P.K. Subban would prefer to let his numbers do the talking.
The Montreal Canadiens defenseman was his usual dominant self Friday, collecting two assists in his club's 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
But after receiving blame from head coach Michel Therrien for the club's 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche 48 hours earlier, the former Norris Trophy winner said his production should pre-empt criticism.
CALGARY - Calgary defenceman TJ Brodie continued his red-hot play of late with three assists on Friday night to lead the Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Two of Brodie's assists came in the second period as Calgary scored t...
At 23 years of age, following a couple of roller-coaster seasons, Skinner's future with the Hurricanes appears hazy.
Since a remarkable rookie campaign in 2010-11 that saw Skinner pile up 31 goals and 63 points, the Hurricanes have been waiting for him to duplicate that production.
Outside of 33 goals in 2013-14, Skinner has failed to show the same offensive firepower.
Year
Goals
Points
Points per Game
2010-11
31
63
0.77
2011-12
20
44
0.69
2012-13
12
24
0.57
2013-14
33
54
0.76
2014-15
18
31
0.4
2015-16
21
34
0.57
However, with 21 goals through 59 games this season, the former Calder Trophy winner has already eclipsed his goal and point totals from one year ago, and is on pace to finish just shy of the 30-goal mark.
The Hurricanes currently find themselves just outside the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, a place very few envisioned them in entering the season.
The team is supposed to be in a rebuild, and heading toward the trade deadline, Skinner may be a good bargaining chip for the Hurricanes as teams look to bolster their clubs with goal-scorers.
Jeff Skinner has 2 so far tonight. He has his 4th career season of 20+ goals- tied for the 3rd most by a 'Cane since franchise moved to CAR
The situation is tricky, however, as Skinner is just 23 and under contract through the 2018-19 season with a cap hit of $6 million.
That cap hit could scare off potential trade partners, while the possibility of seeing Skinner return to his former self must remain in the minds of Carolina's management.
A deal could provide the club with draft picks or prospects, but Skinner could turn out to be exactly the kind of player they're searching for.
General manager Ron Francis isn't likely to make a rash decision, but with the possibility of having either a stud or dud on his hands in the same player, no choice appears to be the easy one.
ROCKFORD, Ill. - Eric Comrie made 37 saves as the Manitoba Moose held on to beat the Rockford IceHogs 3-2 on Friday in American Hockey League action.
Scott Kosmachuk and Thomas Raffl built up a 2-0 lead for the Moose (15-27-9) to take into se...
The NHL's lowest-scoring team was shut out for the sixth time this season Friday, as the New Jersey Devils lost a costly division game 1-0 to the New York Islanders.
A win would have brought the Devils into a tie for third in the Metropolitan Division, but they instead remain a point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins - who have three games in hand on New Jersey - for the final Eastern Conference wild-card position.
"It seems like everyone's winning around us," forward Travis Zajac said, per NJ.com. "We've got to find a way to get points. We have a chance to get back at it tomorrow going into a tough building. We've played well against good teams."
Despite another stellar performance from goalie Cory Schneider, who allowed just one goal for the third time in his last four starts, the Devils' inability to score continues to haunt them; they have not scored four goals in a game since Jan. 21.
The road won't get easier for the Devils, as they'll look to avoid a third consecutive divisional loss Saturday against the league-best Washington Capitals, who they've failed to beat in their two previous meetings this season.
"It's tough. We have to bounce back after this and put a string together and get ourselves right back in the race," forward Reid Boucher added. "I think we'll bounce back."
VICTORIAVILLE, Que. - Michael Carcone scored his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League-leading 43rd and 44th goals of the season and added an assist to lead the Drummondville Voltigeurs past the Victoriaville Tigres 4-1 on Friday night.
Alex Barr...
After dropping three straight games on the road, the Montreal Canadiens returned home and used a gutsy shootout effort to get by the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Friday.
Despite the club's recent struggles, the win marks the fourth straight for the Canadiens at the Bell Centre, improving their home record to 16-11-2.
The club showed resilience in climbing back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period to tie the game thanks to captain Max Pacioretty's 21st goal of the season.
The shootout capped off a contest that was uneventful until the final period and an absolutely wild three-on-three overtime frame.
The victory allows the Canadiens a huge sigh of relief after headlines earlier Friday suggested defenseman P.K. Subban was on the trade market. Meanwhile, chatter around the city remained focused on the relationship between Subban and head coach Michel Therrien.
The off-ice distractions appeared to have little impact on the team's leading scorer, who collected two assists to reach 46 points on the season.
#canadiens Max Pacioretty: "PK was probably the best player on the ice tonight." #tvasports
The Canadiens will take the weekend off before welcoming the Nashville Predators to town Monday, when they'll look to push their home winning streak to five games.
GUELPH, Ont. - James McEwan scored twice and Michael Giugovaz made 40 saves as the Guelph Storm beat the Owen Sound Attack 5-3 on Friday night in Ontario Hockey League action.
Isaac Ratcliffe had a goal and two assists, with Jake Bricknell an...
MONTREAL - Paul Byron scored in the fifth round of a shootout as the Montreal Canadiens ended a three-game losing run with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night.
Dale Weise and Max Pacioretty scored in regulation time for...
NEWARK, N.J. - Casey Cizikas scored a lucky early goal, Jaroslav Halak had 27 saves and the New York Islanders opened a season-long, seven-game trip with a 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
Halak was outstanding and had a li...