't the eyesore that the original yellows were, thanks in large part to the white base. Fans seem to love the "Pooh Bear" logo, even though it's the least menacing-looking bear ever.14. Edmonton Oilers NHLAdding orange to the Oil Gear alternates of the 2000s will likely be a hit with millennials, but older generations may not take to them.13. Dallas Stars NHLAn homage to the uniforms the Stars first wore after moving to Dallas, the green shoulders could really make these pop.12. New York Islanders NHLThe fisherman logo was much-maligned in its day, but it works for an alternate jersey like this. Leaving aqua out of the color scheme aside from the logo was a great call.11. Buffalo Sabres NHL"Goathead": check. Updated color scheme: check. A win-win.10. San Jose Sharks NHLJust changing the "Seals" lettering to "Sharks" without doing anything else is a bit lazy, but this is a nice throwback to the California Golden Seals.9. Toronto Maple Leafs NHLYes, it's similar to their current blues - but even better. The shoulder yoke is fantastic, and the tweaked logo really makes this look like an old-time hockey "sweater."8. Minnesota Wild NHLThis North Stars-inspired uniform is awesome, but this is basically just a green version of the Wild's previous Reverse Retro, so they lose marks for creativity. I thought history never repeats?7. Colorado Avalanche NHLThe Avalanche put their own spin on the Colorado Rockies uniforms (the former NHL team, not the MLB club) but it's much more successful, and creative, than New Jersey's. The Colorado state flag logo and the early Avalanche jersey design are big wins.6. Vancouver Canucks NHLThe design and color scheme are clean, and while the Johnny Canuck logo is a little corny, it's a nice nod to the history of professional hockey in Vancouver.5. Washington Capitals NHLThe flying eagle is back - this time, with era-appropriate colors. These are better than the team's '90s blue jerseys and the U.S. Capitol logo uniforms that Alex Ovechkin debuted in.4. Florida Panthers NHLThis jersey may clash a bit by using so many colors, but it's incredibly fun, and that's what it's all about, right? The palm tree on the front crest really pops.3. Pittsburgh Penguins NHLThe '90s "Robo-Penguin" logo and triangular shoulder yokes make this jersey a massive win.2. Anaheim Ducks NHLWith these uniforms, the Ducks could very well be Mighty again. The original logo and jersey design are perfect, and the orange color scheme works.1. Los Angeles Kings NHLThe purple-and-gold color scheme never misses, does it? The crown logo is severely underrated too.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe is once again explaining his comments to the media.Keefe already backtracked on his initial comments criticizing the performance of the team's stars in Monday's 4-2 loss to the rebuilding Arizona Coyotes. On Thursday, he expanded on his reasons for doing so."It's probably more of a reflection of coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs and dealing with you all more than anything," Keefe told reporters, according to Sports Illustrated's David Alter. "Just to make sure that the way I'm communicating is more clear. Because the reaction to the comments was not what I was trying to communicate. It's more about managing the media more so than it is about the players."Following Monday's loss, Keefe said, "Our elite players didn't play like elite players." On Wednesday, he stated that he'd used the "wrong words" to call out the Leafs' stars. Keefe was criticized in the media for softening his initial comments.Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander combined for two goals and an assist Monday as the Coyotes notably held Matthews off the scoresheet. The reigning Hart Trophy winner is off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the campaign with a goal and an assist in four games.The Maple Leafs will look to move past this situation with a home date against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Calgary Flames signed backup goaltender Dan Vladar to a two-year extension carrying an average annual value of $2.2 million, the team announced Thursday.Vladar has one more season left on his current deal, which carries a $750,000 AAV, before the new pact begins.The 25-year-old posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average in 23 appearances with the Flames last season. He stopped 26-of-29 shots in a win during his lone outing this year.The 6-foot-5 Czech netminder was a third-round pick by the Boston Bruins in 2015. The Flames acquired Vladar for a third-rounder in July 2021.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Despite being undermanned on the back end, the Panthers came through for us with a first-period victory against Philadelphia.Unfortunately, Nathan MacKinnon fell one short of hitting his over, while Sam Reinhart could only get one shot on target out of a season-high seven attempts.We'll look to get back on track with three plays for Thursday's monster slate.Predators (-135) @ Blue Jackets (+115)The Blue Jackets are off to a 1-3 start, and it's hard to argue it's not warranted.With Erik Gudbranson being the lone off-season "addition" of note on defense, the Blue Jackets have predictably struggled in their own zone once again.Columbus has conceded 17 goals through just four games and controlled a putrid 37.68% of the high-danger chances at five-on-five during that stretch.The Blue Jackets are giving up a lot and generating little, which isn't all that surprising given they're top-heavy up front and star sniper Patrik Laine is out of the lineup.While the Predators have dropped three games in a row since returning from overseas, the underlying numbers suggest they're a potent team.The Predators' share of the expected goals - and high-danger chances - sits on the right side of 50%.Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Co. are off to a somewhat slow start offensively, and this feels like a great matchup for them to get back on track.Look for the Predators to snap their three-game losing skid in Columbus.Bet: Predators (-135)Kirill Kaprizov over 3.5 shots (+105)Death, taxes, and backing Kaprizov on home soil.Dating back to last season, Kaprizov has tallied at least four shots on goal in 23 of his last 30 games in Minnesota for a whopping 77% success rate.There's every reason to believe he can continue his hot streak Thursday night against the Canucks. They've played high-event games in the early going of the season and have not shown any ability to slow teams down on the power play.Kaprizov touches the puck a ton on the man advantage - and he's Minnesota's biggest shooting threat - so he should be able to exploit Vancouver's weakness in that area.The Canucks are also paper thin on defense. Even if there's a lot of five-on-five play, he should really be able to threaten in the offensive zone.Jack Eichel over 3.5 shots (-105)Eichel is off to a slow start in terms of shooting the puck, having gone over this number in just one of his first four games.The good news is Eichel does his best work on home soil, and he has an advantageous matchup to look forward to Thursday night.The Jets are not a good defensive team. They sit bottom-10 in shot suppression at five-on-five and have been downright putrid at killing penalties.No team has allowed shots on goal - or expected goals - at a higher rate while down a man. It just so happens Eichel leads the Golden Knights in power-play shot attempts and is the team's biggest scoring threat.Eichel has a plus matchup at five-on-five and on the power play, and he's going up against a fatigued Jets side. All the stars are aligning for a big game from him.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.

Detroit Red Wings forward Jakub Vrana will be unavailable indefinitely after being placed in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, the league announced Wednesday.Vrana will continue to be paid during his absence and can return to the Red Wings once cleared by program administrators.He appeared in Detroit's first two games of the 2022-23 season but missed Monday's clash against the Los Angeles Kings and practice the next day. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde had said Vrana's absence was for personal reasons.Detroit acquired Vrana from the Washington Capitals at the 2021 trade deadline. The 26-year-old has been limited to only 39 games with the club due to injury but has made a strong impact with 32 points.Vrana was the 13th overall pick in 2014, and he helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sheldon Keefe admitted Wednesday that he didn't articulate himself the way he wanted to when discussing his brightest stars after Monday's loss to the Arizona Coyotes."I used some of the wrong words to try to describe ... that the difference in the game, I find, is just we weren't able to produce," the Toronto Maple Leafs head coach told the media, including Sportsnet, on Wednesday."Whether it's power play or five-on-five, that's really the difference with all the puck time we had. By no means was I meaning anything beyond that, which is what I wanted them to be sure of. As it turned out, they didn't know what I was talking about, which is a good thing, but at the same time (it was) important that they know where I was coming from."Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner insisted it's all water under the bridge."I talked to (Keefe) today, and he explained what he meant to say and how it came out," Marner said. "I'll leave it at that. We have closed doors for a reason. ... So we had that talk today, and we understand. We're grown men."Keefe said during his press conference after a 4-2 loss to the Coyotes: "Our best people have not found their rhythm," and then he elaborated."The difference between us and Arizona is that we have elite players," the head coach said. "And our elite players didn't play like elite players today, they couldn't make a difference. In that sense, the game is going to be close. That's the way it goes when those guys don't make the difference that they can."Marner scored the tying goal with around seven minutes left before the Coyotes struck twice with under two minutes remaining. William Nylander scored 24 seconds before Marner, and captain John Tavares earned the primary assist on that goal.However, reigning Hart Trophy winner and Arizona-raised superstar Auston Matthews was held off the scoresheet, and his team's power play went 1-for-5, registering no shots on goal in the first four opportunities.Keefe has already publicly criticized his team twice this season. The bench boss said the season-opening loss to the Montreal Canadiens was "unacceptable," that his side was "careless" in defeat, and that Toronto's skaters hung goaltender Matt Murray "out to dry."Toronto is 2-2-0 through its first four games of 2022-23. The Leafs will host the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed defenseman Jake Muzzin on injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.Muzzin left Toronto's loss against the Arizona Coyotes with a neck injury after an awkward collision with Clayton Keller. The 33-year-old will miss a minimum of three games.Head coach Sheldon Keefe said it is too early to put a timeline on Muzzin's return, according to Sports Illustrated's David Alter. Keefe also said a head injury had been ruled out."Obviously, for him, it's just making sure that if he does come back and play this year, or whatever happens, just make sure that he's going to be able to do whatever he wants to do the rest of his life and enjoy the time with his family and kids," Mitch Marner said after Maple Leafs practice, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel.The veteran blue-liner has a history of head and neck injuries. He was taken off on a stretcher during the Maple Leafs' qualifying-round matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020. Muzzin also missed significant time last season due to concussion issues.Toronto has subsequently recalled Filip Kral from the AHL.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will likely sit out the next 12 weeks after undergoing knee surgery Tuesday, head coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday.Landeskog hasn't played a game this season. The Swedish forward, who'll turn 30 in November, had a previous knee procedure in March that forced him to miss the rest of the regular season. He returned in the playoffs and helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup.The 11-year veteran collected 30 goals and 29 assists while averaging 20:19 of ice time - the second-largest workload of his career - over 51 games in 2021-22.Landeskog has long been one of Colorado's most important players. He was instrumental in the team's championship run, notching 11 goals and 11 assists over 20 contests this past spring. Landeskog has spent his entire NHL tenure with the Avalanche, who drafted him second overall in 2011. He's worn the "C" since 2012-13.Assuming Colorado places Landeskog on long-term injured reserve, the club will gain $7 million in cap relief while he remains out of the lineup. Landeskog re-signed with the Avalanche on an eight-year contract in July 2021.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers will place defenseman Aaron Ekblad on long-term injured reserve, general manager Bill Zito said Wednesday, according to team digital content manager Jameson Olive.Ekblad left Monday's loss to the Boston Bruins with what head coach Paul Maurice described postgame as a lower-body injury.The 26-year-old has had terrible luck with injuries over the last three seasons. He was taken off the ice on a stretcher during a game in March 2021 and missed the rest of that campaign, playing only 35 of 56 contests. Then, last March, he sustained another leg injury and missed the rest of the 2021-22 regular season before returning in the playoffs."He'll be back. It's not a season-ending thing," Zito said Wednesday. "We have every reason to believe he'll be back at 100%."Players on LTIR must miss 10 games and 24 days. The move would provide the Panthers with $7.5 million in cap relief. However, the talented blue-liner isn't expected to be out long enough for Florida to acquire a replacement, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.Ekblad racked up 57 points while averaging 24:55 of ice time in 61 games last season. He finished sixth in voting for the Norris Trophy despite missing one-quarter of the campaign.The Ontario-born rearguard is in his ninth NHL season, all of which he's played with the Panthers, who drafted him first overall in 2014.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a small three-game slate on the docket Wednesday. Luckily, there is still plenty of value to be found.Let's dive into it with three bets for the night ahead.Flyers (+250) @ Panthers (-325)Targeting the Flyers hasn't gone so well in the early going, but all signs suggest their bubble is going to burst sooner rather than later.Despite what the scoreboards suggest, the Flyers have not defended well. On a per-minute basis, only the Coyotes have allowed five-on-five shots at a higher clip. They also rank bottom five in suppressing high-danger chances.Put simply, they're giving up a lot of shots and many are of quality. Carter Hart has been able to mask their defensive issues with unsustainably good goaltending.Even if he really is turning a corner after a couple miserable seasons, he's not going to give the Flyers .940 netminding on a consistent basis. Even .920 would be a big stretch in today's NHL, especially while carrying such a difficult workload.Across all game states, the Panthers have generated more than four expected goals per 60 minutes. They are creating a lot of opportunities and have the high-end talent to make the most of them more often than not.Fresh off a loss and at home to a fatigued Flyers side giving up chances in bulk, Florida should be able to come out and hit the ground running.I'm going to get creative here and back the Panthers to win the opening period.Bet: Panthers 1P -0.5 (+100)Nathan MacKinnon over 4.5 shots on goal (-105)MacKinnon is a shooting machine, especially on home ice. He has registered at least five shots in 29 of his last 42 home dates dating back to last year. That's a whopping 69% success rate.MacKinnon also has a very strong track record against the Jets. He recorded 35 shots in four games against them last season, which is just one shy of nine per contest. No, I'm not referring to shot attempts - shots on goal.Based on the early returns from the Jets this season, I expect MacKinnon's success to continue. The Jets have been a below-average team at limiting five-on-five shots thus far and rank 31st in shots against per minute while killing penalties.MacKinnon leads the Avalanche in power-play shots and is the focal point on the man advantage, so he should be the prime beneficiary of Winnipeg's early season penalty-killing troubles.Sam Reinhart over 2.5 shots on goal (-105)Sam Reinhart has been a solid generator through the first few games. He has recorded four shots on goal twice in three tries. While he failed to do so last time out, the underlying signs were encouraging. Reinhart logged 24 minutes and attempted seven shots on goal. He could've missed the net on more than half of his attempts and still managed to get there.That he fell one short doesn't necessarily matter. The important thing is his shot volume is consistent - he has at least six attempts in all three games - and so is his ice time. Paul Maurice has been spoon-feeding him shifts, with Reinhart logging at least 20 minutes each time out.The Flyers rank 31st in shot-attempt prevention thus far and are on the latter half of a road back-to-back. Reinhart should be able to cause them problems.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.

One of the most highly anticipated home openers in Ottawa Senators history lived up to the hype Tuesday night.The Sens defeated the Boston Bruins in a 7-5 barn burner in front of a raucous crowd at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, Ontario.Franchise legend Daniel Alfredsson got the crowd fired up before the game started. "Alfie, Alfie, Alfie," chants rained down from the crowd as the former captain conducted the ceremonial faceoff."It was outstanding. It was playoff (like) and just the noise when we scored early," head coach D.J. Smith said postgame, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch. "The noise from Alfredsson carried into the opening period."The much-awaited contest stemmed from a busy offseason in Canada's capital in which the club acquired marquee forwards Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux and veteran goaltender Cam Talbot to support its young, burgeoning core.The excitement drew 19,811 fans to a building that's capacity is listed at 18,652, marking the team's first sold-out home opener since 2015. The Senators ranked last in the league in both average attendance and capacity percentage in 2021-22 and 2019-20."That was pretty amazing. I don't think in all the rinks I've felt that excited for a game before," captain Brady Tkachuk said. "A credit to all the fans that came out because that was an amazing experience."He added: "If you can't get excited for that game, that energy, that crowd, I don't know what's wrong with you."The Senators clearly fed off the crowd, jumping to an early 3-0 lead, including two goals in the opening 3:09 of the game. But the Bruins refused to go away, tying things up at 3-3 and coming within a goal of Ottawa's 6-5 lead at one point. Ultimately, the Sens hung on for their first victory of the campaign."The fans got their money's worth," forward Drake Batherson said. "It was a crazy game. We got two points. We could have played better defensively, but it's the third game of the year, we're going to get better, and it's just nice to get the win."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky hasn't made his mark on the NHL just yet, but the Montreal Canadiens seemingly hope patience is a virtue in the rookie's adjustment to the big league.The 18-year-old has yet to bag his first NHL point and he's put just one shot on net in four games while averaging 10:41 minutes of ice time per contest - the lowest on the team. However, Slafkovsky is used to having to battle for a larger role: He was in a similar situation in the Finnish Elite League last season."I had this challenge last year in TPS at the beginning. I kept going better and better and I believe it will go better and better as well here," he told reporters Tuesday. "I will just keep fighting for my spot. I believe when I do all the small things good and we will keep winning, I can get more and more ice time."The 6-foot-3 winger added that he's had conversations with Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis about how to improve his game and he's since been focusing on finishing his checks and driving the middle. St. Louis also told Slafkovsky that he wouldn't get any time on the power play just yet as he continues to learn the ropes.Slafkovsky has spent the bulk of his time on the third line with Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher, but he moved down to the fourth line alongside Jake Evans and Mike Hoffman during Monday's overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.Captain Nick Suzuki said Slafkovsky can be too tough on himself at times, a point that the Slovak didn't refute."I like winning and I like to be the best, so of course I'm hard on myself," Slafkovsky said. "I think that's my mentality, but sometimes I think I have to be more calm and more chill."For all his challenges, Slafkovsky is also having a blast early in his NHL career."It's funny, I was calling my friends and saying, 'Hey, I play against (Sidney) Crosby tonight,'" a smiling Slafkovsky said. "Two days before, it was, 'I play against (Alex) Ovechkin tonight.'"It's like a dream, like NHL on PS4 or whatever in real life. It's really nice, I really enjoy every second I'm on the ice."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The NHL salary cap could see a sizable increase earlier than expected.Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday that the escrow balance is likely to be paid off by the players at the end of this season, and if it is, the salary cap will increase by around $4 million this summer, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.The latest report before the season projected a $1-million increase for next season for a cap ceiling of $83.5 million, which Bettman confirmed will still happen if the escrow balance isn't fully paid off by the players.The report also projected a cap ceiling of around $88 million in 2024-25 and $92 million in 2025-26. It's unclear how the potential spike in 2023-24 would affect future seasons.The NHL salary cap was stuck at $81.5 million for the last three seasons due to lost revenues from the COVID-19 pandemic. It rose to $82.5 million for 2022-23.Before the pandemic, the salary cap rose every season from 2013-14 until 2019-20.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will sit out one game for high-sticking Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs on Monday night.Kuznetsov caught Burroughs up high after the Canucks blue-liner pushed the Washington center away from the loose puck following a Kuznetsov scoring chance in the second period of the Capitals' 6-4 win.The officials handed Kuznetsov a minor penalty, and Burroughs remained in the game.Kuznetsov was suspended three games for inappropriate conduct in 2019 after testing positive for cocaine while playing for Russia at the World Championship. The IIHF banned him from international play for four years.The 30-year-old has been fined two other times for on-ice incidents. He forfeited $5,000 for high-sticking then-Florida Panthers forward Noel Acciari in May, and he paid $2,000 for diving in 2017.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's another busy night in the NHL with eight games scheduled Tuesday.Let's take a closer look at a couple of home sides worth backing.Flyers (+240) @ Lightning (-290)The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a surprising 2-0 start, but don't let that fool you: they haven't played overly well.While the effort is there under new head coach John Tortorella, it's only going to take the team so far. The Flyers still severely lack talent and depth, which is why their underlying process leaves a lot to be desired so far.They've controlled only 41% of the expected goals share at five-on-five. That slots them ahead of only the Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, and Columbus Blue Jackets - not great company.Philadelphia grades out even worse in terms of high-danger chances; their share sits just above 30%. On a per-minute basis, they rank bottom five in high-danger chances against.That spells trouble against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts have generated almost 13 high-danger chances per 60 at five-on-five, which is a high-end clip. They should be able to get quality looks in bulk against Philadelphia and have the talent to take advantage.Tampa's off to a disappointing 1-2 start but all three games were played on the road. One was against a tough opponent in the Rangers, and the club played in Pittsburgh with Brian Elliott between the pipes.I like the Lightning's chances of rebounding at home against a Flyers team that is playing over its head early. Beyond the puck line, backing the Lighting to win the first period at +110 is also an intriguing option.Bet: Lightning -1.5 (-120)Ducks (+160) @ Devils (-190)Both teams enter play with losing records but the underlying numbers tell drastically different stories of where they're at.The Ducks have been a disaster defensively, allowing expected goals at a higher clip than all but the Coyotes at five-on-five. They're giving up chances in bulk each and every night, translating to 17 goals against through three games.Meanwhile, the Devils are winless, too, but they've done a lot of good. They've actually controlled better than 70% of the expected goals share at five-on-five, dominating the run of play.They haven't been able to convert that into a win because of horrific goaltending. The Devils own a .780 team save percentage in the early going.For perspective, the Ducks are averaging nearly six goals against per night and their save percentage sits slightly below .870. That's a drastic difference.Half-decent goaltending should be enough to get the Devils in the win column thanks to how efficiently they're generating chances and how poorly the Ducks are preventing them.Look for New Jersey to exploit a poor defensive side playing its third road game in four nights.Bet: Devils in regulation (-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.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe wanted more from his top players during his side's dramatic 4-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night."Our best people have not found their rhythm," Keefe told reporters postgame.He added: "The difference between us and Arizona is that we have elite players. And our elite players didn't play like elite players today, they couldn't make a difference. In that sense, the game is going to be close. That's the way it goes when those guys don't make the difference that they can."The contest had no shortage of frustrating moments for Keefe's side, which was booed off the ice at Scotiabank Arena as the buzzer sounded at the end of the second period.Toronto entered the final frame down 2-0 thanks to goals from former Maple Leaf Nick Ritchie and Christian Fischer. To make matters worse, the Leafs' power-play unit - which was the best in the league last season - failed to register a shot in its first four opportunities.The tide began to turn in Toronto's favor with seven minutes remaining in the contest: William Nylander scored on the man advantage, and Mitch Marner potted his first goal of the season 24 seconds later.Shayne Gostisbehere helped the Coyotes regain the lead with a late power-play goal, but the drama didn't end there. The Maple Leafs thought Alexander Kerfoot knotted things up again with just under 40 seconds left in regulation, but the officials disallowed the tally after the situation room determined there was a missed game-stoppage because of a hand pass from defenseman Morgan Rielly.Here's the situation room's explanation of the controversial call:

Three games into the season, the Vancouver Canucks are already pulling out all the stops to try and get back on track.The Canucks held a players-only meeting following Monday's 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals, head coach Bruce Boudreau said postgame.Vancouver set a dubious mark in the defeat, becoming the first team in NHL history to lose its first three games of the season while blowing multi-goal leads in each contest, per Sportsnet.GameOpponentLeadFinal score1Oilers3-05-32Flyers2-03-23Capitals4-26-4"I keep saying we have to learn from it, but enough's enough," said captain Bo Horvat postgame.Boudreau believes his team's inability to close out games is due to its poor mentality."I think right now, 'mentally weak' would be a good assessment," Boudreau said. "When you're on a roll, you're waiting for good things to happen. When you're in something like this, you're waiting for something bad to happen."Horvat echoed his coach's comments, calling Vancouver's performances "unacceptable.""We can't be mentally weak, either. … It feels like we're getting down on ourselves when they score one," Horvat said. "We still had the lead. It's how we bounce back the next shift. When they get another one, you get down on yourselves even more - and you can't do that in this league."Boudreau acknowledged improvements are also needed with the penalty kill, which allowed the Capitals' power play to convert twice. Vancouver's penalty kill is operating at just 50% on the season, allowing six goals on 12 opportunities."There’s definitely something wrong," Boudreau said. "I must have the wrong guys out there, because they're scoring in the first 15 seconds all the time."Penalty-killing woes aren't a new development for the Canucks, who ranked 30th in the league in that department a year ago at 74.9%."We got great penalty killers in this room," Horvat said. "I have full faith in this team that we're going to bounce back from this, and it starts tomorrow night."Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have a rare, jam-packed Monday slate in the NHL, with 18 of the league's 32 teams set to take the ice.Let's take a look at a side - and a couple props - worth backing.Avalanche (-120) @ Wild (+100)Between Gabriel Landeskog's injury and the departures of Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, the Colorado Avalanche are missing a lot of firepower from last year's team, and it's shown in the early going - at least at five-on-five.Through two games, they've generated only 1.84 expected goals per 60, which is the fifth-lowest output in the league. Small sample size, of course, but the Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, and San Jose Sharks are not teams you want to be keeping company with.Colorado's offensive struggles aren't necessarily surprising. The club simply doesn't have much quality depth up front and is too top-heavy as a result. And while I have no doubt the Avalanche will continue to win more than their fair share of games, I like the Minnesota Wild in this spot.Minnesota's scored nine goals through two games but is yet to win. Its defense is getting a lot of heat - and there have been some breakdowns - but the team's conceded 10 goals on only 44 shots at five-on-five. If Marc-Andre Fleury were playing at a remotely competent level, that number would be cut in at least half.Even if age is finally catching up to Fleury, it's fair to expect better numbers moving forward.I think the Wild have largely played better than their 0-2 record - they're eighth in expected goals share at five-on-five - and expect them to rebound at home against an Avs team still adjusting to life without a few key forwards.Bet: Wild (+100)Auston Matthews over 4.5 shots (-116)Matthews is one of the sport's best volume shooters. He averaged slightly under five shots per game last season, coming in at a whopping 4.8.No. 34 has picked up exactly where he left off to start the season, piling up 17 shots through three games and recording five or more shots each time out.I expect that trend to continue against the Arizona Coyotes. He'll get favorable matchups against a horrendous, tanking Coyotes team that ranks last in shots against per game in the early going.Matthews generated five shots in each meeting against the Coyotes a season ago and should have no problem getting there once again.Jake Guentzel over 3.5 shots (-105)Jake Guentzel has been a shooting machine early this season, having amassed a ridiculous 20 shot attempts through two games.Alongside Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh's top line has dominated its opponents and tilted the ice almost every time over the boards.I'm not sure that's going to change against the Canadiens. The Habs have had their lunch handed to them at five-on-five, where they've controlled only 40% of the expected goals share (30th).They're not much better at killing penalties, sitting 29th in attempts against per minute so far.Guentzel is the team's biggest shooting threat at evens - and on the power play - and stands to benefit most from such an enticing matchup.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.

Every team is off and skating, but through as few as one game or as many as four, is there anything to be sure of when it comes to any team? Of course not. Three-goal leads have evaporated and upsets have occurred. Any rush to judgment is probably foolish, at least relative to prior expectations.We had a prior perception of every team. They weren't all equally valued before the season, so a particularly good or bad first week of the season shouldn't change much in our overall ratings. Season point total markets suggested teams like the Blue Jackets, Sharks, and Blackhawks weren't going to be good, so those three starting with a collective 0-9 record and minus-24 goal margin doesn't change anything. However, neither does a rough couple of games for teams like the Canucks, Devils, and Wild. Modest expectations shouldn't be thrown away due to an easily reversible negative goal margin.We'll stick with our priors for all teams and wait for more in-season metrics to pile up before making even the slightest change.The recipeWe started the season by using regular-season point totals as a baseline for rating teams, as it remains the best measurement we have. Over the course of the season, we'll start adjusting team ratings using our on-ice metrics of choice to remove the cognitive bias of win-loss records. Since that can be skewed by various outliers like special teams results, poor goaltending performances, and other unreliable events like three-on-three overtime and the shootout.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 and will make a best-guess on an injured player's impact on his team's win probability.When the games' 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. At some point between market open and puck drop, there's a possibility that a moneyline moves into a range where it's betable as well.DATEGAMETRUE MLPRICE TO BETOct. 17VAN@WSH+120/-120VAN +141/WSH -115FLA@BOS-105/+105FLA +105/BOS +116ANA@NYR+166/-166ANA +197/NYR -159PIT@MTL-160/+160PIT -153/MTL +190ARI@TOR+283/-283ARI +353/TOR -269LAK@DET-114/+114LAK -110/DET +135COL@MIN-107/+107COL +103/MIN +118WPG@DAL+132/-132WPG +156/DAL -127CAR@SEA-137/+137CAR -132/SEA +162Oct. 18ANA@NJD+165/-165ANA +197/NJD -158VAN@CBJ-104/+104VAN +106/CBJ +115BOS@OTT+111/-111BOS +123/OTT +100PHI@TB+211/-211PHI +255/TB -201SJS@NYI+158/-158SJS +188/NYI -152VGK@CGY+131/-131VGK +155/CGY -126BUF@EDM+192/-192BUF +230/EDM -184LAK@NSH+140/-140LAK +165/NSH -134Oct. 19PHI@FLA+297/-297PHI +372/FLA -282WPG@COL+181/-181WPG +217/COL -174STL@SEA-121/+121STL -117/SEA +143Oct. 20NSH@CBJ-139/+139NSH -133/CBJ +164WSH@OTT-103/+103WSH +107/OTT +114ARI@MTL+129/-129ARI +152/MTL -124SJS@NYR+178/-178SJS +212/NYR -170DAL@TOR+145/-145DAL +171/TOR -139ANA@BOS+163/-163ANA +194/BOS -156LAK@PIT+126/-126LAK +148/PIT -121NJD@NYI+117/-117NJD +137/NYI -112VAN@MIN+135/-135VAN +159/MIN -129CAR@EDM+112/-112CAR +132/EDM -108BUF@CGY+195/-195BUF +235/CGY -187WPG@VGK+167/-167WPG +199/VGK -160Oct. 21TB@FLA+125/-125TB +147/FLA -120DET@CHI-120/+120DET -116/CHI +142SEA@COL+216/-216SEA +261/COL -206Oct. 22SJS@NJD+156/-156SJS +185/NJD -149MIN@BOS+109/-109MIN +121/BOS +101STL@EDM+127/-127STL +150/EDM -122ARI@OTT+173/-173ARI +206/OTT -166PIT@CBJ-154/+154PIT -147/CBJ +182NYI@TB+115/-115NYI +136/TB -111DAL@MTL-141/+141DAL -135/MTL +166TOR@WPG-125/+125TOR -120/WPG +147LAK@WSH+109/-109LAK +120/WSH +102PHI@NSH+183/-183PHI +219/NSH -175COL@VGK-114/+114COL -110/VGK +134CAR@CGY+114/-114CAR +134/CGY -110BUF@VAN+154/-154BUF +183/VAN -148Oct. 23SEA@CHI-114/+114SEA -110/CHI +135CBJ@NYR+244/-244CBJ +299/NYR -232ANA@DET+122/-122ANA +144/DET -117NYI@FLA+190/-190NYI +229/FLA -182SJS@PHI+109/-109SJS +120/PHI +102Matt 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 Washington Capitals have signed unrestricted free-agent winger Sonny Milano to a one-year contract worth $750,000, the team announced Sunday.Washington will place Milano on waivers for assignment to the AHL's Hershey Bears.The 26-year-old was in training camp with the Calgary Flames on a professional tryout, but he didn't make the team.Milano spent last season with the Anaheim Ducks, tallying 14 goals and 20 assists in 66 games. His underlying numbers were stellar, too: Evolving-Hockey.comSelected 16th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014, Milano has registered 36 goals and 45 assists in 197 career NHL games between Columbus and Anaheim.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Edmonton Oilers have only played two games this season, but head coach Jay Woodcroft is already concerned about their performance following a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday."We're not near where we're capable of," the Edmonton bench boss said postgame of his team's five-on-five play after the Oilers dug themselves an early hole for the second straight contest."I'm not going to put a percentage on it or anything like that, but certainly there are areas we've got to get better at, and we've got to get better at (them) quickly," Woodcroft continued. "I think the teams that are finding some early success in this young year, they're the ones that are a little bit cleaner and a little bit more assertive in their own end."Leon Draisaitl pointed to his club's slow starts as an area in which it needs to improve."You can't spot a team three goals in back-to-back nights, so it's something that we have to address, obviously," Draisaitl said. Woodcroft pulled goaltender Jack Campbell after he allowed four goals in under 11 minutes to begin the contest, but Draisaitl was quick to shift any blame away from the netminder."No, that's on us. That has nothing to do with him," the star forward said. "He was amazing the other night. This is 100% on us."Edmonton fell behind by three goals Saturday for the second time in four nights after overcoming a 3-0 deficit in a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. This time, the Oilers trailed 4-1 after 20 minutes in a game that was far more lopsided than its final score suggested.The Flames held a 16-11 edge in shots on goal after the first period, but the underlying numbers showed it was much worse for Edmonton. Calgary dominated the opening frame in terms of Corsi For percentage (62.96 to 37.04), scoring chances for percentage (58.33 to 31.67), and expected goals for percentage (70.6 to 29.4), according to Natural Stat Trick.Flames forward Mikael Backlund was left wide-open in the slot when he buried the game's first goal less than two minutes in. Under seven minutes later, Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak fell over and allowed Nazem Kadri to score uncontested. Andrew Mangiapane added Calgary's fourth tally less than a few minutes after that.Edmonton is off until Tuesday night when the team will host the Buffalo Sabres before facing the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues, and Pittsburgh Penguins in consecutive contests.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller's lucrative seven-year, $56-million extension doesn't kick in until next season, but neither he or the team have started the 2022-23 campaign the way they expected to."I've been on for all eight f------ goals (against)," Miller said after the Canucks fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Saturday for their second loss in as many games. "Pretty frustrated."He added, "I'm just disappointed. I'm not trying to make this about me, but I'm not going to sit here and talk about how bad we played when I can't even lead by example right now. ... I feel like I'm a little irrelevant and being on the ice for every goal, I don't know what to say."The Canucks led 2-0 after the first period Saturday, but ultimately surrendered three unanswered goals, with forward Travis Konecny delivering the dagger late in the final frame.The contest followed a similar pattern to Vancouver's season-opening defeat against Edmonton on Wednesday: The Canucks held a 3-0 edge but the Oilers stormed back with five straight tallies to complete the comeback.Between the two losses, the Canucks have blown a multi-goal lead in back-to-back games to start a season for the first time in franchise history, according to Sportsnet Stats.With Miller on the ice, the Canucks have been outscored 8-3 at all strengths, and they've only managed to control 16.7% of the expected goals and 15.4% of the scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. Leading up to the Flyers' game-tying shorthanded goal in the second period, Miller had trouble corralling a bouncing puck.Head coach Bruce Boudreau said he's spoken to his exasperated forward, who also vowed to become a "better player" amid his early struggles."I think (Miller) is making a good assessment. ... But I know he's a great player, I know he's gonna get better," Boudreau said. "He's having a little bit of a rough time right now."He added, "It is a straight bottom line when your best players aren't your best players, then you're in trouble any night. I don't think they've been our best players yet."Miller, 29, paced the Canucks with 99 points in 80 games last season. He has one goal and one assist through two games in 2022-23.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Saturday's clash against the Buffalo Sabres marked Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk's first bout against one of his new Atlantic Division rivals, and the talented pest predictably made a lasting impression."There's some guys over there I'll be playing against for the next eight-plus years," Tkachuk said following his team's 4-3 victory, according to The Associated Press' John Wawrow. "Especially with some of the stuff that happened at the end that they did, we'll remember that for a while."Tkachuk drew the ire of Sabres winger Alex Tuch after he made a low hit on defenseman Henri Jokiharju late in the opening period. Then, after the final buzzer sounded, multiple Sabres, including Tuch and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, went after Tkachuk in a fiery scrum as boos rained down from those in attendance at the KeyBank Center."That's the type of hockey he's gonna play. I knew it," Tuch said of Tkachuk's antics. "You know what, it's something that he wants to bring to the table. I'd say a lot of us don't really want to give him the time of day, but sometimes you've gotta stick up for your teammates."Sometimes it's good, and then other times, just let him kind of run around out there and take himself out of the play sometimes."The testy contest featured a parade of players from both sides heading to the box. The Panthers saw six opportunities on the man advantage and potted two power-play goals while the Sabres failed to score on four chances.Tkachuk chipped in with a goal and an assist on Brandon Montour's tally, which ultimately stood as the game-winner.Buffalo head coach Don Granato said he "loved" what he saw from his side and that many of the Sabres were "pissed off" about the outcome of the game."For us, (Tkachuk's) a competitive guy. When you get ultra-competitive guys, you're forced to respond. ... I think today, at times, we had to respond," Granato said. "But we have guys that will start initiating now based on now going through something like that one time. (It) pisses them off enough that they won't have to respond. We got a lot of guys that will be initiating more and more."He added, "I can't wait to play that team again. ... There's a fire in our guys that burned, burned hotter every moment in that game."The Panthers and Sabres will meet again in Buffalo on Jan. 16, followed by two more contests in Florida on Feb. 24 and April 4.Tkachuk, 24, became the Eastern Conference's problem after the Calgary Flames traded him to the Panthers in July. He's currently playing out the first season of an eight-year, $76-million pact.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Matt Murray will miss at least four weeks with an adductor injury and has been placed on long-term injured reserve, the team announced Saturday.Murray suffered the ailment during Saturday's morning skate.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' already precarious goaltending situation became even more uncertain Saturday.Matt Murray left the team's morning skate with an apparent injury mere hours before the third game of the season.

Few fans would have predicted Friday's clash between the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings to be a goalie battle, but it featured stellar performances from Jake Allen and Ville Husso.The Habs were on the losing side of it despite a heroic 37-save effort from Allen, but his performance didn't go unappreciated by his teammates."(Allen) was so good, oh my God," Canadiens forward Rem Pitlick told reporters postgame. "(Head coach) Marty (St. Louis) came in here and thanked him. He was really on, and he kept it close for us, that's for sure."The contest was tighter than the 3-0 score would suggest. The Red Wings potted a pair of empty-netters to keep the Canadiens out of reach in the final moments of the game.However, the contest looked like it could have turned into a blowout early on: Allen made a franchise-record-tying 25 saves in the first period, but the game remained scoreless until Red Wings rookie Elmer Soderblom broke the stalemate early in the third period."I don't know if we can say that it was a good game," Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said. "I think we couldn't match their intensity early, and they were kind of on us for the first period-and-a-half, probably. We relied heavily on Jake Allen to stand on his head, and we want to do better than that."Husso was no slouch at the other end of the ice, either. He pitched a 29-save shutout, but he certainly had the easier night of the two netminders. The Red Wings controlled 74.2% of the scoring chances, 87.5% of the high-danger chances, and 79.8% of the expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.One of Allen's most eye-popping efforts came in the second period when he made a flashy stick save on Andrew Copp, but the veteran netminder cheekily said that play isn't typically in his toolbox."There's no words to describe that. I think he fumbled the puck a little bit; it rolled on him," Allen said. "It sort of just hit my stick. So, definitely not something in my recipe book."Allen was also solid during the Canadiens' season-opening 4-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.Next up for Montreal is a matchup against the Washington Capitals on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson is expected to miss eight weeks due to an abdominal muscle strain, the team announced Thursday.The Canadiens placed Matheson on injured reserve and recalled blue-liner Corey Schueneman from the AHL. Matheson didn't dress for Wednesday's season-opening win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.Montreal acquired Matheson and a 2023 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling in July.Matheson, 28, ranked second among Penguins defensemen with 31 points in 74 games while averaging almost 19 minutes of ice time per contest last season.His absence makes the Canadiens' blue line even thinner, as Joel Edmundson remains out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.Here's how the Canadiens lined up on the back end during their 4-3 victory against the Maple Leafs:LDRDKaiden GuhleDavid SavardJordan HarrisJohnny KovacevicArber XhekajChris WidemanMontreal's minus-98 goal differential was the second-worst in the league in 2021-22, ahead of only the Arizona Coyotes.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Travis Sanheim to an eight-year extension carrying an average annual value of $6.25 million, the team announced Thursday.The 26-year-old is under contract for $4.67 million this season before the extension begins in 2023-24."We're extremely happy to have Travis under long-term contract and see him as a key piece of our team's future," general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "Travis has improved each season to become a highly reliable player and key contributor on our blue line. Furthermore, he is someone who has developed his entire career with us and has grown into a valuable leader for our team."The 6-foot-3 blue-liner recorded 31 points in 80 games last season while averaging 22:58 per contest. He's posted stellar underlying metrics over the last three seasons, particularly at even strength. Evolving-Hockey.comSanheim has spent his entire career with the Flyers after being selected 17th overall in 2014.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Columbus Blue Jackets star Patrik Laine will miss three-to-four weeks after spraining his elbow in Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.The injury occurred early in the second period when a forechecking Laine became tangled up with Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce. Laine's right arm appeared to be pinned against the boards at an awkward angle during the collision.Laine finished his shift but was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

We have our first big slate of the season on the docket Thursday night, as 20 of the league's 32 teams are set for action.Let's take a closer look at a couple of sides and a player prop worth backing.Devils (-139) @ Flyers (+115)The Flyers were an absolute disaster last campaign, winning more games than only the Canadiens.I don't see things going much better this time around. Philadelphia enters the season with one of the league's most flawed rosters.The Flyers finished 31st in goals scored in 2021-22, and that was with Claude Giroux spending most of the campaign on the roster. The club didn't adequately replace him - or even really try - as fourth-line enforcer Nic Deslauriers was the most lucrative addition up front.While Philadelphia has a few solid forward pieces, it lacks game-breaking talent and depth. Scoring is likely to be a problem against a Devils team that ranked 14th in expected goals against per 60 minutes over the previous campaign. New Jersey also improved its blueline with John Marino and Brendan Smith replacing Ty Smith and P.K. Subban.On the flip side, this is a good spot for the Devils' offense to hit the ground running. The Flyers struggled mightily in their own zone last season, slotting 30th in xGA/60. They conceded a ton of chances, and Tony DeAngelo, who tends to be a liability in his own zone, isn't going to change that.Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Ondrej Palat, and New Jersey's dangerous forward group should cause Philadelphia all kinds of problems.The effort will undoubtedly be there for the Flyers under new head coach John Tortorella. However, I don't see enough talent to keep up with a Devils squad that seems poised to surprise in 2022-23.Bet: Devils (-139)Coyotes (+300) @ Penguins (-400)The Coyotes were an unmitigated disaster last season, ranking dead last in goals scored and 30th in goals against.Realizing the long rebuild ahead to get this team where it needs to be, Arizona didn't really add anybody in the offseason. Arguably its most notable transaction was taking on Zack Kassian from the Oilers in a salary-cap dump.The Coyotes are going to be very, very bad once again, and I don't think it'll take long for that to show.The Penguins are a talented, veteran-heavy team that has dealt with an abundance of injuries for what feels like years. Games with a full lineup have come few and far between, so they'll surely be looking to take advantage of the opportunity at hand and start on a high note.In a game in which Pittsburgh's puck line sits at 2.5 goals - albeit at plus money - I'm happy to back them to win the first period at near even money.Bet: Penguins 1st period -0.5 (-105)Tage Thompson over 3.5 shots (+130)Thompson was a priority target for me for much of last season, especially when playing on home ice.The powerful center was a shooting machine in Buffalo, averaging 3.6 shots per game while generating at least four shots in 23 of 39 contests (59%).The Senators are an improved side, but that stems from the firepower the team added up front. Their defense remains very shaky and can still be exploited by players of Thompson's caliber.Win or lose, look for him to generate shots in bulk in what should be a high-scoring affair.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.

Eric Zweig, the hockey author and historian, was 10 years old the Christmas that his parents gave him a miniature replica of the Stanley Cup. The words inscribed on the trophy are tiny, but he was able to read them as a kid."That was the first time I'd ever heard of the Kenora Thistles," Zweig said.The gift stoked a lifelong fascination with the subject of Zweig's latest book. "Engraved in History: The Story of the Stanley Cup Champion Kenora Thistles" introduces readers to an obscure champ - the speedy band of childhood friends from northern Ontario who claimed the title in 1907.The Thistles represented a mining and lumber town of a few thousand people that was an outlier even in its era. With almost no exceptions, every Stanley Cup winner going back to 1893 hails from a current NHL city. Powerhouse lineups from Ottawa and Montreal traded Cup victories, except for when Kenora won it in enthralling matchups that redefined what hockey could look like."So much about hockey today, even the up-tempo style of play, can be traced to that (1907) Stanley Cup over a century ago," Ron MacLean wrote in the foreword to "Engraved in History," which was released nationally this week via Rat Portage Press.MacLean added, "No story is smaller, which of course is what makes it so big."The Thistles leveraged the sport's bygone quirks to their advantage. They were an amateur team whose top player, Tommy Phillips, lost the ends of three fingers in a lumbering mishap, yet he remained brilliant at stickhandling and shooting. Forward passes were banned, but rather than dump the puck and punt possession under pressure, Kenora's defensemen preferred to hold onto it to orchestrate a rush.The Thistles faced Manitoba competition because of Kenora's proximity to Winnipeg, a shipping hub that sent Prairie grain eastward at the turn of the century and moved farm equipment in the other direction. Winters were frigid, so the region's many good athletes were always on the ice. Phillips and his teammates rowed in the offseason, enhancing their endurance at a time when substitutions were rare."Art Ross would talk about it a lot: Tommy Phillips was the kind of guy who could be just as fresh at the end of 60 minutes as he was when the game started," Zweig said. "Their fitness levels were better, and it was hard for people to keep up. And even if they tired out - by then, you're tired, we're tired, but we've already scored four goals."Art Ross (in black coat) played for Kenora in 1907 and won the Stanley Cup as Boston Bruins coach, shown here, in 1939. Bettmann / Getty ImagesThe Stanley Cup was awarded in challenge series back then: The holder was compelled to face league champions from elsewhere in Canada both during and at the end of the season. The Thistles got to vie for it in 1903 and 1905, falling to the dynastic Ottawa Silver Seven on both occasions.Ottawa was a skilled, violent squad led by Frank McGee, the Alex Ovechkin of his era to Phillips' Sidney Crosby. McGee was blind in his left eye and famed for scoring 14 goals in an earlier Cup game. He jabbed and broke Si Griffis' nose in the second Thistles series, then tallied a hat trick and the late winner in the deciding contest.Knowing they were fast enough to trouble top teams, the Thistles added ringers from a Manitoba rival - Ross and fellow future NHLer "Bad" Joe Hall - to try to dethrone the Montreal Wanderers in January 1907. They missed a connecting train en route to the series that wound up being rear-ended and wrecked.Spared disaster, Phillips guaranteed victory in the series to a Winnipeg sportswriter, then netted Kenora's four goals in a Game 1 win. One was sensational. Per a newspaper report that Zweig found, Phillips sidestepped most of the Wanderers while crossing the ice with the puck and wired a pinpoint shot from the right wing.Game 2 was electric. Montreal erased a 6-2 deficit before Griffis, carrying the puck from end to end, forced two saves and passed to Roxy Beaudro for the tap-in that clinched the title for the Thistles."I'm sure they just thought: 'Oh, we are the champions.' Maybe they got cocky and sat on (the lead) a little bit," Zweig said. "But it must have been tremendously exciting. I would love to have been at that game."Kenora's reign as Cup victor lasted nine weeks. Ross and Hall returned to the Brandon Wheat City club, but the Thistles swept Brandon in the Manitoba playoffs in mid-March. Montreal visited the next week and outscored Kenora in a two-game rematch, prevailing on aggregate to head home with the chalice."(The Thistles) played four games against the Wanderers and won three of them. But that's only enough to win a series and lose a series," Zweig said. "If that's a best-of-seven series, they're up 3-1 at that point. Which never gets talked about, because it just wasn't a possibility at that time."Courtesy of Rat Portage Press The dissolution of the Thistles was imminent. Most guys on the roster quit hockey or left town in the offseason, hoping to make career headway in a bigger city. A scarcely recognizable Kenora lineup lost by double digits in the 1907-08 season opener. The team folded without playing another league game.More than a century later, Zweig compares the Thistles to the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s. An unstoppable offense powered that franchise to several championships before it traded Wayne Gretzky for cash."Edmonton's not small like Kenora's small, but by NHL standards, it's tiny," Zweig said. "It's a small, sort of underdog town playing a style of hockey that people haven't seen before. And winning. And then going: Well, we can't really afford to keep this team together."The arc of Kenora's rise and fall raises what-ifs. Had the Thistles matured quickly enough to beat Ottawa in 1905, Zweig said, they might have held onto the Cup for three seasons. Instead, they inspired the concept of a trade deadline: Cup trustees in 1908 banned the last-minute additions of ringers like Ross and Hall.The Thistles didn't endure, but the prize they won did."The Super Bowl trophy is a cool-looking trophy, but it has no real history and they make a new one every year. The World Series trophy is a kind of dopey-looking trophy and they make a new one every year," Zweig said. "But the Stanley Cup, even though it's been remodeled and redone and there are different versions of it, in a sense, it's the very same trophy that goes back to 1893 and 1907.""The history of this game is something we in Canada still attach ourselves to," he added. "It's all part of the link. And I think the fact that one small town did win is a neat part in that link."Nick Faris is a features writer at theScore.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe was not thrilled with his team's performance in a season-opening loss against the rival Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.Although the Leafs only held one lead in the game after Michael Bunting opened the scoring, they allowed two goals in the final three minutes, including the game-winner with 19 seconds remaining.Keefe was particularly upset with his club's defensive play."It was early season sloppiness, but I don’t expect that. For everything our team has been through together, it’s unacceptable," Keefe said, according to Postmedia's Terry Koshan. "We have to be way more responsible."The Leafs were credited with 11 giveaways compared to the Canadiens' 23, but a handful of them were very costly, ending up in the back of Toronto's net."Careless," Keefe continued. "I expect more, our group should expect more. Not good enough. We deserved to lose."Keefe did not pin the blame on goaltender Matt Murray, though, who allowed four goals on 23 shots in his Leafs debut."I thought our guys hung him out to dry," Keefe said.Toronto won't have to wait long to get a chance to right the ship, as the team's back in action Thursday against the Washington Capitals.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Montreal Canadiens have known for a few months that Carey Price probably wouldn't play during the 2022-23 campaign due to longstanding knee injuries, but the veteran goaltender isn't sure that he'll ever be able to resume his playing career."My knee still isn't doing great. Like, I'm still not walking up a set of stairs pain-free yet," Price told The Athletic's Arpon Basu. "I still don't feel like my knee's in a place where I'm going to be able to play hockey. ... It's not a great-looking outlook as far as a hockey career when you're struggling to get up and down stairs."So, I'm just trying to stay positive and just trying to get my body to a place where I'm healthy enough to be pain-free in my day-to-day. That's kind of my main priority right now."Price, 35, underwent knee surgery in the summer of 2021 following his stellar performance during the Habs' run to the Stanley Cup Final. As a result, he wasn't able to make his 2021-22 season debut until mid-April and was limited to five games.However, Price hasn't totally run out of possibilities. One option is a surgery called osteochondral autograft transfer (OAT), which Price likened to Tommy John elbow surgery.Price said the doctor who suggested the procedure told him the success rate is around 75% or lower, defining success as living a normal life rather than resuming a professional athletic career, and that he'd be unlikely to propose it if Price wasn't trying to play hockey again.The franchise legend added that it isn't just his knee that's bothering him; he said he also has issues with his hip, ankle, and back.Price has garnered a variety of accolades throughout his 15-year NHL career, including the Vezina Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.He has yet to capture a Stanley Cup championship, though."Yeah, I still have a desire to play the game. ... I still want to win, you know?" Price said. "So there's a little bit of unfinished business there, but I'm also looking at it like, what kind of damage would I do to my knee if I didn't do the surgery and I tried to play again?"Well, I've been told that I can do some pretty serious damage to my knee if I were to do that. And I'm not really looking to have a knee replacement done in five years."He's expected to meet with the media next week, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said, according to TSN. Price will be in attendance for the Canadiens' season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Michael Bunting is willing to negotiate a contract extension with the club during the 2022-23 campaign, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox."I’m a Toronto boy," Bunting said. "I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home."Bunting signed a two-year, $1.9-million contract with Toronto prior to last season after breaking into the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes. He's scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at season's end but is eligible to sign a new deal at any time.Formal contract talks haven't begun, but the Leafs and Bunting's camp could look at an eight-year deal to help keep the player's annual cap hit down, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reports.Bunting was an immediate fit during his debut season in Toronto, carving out a spot on the Leafs' top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. He ultimately led all NHL rookies in scoring with 63 points in 79 games.The 27-year-old is one of nine Maple Leafs playing on an expiring contract this season. Despite the glut of players in need of new deals, all eyes in Toronto will be on reigning Hart Trophy winner Matthews, who'll become eligible to sign an extension when free agency opens in 2023.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

We have the first big slate of the NHL season on our hands Wednesday, with 12 of the 32 teams set to take the ice.Let's take a look at a couple of teams and a player worth backing.Maple Leafs (-263) @ Canadiens (+210)This has the potential to be the night's most lopsided game. Last season, the Maple Leafs won the Grade A chance battle 66-33 against the Canadiens, and that was in a year the latter entered with the hopes of being competitive.That's clearly not the plan for the Canadiens this year. They're embracing a full-fledged rebuild, as evidenced by them taking on some bad contracts and icing one of the worst defense cores you'll see on an opening-night roster.There are some young defenders with potential. However, the reality is there will be plenty of growing pains along the way, and Montreal doesn't have much in the way of quality, veteran blue-liners to help bring them along.That's a recipe for disaster, especially against these Maple Leafs. In 2021-22, they ranked second in goals per minute and third in expected goals per minute, across all game states. They also posted the highest scoring chance share in the NHL.The Canadiens, meanwhile, rank 31st in chance share - only ahead of the Coyotes - and enter this season with aspirations of winning a lottery pick.If Jake Allen is anything less than spectacular, this game probably won't be close.Bet: Maple Leafs -1.5 (-114)Kraken (+102) @ Ducks (-125)The Kraken were a huge disappointment in their inaugural season. I don't think they'll make the playoffs this year, either, but I like their potential to surprise and hang around.They were defensively solid last season. In fact, they ranked fifth in scoring chances against per minute, sandwiched between the Wild and Avalanche.Horrendous goaltending - and the inability to erase any deficit with a lifeless offense - proved too much for them to overcome.While I'm still not sold on the goaltending, I do like the defense, and there's reason to believe they can be a much better offensive side.The additions of efficient five-on-five producers like Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand provide them with a lot more scoring punch on the wings. Top prospect Matty Beniers also seems ready for prime time, which gives the Kraken three quality weapons they didn't have for most - or all - of last season.Those players also push other players into roles more suitable for their skill sets. The Kraken are much deeper up front and the defense remains strong.If they can get anywhere close to average goaltending, they should be a good team.While the Ducks should also be improved, I'm not sold on them. They don't have many play-drivers or competent two-way players.I think they'll be on their heels a lot in this game, and the Kraken's new-look offense should be able to take advantage.Mitch Marner over 2.5 shots (-150)Mitch Marner is more of a playmaker than a shooter, but he made a concerted effort to put more pucks on net last season, and it showed, especially down the stretch.Marner quietly piled up the shots on a nightly basis, ranking top 30 in shots from Jan. 1 onward.He registered at least three in 21 of his final 30 regular-season games, good for a 70% success rate. Perhaps even more noteworthy, Marner faced the Canadiens four times a season ago and generated no fewer than four shots in any of those games.With the Canadiens expected to be one of the league's worst defensive teams this season, there's no reason Marner can't continue his shooting success on opening 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.

The Buffalo Sabres announced Wednesday that they signed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson to a seven-year extension that carries an average annual value of $4.29 million.Samuelsson tallied 10 points in 42 games with the Sabres last season. The 22-year-old has one year remaining on his entry-level contract.The long-term pact comes very early in Samuelsson's NHL career. The blue-liner has just 54 games of experience and has yet to score a goal.Samuelsson began the 2021-22 campaign in the AHL but was called up permanently in February. He quickly moved up Buffalo's lineup and is expected to begin this season alongside Rasmus Dahlin on the top pairing.The Sabres drafted Samuelsson 32nd overall in 2018.Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Alex Tuch repeats the question to give himself a second to think."On the team …" he says slowly through a toothy grin, "who are the characters?"Tuch leans back in a plastic chair inside the Buffalo Sabres' meal room at KeyBank Center. It's 8:30 a.m. on a practice day in late September. On a table sits a steamy cup of coffee - black - and a clipboard holding a half-solved USA Today crossword."Anders Bjork is a pretty big character," Tuch starts. "He's an interesting human being. I love him to death. You never know what he's gonna do or say." The 26-year-old forward continues: Ilya Lyubushkin is sneakily hilarious. Jeff Skinner is quirkier than he appears. Henri Jokiharju is loud on the ice, especially for a Finn. Rasmus Dahlin is fiery. "You catch the Swedes speaking in their native tongue because there's a few of them," Tuch says. "You're just sitting there, thinking, 'They could be chirping me right now …'"A few minutes earlier, Tuch was chirped for real about his crossword abilities: "Always needs help, always asks me," teammate Tage Thompson blurted as he shuffled by the table.Alex Tuch works on a USA Today crossword. Buffalo SabresThere's an unbound energy around the Sabres these days, and the gregarious, driven, and thoughtful Tuch - himself an unambiguous character - is at the center of it. The team's tone-setters, from general manager Kevyn Adams and head coach Don Granato to Tuch, new captain Kyle Okposo, and other members of the leadership group, are keeping the message consistent: We want growth, passion, and authenticity from everybody."Because why not?" Tuch says of the inviting vibe. "It makes life better."Tuch has strong ties to the Sabres and upstate New York. The arena opened in 1996, the same year Tuch was born. He watched his first live game five years later, making the 150-mile drive from Baldwinsville with his dad. The Tuch family was next-door neighbors to former Sabre Tim Connolly. Becoming a die-hard fan was natural.Of course, Tuch didn't cheer for the Sabres between being drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2014 and traded by the Vegas Golden Knights in late 2021. "That'd be weird," he says.Still, it was "painful" to see the fan base's frustration bubble to the point of exasperation with all the losing. "Eleven-year playoff drought. Biggest one ever," Tuch says. "It's not a minor disappointment. It's a big disappointment. It's something we're looking to change."Terry and Kim Pegula at a Buffalo Bills game in 2016. Brett Carlsen / Getty ImagesThe Sabres, established in 1970, were purchased in 2011 by billionaire Terry Pegula and his wife, Kim. At the celebratory press conference, Pegula singled out a franchise icon in the crowd. "You are my hero," an emotional Pegula told Gilbert Perreault."I want to run the team to win the Stanley Cup. So whatever that involves, I guess we've gotta figure it out," Pegula, a lifelong fan, pledged. "If I want to make some money, I'll go drill a gas well. I don't need to make it in the hockey business."The Sabres ended that first half-season under the Pegulas with 96 points and a playoff date. The Lindy Ruff-coached squad, led by sniper Thomas Vanek and star netminder Ryan Miller, lost a first-round series to the Flyers in seven games.In the years since, the Sabres have failed to reach the playoffs but also failed to offer their fans appreciable progress. They've finished at the bottom of the league standings in four of the past nine seasons, missing the postseason cut line by an average of 26.2 points a year. (It jumps to 29.1 if the 2019-20 season is excluded. Painfully, Buffalo missed the cut for the 24-team playoff bubble by three points.)Jack Eichel shakes Tim Murray's hand after signing his first contract. Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesJack Eichel, the consolation prize for the Sabres' blatant tank for Connor McDavid, was supposed to be the savior, starting in 2015-16. He thrived for stretches, but Eichel by and large was the face of the most miserable chapter in team history. Following a medical dispute, trade to Vegas, and prickly return to Buffalo, the former captain is now the opposite of a fan favorite.Asked to reflect on his time as a Sabre, Eichel recently said he harbors no hard feelings toward the organization or fan base. Behind the pouty body language and behind-the-scenes drama checkering his tenure is a simple truth: Eichel and his teammates didn't win enough. "Things didn't work out there, you just move on," he said at the NHL/NHLPA media tour. "I'm not the first person who hasn't had success in a place and gone somewhere else."Adams, named GM in June 2020, acquired Tuch, forward Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick, and a second-rounder for Eichel plus a third-rounder in a trade with the Golden Knights a little less than a year ago. Adams moved directly from the business side of the club to the corner office of hockey operations during arguably the lowest point of the playoff drought. The Pegulas, feeling the weight of the pandemic and unhappy with the on-ice product, had just started a firing spree that saw a whopping 22 people in managing, coaching, and scouting roles relieved of their duties.Nine months later, Adams canned head coach Ralph Krueger and tapped Granato, then an assistant, to take over. At the time, the rookie GM was still revamping the roster and hockey ops department to fit his vision, funneling resources into video scouting, analytics, and sports science, while trying to shift the narrative internally and externally.Kevyn Adams during the 2020 NHL Draft. Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesAdams is the ultimate everyman GM. Sure, he played 540 NHL games, but he's personable (talks about hockey in plain English), inclusive (surrounds himself with smart people), and relatable (safe clothing choices, receding hairline). Most interestingly, he's a semantics guy. In Adams parlance, the Sabres are amidst a "build" - not a "rebuild.""Why that word is so important - build - is because you're always building," Adams tells theScore in a preseason interview. "For me, the way I look at this job is that it's always moving, always evolving. Decisions you're making are challenging whether you're just starting out and getting going or you've won a Stanley Cup. You're still building. That's the mindset I wanted to make sure everyone in our organization had. And that's not just on the ice. That's within the hockey operations, that's within the business department."Intentional or not, this reframing untethers the 2022-23 Sabres, a young group with tremendous long-term potential, from past groups. Adams has spoken with coaches and players about understanding and recognizing the playoff drought, especially from the fan perspective, but not living in the past. What matters is the present moment."There's been a lot of stress in this organization and, on this organization, pressure, for the last decade," Granato says. "We all know that. Even from the outside, when you don't make the playoffs for a long time, that's going to wear on you pretty heavily."The failures wore on former forward Ryan O'Reilly, who at the end of the 2017-18 season talked openly about the Sabres being "stuck in this mindset of just being OK with losing." O'Reilly admitted he personally "lost the love of the game multiple times.""Your greatest asset," Granato says of being a coach, "is that you get to set that mood and that tone. That's No. 1 for me: to connect with your love for the game. We need our players to do that. There's lots of great places across the league, but this is an absolutely unbelievable place to take that approach. Because this is a hockey place."Zemgus Girgensons is the Sabres' longest-serving player. He was drafted by Darcy Regier in 2012 and has worked under three other GMs (Tim Murray, Jason Botterill, Adams) and six coaches (Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, Phil Housley, Krueger, Granato). The current regime, he believes, is attacking the problem from a fresh angle."Both Kevyn and Don reach you at a personal level, on a deeper level," Girgensons says. "Before it was maybe more business, and you have to do your job and perform. This is more about seeing the game a different way and finding that passion for hockey."He adds: "If you just change a coach and change a GM, and you don't change the attitude around the team, then nothing changes. It's just the people changing. So changing the attitude and the character of the room has meant a lot."Around this time last year, as summer turned into fall and the puck dropped on another hockey season, Tuch was feeling out of sorts. He struggled physically and mentally throughout the 2021 offseason after undergoing shoulder surgery, and a return to the lineup wasn't near."You like being in control," Kylie Edwards, Tuch's fiancee, says to him following an afternoon walk with Teddy, the couple's golden retriever, the work day now over."Yeah, of situations," Tuch replies with a straight face. "And being able to have a say in outcomes, I guess you could say. When I don't, it's tough."Alex Tuch outside the Sabres' dressing room. Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesTuch was confined to bed or the couch the first week after surgery. For a while, he couldn't do anything with the left side of his upper body. The tedious rehab was a grind and he hated not being able to pitch in around the couple's house in Summerlin, Nevada.Training camp was taxing in a distinct way. He attended team meetings, but worked out in the gym at a different time than everybody else. He skated, but with no stick or puck."It was physical. The mental burden, though, that wasn't that easy either," Tuch says. During his recovery, Tuch talked with sports psychologists, first in Vegas and then in Buffalo following the trade. He wanted to learn how to "go with the flow.""Something starts going wrong, and I'm like, 'OK, I have to do this, this, and this,'" Tuch says of an issue he's grappled with for years. He provides an example: "Like after a bad game, you're just constantly going over it in your head. Not being able to sleep that night because you just keep thinking about what you could have done differently."The therapy helped Tuch slow down and be "flexible" with outcomes. He emerged from this stressful period - injury, recovery, trade - less anxious and stronger than ever, Edwards says proudly.Tuch and Edwards, who's Canadian, met in early 2020 through Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore and his partner Mariana, Edwards' close friend. The couple, engaged this past March, is building a house in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence.Alex Tuch with fiancee Kylie Edwards and dog Teddy. John Matisz / theScoreSpend a few hours with Tuch and it becomes abundantly clear why Krebs once dubbed him the Golden Knights' "connections guy." His warm personality has gravitational pull."I've got some pretty cool phone contacts, to say the least," Tuch says, smiling. Rapper Lil Jon is a favorite. "I got a random FaceTime from him once. It was just hilarious. He's loud and he's a lot of fun to be around. But he's genuine. He's himself." Tuch counts magician Criss Angel, comedian Carrot Top, and quarterback Josh Allen as pals, too.Early on in his Buffalo tenure, Tuch's visited the Sabres' business office to introduce himself to random employees; attended a local marathon charity hockey game; played rock, paper, scissors with a fan during pregame warmup; hyped up Bills Mafia at a Buffalo-Pittsburgh NFL game; and started a post-win tradition of yelling "WOO!""He's comfortable in his own skin. He is who he is," Adams says. "That's the key to leadership - not being something you're not. It's about being authentic. The people around you pick up on that."Scott Montagna, Tuch's most influential minor hockey coach, wholeheartedly agrees, saying, "There's no faking Al Tuch. He's in the moment."This go-getter attitude manifests in other areas. The Tuch family charity announced this summer a $120,000 donation over three years to an upstate New York children's hospital. The AT9 Foundation supports research for pediatric cancer and helps children with special needs. "The whole world is up against these kids," Tuch says.Some of this comes naturally to Tuch, who's often described as an "old soul." In the Golden Knights dressing room, he observed how veterans Marc-Andre Fleury, Reilly Smith, and James Neal treated people in and outside the team bubble. "I got to see firsthand, each and every day, how those guys acted as pros. That's something I heard was lacking within the organization here in Buffalo - the selflessness to mentor," Tuch says. "If I take a guy out who's on an entry-level contract, he's not paying for anything. Ever."Alex Tuch on the bench at Boston College. BC AthleticsTuch made his Sabres debut in late December and immediately collected 10 points in 10 games. He slowed down, recording 28 points over his final 40 games, but nevertheless helped linemate Thompson reach his own career highs. In March and April, the Sabres posted the 13th-best points percentage in the NHL with a 16-9-3 record.Tuch possesses quick hands and a wicked shot. He's a 6-foot-4, 217-pound winger who's capable of playing in all situations. He's a world-class skater. These attributes were evident when he arrived at the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2013.But, as former NTDP coach Danton Cole recalls, young Tuch needed to "understand how big and strong he could be, and what an advantage he could have if he played a certain way." In time, Tuch understood. Then, as Boston College coach Mike Ayers explains of the next step: "He started to put some muscle on and started taking some leaps."It was skating coach Francois Methot who, in Tuch's words, "reinvented my stride" following his first season of pro hockey, which consisted of six NHL and 57 AHL games.Granato crossed paths with but didn't coach Tuch at the NTDP. The Tuch he interacts with daily now can deceive opposing defenders through an "almost disguised or hidden" acceleration. "He's in third gear, and you're gauging him defensively, and all of a sudden he hits fifth gear," Granato says. "And you're like, 'Whoa! He just skipped over one!'"Tuch isn't particularly young or old at 26, yet he's a proven playoff performer (33 points in 66 games) entering his sixth NHL season. And with that tantalizing skill set, Granato says, "he's nowhere near his potential."Don Granato pumps his fist after a win. Ben Green / Getty ImagesThe Sabres unveiled the league's youngest opening-day roster earlier this week. Nine players - or roughly 40% of the 23-man group - are age 23 or younger. Only two, forwards Okposo and Skinner, are in their 30s, and goalie Craig Anderson is 41. And their total salary commitment, $63.9 million, is barely above the league's lower limit.The Sabres' full embrace of a youth movement isn't a shot in the dark. Most of these players are ready for full-time NHL jobs, and the others deserve a fighting chance. Both The Athletic and Elite Prospects ranked Buffalo's prospect pool No. 1 among all teams.The crown jewel is Owen Power, the hulking blue-liner who last season impressed in an eight-game cameo following his first overall selection in the 2021 draft. "His potential is through the roof - his size, hockey IQ, ability to see the ice," forward Dylan Cozens says, shaking his head. "Owen's situational awareness," Granato adds, "is amazing."The buzz surrounding Power, Cozens, and other top prospects - Krebs, Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Matthew Savoie, Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, and Devon Levi - has triggered a wave of local and national optimism not felt since Eichel's sophomore season.A prevailing thought in league circles is that the cupboard is filled with so much talent, it'll be difficult to torpedo. The Sabres, then, will be a compelling case study over the next few years: they've drafted well, but can they develop those players properly and, in turn, break the drought?Tage Thompson, Owen Power, and Jeff Skinner celebrate a goal. Bill Wippert / Getty ImagesThe challenge over the next six months will be to use all this optimism as a launching pad to the next stage of the build. Success or failure won't necessarily hinge on the Sabres clinching a 2023 playoff spot in a stacked Atlantic Division. Yet the good vibes pumping through the organization will dissipate quickly if the trend line stops pointing to the sky."We can't hit the fast-forward button and jump two levels," Adams says. "You have to go through the process and stick to the plan and the vision. And the plan and the vision for us is identifying this core group that we're going to be able to move forward with; making sure we have the right people around them; and setting the culture right so people can come in every day, get better, truly be themselves, and perform at their highest level."By all accounts, Adams and Granato - who both signed multi-year contract extensions before the season - are in lockstep on expectations and playing style. ("Play free. Play with speed. Don't be afraid to fail," is how Cozens described it.) As for nurturing a sustainable culture, a 2013 book about the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team called "Legacy" has become an inspiration. Adams, a ferocious reader of books on leadership, business, and sports, gifted it to the players ahead of last season.The book, Adams said, carries the "ultimate message about leaving a jersey or organization better than you found it." It was no coincidence when Okposo dropped a nearly identical line on local reporter Matthew Bove a few days before being named captain."What motivates me now," Okposo, 34, said of his late-career mindset, "is leaving the game and leaving this organization in a better place than I found it."Alex Tuch on his backyard rink in Baldwinsville, New York. Tuch familyIt's around 9 a.m. inside the Sabres' meal room, and Tuch has just been asked a very specific and serious question about Lil Jon. Do you drop the "Lil" when you get to know him?"Naw," Tuch says, "you still call him Lil Jon."Decked out in Sabres apparel - baseball cap, hoodie sweater, athletic shorts - he then grabs his coffee and crossword, waves goodbye, and disappears into a team meeting.Later, with Edwards at his side, Tuch brings up how Michael Peca, a core piece of the 1990s Sabres now helping coach the Sabres' AHL affiliate in Rochester, sat next to him in a meeting. "Little things like that, I don't know, I get excited. Kind of like a little kid," he says.Tuch is living out a childhood dream, welcoming the local-guy role without hesitancy. This is simply who he is - a longtime Sabres fan playing for the Sabres. Shortly after being acquired, he told Adams over steak and wine that he was "all-in.""I felt like I knew him my entire life," Tuch says. "I feel like we were able to just jump into the conversation. It was like, I don't know, a four-hour-long dinner?"Tuch is slated to start the season on a line with Quinn, 21, and Casey Mittelstadt, 23. Although each forward is at a different phase of his NHL life, the organization believes all three - like the vast majority of Sabres - has serious untapped potential.As for dates circled on the calendar, Tuch can't wait for Nov. 23. The famous (infamous?) "goat head" logo jersey from Tuch's childhood is scheduled to return as an alternate jersey that night at KeyBank Center."That goat-head game is gonna be insane," Tuch says with an exaggerated facial expression. "If you see me and I'm shaking on the bench, you know why."John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).Copyright © 2022 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.