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PHT Morning Skate: Sharks’ Labanc helped his father’s dream come true over the weekend

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Benoit Pouliot's wraparound goal beat Jimmy Howard as Robin Lehner kept Detroit out of the net to lift the Sabres over the Red Wings 1-0.

--Check out the highlights from Buffalo’s 1-0 win over Detroit. Benoit Pouliot scored the only goal of the game and Robin Lehner came up huge for the Sabres. (Top)

--Jonathan Quick was forced to come out of Monday’s game against the Leafs after an opponent made contact with his head. A concussion spotter asked for him to be checked and he was. All he missed was 36 seconds, which proves that the entire process still needs some work. (The Hockey News)

--Tough blow for the Canucks, as they’ll be without defenseman Troy Stecher for four to six weeks. He was injured on Sunday when he collided knee-on-knee with Detroit’s Tomas Tatar. (TSN.ca)

--Jake Virtanen has been living every young Vancouver hockey fan’s dream lately. He grew up cheering for the Canucks and watching the Sedins do their thing on a nightly basis. Now, he gets to skate on the same line as them. Oh and Virtanen scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Minnesota last night. (Vancourier.com)

--Here’s a cool story about the Islanders. When the Islanders usually have alumni reunions, they invite a dozen or so of their former players. But they had one last weekend and they welcomed anyone who put up an Islanders jersey. Even Mike MacWilliam, who played six games with the Isles, was there. (SNY.tv)

--Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland wrote a letter for Las Vegas in The Players’ Tribune. Engelland discusses how he ended up calling Vegas home and how difficult it was to watch the mass shooting that happened a few weeks ago. (The Players’ Tribune)

--Sean Avery has written a new book out! Not only does he talk about his career and his dating life, but he also roasted a couple of former teammates and opponents along the way. (Sports Illustrated)

--Predators forward Filip Forsberg has been one of the better scorers in the NHL over the last few years, but there’s a good chance he’s about to reach a new level over the next little while. He’s off to a hot start right now, and don’t be surprised if he scores 40 goals sometime soon. (fanragsports.com)

--The Ottawa Senators are a lot more comfortable in Guy Boucher’s system and it shows. As a team, they’ve been producing as a top notch offensive squad so far this season. (silversevensens.com)

--The Calgary Flames have taken quite a few penalties this year. And although their penalty-kill hasn’t given up too many goals, there is cause for concern, according to flamesnation.ca, who used advanced stats to show where they could get better. (flamesnation.ca)

--Roman Polak got a one year contract from the Leafs earlier this week, and most of the fan base seems to be split on him. Some like his hustle, while others who prefer analytics, feel like he’s nothing more than a liability. Is he still a useful player or should the leafs have taken a hard pass? (faceoffcircle.ca)

--Here’s a really nice story about Sharks forward Kevin Labanc and his father, Milan. Last weekend, Labanc played in his hometown of Brooklyn, where his father immigrated to 23 years ago. Watching his son play there was a dream come true for the older Labanc. “I have tremendous happiness to see Kevin reach the level of NHL hockey and play in his home town,” Milan Labanc said. “Whatever I started in hockey, when you see your kid continue it and you see your kid go further, that’s what every parent wants.” (Mercury News)

--The St. Louis Blues have had a decent start to the season, but it’s pretty clear that their special teams is holding them back. Their power play is ranked 24th, while their penalty-kill is ranked 27th. It needs to be better. (stlouisgametime.com)

--Team USA’s 1998 women’s hockey team was inducted into the Colorado Spring Sports Hall of Fame. As you may remember, that team which had Cammie Granato, Katie King, Sara DeCosta and many others, won the gold medal. (usahockey.com)

--Lucas Sbisa has emerged as an important blue liner for the Golden Knights this season. He’s the player that has gone up against the opposing team’s star forward on most nights. Believe it or not, it’s worked out pretty well so far. (sinbin.vegas)

--Sidney Crosby started a trend when he put on number 87 because he was born in 1987. There’s a long list of players that have done that, but that’s going to be coming to an end in the very near future. (puckjunk.com)

Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.