Just when they needed him the most, Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond is beginning to heat up.
The Swedish forward, who hadn't scored in his first eight games of the campaign, now has three goals in his last two outings, including a pair of goals in Thursday evening's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
According to head coach Todd McLellan, Raymond is looking like his old self, putting himself in the right places on the ice to make the most of his offensive chances.
“He put himself in good spots tonight to score; I thought he did that last game," McLellan said afterward. "Even when he mishandled the puck a couple of times three or four games ago, he was in the right spot.
So now, he's feeling good, the confidence is back where it should be, and hopefully he takes off.”
There was a moment of concern on the part of the Red Wings when goaltender John Gibson was announced as unavailable for the third period due to an upper-body injury.
That meant that Michal Postava, who had recently been called up from the American Hockey League affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins, earned his first NHL action; he finished with seven saves on the eight shots Vancouver fired his way.
“He had something in his eye," McLellan said of Gibson. "They're still looking at it, and so the EBUG is dressing, Michal's told he's going to play, and away he goes. Did a real good job, happy for him, and congratulations, you're in the NHL now.”
The good news is that Gibson's eye issue isn't expected to be serious.
The Red Wings will continue their road trip on Saturday evening with a tilt against the Calgary Flames, which will be their final game at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Islanders battled back from an early 2-0 hole, forcing overtime after Matthew Schaefer's game-tying goal in the third period.
That goal is Schaefer's first of the season, and the 24th of his career after a 23-goal campaign as an 18-year-old.
That 24th goal as a teenager moved Schaefer into a tie for second all-time in goals scored as a teenaged defenseman.
Schaefer is tied with none other than Boston Bruins' legend, Bobby Orr, the best defenseman in the history of the NHL.
It's an unbelievable stat, one that reminds just how special of a player Schaefer is in every sense of the word.
"It’s crazy to have your name next to him," Schaefer said postgame. "With some of the great things he's done. It’s an honor.”
But, Schaefer knows the records and stats aren't the end all, be all. He wants to get better and he wants to win.
"I don't really look at the records and things like that," Schaefer said. "You just keep playing the game, keep trying to get better. Obviously, there's things you always want to improve on, and at the end of the day, it's a team game, and we're kind of just focused on what we got going in here."
What the Islanders "got going on here" is a team currently third in the Metropolitan Division.
They've also got the fifth-best odds to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, according to Moneypuck.com.
The Islanders now ship out for a week-long road trip, looking to stack more wins. They'll face Head Coach Pete DeBoer's old team, the Dallas Stars, Sunday night to kick off the road trip.
DENVER — When the Colorado Avalanche play their best hockey, they look like one of the most dangerous teams in the league. But after two disappointing losses on the road, the team’s biggest concern might be that even its head coach can’t quite explain what went wrong.
The Hockey News asked the Avalanche head coach what he believed was behind the team’s slow, unenergetic play during its road trip, which ended with losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.
His answer was blunt.
“I have no idea.”
We were hoping for a little more insight than that. As it turned out, Bednar had also been asked the same question during an appearance on Altitude Sports Radio. His response was longer, but the underlying message was largely the same.
“I don’t know. I wish I knew. I felt like we were starting to hit our stride a little bit in the way we were playing. Had a little bit of a tough time putting together a full 60 minutes in those games, but when we were good, we were really good. And those were quite honestly two of the worst games I’ve seen our team play in years.”
I’m not a head coach. The closest I’ve come to coaching is teaching kids how to pass the puck and skate, so I’m not going to pretend I can fully evaluate Bednar’s coaching or understand what it takes to manage a roster of elite professional athletes. But I do think we deserved a more substantive answer.
The Avalanche are heading into Friday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Ball Arena with questions to answer. Colorado is coming off two of its worst performances in recent memory, according to its own head coach, and now faces a Tampa Bay team fresh off a 6-2 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Vegas swept the Avalanche in the playoffs last season and also entered Tuesday’s game as the NHL’s highest-scoring team, making Tampa Bay’s 6-2 win even more impressive.
Tampa Bay also boasts Nikita Kucherov, one of the NHL’s elite players, who enters Friday’s game just one point shy of surpassing Steven Stamkos as the Lightning’s all-time leading scorer.
It’s a difficult matchup for an Avalanche team that hasn’t looked like itself lately.
Many of the issues we discussed last season remain. Colorado continues to turn the puck over in its own zone, struggles to get back on defense when it needs to, and makes questionable decisions with the puck. The difference this season is that the Avalanche aren’t scoring at nearly the same rate to make up for those mistakes.
It’s still early in the season, and injuries have undoubtedly complicated things. Colorado is also missing some of the depth it had last season, with Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury no longer on the roster. Nic Roy has been sidelined by injury, while Zach L’Heureux, who was expected to be a key offseason acquisition, has also dealt with multiple injuries. Those absences have made it more difficult for the Avalanche to find consistent contributions beyond their top players.
However, we would be remiss not to mention Artturi Lehkonen, who is off to the hottest start of his career with eight goals in 10 games. His 11 points are tied for second on the team behind Nathan MacKinnon, while Jaden Schwartz has also been outstanding through the first 10 games and is on pace for one of his best seasons in years.
But individual performances can only carry a team so far. Colorado needs more consistency throughout the lineup, better defensive habits and a renewed sense of urgency.
There’s plenty of time to get things back on track. Two bad games don’t define a season, and a team dealing with injuries deserves some leeway. But the recurring mistakes are difficult to ignore, especially when the offense isn’t producing enough to cover them up.
Coaches aren’t expected to have an immediate explanation for every bad performance, but identifying patterns and finding solutions is part of the job. If these were genuinely two of the worst games the Avalanche have played in years, understanding why should be a priority.
Colorado is coming off a rough road trip, Tampa Bay is coming in with momentum, and Bednar is working under a new contract extension. The Avalanche don’t need to panic, but they do need answers.
And before Friday’s game, it would be reassuring to know they have a better understanding of what went wrong than simply admitting they don’t know.
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Rangers 5-4 on Thursday to extend their winning streak to three games. But before the game took place, they got some bad news when it comes to Marshall Rifai.
“He thought he was fine, but it turns out he’s not.”
Rifai took part in the club’s morning skate but left the ice twice, once before the session got underway and again seven minutes into the club’s full morning skate on Thursday.
“As I get older and once you get more reps at it, you can only control your effort, your attitude and how you are in the room, and when your opportunity comes, you gotta be ready,” Rifai said. “Being healthy too, that’s a big thing this year. Happy to be healthy.”
It’s a tough break for Rifai who will have to practice staying positive while being unavailable yet again with another injury.
Adding to the defensive health woes is Nick Blankenburg leaving in the third period against the Rangers after getting hit along the boards by Will Cuylle. There was no immediate update on the defenseman’s status.
Dakota Mermis next up?
The Leafs announced that Rifai will go on injured reserve and that opens up a roster spot. While not official, Dakota Mermis’ stall was set up with his gear in the locker room when the doors opened for Thursday’s postgame, suggesting he will be called up as a reinforcement, or possible option for the upcoming four-game road trip that begins Saturday in Edmonton and wraps up a week later in Vancouver.
Mermis has one assist in seven games with the Marlies this season. In the last two seasons, the 32-year-old Mermis has played a total of 14 games with the Leafs, where he scored one goal and registered an average ice time of 13:49.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Going forward, the Philadelphia Flyers will be seeing an old friend line up for a division rival, and one in direct competition with them for a playoff spot this season at that.
On Thursday, it was announced that ex-Flyers forward Luke Glendening had signed a one-year, $850k contract with the Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers, resurfacing after remaining unsigned through the early portion of the 2026-27 season.
Glendening, 37, previously signed a professional tryout offer with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team for whom he played from 2023 to 2025, but ultimately did not do enough to earn an NHL deal.
Earning another PTO with the Rangers earlier this month, the undrafted wily vet has cashed in at long last, signing on for his 14th NHL season.
After a unproductive stint with the New Jersey Devils last season, scoring just four assists in 52 games, Glendening latched on with the Flyers via waiver claim, playing an important role for Philadelphia down the stretch.
In search of a right-shot center, and especially after losing Nikita Grebenkin to injury, the Flyers thrust Glendening into a key checking role, and he excelled almost immediately.
The 37-year-old scored two goals, three assists, and five points in just 18 regular season games with the Flyers, featuring on a fourth line alongside Sean Couturier and Garnet Hathaway.
Glendening also chipped in a goal in 10 playoff contests, but despite his line giving the Flyers a bit of an identity, only Couturier, the team captain, remains from the unit.
With Rangers forward Joe Veleno tending to a lower-body injury on injured reserve, Glendening will have the chance to reprise his role as a depth forward and faceoff specialist in New York in the twilight years of his NHL career.
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 22: Arseny Gritsyuk #81 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Prudential Center on October 22, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your links for today:
Devils Links
The Devils took their fourth win in five games as Arseny Gritsyuk, Nico Hischier, Anthony Mantha and Jack Hughes found the back of the net on Thursday. Devils beat the Ducks 4-1. [Devils NHL]
“Dylan Larkin would accept a trade to the New Jersey Devils, but is there still a fit?” [Devils on the Rush ($)]
“Briefly evaluating whether or not Red Wings center Dylan Larkin is a player that Sunny Mehta and the New Jersey Devils would target in a trade.” [Devils’ Advocates]
On Dougie’s start to the season:
Sheldon Keefe on Dougie Hamilton:
"Dougie’s in a really good headspace. The best I’ve seen him, in terms of watching him around the facility, meeting with him and speaking with him myself.
He’s in a really good place. He understands exactly what we need and want from him. He… pic.twitter.com/QuFZPspkAz
“While it’s still early to roll out a full-blown Big Board, it’s not too soon to start identifying the top players who could play a role in the weeks and months ahead. Let’s start with 10 players to watch.” [The Athletic ($)]
“For the unlucky teams already stuck at the bottom of the NHL standings less than a month into the 2026-27 season, it’s never too early to start dreaming about Landon DuPont.” [Daily Faceoff]
Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.
On Thursday at practice, Jakub Dobes spoke to the media for the first time since he took an unfortunate penalty in the Montreal Canadiens’ last game against the San Jose Sharks, which cost the team a point. On Tuesday night, the media waited to talk to the netminder, but the Habs’ PR team couldn’t find him. Dobes explained that his name wasn’t on the board to speak when he got back to the dressing room, so he went to work out after the game.
It’s easy to imagine that the netminder had some anger to get rid of after that result, but he refused to call his penalty a mistake:
I wouldn’t call it a mistake; I mean, it’s unfortunate. Obviously, I don’t want to take a penalty during overtime, but in that situation, I felt like we were under pressure and a couple of guys were changing and tired, so it was my intuition to try and help the team. Unfortunately, it cost us. I feel like the play I was trying to make was to benefit the team, and unfortunately, it didn’t. I wouldn’t call it a mistake, but it is what it is.
- Dobes on his ill timed penalty against the Sharks
That’s an interesting reaction from the goaltender, who could have offered a mea culpa of sorts but chose to defend his play, despite a couple of his teammates speaking out against the penalties called at the tail end of the game. Of course, nobody thought that Dobes was trying to get a penalty and just felt like getting in the way of the Sharks player just for fun, but given the fact that Martin St-Louis has often said that his players shouldn’t be giving the referees an opportunity to make a call, Dobes’ move was ill-advised at best.
Still, if he were put in a similar situation in the future, it would be surprising to see him make the same move. Overall, Dobes feels like he played a pretty good game and gave the team an opportunity to win, but they [including himself] need to be better at the end, have a better third period, not take dumb penalties, and he’s glad it happened at the start of the season rather than toward the end or during the playoffs.
The Islanders by and large got “goalied” last night as Darcy Kuemper held them at bay and, after the Isles erased a 2-0 deficit, the Kings kept the puck for the entire boring overtime before scoring over Semyon Varlamov’s shoulder on a Adam Pelech-facilitated screen.
That’s a bummer, man.
Varlamov wasn’t great in allowing two goals to Artemi Panarin, who still carries that heavy Stench of Ranger, but he did stop a penalty shot to keep things tie-able. Kuemper’s performance, more than Varly’s, is the reason they only got a regulation point.
And with that, their modest points streak continues, though their first win “streak” ends at two.
Islanders News
Jenny writes that the performance was there in the regulation comeback, but the Isles miss Mat Barzal in OT. [LHH]
With his tying goal, Matthew Schaefer tied Bobby Orr for teenage excellence. [Newsday | Post]
Pete DeBoer liked how they stuck with it down 0-2. [Isles]
Heeeeeeeey, new Isles puppy, ooh, ahh, I wanna know-oh-oh-oh, will gimme paw. [Isles]
Some company is really proud to partner with UBS Arena and the Isles to allow arena employees “to access wages they have already earned, with no-fee access options available.” [Isles]
Elsewhere
Thursday night’s scores included a dozen games, with several teams scoring six goals. The Red Wings beat the Canucks in the Battle of Sadness.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had five points as the Oilers beat the defending champs, though Evan “Norris candidate” Bouchard was embarrassingly walked by Seth Jarvis, then gave up on the play. [TSN]
Kyper’s got a whole long list of names on the trade board already. That rising cap and disgruntled players really may open up some movement. [Sportsnet]
After 546 consecutive games to start his career, Nick Suzuki will finally miss some due to injury. [NHL]
Move over, Mikko Koskinen, there’s a new tallest-ever goalie, Cooper Black of the Panthers at 6’9”. [Sportsnet]
Ye gods, I’m still catching up on just how well the Senators fans booed and chanted at Brady Tkachuk all during his return to Ottawa a few nights ago. At one point a bunch of old Sens Tkachuk jerseys even rained down on the ice. It was borderline Tavares-returns-to-Long Island. Five stars, top show, I hope all of Toronto’s media is disgusted by the classless treatment.
What’s the funniest NHL arena chant you’ve ever heard?
“F*ck your Podcast” at the Tkachuks may be the funniest chant I’ve ever heard in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/FDRiuoEbwn
randy talking about the chants against brady tkachuk last night and drew absolutely dying the whole time but saying bradys balding was too far LMAOO I CANT pic.twitter.com/0STuV6bvCp
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 10: Bryan Rust #17 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates during the game against the Dallas Stars at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 10, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Friday morning…
The Pittsburgh Penguins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night. [Recap]
General manager Kyle Dubas shed more light on Ben Kindel’s medical situation Thursday, saying that Kindel experienced a vasovagal episode. This condition can cause fainting due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. Kindel is back in Pittsburgh and could resume some activities next week pending further tests, while forward Bryan Rust was also placed on injured reserve with an injury sustained Monday; Pittsburgh recalled forward Rutger McGroarty and defenseman Chase Pietila from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to fill the roster spots. [PensBurgh]
Diving deeper into Rust’s injury, he will be reevaluated in six weeks after sustaining a lower-body injury during Monday’s game. Rust, who has five points in seven games this season, is expected to miss significant time, creating another challenge for Pittsburgh’s offense as the team deals with multiple injuries. [PensBurgh]
Rutger McGroarty’s name made the headlines after his call-up due to injuries at forward, but defenseman Chase Pietila also earned his first NHL call-up after two seasons of steady development in the Penguins’ organization. The 22-year-old impressed during training camp and has continued to progress with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. [Penguins]
News and notes from around the NHL…
Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins and Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk were fined for their roles in a heated third-period confrontation during Ottawa’s 5-1 win on Wednesday. [Sportsnet]
Former NHL forward Ron Duguay, a one-time Pittsburgh Penguin but best known for his years with the New York Rangers, died Thursday at 69 after battling stage 4 colon cancer. [NHL]
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is showing signs of returning to the elite scoring form that saw him net 69 goals in 2023-24, earning teammates’ praise after a strong start to the season. [TSN]
Montreal Canadiens star forward Nick Suzuki will miss two to four weeks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Thursday, ending his ironman streak at 546 consecutive regular-season games played. [TSN]
There was no fanfare around a decision that was so obvious as to preempt suspense, but Thursday marked confirmation that the Islanders are planning for Victor Eklund to be around for the long haul this season.
Since the Islanders’ 3-2 defeat to the Kings in overtime was Eklund’s 10th game with the club this year, the Swede — who scored a power play goal in the loss— will officially burn a year of his entry-level contract. That is, of course, exactly what should happen, with Eklund having passed every test so far this season with flying colors.
“Honestly, we’ve played some teams, and some GMs go, ‘You know what, I noticed Eklund,’ ” Isles general manager Mathieu Darche said Wednesday. “He’s not the biggest guy, but even in the third yesterday, he’s one against three on the forecheck. He comes out from behind the net with the puck. He’s relentless. He has a dog-on-a-bone mentality.”
Viktor Eklund (38) scored a goal during the second period of the Islanders’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Kings on Oct. 22, 2026 at UBS Arena. Robert Sabo for New York Post
Indeed, though there was question about whether Eklund’s 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame would prove a hurdle to his effectiveness in the NHL, it hasn’t. The 20-year-old’s most evident qualities have been his physicality, play away from the puck and battle level, with an unusual level of detail in his game.
“I think his habits are really good naturally,” coach Pete DeBoer said earlier this week. “I think he’s got a defensive conscience to his game naturally that he showed up here with. And you combine that with he’ s a really smart kid, so he’s picked up the details of what we want to do fairly quickly.”
The lack of similar qualities often is what makes coaches slow to trust young players. While the Islanders haven’t quite gone into the deep end as far as throwing Eklund into defensive zone faceoffs or minutes late in the third period, they’re not going out of their way to shelter his matchups either.
“He’s not a guy that’s gonna cheat the game for offense,” DeBoer said. “He’ll take his offensive opportunities when they’re there, but he’s got a real good defensive conscience when he’s on the ice, which is really rare for a young guy.”
Thursday was the 43rd regular-season game and 55th game including playoffs between Pete DeBoer and Peter Laviolette.
DeBoer now holds a 23-18-2 regular-season record against Laviolette’s teams, with an 8-4 record in the playoffs, winning series in 2012 (with the Devils against Laviolette’s Flyers) and 2016 (with the Sharks against Laviolette’s Predators).
Semyon Varlamov made his first start on home ice since Nov. 25, 2024, but is still searching for his first win since returning from two partial knee replacements.
Matthew Schaefer’s 24th goal as a teenager tied Bobby Orr as the second-most all-time for a teenage defenseman.
ST. LOUIS – Justin Barron’s hockey world had just taken a twist that the 24-year-old wasn’t expecting.
He was fully committed and in the moment with the Nashville Predators, right in the thick of training camp.
Then, things changed, and the defenseman was put on waivers on Sept. 26.
The next 24 hours would be filled with uncertainty: would be be claimed by another NHL team; is he heading to Milwaukee of the American Hockey League, or do the Predators keep him?
The St. Louis Blues jumped in. They had a rash of injuries and needing help on their blue line.
“I just wanted to come in and obviously a little bit of a clean slate,” Barron said after becoming the latest Blues D-man to put up four points, which is a career-high on a goal and three assists Thursday in a 6-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. “Obviously there's been some injuries here and just try to come into the lineup and prove myself.”
Barron, who carries a $1.575 million cap hit in the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent, had plenty of time to think about things on his drive to St. Louis from Nashville, up I-24 West, then I-57 North to I-64 West.
“Obviously it’s a whirlwind, your head’s spinning a little bit,” Barron said. “Talked to my parents, talked to my brother (Morgan, a center for the Winnipeg Jets). A bunch of the guys reached out here. I talked to a couple of them on the way up that I already knew. It was obviously a whirlwind, but like I said, I tried to come in with an open mind and it was a fresh start, a little bit of a fresh opportunity for me. Just trying to make the most of it.”
Make the most of it he has most certainly done, and in doing so, it’s pushed 2023 first-round pick Theo Lindstein out of the lineup, so much so, that the Blues assigned the 21-year-old to Springfield of the American Hockey League after the game Thursday.
Blues winger Dylan Holloway was one of those players Barron spoke to.
“I actually played with JB growing up a little bit,” Holloway said. “... He was such a stud back then, he's a stud now. It was a great pickup for us. He played so good tonight. I was really happy to see him have a big night like that.”
But Barron didn’t play right away, needing to get acclimated to the Blues’ system, which seems to fit quite nicely for the first-round pick (No. 25) in the 2020 NHL Draft.
But once he jumped into the lineup in the fourth game, the home opener against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 8, Barron hasn’t come out of the lineup.
“I feel good,” said Barron, who has a goal and four assists in seven games. “I've feel like I’m just trying to build my game since I got here. The guys on the team have helped me a lot, just get comfortable. I feel like I'm a part of this team. It was a good, full effort for our team tonight to play a full 60 minutes here at home.”
Barron was impactful in the game even before he scored a first-period goal with a quality scoring chance or two, with the puck on his stick quite a bit. But he jumped into the hole after recent call-ups Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Otto Stenberg forechecked the puck back before Kaskimaki hit Barron coming down the slot. He beat Adin Hill by whipping in a shot from the right circle off the far post and in to give the Blues a 2-0 lead at 13:49 of the first period:
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Justin Barron with 06:11 left in the 1st. Assisted by Aleksanteri Kaskimaki and Otto Stenberg.
“I'm not even sure if this was his best game,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “He got points and the puck went in, but every game he seems to have four or five attempts from the blue line. He's just done a really good job in all three zones. He hasn't over-complicated the game, makes the simple play, understands how we want to play. So credit to him because he's really taken advantage of his opportunity.”
St. Louis goal!
Scored by Dylan Holloway with 09:31 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Robert Thomas and Justin Barron.
Thursday was a season-high for Barron in Minutes at 20:23, all at even strength; he’s averaging 16:28 on the season and is a plus-7 after being a plus-4 on Thursday. He’s been skating the past couple games on the top pairing with Philip Broberg on his natural right side after getting into the lineup with Colton Parayko playing his offside on the left.
None of it matters; he’s playing well these days, right or left.
“Obviously it showed up for me on the scoresheet (Thursday), but it really felt like everyone on the team played really well tonight,” Barron said. ‘It felt like one of the first games since I’ve gotten here that we played a full 60 minutes. I think a ton of guys played really well tonight.
“I think sometimes you can get lucky with some opportunities, someone believing in you. I think at a certain point, it’s up to you to try and make the most of it and really grab that opportunity. That’s what I’m trying to do here.”
The Blues play a more aggressive style with their defensemen allowing them to jump in and pinch in the offensive zone, and as an offensive defenseman, Barron is quite adept to that, which allows him to have the success he’s having.
“I think it’s just trying to play free,” Barron said. “One thing I really like about the team here is kind of the style they play with how aggressive the D are in the offensive zone. The D are always involved in the rush, and I think that fits my game pretty well with my skating. I think that part also made the transition a bit easier for me.”
Montgomery said, “Yeah, I mean, outside of your Crosbys, your Brett Hulls, you know, most people it takes the right fit. The right city sometimes, the right culture, the right teammates, the right linemates. For him, I don't know exactly what it is, but certainly he's really comfortable. He seems comfortable since the first practice.”
Who knows how long this will last, or what will happen when the Blues get Logan Mailloux (hand injury) and/or Tyler Tucker (knee injury) back. Can Barron’s hot run continue? It will certainly make for some interesting roster decisions. But in the meantime, the Blues plan on riding what Barron can give them and cross that bridge when it’s necessary.
And Barron will still live day by day and hope for the best.
“I’m still in the hotel. It’s been good,” Barron said. “There’s a couple other guys in there with me, which is nice. We’ve done a little car-pooling and stuff. Been going to dinners with some of the guys, it’s been great.”
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Thanks to a strong first period, the Detroit Red Wings cruised to a road victory over the struggling Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
A pair of first-period goals from Lucas Raymond, along with the second career tally from William Wallinder, helped carry Detroit to what was eventually a 5-2 triumph over the Canucks, their first road win of the campaign.
The Red Wings also got goals from Michael Rasmussen and Emmitt Finnie, while Elias Pettersson and Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored for the Canucks.
One note of worry for the Red Wings was that goaltender John Gibson, who stopped four of the five shots he faced through 40 minutes, did not play the third period because of an upper-body injury; he was replaced by Michal Postava, who had been called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins after backup Daniil Tarasov was injured during practice.
The Red Wings took a 2-0 lead on goals from Raymond and Wallinder, only to have Pettersson strike on the power play, getting the Canucks back to within one. However, Raymond soon found the back of the net once more in the frame, giving him three goals in two games.
Raymond had gone without a goal in his first eight games before scoring as part of Detroit's 4-3 SO loss to the Seattle Kraken earlier in the week.
Rasmussen tipped home a shot from Anton Johansson in the second period for his first goal since January 5 of last season; J.T. Compher, playing in his first game since Oct. 4, picked up the secondary assist.
Finnie then scored four minutes into the third, while Lekkerimaki tallied late for Vancouver.
Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 26 saves; Postava stopped seven of eight shots in relief of Gibson.
The Red Wings will continue their road swing Saturday evening against the Calgary Flames. It will be their final visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome, which is set to close after this season and be replaced by Scotia Place, which is currently under construction.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Lucas Raymond scored twice and added an assist to help the Detroit Red Wings beat Vancouver 5-2 on Thursday night, sending the Canucks to their ninth straight loss.
William Wallinder, Michael Rasmussen and Emmitt Finnie also scored for the Red Wings (4-3-3), and Victor Arvidsson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard each had a pair of assists.
John Gibson stopped four of the five shots he faced in the Detroit net before leaving the game with an upper-body injury. He was replaced by Michal Postava to start the third period and the Czech netminder logged seven stops in his NHL debut.
The Canucks (2-9-1) got a goal and an assist from Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Elias Pettersson scored his fourth of the season on a first-period power play.
Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankinen struggled early, giving up three goals in the first nine minutes of the game. He finished with 26 saves.
Up next
Red Wings: At Calgary on Saturday night.
Canucks: Host former captain Quinn Hughes and Minnesota on Sunday.
“I don’t think our guys are going to be happy with this,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig following the loss. “We’re not pleased with this. I expect a response. We’re gonna get a lot of teams’ best games on each and every night because of what these guys have accomplished here last season. So we have to be ready for that push, because when we push, we’re a good team.”
Most of these wounds are self-inflicted. As a collective five-man unit, the Golden Knights have turned the puck over far too often, and their opponents have made them pay.
“We didn’t help ourselves as much as we could have,” said Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig following the loss. “That’s two games in a row where we’ve put ourselves in some tough situations.”
“I don’t want to say it’s concerning, because obviously we know we have it in this room, but you don’t want to give up that many goals in back-to-back games,” Jack Eichel added.
1. Holtz Your Horses
Prior to puck drop, the Golden Knights announced that Mitch Marner would be inactive because of a family matter. Alex Holtz drew in, and made his season debut in Marner’s spot on the second line with Brett Howden and William Karlsson.
Holtz was a rare bright spot on a night where very few Golden Knights played well. He was strong on pucks and backchecked well, and the only Blues goal he was on the ice for was the third, which came off the faceoff. Holtz played 14:04, recorded five shots on net and nine total shot attempts, and threw a hit.
Holtz recorded his first point of the season on the Golden Knights’ first goal of the game. He got in on the forecheck and picked off Brandon Carlo’s clearing attempt, then fought to get the puck back after William Karlsson couldn’t handle his centering pass. Holtz fed Noah Hanifin at the point for a blast; Howden batted it down and put it past Joel Hofer.
“I thought Holtzy had some jump,” said head coach Ryan Craig following the loss. “He attacked the interior of the ice. He went right in there with Karly and Howie and did a good job. He was one of our better players tonight.”
2. In a Rut
Through their first 10 games of the season, the Golden Knights were a well-oiled machine. Their offense was humming, and they kept the puck out of their net. That hasn’t been the case in their last two games.
The Golden Knights outscored their opponents 42-24 in their first ten games of the season; in their last two games, they’ve been outscored 12-4.
“We understand what it looks like when it looks good, right? When we’re playing as a five-man unit, we’re breaking pucks out, we’re getting up, we’re forechecking, and we’re checking. In the last two [games], it hasn’t been like us,” said Jack Eichel following the 6-2 loss to the Blues. “It’s a good opportunity for us all to look in the mirror. We have to be better as a group, all five guys on the ice at a time.”
“I feel like it’s just sloppy play right now on our own part. I mean, I think we’re just giving teams a lot of chances,” said Eichel. “[The Blues] are good off the rush. They make a lot of plays. Their D are up in the rush, so if you turn pucks over going north, they’re countering pretty quickly, and they did that to us tonight. So, not our best by any means.”
3. Penalty Kill Woes
Last year, for the first time in a long time, the Golden Knights had a top-ten penalty kill. They finished the regular season killing 81.4% of penalties, tied for sixth-best in the league. Their success continued in the postseason, where their penalty kill fired at an 82.1% success rate.
The Golden Knights’ penalty kill has come back to earth. They’ve allowed nine power play goals and have the 29th-ranked penalty kill in the league.
The Golden Knights have allowed a power play goal in four straight games, and the Blues scored on both of their opportunities tonight.
“Our kill’s got to be way better,” said Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb following the 6-2 loss. “They get one [early]; if we kill that, maybe we get some momentum in the game. And they score another one in the third. That needs to sharpen up, and we’ll look at it a little bit better, but that’s definitely got to improve.”
Lucas Raymond Scores Twice, Red Wings Beat Canucks 5-2 Detroit Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond scored two more goals in his club's 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday evening. 
