Tocchet, Bowness highlight 2024 All-Star coaches

The NHL unveiled the head coaches for the 2024 All-Star Weekend in Toronto on Sunday.

The coach of the team in each division with the highest points percentage through Jan. 13 received the honor: Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers' Peter Laviolette, Vancouver Canucks bench boss Rick Tocchet, and Winnipeg Jets veteran Rick Bowness.

Montgomery is headed to the All-Star Game for the second straight year in his sophomore season behind the Bruins' bench. Boston's following up its Presidents' Trophy-winning season with another strong campaign, sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a 25-8-9 record and .702 points percentage.

This will mark Laviolette's fourth career All-Star appearance as a head coach. In his first season in the Big Apple, the Rangers have remained a dominant force in the Eastern Conference, leading the competitive Metropolitan Division thanks to a 26-13-2 record and .659 points percentage.

Tocchet is gearing up for his second All-Star foray during his first full season as the Canucks' head coach. Vancouver has been one of the NHL's most entertaining and surprising teams to watch all season long, so it's no wonder Tocchet will join five of his players (Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko, Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, and Elias Pettersson) at next month's festivities. At the midway mark of the campaign, Vancouver reigns supreme in the Pacific Division with a .709 points percentage and league-leading 29-11-3 record.

Finally, Bowness will make his All-Star debut as a head coach. After an up-and-down 2022-23 campaign, he's righted the ship halfway through his second season as the Jets' bench boss. Winnipeg set a new franchise record after winning eight straight games this winter, and the run propelled Bowness' squad to the top of the Central Division with a 28-10-4 record and a league-leading .714 points percentage.

All-Star Weekend will run from Feb. 1-3.

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Wild’s Zuccarello embarrassed after blowout loss: Fans ‘deserve more’

The Minnesota Wild left the ice to a chorus of boos following their 6-0 blowout loss at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday, and forward Mats Zuccarello couldn't help but empathize with the fans' frustration.

"It's embarrassing to lose like that at home," he told reporters postgame. "I think every single guy in here feels the same way. It's just not good enough."

"Our home fans, they're here every time supporting us," the veteran continued. "They deserve more than that and we all know it. I think we're all disappointed right now. Monday (against the New York Islanders), we gotta show up."

The Wild trailed just five minutes into the contest when Coyotes forward Alex Kerfoot scored on the power play. Arizona carried a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Minnesota has opened the scoring just 19 times in 42 games this season and has been outscored 47-34 in the first period.

"You don't want to chase games," bench boss John Hynes said, per Bally Sports North. "That's not the right recipe to win. Lately, we've been doing that quite a bit. ... Tonight in particular, you're down by three pretty early in the game, so that's a hill you've got to climb out of. But if you're doing that regularly, that's tough."

Hynes took over for the fired Dean Evason in late November, and Minnesota responded by going 11-3-0 in the new head coach's first month.

The Wild have since fallen off a cliff. Saturday's loss marked their eighth in their last nine games, with their only win coming against the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets in overtime. Minnesota is now eight points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Hynes said the team held a players-only meeting following Saturday's shellacking. Zuccarello explained that the players aired out their feelings.

"I think every guy in there feels that they can be better and help the team more," he said. "That's just how it is. Sometimes you go through stretches like this where you feel like nothing is working. That's when you have to believe in each other, give each other confidence. That's the only way to get out of it."

Hynes offered a similar solution.

"You can't just go to a drug store and get confidence," he said. "Confidence is built through your preparation, it's built through your performance. ... You have to be willing to figure it out."

The Wild take on the Islanders on Monday at 5 p.m. ET.

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Keefe: Tavares line ‘didn’t have one good shift’

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe offered a blunt assessment of his team's second line after Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

"That line was not good for us at all tonight," Keefe said postgame. "They didn't have one good shift that I can remember."

The trio of captain John Tavares, William Nylander, and Tyler Bertuzzi produced a paltry expected goals share of just 14.7% when on the ice together at five-on-five Saturday, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Keefe moved Nylander to the top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner for the third period in place of rookie Matthew Knies, who took Nylander's place on the second unit.

"I just thought putting our best people together, going best on best to give us a chance to keep the puck away from (Nathan MacKinnon line and Cale Makar) a little bit more could help us," Keefe said.

Bertuzzi played just one shift in the third period, while Tavares and Knies logged three apiece.

However, the Leafs' third line of Max Domi, Calle Jarnkrok, and Pontus Holmberg was the team's best, producing a 95.3% expected goal share while outscoring the opposition 2-0.

The Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, but the Avalanche notched five unanswered goals to complete the comeback. It's the second straight game in which Toronto blew a multi-goal lead and lost.

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Oilers top Habs in OT to set team record with 10 straight wins

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 on Saturday night to set a franchise record with their 10th consecutive victory.

Evan Bouchard scored the overtime winner to bring Edmonton's run to double digits.

Edmonton trailed 1-0 entering the third period, but Leon Draisaitl scored in the opening minute to equalize. The Oilers were in control of play all night, owning 65.9% of shot attempts, 71.1% of scoring chances, and 66.7% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"I think what feels really good is were moving up the standings," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game. "Right now feels really good, I think down the road, maybe when the season's done, it'll feel even better that we accomplished something that a lot of good hockey teams didn't do before."

Saturday's victory brought the Oilers to 47 points, which slots them in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third spot in the Pacific Division. Edmonton is 20-6-0 since Kris Knoblauch took over behind the bench for Jay Woodcroft on Nov. 12, a scorching run that includes a separate eight-game winning streak.

The Oilers won nine consecutive games last season, as well as in 2000-01. The franchise has won eight straight contests six different times dating back to Wayne Gretzky's era in the 1980s.

Edmonton's next game comes Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Cody Hodgson eyeing NHL comeback

Cody Hodgson is attempting to make a comeback eight years after his last NHL appearance, he told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The 2008 No. 10 pick by the Vancouver Canucks was forced to retire at age 26 after being diagnosed with malignant hyperthermia. He was medically cleared in the summer and has been skating five-to-six times per week, he told Friedman.

Hodgson, who turns 34 in February, skated in 328 NHL games between the Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, and Nashville Predators, registering 142 points. His best season came during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign when he tallied 15 goals and 19 assists in 48 games with the Sabres.

The Markham, Ontario, product enjoyed a spectacular junior career highlighted by his performance at the 2009 World Junior Championship, when he led the tournament with 16 points in six games en route to a gold medal for Canada.

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Post Game: Buffalo Whiteout

Sat Shah and Bik NIzzar breakdown the Canucks 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet post game (52:58) Brendan Batchelor and Iain McIntyre (1:18:25) also provide their analysis. Plus they discuss the five Canucks named to the All Star Game in Toronto. 

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.

Knights’ Eichel out vs. Flames, being evaluated for injury

Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel won't play Saturday against the Calgary Flames and is currently being evaluated for an undisclosed injury, the team announced.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy added that Eichel is feeling sore and that the early update he got from medical staff indicated the No. 1 center would miss a little bit of time, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

Eichel departed Thursday's 2-1 overtime victory over the Boston Bruins but was able to finish the contest. He ended the night with one goal and one assist in just under 17 minutes of ice time.

After the game, Eichel said he "felt something" when he lost his skate blade in the second period, so he opted to go to the dressing room to get it checked out. The 27-year-old said he felt good at the time.

Heading into Saturday's action, Eichel led the Golden Knights with 19 goals (including four game-winners) and 44 points in 42 contests. He was selected as Vegas' representative for the 2024 All-Star Game earlier in January.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions currently sit in second place of the Pacific Division with a 24-13-5 record.

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NHL reveals 1st batch of players voted to All-Star Game

The NHL unveiled the first five players voted into the 2024 All-Star Game during the first intermission of Saturday's clash between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.

Player Position Team
Leon Draisaitl F Edmonton Oilers
Cale Makar D Colorado Avalanche
Sergei Bobrovsky G Florida Panthers
Alexandar Georgiev G Colorado Avalanche
Jeremy Swayman G Boston Bruins

The remaining seven players to be voted in will be announced before the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m. ET.

Rangers star Artemi Panarin is unable to attend the festivities next month as he and his wife are awaiting the birth of their second child.

The league also revealed the first five All-Stars selected to participate in the revamped Skills Competition. The next five contestants will drop before the Avalanche-Maple Leafs game. Voting to select the remaining two participants will open Saturday.

Player Position Team
Leon Draisaitl F Edmonton Oilers
Jack Hughes F New Jersey Devils
Nikita Kucherov F Tampa Bay Lightning
Connor McDavid F Edmonton Oilers
David Pastrnak F Boston Bruins

The All-Star Weekend will run from Feb. 1-3 in Toronto, beginning with a player draft to build the rosters. Instead of a division-based setup, four All-Star captains will select four teams consisting of nine skaters and two goalies.

The NHL revealed the initial 32 players named to the All-Star Game earlier in January, as determined by the department of hockey operations. Rookie Connor Bedard was tabbed as the Chicago Blackhawks' representative, but he is expected to miss out on the action after undergoing surgery to repair his fractured jaw. His replacement has not yet been named.

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