Radko Gudas isn't known for getting the best of opposing goalies.
Heading into Saturday's game against Columbus, the Philadelphia Flyers defenseman had yet to score a goal this season, while posting 98 penalty minutes in 57 games.
Naturally then, he beat Curtis McElhinney from center ice to throw that monkey off his back.
Eighteen-year-old hockey phenoms may have to worry.
The NHL is always looking at ways to improve, according to Pat LaFontaine, a Hall of Famer who now works for the league, and one idea is to raise the draft age from 18 to 19.
"We're exploring many ideas in improving conditions for player development," LaFontaine told ESPN's Joe McDonald, "and raising the draft age is one of many things that we're looking at, and those discussions remain very preliminary."
The latest player to start his career as an 18-year-old was Edmonton Oilers phenom Connor McDavid, last year's first overall pick. He turned 19 on Jan. 13. And with 34 points in 30 games, it's clear he can play.
McDavid's teammate Taylor Hall doesn't think the draft age needs to be changed.
"No. I think it's fine where it's at," Hall said. "You're seeing kids come in and do great things in this game. When you're 18 you should be able to work and seek employment however you want, so I think it's fair."
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also began his career in Edmonton at the age of 18.
The Dallas Stars will likely face a pair of Canadian clubs without their best defenseman.
Head coach Lindy Ruff didn't expect John Klingberg to join the team for its two-game road rip, beginning Sunday in Ottawa against the Senators and wrapping up Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
"I don't think (he'll travel),” Ruff said, according to Mark Stepneski of the Stars' official website. “But if he responds well to treatment there's a chance - if he doesn't travel - he could join us. He's not traveling with us (to Ottawa)."
He's day to day with what the team is calling a lower-body injury, suffered early in Friday's win over the New Jersey Devils. After the game, Ruff said the injury should be of the short-term variety.
Klingberg didn't practice Saturday but underwent some tests.
"Nothing conclusive with the tests, which is good," Ruff said. "So, we just go day to day with him and see where he is at."
Klingberg leads all Stars' defensemen with 53 points, and ranks first among all skaters on the club with 43 assists in 66 games.
Sidney Crosby didn't quite like what he saw from his teammates in a loss to Calgary on Saturday.
The Pittsburgh Penguins captain recorded two goals and six of his team's 31 shots, but lumped himself in with the rest of the group as having lacked desperation in the 4-2 loss.
The Penguins do hold a five-point advantage in the race for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but failed to add to that cushion in a game against a seemingly weaker opponent.
According to Sports Club Stats, Pittsburgh still has an 80.3 percent chance of making the playoffs, even after the loss. But if the Penguins are going to make any noise once there, the effort must increase.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - David Perron scored the go-ahead power-play goal in the second period and the surging Anaheim Ducks earned their 11th consecutive victory, beating the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Saturday and taking over sole possession of the...
After a potentially disastrous start to the season, the Anaheim Ducks are making history for all the right reasons.
With a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, the Ducks won their 11th game in a row, setting a new team record for consecutive victories.
The result also put Anaheim two points ahead of Los Angeles in the race for the Pacific Division crown, and marked Bruce Boudreau's 400th win as an NHL head coach.
Bruce Boudreau becomes the fastest coach to 400 #NHL wins (400-186-77), as #Ducks set franchise record with 11th straight win. Good for him.
All of the above is significant for a few reasons, beginning with the month of October, wherein the Ducks posted a record of 1-7-2 while scoring a grand total of 10 goals and putting Boudreau's job very much in jeopardy.
Key to the Ducks' resurgence has been the play of David Perron, who's averaging a point per game since arriving in Anaheim, including this power-play goal against the Kings.
Now, the Ducks are flying towards the postseason, and appear on track to return to the Western Conference Finals one year after losing to Chicago in seven games during that round.
One group of Phaneuf's detractors has a suite Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre, as the defenceman returns to Toronto as a member of the Ottawa Senators. It's safe to say they're big fans of Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello.
DENVER - Mike Fisher broke a tie with 9:44 remaining in a four-goal third period, Pekka Rinne stopped 34 shots and the Nashville Predators ran their streak to 12 straight games with at least a point by beating the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Satur...
In an act of intended goodwill, Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog tossed a puck over the glass during Saturday's pregame warmup to a young girl celebrating her birthday.
While a clean catch wasn't made on the other end, a thumbs up and a head nod signaled a relatively happy ending to the story.
Less than seven minutes into the game and before the first goal was scored, the Pacific Division foes engaged in a full-out line brawl, much to the delight of the Staples Center crowd.
Here's a look at the penalty breakdown after the dust settled.
And on top of that, both Kevin Bieksa and Andy Andreoff were handed game misconducts for their roles in the action. Bieksa's absence forced the Ducks to play the rest of the game with only five defensemen.
We think it's safe to say this rivalry is alive and well.
