The New York Rangers picked up a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 4. Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin helped the Rangers secure this victory, as he recorded a goal and an assist in the matchup.
With this latest strong performance for the Rangers, Panarin now has nine goals, 21 assists, and 30 points in 29 games this season. The former Blackhawks forward has also recorded six goals and 20 points over his last 13 games alone.
Due to his hot stretch of play, Panarin has now also hit a big career milestone. With his late third-period goal against the Senators, Panarin recorded the 900th point of his NHL career. This is very impressive when noting that it took the former Blackhawks forward only 781 games to get point No. 900.
Panarin hitting this milestone in under 800 games only shows how strong of an NHL career he has had. At 34 years old, he is still very much a star, so it should not take him very long to get his 1,000th career NHL point because of it.
In 162 games with the Blackhawks from 2015-16 to 2016-17, Panarin recorded 61 goals, 90 assists, 151 points, and a plus-26 rating.
Those of you who are fans of Saturday Night Live will be familiar with cast member Kenan Thompson and his frequent proclamations in sketches, "What's up with that?"
Well, that question could certainly be applied to the NHL's hand-pass rule after Thursday night's game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Lightning tied to score late in the game, only to have Nikita Kucherov's goal called back by the NHL's Situation Room in Toronto, which declared that Brandon Hagel was guilty of directing the puck to Jake Guentzel with a hand pass leading to the goal. Tampa Bay lost 4-3.
Hagel was actually putting his glove up to keep from losing a couple of teeth, and there was nothing deliberate about it. But what matters under Rule 79 of the NHL rulebook is whether the player stopped or "batted" a puck in the air with his hand and, in the opinion of the officials, directed the puck to a teammate or gave his team gain an advantage. The same wording applies in international hockey.
Jon Cooper and the Lightning found Nikita Kucherov’s overturned goal “laughable” after it was ruled that Brandon Hagel used his hand to pass the puck on the same play.
Did the officials make the right call, or is Cooper speaking the truth? ⤵️
So you can be that when the GMs next hold their meetings, this is something that will be discussed. Don't be surprised if the rule is tweaked in time for next season.
Watch today's video column up above for more.
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The New York Islanders overpowered the Colorado Avalanche 6–3 on Thursday, improving to 15-10-3 and handing Colorado just its second regulation loss of the season—spoiling Brock Nelson’s Long Island homecoming in the process. It was an especially commanding win for New York, not only because of the final score, but because of how convincingly they executed despite missing a host of key contributors.
The Islanders entered the night severely depleted. Alexander Romanov was lost for the season after being on the receiving end of the Mikko Rantanen freight train, and Kyle Palmieri had recently been ruled out for the year as well after tearing his ACL. J.G. Pageau remained sidelined on a week-to-week timetable, with a tentative return projected just before Christmas.
Given the mounting injuries—and the fact that the Islanders had already fallen to Colorado earlier this season at Ball Arena—many viewed this matchup as a scheduled loss.
Compounding matters, Jonathan Drouin, who spent the previous two seasons with the Avalanche before signing a two-year deal with New York in the offseason, was a late scratch due to a back injury. Despite the mounting absences, the Islanders delivered one of their most resilient performances of the season.
Avs Lose Convincingly
Despite all of the adversity the Islanders have gone through leading up to this game, one person who truly believed this team had a chance to deliver the NHL’s juggernaut a defeat, Isles head coach Patrick Roy.
“The focus was to play against the best team in the NHL… I believe that if there’s a team that could surprise them, it’s us,” Roy said.
Patrick Roy says he didn't know he won his 200th NHL game as a head coach until Anders Lee gave him a game puck
"The focus was to play against the best team in the NHL. Like I said to them before the game, I believe if there's a team that could surprise them it's us" pic.twitter.com/jVD2pehRwM
With a 6–3 victory over the Avalanche, New York didn’t simply defeat one of the league’s strongest teams; they brought Colorado’s impressive 17-game point streak to a convincing end.
Sure, the goaltender interference didn’t help, but what also didn’t help the Avalanche is the fact they were bad with the puck and committed a lot of bad turnovers that put the Islanders in prime position to capitalize, and indeed they did.
Mathew Barzal paced the Islanders’ offense with a goal and two assists, while Kyle MacLean, Anders Lee, Bo Horvat, and Adam Pelech each found the back of the net as New York secured its second straight victory. Ilya Sorokin was sharp throughout, turning aside 35 shots, and Casey Cizikas sealed the win with an empty-netter.
For Colorado, Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas, and Artturi Lehkonen provided the scoring, and Mackenzie Blackwood delivered a 36-save effort in the losing effort.
Next Game
There were, unquestionably, a few bright spots for the Avalanche, and they were all just mentioned. Nichushkin, Necas, and Lehkonen each broke through after prolonged scoring droughts, and Blackwood—despite the loss—made several key saves early that kept the game from spiraling further out of reach.
The best approach now is to take this one on the chin, clean up the mistakes, and return to the form that has carried them through the season so far.
The Avalanche (19-2-6) will look to rebound on Saturday when they face the New York Rangers (15-12-2) at Madison Square Garden, opening a back-to-back with a 10:30 a.m. local start.
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Following 27 games so far in this 2025-26 campaign, the Los Angeles Kings hold a 12-8-7 record and have accumulated 31 points.
With that, they are third in the Pacific Division, coming off two straight losses, with their latest coming against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. While the Kings remain in a playoff position, they could be in a better position if the team’s power play weren’t the worst in the NHL.
At a 12.9 percent conversion rate with the extra man - the lowest in the NHL - something has to give. Furthermore, with the joint-second-most overtime and shootout losses in the league (seven), a slightly better power play would likely turn those losses into wins.
While head coach Jim Hiller carries the responsibility of the team’s overall style of play, lineup and execution, He isn’t the sole controller of the power play.
The man who specializes in the Kings’ power play and forward group is assistant coach Newell Brown. This is Brown’s second season with Los Angeles as an assistant coach.
Last year, the Kings’ power play wasn’t all that special, finishing 27th in the league at 17.9 percent.
Before Brown’s time with the Kings, he was a member of the Anaheim Ducks’ coaching staff. In his last season with Anaheim, its power play ended the season with an identical 17.9 percent. The Ducks were tied for 25th among the league's best power plays.
However, since then, there has been only one season when Brown’s special teams finished better than 25th in the NHL.
During the team’s power-play slump, Hiller has shuffled his players around and has tried different methods regarding personnel on both power-play units, but that hasn’t resulted in improvement.
The Kings have one power-play marker in their last seven games. In those seven outings, Los Angeles had 24 opportunities with the extra man, tied for fifth most in the NHL during that span.
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The 24-year-old signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers ($975,000) in the off-season, but has yet to be called up to the NHL.
Lundmark has spent the season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, where he's failed to record a goal or point in nine games. Last season, he played with Timra IK in the SHL, where he scored five goals and nine points in 49 games.
The signing of Lundmark came as a surprise, but with a 6-foot-4, 192-pound frame, the Panthers thought they could develop him into a bottom-six contrubutor.
Clearly, after pre-season and nine games in the AHL, the two sides were in agreement that the best course of action was to terminate his contract with the organization.
According to Johan Svensson, Lundmark will return to Timra as he is still currently under contract with the European team. Timra are tied with Farjestad BK for seventh place in the SHL, and Lundmark's return should help the team improve.
Timra currently rosters a Panthers prospect, Linus Eriksson, a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft.
Lundmark's tenure with the Panthers ended quickly, and it will ultimately go down as a failed experiment.
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Crookshank has played 17 games so far this season with the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. In those games, Crookshank has scored five goals and tallied two assists for a total of seven points.
The center is no stranger to the NHL. In the past two seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Crookshank has played in 21 NHL games. He has a career total of two goals and four assists in the NHL.
Ahead of his potential Devils debut, Crookshank spoke with NJD.tv.
“I’m excited. You want to play in the NHL so any day you can be here it’s great,” Crookshank said. “Hopefully, I can show my stuff.”
As a result of Crookshank's arrival, the morning skate lineup looked different.
Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Palat-Mercer-Bratt
Gritsyuk-Glass-Brown
Cotter-Glendening-Crookshank
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Dillon-Hughes
White-Nemec
Cholowski - (Lammikko)
Looks like Crookshank is in for #NJDevils & Lammikko is out.
Forward have had a pretty decent shuffle, with the Gritsyuk-Glass-Brown line reunited. They had some solid chemistry early in the season.
And Cholowski looks like he's coming out with White going in.
Jacob Markstrom is set to get the start in the net, backed up by Jake Allen.
Ahead of the game, head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke with the media and NJD.tv about the adjustments.
"It's getting greater balance in our lines," Keefe said. "We're playing against a team today that gives you no shifts off. That's really a big part of it."
Another reason for the lineup adjustments is that the Devils are dealing with several key injuries. The full list of injured Devils players is below.
J. Hughes (finger)
Pesce (upper-body)
Dadonov (hand)
Kovacevic (knee)
McLaughlin (undisclosed)
MacEwen (upper body)
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights enter tonight’s game on a two-game winning streak, having beaten the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks. Ranked third in the NHL for faceoff percentage at 53.9%, the Golden Knights approach tonight’s matchup with fewer injuries, as detailed below.
Lauzon (undisclosed, IR)
Hill (lower-body, IR)
Karlsson (lower-body, IR)
Pietrangelo (hip, IR)
With both teams seeking momentum, the Devils hope to snap their losing streak, while the Golden Knights aim for a third straight victory.
The teams are facing off for the first time this season tonight and will meet again in just 12 days on December 17th.
When asked about the matchup, Jesper Bratt told NJD.tv what the team must do to escape its losing streak.
"It’s going to take our A Game to beat a team like this,” Bratt said. “We’re focused on the first period to play really solid defensively. Don’t give them the inside of the ice.”
The puck will drop at 7 PM.
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The Florida Panthers also placed Anton Lundmark on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination, Friedman reported.
Koppanen has played in 10 games this season with Pittsburgh, recording one assist, two penalty minutes, four blocks, nine hits and a minus-1 rating. Last season, he had one goal and 40 hits in 11 games for Pittsburgh.
If Koppanen passes through waivers unclaimed on Saturday, Pittsburgh can assign him back to its AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
In six games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Koppanen has one goal and one assist.
Lundmark, on the other hand, has zero points, four penalty minutes, and a minus-2 rating in nine games this season with the Charlotte Checkers. The 6-foot-4 right winger's most recent appearance with the AHL squad was on Nov. 28 against the Toronto Marlies.
Lundmark signed a one-year, $975,000 entry-level contract with the Panthers back in April. This was after he posted five goals, four assists, nine points and a plus-2 rating in 49 games with Timra of the Swedish League last season.
"Anton is a robust forward who has elevated his game rising through the professional hockey ranks in Sweden," Panthers GM Bill Zito said at the time of the signing. "We look forward to his continued development in our organization."
Assuming Lundmark, 24, clears waivers, the Panthers will terminate his contract, and he will become a UFA who can continue his development in the Swedish League if he wishes.
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The New Jersey Devils announced on Friday that they have recalled forward Angus Crookshank from the Utica Comets.
The 26-year-old center has played 17 games so far this season with the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. In those games, Crookshank has scored five goals and tallied two assists for a total of seven points.
In the past two seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Crookshank has played 21 NHL games, recording 2 goals and 4 assists.
The 2018 fifth-round draft pick signed his current contract with the New Jersey Devils on July 1, 2025, securing his place on the roster through the 2026-27 season.
He is on a two-year, $1,550,000 contract with a $775,000 cap hit per season.
Crookshank joined the Devils at their morning skate ahead of the team's matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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The Detroit Red Wings have become the center of NHL trade speculation as reports continue to link the team to superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks.
Credible sources suggest the Red Wings are highly interested in acquiring Hughes. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added fuel to the rumors, saying Detroit is "very high on my list" when it comes to teams capable of pulling off a deal.
Friedman also discussed what a potential trade package could include if Vancouver were to strike a deal. According to him, the Canucks are reportedly looking for a center, saying, "I'm looking at teams that have like a #2 center that can play with Elias Pettersson, and Detroit has one of those guys," and later expanding, "Detroit does have centers that I think could interest Vancouver."
Friedman clarified that he was not referring to Dylan Larkin, implying that rookie Nate Danielson is the likely candidate. Danielson, a former top-ten draft pick, has already demonstrated his potential, notably in a recent breakout game against the Seattle Kraken where he scored his first NHL goal, had a second goal called off, and recorded the game-winning assist. Danielson could serve as a cornerstone for Vancouver’s potential retool while Hughes would provide Detroit with a key piece to strengthen their defense.
Although such a trade could benefit both teams, there are risks involved as many believe Hughes may not re-sign with Detroit and could join the New Jersey Devils in free agency to play with his brothers Jack and Luke. However, the Red Wings have several connections that could make a transition smoother.
Hughes played at the University of Michigan with current Red Wings players, including Dylan Larkin, and previously competed for the Plymouth-based U.S. National Development Program. Detroit also had the opportunity to select Hughes in the 2018 NHL Draft but instead chose Filip Zadina, who is now playing overseas.
At just 26 years old, Hughes is already labeled the greatest defenseman in Canucks history. In 455 regular-season games with the Vancouver Canucks, he has recorded 61 goals and 370 assists for a total of 431 points, while posting a plus-minus rating of plus 25.
Hughes holds the franchise records for career points and assists by a defenseman, surpassing previous marks set by Alex Edler. He reached a career-high 92 points in the 2023–24 season, which won him the James Norris trophy as the league's best defenseman and the lable of the highest-scoring defenseman in Canucks history.
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There are a number of former Buffalo Sabres players scattered throughout the NHL, having a varied level of success this season. Periodically, we will check in to see how their players are faring. Today, we start with ex-Sabres playing for the eight teams in the Central Division. The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues do not have any former Buffalo players currently on their roster, but here are those on the other six clubs.
Colorado
Victor Olofsson - F: After one season in Vegas, the three-time 20-goal scorer signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche and has been providing a solid amount of secondary scoring (6 goals, 11 assists in 27 games).
Dallas
Ilya Lyubushkin - D: The righty blueliner started his career in Arizona, was traded to Toronto, played 68 games for Buffalo in 2022-23, and is now on their fifth NHL club, after stops in Anaheim and a return to the Leafs, before signing with the Stars. In 20 games, Lyubushkin has five assists.
Minnesota
Marcus Johansson, Marcus Foligno - F, Zach Bogosian - D: Johansson has played for seven NHL clubs and is with the Wild for the second time, but at age 35 is on pace to have his best season (8 goals, 12 assists in 27 games) since 2017. Foligno, a Sabres 2009 draft pick, has only two assists in 23 games, while Bogosian, who terminated his contract after six seasons in Buffalo, has one assist in 12 games.
Ryan O’Reilly, Tyson Jost - F: The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner signed with the Predators after being a deadline acquisition by Toronto in 2023, and is currently leading a bad Nashville club in scoring with 21 points ( 9 goals, 12 assists) in 27 games. Jost played two seasons with Buffalo and made a stop in Carolina before joining the Preds this season, where he has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 20 games.
Utah
JJ Peterka - F: The Sabres second-leading scorer last season, Peterka is second only to Logan Cooley in goals with 12 and has 21 points for the Mammoth this season. The trade with Buffalo has been salvaged by the success of Josh Doan, but the injured Michael Kesselring was supposed to be the centerpiece of the deal.
Winnipeg
Colin Miller - F, Eric Comrie - G: Miller is in his third season with Winnipeg and is a depth defenseman with no points in 10 games. Comrie has been pressed into a starting role with the Jets due to Connor Hellebuyck’s knee surgery, and he is 5-5-1 with a 2.99 GAA and .897 save %.
After getting back from a seven-game road trip, Thursday night’s game against the New York Rangers wasn’t exactly the homecoming the Ottawa Senators had in mind. J.T. Miller had three assists as the Rangers defeated the Senators 4–2 at Canadian Tire Centre.
But the bigger loss for Ottawa might be centre Shane Pinto, who suffered a lower-body injury, joining the club’s expanding list of walking wounded. Pinto, Ottawa's top goal scorer (12), was injured in the first period on what appeared to be an innocuous body check from former Senator Mika Zibanejad.
Down near the end boards in Ottawa's end, Pinto tried to jump on a loose puck, but as he looked up ice, he took his eye off the puck and missed it, and it slipped off his stick blade. As he opened up to regroup and try to get his stick back on the puck, that’s when Zibanejad made contact. That left Pinto briefly off balance, and his skate appeared to get jammed into the base of the boards.
Before leaving, Pinto went for a brief skate, trying to test out his lower body injury during a stoppage before deciding he couldn't continue.
Senators head coach Travis Green, as is customary, said he hoped to know more about Pinto's prognosis on Friday. When Friday came, all Green would say was that Pinto wouldn't be available for the next game, scheduled for Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues.
“He’s a big loss,” Green told TSN during their Thursday broadcast.
After getting Brady Tkachuk back in the lineup last week, after he had missed 20 games with a thumb injury, the Senators were hoping for a run of good luck in the injury department. Instead, Thomas Chabot was re-injured, and Artem Zub and Lars Eller also missed Thursday’s game. All are now listed as day-to-day, though Zub is expected back on Saturday night.
And now Pinto is banged up as well.
As for Thursday's game, the 4-2 loss to the Blueshirts, Artemi Panarin hit the 900-point mark for his career with a goal and an assist. Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens had the Senators’ goals, and Leevi Meriläinen stopped 23 of 27 shots. Igor Shesterkin was excellent and always seems to have the Senators' number.
Brady Tkachuk had an assist in the game and moved past Wade Redden on the Senators’ all-time scoring list. He is now in fifth place with 411 points.
The Senators are back at it on Saturday at home against the St. Louis Blues at 7:00 p.m.
During the off-season, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram was a very popular name in the rumor mill. However, he ended up staying put in Buffalo after signing a two-year, $12.5 million contract extension.
Yet, with the Sabres struggling and Byram having the potential to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2027, questions about his long-term future in Buffalo are still there. Due to this, he could be a player to watch this season.
If the Sabres end up shopping Byram closer to the deadline, these three teams could be good fits for him.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have been a nice surprise this season and could look to add to their roster because of it. When looking at their group, it is clear that they could use another impactful left-shot defenseman. Because of this, they would make a lot of sense as a suitor for Byram. This is especially so when noting that Byram is still just 24 years old and would fit in nicely on a team on the rise like Philly.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins could be an intriguing landing spot for Byram. The Metropolitan Division club has had a strong start to the 2025-26 season, and bringing in a young defenseman like Byram could help them maintain this kind of momentum. The Penguins' left side could also use improvement, so Byram could be a great pickup for them.
St. Louis Blues
It has been a nightmare season for the Blues, and it would not be surprising if they looked to switch up their roster because of it. They could use another left-shot defenseman, so it would make sense for them to try to bring in Byram. This is especially so when noting that they were heavily linked to him during the off-season as well.
It's also made UFA-eligible left winger
Kiefer Sherwood a popular target in an otherwise thin trade market
thus far.
Quinn Hughes was
not considered to be among the Canucks' trade candidates. However,
the uncertainty over whether he'll sign a contract extension has
raised questions about the 26-year-old superstar defenseman's future
in Vancouver. That's generating conjecture about potential trade
destinations for the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner.
The Hockey News' Adam Kierszenblat doesn't think the Canucks should be in a win-now mode this season. That means he thinks the Canucks' brass should sit down with Hughes to discuss his future and whether he would want to play through a retool or rebuild.
If the Canucks
peddle Hughes, Kierszenblat believes the Canucks should focus on acquiring prospects and picks over established NHL players.
Ben Kuzma of The Province, meanwhile, believes they'll seek
a multi-player return that helps them get younger and eventually
better.
Kuzma felt that
interested clubs would want assurances that Hughes wouldn't be a
one-year rental. He suggested ties to certain teams could determine
where he lands, proposing the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers as destinations.
Hughes spent his
formative hockey years in Michigan with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and the NCAA
Wolverines. His brothers, Jack and Luke, play for the Devils.
Meanwhile, former Canucks coach Rick Tocchet is now the Flyers'
bench boss.
Kuzma speculated
that the Canucks could seek a return of winger Lucas Raymond, rookies
Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Nate Danielson, and a 2026 first-round pick
from the Red Wings.
Daily Faceoff's
Anthony Di Marco thinks the Canucks would want winger Tyson Foerster
and prospect Porter Martone as part of the return from the Flyers.
However, they might prefer sending a package to Vancouver centered
around a defenseman such as Jamie Drysdale or Cam York.
The asking price
from the Devils could include promising defenseman Simon Nemec.
Center Dawson Mercer or rookie winger Arseny Gritsyuk could also be
part of the deal.
The Red Wings,
Devils and Flyers could be reluctant to gut their rosters for
Hughes, but interested clubs should be prepared to pay a high price
for a superstar of his caliber.
Earlier this week, NHL.com's Dan Rosen was asked what level of interest the Oilers had
in Jarry. He pointed out that they know what they have with
inconsistent starter Stuart Skinner, who has backstopped them to
consecutive Stanley Cup finals.
Rosen didn't rule
out the possibility of the Oilers seeking a replacement, but he noted
that Jarry has his own inconsistency issues, plus an injury history.
He felt that the only way they would make a move for Jarry is if they
believe he can carry them to the Stanley Cup.
Given Jarry's
career and his post-season record thus far, it's unlikely he'll
replace Skinner in Edmonton.
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The Anaheim Ducks are at a surprisingly critical time in their season, a season in which they’re on track to end their seven-season playoff drought, as they sit atop the Pacific Division standings in early December and 27 games into the 2025-26 season.
However, their position remains a bit precarious, as they have just a one-point lead on the Vegas Golden Knights (32 points), who’ve played one less game than Anaheim (33 points). Also, just five points separate them from being on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.
After jumping out to a hot start, under a new coaching staff and surprising opponents, teams seem to have adjusted and are better prepared to counter what the Ducks are trying to accomplish on a night-to-night, shift-by-shift basis. As the Ducks have undergone a systemic facelift and dealt with the pitfalls of that adjustment, the backbone of the team to this point in the season has been Lukas Dostal.
Dostal is one week into a 2-3 week timeframe to return from an upper-body injury and has been sidelined for the Ducks’ last five games, where the Ducks have gone 2-3-0. He carried an 11-5-1 record, a .904 SV%, and had saved 10.1 goals above expected (T-12th in the NHL). He, along with the Ducks' early-season ability to outscore their problems, had papered over much of the Ducks’ defensive deficiencies.
One of the areas that needed a tweak was the penalty kill, which currently sits 27th in the NHL, killing at a 75% rate. It’s not an area they can afford to be poor in, as through 27 games, they have taken 97 minor penalties (10th in the NHL) and average 10.2 PIM per game (eighth in the NHL).
The Ducks coaching staff, specifically head coach Joel Quenneville and assistant coach Ryan McGill, have begun to make said necessary tweaks. They began by overhauling their personnel deployment while down a man.
Heading into their game on Monday against the St. Louis Blues, three staples of the Ducks’ penalty kill had been Jackson LaCombe (averaging 3:04 shorthanded TOI), Leo Carlsson (1:52), and Troy Terry (1:48). All three star players were taken off the penalty kill entirely.
Pavel Mintyukov was placed on the top PK unit with Jacob Trouba. The second unit now consists of Drew Helleson and Radko Gudas. The first forwards over the boards on the kill are now Ryan Poehling and Alex Killorn, with a combination of Chris Kreider, Frank Vatrano, Jansen Harkens, and Cutter Gauthier behind them.
“Our penalty killing, I think, we had a great start to the season. I thought we did some good things,” Joel Quenneville said of his unit when asked about taking his trio of stars off the kill. “Then, I think we were getting probably too many penalties, which they’re (the opposing team) going to start to figure it out.
“So I think we can manage the amount of time we’re putting them on the (penalty kill), and at the same time, our group can be more effective by being together, knowing the pressure points, and taking away shooting lanes. It’s a combination of both. Leo and Terry, getting them resting for more of the 5v5 and the power play. It was a lot of ice time, something we looked at.“
The Ducks are now two games into this experiment, and the results have been there. The Ducks have killed seven of eight penalties over the last two games: a 4-1 win over the Blues and a 7-0 blowout loss against the Utah Mammoth.
Terry and Carlsson are both players who possess quality defensive tools. Terry is disruptive and influences attackers to low-danger areas from the wing, while Carlsson can diagnose breakouts and kill plays in the neutral zone or forecheck. However, when placed on the kill together, they were perhaps too aggressive, quick to jump for secondary pressure, and attempted to manufacture offense while down a player.
LaCombe, while an ace at defending the rush, has had his struggles this season boxing out and eliminating sticks at the net front. Too often was the opposing net front forward able to sustainably screen the Ducks’ netminder, get tips on perimeter shots, and put rebounds in the back of the net.
Though the sample is small, the Ducks have found a better balance of aggressiveness and passiveness while in zone on the kill. Carlsson, Terry, and LaCombe are now theoretically freer to focus on the offensive side of the puck, where they’re truly special, and can conserve needed energy for those 5v5 and power play minutes.
The Ducks will have a tall order on Friday, as they’ll host the white hot Washington Capitals, who have won their last six games and nine of their last ten. Despite now leading the Metropolitan Division, the Caps have only converted 17.3% of their power plays (T-22nd in the NHL) and have only generated 7.66 xGF/60 minutes (24th in the NHL) while on the man-advantage. They’ve gone 4-13 (30.8%) on the power play during their current six-game winning streak. Still, this will be a good chance to see how the PK unit is progressing on the Anaheim side.
