Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli was confused as to why he was handed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the second period of his team's 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

Stars defenseman Thomas Harley was sent to the box for high-sticking the Blue Jackets rookie, but Fantilli followed him to the sin bin after trying to clear the situation up with the referee, who thought he embellished the play.

"I said that (Harley's stick) didn't hit me in the face," Fantilli explained postgame, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "I played with a cage for a year (in college). The stick came up and came right past my face, and you could feel the wind. It shocks you for a second. Some people don't know how fast it really happens.

"It went right past my face and I reacted quickly. (The ref) called it and I tried to be honest. I didn't want to be that type of guy who looks like I was trying to sell calls or anything like that. The ref just hated it, I guess, and wanted to throw me in the box. So, nothing you can do."

The infraction was just the third penalty the 19-year-old Fantilli has taken in his young career.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was in a similar situation last season.

During a matchup against the New York Islanders in December, forward Mathew Barzal took a tripping penalty while defending Makar. However, the 2022 Norris Trophy winner informed referees that he'd fallen down on his own and that the penalty had been called incorrectly. After a brief meeting between the officials, the penalty on Barzal was waved off.

Fantilli has two goals and seven points in 13 games so far. The Blue Jackets selected him with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft.

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Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard tallied two goals and two assists in his team's 5-3 victory on Thursday night, becoming the third-youngest player in NHL history with a four-point game. He trails only Bep Guidolin and Hall of Famer Ted Kennedy, both of whom accomplished the feat in 1944.

Bedard also became the youngest player in Blackhawks history with a multi-goal game, besting Kirby Dach.

The 2023 No. 1 pick came out flying against the Tampa Bay Lightning, notching two goals and an assist in the first period alone. His effort was highlighted by this nifty give-and-go with Nick Foligno.

Head coach Luke Richardson came away impressed with Bedard's performance.

"He's been here for a dozen games now, and he's starting to really figure it out and use his skills at the best of his ability," Richardson said, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times. "It paid off for him and us tonight."

Bedard shrugged off his heroics and gave credit to his teammates.

"(For) all the points, I feel like other guys did great things and I got the benefit," Bedard said. "It's obviously nice getting on the scoresheet, but there's a lot that goes into it."

Veteran Taylor Hall handed Bedard the Blackhawks' player of the game chain.

It was the first multi-point game of Bedard's young career. He now paces all rookie skaters with seven goals and 11 points through 12 games.

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The list of suitors for Patrick Kane appears to be narrowed down to around four.

The New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings have entered the sweepstakes for the unrestricted free-agent winger, reports TSN's Chris Johnston. The Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers, who were previously reported to be interested, remain in the hunt.

Kane finished the 2022-23 campaign with the Rangers after the Chicago Blackhawks dealt him to New York at the trade deadline. He recorded five goals and seven assists in 19 regular-season contests with the Blueshirts before adding six points in seven playoff games. A reunion in the Big Apple would require some financial gymnastics, though, as the Rangers are right up against the cap ceiling.

Detroit, however, has $4.4 million in projected cap space - the sixth-most in the NHL, per CapFriendly. The Red Wings would also offer Kane the opportunity to reunite with former Blackhawks linemate Alex DeBrincat, who joined Detroit this past offseason.

Kane underwent hip resurfacing surgery on June 1 and was given a four-to-six month timeline. Although reports indicate his recovery is going well, the procedure has proven to be difficult to rebound from. Nicklas Backstrom was the latest player to have the surgery before Kane and he's not expected to suit up for the remainder of the season due to ongoing hip issues.

Kane, who turns 35 on Nov. 19, produced a 92-point campaign as recently as 2021-22. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has recorded 1,237 points in 1,180 career regular season games, as well as 138 points in 143 postseason contests.

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Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson isn't about to make any drastic changes to how he prepares for games as his struggles persist in the early days of the 2023-24 season.

"I think that's the most dangerous," he told The Athletic's Joe Smith. "(My process) worked for a reason before. ... You can't create bad habits, or you'll just be in a spiral wheel that makes your game worse and worse."

Gustavsson enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022-23, posting a .931 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average across 39 appearances. He also ranked third among all goaltenders in goals saved above average (30.4) and seventh in goals saved above expected (24.54) at all strengths, per Evolving Hockey.

The Wild rewarded Gustavsson by inking him to a three-year pact with an average annual value of $3.75 million in July. Aside from a season-opening shutout against the Florida Panthers in 2023-24, Gustavsson has yet to play up to his new extension.

The 25-year-old owns a 2-3-1 record on the campaign to go along with an .871 save percentage and 4.89 goals against average. Gustavsson's surrendered four or more goals in all but two outings and ranks dead-last in the league in goals saved above expected (minus-7.3) and fourth-last in goals saved above average (minus-7.45).

Here's a look at how each of his starts has gone this season:

Despite the unfavorable results, Gustavsson is trying to keep his confidence high.

"I don't think I've played that bad. The Toronto game, I don't think I performed," he said. "But after that, the Columbus game, I still felt like I played pretty good. You kind of try and fake that those five goals (against) don't get to you, but even though it feels like you're playing good, and it's not 100% your fault that you're not winning, or you're losing, it gets to you and you start thinking a little bit.

"You try to get out of that zone of questioning your own game instead of just trusting everyone around you, that they're going to do their job and the team is going to play a little better, and you're going to control it together."

Defenseman Brock Faber said he doesn't think the Wild have done their part to help Gustavsson turn things around.

"We've left Gus out to dry a lot this year," he said. "Whatever his stats say, it's on us. A lot of those are on us."

Gustavsson ranks 10th in high-danger shots against (53) among all netminders at five-on-five this campaign, according to Natural Stat Trick. The nine goalies who have faced more each played in at least one extra game than Gustavsson.

Veteran Marc-Andre Fleury is getting the start Thursday against the New York Rangers.

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The trip to eastern Canada begins for the Canucks!

Matt and Blake preview the opening game versus the Ottawa Senators, but also review the recent comments from Trevor Linden on his time as President and the disagreements with his former GM Jim Benning. 

Patrick Johnston of the Province weighs in on the Canucks cap predicament and the possibility of a trade for Beauvillier or Garland. Plus, how does Vasily Podkolzin or Arshdeep Bains factor into that equation? 

With the B.C. Lions on the verge of the West Final, Matt sits down with Lions defensive coordinator Ryan Phillips on the big game versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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The Calgary Flames have called up star goaltender prospect Dustin Wolf from the AHL, the team announced Thursday.

Wolf owns a 5-1 record with the Calgary Wranglers this season, along with one shutout and a .924 clip. The 22-year-old won AHL MVP in 2022-23 and has been named the league's top goalie in back-to-back campaigns.

The Flames will carry three goaltenders while Wolf is up, as Jacob Markstrom and Daniel Vladar will remain in the mix. Both of Calgary's netminders have struggled early this season.

The 4-7-1 Flames rank 29th with a minus-11 goal differential this season.

Calgary drafted Wolf in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. He made his first NHL start late last season, making 23 saves in a victory.

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Welcome to the second edition of theScore's 2023-24 Norris Trophy Rankings and the first in-season version. New rankings will be published once a month throughout the campaign.

These rankings focus on analytics and the all-around ability of defensemen rather than only points or reputation.

xGF% = five-on-five expected goals for percentage

5. Roman Josi, Predators

Josi is doing a lot of heavy lifting for the Predators. With a thin forward group, the club counts on the 33-year-old to create offense from the back end, and he hasn't disappointed. Josi ranks second among Preds skaters and third among NHL defensemen in shots (42).

But he's also playing some of the best defensive hockey of his career. Josi's xGF% and expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.13) are the best since his Norris-winning campaign in 2020, and the latter stat ranks 22nd among blue-liners with at least 100 five-on-five minutes.

4. Drew Doughty, Kings

Doughty is turning back the clock. The 2016 Norris winner and four-time finalist is playing some of his best hockey over the last six seasons. Even at age 33 (he turns 34 in December), he continues to be a workhorse, leading all NHL skaters in average ice time.

Doughty has been highly effective in his heavy minutes, as he's been on the ice for 17 goals for and nine against at even strength. Looking under the hood, his xGF% is in the top 50 at his position.

Doughty ranks tied for fourth among blue-liners in goals, although his 18.2% shooting percentage is due for some regression. However, the savvy veteran is exceptionally difficult to play against, and it's his superb 200-foot game that gives him the edge over other productive defensemen left off this list.

3. Miro Heiskanen, Stars

The offensive production hasn't quite been there for Heiskanen, even though a 53-point pace is nothing to scoff at. But he deserves a spot this high on the list due to his play at both ends.

Heiskanen has been on the ice for 10 goals for and only six against at five-on-five, and his xGF% is best among qualified NHL defensemen. As one of the game's most prolific skaters, he excels at transporting the puck up ice and using his legs to thwart opposing threats. Heiskanen could challenge for a higher spot on our list if the production begins to follow his strong underlying play.

2. Cale Makar, Avalanche

Makar has been his usual dynamite self offensively, as he's coming off an impressive three-assist night during Tuesday's win over the New Jersey Devils. He's been a threat in transition and walking the offensive-zone blue line.

However, even though his defensive game is underrated and has improved with time, it's been a bit more uneven to start the year than what we've become accustomed to. His xGF% is rather pedestrian from his lofty standards, and his defensive rating is minus-0.3.

The fact that Makar is capable of more, yet still ends up second on this list, shows just how special of a talent he really is.

1. Quinn Hughes, Canucks

Hughes paces all NHL defensemen in points and is tied for the league lead in assists with his brother, Jack, and teammate Elias Pettersson. He vowed to shoot the puck more this season, and it's made an incredible difference. Hughes' 3.75 shots per contest is nearly double his previous high of 1.97.

However, the other aspects of his game have also been outstanding, which puts a sizeable gap between him and the rest of the pack. Hughes has vastly improved his defensive play and has only been on the ice for three goals against at five-on-five. While some of that is due to the strong goaltending the Canucks have received, his underlying numbers are also stellar.

Vancouver runs through Hughes. As great as Pettersson and Thatcher Demko have been this season, there's a strong case to be made that Hughes, named captain before the start of the campaign, is the Canucks' most valuable player and the key reason for their surprising 9-2-1 start. At this point, Hughes should be garnering Hart Trophy consideration, too.

Honorable mentions: Adam Fox (injured), Shea Theodore, Moritz Seider

(Analytics sources: Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)

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