CALGARY, Alberta (AP) Henrik Sedin scored for the first time this season 38 seconds after Bo Horvat's tiebreaking goal, lifting the Vancouver Canucks over the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Horvat scored 4:12 into the third on a power play when he swatted in a centering pass from Ben Hutton. Shortly after, former Canucks defenseman Matt Bartkowski got caught flat-footed in the neutral zone, enabling Henrik and Daniel Sedin to break in dangerously, with Daniel setting up Henrik.
Sam Gagner, Thomas Vanek and Derek Dorsett also scored for Vancouver, which has four straight road wins. Dorsett leads the team with seven goals.
Dougie Hamilton, Johnny Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland scored for Calgary, which ended a three-game winning streak. The Flames are 3-2-0 with two games left on a season-long seven-game homestand. Detroit visits Thursday.
Tied 1-1 after the first period, Calgary took the lead twice in the second but was unable to hold it each time.
Gaudreau's power-play goal at 11:51 made it 2-1. The Canucks answered at 15:09 when Vanek ripped a 35-foot slap shot into the top corner.
Calgary took the lead again at 17:27 when Ferland stripped the puck from Chris Tanev in the corner and beat Jacob Markstrom on a wraparound.
The Canucks scored a short-handed goal tie it 3-3 when Sutter had his centering pass bounce into the open net off Dorsett's leg.
With backup goalie Anders Nilsson away from the team and with his wife, who is about to give birth, Markstrom got the start once again after losing 3-2 to Detroit on Monday night.
The tall Swede was solid, finishing with 29 saves.
Calgary's Mike Smith was beaten five times on 21 shots.
NOTES: Flames RW Jaromir Jagr (groin) returned after missing six games. To make room, Matt Stajan was a healthy scratch. ... Vancouver C Brendan Gaunce (shoulder) was activated off injured reserve and made his season debut. He took the spot of C Markus Granlund (upper body), who was hurt in Monday's loss to Detroit. ... Vanek played in his 900th game.
MONTREAL (AP) Brendan Gallagher and Jordie Benn scored in the first period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Tuesday night for their third straight win.
Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal, which has gone 5-1-0 since starting the season 2-7-1. Goaltender Charlie Lindgren, called up from AHL Laval last week when Carey Price went out with a lower body injury, won his second game in a row and has won all five of his NHL starts over the last three seasons.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Erik Haula scored for Vegas, which ended a six-game trip 1-4-1. The Knights were coming off a shootout loss in Toronto on Monday night and were playing their sixth game in nine days.
The Canadiens outshot the Knights 13-2 in the opening period, but Vegas battled back and had a 31-28 edge for the game.
Tomas Plekanec won a race to a dump-in and fed Gallagher alone at the side of the net for his seventh goal at 8:24. Benn got his first on a point shot through heavy traffic at 10:55.
Vegas got one back when Bellemare deked past Jeff Petry and beat Lindgren from close range at 17:41.
Pacioretty was at the doorstep to redirect Petry's shot past Maxime Legace 3:31 into the second frame.
The Knights had Legace pulled for an extra attacker when Jonathan Marchessault fed a cross-ice pass that Haula one-timed into an open side with 1:17 left to play.
NOTES: Montreal center Jonathan Drouin did not play in the third period due to an upper body injury.
The Edmonton Oilers might be struggling to string wins together, but their high-flying duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl continue to shock and awe with their offensive chemistry.
That chemistry was on full display Tuesday night against the New York Islanders, as McDavid and Draisaitl connected for a beautiful overtime winner.
The one-handed pass, the no-look behind-the-back feed, the top-corner finish, you name it, this goal had it all.
The Anaheim Ducks have been hit hard by injury. Not only is their captain and No. 1 center Ryan Getzlaf out for up to two months, but their No. 2 center Ryan Kesler has yet to play this season and isn't expected to return until Christmas.
The Ducks, a team expected to compete for the Stanley Cup this year, currently sit at 6-6-2 and rank 22nd in goals-for heading into Tuesday night.
Even just making the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference is going to be a difficult challenge for the Ducks while rolling out these centers for the next two months or so (lines courtesy Daily Faceoff).
The Ducks need to add a center, and they need to do so as soon as possible. The following three players represent their best, and most realistic trade options.
Tyler Bozak, Maple Leafs
The Leafs and Ducks have long been involved in trade rumors, given Toronto's need for a defenseman and Anaheim's surplus of blue-liners. With the Ducks now in need of a center, perhaps they could finally make a deal work.
Bozak will be an unrestricted free agent following the season. He played under current Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle for parts of four seasons in Toronto, so there is a familiarity factor in place. The biggest obstacle is his $4.2-million cap hit, given that the Ducks have just $629,483 in cap space, per Cap Friendly.
In order to make this deal work, someone with a significant cap hit would have to the other way. That could be defenseman Sami Vatanen, who has a $4.875-million cap hit through 2019-20. Vatanen is the far superior player, so Toronto would have to sweeten the deal with someone such as rookie forward Kasperi Kapanen, for example.
Alex Galchenyuk, Canadiens
Galchenyuk's name has come up in many trade rumors over the years. A player who many projected as a top-line center has spent much of the season buried on Montreal's fourth line playing left wing.
He has played a more prominent role as of late, and he has four points in his last five games. With his trade value climbing, now could be a time for the Habs to pull the trigger on a deal.
The Habs desperately need a puck-moving defenseman, so Sami Vatanen could once again be the player going in the other direction. Galchenyuk's contract ($4.9 million through 2019-20) is virtually identical to Vatanen's ($4.875 million through 2019-20) so a one-for-one swap could work if both general managers deem the player they're receiving is more valuable.
Sam Bennett, Flames
Bennett is seemingly in need of a fresh start. The fourth overall pick from the 2014 draft has yet to record a point through 14 games this year. Over the last two seasons he's combined to score a respectable 31 goals. A natural center, Bennett is currently slotted in as Calgary's third-line left winger.
Unlike Bozak and Galchenyuk, Bennett has a modest cap hit of just $1.95 million, making life easier for Ducks GM Bob Murray.
Calgary could use a right winger to complement Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Jakob Silfverberg would be a nice fit, but considering he's a far better player than Bennett, it might be tough for Calgary to sweeten the deal.
Ondrej Kase was chosen 201 spots after Bennett in that 2014 draft, but he's off to a nice start with five goals and three assists in 11 games. There's potential for a swap between these two players if the Flames are ready to give up on Bennett.
Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf will be out of the lineup for up to two months following surgery to repair a fractured zygomatic bone, the team announced Tuesday.
The injury occurred when Getzlaf took an errant puck to the face during an Oct. 29 contest against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Ducks center has collected seven points in six games, but has already missed eight games with injuries.
Head coach Claude Julien said the ailment is still considered to be minor and the hope is Price will be able to return to practice in a few days. Julien also made a point of confirming the current issue has nothing to do with a serious injury that kept Price out of action for a large chunk of 2015-16.
The star goalie will miss his third game since the injury was first announced on Nov. 4, and Charlie Lindgren will draw the start Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Price has underperformed this season, posting a 3-7-1 record and .877 save percentage.
The Winnipeg Jets are out to prove they're for real.
After being embarassed by Toronto on opening night, this team seems to have found its way, posting a record of 6-1-3 over the past ten games and jumping to second place in the Central Division.
Here are three factors in their recent run of success.
Dynamic duo up front
In Monday's 4-1 win over Dallas, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler combined for seven points; Scheifele scored two goals and added an assist, while Wheeler racked up four helpers, all of which were primary in nature.
The offensive outburst lifted Wheeler to third in the NHL in total points (21), behind only Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Scheifele's 18 points puts him in a tie for sixth, giving Winnipeg the league's second-most productive duo, albeit by a fairly wide margin.
Duo
Goals
Assists
Points
Stamkos/Kucherov
21
27
48
Scheifele/Wheeler
14
25
39
"I love playing with (Wheeler)," Scheifele said after the win, according to The Associated Press. "He's my favorite player I've ever played with, so we're happy with the way it's going right now and we've got to continue it."
There's really no reason to believe they won't.
One Hellebuyck of a goalie
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
When general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff signed Steve Mason to a two-year, $4.2-million contract this past offseason, the expectation was the former Philadelphia Flyer would step into the starter's role, with Connor Hellebuyck pencilled in as the backup.
That script has flipped early on, and head coach Paul Maurice has been calling Hellebuyck's name with great regularity based on his near-perfect early-season performance.
Hellebuyck has posted a record of 8-0-2 with a save percentage of .936, while Mason has yet to win a game as a Jet, going 0-3-1 on an abysmal .872 save percentage.
This is all likely to level off as the season progresses, but for now, Hellebuyck is the starter, showing management the answer in net may have been there all along.
Healthy blue line
At present, the Jets are rolling three solid defense pairings, per Daily Faceoff:
The addition of Dmitry Kulikov was questioned at the time of the signing, but he's filled out the back end effectively in a more limited role than he's had in recent, subpar seasons.
To be fair, there's work that needs to be done here, as none of these defensemen have positive Corsi ratings at even strength, and the Jets are allowing 34.5 shots per game, fourth-highest among all teams.
But as Hellebuyck said after the win over Dallas, they're still making things easier for him out there.
"I think the guys in front of me really got in the way and blocked a lot of the key shots," Hellebuyck said, per the team's website. "If they weren't blocking it, they were controlling and keeping it to the outside, so I was able to see pucks.
"It might have looked like a lot of shots (34), but the guys were doing the right things out there."
The way things are looking top to bottom, this may be the season this franchise finally wins a playoff game, at the very least.
When the Arizona Coyotes cut ties with Shane Doan this summer, they walked away from the face of the franchise.
But a budding superstar in the desert is making his case for that claim. Clayton Keller, who leads all rookies with 17 points, and stands seven points ahead of Arizona's next-highest scorer, is turning heads in his freshman campaign.
The electric winger has collected 11 goals and six assists through the season's early goings, stacking up nicely against some of the best rookie performances in the post-lockout era.
Alex Ovechkin, 2005-06
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
13
5
18
The Washington Capitals sensation went neck-and-neck with Sidney Crosby in his rookie season, ultimately finishing with 106 points and edging the Pittsburgh Penguins center by four points to capture the Calder. Credit a prolific start in his first 16 games as part of the reason for Ovechkin's win.
Evgeni Malkin, 2006-07
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
10
10
20
The most impressive performance on this list, Malkin hit double digits in both goals and assists through his first 16 NHL games. The Penguins center parlayed a hot start to the season into rookie of the year honors, wrapping the season with 106 points.
Patrick Kane, 2007-08
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
6
13
19
Keller models his game after Kane, so it's a fitting comparison given how the elder American winger took the NHL by storm in his first season. Kane's Calder win in 2008 was the first of many trophies for the Chicago Blackhawks star.
Jeff Skinner, 2010-11
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
6
9
15
While a few lesser campaigns followed, it's hard to forget Skinner's introduction to the NHL, when the Carolina Hurricanes winger finished with 31 goals and 32 assists. Skinner bested fellow forwards Logan Couture and Michael Grabner for the most Calder votes.
Nathan MacKinnon, 2013-14
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
2
8
10
The top pick in the 2013 draft, the Colorado Avalanche forward wasted little time in showing off his talents to the NHL audience. MacKinnon tallied 10 points through his first 16 games, later finishing with 24 goals and 39 assists to become the franchise's third Calder Trophy recipient.
Auston Matthews, 2016-17
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
6
6
12
Scoring four goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs center made the most of his first night on NHL ice. Matthews used that performance as a launching pad, finishing the year with 69 points. He would become the first Maple Leafs player to be named the top rookie since 1966.
When the Arizona Coyotes cut ties with Shane Doan this summer, they walked away from the face of the franchise.
But a budding superstar in the desert is making his case for that claim. Clayton Keller, who leads all rookies with 17 points, and stands seven points ahead of Arizona's next-highest scorer, is turning heads in his freshman campaign.
The electric winger has collected 11 goals and six assists through the season's early goings, stacking up nicely against some of the best rookie performances in the post-lockout era.
Alex Ovechkin, 2005-06
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
13
5
18
The Washington Capitals sensation went neck-and-neck with Sidney Crosby in his rookie season, ultimately finishing with 106 points and edging the Pittsburgh Penguins center by four points to capture the Calder. Credit a prolific start in his first 16 games as part of the reason for Ovechkin's win.
Evgeni Malkin, 2006-07
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
10
10
20
The most impressive performance on this list, Malkin hit double digits in both goals and assists through his first 16 NHL games. The Penguins center parlayed a hot start to the season into rookie of the year honors, wrapping the season with 106 points.
Patrick Kane, 2007-08
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
6
13
19
Keller models his game after Kane, so it's a fitting comparison given how the elder American winger took the NHL by storm in his first season. Kane's Calder win in 2008 was the first of many trophies for the Chicago Blackhawks star.
Jeff Skinner, 2010-11
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
6
9
15
While a few lesser campaigns followed, it's hard to forget Skinner's introduction to the NHL, when the Carolina Hurricanes winger finished with 31 goals and 32 assists. Skinner bested fellow forwards Logan Couture and Michael Grabner for the most Calder votes.
Nathan MacKinnon, 2013-14
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
2
8
10
The top pick in the 2013 draft, the Colorado Avalanche forward wasted little time in showing off his talents to the NHL audience. MacKinnon tallied 10 points through his first 16 games, later finishing with 24 goals and 39 assists to become the franchise's third Calder Trophy recipient.
Auston Matthews, 2016-17
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
16
6
6
12
Scoring four goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs center made the most of his first night on NHL ice. Matthews used that performance as a launching pad, finishing the year with 69 points. He would become the first Maple Leafs player to be named the top rookie since 1966.
Over the course of the 2017-18 season, theScore will run a series of interviews with former players, coaches and officials in which they recall some of the greatest moments of their career. This edition focuses on Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger:
On what he remembers from his first NHL game:
I got to play in the Montreal Forum. It was pretty special.
When I look back on that first year, I think in my first 10 games as a pro I got to play in the old Boston Garden, the Montreal Forum, the old Chicago Stadium, the old barn in St. Louis, the Aud in Buffalo, and I think I played at (Madison Square Garden) ... all old arenas that had some significance historically. As I look back, having that opportunity was pretty special.
On his first goal:
You know what? It was a little floater from the blue line through Ron Hextall's legs. (laughs)
On his favorite memory of playing with the Whalers:
I think it's the players that I played with, the coaches I had. I have fond memories of my first partner, mentor, and roommate, Brad McCrimmon. I still see guys that I started with. My first head coach (Paul Holmgren) then became the GM in Philadelphia, and now he's the president.
It's interesting how the world goes around. Hockey is such a small community, you're always running into guys you played with. And it's funny where you run into guys.
On whether he ever caught himself humming "Brass Bonanza":
(Laughs) Oh yeah! That's a very iconic goal song.
On absorbing plenty of contact throughout his career:
I always had a target on my back, so I was always keenly aware of who was on the ice, who they were ... I come from an era where you had to know who was on the ice, who was coming on the ice, who was getting off the ice, where everybody was.
I really tried to take advantage of my knowledge of that so I would know where to go with the puck, where to position myself and whatnot. There were obviously guys who hit hard coming across the middle; you had to be very aware of guys like Scott Stevens and Bryan Marchment and guys like that.
One of the guys that you probably wouldn't think of was Dallas Drake. He hit very hard. And you get some of the power forwards, guys like Cam Neely, that I had the opportunity to play against that could certainly rock you any number of ways. It was a matter of understanding where they were on the ice, and how to avoid what might be an uncomfortable collision.
On how he dealt with trash talk:
There was a lot of guys that would try to get you off your game, running their mouth, saying stupid stuff. To be honest with you, I never really paid much attention to it. At the end of the day, they needed to be able to back it up on the ice - and most of the guys who could back it up didn't trash talk. (laughs)
I wasn't overly invested in dealing with guys like that. I was usually trying to catch my breath, and we had guys on our team who suited that role just fine.
On his relationship with officials:
With each referee, you knew what type of game it was going to be.
Paul Stewart wanted to see an aggressive, hard-hitting game with some fights. You get into the scrums, and you see certain guys trying to stir the pot, and once the referee comes in and says "Okay, let 'em go!", you knew right away who would put his tail between his legs and say, "Oh boy, I may have bitten off a little more than I can chew."
Ron Hoggarth was one of the guys I always enjoyed, I think he was there my first couple of years. He was always funny to talk to and always had a sly comment for you. Paul Devorski, as my career went along, I always enjoyed games that he refereed. We always had a really great rapport.
On who he considers underrated from his time on the ice:
I don't think people realize how good Thomas Steen was as an all-around two-way player. He played in the Gretzky era, played behind Dale Hawerchuk, played in all situations. A lot of times players don't get a lot of attention. He'd put up 60, 70 points in an era when 125 probably led his team.
There's a lot of guys who garnered some publicity, but playing against them, you realized how good they could be. Maybe they didn't put it all together, or maybe they played with another superstar who garnered more attention.
On winning a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007 after being traded from Edmonton to Anaheim the previous offseason:
I knew the type of team they had, having just played them in the conference finals. And I knew what their goals were, what their expectations were. They were in full-win mode, and they felt like I was one of the final pieces.
Right from when I got there, the goal was Stanley Cup or bust - and that sentiment never wavered at any point. We had some bouts of adversity midway through the year with some injuries, but we kept trucking.
That was a special group. I think Scott Niedermayer was the only player on that team that had won a Stanley Cup before, so it was really special.
On how he felt when he played his best hockey:
You have moments throughout the course of a year where you're healthy, where you're feeling good, where the schedule isn't as compressed, and you get into a rhythm. There were stretches where you'd play 10 or 15 games and you'd feel in total command - you're moving around on the ice as you want to, you're seeing the ice, you're playing the game the way you know you can.
Sometimes that translates into offensive production, sometimes it translates into defensive stops or outlet passes, whatever your job is. Sometimes my job would be to get points and run the power play, or I had to key on one line and I have to focus on shutting down that line, and that's my sole job that night.
I think the year I won the Hart and the Norris ... I felt great all year, and was really seeing the ice well. I had a great summer of training, I came into camp in really good shape. I played with one line virtually the whole year, and we were the shutdown line. The run that I had that year was pretty special.
On how he would have scripted the end of his playing career:
I think we all look at Ray Bourque, or John Elway, or Kimmo Timonen, where you know you're on your last legs and you're able to finish off with a championship. That's everybody's ultimate goal, but for most players, that doesn't happen. Most guys push it as far as they can because it's the game that they love, and they want to play.
Having played 19 years as I did, while I may have been forced out because of injury, I certainly had a long, storied career. I wasn't devastated. I had been to the peak and seen the mountaintop, had a nice long look and was on my way down. So it was a little easier to stomach.
On remaining in hockey after retiring as a player:
I always had visions of wanting to be a GM, wanting to be a president of a team, wanting to be involved in hockey in some capacity. In my view, I needed to step away for a few years after I got hurt, but I always had my toe in, whether I was with Philadelphia doing little scouting trips for Paul Holmgren, or working at Player Safety the last three years until my contract was up.
It gave me good perspective on the league and a better understanding of the business side. It helps to stoke that fire so that once you're back on the hockey side, you have a greater understanding of everything, and you start to refine and understand exactly what it is you want to do.
__________
Rapid Fire
The best player he ever played with: Wayne Gretzky
The best player he ever played against: Mario Lemieux
The best goalie he ever faced: Patrick Roy
His favorite coaches of all time: Mike Kitchen, Jeff Twohey
His favorite visiting arena: Maple Leaf Gardens, Air Canada Centre
__________
Fact File
Born: October 10, 1974, Dryden, ON
Drafted: First round (2nd overall), 1993, Hartford Whalers
Teams: Hartford Whalers (1993-95), St. Louis Blues (1995-2004), Edmonton Oilers (2005-06), Anaheim Ducks (2006-09), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-12)
Awards: Hart Trophy (1999-2000), Norris Trophy (1999-2000), First-Team All-Star (1999-2000), Second-Team All-Star (1997-98, 2003-04, 2006-07), Stanley Cup (2006-07)
