Perry: Help received in last 2 months made ‘world of difference’

Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry believes he's in the proper frame of mind to return to the ice after receiving help in the wake of the Chicago Blackhawks terminating his contract.

"Over the last two months, I've really had a chance to reflect, get the help, and take full responsibility for what happened in Chicago, and try to better myself," Perry told media at a press conference Monday, including TSN. "Those are the things I've been working on; I've been working on with people in the mental health field and in different fields.

"It's been a long time to get back to this spot, to be back on that ice with players in the NHL. I have to thank my family, my friends, all the support I've gotten, (and) the support from my counselors. I'm just trying to better myself each and every day. From where I was two months ago to where I am today, it's been a world of difference with the help I've gotten."

Perry hasn't played a game since Nov. 19. The Blackhawks terminated his contract on Nov. 30 following an internal investigation, citing inappropriate conduct.

Details of Chicago's probe remain unclear. Perry declined to answer Monday whether he'll appeal his contract termination.

The Oilers made Perry's contract official Monday, inking the 38-year-old to a prorated agreement for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. Perry reportedly met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman earlier in January and was eligible to sign anywhere, as the league didn't bar him from playing.

Oilers general manager Ken Holland admitted he's been pursuing Perry since the Anaheim Ducks bought out the veteran's contract in 2019. Perry went on to play for the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Blackhawks before landing in Edmonton.

"I think he's the type of player that everyone wants on their team," Holland said Monday, according to The Athletic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman.

Perry recorded nine points in 16 games with the Blackhawks this season. He has 421 career goals and a wealth of playoff experience across a 19-year career, including 124 points in 196 postseason games.

The Oilers are aiming to get Perry in the lineup for Saturday's clash against the Nashville Predators. Edmonton is riding a 13-game winning streak.

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Trocheck, Connor replacing injured Eichel, Bedard at ASG

New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck and Winnipeg Jets sniper Kyle Connor will replace the injured Jack Eichel and Connor Bedard at next month's All-Star Weekend, the league announced Monday.

Trocheck last appeared at the All-Star Game in 2017. He'll now be joining goaltender Igor Shesterkin as the Big Apple's representatives at the festivities. Trocheck is currently tied with Mika Zibanejad for the second-most points (44) and third-most goals (15) on the Rangers across 46 contests. He's on pace for around 78 points, which would be a new career high.

Connor, meanwhile, is also in line for his second All-Star appearance after representing the Jets in 2022. The 27-year-old leads Winnipeg with 18 goals in 28 outings this campaign. Connor missed 16 contests with a knee injury, but he appeared no worse for wear after scoring a goal in his return. Winnipeg now has three representatives with Connor in the mix, alongside netminder Connor Hellebuyck and head coach Rick Bowness.

Eichel has been out of action since suffering a lower-body injury Jan. 11. The Vegas Golden Knights center is considered week-to-week after he underwent surgery to address the ailment a few days later.

Bedard hasn't played since fracturing his jaw Jan. 5. The Chicago Blackhawks rookie was given a six-to-eight-week recovery timeline after getting surgery.

As it stands now, neither Vegas nor Chicago will have a player participating in the All-Star Game.

All-Star Weekend kicks off Feb. 1 in Toronto.

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Backing Devils’ thin roster vs. Vegas, Sharks as long shots

The Senators had one of the best games they played all season during Hockey Day in Canada only to suffer an overtime loss to the Jets. The Maple Leafs outshot the league-leading Canucks 46-21 but fell short in the third in Vancouver. South of the border, the Penguins coughed up a 2-0 lead in the third period in Vegas despite having a 62% expected goal share at even strength.

As it sometimes goes in betting, the results didn't fall in our favor despite sticking to the correct process. Luckily, we have a six-game slate Monday night to get back on track.

The cheat sheet

If you're thinking about betting any game on the slate, here's a look at the price you should be hoping to get on the moneyline for a valuable bet.

GAME WIN PROB. (%) PRICE TO BET
WPG@BOS 44.8/55.2 WPG +145/BOS -118
VGK@NJD 44.7/55.3 VGK +146/NJD -119
FLA@NSH 52.3/47.7 FLA +101/NSH +121
PIT@ARI 53.9/46.1 PIT -112/ARI +138
CHI@VAN 25.1/74.9 CHI +373/VAN -283
SJS@LAK 30.2/69.8 SJS +282/LAK -221

Best bets for Jan. 22

Golden Knights (+105) @ Devils (-125)

By the letter of the law in our cheat sheet, there's no value in betting on either side in this matchup. However, to take you into the kitchen, my projected win probabilities for this game are to be taken with a pinch of salt.

When you remove one key player, you can make an educated guess about what that star means to a team's chances of winning. When you take more than one out, it gets dicier. When both teams are missing important parts, it's like making jambalaya without the meat and spices.

For Vegas, Shea Theodore, Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and William Carrier are still out, and Logan Thompson is still holding it down without a viable backup. Meanwhile, the Devils have been trying to stay afloat without Dougie Hamilton, Jack Hughes, and Ondrej Palat. So, no one knows if one team has an unaccounted-for advantage.

The Golden Knights, though, are going on the road for the second time in 11 games. As a general rule, support players perform better at home than on the road. Therefore, Vegas is potentially overvalued in New Jersey as the Golden Knights come into the contest with a rating steadied by success at home.

Pick: Devils (-125)

Sharks (+300) @ Kings (-380)

We'll take a shot on a huge underdog over concern about the Kings. We didn't mention winning with Los Angeles on Saturday night because it's not nearly as cathartic as commiserating over losses, and the Kings' win over the Rangers wasn't all that inspiring.

L.A. avoided its 11th loss in 12 games, mercifully converting two of only five high-danger chances (HDC) at even strength while earning just one power play. Five HDCs and one power play isn't the recipe for winning in the NHL. So, we won't assume the Kings are back in good form, making -380 too expensive of a price to pay for a side that's just 8-13 on the moneyline at home this season.

This leaves the Sharks, valuable at +282 or longer. The best we can say about them is they won against the Ducks on Saturday. Six of San Jose's 10 previous victories have come from separate two-game winning streaks. So, given the Kings' struggles, we can take a chance with another long shot.

Pick: Sharks (+300)

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

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Canucks’ Soucy out 5-6 weeks with hand injury

Carson Soucy finds himself on the sidelines yet again.

The Vancouver Canucks defenseman is expected to miss five-to-six weeks with a hand injury, head coach Rick Tocchet announced Monday, according to Postmedia's Ben Kuzma.

Vancouver recalled defenseman Mark Friedman and forward Linus Karlsson from the AHL.

Soucy missed the third period of Saturday's 6-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs after blocking a shot.

The injury marks his second lengthy absence of the campaign. Soucy previously missed 23 games due to a lower-body ailment, returning to the lineup on Jan. 6 against the New Jersey Devils. He suited up for just eight contests before suffering his latest injury.

The 29-year-old is in his first season as a Canuck. He signed a three-year, $9.75-million deal with Vancouver as an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has been key to the team's much-improved penalty kill.

Soucy has chipped in with two goals and six points in 21 games so far this campaign while averaging 17:25 minutes of ice time per contest. When healthy, he's spent the bulk of his time on a pair with Tyler Myers.

The Canucks have just three games remaining before the All-Star break, starting with a clash against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.

Vancouver currently leads the league with a 31-11-4 record.

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Bergeron denies rumors about comeback: It’s ‘not happening’

Patrice Bergeron says there's no truth to recent rumors about him coming out of retirement for a late-season reunion with the Boston Bruins.

"No, it is not happening," Bergeron said, per The Canadian Press. "I'm not making a comeback, not trying to make a comeback."

Bergeron was recently spotted skating in the Boston area, but the 38-year-old insists the on-ice sessions are for leisure with friends and fellow NHL alumni.

"Come to our skates ... the rumors would go away pretty quickly." Bergeron joked. "It's a slow pace."

Bergeron retired in July after 19 seasons with the Bruins. He built a Hall of Fame career in Boston, notching 1,040 points in 1,294 games to go with a Stanley Cup in 2011 and an NHL-record six Selke Trophies as the league's top defensive forward.

The Bruins were expected to take a step back after Bergeron retired, but the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners currently lead the Eastern Conference with 65 points.

"Very proud," Bergeron said. "I'm not surprised, if I'm being completely honest. I knew they would be more than fine. So much talent and experience and leadership and character in that locker room."

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Roy relieved to get debut win: Coaching ‘makes me feel I’m alive’

The Patrick Roy era on Long Island got off to a great start: His club skated to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Dallas Stars in the Hall of Fame goalie's debut as head coach on Sunday.

New York appointed Roy to succeed Lane Lambert in a stunning move on Saturday. Roy hadn't been on an NHL bench since 2016 and spoke about how happy he is to be involved in the league again.

"I love it," Roy said after the victory, per Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I might be repeating myself, but I have so much respect for this game. This game has been so good to me, and I'm very thankful and really appreciate this opportunity.

"I mean, the support that (general manager) Lou (Lamoriello) gives me and the involvement that he has, and the coaching staff - I could not ask for any better situation at this period of my life. Yeah, it would be easy to stay home and play golf and enjoy life, but this is what makes me feel I'm alive, and I really enjoy it."

Islanders forward Bo Horvat, who sealed the win with a breakaway goal in overtime, said he and his teammates wanted to start on the right foot for Roy.

"Everybody wanted to get that win not only for ourselves but for our coach," he said, per SNY TV.

Horvat also joked about the difference in energy with Roy in charge.

"Somebody has got to throw a Fitbit on him or something, track his steps. He was great back there and I was just happy we got that win for him."

Sunday's win brought New York to 51 points on the year, four back of the Carolina Hurricanes for third spot in the Metropolitan Division with an extra game played.

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Leafs’ Reaves: ‘I definitely hate’ constant scratches

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves hasn't been in the team's lineup since suffering a knee injury on Dec. 14, but the veteran enforcer insists he's been healthy enough to play for a while.

"Yeah, I've been ready for a couple weeks now," Reaves told Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

Reaves remains on the Leafs' injured reserve list, per CapFriendly, and the string of scratches has been difficult for him.

"I mean, it's not fun," the 37-year-old said. "Nobody likes watching hockey when your team's going out to battle. I definitely hate it. But there's nothing really more I can do. I don't know exactly what the situation is or what's going to happen. I guess just stay patient and find out."

This summer, the Leafs signed Reaves, who was a free agent, to a three-year contract worth $ 1.35 million annually. But he's proven to be a liability: At five-on-five with Reaves on the ice, the Leafs have been outscored 13-2 and own 37.1% of the expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick. He's recorded just one point and two fights in 21 games while averaging 7:20 per contest.

"I talked to my agents. I mean, I've been through this before. I've had highs and lows in my career before. I'd say probably this is one of the tougher ones. I guess just… it is what it is," Reaves said. "You can only control what you can control. I don't make the lineup, and I don't have any control over the roster.

"So, I can't really sit here and speculate and bitch and moan over anything. Either stay patient to get in the lineup - or stay patient for whatever else is going to come."

Reaves was traded from the Rangers to the Minnesota Wild last season after being a frequent scratch in New York.

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Report: Oilers add Corey Perry on 1-year deal

The red-hot Edmonton Oilers are adding some grit and playoff pedigree to their roster, signing free-agent winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract, sources told TSN's Chris Johnston.

Full financial details are unknown, but the deal is expected to include a manageable pro-rated salary with performance bonuses, Johnston added.

The Chicago Blackhawks terminated Perry's one-year, $4-million pact on Nov. 30 following an internal investigation, citing inappropriate conduct.

The 38-year-old met with commissioner Gary Bettman earlier in January, although the league hadn't barred him from playing.

Perry recorded nine points in 16 games before the Blackhawks dismissed him. He hasn't played since Nov. 19.

The 2011 Hart Trophy winner has remained an effective role player in his later years.

Perry is also no stranger to deep playoff runs. He won a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks and appeared in three consecutive finals from 2020-22, losing each time during stints with the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

He'll aim to give the Oilers scoring depth among the bottom-six forward group. The Triple Gold Club member has also proven over his 19-year career that he's got a knack for getting under his opponent's skin.

The Oilers, who have won a Canadian-record 13 games in a row, are back in action Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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