The Vancouver Canucks kicked off their four-game homestand with a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Aatu Räty and Evander Kane scored the goals while Kevin Lankinen stopped 23 of the 27 shots he faced. As for the star of the game, that would be Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight, who made 43 saves in the victory. 

Overall, this game was a mixture of chaos and frustration. Despite outshooting Chicago 45-28, the Canucks could not buy a goal until late in the third. By then, the Blackhawks had already built a four-goal lead, which was insurmountable for Vancouver. 

One of the issues in this game was quantity over quality when it came to shots. While the Canucks did generate some chances from in tight, the majority of their shots ended up coming from distance. There were also moments where players elected to pass rather than get pucks on net, which ended up costing Vancouver in the end. 

A good way to describe what happened is that despite having 45 shots on net, the Canucks did not get enough puck on Knight. While that may not sound logical, it was a reality on Wednesday night. As mentioned, Vancouver needs to work on the quality of shots, as even though he faced a high volume of shots, Wednesday was not a difficult outing for Knight. 

"The first goal was just, there was a mistake on the goal," said Head Coach Adam Foote post-game. "And I think the next couple, maybe, I don't know if it's mental fatigue. Then you allow maybe frustration to come in, and you overpress. We've all been there as players, where you help a buddy out too quick, or you lose a little trust. Whatever it is, I'm not telling them it was one thing, but you're probably right about trying to do too much or help or overpress at times. That could happen in a game where you could easily be up three or four holes in the first two periods. Get one called back, and then you're coming off a trip where you have fatigue, and then all of a sudden you might be mentally a little bit frustrated."

The penalty kill was once again a story as the Canucks allowed a goal for the fourth straight game. Wednesday, it was Tyler Bertuzzi who scored with the man advantage as Chicago scored on their only power play. Post-game, Foote was asked about the penalty kill and why the team has struggled over the past few games. 

"When goals are going in, doesn't matter what you say, it's not what you want. You're going to hear bad, but tonight was so different than, say, the last couple games, where I think it was a fatigue move. There was a time where we went down and pressed, and then next guy pressed, the next guy press, and the moment was wrong, but the guys were trying to do the right thing. And that could happen with mental fatigue."

Ultimately, there are positive and negative takeaways from this game. While Vancouver was able to dominate in terms of offensive possession time, the Canucks struggled in their own zone and were caught out of position on all four goals scored with Lankinen in net. As mentioned, Wednesday was a chaotic and frustrating night for not only the players but also the fans watching at Rogers Arena. 

Stats and Facts:

- Canucks set season high with 45 shots

- Evander Kane led all players in this game with 10 shots on net

-  Tom Willander extends his point streak to two games

- Pierre-Olivier Joseph records his first point with Vancouver

Scoring Summary:

1st Period:

No Scoring

2nd Period:

No Scoring

3rd Period:

3:06- CHI: Tyler Bertuzzi (4) from Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Murphy
6:46- CHI: Tyler Bertuzzi (5) from Connor Bedard and Artyom Levshunov (PPG)
7:39- CHI: Ilya Mikheyev (4) from Ryan Donato and Oliver Moore
11:37- CHI: Tyler Bertuzzi (6) from Louis Crevier (3), Ryan Donato
16:49- VAN: Aatu Räty (1) from Pierre-Olivier Joseph
18:00- VAN: Evander Kane (3) from Quinn Hughes and Tom Willander
19:00- CHI: Connor Bedard (7) from Spencer Knight (ENG)

Up Next:

The Canucks continue their four-game homestand on Saturday when they battle the Columbus Blue Jackets. Last season, the two teams split their season series, with the Canucks going 1-0-1. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT from Rogers Arena. 

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Through the first two periods of the hockey game, the Chicago Blackhawks were lucky to be in a scoreless tie with the Vancouver Canucks.

Being outshot 35-19 through two is not a recipe for success, but Spencer Knight kept them in the game. At that point, the Blackhawks needed to change the narrative. Otherwise, they would have had no chance of winning. 

Tyler Bertuzzi's Hat Trick

Tyler Bertuzzi kicked off the scoring by deflecting a Matt Grzelcyk shot off his body and into the net. He is one of the best in the league at sneaking to the back door of the net-mouth and scoring. He didn't even need his stick to score this puck, but they all count the same on the scoreboard. 

Remarkably, Bertuzzi scored another goal just over three minutes later. This one was almost a carbon copy of the first goal. This time, he used his stick to redirect it into the net. 

After Ilya Mikheyev scored his fourth of the season to make it 3-0, Bertuzzi completed the hat trick by collecting a loose puck in front of the net and putting it away. This was the fourth career hat trick for Bertuzzi, and his first in a Blackhawks sweater. 

Connor Bedard's Best Game In His Hometown

A lot has been made about Connor Bedard visiting Vancouver, his hometown, every time he goes there. His previous visits, however, have not gone well for him or the team. This time, he came out and played his best game he's ever had against the Canucks. 

For one, he collected an assist on Bertuzzi's second goal. He made a great cross-ice shot pass, which caught Bertuzzi's stick and went into the net. This assist is Bedard's first career point against Vancouver. That sealed a six-game point streak for Bedard, who is on pace to shatter all of his career highs. 

Bedard also sealed the victory with an empty-netter. This is his first goal against the team he grew up cheering for. It isn't just any empty netter, though. Spencer Knight made a great pass to the neutral zone, and Bedard collected it by chipping it and spinning past a former Norris Trophy winner in Quinn Hughes. He then tucked it into the open cage. That 5-2 score would hold as the final. 

Spencer Knight

Vancouver rallied to find two goals in the third period, but that doesn't take away from Spencer Knight's overall dominant performance. He ended up making 43 saves on 45 shots, which is a save percentage of .956. 

Knight also had the aforementioned primary assist on Bedard's empty netter. His ability to play pucks behind the net and advance them is an important weapon for the Blackhawks. 

Without the brilliance of Knight, especially during an extremely subpar second period by the team as a whole, they would not have won the game. 

Watch Every Blackhawks Goal

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XHawks on the board✅

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XTyler Bertuzzi goal no. ✌️

Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) on XIlya Mikheyev scores against his former team for his 4th goal of the season. That's 3 third-period goals in a span of 4:33 for Chicago. #Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XAND THAT’S A TYLER BERTUZZI HAT TRICK🧢🧢🧢

B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) on XBedsy with the spin, the pickup, and his first goal in his home area of Vancouver 🔥

Next Up For Chicago

Vancouver was the fourth of six stops on the current road trip. Chicago is now 1-2-1 with three out of eight points collected.

Next up for the Chicago Blackhawks is a Friday night matchup against the Calgary Flames. The Flames are 4-9-2 and struggling, but that does not mean that it will be a free pass for Chicago. Calgary is loaded with talent and can use it to win games at any time. 

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Trevor Zegras is off to an absolutely scorching start to his tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers, leading top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman to believe contract extension talks could some soon.

Zegras, 24, has impressively ripped off four goals, 11 assists, and 15 points for the Flyers in just 13 games, accounting for nearly half of the team's 38 goals entirely on his own.

The former top Anaheim Ducks draft pick seems to have found the perfect fit for himself landing in Philadelphia with good friends Jamie Drysdale and Cam York, and that should give the Flyers all the more reason to keep him long-term.

After all, York, also 24 and a fellow draft classmate, just re-upped with the Flyers for five years this summer.

"Extension I’m starting to wonder about: Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia. Eligible now. Yes, it’s only been 13 games, but it looks like a good fit and I can see the Flyers gauging interest in lengthening the relationship," Friedman wrote in his latest "32 Thoughts" column.

Flyers' Trevor Zegras Gets Big Praise From Canadiens StarTrevor Zegras' great start to the season has gotten the attention of Canadiens star Cole Caufield.

Friedman, with as many connections as he has and as many reports he's made, has an intimate of understanding of how pretty much every NHL team operates at this point in his stellar career as an insider in hockey.

From the Flyers' side of things, there aren't any apparent problems with a potential contract extension worth dwelling on.

They're loaded with cap space after offloading Joel Farabee and Ryan Ellis this year, while Egor Zamula, Nick Deslauriers, and Christian Dvorak are all on expiring contracts.

The Flyers have also had interest in acquiring Zegras for quite a while, so they obviously coveted the player and moved to get him from the Ducks for a reason.

Zegras, on the other hand, is due for a considerable raise performing at his current rate, which may or may not deter talks from the Flyers' side.

For example, if Philadelphia shells out a $10 million AAV contract in December and Zegras finishes the season with 50 or 60 points, then it might not work out so well.

That said, the 24-year-old is currently carrying a $5.75 million cap hit, so something in the $8- or $9 million range would do, especially as Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny are the only two Flyers players making more than $7 million as things currently stand.

I had already considered the Flyers could move quickly to try and get something done with their newfound star player, but now that Friedman is on it, too, there might be more to it.

On that note, it's pretty clear what the Flyers should do: extend Trevor Zegras. That's not up for debate, really.

The Calgary Flames celebrated in style on Wednesday night, earning back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a decisive 5–1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Nazem Kadri, suiting up for his milestone 1,000th NHL game, led the way with a goal and a spirited performance that ignited the Saddledome crowd. The Flames came out firing early, scoring twice in the opening minute and never looking back.

Morgan Frost opened the scoring just 56-seconds in, redirecting a shot past Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves. Moments later, Blake Coleman doubled the lead with his fifth of the season. The Blue Jackets responded later in the first with a shorthanded goal from Kirill Marchenko, who beat Dustin Wolf five-hole on a breakaway.

But the night belonged to Kadri and the Flames. Early in the second period, Kadri buried a top-shelf finish off a feed from Joel Farabee to restore Calgary’s two-goal cushion. Less than a minute later, Adam Klapka made it 4–1, holding onto the puck on an odd-man rush and ripping a shot glove-side. Mikael Backlund added an empty net goal to seal the deal. 

Wolf stopped every shot he needed to the rest of the way, making a career-high 42 saves, picking up his fourth win of the year to move to 4–7–1 on the season.

The Flames improve to 4–9–2, while Columbus falls to 7–6–0.

Three Takeaways

1. Kadri’s milestone moment

Nazem Kadri became the 407th player in NHL history to skate in 1,000 career games — and he made it count. The veteran centre not only scored a big goal but brought energy and poise all night. Kadri now leads the Flames in scoring with 11 points (4G, 7A) through 15 games.

2. Quick strikes define the night

The Flames’ offence found its rhythm through bursts of momentum. They scored twice within the first 92-seconds of the game and later added a pair of goals just 37-seconds apart in the second period. That kind of timing proved too much for Columbus to handle.

3. Kuznetsov earns first NHL point

Defenceman Yan Kuznetsov, recalled from the AHL Wranglers on Tuesday, made his season debut and recorded his first career NHL point with an assist on Klapka’s goal. Despite a few early jitters in his own zone, the 23-year-old settled in and showed flashes of composure as the game went on.

It has been a busy 24-plus hours for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who put three players on injured reserve, sent a player back to the AHL, and recalled three other players. 

And it comes as no surprise that the roster move getting all of the attention is the call-up of top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov, who thoroughly impressed in training camp, just won AHL Goaltender of the Month honors, and has dominated at every level of professional hockey.

While the two other call-ups may not be young or nearly as exciting for some fans, they were call-ups well-earned - and they are two players at an important crossroads in their careers.

Veteran forward Danton Heinen and veteran defenseman Ryan Graves were those other two players recalled, and this represents a second-chance NHL opportunity for them with the Penguins. Both players were waived at the conclusion of NHL training camp and went unclaimed, and they were re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) in the aftermath.

To their credit, a lot of veteran players get discouraged and don't take those situations very well. In this case, both players handled it as best they could - and they took the opportunity and ran with it. 

The 30-year-old Heinen returned to the NHL Tuesday in a tie for the AHL lead in points with 14, and Graves - also 30 - led all defensemen on the team with a goal and seven points in 10 games on the season. Both players could have taken a wrong turn in the wake of their AHL assignment. 

But that's not what happened.

Penguins Call Up 3 Players & Announce Several Roster MovesThe Pittsburgh Penguins have made a series of roster moves.

"At the end of the day, it’s the kind of person you are, too," Graves said. "You’re not going to go there and sulk and complain. You’re still playing hockey for a living. That’s pretty cool. There’s been some aspects of it that have been really hard. But I’ve been on the side of it where you’re a 20-year-old kid and coming into the American League, and there’s some guys that I’ve played with that came down and you could see both sides of how guys take it.

"You can either go there and ride into the sunset and just take it with a bad attitude and be miserable, or you can go there and you can try to play and work on your game and get better. It’s a good league, so just go there, put in work and try to come back.”

And, now, Graves is just trying to make the most of his second opportunity.

“Obviously, this is where you want to be. It’s a tough situation," Graves said. "Obviously, you want to play in the NHL. It’s the best league in the world. It’s hard to be here. I have an appreciation for that. You go there [to the AHL], you want to go with a good mindset and you want to be back here. So I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity.”

Sergei Murashov’s First NHL Shot With The Penguins Is HereSergei Murashov is set to make his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the coming days.

Heinen gave a pretty similar response. 

"You always try to learn from mistakes, learn from things," Heinen said. "I don’t think you can look back with regrets. You’ve just got to keep looking forward.

“I just want to prove that I believe I’m an NHLer and I believe that I can help this team win. That’s what I’m coming up here to do and do everything I can to show it.”

Obviously, an AHL assignment for someone who has been playing in the NHL for a long time is never easy. But it helps that Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is off to a hot start in the AHL, and it fostered an environment for Heinen and Graves to thrive.

"The coaches put a good system in.," Heinen said. "They communicate well. It’s a great group of guys, good hockey players… It’s definitely well run.”

Penguins' Top Prospect Ben Kindel Gets Big OpportunityThere have been a ton of boxes checked for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' rookie sensation Ben Kindel in the last two months.

And even if the ultimate goal is always to play at the NHL level, Graves was able to pull a lot from his experience with the AHL squad. 

“There’s a lot you can take from it," Graves said. "It’s how you approach it. You go down there. You get a lot of opportunity to play. You play in all situations. You play a lot of minutes, some of them [in situations] you might not play here. It’s nice to be able to build confidence and feel the game. And you can work, and you can make mistakes and you can keep playing because you’re going to play a lot. And you just try to build your game and build confidence.

"So, that’s the approach you have to take to it. I feel like I played well down there. So, again, I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunity here.”

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More than likely, the Pittsburgh Penguins won't have to wait much longer for one of their forwards to return to the lineup. 

On Wednesday, forward Kevin Hayes - who has been on injured reserve with an upper-body injury since training camp - took line rushes and was a full participant in practice. He skated on the fourth line with Blake Lizotte and Connor Dewar. 

Hayes, 33, is in the final year of a seven-year contract, and the Penguins are responsible for $3.57 million of his $7.1 million total cap hit. In 64 games with the Penguins last season, the 6-foot-3, 217-pound center registered 13 goals and 23 points.

Just days ago, it appeared that the Penguins were going to have some very hard decisions to make regarding the roster in order to activate Hayes. However, things have changed very quickly. 

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh placed three players - forwards Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari as well as goaltender Tristan Jarry - on injured reserve and re-assigned young defenseman Owen Pickering to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) to get more AHL reps after a few shaky games at the NHL level.

In a few corresponding moves, the Penguins recalled forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Ryan Graves, and top goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov. However, because of the optioning of Pickering, the Penguins still have one open roster spot, as they're actively carrying 12 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. This means they can activate Hayes without a corresponding roster move.

The Penguins play the Washington Capitals on Thursday, and Hayes appears poised for a potential return. Pittsburgh have yet to activate him from injured reserve. 

Penguins Call Up 3 Players & Announce Several Roster MovesThe Pittsburgh Penguins have made a series of roster moves.

Other injury notes:

- The Penguins announced that Brazeau (upper-body) would be out at least four weeks, Acciari (upper-body) would be out at least three weeks, and Jarry (lower-body) would be out at least three weeks. No further details were given on their injuries or when they were sustained, although head coach Dan Muse said that Jarry was injured during Monday's 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

- Forward Filip Hallander left Wednesday's practice early on and did not return to the ice. He was briefly rotating in on the fourth line before he departed. No update was given on his status.

- Forward prospect Rutger McGroarty continues to rehab in WBS and appears close to returning to the lineup at the AHL level. The 21-year-old McGroarty missed the entirety of training camp and the first month of the regular season with an undisclosed upper-body injury he sustained sometime during the summer. 

Penguins Provide Injury Updates On Three Key PlayersThe Pittsburgh Penguins provided some injury updates to three players on Wednesday.

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