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PHT Face-Off: Board of Governors tackle Code of Conduct; NHL’s best meet

By Sean LeahyDec 9, 2019, 11:06 AM EST
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It’s the start of another week, so that means it’s time for the PHT Face-Off to look ahead to some of the trends and topics that will dominate over the next seven days.

• Board of Governors meets this week

The NHL’s Board of Governors will meet this week in Pebble Beach, Calif. with plenty to discuss. But one agenda item that was recently added was discussing a Code of Conduct in light of the Akim Aliu accusations and the other abuse allegations that have surfaced in the last two weeks.

Aliu met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly last week in Toronto and in a short statement afterward said that “big change is coming.” The league currently does not have a Code of Conduct in place for players, coaches and team officials, but one is certainly coming and we’re likely to hear this week what kind of policy could be implemented. Per TSN, “In order to encourage more diversity and inclusion in the sport and for fans, the NHL is aiming to ‘break the culture of silence,’ according to a person familiar with the discussions.”

If “big change” is to be implemented, the league would have to work together with the Players’ Association to add it to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement; so whatever comes out of this week’s BOG meetings likely won’t be instituted right away.

• NHL’s best meet on Wednesday Night Hockey

The Bruins and Capitals are the league’s top two point-getters as of Monday and both head into this week winners of eight of their last 10 games. They’ll meet on Wednesday Night Hockey (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN) in Washington. Boston has dropped their last two entering tonight’s game in Ottawa, and had their run of success playing from behind come to an end in their defeat to the Avalanche.

But Saturday’s loss to Colorado — who has handed them two of their four regulation losses this season — could be viewed as a good thing for the group, and act as a bit of a wake-up call.

“You can’t continue to get down by a couple goals, especially with really good teams,” said Brad Marchand. “Teams like that really know how to keep a lead, and regardless of how many times we’ve come back in the past, eventually it’s going to catch up to us like it did tonight. Unfortunately, it is good to lose every now and again, it’s good to be able to right the ship again, so maybe this is that game.”

Both teams will be getting back key pieces this week as Patrice Bergeron will return for the Bruins and Nicklas Backstrom re-enters the lineup Monday for the Capitals, who are riding a six-game winning streak.

NBC Sports has announced it has flexed into the Thursday, Dec. 19 matchup between the Islanders and Bruins (7 p.m.; NBCSN.)

• Kevin Hayes used to ref, ya know?

What’s coming up this week?
• When Joe Thornton takes the ice Thursday against the Rangers he’ll become the 12th NHL player to play in 1,600 career regular season games. If he plays in each of San Jose’s final 50 regular season games he’ll move into the eighth spot all-time in the category. Jumbo’s teammate Marc-Edouard Vlasic will hit the 1,000-game mark Saturday when the Sharks host the Canucks.

• With a goal Saturday night in Detroit Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin moved to within one of 400 for his career. He’ll have three chances this week as Pittsburgh begins a three-game homestand against the Canadiens, Blue Jackets and Kings.

NHL ON NBCSN
• Blues at Sabres, Tues. Dec 10, 7:30 p.m. ET.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY
• Bruins at Capitals, Wed. Dec. 11, 7 p.m. ET
• Flyers at Avalanche, Wed. Dec. 11, 9:30 p.m. ET

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.

PHT Morning Skate: Makar’s incredible rookie season; Load management in NHL

By Joey AlfieriNov 15, 2019, 8:15 AM EST
Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.

• Capitals head coach Todd Reirden brought a few champions in to talk to his team about winning it all. (NBC Sports Washington)

• Why have the Devils’ bad players playing well and why are the good players playing bad? (All About the Jersey)

• How has Kevin Hayes looked in his first few games with the Flyers? (NBC Sports Philadelphia)

• Rod Brind’Amour is already the best coach in Hurricanes franchise history. (Cardiac Cane)

• Only Brendan Shanahan will be able to fire Mike Babcock. (Leafs Nation)

• Noel Acciari has been an incredible steal for the Florida Panthers. (The Rat Trick)

• Cale Makar is having a rookie season for the ages. (The Hockey News)

• The wives and girlfriends of Canadiens players are learning how to play hockey. (Sportsnet)

• We’re starting to see load management between the pipes in the NHL. (ESPN)

• This broadcast duo have been calling Red Wings games for 25 years. (Detroit News)

• The Golden Knights need to make sure that they don’t let their recent struggles frustrate them. (Sinbin.Vegas)

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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.

PHT Morning Skate: Letang’s strong start; Kevin Hayes’ life-changing injury

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By Joey AlfieriOct 30, 2019, 8:15 AM EDT
Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.

• John Carlson‘s Norris Trophy campaign has already begun. (TSN.ca)

• The Sabres’ depth issues is being hidden by a really high shooting percentage. (Buffalo News)

• The Blues can overcome the loss of Vladimir Tarasenko short-term, but how do they fill that void long-term? (The Hockey News)

• PHT’s Adam Gretz breaks down Kris Letang‘s great start. (Pensburgh)

• How should Islanders fans feel about their team’s strong start? (Gotham Sports Network)

• The Wild need Jordan Greenway to go ‘beast mode” a little more regularly. (Pioneer Press)

• Losing Gabriel Landeskog could affect where Colorado lands in the Central Division. (Sporting News)

• Dougie Hamilton has done a good job in a lead role on the ‘Canes blue line. (Sportsnet)

• There’s a lot of NHL teams that are off to scary starts. (The Guardian)

• The Nashville Predators have a Kyle Turris problem they have to deal with. (A to Z Sports Nashville)

• A life-changing injury prepared Kevin Hayes for Philadelphia. (NBC Sports Philly)

• NHL players rely on ticket sales to get paid. (Seattle Times)

• Who do the Coyotes have on their radar in the 2020 NHL Draft? (Five For Howling)

• Three players need to be consistent for the Flyers to have sustained success. (Puck Prose)

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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.

The Buzzer: van Riemsdyk helps Flyers rally; Drouin continues great start

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By Adam GretzOct 27, 2019, 1:55 AM EDT
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Three Stars

1. James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers. With less than 10 minutes to play the Flyers trailed by a pair of goals and looked to be headed to a tough a loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was at that point that they rallied with five goals in the remaining nine minutes to steal a 7-4 win and win their third game in a row. van Riemsdyk was one of the many stars for the Flyers, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist in the win. His second goal of the game was the game-tying goal late in the third period.

2. Jonathan Drouin, Montreal Canadiens. Big win for the Canadiens on Saturday night as they handed their arch-rivals from Toronto a 5-2 loss. Drouin played the starring role with a pair of goals to continue what has been a great start to the season for him. He is now up to five goals and 10 total points in the Canadiens’ first 11 games and looks like he could be on his way to a much-needed breakout season in Montreal.

3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators. Josi has been outstanding for Nashville so far this season and had one of his best games on Saturday with a goal and two assists in a come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That performance gives him 13 points on the season and puts him in a tie for the team lead in scoring alongside Ryan Ellis. That puts the Predators in the rather uncommon position of having their top two-scorers both being defenders.

Other notable performances on Saturday

  • Andrei Svechnikov scored a pair of goals for the Carolina Hurricanes as they handed the disappointing Chicago Blackhawks another defeat. Read all about the Blackhawks’ struggles here.
  • David Pastrnak scored his league-leading 11th goal and Tuukka Rask recorded his second shutout of the season to help the Boston Bruins defeat the St. Louis Blues in a Stanley Cup Final rematch. Read more about it here.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins were able to get a couple of forwards — Bryan Rust and Nick Bjugstad — back on Saturday night and they made an immediate impact. Rust scored one of their goals in a 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars. Matt Murray stopped all 25 shots he faced to record the shutout.
  • Alex Stalock stopped 30 shots and five different Minnesota Wild players scored goals in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
  • Adam Henrique scored his sixth goal of the season for the Anaheim Ducks as they picked up an impressive 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
  • Josh Morrissey and Bryan Little scored the goals for the Winnipeg Jets as they rallied late to defeat the Calgary Flames in the 2019 Heritage Classic in Regina, Saskatchewan. Read more about the game here.

Highlights of the Night

Kevin Hayes was one of the Flyers’ big offseason acquisitions, signing a massive contract after his free agent rights were acquired in a trade. He made a big impact on Saturday, scoring a shorthanded game-winning goal. It was an absolutely beautiful play, too.

Speaking of beautiful game-winning goals, here is Montreal’s Joel Armia scoring just seven seconds into the third period against Toronto.

Ellis scored the game-winning goal for Nashville on the power play, and he made it look easy.

Blooper of the Night

Dominik Kahun scored his first goal as a member of the Penguins on Saturday night and it officially goes in the books as the game-winning goal. It was a pretty bizarre play.

Factoids

  • The bright spot for the Avalanche on Saturday is Nathan MacKinnon extending his season-opening point streak to 11 games, the fifth-longest in franchise history and longest since the team relocated to Denver. [NHL PR]
  • Pastrnak is the eight player in the past 27 years to score at least 11 goals in his team’s first 10 games. [NHL PR]
  • Dougie Hamilton has 12 points for the Hurricanes in their first 11 games, the most for a Hurricanes/Whalers defender through the same number of games since the 1984-85 season. [NHL PR]
  • Saturday was the anniversary of Wayne Gretzky, then a member of the Los Angeles Kings, becoming the first and only player in NHL history to record his 2,000th career point. [NHL PR]
  • Flames goalie David Rittich stopped 43 out of 45 shots on Saturday night, the most saves ever made by a goalie in an NHL outdoor game. It is also one save shy of his career high. [NHL PR]

Scores

Carolina Hurricanes 4, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Boston Bruins 3, St. Louis Blues 0
Montreal Canadiens 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 2
Nashville Predators 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2 (OT)
Philadelphia Flyers 7, Columbus Blue Jackets 4
Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Dallas Stars 0
Minnesota Wild 5, Los Angeles Kings 1
Anaheim Ducks 5, Colorado Avalanche 2
Winnipeg Jets 2, Calgary Flames 1 (OT)

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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

Thoughts on Hart, Flyers blanking new-look Devils

By James O'BrienOct 9, 2019, 10:36 PM EDT
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The New Jersey Devils headed into 2019-20 with a fair amount of hype as a new-look team. Through three games, the additions of P.K. Subban, Jack Hughes, Nikita Gusev, and Wayne Simmonds have resulted in all-too-familiar results.

The Devils ended Wednesday with a 0-2-1 record as the (also new-looking) Philadelphia Flyers blanked them 4-0.

Speaking of fresh faces, Carter Hart indeed looked like a young phenom against the Devils, pitching the first shutout of his NHL career. His 25-save performance will be immortalized by this incredible save during a 5-on-3 penalty kill against 2017-18 Hart winner Taylor Hall:

Hart is the headliner, and with good reason, but let’s ponder a few other storylines from the Flyers’ 4-0 beating of the Devils.

Hughes hasn’t been huge

If you tuned into Wednesday’s game to get an idea of what the top pick of the 2019 NHL Draft is capable of, you might have ended up being disappointed. Honestly, you might have had a hard time even noticing him.

Hughes, 18, remains without a goal or an assist through his first three games. He was very quiet on Wednesday, failing to even register a shot on goal. While Hughes’ ice time was modest (14:34 overall), he was on the ice for 4:12 of power play time. Not great.

That said, there are certain metrics that argue Hughes’ work has been better than what initially meets the eye:

He’s far from the only quiet Devil to start

Taylor Hall ranked as one of the only Devils players who really stood out, firing five SOG. He’s generally been making an impact; while Hall hasn’t scored a goal yet, he has two assists in three games.

The Devils need more from other players, including P.K. Subban. So far, Subban only has an assist through his first three games with New Jersey. That has to be frustrating, especially as he sees Matt Duchene lighting it up with six assists already for Nashville.

Hot seat for John Hynes?

It’s probably too early to be too worried about the job security of the Devils’ head coach.

That said, the Devils have a ton on the line in 2019-20. Not only did they pay significant money to get better with Subban and Gusev, they also need to convince Hall to stick around, or they’d need to either trade Hall for something or watch him walk away for nothing in free agency.

With that in mind, Hynes needs to find answers — and fast. Maybe he should experiment with putting Hall and Hughes together? It might helpful for the Devils to see what Nico Hischier can do without Hall before they pay him, for one thing.

Flyers have a special night

Philly killed that 5-on-3 power play, which was virtually a full two minutes. They ended up blanking the Devils (New Jersey finished 0-for-5) while scoring two power-play goals on Wednesday. If the Flyers can rekindle their power play magic from the not-so-recent past, and get strong goaltending from Hart more often than not, then they can make the leap many expected to see last season.

Cory Schneider was actually having a pretty strong night, but the Flyers wouldn’t relent, and eventually overwhelmed the Devils goalie.

GM Chuck Fletcher’s experiment looks successful very early on, as Philly’s started the season at 2-0-0. The Devils have to envy Philly’s quick start, and they can’t afford to let this bumpy beginning to linger much longer.

MORE:
• Pro Hockey Talk’s Stanley Cup picks.
• Your 2019-20 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.