Tocchet Puts Canucks Through Tough Practice On The Road

Dan and Sat discuss the tough practice Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet put the team through today and break down his comments regarding the need for multiple players to be better as the road trip continues for Vancouver. Plus the guys dive into the Monday Menu.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe and Ben Basran.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Patrik Allvin On Canucks Solid Start

Dan and Sat are joined by Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin to discuss Vancouver's 2-0 start and break down what potential moves could be on the horizon for the team.

This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe and Ben Basran.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

October 16 2023 – Jeff Paterson & Dane Evans

Matt and Blake discuss this extraordinary 2-0 start from the Canucks, including outscoring the Oilers at even-strength, the play of Elias Pettersson & Casey DeSmith, the contributions throughout the lineup, the need to get stiffer defensively, the expected debut of Carson Soucy and practice in Philadelphia. Other topics include: a dramatic win for the Lions, the task ahead for the Whitecaps, a lowly loss for the Seahawks, and CanCon at this week's PGA Tour stop.

Jeff Paterson, the host of the Rink Wide: Vancouver podcast, stops by to talk Canucks, topic include: counter-punching at the Oilers, the starts for Pettersson and Brock Boeser, the play of DeSmith, the penalty-kill, Nils Höglander with a two-point night, the injured guys and when they're back, Tuesday's game in Philadelphia, and Sam Lafferty stepping up for an injured Teddy Blueger.

Dane Evans takes a bow after leading the Lions on the game-winning drive Friday. Evans tells us about having to be ready in that spot at the end of the game, doing so in that stadium where he was once the starter, the vibe around the team and in the locker room, the exploits of kicker Sean Whyte, and the task at-hand this week in the home finale against Calgary. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

Follow us on social (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok & YouTube). Powered by Go Goat Sports

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blackhawks’ Hall in lineup vs. Maple Leafs after swift injury recovery

The Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall is back in the lineup versus the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, head coach Luke Richardson confirmed, per NBC's Charlie Roumeliotis.

MacKenzie Entwistle and Nikita Zaitsev are also drawing into the lineup to make their season debuts. Cole Guttman, Reese Johnson, and Jarred Tinordi are the scratches.

Hall's return comes far earlier than expected. He was initially labeled week-to-week after sustaining a shoulder injury versus the Boston Bruins on Oct. 11, but he ended up only missing one game.

Prior to his brief absence, Hall had been skating on a line with 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard. Taylor Raddysh took Hall's place on that unit during Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Hall registered his first point as a Blackhawk prior to his departure against Boston with an assist on Bedard's first NHL goal. The 2018 Hart Trophy winner was shaken up after taking a hit from Bruins blue-liner and former teammate Brandon Carlo.

Richardson criticized the play as a "blindside hit," but Hall said he didn't have a problem with it when addressing the media Sunday.

"I know how quick the game can be," he said. "When I watched the replay, it was a fast play. I put myself in a vulnerable spot. Was it a hit to the head? Maybe, but I passed the concussion protocol with ease and was just dealing with a shoulder thing. That's hockey; that's the way it goes."

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Evander Kane jokes about Oilers’ 0-2 start: ‘Sky is falling’

At least one person in Edmonton Oilers nation is staying lighthearted despite the team's less-than-inspiring 0-2 start to the 2023-24 campaign.

"We're dead last in the league - 32. Sky is falling," winger Evander Kane joked Monday, per TSN. "Trust me, I see it; I've been around town. But I think, again, we're two games into our season.

"We've got a .000 winning percentage, we could be at .500 in the next two games, who knows? Our focus is on tomorrow night, getting our first win of the season, getting a good feeling back in the room, and moving on."

The Oilers are one of four teams in the NHL without a point, alongside the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers. Edmonton has 80 more games to right the ship, but back-to-back losses at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks isn't the start to the season that many would've expected for the Stanley Cup contenders.

"We understand the expectations, the excitement, and, obviously, the desire to win in this city," Kane said. "We all feel the exact same way. ... We want to put our best foot forward. It's not going to be perfect every night - it hasn't been perfect these first two games - but we look forward to getting better as the season goes on."

Edmonton got thrashed 8-1 in Vancouver during its season opener on Oct. 11. The Oilers fared better in a rematch between the Pacific Division clubs three days later but still dropped the contest 4-3.

In Game 2, the Oilers dominated play at five-on-five, controlling 72.5% of the shot attempts, 71.4% of the scoring chances, and 73.3% of the expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. However, Edmonton managed just one goal at even strength, courtesy of Leon Draisaitl in the first period.

Captain Connor McDavid said his squad showed "lots of good signs" in Round 2 versus the Canucks.

"I thought there was a lot of things we could build off of (from) Saturday's game," he said. "I thought the compete was a lot higher. I thought we did a lot of really good things. You play that game over a few times, you might win."

Like Kane, it seems McDavid is doing his best to stay levelheaded about the Oilers' start.

"A win tomorrow night leaves us at 1-2," he said. "We were 1-2 last year (to start the season), too."

Edmonton will look to get into the win column on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. Puck drops at 8 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wild’s Boldy week-to-week with upper-body injury

Minnesota Wild star Matt Boldy is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, general manager Bill Guerin announced Monday, per The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The team doesn't expect that Boldy will need to be placed on long-term injured reserve as a result of the ailment.

Boldy sustained the injury during Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was shaken up after taking a hit from defenseman Morgan Rielly midway through the third period.

The 22-year-old emerged with 31 goals and 63 points in 81 games for the Wild in 2022-23. Boldy is currently playing out the first season of a seven-year, $49-million extension he signed in January.

Boldy has two points in two games so far this season and bagged his first goal of 2023-24 prior to getting hurt Saturday.

The Wild will run with 11 forwards and seven defensemen when they take on the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, according to the Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Wild’s Boldy week-to-week with upper-body injury

Minnesota Wild star Matt Boldy is considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury, general manager Bill Guerin announced Monday, per The Athletic's Michael Russo.

The team doesn't expect that Boldy will need to be placed on long-term injured reserve as a result of the ailment.

Boldy sustained the injury during Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was shaken up after taking a hit from defenseman Morgan Rielly midway through the third period.

The 22-year-old emerged with 31 goals and 63 points in 81 games for the Wild in 2022-23. Boldy is currently playing out the first season of a seven-year, $49-million extension he signed in January.

Boldy has two points in two games so far this season and bagged his first goal of 2023-24 prior to getting hurt Saturday.

The Wild will run with 11 forwards and seven defensemen when they take on the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, according to the Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Canadiens’ Dach out long term due to ‘significant’ injury

Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach won't be back in the lineup any time soon.

Dach sustained a "significant injury" and is out long term, the Canadiens announced, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. He is still being evaluated and another update will either come later on Monday or over the next few days, the team added.

The center left Saturday's win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Montreal after opposing defenseman Jarred Tinordi checked him into the visitors' bench. The Canadiens called Dach's ailment a lower-body injury at the time.

Dach, who'll turn 23 in January, played only 4:40 before departing.

He was limited to 58 games last season due to injury and has missed 92 contests since entering the league in 2019-20.

The Blackhawks drafted Dach third overall in 2019 before trading him to the Canadiens for a pair of draft picks in 2022.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NHL Monday player props: Larkin to fire vs. Blue Jackets

We won two of three shot props on Friday night to send us into the weekend on a winning note.

We'll look to pick up where we left off with three more plays for the first card of the week.

Alex Ovechkin over 3.5 shots

The band was back together for the Capitals in their season opener. After an injury-plagued year in which Ovechkin's surroundings were never consistent, he had all of his usual running mates against the Penguins.

Ovechkin was centered by Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie skated on his opposite wing, and John Carlson was back feeding him one-timers on the man advantage. It paid off.

Although Ovechkin didn't score, he recorded a whopping nine shot attempts and four shots on goal to go over his shot total.

It's the kind of volume we've come to expect from Ovechkin and what we need for him to be a frequent shot prop target once again.

Ovechkin finds himself in a solid spot as he begins the week at home to the Flames. Their shot-suppression numbers have not been great at five-on-five, and they've given up shots at a higher rate than anybody on the penalty kill thus far.

Expect Ovechkin to fire pucks on net early and often once again.

Odds: -125 (playable to -140)

Dylan Larkin over 3.5 shots

Larkin has been a shooting machine through two games. He has registered 17 shot attempts, 13 shots on target, and nine scoring chances, all of which lead the Red Wings. He has not passed up opportunities at five-on-five and also leads the charge on the power play.

Larkin finds himself in a mouthwatering spot to keep firing Monday night against the Blue Jackets. Despite the coaching change and improved personnel, Columbus has still not looked remotely competent defensively. The team has conceded more than 80 shot attempts per 60 minutes at five-on-five, ranking last in that category.

They've also allowed shots on goal, scoring chances, and expected goals at a higher rate than anybody else.

Patrik Laine - who has long struggled defensively as a winger - is currently being used as the team's top-line center while No. 1 defenseman Zach Werenski is sidelined with an injury. Those two things alone paint a good picture of where the Jackets are at right now.

At a generous plus-money price, I see value in backing Larkin's shooting success to continue.

Odds: +120 (playable to -110)

Jesper Bratt under 2.5 shots

We targeted Bratt's under last time out and did not get the wanted result. The process was strong, though. Bratt continued to defer to Jack Hughes and Tyler Toffoli, opting to create shots for them rather than take them. He attempted only two shots at five-on-five, one of which came on a broken play where he had a clear-cut breakaway from center ice and had no choice but to take the shot himself.

That proved to be the nail in the coffin as, by that point, Bratt already had two shots on goal thanks to a never-ending supply of Devils power plays.

I still like what I'm seeing from Bratt as an under target. He has attempted only three five-on-five shots through two games, which is the same total as defensive defenseman Kevin Bahl and the team's fourth-line center, Michael McLeod.

Even in defeat, the Panthers have done a really good job at limiting shots in all situations thus far. I don't expect to see a ton of volume from Bratt against a quality Panthers side that will be fighting tooth and nail to grind out its first win - and point - of the season.

Odds: -135 (playable to -145)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.