Canucks rookie sensation Brock Boeser became the fastest player in franchise history to score 25 career goals Thursday night.
Boeser scored his 21st goal of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks, combined with his four goals from last season he now has 25 goals in 44 career games.
Bure previously held the club record, scoring 25 times in his first 55 games.
Boeser set the record in impressive fashion, too, as his one goal capped a four-point night and a 5-2 Canucks victory.
The three had a hand in each of the five goals. Vanek led the way with two goals and five points, Boeser chipped in a goal and three assists, and Gagner contributed two goals and one assist.
The three have been particularly hot of late, having combined for 21 points over the last four games.
Youth hockey participation in Arizona has nearly doubled in the last three years, increasing from 4,860 to 7,781, according to FOX Sports Arizona.
There's no doubting that Auston Matthews' arrival onto the scene a year ago is the biggest factor in this spike. The Toronto Maple Leafs phenom is not only one of the game's best players already, but he's arguably the most talked about player in the league given the market he plays in.
With this positive trend, maybe Arizona could produce another Auston Matthews down the road.
The 2018 World Junior Hockey Championship got its first major upset Thursday as Slovakia pulled out a 3-2 victory over the United States.
Samuel Bucek scored the game-winning goal with 2:08 remaining in regulation and Filip Krivosik tallied two goals to lead the Slovaks to their first win of the tournament.
In a wild third period, Slovakia took a 2-1 lead with 4:45 left on Krivosik's second goal of the game.
However, the lead was short-lived. Buffalo Sabres prospect Casey Mittelstadt temporarily tied the contest with the early goal of the tournament, putting the puck between his legs before undressing multiple Slovak defenders and goaltender Roman Durny.
Nevertheless, Durny was the difference-maker for the Slovaks, as he turned away 43 shots to earn player of the game honors. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Joseph Woll was less inspiring in his second start of the tournament, making 22 saves on 25 shots.
The Americans have a quick turnaround, as they will be back in action at 3:00 p.m. ET Friday when they take on Canada in the tournament's first-ever outdoor game.
Meanwhile, Slovakia will enjoy a day off before facing Finland on Saturday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 24 with a lower-body injury Thursday, the team announced.
Letang missed Wednesday night's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and won't be eligible to return to the lineup until Dec. 31, meaning he will also miss Friday night's contest against the Carolina Hurricanes.
In addition to Letang, the Penguins also placed forwards Bryan Rust and Chad Ruhwedel on injured reserve.
Nystrom, who played nine seasons in the NHL - his final three of which in Nashville - filed the lawsuit through an attorney Wednesday in Davidson County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit lists three separate times Nystrom was hurt while playing for the Preds:
Hip and leg injuries on Sept. 3, 2013.
Concussion on Nov. 15, 2013.
Back injury Jan. 12, 2014.
Nystrom has "a permanent partial disability," according to the lawsuit, and each injury left him "temporarily and totally disabled for a period of time."
In addition to seeking lifetime medical benefits and coverage for legal fees, Nystrom is also pursuing a financial settlement to compensate him for the impact the injuries had on his life and his career.
The forward "had to retire in large part because these injuries slowed him down," said Nystrom's attorney Greg Ramos.
In a text message following the filing of the lawsuit, Nystrom claimed he's "just pursuing my rights under the (Tennessee Workers' Compensation) Law."
The Predators opted not to address the lawsuit in a statement, saying, "The team doesn't comment on pending claims."
Nystrom signed a four-year, $10-million deal with the Predators in the 2013 offseason after playing 408 games for Dallas, Minnesota, and Calgary. After three seasons and 185 games in the Music City, the Predators bought-out the final year of his contract, paying him only $2 million of the remaining $3 million originally owed to him. He hasn't played professional hockey since.
The Winnipeg Jets were dealt a huge blow Thursday afternoon, as head coach Paul Maurice confirmed Mark Scheifele's crash into the endboards versus the Edmonton Oilers was indeed as bad as it looked, declaring his superstar center out for the next six-to-eight weeks with an upper-body injury.
Scheifele has developed into one of the best centerman in the NHL, and his 38 points and 20-plus minutes per night are, as linemate Blake Wheeler put it, "irreplaceable."
While there's no substituting his presence in the lineup, due to an influx of offensive talent, a steady blue line, and reliable goaltending, the Jets appear more than capable of weathering the storm.
Winnipeg practiced with the following line combinations Thursday, according to team reporter Jamie Thomas:
LW
C
RW
Kyle Connor
Blake Wheeler
Patrik Laine
Mathieu Perreault
Bryan Little
Nikolaj Ehlers
Andrew Copp
Adam Lowry
Brandon Tanev
Shawn Matthias
Matt Hendricks
Joel Armia
It could certainly be worse.
Even without Scheifele, Winnipeg's top six is better than most, and all of those players should be able to operate a dangerous power play. The bottom six doesn't instill much confidence, but Maurice wants to work with what he has before making any call-ups. If it comes to that, he has plenty of options to pluck from the AHL-leading Manitoba Moose, including top prospect Jack Roslovic (35 points in 31 games), as well as Nic Petan and Brendan Lemieux - who have each spent time in the NHL this season.
(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images)
The Jets are also without Dustin Byfuglien on the blue line, but they've managed to win four of the eight games he's missed, and increased minutes for Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Once again, the X-factor for Winnipeg, particularly over the next six-to-eight weeks, will be goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. He's emerged as the clear-cut No. 1 goalie and has posted a sturdy .919 save percentage across 30 starts, so there's little reason to panic there.
Personnel aside, perhaps the most promising factor in Scheifele's recovery timeline is an advantageous January schedule, as the Jets are off between the 14th and 19th for their league-mandated bye, followed by a four-day hiatus from the 26th to 29th for the All-Star Game, which Scheifele will, unfortunately, have to miss.
The Jets sit second in an air-tight Central Division, tied with the Blues at 48 points with one game in hand, and trailing the Predators by one, though Nashville has played two fewer contests. With a six-point cushion over its closest wild-card chaser, Winnipeg remains in a solid position to stay in the postseason race, even if it stumbles a bit without Scheifele.
It's certainly going to be more difficult without him, but the Jets are a team built to contend.
The premier matchup of the tournament went down Thursday night in Davos, Switzerland, as HC Davos lost to the Canadians 4-1 in front of an over-capacity crowd at Vaillant Arena.
Team Canada's Andrew Ebbett had two goals, while newly-added forward Zach Boychuk had a goal and an assist.
Davos opened the scoring in the first period on a beautiful one-timer from defenseman Sam Lofquist, but that was all the offense the Swiss side could muster, as the red and white were all over them from the jump.
Canada awaits its semifinal challenger, with that contest set for Saturday from Davos.
Claesson was assessed a match penalty for his illegal check to the head of Boston Bruins forward Noel Acciari on Wednesday night. This is the first suspension of Claesson's career.
Through 31 games for Ottawa this season, the fifth-round draft pick has one goal and one assist.
Bundle up, because the world junior hockey championship outdoor game between the United States and Canada is a go on Friday.
Tournament officials gave the go-ahead for the game to be played at the NFL Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field during a meeting Thursday. USA Hockey and organizing committee official Dave Fischer confirmed the decision in a text to The Associated Press.
The forecast for Friday’s game at 3 p.m. Eastern time calls for temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-9 to -6 Celsius). The cold prompted some to wonder if the game might be relocated to Buffalo’s downtown KeyBank Center, where the majority of the 10-nation tournament is being played.
The preliminary-round game between the U.S. and Canada will be the first outdoor game played at the international level. The Canadians have won their first two tournament fixtures, while the Americans are 1-0 and face Denmark on Thursday night.
The United States is the defending champion after beating Canada in a shootout in January.
