Monthly Archives: November 2017
Duchene To Senators, Turris to Predators in 3-Team Deal
Report: Avs trade Duchene to Sens in 3-way deal involving Predators
The wait is over.
The Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators in a three-way blockbuster deal involving the Nashville Predators, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. The Preds will receive forward Kyle Turris in the deal.
In return for Duchene, the Avalanche will receive prospects Samuel Girard, Vladislav Kamenev, and a second-round pick from Nashville. From Ottawa, the Avs will receive prospect Shane Bowers, journeyman goaltender Andrew Hammond, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick.
Duchene, who has long been seeking a trade out of Denver, had 10 points in 13 games this season before being pulled during the first period of Colorado's matchup with the New York Islanders Sunday. He is scheduled to become a free agent following the 2018-19 season.
Turris was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, but recently inked a long-term extension with the Preds. He has nine points in 11 games so far this season.
Related: Report: Predators sign Turris to 6-year, $36M extension following trade
Defenseman Samuel Girard, 19, has played five games for the Predators this season, picking up a goal and two assists. He's just 5-foot-10, but his skating and offensive ability should play well in today's NHL, and he's coming off back-to-back 70-point seasons in the QMJHL.
Kamenev, a left winger selected in the second round by Nashville in 2014, has registered 96 points in 136 career AHL games, including eight points in nine games this year.
Bowers was Ottawa's first-round pick (28th overall) in the most recent NHL draft. A center, he is currently playing at Boston University and has four goals and two assists in 10 games.
Duchene will get to face his former team almost immediately, as the Sens and Avs will square off in Sweden Friday and Saturday.
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5 most underrated players so far this season
Going to work every day as an NHL player isn't always as rewarding as it should be. Guys get banged up, barked at by coaches, and are sometimes overlooked for their excellent play or contributions to their team's success.
Such is the case for the following players, as all five are off to excellent starts to the season, but for whatever reason, aren't getting the love they deserve.
Here's a look at the NHL's five most underrated players so far this season.
Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
The eighth overall draft pick from 2011, Couturier has never really lived up to the lofty expectations associated with being a top-10 pick.
But this year, Couturier is silencing his haters.
The 24-year-old center is on fire right now, notching a team-leading nine goals to go with nine assists for the Flyers. His 18 points through the first 15 games has Couturier sitting tied for fourth in league scoring among some pretty elite company.
Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning
It's understandable for one to be lost in the background when they're playing on the same squad as Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.
That is exactly the scenario Point currently finds himself in on the Lightning.
With Stammer and Kuch currently setting the league ablaze with 48 combined points already to their credit, Point's solid start of seven goals and nine assists is going mostly unnoticed.
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Pietrangelo might not be underrated among more dedicated hockey fans, but when it comes to the average puckhead, the Blues No. 1 rearguard doesn't get nearly enough credit for how good he is.
Not only is Pietrangelo St. Louis' captain, but he's its unsung leader both on and off the ice, commanding the respect of his teammates by playing an unselfish brand of hockey that has become his trademark.
This season, Pietrangelo is off to the best start of his 10-year career, notching six goals and nine assists while leading the Blues to first place in the Western Conference.
Anders Lee, New York Islanders
If not for the hat-trick binging John Tavares, Lee would be pacing the Islanders in goals and points to start the campaign.
The hulking 6-foot-3, 231-pound forward has racked up solid numbers while playing on Johnny T's wing this season, scoring eight goals and seven assists while also serving time on New York's top power-play unit.
Thirty-five goals only a year ago announced Lee as a legit goal-scoring threat, but somehow he is still operating under the radar for Doug Weight and Co.
Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers
By playing in Florida in the shadows of guys like Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov, Trocheck has become a criminally underrated player.
However, back-to-back 50-plus point seasons had Trocheck entering the 2017-18 campaign with lofty expectations, and so far, the 24-year-old Pittsburgh native has not disappointed.
A solid start of 15 points in his first 13 games has the versatile forward finally turning heads, as he is on pace for his best season yet.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
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Can the Coyotes Build Around Keller?
Watch: Pens’ Reaves rocks hilarious Kessel ‘Thriller’ T-shirt
When Ryan Reaves was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer, most expected him to fill the position of Sidney Crosby's personal on-ice body guard. And while he's filled that role quite nicely, it's his role as Phil Kessel's new bestie that's garnering the most attention.
Reaves' love for his new friend was on full display following Saturday's loss to the Vancouver Canucks, rocking an awesome shirt for his postgame interview with Kessel's head Photoshopped on the body of Michael Jackson on his famous "Thriller" album cover.
Shooting hoops, playing pranks on each other, and now custom gear, this budding relationship is starting to look like a full-blown bromance.
Your move, Phil.
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Sunday NHL Rumor Roundup – November 5, 2017
NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – November 5, 2017
Boeser’s hat trick lifts Canucks past Penguins
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Rookie Brock Boeser had three goals and an assist, leading the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.
It was Boeser's first career hat trick. Bo Horvat had a goal and three assists for Vancouver (7-4-2), and Sven Baertschi also had three assists.
Jacob Markstrom made 37 saves as the Canucks snapped a two-game slide where they scored just one combined goal in consecutive home losses.
Jake Guentzel and Greg McKegg scored for Pittsburgh (8-6-2), and Matt Murray made 17 stops.
The Penguins tied it at 2 at 4:49 of the third period when McKegg tipped home his second of the season. But Boeser scored his fifth goal of the season just 1:07 later after taking a feed from Horvat in the slot and ripping a shot against the grain, glove side on Murray.
The goal came moments after Patric Hornqvist hit the post behind Markstrom.
Fans at Rogers Arena littered the ice with hats to salute the 20-year-old rookie's first three-goal game.
Horvat put the game at 16:29 when he roofed a shot up and over Murray for his fifth. Boeser nearly had a fourth into an empty net with under a minute to go, but chose to pass instead of shoot.
Tied 1-1 after a spirited first, Boeser scored his second of the night at 7:14 of the middle period off a good Canucks cycle. Horvat fed a no-look pass from the corner in front to Baertschi, who kicked the puck to his stick and over to Boeser at the side of the net, where he slide his shot past Murray.
Markstrom, who was bailed out by Christopher Tanev with the puck sitting on his goal line on the first shift of the game, returned the favor in the second when he stopped Phil Kessel with his glove after the Canucks defenseman turned the puck over.
The Penguins opened the scoring on the power play 2:53 into the first.
Sidney Crosby tapped a no-look touch pass between his own legs to Kessel, who quickly fed a wide-open Guentzel at the side of the net for his fourth.
Boeser tied at 7:07 when Horvat pressured Pittsburgh defenseman Olli Maatta along on the wall. The puck eventually found its way to Boeser, and he evaded Kris Letang before using a nice backhand move on Murray.
Playing their third game in four nights, and NHL-leading 11th road contest, the Penguins almost scored on the game's first shift when Tanev cleared Conor Sheary's shot off the goal line after it squeezed through Markstrom.
NOTES: The Canucks host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday to wrap up their five-game homestand. ... The Penguins return home to face to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. ... Vancouver visits Pittsburgh on Nov. 22.
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5 takeaways from Saturday’s busy schedule
Saturday nights mean lots of hockey, and subsequently plenty to discuss.
With that being said, here's five immediate takeaways from a busy night in the NHL.
Rangers making up for slow start
After a dreadful start to the season, the New York Rangers seem to be slowly pulling things together.
Kevin Shattenkirk's overtime marker against the Florida Panthers gave the Blueshirts their third win in a row, and fourth in five games. Perhaps more encouraging, though, is the Rangers have out-chanced opponents in each of those wins, and are one victory away from reaching a .500 mark that seemed unattainable a short time ago.
Pacioretty finally breaks through
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
Max Pacioretty hadn't recorded a point on the power play since February 28 - an absurd 36-game span.
The Montreal Canadiens captain snapped out of his funk in a big way versus the Winnipeg Jets, recording an assist on the man advantage in regulation, then icing the game in overtime with a power-play conversion from the slot.
He also achieved some history in the process:
Max Pacioretty scored his ninth career regular-season OT goal to tie Aurel Joliat and Howie Morenz for the most in @CanadiensMTL history. pic.twitter.com/fFBRkB2svV
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 5, 2017
Goals, and lots of them
If goals are your thing, then Saturday was your night, as four different games ended with a 5-4 final, along with 6-4 and 5-1 finishes.
After the day's lone afternoon contest between the Ottawa Senators and Vegas Golden Knights, NHL Public Relations revealed that after 200 matches played this season, there's been an average of 6.2 goals scored per game. That's the league's highest mark since 2005-06 (6.4).
Duchene has big night
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
If Matt Duchene wants to use Friday's reportedly kiboshed trade as motivation to expedite his departure from Colorado, he did a good job Saturday, snapping a three-game pointless drought with a goal and an assist in a win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Duchene also eclipsed 20 minutes in ice-time for the second time this season, and set a season high with 30 shifts.
East's best put on show
The contest between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets - both leading their respective divisions - lived up to its game-of-the-night potential, with the Bolts ultimately earning a highly entertaining 5-4 shootout win.
Despite the high goal count, both Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy traded big-time saves, while the offensive star power between both teams was on full display, with Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Zach Werenski, and Seth Jones each scoring goals.
It's a long, long way away, but if these two teams end up meeting in a playoff series, it would be quite a spectacle.
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