The makers of NHL 17 are putting Brian Burke's tongue-in-cheek trade comments to the test.
EA Sports had some fun with the remarks made Wednesday by the Calgary Flames president of hockey operations, who dismissed rumors of defenseman Dougie Hamilton's availability and said the only way a trade will happen is if a team offers Calgary 20 first-round picks.
A Minnesota high school goaltender delivered a record performance in his team's season opener Saturday, and yet still found himself on the wrong end of the scoreboard.
Tony Bruns, a senior goalie for Morris/Benson, made 98 stops in a 12-0 loss to Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato, setting what is believed to be a state and national single-game record, according to Loren Nelson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Bruns had no idea how many pucks he'd turned away until he looked at the scoresheet afterwards.
"I actually had a question about a penalty at the end of the game, so that was why we were looking at the scoresheet on the way home," he said. "And then we saw the save total and thought, 'Oh my, what is going on, is that some sort of record?'"
The previous record listed by the National Federation of State High School Associations is an 84-save performance by Jamey Ramsey of Flint Northern (Michigan) in 1987.
"Everybody's had a game plan for this young man. It's not working. It's not going to work for the rest of his career," Maurice told reporters Thursday, per Jets TV.
What sets McDavid apart, Maurice opined, is that his hands and feet are on par, but at an entirely different level.
"Matching (his) speed is almost impossible. It's completely impossible to do from behind. You've got no chance if you're beside him. But if your timing is right and you can take away the clean options to him, you've got an outside chance," he said.
"Maybe there's somebody faster, I can't remember. Maybe there's somebody just as fast. But I don't think there's ever been a set of hands that went with that speed. That's a different animal."
McDavid, who was named the NHL's third star of the month for November, leads the league in scoring with 31 points through 24 games - five ahead of Jets center Mark Scheifele.
The 19-year-old leads all rookie blue-liners and all Blue Jackets rearguards with 16 points in 21 games.
Werenski notched 10 of those points in 14 games last month.
He ranks second in average time on ice among rookies (22:06) behind Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (22:19).
Werenski is the fourth player in Blue Jackets history to be named rookie of the month, joining goaltender Steve Mason (Nov. and Dec. 2008), center Derick Brassard (Oct. 2008), and winger Rick Nash (Nov. 2002).
Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back.
▲ Chad Johnson
The Calgary Flames' goaltending situation looked to be a major weakness early on, but it's been stabilized by an unlikely force.
Chad Johnson shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, improving to 8-4-1 with a 2.06 GAA and a .930 save percentage in 13 games.
It was his third shutout and sixth win in his last eight contests.
Meanwhile, Brian Elliott is 3-9-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .885 save percentage in his first 13 games with the Flames after being acquired from the St. Louis Blues over the summer.
Pittsburgh certainly didn't look like a defending Stanley Cup champion Wednesday night in a 5-3 loss to the basement-dwelling New York Islanders.
Matt Murray let in four goals on 25 shots, and his club allowed the third-worst team in the league to tie an NHL record by scoring twice in a three-second span.
The Penguins fell to a pedestrian 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and 5-5-2 away from PPG Paints Arena, where they remain 8-2-1.
It's not time to panic just yet, but it is cause for concern.
▲ Brian Burke
The Flames dominated online discourse before Wednesday's game thanks to a dynamite radio segment featuring their always forthright president of hockey operations.
Burke echoed general manager Brad Treliving's denial when asked about rumors the club is shopping defenseman Dougie Hamilton.
The outspoken executive told TSN 1050 that the only way Hamilton would be available is if a team were to offer 20 first-round picks, adding that the rumors are being peddled by "an army of people who have no goddamn idea what they're talking about."
Please never leave us, Brian.
▼ The Avalanche
Colorado was expecting to be reinvigorated under new head coach Jared Bednar, but the Avalanche have looked flat so far.
They've lost three in a row, they sit in the basement of the Central Division, and only the Arizona Coyotes have a record as bad as the Avalanche through 21 games.
Colorado is second-last in the NHL in terms of goals scored per game (2.24), and that's coupled with the eighth-worst goals-against average (2.95).
After the St. Louis Blues general manager acquired 2012 first overall pick Nail Yakupov at a bargain-basement cost - prospect Zach Pochiro and a conditional third-round pick went to Edmonton - Armstrong remains hopeful the young forward can be a positive contributor, despite not cracking the lineup in seven of the past 12 games.
"I have a lot of confidence in Yak that he’s going to keep his nose to the grindstone and when he gets his opportunity, he’s just got to make the most of it. We look at it from how our team is doing, not how each individual player is doing, and our team is doing well. He’s part of our team."
Yakupov recorded four points in his first six games with the Blues, but managed just one assist in the following ten games while seeing diminished ice time.
Fellow Russian Vladimir Tarasenko praised Yakupov's attitude, noting his playfulness - despite the scratches - as evidenced by Yakupov carrying his teammates' helmets after losing a bet during practice.
"He tries to work hard in practice and he helps other guys," Tarasenko said. "When people don’t play, they give really good boost to us when they don’t react selfishly and they support us all the time. He’s a really good player, and same as I believe in our team success, I believe in his success."
For his part, Yakupov is trying to keep a level head, while staying ready to play.
"I’m trying to be the good teammate, but I’m not trying to create something and be like a clown in the locker room," he said.
"I’m obviously working hard, just waiting for my chance, that’s all I can do. I’m not trying to do something crazy and show coaches how good I am. They already know who I am as a person, who I am as a player."
