Category Archives: Hockey News
Matthews says shoulder has progressed well upon return to practice
Although he was draped in a red non-contact jersey, Auston Matthews rejoined the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday for his first full practice since injuring his left shoulder Oct. 27, and says the recovery is coming along nicely.
"Kind of just taking it day by day," Matthews said, per Dave McCarthy of NHL.com. "It feels a lot better. I think it's progressed quite well. It's still not all there but hopefully it continues to progress, and I can get out there as soon as possible."
Matthews was given a four-week recovery timeline upon being diagnosed with the injury, which would keep him out until Nov. 24 if the prognosis is to be taken verbatim. He's missed nine games so far, and the Maple Leafs play four times in the coming week.
"You'll just know (when you're ready), I guess," Matthews said. "Taking contact, feeling back in game shape, being able to do a full practice, all that kind of stuff. A lot of protocol you have to go through. In all honesty, it doesn't really matter. I'm going to come back when I feel ready. It's great to see us getting a lot of wins though."
Prior to being sidelined, Matthews had recorded 10 goals and six assists in 11 games. Toronto's still managed a 6-3 record in his absence, and the club currently sits one point outside first place in the Atlantic Division.
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Schmidt makes season debut after 20-game suspension
Nate Schmidt's 20-game suspension is up, and he's in the lineup for his season debut as the Vegas Golden Knights battle the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday evening.
Schmidt was suspended in September for a violating the terms of the NHL and NHLPA's performance-enhancing substances program, which the 27-year-old blue-liner strongly disagreed with due to the "microscopic" amount of tainted substance discovered in his system.
His return to the lineup should be big for the Golden Knights, who have sputtered out of the gate with an 8-11-1 record in his absence. Last season, Schmidt appeared in 76 games, recording a career-high 36 points while logging over 22 minutes per contest.
In the midst of his ban, Schmidt signed a six-year contract extension worth $5.95 million annually.
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Canucks recall Gagner from AHL Marlies
Sam Gagner is headed back to the NHL.
The Vancouver Canucks have recalled the veteran forward from the AHL's Toronto Marlies, the team announced Sunday.
Gagner was waived by the Canucks on Oct. 1 and loaned to the Marlies one day later.
The 29-year-old produced seven goals and 15 points in 15 AHL games this season.
Gagner carries a $3.15-million cap hit after Vancouver inked him to a three-year, $9.45-million deal in July 2017.
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Don’t Expand The NHL Playoff Format
Don’t Expand The NHL Playoff Format
Powerful Design: Stamkos’ perfect feed caps off textbook passing sequence
The Tampa Bay Lightning's second goal in an 11-second span on the power play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday was a shining example of the vision and skill Tampa Bay's most dangerous players possess.
It was Brayden Point's second of the game and fifth in the last two contests, but it wouldn't have been possible without Steven Stamkos' precision, nor the awareness shown by both Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman.
Let's take a look at how they did it.
As we begin, the public address announcer in Philadelphia hasn't even had time to announce Tyler Johnson's marker that made it 4-1 for Tampa Bay moments earlier, but the Lightning are pressing again. What was a 5-on-3 is now a 5-on-4.
J.T. Miller fires the puck into the Flyers' zone, and it heads to Hedman at the blue line after bouncing off Dale Weise's left skate.

Hedman spots Kucherov - who's out of view on the broadcast - and taps it in his direction.

Kucherov, camped out on the edge of the circle, surveys the scene before receiving the puck and notices Stamkos (at the point to Hedman's left) turning on the jets down the wing.

Like Hedman did just a second or two earlier, Kucherov directs a perfect pass without wasting any time controlling the puck, and it slides toward Stamkos, who remains unmarked at the point on the left wing.

Stamkos receives it while cruising into the slot, and has to decide whether to shoot or try to find Brayden Point, who's positioned in front of the net.

Now, let's pick it up from another angle for a better view. Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald drops to the ice, perhaps expecting a shot.

Despite having an extremely tight window for a potential pass to Point, Stamkos somehow feathers a perfect feed under the sliding MacDonald and right to his red-hot teammate.

Point makes no mistake on the redirection and it's in the net.

Stamkos' nose for the net and impressive hand-eye coordination were the biggest factors on this goal, but the Lightning's power-play structure and passing ability showed why they're one of the most effective units in the NHL.
(Images courtesy: NHL.com)
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Driver who filmed Sens players says he destroyed 2nd clip
The Uber driver who captured and posted footage of Ottawa Senators players criticizing assistant coach Martin Raymond claims he deleted a second video from the same ride.
James Sparklin said he spoke to a member of the Senators organization and told them he got rid of the other clip.
"I called the team ... because I wanted to make sure they understood that I have destroyed the other tape. It will never ever see the light of day," the Arizona native told The Canadian Press.
However, a spokesperson for the team denied that Sparklin apologized to the club, saying, "Based on our review, we have no reason to believe that any such conversation took place."
Sparklin described the second video as showing the players entering his van and having a discussion about the number of passengers.
In the aftermath of the video circulating earlier this month, Sparklin mentioned he was aggravated by something that happened early in the trip involving how many passengers he'd be taking in the van.
Sparklin told CP on Sunday that the second video shows him discussing that issue with the players, and he was concerned both that his rating would be affected and his insurance wouldn't cover the ride because Uber XL is for six or fewer passengers.
He may not have apologized to the team, but Sparklin did so in his interview with CP.
"I am extremely sorry for what happened and it is not right," he said. "I never meant harm on any of the players involved, the coaching staff involved, the owner involved, the town that was involved ... I wasn’t thinking at all."
Uber fired Sparklin for violating its terms of service.
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