It's been multiple weeks since the Detroit Red Wings had Patrick Kane in the lineup after he was injured during their 2-1 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 17.
During that time, the Red Wings have won five of eight games, including three of their last four away from Little Caesars Arena. Thanks to their strong start to their centennial campaign, Detroit is in second place in the Atlantic Division and third overall in the Eastern Conference.
While it was recently confirmed that Kane would miss the entirety of the road trip which concludes on Tuesday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights, there was an optimistic outlook from head coach Todd McLellan about his potential timeline for a return.
After the Red Wings announced that forward Austin Watson had been re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, McLellan acknowledged that it meant Kane could potentially skate with the club on Thursday.
"That is a sign that there's a really good chance he could skate with us on Thursday," McLellan said.
"Again, we're not there yet, but we're getting feedback from some really important people, including Patrick, and we're hoping that he can practice with us and we'll see where it goes from there," he continued.
Kane had been on a scoring pace reminiscent of his Hall of Fame career, having tallied two goals while adding three assists for five points in the five games he played before going down.
For the second straight offseason he signed a one-year contract on June 30 to remain with the Red Wings. This December will mark two full years since he chose to join Detroit following his hip resurfacing surgery in 2023.
Following Tuesday's road finale against the Golden Knights, the Red Wings return home for a tilt against the New York Rangers on Friday evening, followed by a Sunday matinee matchup against Kane's former club, the Chicago Blackhawks.
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DENVER — Coach Jared Bednar confirmed Tuesday morning that Mackenzie Blackwood’s rehabilitation from offseason surgery to repair a lower-body injury progressed more slowly than the organization initially anticipated.
As detailed in my earlier coverage for Mile High Hockey, Blackwood was seen taking shots on September 5 at Family Sports Center during the final minutes of an optional skate. He participated in the following sessions in a limited capacity, with Scott Wedgewood absorbing the bulk of the reps, a disparity that prompted some rinkside observers to question Blackwood’s health. Roughly a week later, he appeared in an injured-skate group, and the Vegas Golden Knights’ broadcast of a preseason game against Colorado on September 30 confirmed he had undergone surgery. However, those who witnessed Blackwood’s prior skates had already noticed he was struggling and appeared to be in pain while trying to push off his right leg. He rejoined the main group on October 6 but ultimately missed the entirety of training camp and the preseason.
Bednar told The Hockey News after morning skate that Blackwood did have a setback in his initial recovery.
“He was slow moving with his rehab throughout the whole course of the summer,” he stated. “He got on the ice in early August, and things weren’t feeling as good as what they probably should’ve been.
“So we reevaluated him; he got looked at by a couple of different people and changed his rehab and gave us a new timeline on his return. No real complications since that point.”
Blackwood Rusty, But Improving
Blackwood made his season debut Saturday, turning aside 20 shots in a 3–2 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. The 28-year-old, who was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, also served as backup to Scott Wedgewood in Friday’s 4–2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Wedgewood, however, will get the start against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. MT on Altitude+, TNT, HBO Max, truTV).
Bednar acknowledged that Blackwood is still shaking off some rust but noted that this week of practice should help him regain his timing and sharpness ahead of a road series against the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
“He missed most of training camp; he’s been working kind of on his own and lacking team practice time at this point, so that’s why I think this week will be very good for him, practice yesterday; he got some work in today, we’re practicing again tomorrow and Friday, so it’s the most practices we’ve had all year, so I think that will help him get sort of used to game situations and he’ll be ready to go for the weekend.”
In 37 starts for the Avalanche last season, following his acquisition in a trade from the San Jose Sharks, Blackwood posted a career-best 2.33 goals against average and a .913 save percentage, compiling a 22-12-3 record.
Tonight's Game
As aforementioned, Wedgewood will get the start. In 11 starts this season, he's compiled a record of 7-1-2 with a 2.55 GAA and a .900 save percentage. We'll see if the 33-year-old is able to regain his form from the first couple of games of the season.
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Tuesday’s NHL slate features ten games packed with marquee matchups, promising high-energy action, dramatic finishes, and highlight-reel moments. One of the night’s most intriguing contests pits the rising Detroit Red Wings against one of the Western Conference’s elite, the Vegas Golden Knights, with a familiar face from Detroit’s past, former Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, adding extra intrigue.
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Picks: Golden Knights ML + Mitch Marner Anytime Goal (+240)
The Red Wings have managed to edge out two wins in their last three games, both in shootouts against the Sharks and Kings. However, their luck may run out when they face a Golden Knights team coming off three days of rest and led by superstar winger Mitch Marner, who has historically given Detroit trouble.
For those looking to play it safe tonight, a bet on Marner recording a point and a Golden Knights win would be ideal. Unfortunately, BetMGM currently doesn’t offer that option, so the focus shifts to Marner’s goal-scoring prowess, which has been on full display against Detroit. In 28 career games versus the Red Wings, Marner has 18 goals and 19 assists (37 points), including 11 multi-point performances and a streak of five straight games with points heading into Tuesday’s matchup. Over his last 12 games against Detroit alone, he’s tallied 12 goals and 11 assists (23 points), scoring in nine of his last 14 contests.
This season, Marner has only scored in two games, totaling three goals, but he’ll look to take advantage of a familiar foe. Detroit, while winning games, has struggled defensively, allowing 27 goals over its last seven contests, the second-most in the league over that span.
The Red Wings will likely keep this game competitive, riding the momentum from winning four of their last five, including a remarkable six-goal comeback against the St. Louis Blues after trailing 4-0 in the second period. With an 8-5 record against the spread this season, Detroit could cover again, but Vegas is expected to eke out a narrow victory, fueled by Marner’s offensive firepower.
A $264.60 wager on the Golden Knights and Marner to score at +240 odds cashed for a $635.04 profit, pushing the total payout to $899.64 in return. With a loaded NHL slate ahead, it’s the perfect time to ride the momentum and keep stacking that bankroll.
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It's been a long time since the Detroit Red Wings had won eight games in the month of October. In fact, the last time it happened was 18 years ago in 2007, which was the beginning of their most recent Stanley Cup-winning season.
In fact, before this October, the Red Wings had won eight games during that month only four times in their century-long history. Three of those occasions resulted in a Stanley Cup win.
Currently, the Red Wings are 4-3 away from Little Caesars Arena through their first seven road games. The last time they had a winning record on the road was the 2015-16 campaign, which was both the rookie season for Dylan Larkin and also the last time the Red Wings played beyond the 82nd game of the regular season.
Their ongoing road trip has been a success, having won three of four games with one last tilt on deck on Tuesday evening at T-Mobile Arena against the Vegas Golden Knights (10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+).
Just because they're assured a winning record during the five-game trip regardless of Tuesday's result doesn't mean they're already looking ahead, however.
“The trip’s not over, it’s like we’re putting a bow on it, and there’s nothing worse than that," head coach Todd McLellan said.
“You classify it as a successful trip to this point, but there’s a lot of teams in the league that will go 3-2 on a five-game road trip and you just become average if you just blend in.”
The Red Wings have been determined not to be a team that simply just blends in this time around. They were directly challenged by McLellan following their disappointing 5-1 loss in their Home Opener, and they responded with five straight wins.
While it hasn't been completely smooth sailing since then, their 9-4 mark through 13 games is good for second overall in the Atlantic Division. They have the same number of points (18) as the Montreal Canadiens, who have a game in hand.
Nothing is a sure thing in the NHL these days. The Red Wings proved that last month against the St. Louis Blues, who held a 4-0 lead on Oct. 25 before Detroit stormed back with six unanswered goals, just the fifth time in their history that they claimed victory after initially trailing by four goals.
But the fact that the Red Wings have now twice accomplished something that had previously occurred only four previous times in their history bodes well for what they could potentially accomplish in their centennial campaign.
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The 25-year-old right winger didn't crack the Canucks' lineup out of training camp, instead playing 10 games for their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C. He put up a goal and three assists for four points and a minus-7 rating.
The ninth overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft has bounced between Russia and the NHL over the years, but just hasn't replicated his scoring from overseas in North America.
In his draft year, Kravtsov cracked Chelyabinsk's KHL lineup after producing well in the junior and second-tier levels. In the following campaign, he had 21 points in 50 KHL games, as well as six points in seven matches at the 2019 world juniors for bronze-winning Team Russia.
Fast forward to 2020-21, and after playing most of the season in the KHL, recording 24 points in 49 games, he got his first shot in the NHL with the New York Rangers in April 2021.
In his rookie NHL campaign, however, the former top prospect had only two goals and two assists for four points and a minus-6 rating in 20 games while logging 12:24 of ice time per game.
In 2021-22, Kravtsov returned to the KHL, recording 13 points in 19 games. But he got another shot in the NHL in 2022-23, appearing in 28 matches for the Blueshirts.
On Feb. 25, 2023, the Rangers traded Kravtsov to the Canucks in exchange for William Lockwood and a seventh-round draft pick. Kravtsov had three goals and six points in 28 games by that point in the season.
But in Vancouver, Kravtsov's ice time fell from 11:25 to 10:50 per game, and he had a goal and an assist in 16 games.
In 2023-24 and 2024-25, Kravtsov played in the KHL for Chelyabinsk, posting 34 and 58 points, respectively. He even had the KHL's best plus-minus last year, at plus-31.
On Aug. 5 of this year, Kravtsov signed a one-year, two-way contract to return to the Canucks organization. In two pre-season games for Vancouver, he had five shots and a minus-two rating.
Now, it's uncertain whether the 6-foot-3, 186-pound right winger will ever play in the NHL again and expand on his six goals and 12 points in 64 career games.
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The 9-3-0 Winnipeg Jets have hit the ice in Los Angeles for their morning skate in advance of their late-night contest against the 5-4-4 Kings.
Hopefully, sleep isn't something you plan to get much of over the next two weeks, as the Jets have begun their lengthiest road trip of the season, and it is all within the NHL's westernmost cities - meaning much later start (and end) times than are typical of Winnipeg's 7:00 PM central home puck drops.
The Jets will kick things off against Los Angeles at 9:30 PM on Tuesday, before facing the Sharks at 9:00 PM on Friday. They will wrap up their California swing against the Ducks at 9:00 PM on Sunday, before heading further north to Vancouver for a 9:00 PM start on Tuesday. They conclude the six-game heater with 9:00 PM starts against Seattle and Calgary next week on Thursday and Saturday.
Winnipeg will finally return home on November 18 to host the Columbus Blue Jackets before Nikolaj Ehlers returns to Manitoba on Friday the 21st.
The Jets will look a little different on this road trip - maybe even from game to game.
The biggest news on the injury front is that captain Adam Lowry has recovered from offseason hip surgery and is set to make his season debut. Fellowed injured running mates Cole Perfetti and Dylan Samberg are both getting close to their returns, but head coach Scott Arniel says they will still need a bit more time.
Morgan Barron and Gustav Nyquist who are now both injured from incidents during gameplay are each expected to sit out at least the first game or two of the trip.
Winnipeg Jets expected line combinations for Tuesday, November 4 vs. the Los Angeles Kings:
The Winnipeg Jets begin their California road trip on Tuesday with an opening matchup against the LA Kings, who are looking to bounce back after losing three of their last five games. The contest will be particularly notable for Jets fans, as it marks the return of captain Adam Lowry, who has been sidelined since offseason hip surgery. Lowry will look to help the Jets secure two much-needed points as they sit just one point behind the Colorado Avalanche for the top spot in the Central Division.
The Kings, meanwhile, are focused on the playoffs. Sitting one point out of a wild card position, they will be eager for a win to get back into the postseason picture. This game will be the 49th all-time meeting between the Jets and Kings. Los Angeles holds the advantage in the series with a 25-14-9 record, strengthened by victories in six of their last nine matchups against Winnipeg.
The most obvious storyline surrounding the Jets organization is the return of Adam Lowry, but beneath that is an interesting subplot involving who will play alongside him. His signature third-line trio is no longer intact, as longtime Jet Mason Appleton departed in free agency, leaving a vacancy on the right wing. Lowry will continue to center Nino Niederreiter on the left, and for the first game, it appears Tanner Pearson will take over the right side.
Pearson is not the same physical, net-front presence that Appleton was, but he should complement the line’s puck movement more effectively. The previous unit was successful because of its ability to shut down opponents’ top lines while also contributing timely offense. One memorable example came when Lowry scored the game-winning goal in Winnipeg’s Game 7 victory over the St. Louis Blues in last year’s first round.
This new version of the line may lean more toward generating offense. Lowry will continue to provide his steady and defensively responsible play down the middle, a quality that remains underrated across the league. Pearson’s experience and puck-handling ability should help improve puck possession and flow alongside Niederreiter, even if the group loses some of the grit and forechecking intensity that defined the old trio.
The bottom line was also be a point of focus as the rookie duo of Parker Ford and Brad Lambert recreated a moment out of their days with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL as the duo combined on the Jets' second goal in their 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for Lambert's first goal of his career. The hope is they can continue to quietly produce together in clutch spots like they did on Saturday.
In Los Angeles, this could be one of the final chances for Winnipeg fans to see veteran center Anze Kopitar in action. The longtime Kings captain is set to retire after this season, closing out a remarkable career highlighted by two Stanley Cup championships. Kopitar is skating alongside several new additions to the Kings’ roster, including seasoned veterans Corey Perry, Joel Armia, Brian Dumoulin, and Cody Ceci, all acquired through free agency. However, the defensive results have been disappointing.
Once known as a defensive powerhouse similar to the Jets, Los Angeles has struggled in its own zone. Dumoulin has been on the ice for 12 goals against, with nine coming at even strength and three on the power play. Ceci has surrendered nine at even strength and two more while short-handed. Another veteran defenseman, Joel Edmundson, has been on for nine goals against as well, split between five on the power play and four at even strength. Even with goals scored while they are on the ice balancing out their plus/minus ratings somewhat, Ceci still holds the worst even-strength goal differential on the team at minus five, with Dumoulin close behind at minus four.
What was once a marquee defensive matchup between two elite teams now looks different, as Winnipeg will try to take advantage of the Kings’ current struggles in their own end.
The Kings are coming off back-to-back losses and will need to bring their intensity on Tuesday to bounce back. Earlier this season, their defense surrendered three goals to the Jets, and over the past ten games, they’ve allowed 29 goals. Much of that total stems from three games in which they gave up four goals each against the Blues, Blackhawks, and Stars. Outside of those matchups, the Kings have still conceded four or more goals in six of the remaining ten games. Vezina finalist Darcy Kuemper has struggled as well, posting a 3-3-3 record with a .891 save percentage this season. If the Jets can capitalize, the Kings will need to respond quickly.
Recent matchups between Winnipeg and Los Angeles have been low-scoring affairs, with under six total goals in four straight meetings. Tuesday’s game, however, feels poised to break that trend. Offensively, the Kings have scored 23 goals in their last eight games, hitting the three-goal mark in six of those contests. Historically, LA has also found ways to penetrate Winnipeg’s stingy defense, outscoring the Jets 36-28 in their last ten encounters.
Much of the Kings’ offensive firepower comes from Adrian Kempe. Although he has just five goals this season, he also has ten assists for 15 points in 13 games. Kempe has consistently torched Winnipeg, tallying four goals and five assists for nine points in his last five matchups, including four consecutive multi-point games with a goal in each.
Winnipeg will counter with the league’s top scorer, center Mark Scheifele, who has nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 12 games. The 32-year-old from Kitchener has historically performed well against the Kings, recording eight goals and six assists for 14 points in his last 13 games versus LA.
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In a 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers that snapped a seven-game losing streak, rookie Dalibor Dvorsky scored his first NHL goal.
With the Blues trailing the Oilers 2-0 in the second period and possibly on the verge of losing an eighth consecutive game, their top prospect and 2023 10th overall pick stepped up to shift the momentum.
“Obviously, it was awesome,” Dvorsky said. “Nothing else to say. Great pass from Faulk there. Just tried to shoot it, and I'm happy it went in.
The goal came in Dvorsky's third game of the season, and due to his play, the goal always felt near. Whether he was paired with Jordan Kyrou and Mathieu Joseph or Dylan Holloway and Oskar Sundqvist, the 20-year-old was continuously finding ways to affect the game at both ends of the ice.
Despite his time dropping a bit each game this season, coach Jim Montgomery has given Dvorsky opportunities elsewhere, as he did last night by placing him on the flank of the top power play unit. The move clearly paid off.
Although the goal is the main talking point and will probably be the main reason he gets another game in the NHL, Dvorsky's overall effect on the game has been very positive, especially at 5-on-5.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blues own 67.14 percent of the expected goals with Dvorsky on the ice, 57.14 percent of the high-danger chances (4-3), and have a Corsi For percentage of 61.40 percent. Although the sample size is small, those stats are among the best on the Blues.
What adds to the intrigue or makes the stats more impressive is that he is doing it while playing center. The Zvolen, SVK, native is a natural center who claims he feels more comfortable playing down the middle. Center is a difficult position to play in the NHL, but so far, Dvorsky has shown he's up for the task and is excelling.
Dvorsky hasn't locked down his role in the NHL quite yet, but if he continues to perform at this level, Montgomery will be pleased to write Dvorsky's name into the lineup each and every night.
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Only a couple of months after signing a new deal that could help him return to the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks have put forward Vitali Kravtsov on unconditional waivers with the intent to terminate his contract. Kravtsov was brought back to the Canucks organization in hopes of bringing some middle-six offensive depth to the team, though the forward was unable to crack the lineup out of training camp and has only played with the Abbotsford Canucks this season.
Kravtsov is a former first-round pick, selected ninth-overall by the New York Rangers in 2018. He was traded to Vancouver back in 2023, playing in 16 games and putting up a goal and an assist. After his contract expired that year, he returned to the KHL where he spent the next two seasons with Traktor Chelyabinsk.
Kravtsov’s 2024–25 season was fruitful offensively speaking, as he scored 27 goals and 31 assists in 66 games, leading the Canucks to take one more shot with the forward by signing him during the 2025 off-season. He participated in Vancouver’s training camp this season, skating in a couple of pre-season games, but ultimately didn’t make the impact that the Canucks had hoped he would and was sent down to the AHL. Kravtsov had a goal and three assists in 10 games played with Abbotsford this year.
The Canucks conduct this move with both their NHL and AHL clubs suffering from depleted lineups. With Vancouver still missing Conor Garland, Teddy Blueger, Filip Chytil, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Nils Höglander, Victor Mancini, and Derek Forbort, the team has needed to pull from an Abbotsford lineup still missing players like Jett Woo, Guillaume Brisebois, and Nikita Tolopilo. With Kravtsov’s contract terminated, the AHL Canucks will look to fill yet another spot in their lineup.
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It might be hard to believe, but November is already here. With this, the first month of the NHL season has officially passed.
Normally, at this point in the season, fans are starting to get a clearer idea of which teams are likely to make or miss the playoffs. However, this is certainly not the case in the Eastern Conference right now.
Every team in the Eastern Conference currently has a points percentage of .500 or better. That has never happened by Nov. 4 in the history of NHL conferences, which were established in the 1974-75 season.
Even the Philadelphia Flyers, which are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, have a 6-5-1 record and .542 points percentage.
The Boston Bruins once had a 3-6-0 record after losing six straight games in regulation. Yet, they have now improved to a 7-7-0 record after winning each of their last three games. Going by points percentage, they're last in the East at .500.
The Tampa Bay Lightning also struggled out of the gate, but they have turned things around. After starting the campaign 1-4-2, the Bolts are now 6-4-2 after winning five straight.
And the Pittsburgh Penguins, which many expected to be among the NHL's worst clubs, have instead been one of the league's top teams early on. They have an 8-4-2 record and are second in the Metropolitan Division standings.
Every Eastern Conference team having a .500 points percentage or better has also led to the standings being very close early on.
At the top of the conference, the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and Penguins have 18 points each. The Habs have played only 12 games and have a .750 points percentage, while New Jersey and Detroit have played 13, and Pittsburgh has played 14.
Five points separate first and last in the East, so things are incredibly packed, and one hot or cold streak can completely change a team's position in the standings.
On Nov. 4, 2024, the Penguins, Islanders, Sabres, Canadiens and Flyers all had points percentages below .500. The year before that, the Flyers, Blue Jackets, Pens and Senators were in that category.
The Western Conference, meanwhile, does not have the same parity.
With all of this, there is no question that parity in the Eastern Conference is incredibly high right now. While things will almost certainly change on that front, fans are being treated to some exciting, very competitive hockey early on.
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After Saturday's loss to the New York Rangers, the Seattle Kraken were in desperate need of a bounce-back performance.
The result against the Rangers wasn't bad; picking up a point in any game is vital, but the process of getting the point was poor. They were thoroughly outplayed and were almost no threat offensively outside of the two goals they scored.
The Blackhawks threatened more frequently than the Kraken did, but the Kraken took their chances well and beat the Blackhawks 3-1.
The final shot total was 30-24 in favor of the Blackhawks, but despite holding a two-goal lead in the third period, the Kraken outshot the Blackhawks 9-6. The Blackhawks had the advantage in high-danger chances at 5-on-5 (14-12) and the expected goals (3.16-1.78) according to Natural Stat Trick. Still, an outstanding performance from Joey Daccord and timely goals were enough.
Jamie Oleksiak started the scoring in the second period with a seeing-eye shot from the point. Berkly Catton was centimetres away from deflecting in his first NHL goal. Matty Beniers would add to the lead on the power play about five minutes later, scoring his second goal of the season.
About halfway through the third period, former Kraken winger Andre Burakovsky scored his fifth goal of the season to cut the lead in half. Burakovsky was ravaged by injuries during his time in Seattle, and it played a big part in why the Kraken felt the need to deal him away in the off-season. With five goals and 10 points in 12 games playing alongside Connor Bedard, the move has seemingly paid off for both sides.
The Blackhawks' attempt at a comeback was stymied by captain Jordan Eberle's fifth goal of the season.
With the two points, the Kraken have sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division, but the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights have a chance to regain their claim tonight as both teams are in action.
The Kraken are back in action on Wednesday when they host the San Jose Sharks in the final contest of their current five-game homestand.
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TORONTO - If you want to win a hockey game in the NHL, you gotta play all 60 minutes. Or, in the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, a good 20 will do.
The Leafs came back from the dead against the high-flying Pittsburgh Penguins for an improbable 4-3 victory after being down 3-0 after two periods of lifeless hockey that saw them being outshot 25-8.
A pessimist would say the game was a symptom of a flawed Toronto team that just isn't the same since Mitch Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights over the summer. An optimist might say the Leafs found themselves in that third period.
"It shows how good we can be," said right winger Bobby McMann, who scored the game-winning goal. "That third period is how we need to play all the time. We need to be smart with our puck decisions, continue to work hard and with speed, be competitive and hungry."
Outside of McMann, Toronto's other goals came from their superstars: Auston Matthews got the comeback started, while William Nylander notched the next two to stun the Penguins, which had been sailing along through 40 minutes.
Nylander had returned to the lineup after a brief injury, and his presence was obvious.
"He's a gamer," McMann said. "He knows how to play in those big moments and contribute and he did just that tonight."
Just as impressive was Matthews' performance. Not only did he help offensively, but he was a demon on the PK during a crucial kill in the third period, one which could have turned the tide back in favor of Pittsburgh. Matthews was tenacious on the puck-carrier and used his big frame to bully Pittsburgh's point man out of the zone to relieve pressure.
"He's blocking shots, snapping draws back, getting his stick in lanes and disrupting plays," said goalie Anthony Stolarz. "For him to lead by example is huge for us."
So what happened between the second and third period? How did the Leafs turn things around so dramatically?
"Just energy, passion and emotion," Matthews said. "The first two periods weren't pretty, we couldn't really get much going on either side of the puck. The message for the third period was 'Go work, get one goal and see what happens.' I'm proud of the way we fought back, but obviously you don't want to put yourself in that position to begin with, so that's something we want to clean up right away."
That second intermission also featured players and coach Craig Berube voicing displeasure regarding what had occurred to that point.
" 'Chief' came in and said a few things - you can use your imagination on that," Stolarz said. "We're big boys, we knew that wasn't our game."
So now the Maple Leafs find themselves top-three in the Atlantic Division after a scuffling start to the campaign.
Will they take the lessons they learned in the Pittsburgh win and build off them? That would certainly go a long way in helping this particular Toronto squad establish an identity.
There's a lot of hockey to be played, but if the Leafs have begun to figure out who they are and what will make this cast successful, they'll be playing more than just regular-season games once again.
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Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Pius Suter had a career year with the Vancouver Canucks in 2024-25. In 81 games with the Canucks this past season, he set new career highs with 25 goals, 21 assists, and 46 points in 81 games.
Due to his strong season, Suter landed a nice two-year, $8.25 million contract with the St. Louis Blues in free agency this summer. So far, he is off to a good start with his new club.
In 13 games so far this season with the Blues, Suter has recorded five goals, three assists, eight points, and a plus-2 rating. He also has been heating up as the season rolls on, as he has two goals and four points over his last four games. This included him scoring the game-winning goal for the Blues in their most recent matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 3.
With all of this, Suter is certainly making an impact during the early days of his Blues tenure. This is especially so when noting that he is currently on a 31-goal and 50-point pace.
Suter kicked off his NHL career with the Blackhawks during the 2020-21 season. In 55 games that campaign for Chicago, he recorded 14 goals, 13 assists, and 27 points. This would be his lone season with the Blackhawks, as he signed with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2021 NHL off-season.
The Minnesota Wild began this season
looking to take the next step toward Stanley Cup contention.
That
hope was buoyed by their pre-season re-signing of superstar left winger
Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year contract extension.
Entering November, however, the Wild
find themselves near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
They still have enough time to regain their footing, but GM Bill Guerin has reportedly turned to the trade market to find
some help for his struggling roster.
On Oct. 31, Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di
Marco reported a team source claimed Guerin was shopping for a
forward to add some scoring punch among the Wild's middle six
forwards. Di Marco suggested Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri and
Boston Bruins forwards Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt as trade
targets.
All three have surfaced in recent trade
speculation, especially Kadri and Zacha. However, the Flames and
Bruins haven't gone into sell mode yet as they hope to salvage the
season.
Zacha and Mittelstadt would be the more
affordable in terms of salary. They're also younger than Kadri,
making them better potential long-term fits than the Flames center.
If any of them become available, it'll likely be in the second half
of the season. However, that could be too late to help the Wild.
The Athletic's Joe Smith and Michael
Russo expressed doubt that Guerin will find a suitable impact trade
that can provide immediate help to the Wild. Given the limited talent
available, they feel that this club has little choice but to look
within to improve their performance.
Turning to the Buffalo Sabres, their
goaltending logjam had Daily Faceoff's Carter Hutton and Jeff Marek
recently pondering the future of Devon Levi. The 23-year-old was
considered the Sabres' goalie of the future, but he's had difficulty
cracking the lineup.
The Sabres podcast After The Whistle
(hosted by former NHLers Craig Rivet and Andrew Peters) claimed that
Levi was rumored to have asked to be moved before he was returned to
the Sabres' AHL affiliate in Rochester.
Since then, there's been no additional
reports claiming Levi wants a trade, or any indication that the
Sabres are entering trade offers for the young netminder.
Nevertheless, this could be a situation worth watching given the
limited depth of available goalies in this season's trade market.
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What's Causing The Rangers To Struggle Offensively? by The Wraparound
