Face to face with a crisis in the crease, Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee isn't willing to make a move out of desperation.
The expansion Knights have lost three goaltenders to injury, not even one full month into their inaugural season. Marc-Andre Fleury has a concussion, while Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk have each suffered lower-body injuries, forcing little-known rookie Maxime Lagace into a starting role.
Despite the slew of injuries, Vegas' goaltending has actually been a strong point so far, as the Golden Knights rank eighth in the NHL with a team save percentage of .929 at 5-on-5.
Face to face with a crisis in the crease, Vegas Golden Knights general manager George McPhee isn't willing to make a move out of desperation.
The expansion Knights have lost three goaltenders to injury, not even one full month into their inaugural season. Marc-Andre Fleury has a concussion, while Malcolm Subban and Oscar Dansk have each suffered lower-body injuries, forcing little-known rookie Maxime Lagace into a starting role.
Despite the slew of injuries, Vegas' goaltending has actually been a strong point so far, as the Golden Knights rank eighth in the NHL with a team save percentage of .929 at 5-on-5.
Thursday promises to be an action-packed night across the NHL, with 12 games spread across the schedule.
There's a wide variety of intriguing matchups, but let's take a look at the games within the games, as multiple impressive streaks can be kept alive.
Vasilevskiy strives for history
Much has been made of the Tampa Bay Lightning's incredible offense to start the season, but netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy has quietly been the backbone of the club's early success.
The 23-year-old owns a .927 save percentage to go along with a 10-1 record, with the last nine victories coming in succession. If Vasilevskiy is able to top the New York Rangers, he'll set a franchise record for consecutive wins.
High-flying Blues
(Photo Courtesy: Action Images)
The Western Conference-leading Blues will put their seven-game point streak to the test as the Philadelphia Flyers travel to the Gateway City. St. Louis is 6-0-1 over that span, and have won its last four contests in regulation.
The Blues have been strong across the board amid their recent stretch, scoring 26 goals while limiting the opposition to 14. They also hold a significant edge in the shot department, outpacing opponents 245-204.
Keller looks to build Calder case
Shining a positive light on a 10 p.m. matchup between the basement-dwelling Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres isn't an easy task, but tuning in to watch reigning Rookie of the Month Clayton Keller attempt to keep his seven-game point streak alive might be worth it.
The 19-year-old has 15 points in 13 games overall, and has three multi-point efforts during his recent run, offering the lone glimmer of entertainment value for the Coyotes throughout their miserable start.
Considering Buffalo is allowing the NHL's fifth-most goals per game (3.58), counting on Keller to stay hot is a pretty safe bet.
Before the team places the Russian forward on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract, general manager George McPhee is reportedly seeking assurance from his 30 counterparts that Shipachyov won't be claimed, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels.
If he were to be claimed, that team would pick up the remainder of his two-year, $9-million deal without having to send any assets to Vegas.
The Golden Knights would still be on the hook for a $2-million signing bonus of which Shipachyov has agreed to pay back all but $86,000 once the termination process officially begins.
At present, Shipachyov is in Russia and is hoping to latch on with a KHL club. His only other option is to retire, meaning Vegas would retain his NHL rights for the time being.
In three games with Vegas, Shipachyov recorded one goal and three shots on net.
Four goals in 11 games is a solid start for most NHLers, but not for former No. 2 overall draft pick Patrik Laine. That's because the Winnipeg Jets winger set the bar high in his first year in the league, notching 64 points in 74 games a campaign ago.
However, this season's struggles are starting to get to the 19-year-old sophomore: " ... Obviously, I don't have a lot of confidence, so, just try and shoot a lot and try and be simple that way and try and work hard every shift," Laine said, according to TSN.
"Right now I am struggling, but that doesn't matter, the team is winning."
Laine makes a good point, as the Jets have won two in a row and have points in eight of their last 10. But, Laine as a solo act isn't as fun to watch right now, with the Finnish sniper going pointless in four straight contests.
"Feels like hockey is really hard right now," said Laine. "But, I think everyone is going to have the same kind of feelings sometimes. Have to move forward and get through it somehow."
Laine will have a chance to get back on track Thursday when Winnipeg takes on the Dallas Stars.
Four goals in 11 games is a solid start for most NHLers, but not for former No. 2 overall draft pick Patrik Laine. That's because the Winnipeg Jets winger set the bar high in his first year in the league, notching 64 points in 74 games a campaign ago.
However, this season's struggles are starting to get to the 19-year-old sophomore: " ... Obviously, I don't have a lot of confidence, so, just try and shoot a lot and try and be simple that way and try and work hard every shift," Laine said, according to TSN.
"Right now I am struggling, but that doesn't matter, the team is winning."
Laine makes a good point, as the Jets have won two in a row and have points in eight of their last 10. But, Laine as a solo act isn't as fun to watch right now, with the Finnish sniper going pointless in four straight contests.
"Feels like hockey is really hard right now," said Laine. "But, I think everyone is going to have the same kind of feelings sometimes. Have to move forward and get through it somehow."
Laine will have a chance to get back on track Thursday when Winnipeg takes on the Dallas Stars.
Hands in the air if you predicted the New Jersey Devils would be in first place in the Metropolitan Division two days into November.
That's what we thought.
While some pundits expected the club would be much improved thanks to Nico Hischier and a revamped offense, very few thought the Devils would earn 18 out of a possible 22 points to start the campaign.
Looking at how New Jersey climbed atop the Metro to start the second month of the season gives the impression that this group of Devils is much different from versions past - and their success could be sustainable. Here's why.
Scoring by committee
The Devils don't have a single player in the top 40 goal-scorers; Brian Gibbons is their only forward with five goals or more. This would potentially cripple most clubs. However, for John Hynes' men, it's a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Across the first 11 games of the season, New Jersey features 16 different goal-scorers and has tallied the 11th-most goals in the NHL, a respectable 40. Only the Columbus Blue Jackets have more players with a goal (17).
The Devils may lack the pure, bona fide goal-scorer that most teams long for, but they're getting the job done as a group on a nightly basis.
Road warriors
The mark of any good team is how well it can play on the road. After five away contests to start the campaign, New Jersey is a perfect 5-0-0 and the last remaining undefeated road team in the league.
More impressive than the record is the way the club's been winning away from Prudential Center. The Devils have won their five road contests by a combined score of 22-11, including victories over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators.
If New Jersey can continue to rack up points on the road, it'll be a very difficult team to deal with.
Consistency in the crease
One of the biggest flaws of last year's Devils was the poor play of their No. 1 goaltender, Cory Schneider. In his worst season since becoming an everyday starter five years ago, he registered a lackluster save percentage (.908) and goals-against average (2.82) to go along with only 20 wins.
Schneider's seemingly turned the page on his poor campaign, however, putting up better numbers this fall while earning back the respect of Devils fans and management.
Across eight starts, Schneider has registered a 6-1-0 record with one shutout and a .921 save percentage. A lot of credit is due to the defense in front of him, and of course he can still play better, but he appears to have his confidence back.
Balanced offensive contributions, a propensity to put up points on the road, and a reinvigorated starting goaltender have the upstart Devils sitting pretty, and potentially set up to stay that way.
Few things in hockey are more daunting than attempting to defend against a Pittsburgh Penguins power play.
The Edmonton Oilers learned this the hard way Wednesday by failing to keep Pittsburgh's top unit from scoring the eventual game-winner with less than eight minutes remaining in the third period.
Here's a look at how the Penguins executed their deciding strike with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins helplessly looking on from the penalty box after being called for interference.
The play began with defenseman Kris Letang (No. 58) controlling the puck in the defensive zone and preparing to lead a breakout.
Shortly after crossing the Penguins' blue line, Letang dropped the puck back to Phil Kessel (81) while Evgeni Malkin (71) came alongside at the back end of the rush.
Kessel and Malkin skated through the neutral zone uncontested, and caught up with the rest of the top power-play unit just prior to entering the offensive zone. Sidney Crosby (87) can be seen to the left of Malkin, with Letang and Patric Hornqvist (72) to Kessel's right.
As it became clear that Kessel was going to carry the puck into the zone rather than dump it in deep, the Oilers' penalty killers descended on him and Malkin. On the ice at the time were defensemen Adam Larsson (6) and Darnell Nurse (25), as well as forwards Matt Kassian (44) and Drake Caggiula (91).
Still, a quick pass from Kessel to Malkin could not be stopped, as seen from a different angle.
Malkin was able to cut between Larsson and Caggiula. Left with a clear look at Cam Talbot in net, Malkin made no mistake on the wide-open opportunity.
He promptly deposited the puck into the back of the net with a wrist shot to Talbot's glove side.
The power-play marker was Pittsburgh's 16th of the season, tying the Penguins with the Tampa Bay Lightning for most in the NHL. Both teams have been afforded 54 opportunities, good for a success rate of 29.6 percent. Only the Dallas Stars have been more efficient on the man advantage, scoring 12 goals on 39 chances (30.8 percent).
Malkin's goal gave him nine power-play points on the season, and the assists for Kessel and Letang marked their eighth points respectively on the man advantage.
It's remarkable that Pittsburgh was able to craft such a perfect play with Crosby acting more as a decoy than a participant, and a testament to the star power head coach Mike Sullivan has at his disposal.
Memo to the opposition: Try to stay out of the box.
