Category Archives: Hockey News

Canucks’ Boeser earns 2nd straight Rookie of the Month honors

Vancouver Canucks scoring machine Brock Boeser was named the league's Rookie of the Month on Tuesday.

Boeser paced all rookie skaters with eight goals and finished second with 13 points in 13 games. The 20-year-old narrowly edged Boston Bruins forward Danton Heinen, who finished the month with five goals and a rookie-high 14 points in 14 outings.

He also beat out New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, who tallied seven goals and 12 points in 14 games; Columbus Blue Jackets man Pierre-Luc Dubois, who netted 12 points; and Tampa Bay Lightning talent Yanni Gourde, who had nine points in 12 games.

Boeser - who also earned rookie honors in November - sits tied for fourth among all players league-wide with 21 goals on the year, and leads all Canucks with 38 points in 36 games.

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Pacioretty on trade rumors: ‘If it happens, it happens’

Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty is trying to focus on what he can control as opposed to the swirling trade rumors containing his name.

"You just live your life and worry about your family," Pacioretty said, according to Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. "If it happens, it happens. I'm very proud of the past success I've had in Montreal. I've played here for 10 years and I've never gone through something like this. I've gone through ups and downs, but never this low."

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported Saturday that the Canadiens were actively shopping Pacioretty, preferably for a younger goal-scorer.

Head coach Claude Julien says he has not discussed the rumors with Pacioretty - instead, the two have been talking about the 29-year-old's game. Pacioretty has severely tailed off in recent weeks, having scored just once in his last 21 games.

"Rumors are rumors and why fuel the rumor by talking to him about a rumor," Julien said. "You talk to him about his game and you work with him. As I say, a player will always be my player until he's gone. Sometimes, I don't know when that's going to be, and sometimes he's not going to be gone. ... You have to be able to overcome that to be successful. In Max's situation with all the rumors, he's handling it well."

In the meantime, Pacioretty is tasked with trying to get not just himself, but the entire team back on track. The Canadiens kick off the first of a five-game home stand Tuesday night and will look to snap a four-game losing streak.

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Who are these guys? Getting to know the U.S. Olympic hockey team

There are a few faces you'll recognize on the United States' Olympic squad, but most of the players named to the initial American roster Monday are relative unknowns.

Thanks to the NHL's withdrawl from the 2018 Games, the U.S. team headed to Pyeongchang will be comprised of players from the AHL, NCAA, KHL, and other European leagues.

Here's a rundown of who these guys are:

Mark Arcobello

The journeyman forward played parts of four NHL seasons with five different teams, becoming only the third player in league history to suit up for four separate squads in the same season when he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Arizona Coyotes in 2014-15.

He's in the midst of his second straight productive campaign with Bern in Switzerland's National League.

Chad Billins

This 28-year-old defenseman plays for Linkopings in the Swedish Hockey League and spent last season with the AHL's Utica Comets. He's played in Europe for four of the last five years and his NHL experience amounts to a mere 10 games with the Calgary Flames back in 2013-14.

Jonathon Blum

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

You may recognize this blue-liner's name, considering he played parts of five seasons in the NHL with the Predators and Minnesota Wild, and also because the Predators drafted him 23rd overall in 2007. He's spent the last three seasons with the KHL's Admiral Vladivostok.

Will Borgen

This 21-year-old defenseman is in his third campaign at St. Cloud State and was a fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres in 2015.

Chris Bourque

Ray Bourque's son was a second-round choice of the Washington Capitals back in 2004, but the winger hasn't been able to stick in the NHL for more than 20 games in any of his four campaigns. He's been in the AHL for the last four years.

Bobby Butler

This 30-year-old winger has played for the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Predators, and Florida Panthers, but he hasn't seen NHL action since 2013-14 and has spent this fall and winter with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals after a couple of years overseas.

Ryan Donato

Donato is a legitimate NHL prospect, and he's been lighting up the college ranks with 12 goals and 20 points in 12 games for Harvard this season. The Boston Bruins second-rounder is the son of former Bruins forward Ted Donato.

Brian Gionta

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

The longtime Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and Sabres winger will be Team USA's captain at the Olympic tournament. He isn't playing professionally this season, but he's only a year removed from a 15-goal campaign with the Sabres.

Matt Gilroy

Gilroy won the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the nation as a member of the Boston University Terriers back in 2009. The 33-year-old has seen time with four NHL clubs but has spent the last four seasons in the KHL.

Jordan Greenway

Speaking of Boston University, Greenway is in his third year with the Terriers and has 17 points in 19 games. The 20-year-old left winger is a Wild prospect who was taken in the second round in 2015.

Ryan Gunderson

This 32-year-old defenseman has played for various clubs in Finland, Sweden, and Belarus since 2010, and he toiled in the ECHL and AHL before that.

Chad Kolarik

Once a seventh-round pick of the Coyotes, Kolarik has only six NHL games to his name, having played in Sweden, Russia, Switzerland, and Germany since 2010.

Broc Little

Little had some good years with Yale, but his college tenure was a long time ago. Since leaving the Bulldogs in 2011, the 29-year-old forward spent six years playing in Sweden and is now with Davos in Switzerland, where he's put up 19 goals and 31 points in 35 games.

John McCarthy

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

This very late pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2006 has since had a few decent AHL campaigns and has played 88 games for the big club. But at 31 years old, he still hasn't proven capable of carving out a steady NHL role. The winger has 12 points in 29 contests with the San Jose Barracuda this season.

Brian O'Neill

O'Neill has spent the last two seasons with Jokerit in the KHL, following a five-year AHL career in which he made only 22 NHL appearances. He won the Calder Cup with the Manchester Monarchs in 2015 and played with Little as a Bulldog for three of his four collegiate campaigns.

Garrett Roe

Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Austria have been the hockey homes of this 29-year-old winger over the last five seasons, and he's currently playing for EV Zug in the Swiss National League, where he's piled up 37 points in 31 games.

Bobby Sanguinetti

Sanguinetti has plied his trade in Switzerland for the last couple of years after a two-year stint in the AHL and one KHL season. He played 40 games over two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, as well as five contests with the New York Rangers, but managed only six points in his brief NHL tenure.

Jim Slater

Slater played 10 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise after being taken 30th overall in 2002. He's been playing in Switzerland for the last three years.

Ryan Stoa

Stoa is a 30-year-old center who's spent the last five seasons in the KHL. He was a second-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2005, but played only 37 games for them over two campaigns and appeared in only three contests for the Capitals before heading to Russia.

Troy Terry

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

He's best known for his shootout prowess, scoring three times in the post-overtime session to beat Russia in the semifinals at the World Junior Hockey Championship last January, then notching the only shootout goal as the U.S. came from behind to stun Canada for gold.

The 20-year-old center is an Anaheim Ducks prospect in his third season with the University of Denver, with whom he won the national championship last spring.

Noah Welch

Fans of the Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Panthers, and Penguins might recall Welch, although his NHL career was less than memorable. The 35-year-old blue-liner has been playing in Sweden since 2011-12.

James Wisniewski

One of the most recognizable names on the U.S. roster has 36 points in 23 games for the Kassel Huskies of Germany's second-tier DEL2 league this season. He hasn't played in the NHL since suffering a devastating injury in the season opener while with the Hurricanes in 2015-16.

Ryan Zapolski

The lone goalie added to the initial roster has a .935 save percentage in 32 games with Jokerit this season. He's spent the last two years in Helsinki after playing three campaigns with another Finnish club, Lukko Rauma, and spending the three previous years in the ECHL.

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Views from the 2018 Winter Classic

The latest rendition of the Winter Classic proved to be another memorable affair, as the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers suited up to give fans everything under the sun in a 3-2 win for the Broadway Blueshirts.

Meanwhile, photos from the overtime thriller were just as iconic:

Citi Field, home of the MLB's Mets, played host to the game.

Fans bundled up to fight frigid temperatures, which were just above 20 degrees Fahrenheit at puck drop.

Kyle Okposo scouting report: exceptional vision.

A sign that would make Chance the Rapper proud.

In the words of Doc Emrick, Sabres netminder Robin Lehner holds off a net-mouth scramble.

Lehner turned aside 39 shots, including this key save on Rangers winger Rick Nash.

Outdoor games mean new uniforms, with the Rangers and Sabres electing to use these awesome threads.

King Henrik was dressed to impress in Big Apple inspired gear.

Jason Pominville competed in his second Winter Classic with the Sabres, 10 years after the first outdoor game in Buffalo.

The 2018 Winter Classic was played before a sold-out crowd of nearly 42,000.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Gionta, Wisniewski highlight U.S. men’s Olympic roster

The U.S. men's Olympic hockey team won't feature current NHL players, but there will be a few familiar faces playing for gold next month in Pyeonchang, South Korea.

The full roster was named Monday during the second intermission of the Winter Classic at Citi Field in New York, with forward Brian Gionta - who will be team captain - and defenseman James Wisniewski serving as the most notable names.

Here's a look at the roster:

Goalies
Ryan Zapolski (KHL)
(Two more goalies will added to the roster later in January.)

Defensemen
Chad Billins (Swedish League)
Jonathon Blum (KHL)
Will Borgen (NCAA)
Matt Gilroy (KHL)
Ryan Gunderson (Swedish League)
Bobby Sanguinetti (Swiss League)
Noah Welch (Swedish League)
James Wisniewski (German 2nd League)

Forwards
Mark Arcobello (Swiss League)
Chris Bourque (AHL)
Bobby Butler (AHL)
Ryan Donato (NCAA)
Brian Gionta (unsigned)
Jordan Greenway (NCAA)
Chad Kolarik (German League)
Broc Little (Swiss League)
John McCarthy (AHL)
Brian O’Neill (KHL)
Garrett Roe (Swiss League)
Jim Slater (Swiss League)
Ryan Stoa (KHL)
Troy Terry (NCAA)

Tony Granato will serve as head coach.

The men's Olympic hockey tournament will run from Feb. 14-25.

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Vegas odds tab Lightning, Golden Knights as Stanley Cup favorites

The house likes homegrown talent.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the only team standing between the Vegas Golden Knights and the best odds of capturing the 2018 Stanley Cup, per the latest release from the Westgate SuperBook.

Nearing the season's midway point, the Lightning own an NHL-best 28-8-2 record for 58 points in 38 games.

The Golden Knights aren't far off, sitting just four points back of the Lightning for the NHL's top spot.

It's a big turnaround for the surprising Golden Knights, who entered the season with the worst odds of winning it all. That distinction now belongs to the Arizona Coyotes, with the Desert Dogs' odds pegged at 2000 to 1.

Team Opening Odds Current Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning 10/1 5/1
Vegas Golden Knights 200/1 7/1
Toronto Maple Leafs 14/1 10/1
Nashville Predators 14/1 12/1
St. Louis Blues 30/1 14/1
Dallas Stars 14/1 16/1
Los Angeles Kings 20/1 16/1
Pittsburgh Penguins 8/1 16/1
Columbus Blue Jackets 20/1 18/1
New York Rangers 14/1 18/1
Washington Capitals 10/1 18/1
Winnipeg Jets 40/1 18/1
Anaheim Ducks 14/1 20/1
Boston Bruins 30/1 20/1
San Jose Sharks 20/1 20/1
Chicago Blackhawks 12/1 25/1
Minnesota Wild 14/1 25/1
Carolina Hurricanes 60/1 30/1
New Jersey Devils 100/1 30/1
New York Islanders 40/1 30/1
Calgary Flames 30/1 40/1
Edmonton Oilers 10/1 40/1
Montreal Canadiens 14/1 50/1
Philadelphia Flyers 40/1 50/1
Florida Panthers 40/1 100/1
Ottawa Senators 30/1 100/1
Colorado Avalanche 100/1 200/1
Vancouver Canucks 100/1 300/1
Detroit Red Wings 100/1 500/1
Buffalo Sabres 60/1 1000/1
Arizona Coyotes 100/1 2000/1

(Odds courtesy: Westgate SuperBook)

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No timeline for Weber’s return from foot injury

Shea Weber will remain on the sidelines for the immediate future.

The Montreal Canadiens defenseman has missed the past six games with a foot injury after he was shut down by the club last month.

On Monday, Canadiens coach Claude Julien reassured fans that Weber isn't dealing with any broken bones, but added there's no timeline for the blue-liner's return as he continues to rehab from the injury.

Weber has appeared in 26 games, recording six goals and 10 assists. His return to the ice would be a big boost for the Canadiens, who sit eight points out of a playoff position.

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Parise cleared to make season debut

Minnesota Wild winger Zach Parise will make his season debut Tuesday against the Florida Panthers.

Parise underwent back surgery in October, and was recently sent to the AHL for a one-game conditioning stint wherein he recorded an assist.

In 69 games last season, Parise scored 19 goals and added 23 assists.

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