The Buzzer: Gallagher’s dagger

By James O'BrienOct 18, 2018, 12:55 AM EDT
5 Comments

Three Stars:

1. John Carlson

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in Washington’s overtime win, but we have to dock him some imaginary three star points for collecting both tallies from his “office” on the power play. Besides, Carlsson generated more points in the Capitals’ 4-3 overtime win, generating a goal and two assists. He also fired five shots on goal and logged a hearty 26:02 time on ice.

(Neal Pionk ranked as a strong honorable mention for the Rangers, offering up three assists and four blocked shots.)

2. Michael Frolik

Frolik heralded the reunion of “The 3M Line” with a difference-making performance, scoring two early goals in Calgary’s victory against Boston. The defensively responsible forward came very close to collecting a hat trick, sending a shorthanded breakaway attempt just a little too high against Tuukka Rask.

He ended up with a +3 rating, three shots on goal, and even won his two draws.

3. John Gibson

You could easily give the third star to Ryan Kesler, who turned back the clock to score two goals (and was Frolik-close to nabbing a hat trick while barely missing an empty net from way downtown).

Gibson’s been the motor for the Ducks’ defiantly strong start to 2018-19 season, though, and the fantastic goalie fell just 34 seconds short of a shutout, stopping 34 out of 35 shots. The American-born netminder is now on a four-game winning streak.

Highlights of the Night:

OK, it’s probably the lowlight of the night, as Colton Parayko caught up an absolutely brutal turnover in the closing moments of regulation, opening the door for Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher to combine for a stunning Habs game-winner, as you can see in these highlights:

Yeesh.

Patrice Bergeron can do it all.

Factoids

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals from his “office” on the power play, and while not every multi-goal night has been as easy as that looked, it certainly comes easier to Ovechkin than anyone else:

Johnny Gaudreau hit a nice milestone by scoring his 100th goal in his 318th NHL game. He’s not far from hitting 200 assists, either.

Scores

Capitals 4, Rangers 3 (OT)
Canadiens 3, Blues 2
Flames 5, Bruins 2
Ducks 4, Islanders 1

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

More feuds, more personality means more fun for NHL

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By James O'BrienOct 16, 2018, 5:04 PM EDT
3 Comments

For all we know, it might take decades for hockey players to totally shake off their generic “aw shucks” mentalities. Maybe it will never fully happen.

That said, it sure seems like we’re seeing a rise in trash talks, brutally honest conversations, and examples of bigger personalities during this goal-happy start to the new NHL season. The latest incident involves Lars Eller, Nazem Kadri, “bulletin board material,” the Leafs, Capitals, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. So, yes, it’s pretty entertaining.

To catch you up to speed, Eller half-dismissed the rising Maple Leafs after they beat his Capitals 4-2 on Saturday, as NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reported:

“We’re used to playing against Crosby and Malkin,” Eller said. “Everything kind of drops from there, so it’s not that special.”

While Eller added that the Maple Leafs are “a good team” and that he thinks Toronto would make the playoffs, Nazem Kadri didn’t take those comments kindly.

“Bulletin board material,” Kadri said on Monday, via NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “I don’t know how he can be serious with that comment. I understand they’re coming off hanging a banner, but you’ve got to give teams respect that have earned it, and I certainly think we’ve earned it.”

Juicy stuff, right?

Here’s a request: teams and players shouldn’t be so stuffy. Instead of getting tense in the shoulders about “respect,” it would be a lot more fun for fans if there were more comments like those of Ellers, and if personalities continue to surface.

Now, don’t get this totally twisted. NHL players aren’t going to rival the NBA when it comes to gloriously flamboyant behavior, at least not yet. It’s fitting that Eller was already walking back his comments on the Maple Leafs, as Gulitti notes today:

Sure, it’s possible that people got a little carried away with Eller’s comments … but who does it really hurt?

OK, so maybe Eller himself was recently bloodied by Brad Marchand for showing some personality following a goal, so you can understand why he might want to pump the brakes a bit here:

Let’s not forget that, while there’s a lot on the line in the NHL, this is still about entertainment.

Thankfully, this latest crop of hockey players – particularly stars – are opening up in ways that are keeping us laughing and sometimes egging on a fight like a crowd watching high schoolers slap each other. And it’s great.

Consider the recent flourishes we’ve enjoyed:

Matthews’ fashion sense generates memes that are almost as fun as watching him score ridiculous goals.

  • Do the Hurricanes have a name for this celebration yet? “The Carolina Climb” doesn’t have the same ring to it (or the same accuracy) as “The Lambeau Leap.” Either way, it’s a fun celebration; it also shows that elder statesmen can get it on the fun, as apparently this is the masterwork of Justin Williams:

(And you thought the team undergoing “Team Grit” and “Team Grind” practices couldn’t have fun.)

  • The Ryan Johansen – Ryan Kesler feud hasn’t resulted in a parking lot brawl … yet. The real highlight is Johansen’s adorably weak smack talk, to be frank.
  • Patrik Laine is just about as quick with quips as he is releasing shots. The highlight might be the jab he sent Vancouver’s way regarding “Fortnite” habits, as PHT’s own Scott Billeck reported on Oct. 3:

Good stuff, and this list is really just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve already seen Connor McDavid embrace his funny side with commercials and that meme-generating awkward airport photo. Matthews isn’t the only Maple Leafs youngster who can take and/or dish out jokes, as we saw from those cheesy Mitch Marner as a child barbs.

Maybe this all boils down to a more social media-savvy, meta generation of hockey players. On the other hand, we all might need to step up our games to even briefly wrestle the attention away from Gritty.

Whatever the case may be, let’s hope these moments of personality become a consistent part of hockey fandom, and – if we’re really lucky – crop up even more often.

If this is just a brief wave before we land back into blandness, at least it’s been a good run.

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

Pacific Division continues to get hammered by injuries

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By Scott BilleckOct 7, 2018, 3:24 PM EDT

It would appear that injuries are pilling up on Pacific Division teams to start the season, and it’s a who’s who when it comes to names.

The latest is a lower-body injury for Los Angeles Kings starting goalie Jonathan Quick, who is listed as day-to-day with the ailment.

The injury reportedly happened at practice, and backup Jack Campbell has already been named the starter for Los Angeles’ game on Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings.
Campbell has proven to be a capable replacement, going 2-0-2 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in four starts last season.

The Kings are already without Dustin Brown, who sustained a broken finger in the preseason and needed surgery to repair it.

Bonus for Peter Budaj fans, he’s back in the NHL.

The injury bug has taken a chunk out of the San Jose Sharks, too, after Joe Thornton was placed on injured reserve on Sunday after flying home from the team’s Eastern Conference road trip.

Jumbo Joe, 39, is dealing with swelling in his right knee, which was surgically repaired after he tore his ACL and MCL last season. Thornton has had catastrophic injuries to both of his knees now in the past two years. Despite his age, he’s been averaging around 16 minutes a night with the talent-laden Sharks this season.

The Anaheim Ducks received more bad news on Sunday after it was revealed that Ryan Getzlaf is day-to-day lower-body injury after leaving Saturday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes. Getzlaf joins a growing list of walking wounded in Anaheim, with Corey Perry, Patrick Eaves, Ryan Kesler and Ondrej Kase all sidelined.

Despite what seems like some big holes in the Ducks’ lineup, Anaheim is 2-0 to start the season. John Gibson grabbed his first shutout of the campaign in a 1-0 win Saturday.

The Coyotes have been woeful to start the season, having yet to register a goal in their first two games.

Injuries have played a role in that, too, of course.

Alex Galchenyuk, Christian Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun are all stuck in the infirmary for the Coyotes.

The Calgary Flames are without Travis Hamonic after a fight resulted in a facial fracture for the defenseman, who is now week-to-week as he recovers.

Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch remain sidelined in Vegas.

Really, the only team to come through relatively unscathed here is Vancouver.

It’s been a tough opening week on the west coast.

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck

Ducks stun Sharks, spoil Karlsson’s debut

By James O'BrienOct 4, 2018, 1:25 AM EDT
4 Comments

Heading into opening night, it seemed like the Sharks would only lose and the Ducks would only win for a simple reason: goaltending.

That was pretty much the case on Wednesday, as John Gibson played a huge role in Anaheim upsetting San Jose 5-2. The American-born goalie celebrated his contract extension by stopping 31 out of 33 shots, keeping the Ducks in the game even as they allowed 24 shots on goal in the second period alone.

It seemed like the Sharks needed works of art to beat John Gibson, and this Tomas Hertl goal was exactly that:

Meanwhile, it was a tough night for Martin Jones, whose lowest point came on a Brandon Montour tally (one that just can’t happen when the goalie at the other end is standing on his head):

Heading into this game, the Sharks boasted a “Who’s who” lineup, as Erik Karlsson adds staggering firepower to a lineup that already made the playoffs last season. On the other hand, injuries forced the Ducks to roll with a group that would elicit a “Who?” response from even most hardcore hockey fans.

It’s fitting, then, that a big move came when Max Comtois scored his first NHL goal in his first game, quieting “The Shark Tank” with a 1-0 goal just 49 seconds into the game.

To wade through choppy waters without the likes of Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, and Ondrej Kase, the Ducks need “no-name” players to step up … but they’re still forced to rely on big names. Gibson delivered in an authoritative way, and so did other important Ducks. Anaheim received key three-point outputs from Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg, while Adam Henrique and Ryan Getzlaf came up big, too.

While there were plenty of flashes of the brilliance expected from Karlsson, it wasn’t the ideal first night in teal. The superb Swede suffered a -2 rating, only fired one shot on goal, and failed to generate a point while logging almost 27 minutes (26:48) in his Sharks debut.

The good news is that Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer is finding ways to get both of his star defensemen on the ice, as Brent Burns logged 25:18 in this one. Unfortunately, their presence didn’t pay big dividends on special teams; while the Ducks went 2-for-3 (albeit giving up Hertl’s shorthanded goal), the Sharks failed to convert on three opportunities.

Again, San Jose still generally dominated the flow of play and puck possession, even if they didn’t have much to show for it on the scoreboard.

It’s just one game, yet if nothing else, it’s a real confidence-booster for a Ducks team that will need to be plucky to overcome this early stretch of injuries. Gibson and their healthy top guys are the key there, and for at least one night, that was enough against a potential juggernaut (or megalodon?) in the Sharks.

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

 

Wednesday Night Hockey: Capitals raise Cup banner; Karlsson’s Sharks debut

By Joey AlfieriOct 3, 2018, 10:31 AM EDT

NBC’s coverage of the 2018-19 NHL season starts with a doubleheader on Wednesday. In the first game, the Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins at 7:30 p.m. ET. You can watch that game online by clicking here. 

For the first time in franchise history, the Capitals will enter the regular season as defending Stanley Cup Champions. It didn’t come easy, but Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Braden Holtby and the rest of the team were able to get it done. So how do they respond after a summer of living it up with Lord Stanley? That’s the biggest question.

The Caps should be fine. Will they win the division? It’s possible. Will they repeat as Stanley Cup champs? You never know. All we know for sure, is that the team doesn’t look a whole lot different than it did a year ago. Outside of a few depth additions, Washington is bringing back all the characters that you know and love. Of course, Tom Wilson won’t be among them in the first few games of the season because of a suspension.

Before tonight’s game against the Bruins, the Caps will get to watch their Stanley Cup banner go up to the rafters. That’ll be an exciting and emotional moment for the team and for its fans.

“It is going to be a very exciting moment, a very special moment,” Ovechkin said, per NHL.com. “The atmosphere is going to be unbelievable. The people are going to be happy. Some might even cry. It’s all about the Cup, it’s all about this team and this organization, how we did it. We share it with all the people who live in Washington.”

As for the Bruins, they seem to be flying under the radar in a division that includes the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston put together a terrific regular season before being bounced by the Lightning in the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Bruins have three of the better players in hockey with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak up front. They also have a cast of young players like Jake DeBrusk and Ryan Donato that could take big steps forward in 2018-19.

On defense, veteran Zdeno Chara and youngster Charlie McAvoy will continue to lead the way for a group that’s relatively underrated. And between the pipes, Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak should provide the Bruins with a strong one-two punch throughout the season.

In the late game, the San Jose Sharks will host the Anaheim Ducks at 10:30 p.m. ET. You can watch that game online by clicking here. 

Of all the additions and transactions that were made between the end of the playoffs and start of the regular season, no team made a bigger move than the Sharks, who acquired Erik Karlsson from Ottawa for a less-than-stellar package of players and picks.

Adding Karlsson to a blueline that already includes Brent Burns seems to be unfair. Can you imagine what the what that power play is going to look like? Of course, they’ll have to find a way to get Karlsson to sign a contract extension, but for now they should just enjoy the luxuries they have on that defense. The Sharks will have to find a way to put it all together, but they have so many veterans that they’ll probably be able to make this whole thing work pretty quickly.

Evander Kane, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Joe Thornton, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Martin Jones will also have a hand in leading this team to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The only major loss they suffered in 2018 was Thornton’s beard.

“My wife’s been wanting this done for a long time and the guys kind of got on it and all of a sudden the shaver came out, and there it was on the plate,” Thornton said, per the Mercury News. “My 5-year old wasn’t happy this morning. When he woke up, he didn’t want to see dad. I’ve got to make it up to him somehow.”

The Ducks are in an interesting position heading into the year. Corey Perry‘s going to miss an extended period of time and Ryan Kesler, Ondrej Kase and Patrick Eaves are all opening the season on IR. They’ll still be able to count on guys like Ryan Getzlaf, Rickard Rakell, Adam Henrique, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and John Gibson.

Instead of playing that physical brand of hockey that they’re used to playing, the Ducks are going to try play quicker.

“We’re trying to put in a new system and different line combinations, and that takes time,” Henrique said, per the Associated Press. “It takes some time to adjust to everything we’re being asked to do, but we’re already seeing flashes of it, for sure. For us, it’s a matter of just trying to get it into our games.”

Ahhhhhhhh hockey season is back, everybody! Enjoy!

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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.