The Detroit Red Wings reassigned defenseman Erik Gustafsson to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday, ending a short stint with the NHL club that include just one apperance.
UPDATE: The #RedWings have assigned Erik Gustafsson to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and activated Michael Rasmussen from IR. pic.twitter.com/Q4GudHauzA
Gustafsson was recalled last Sunday after Detroit lost Simon Edvinsson to injury, but the 33-year-old veteran drew into the lineup just once in the team's 6-3 loss on Wednesday to the Nashville Predators. He now returns to Grand Rapids, where he has been one of the key contributors to the Griffins’ remarkable 14-1-0-1 start. Gustafsson leads all Griffins defensemen in points per game, recording eight assists through ten appearances.
His strong AHL play has caught the attention of teams around the league. Several insiders reported that Detroit had explored potential trade options in recent weeks to find the veteran blueliner another NHL opportunity, though no deal ultimately came together.
Gustafsson brings a long résumé of NHL experience, highlighted by his breakout 60-point campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018–19, when he tallied 17 goals and 43 assists in 79 games. He later posted 42 points with the Washington Capitals in 2022–23 and followed with a 31-point season for the New York Rangers in 2023–24.
Since joining Detroit, Gustafsson has appeared in 60 games, registering 18 points. However, he has struggled defensively during his tenure, finishing with a minus-19 rating.
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By the time the final buzzer sounds on Friday night, we will know the eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, the bracket-style knockout round stage of the tournament.
While we already know a couple of the final eight (the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers), the final six spots — four division winners plus one wild card in each conference — will be decided on Friday. Here are four must-watch games that will go a long way to determining who advances and starts playing for the size of their bonus check and a trip to Las Vegas.
Orlando at Detroit
The math is pretty simple here: Win and you're in. Whichever team wins this game advances to the quarterfinals and wins East Group B. If Detroit loses, it would need a lot of help to advance as the wild card. However, if Orlando loses a close game and doesn't ding its +61 point differential too much, it very likely would advance to the quarterfinals as a wild card.
Milwaukee at New York
If the Knicks win, they advance as the winners of East Group C, but if they lose, they are out. With a New York victory, both teams would be 3-1, but the Knicks would advance because they won the head-to-head matchup. If Milwaukee wins, Miami wins the group at 3-1 (the Heat do not play Friday), and the Knicks are eliminated — and if Milwaukee wins in a blowout, the Bucks become a long shot to advance as the wild card, but they need a lot of help.
Even if the Knicks win, Miami has a chance to advance as the Wild Card with its +49 point differential. However, the Heat would need some help (depending on the point differential of the other 3-1 teams, the Heat would need Orlando to lose by more than 12 and Cleveland to lose or at least beat Atlanta by less than 16).
Phoenix at Oklahoma City
Another win-and-you're-in scenario. Whichever team wins this game will be 4-0 in group play and will advance to the quarterfinals. With Oklahoma City entering the game +71 in point differential for NBA Cup games and Phoenix at +35, the loser of this game has a very good chance to advance as the wild card (but if the Suns lose they need it to be close). Also of note, Oklahoma City — which made it to the finals of the NBA Cup in Las Vegas last year — will get Jalen Williams back for this game.
San Antonio at Denver
It's another win-and-you're-in scenario, but this game is far more influenced by injuries than the others. No Victor Wembanyama for San Antonio, which makes matching up with Nikola Jokic a challenge and puts a lot on Luke Kornet's plate. Denver is dealing with injury issues itself, down two starters (Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon), and is now asking a lot more of Peyton Watson. The loser of this game could advance as the wild card if it's a close game and OKC blows out Phoenix, and Memphis doesn't blow out the Clippers.
ANAHEIM, CA — The prevailing narrative around the Los Angeles Kings remains mystified. For years, the organization confidently asserted its structural superiority over the "rebuilding" Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, believing it had completed the hard part and secured its place in the league's upper tier. The Kings, they thought, had earned a permanent seat among the contenders. Let’s shatter that thought.
Today, their structural advantage is revealed as a rigid, high-cost trap. Great possession team, hard to watch for flashy offensive hockey. The Kings, with their size and slow backend mobility, are indisputably a playoff team—a strong defensive club with possession metrics that guarantee relevance. Yet, they remain stubbornly outside the bubble of the truly elite, forever a team of close to the cap spenders built for launching pads for other clubs in the first round. Meanwhile, their California rivals are charting paths toward clear, high-ceiling futures, accelerating their timelines and leaving the Kings stuck in the obscure middle ground.
The Kings are paying the price for the premature exit from their rebuild during the COVID era. That rush to contend left the pipeline depleted (Brock Faber and Gabriel Vilardi traded), blocking an assortment of mid- to low-tier top-end prospects but acquiring soluble pieces towards a win-now schematic, and the cap that has been mostly restricted. The result is a structural flaw that permeates the entire offense.
The team successfully installed Quinton Byfield as the top center, and he is showing all the signs of a top-tier defensive playmaker. However, his 6.8% shooting percentage illustrates the larger problem: Byfield has yet to find synergy with elite sniper Adrian Kempe and become an elite center in this league. The organization has thrust him on a poor man’s Edmonton Oiler nuclear line, a combination that has crushed the Kings increasingly so, four seasons in a row. The Kings are forced to rely on a theoretically powerful combination that doesn't produce the output of the total skill that is thrown together. The Kings lack the organizational flexibility—the cap space or prospect capital—to get the missing winger who could unlock the roster’s ability to capitalize on the team's outstanding possession metrics and possibly Byfield’s true scoring potential. The Kings cannot get better without making a painful, difficult trade.
The Rivals’ Freedom
In stark contrast, the Ducks and Sharks are operating from positions of immense organizational freedom. The Anaheim Ducks have stunned the league and are atop the Pacific Division, their "uncohesive talent" coalescing faster than anyone predicted. They traded away players like Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale to commit to a physical, structured identity, anchored by the impressive play of Leo Carlsson. More importantly, the Ducks project to have significant cap space, allowing them to acquire a star defenseman or another high-end forward to optimize a winner without compromising their core.
The San Jose Sharks, despite the massive dead cap on their books now, are staring at a future defined by financial wealth. Their cap space clears to over $54 million next season. This will allow them to skip years of gradual building and immediately surround the young, explosive trio of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund with premier veteran free agents. Their long road has become a high-speed acceleration lane.
The Kings' dilemma is clear: they have built a rigid structure that locks them into being a good, but never great, team. Their cap space is gone, their draft capital is spent, the structural integrity of their offense is questionable, and their defensive core remains suspect.
Their choice is not about joining the elite but about managing the inevitable decline of Drew Doughty, as the team is witnessing in real time, and the Anze Kopitar retirement is rapidly approaching. It is pivotal that Ken Holland and company manage these contracts without collapsing into another complete rebuild, certainly not a reason he was brought in in the first place.
While the Ducks and Sharks have the flexibility to make high-impact choices that accelerate their windows, the Kings are trapped by negligible forks in the road—only able to choose between two painful options: trade the remaining future to go all in, or trade a core veteran to free up money. Right now, the team is positioned to double, if not triple down on past mistakes, sailing directly for an iceberg while continuously confirming their course. The Kings may have arrived first for playoff contention. Still, they have parked themselves in the most precarious position in the Pacific: a perennial playoff team defined not by its ambition, but by a year-to-year, ever-shrinking ceiling.
With 30 points in 20 games this season, Macklin Celebrini joins some ridiculously elite company 😳 pic.twitter.com/i2Wbtj1mdZ
The divergence in the California triangle is perhaps best illustrated by the recent playoff picture. The Kings have achieved the organizational goal of consistency, securing a spot in the postseason for four consecutive seasons—a proud mark of stability that neither Californian rival can touch. However, this consistent relevance has only underscored their ceiling; the Kings have not advanced past the second round during this entire run, remaining a playoff fixture but never truly in the conversation for elite contender status. In contrast, the Ducks (last in 2018) and Sharks (last in 2019) have not seen playoff action in recent years, their absence a direct consequence of the organizational teardowns that yielded Carlsson and Celebrini, amongst a glut of homegrown high-end talent from both organizations.
This current quiet period for their rivals has been the necessary cost of their impending acceleration, meaning the Ducks and Sharks have traded short-term playoff droughts for the long-term promise of genuine Cup contention. The Kings' consistent just-good-enough playoff presence has solidified their current middle-ground predicament.
The Knicks' offense is off to a hot start under head coach Mike Brown’s new system, producing over 120 points per game and ranking third in efficiency, en route to an 11-6 start despite multiple missed games from key starters and reserves. However, there is a lone, striking fault in the early returns: Karl-Anthony Towns’ struggles.
The former No. 1 overall pick is off to a slower offensive start, averaging 22.4 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting from two and 32.6 percent shooting from three. Those shooting numbers, percentage-wise, would be career lows by a longshot if sustained, which naturally has fans concerned about the team’s second option.
Towns has put up some major performances in contrast — 39, 37 and 33 points in wins against the Heat, Nets and Wizards, respectively — but he’s had many more snoozers. So, is this just a rough shooting patch, an adjustment to the new offense, or something more?
Let’s dive into his two-point conversions first. Towns should be benefitting from the increased spacing this season, yet hasn’t converted in the paint to his usual standards.
The good news here is that Towns was playing through a Grade 2 quad strain to start the year, and that appears to be the likely culprit. His first six games, he shot sub-40 percent from two, and has been at a career-average mark of 57 percent since.
It’s apparent when comparing the film between the first games and more recent ones: Towns was moving with real discomfort and generally looked grounded. Now his explosiveness on drives and leaps to the rim has returned, and the numbers have backed it up.
With the inside scoring seemingly solving itself with time, that leaves Towns’ normally deadeye three-point shooting, which has not bounced back similarly. He’s seen an uptick in volume, but just compared to last year, this is a normal amount of attempts for him, and they’re coming from largely the same geography.
Though he is an especially rough 1-13 on the right wing, he’s shooting worse consistently from every spot. Opponent pressure doesn’t appear to be the case, first with the new rules protecting shooters’ hands, second as he’s getting a higher frequency of wide open shots than last year, per NBA.com stats data.
They haven’t fallen at the same rate, dropping from 46.7 percent to a staggering 26.2 percent clip. These looks, however flawed in their classification, make up about half of Towns' threes and should be his easiest buckets, yet they aren’t going down.
There was nothing reported about Towns tweaking his jumper nor does it look like he has. He’s not taking a material amount of threes from further out, and has always been comfortable with deep range anyway.
Could Brown’s new offense be putting Towns in some discomfort that’s affecting his shooting? Towns did have a quote about figuring out his role earlier in the year, but he’s looked in sync otherwise and increasingly been put in beneficial positions.
It’s possible his workload has changed a bit, with the Knicks’ pace increasing 3 percent year over year and Towns potentially setting more screens. Neither of these would make such a huge dent in his shooting, and would theoretically impact him as the season went on, not right out of the gates.
With a shooter and scorer like Towns, sometimes the simplest answer is also the correct one. He’s going through a random shooting rut and will shortly shoot his way out of it.
Knicks fans are quick to ring alarm bells, especially in a season with stakes like this one. But among the many valid issues to worry about, Towns turning his scoring around is not one of them.
The Montreal Canadiens locked up defenseman Mike Matheson to a five-year, $30-million contract extension on Friday.
The 31-year-old's new $6-million cap hit kicks in next season and runs through 2030-31.
Matheson, 31, is in the final year of his eight-year contract he signed with the Florida Panthers in October 2017. Across those eight years, he carried a $4.875 million cap hit.
Matheson becomes the fourth Canadiens defenseman to be signed to a contract through at least the 2030-31 campaign. Kaiden Guhle signed a six-year contract extension in July 2024, while Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson signed eight-year deals this year.
In 22 games played this season for the Habs, Matheson has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points. He’s second on the team behind Dobson in scoring among blueliners.
The Pointe-Claire, Que., native also has a plus-13 rating, which is a team high. It's tied for 13th-best in the NHL, sharing that spot with Colorado Avalanche D-man Josh Manson and Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli.
Matheson also leads the team with 24:50 of average ice time, which is less than he’s averaged in the last two campaigns. He ranks 10th in the NHL in that category.
Speaking of Matheson’s last two seasons, that’s when he struck a career high. In 2023-24, he matched a personal best of 11 goals and beat other bests with 51 assists and 62 points. He finished third on the team in points that season, sitting behind captain Nick Suzuki and right winger Cole Caufield.
Matheson has played parts of 11 seasons in his NHL career since the Panthers drafted him 23rd overall in 2012. His new contract sets him up to play through another five. He’ll be 37 once his new deal expires.
He's played 649 career games in the NHL, registering 78 goals and 279 points.
Correction: Matheson's cap hit is $6 million, not $5 million.
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Heading into the American Thanksgiving
weekend, the Edmonton Oilers were two points out of the final Western
Conference wild-card spot.
That's prompting media conjecture that
they could pursue a goaltending upgrade in the trade market.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos claimed “the
strongest speculation” tied the Oilers to Jordan Binnington of the
St. Louis Blues. Meanwhile, ESPN's Kevin Weekes stated that Tristan
Jarry of the Pittsburgh Penguins was among the goalies “drawing
significant interest as a potential option” for the Oilers.
Concerns over the performance of
goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard have kept the Oilers in the rumor mill since the regular season began.
One suggestion was that they should
attempt to sign Sergei Bobrovsky when the Florida Panthers starter
becomes a UFA next July. Apart from the fact
that the Panthers will likely re-sign Bobrovsky, waiting until next
summer won't help the Oilers now.
Another proposed that the Oilers pursue
Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators. That was assuming Saros would
agree to waive his no-movement clause, while ignoring the fact that
the Oilers can't afford his $7.74 million average annual value.
Kypreos considers Binnington unlikely
to be part of any retooling project by the Blues because he has a
year left on his contract. As for Jarry, he has three more seasons
remaining on his deal. He shares the Penguins' net with Arturs
Silovs, while promising Sergei Murashov and Joel Blomqvist are with
their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
As part of the return for Binnington,
Kypreos suggested the Oilers send Skinner to St. Louis. He felt they
could also try to pry away a defenseman from the Blues. Meanwhile,
Weekes pointed out that Jarry played his junior hockey with the WHL's
Edmonton Oil Kings.
David Staples of the Edmonton
Journalobserved that Binnington carries an average annual value of $6 million
while Skinner's is $2.6 million. He felt it would take a significant
sweetener to convince the Blues to retain part of Binnington's salary
to make the dollars work for the cap-strapped Oilers.
Staples cited Oilers insider Bob
Stauffer claiming that he felt the Jarry rumor made more sense.
However, Stauffer also noted the difficulty the Oilers would face
taking on Jarry's $5.375-million cap hit. The Penguins wouldn't have much
need for taking on Skinner in return because of their goaltending
depth.
Acquiring Binnington or Jarry is a long
shot for the Oilers, assuming they're not on their respective
no-trade lists. They'll have to convince the Blues or Penguins to
retain salary, and that could cost them what few promising youngsters
they have in their system, along with their 2027 first-round pick,
since they no longer have one in next year's draft.
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 alternative court, with its bright yellow color scheme and NBA Cup trophy decals, will not be used when the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks during the in-season tournament matchup at Crypto.com Arena after being deemed “unplayable,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The Lakers will not play on the NBA Cup court tonight when they host the Mavericks, according to the team. Techs from the league's court vendor determined that the court is unplayable for tonight. It will be sent back to the vendor for repairs.
Technicians from the league’s court vendor determined the floor is in need of repair because of safety concerns, The Athletic reported.
Friday’s game will instead be played on the Lakers’ regular home court.
Lakers star Luka Doncic had complaints about the NBA Cup court after the team played on it for the first time Tuesday in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers’ alternative NBA Cup has been determined to be unplayable due to safety concerns, per reports.
“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Doncic told reporters after the game. “I slipped. I slipped a lot of times, and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.”
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 25, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the win, the Lakers improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup play and won Group B in the Western Conference to secure a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals. With a win over the Mavericks on Friday, the Lakers will clinch a home game for their quarterfinal matchup the week of Dec. 8.
The ensuing semifinal matchup will be hosted by the higher seed of the two advancing teams. The championship game will be played in Las Vegas.
The Lakers’ NBA Cup court will be returned to the vendor for repairs and is expected to be ready in two weeks, per The Athletic.
“That was bad,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura told reporters Friday about the court. “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally, every second…I don’t know if they fixed it or they changed it…We’re going to do the normal court, so it will be fine.”
The alternative court, with its bright yellow color scheme and NBA Cup trophy decals, will not be used when the Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks during the in-season tournament matchup at Crypto.com Arena after being deemed “unplayable,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
The Lakers will not play on the NBA Cup court tonight when they host the Mavericks, according to the team. Techs from the league's court vendor determined that the court is unplayable for tonight. It will be sent back to the vendor for repairs.
Technicians from the league’s court vendor determined the floor is in need of repair because of safety concerns, The Athletic reported.
Friday’s game will instead be played on the Lakers’ regular home court.
Lakers star Luka Doncic had complaints about the NBA Cup court after the team played on it for the first time Tuesday in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers’ alternative NBA Cup has been determined to be unplayable due to safety concerns, per reports.
“It’s just slippery. It’s dangerous,” Doncic told reporters after the game. “I slipped. I slipped a lot of times, and you could see a lot of players slipped. And that’s dangerous, man.”
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 25, 2025 at Crypto.Com Arena. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the win, the Lakers improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup play and won Group B in the Western Conference to secure a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals. With a win over the Mavericks on Friday, the Lakers will clinch a home game for their quarterfinal matchup the week of Dec. 8.
The ensuing semifinal matchup will be hosted by the higher seed of the two advancing teams. The championship game will be played in Las Vegas.
The Lakers’ NBA Cup court will be returned to the vendor for repairs and is expected to be ready in two weeks, per The Athletic.
“That was bad,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura told reporters Friday about the court. “I felt it right away when I was warming up. It just felt weird. Just like oily, slippery. Everybody was on the floor, literally, every second…I don’t know if they fixed it or they changed it…We’re going to do the normal court, so it will be fine.”
Here's today's NHL Nugget – this Birthday Backcheck features Calgary Flames right winger Blake Coleman, who turns 34 on Nov. 28.
Coleman scored his 300th career point in his 649th game against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 23. He's been a valuable secondary scorer who isn't afraid to throw hits when needed.
The player the New Jersey Devils selected 75th overall in 2011 became a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But some of the Plano, Texas, native's biggest goals came against his home-state squad, the Dallas Stars. Watch the full video for more in Coleman's Birthday Backcheck.
Brian T. Dessart takes fans on a distinctive ride through the historic-laden NHL with the #NHLNugget. Check out NHLNugget.com to find where to follow NHL Nugget on social media. And for past NHL Nuggets, click here.
Rumors are swirling Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola may enter transfer portal, look for a new home in 2026. Huskers coach Matt Rhule didn't offer much clarity.
It was going to be Nimmo, who had five seasons left on his contract.
Yes, there was a possibility Nimmo could've been asked to serve as the designated hitter more than he had in prior seasons (he spent a grand total of four games at DH in 2025). But he probably would've been in left field nearly every day, with Juan Soto in right field.
Now, the possibilities are endless -- not just when it comes to who the Mets turn to in left field, but who might be brought in to play center.
It's possible New York goes internal in the outfield in both left and center, but that would be a relatively risky proposition.
Regarding left field specifically, how could the Mets address it?
When Nimmo was still in the fold, Benge was viewed by president of baseball operations David Stearns as someone who could break camp as the starting center fielder. Now, he could possibly be looked at as an option to start in left field instead.
Benge played all over the outfield last season in the minors, spending 67 games in center, 26 games in right, and 22 games in left.
/ SNY
Whether Benge opens the season with the Mets or gets some more time with Triple-A Syracuse, he is expected to play a big role in 2026. And what New York decides to do with Benge could also have an impact on fellow prospect Jett Williams.
Williams might profile better as a second baseman (the spot now blocked by Semien) than a center fielder, so it's possible New York decides to shift Williams to center full time in 2026 in preparation for him to make that his long-term home. That could pave the way for a Mets outfield at some point next season of Benge, Williams, and Soto from left to right.
However, the possibility also exists that Williams is traded this offseason -- perhaps as part of a deal for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.
McNeil could theoretically be a left field option for 2026. However, given his offensive profile, it's hard to envision New York turning to him there on a regular or even semi-regular basis unless they make a big center field addition.
The presence of Tyrone Taylor could also have a big impact when it comes to what the Mets do in left. In a world where Taylor is the starting center fielder at the start of the season, it likely means either Benge or an external acquisition is in left.
The External Candidates
The two who immediately come to mind are Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.
Tucker is the crown jewel of the free agent position player market. A relatively young star (he'll be entering his age-29 season in 2026) who controls the strike zone at an elite level and whose Baseball Savant page lights up red, the expectation is that he will get a massive deal this offseason.
Whether Tucker lands something in the range of 10 years remains to be seen, but it will take a huge payday to snag him -- especially with the Blue Jays and Dodgers possibly among his top suitors.
Jul 29, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Cody Bellinger (35) tosses his bat as he watches his three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Mets certainly have the wherewithal and open spot for Tucker, but whether they're prepared to hand out another megadeal after giving one to Soto last offseason remains to be seen.
Bellinger will cost a lot less than Tucker, but is still expected to be handsomely paid.
In addition to being able to play all three outfield positions, Bellinger would also give the Mets a first base option -- something that would be huge in the event they re-sign Pete Alonsobut ask him to DH a lot of the time.
Another thing to consider with Bellinger is that while his struggles in 2021 and 2022 seem like an aberration, there are some underlying concerns regarding his offensive production.
One of those concerns? Bellinger slashed .302/.365/.544 (.909 OPS) at the hitter's haven that is Yankee Stadium in 2025. On the road, he hit just .241/.301/.414 (.715 OPS).
There aren't many strong fits on the free agent market beyond Tucker and Bellinger, but there is one very intriguing one who could be available via trade -- Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
Duran, who is entering his age-29 season, has been a very strong offensive performer for Boston over the last three seasons, slashing .276/.339/.471 (.810 OPS).
In 157 games last season, Duran filled up the stat sheet, smacking 41 doubles, 16 home runs, and 13 triples, while swiping 24 bases.
He strikes out at a high clip and his defense has been up and down (elite in 2024, poor in 2025), but Duran -- who will make $7.7 million in 2026 and is under team control through 2028 -- is the kind of player it would make a lot of sense for New York to pursue.
After going 0-for-4 on the man advantage in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, the New York Islanders' power play sits at 12.7 percent, which ranks 31st in the NHL.
For the most part, this season, the power play has actually looked dangerous, but the goals aren't coming. Against Boston, that was probably the weakest the man advantage has looked, but some great setups just went by the wayside.
The Islanders have the third-most scoring chances on the power play this season (148), but the second-fewest goals (10), with an Expected Goals for of 21.58.
"I just feel like our power play has been playing really well," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said following Wednesday's loss. "And sometimes it's like our PK. Our PK right now is playing with a lot of confidence. Maybe, sometimes, it's just a matter of having a little bit more confidence around the net, and our power play will click. You get one, you get two—all of a sudden, I mean, you feel confident. And I feel like that's always missing, because we are doing everything right."
Roy touched on but let's elaborate a bit on the traffic part.
When the Islanders have had success on the power play, more often than not it's when Schaefer, at the point, keeps things simple. When he sees traffic in front, he has the innate ability to get his wrist shot through.
When the Islanders don't have success, it's when Schaefer, Mathew Barzal, and Jonathan Drouin are playing too much perimeter hockey. While you do have to credit some of the opposition's penalty killers who have clogged up the lanes, especially Bo Horvat in the bumper spot, too often the Islanders are trying to find the perfect pass.
"We seem dangerous," Barzal said. "When we're moving it around well, and looking at the net and attacking the net, we got a lot of threats out there. So, as long as we're just moving around and creating threats, I feel like we're always dangerous. We got good players in the unit."
Does Barzal think that they need to simplify things at all?
"I don't think so...we're definitely looking for like Bo Horvat shooting from the slot. I mean, if we can get one look at that versus four average looks, I'll take that all day," Barzal said. "We feel dangerous. I mean, everyone in the building knows it's dangerous, so we just gotta find a way."
With how tight the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference are, the Islanders are fortunate, with their lack of power-play success, to find themselves in the wild-card spot at Thanksgiving. Seventy-seven percent of teams in a playoff spot by then make the playoffs.
However, the difference between first in the Metro and last in the division is 5 points. And over these first three games of the seven-game homestand, the Islanders' power play struggles are why they are 1-2-0. The team has scored just two total goals over those three games, with the power play going 0-for-10.
Roy did mention that he would talk with power-play coach Ray Bennett on Thursday to see what he thinks about maybe changing up some of the personnel.
One thing the Islanders may consider is taking Drouin off the first unit. While he is a fantastic playmaker, he isn't really a threat to shoot from the right flank. That allows the opposing PK to focus on Horvat in the bumper.
The same can be said about Barzal at the left flank, who is more often than not looking for Horvat once he gets the puck.
Until the Islanders have two players on the flanks who are true one-time threats, it will be hard not to score consistently on the man advantage. Even if those players don't rifle ones, if the opponent thinks the one-timer is coming, that will likely open up space for Barzal or Drouin to tap one to Horvat -- just a thought.
We saw this power-play story last season, finishing the campaign at 12.6 percent, 31st in the NHL. Had the power play been 10 percent better, the Islanders likely would have made the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite being in a playoff spot right now, the inability to come through on the man advantage could hinder this team's ability to stay in the hunt as the season progresses.
However, if the power play starts to find success, the Islanders will have a strong chance not just of making the playoffs, but of becoming one of the more dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference.
The Vancouver Canucks (10–12–2) are making their second stop in a four-game road trip with a match against the San Jose Sharks (11–10–3) this afternoon. This marks the Canucks’ second game in California this week, as they most recently took down the Anaheim Ducks in a 5–4 win. San Jose is coming off a colossal 6–0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche — a team Vancouver will face once they’ve played all three California teams during this road trip.
Vancouver’s win on Wednesday came about in somewhat of a surprising manner. The team mimicked Anaheim’s high-flying, low-defence style of hockey and generated 37 total scoring chances-for throughout all 60 minutes of play — something that hasn’t happened often this season. Since October 9, they’ve only hit above 40 scoring chances-for three times; against the Avalanche (40), Dallas Stars (41), and Chicago Blackhawks (44). While they shouldn’t completely abandon the defensive aspect of the game, Vancouver will want to repeat the success they had in generating chances when playing the Sharks.
One thing to take note of when it comes to San Jose’s brand of play is that they’re currently tied for last in the NHL in shots per game with 24.3. In terms of shots and scoring chances, they have only eclipsed 40 once — during their 4–3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on October 28. If the Sharks have a hard time producing chances and generating shots, the Canucks could use that to their advantage by putting up more of their own.
Both the Canucks and the Sharks will play games the day after this matchup, with Vancouver facing the Kings at 7:00 pm PT on Saturday and San Jose taking on the Vegas Golden Knights in Nevada at the same time. Each team will want to be strategic with who they start in net, especially Vancouver considering the fact that their goaltending situation is currently up in the air.
Players To Watch:
Arshdeep Bains
While he didn’t end up on the scoresheet in the Canucks’ Wednesday night game against the Ducks, Bains played a big role in helping his line generate offence. Wednesday was his first time slotting back into the lineup after being held out for five games and he ultimately made a difference, providing great forecheck during the opening goal. While the team’s skate on Thursday indicated that Bains may not be playing alongside Abbotsford teammate Max Sasson, the forward could be skating with Lukas Reichel, who will provide Bains and Karlsson with a similar level of speed.
Macklin Celebrini
Many Canucks fans have paid close attention to Celebrini’s talents knowing he is from North Vancouver and currently has a brother in the Canucks organization. Vancouver connection aside, however, Celebrini has surpassed all expectations so far this season and leads his team in scoring with 14 goals and 20 assists in 24 games played. He is currently tied for second in the NHL in overall points, matching Connor McDavid’s total in one less game played.
Vancouver Canucks (10–12–2):
Points:
Quinn Hughes: 2–20–22
Elias Pettersson: 7–14–21
Kiefer Sherwood: 12–4–16
Brock Boeser: 8–7–15
Filip Hronek: 2–13–15
Goaltenders:
Kevin Lankinen: 4–7–2
Thatcher Demko: 5–4–0
Nikita Tolopilo: 1–0–0
Jiří Patera: 0–1–0
San Jose Sharks (11–10–3):
Points:
Macklin Celebrini: 14–20–34
Will Smith: 7–14–21
William Eklund: 5–9–14
Dmitry Orlov: 0–13–13
Philipp Kurashev: 6–6–12
Goaltenders:
Yaroslav Askarov: 8–6–1
Alex Nedeljkovic: 3–4–2
Game Information:
Start time: 1:00 pm PT
Venue: SAP Center
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
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The Calgary Flames (8-14-3) will play the second of their four straight road games early Friday as they face the defending Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers (12-10-1).
Don't let the Panthers recent slump fool you.
While Florida may be two spots shy from the basement of the Eastern Conference, out of their 52 goals scored in even-strength hockey, 32 of them have come from high-danger shots (high-danger goals), comprising of 61.54% of their goals. That is the highest of any team so far. This Florida group does not rely on lucky bounces and "puck luck" and scores quality goals.
The only problem with Florida is that their shots on goals and 52 goals are the 13th-fewest. But that is still impressive considering their time on the ice in even-strength situations is the fourth-lowest in the league.
Regardless, Calgary can ill-afford to let Florida to get any lucky goals in starting now, considering the three goals scored by Tampa Bay two days before in the first six minutes of their game were not high-danger goals. The last of them was an own goal by Kevin Bahl.
The Flames' offence also did rebound back, putting up their highest number of high-danger scoring chances (HDCF) in a game (19) this season in even-strength situations. Calgary has gone three straight games (14 vs Stars, 10 vs Canucks, 19 vs Lightning) where they've put up double-digit HDCF . They almost made it four straight, but they were one short and put up nine against the Sabres. So close...
That shows this Flames team has found their mojo to put up quality shots now.
They'll be hoping to continue that against a Panthers' defence that allow the 10th-fewest high-danger scoring chances against (HDCA).
By the way, just to put it out there, in that same list, Tampa Bay allows the third-fewest HDCA, but the 19 that they gave up to Calgary was the most given up out of all of their (Lightnings') 23 games so far. Some food for thought...
While the Flames have given up the eighth-fewest HDCA in the league, they are in the midst of a six-game streak where they've given up at least seven HDCA. In three of these games, they've given up at least one high-danger goal, with three by Chicago in their Nov. 18 encounter.
Where the Panthers lack in even-strength TOI, they make up on the power play as their TOI in the man-advantage is the fourth-most (70:38) in the league in the month of November. Their power play percentage of 19.0% ranks them in the middle of the pack at 15th. Calgary's penalty kill percentage of 86.5% (32-for-37) is ranked eighth in the month of November. The team has also scored a shorthanded goal in each of the last two games.
It's the power play where the Flames struggle with, being the second-worst at 10.3% despite having the fifth-most PP TOI (67:22) this month. Florida's PK is ranked 17th.
The expected goalie for Calgary is Dustin Wolf who had a terrible start in the last game. But the Flames could also turn to Devin Cooley who has the lowest GAA (1.86) for netminders that have played at least seven games.
For the Panthers, two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky is as good as they come. Although right now, his save percentage is under 0.900, which the Russian netminder has always put up by the end of seasons where he has played at least 31 games in his Hall of Fame NHL career. The other option Florida could go with is a less-tested Daniil Tarasov who has a record of 2-3-1, GAA of 2.45 and save percentage of 0.913.
Bottom Line
The quality shots for Calgary has only improved: they were 20th in HDCA before Oct. 19. Since then, they have the second-most and are now 11th. That has to continue against Florida and more importantly translate to goals.
This defence has allowed the 15th-most shots on goal this month, but they haven't been quality shots so the blue line should play as they they've always been doing.
The power play is a long shot but would love to see a successful score off one.
Penalty-kill and whoever is in net need to do their thing.
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Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
