Wednesday night's slate was a mixed bag for us. We started on a positive note by winning our under - at plus money, no less - in the Boston versus Florida game.

We appeared destined for a 2-0 night, but, despite dominating the game, Dallas blew a lead with a minute to go in regulation and then fell in overtime to the undermanned Vegas Golden Knights.

We'll aim for better tonight as we look at the best way to attack this nine-game slate.

Jets (-115) @ Kings (-105)

Winnipeg enters this contest in a good spot. The team has won three consecutive games, and its captain, Blake Wheeler, might return to the lineup.

Combine that with the recent injuries to Kings defenders Drew Doughty and Sean Walker, and the Jets seem like an obvious team to back, right? Not so fast.

The Jets, despite their recent success, aren't playing very well. They place 26th in expected goal share at five-on-five, and they're ranked even worse for high-danger chances. Only the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings have controlled smaller shares in the latter category than Winnipeg (42%).

So, why have the Jets been winning? A combination of high shooting percentages and Connor Hellebuyck.

I doubt they're going to continue shooting the lights out sans Mark Scheifele, and Hellebuyck won't be in the net tonight to bail out the team's defensive mistakes.

Instead, it'll be journeyman Eric Comrie between the pipes. The 26-year-old has bounced around quite a bit in recent years. He's only appeared in nine NHL games, and they haven't gone well as he owns a .873 career save percentage.

While the Kings aren't exactly known for their finishing ability, they do generate chances in bulk. They're tied with the Washington Capitals for fifth in high-danger chances at five-on-five.

I expect L.A. to create plenty of opportunities against Winnipeg, which should lead to success against Comrie.

Bet: Kings -105.

Avalanche (-125) @ Blues (+105)

The Blues are an improved team, and I expect them to contend for a playoff spot in the Central Division. With that said, I think people are getting a little too carried away with the hype surrounding the club right now.

While they are undefeated, their 5-0-0 record isn't as impressive as it looks on the surface. Hear me out.

St. Louis opened the season with a 5-3 win over Colorado. The Avalanche were missing Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Devon Toews, among others. Despite that, Colorado out-chanced the Blues by 17 and came very close to taking them to overtime.

The Blues followed that up by beating a tanking Arizona team that started Carter Hutton, arguably the league's worst regular goaltender.

Up next? They squeezed out a 3-1 win over the Golden Knights, who were playing without Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Alex Tuch.

Then they beat Los Angeles - minus Doughty - a couple of times while losing the Grade A chance battle 27-20 in aggregate. Truly impressive.

Yes, they can only play the teams in front of them. Yes, they deserve credit for finding ways to win. But their schedule, aided by injury troubles, has been soft, and, quite frankly, the Blues haven't controlled play as much as I'd like to see given the circumstances.

This is a team with a negative five-on-five high-danger chance differential - even accounting for score effects - that's been propped up by an unsustainably high 105.5 PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage).

Tonight St. Louis expects to be without two-way star Ryan O'Reilly, who led the team in goals above replacement (plus-24.3) over the last two years. That's going to make a big difference, especially going up against the likes of MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen.

Even undermanned on the backend, I like the Avs to hand the Blues their first loss of the season.

Bet: Avalanche -125.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

William Nylander says the Toronto Maple Leafs finally took matters into their own hands during Wednesday's comeback victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Maple Leafs entered the contest on a four-game skid and trailed the winless Blackhawks by two goals in the first period before mounting a come-from-behind win capped by Nylander's overtime tally.

"Time to wake up. Enough feeling sorry for ourselves. Like nobody is going to get us out of this," Nylander said postgame, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

"We needed to up the battle."

Toronto looked listless in recent lopsided losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes. The team appeared to be on the same path in the Windy City until a couple of unnamed players ignited the club during the first intermission.

"I think (they) got us, quite frankly, pissed off," said goaltender Jack Campbell. "I think that's what sparked us. Love seeing the passion and love seeing guys come through on the ice with it too. And, you know, everybody was battling."

The Maple Leafs are now 3-4-1 on the season. They return to the ice Saturday versus the Detroit Red Wings.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane say they wish they could have done more to help Kyle Beach, who identified himself on Wednesday as the "John Doe" at the center of the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.

"We wish we could have done something differently, myself included," Toews said, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. "My heart goes out to Kyle for what he dealt with. Wish I could have done something. It's not an excuse looking back, but the truth is a lot of us were focused on just playing hockey."

The two players spoke to the media following the team's 3-2 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, hours after Beach came forward during an interview with TSN's Rick Westhead.

"Very courageous for (Beach) to come out and let his name be known to the world after everything he went (through)," Kane said, according to Lazerus. "Wish back then we could have done some different things, knew about some different things, maybe we could have helped him."

Beach was a member of the Blackhawks organization in 2010, when he says former video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him during the playoffs. He said during the interview that he believes everyone in the locker room was aware of the incident.

"Word spread pretty quick," Beach said. "I do believe that everyone in that locker room knew about it. Because the comments were made in the locker room, they were made on the ice, they were made around the arena with all different people of all different backgrounds - players, staff, media in the presence."

Toews and Kane, however, suggested they were unaware at the time.

"Listen, at the end of the day, I don't wish to exonerate myself in this situation by saying I didn't know. But the truth is I had not heard about it until training camp the next year," Toews said, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Kane said he didn't know Beach was "John Doe" until he revealed himself Wednesday, adding that he remembered hearing "vaguely some different rumors" about why Aldrich left the team.

Toews also defended former general manager Stan Bowman and former senior vice president of hockey operations Al MacIsaac, both of whom stepped down in light of an investigation into the franchise's handling of the allegations against Aldrich.

Law firm Jenner & Block determined that Bowman and MacIsaac knew Aldrich had at least allegedly sexually harassed a player and - along with other members of the management group - didn't act on the information until three weeks later after the team won the Stanley Cup.

"To me, Stan and Al, make any argument you want, they're not directly complicit in the activities that happened," Toews said. "Regardless of mistakes that may have been made, for someone like Stan, who has done so much for the Blackhawks - and Al as well - to lose everything they care about and their livelihoods, as well.

"I don't understand how that makes it go away, to just delete them from existence and (say), 'That's it, we'll never hear from them again.' I have a lot of respect for them as people. They're good people."

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Kyle Beach identified himself as the "John Doe" at the center of the Chicago Blackhawks' sexual assault scandal Wednesday in an interview with TSN's Rick Westhead.

Beach was drafted by the Blackhawks 11th overall in 2008. He was a member of the organization when he says former video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted him in 2010.

Former assistant U.S. attorney Reid J. Schar of Jenner & Block produced the probe's findings Tuesday.

"Yesterday was a day of many emotions. I cried, I smiled, I laughed, I cried some more and my girlfriend and I – we didn’t know how to feel," Beach said in the interview. "We didn’t know how to think, we just held each other and supported each other."

He continued: "And following it, just a great feeling of relief and vindication, and it was no longer my word against everybody else’s. Because a lot of things were made public, a lot of people were interviewed, and I really felt like there was a lot of lies told in the media. And it was very special and important to me to have that truth come out yesterday."

Beach, who had been playing for the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs in 2010, reflected on the moment he was called up to be a part of the Blackhawks' playoff roster.

"But to be a part of that for the first time besides a training camp, it was an extremely special moment for me and for my family and the next step for me pursuing my NHL dream that I dreamed about and worked for my entire life.

"So unfortunately, a couple weeks after, those memories were tainted, and my life was changed forever."

Beach went on to describe how he felt when Aldrich didn't face any immediate consequences after he informed the team of what happened.

According to the investigation, executive members and coaches in the Blackhawks organization were made aware of the allegations but didn't immediately act. Instead, the team waited until days after winning the Stanley Cup to report them to human resources.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is planning to meet with former Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville - now the head coach of the Florida Panthers - and former Chicago assistant GM Kevin Cheveldayoff - now the Winnipeg Jets' general manager - on Thursday to discuss their roles in the mishandling of the assault allegations.

Beach had the following message for Bettman and the league:

"The NHL is inclusive; the NHL includes everybody. And they let me down and they’ve let down others as well. But they continue to try and protect their name over the health and the well-being of the people who put their lives on the line every day to make the NHL what it is.

"I hope through and through that Gary Bettman takes this seriously and that he does his due diligence, that he talks to not only them, but Stan Bowman, John McDonough, and anybody else that has information to offer before he makes his decision. Because they already let me down, they wouldn’t investigate for me, so why would they now?"

Beach also described his thought process in regard to coming forward when he did.

"It’s a big step for me, my process of recovery, as I process the events that happened and as I truly deal with the underlying issues that I have from them. For me, I wanted to come forward and put my name on this. To be honest, it’s already out there. The details were pretty accurate in the report, and it’s been figured out. More than that, I’ve been a survivor, I am a survivor. And I know I’m not alone. I know I’m not the only one, male or female. And I buried this for 10 years, 11 years. And it’s destroyed me from the inside out. And I want everybody to know in the sports world and in the world that you’re not alone."

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is expected to miss approximately eight weeks with a tibial plateau contusion in his knee, general manager Rob Blake announced Wednesday.

The veteran will resume skating six weeks from now.

More to come.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville will meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks' mishandling of an alleged sexual assault in 2010, the coach confirmed Wednesday, according to the Boston Globe's Matt Porter.

The meeting will take place Thursday in New York.

Quenneville coached the Blackhawks from 2008-18. He said in July that he'd first learned of the allegations against former video coach Brad Aldrich through media reporting on two related lawsuits against the team. However, the findings of an independent investigation contradict his statement.

According to the investigation, Quenneville was part of a May 2010 meeting in which Blackhawks executives were informed that Aldrich had behaved in a sexually inappropriate way toward a player. The organization didn't act on the information until reporting it to human resources three weeks later, several days after the team won the Stanley Cup.

Quenneville said Wednesday he won't comment further until he's had his meeting with Bettman. Quenneville also said he discussed matters with the Panthers and they will work to "eliminate all distractions."

Quenneville will be behind the bench for Florida's clash with the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Headlined by a heavyweight clash between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers, we have a fun five-game slate on the docket for tonight.

Let's take a look at the best way to attack it.

Golden Knights (+125) @ Stars (-145)

Vegas is off to a really sluggish start to the season. The team is dealing with a plethora of injuries to impact players - most notably Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty - and playing nowhere near the level we're accustomed to seeing.

While the Golden Knights picked up a much-needed win in Colorado on Tuesday night, I don't like their chances of going back-to-back in Dallas.

Vegas, as mentioned, is missing several of its best players. Not just stars, but high-end support pieces like Alex Tuch and Alec Martinez. Making matters worse, the Golden Knights are playing their third game in four nights, and they won't have Robin Lehner between the pipes either.

The Stars have only played once since Friday's win over Los Angeles. They're at home, well-rested, and getting healthier, with John Klingberg recently returning to the lineup.

Dallas should have an edge in goal as well. Braden Holtby's last couple of years have been rocky, but he owns a sparkling .939 save percentage and 2.4 goals saved above expectation over five games this season. He should be able to out-duel Laurent Brossoit, should it come to that.

Bet: Dallas Stars -145.

Bruins (+110) @ Panthers (-130)

This is a titanic clash between two of the Eastern Conference's best teams.

The Bruins and Panthers have combined to post a 9-0-1 record in the early going of the season, and they've had similar paths to victory. Boston ranks second in expected goal share at five-on-five, while Florida places sixth. The clubs have dominated territorially.

The Panthers have been more prolific offensively, but they're also holding up their end of the bargain in the defensive zone. Florida ranks seventh in chances against per 60 minutes. Boston is fifth.

These teams know how to suck the life out of opposing attacks. I expect they'll be looking to do just that considering the star power they're up against.

If all else fails, early indications suggest the goaltending should be good. Linus Ullmark is 2-0 with a .935 save percentage, and Sergei Bobrovsky shockingly leads the NHL in goals saved above expectation (plus-9). I don't know whether he can keep it up, but he's looked good so far.

Expect playoff-type intensity from the Panthers and Bruins tonight. Given how well each side defends and how competent the goaltending should be, I like this game to end under the number.

Bet: Under 5.5 goals (+105)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

Copyright © 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.