Watch this heavy open-ice collision, which saw both Dumba and Kane nearly lose their helmets as they tangle up in the wreckage.
Though contact is made with Kane's head - which was hanging dangerously low as he fixated on the puck in his skates - Dumba won't be punished for the blow. The NHL has already deemed that in the case, contact was unavoidable.
With a little extra room, one would presume that the top-of-the-draft talents for the Edmonton Oilers would fill the net with the man advantage, and help crutch the club's dastardly and enduring even-strength performance.
Yet, Edmonton's power play continues to languish in the NHL's bottom-third tier, firing at 17.1 percent clip for the season after a sloppy 0-for-4 effort in Sunday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
After the game, coach Todd McLellan's frustration finally boiled over.
"There's a lot of talk about having a quarterback and stuff like that - it had nothing to do with the quarterback on the power play," McLellan said at his post-game press conference. "That had to do with the forwards - really high-end, talented skilled forwards you put out there that can win you game in that situation. And just turnover after turnover after turnover. Disappointing."
He added: "This was a pretty group that was red rotten."
Coaching a feeble special attacking unit is uncharted territory for the Oilers coach. He and assistant Jay Woodcroft, who followed him to Edmonton, engineered the most efficient unit in the West during his seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks.
More speculation over possible expansion draft scenarios in today’s NHL rumor mill. Pondering Some Expansion Draft Scenarios. NBC SPORTS: James O’Brien compiled a collection of opinions from several hockey pundits over how a possible expansion draft next June could affect several NHL teams: ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun reported each existing club could lose either a No. […]
Notable game recaps, injury updates and more in today’s collection of NHL morning headlines. NHL Playoff Race THE DENVER POST: Gabe Landeskog scored a goal and set up another while Calvin Pickard made 27 saves to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The win kept the Avalanche one point up […]
CHICAGO - Charlie Coyle scored the only goal in the shootout to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night.
Coyle, Minnesota's first shooter, beat Chicago's Scott Darling a night after he and Zach Par...
It's not what counts the most, but it might be cause for concern for the Stanley Cup champions.
The Minnesota Wild improved to a perfect 4-0-0 against the Chicago Blackhawks this season with a 3-2 shootout victory Sunday night, continuing a run that extends back to 2014-15.
The Blackhawks have beaten the Wild when it matters, eliminating them from the playoffs in each of the last three years and sweeping them out of the second round last spring.
The Central Division foes will meet once more before the postseason on March 29.
Minnesota's victory temporarily vaulted the Wild over the Colorado Avalanche and into the second Western Conference wild-card spot.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Rookie Tom Kuhnhackl had a goal and two assists on his way to a career-best three points and the Pittsburgh Penguins denied the Washington Capitals a chance to lock up the Metropolitan Division with a dominant 6-2 win on Sunday...
PORTLAND, Ore. - Logan Flodell stopped 33 shots as the Seattle Thunderbirds ended the Western Hockey League regular season with a 4-1 win over the Portland Winterhawks on Sunday.
Mathew Barzal, Elijah Brown and Donovan Neuls each had a goal a...
The Calgary Flames goaltender stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night, and the win was a long time coming.
Backstrom was playing his first NHL game since Jan. 13, 2015, a span of 432 days.
"There was not too much rust in his system," said Flames head coach Bob Hartley postgame. He added, "To get a big win, that sets the stage really well for Minnesota."
Backstrom will start Thursday's game against the Wild at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The netminder spent parts of nine seasons with Minnesota before being traded to the Flames on deadline day in February.
"(It's) another special game," Backstrom said. "It's going to be a little weird but it should be fun."
The 38-year-old is Minnesota's franchise leader in wins, shutouts, and games played by a goaltender.