Dan and Sat talk about where the Canucks are at as they reach the midway mark of the season and the program that Rick Tocchet and the new management group have created. Hear from Kevin Woodley of InGoal Magazine and NHL.com on the Canucks' goaltending, the chances they've been giving up, and other goaltending notes from around the league. Also, Josh Yohe of The Athletic in Pittsburgh stops by to talk Jake Guentzel, Jim Rutherford's mindset ahead of the Trade Deadline, and more.
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
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.
Matt and Blake digest another Canucks win, this one in against the Islanders, and a sweep of the Gotham-area teams as the team hits the midpoint of the schedule. They discuss the second half and what paces can keep up, the play of Casey DeSmith, defencemen creating goals, all the beautiful goals they're scoring these days, Quinn Hughes' season, a load-management scratching for Ian Cole, the club's Stanley Cup odds and a pair of trade-target centremen. They also talk about Pete Carroll, out as head coach in Seattle. Plus, a special Welcome Matt where Matt tells himself he was wrong.
Frank Corrado stops by to comment on the win over the Islanders, the scoring from the blue-line, Hughes' stunning solo effort, if he's ever been mesmerized on the ice by stars on the other side, the resting of Cole, individual paces maintaining in the second half and where the Canucks are doing their damage. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
Perry had his one-year, $4-million contract terminated by the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 30 after an internal investigation found he "engaged in conduct that is unacceptable and in violation of both the terms of his standard player's contract and the Blackhawks' internal policies intended to promote professional and safe work environments."
The 38-year-old is an unrestricted free agent and is now free to sign with other teams. To be eligible for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Perry must sign by the March 8 trade deadline.
Perry requested the meeting with Bettman, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. The veteran winger hadn't been officially barred from playing by the commissioner.
Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson didn't divulge what occurred to the team or the media in the aftermath of Perry's dismissal but refuted rumors that were being spread online.
Perry released a statement after his termination in which he noted that he had begun working with mental health and substance abuse experts.
In 16 games with the Blackhawks, Perry accumulated four goals and nine points.
A veteran of 1,273 games, Perry has racked up 421 goals and 892 points in his NHL career, most notably with the Anaheim Ducks. He won the Hart and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophies in 2010-11 with 50 goals and 98 points.
Perry won the Stanley Cup in 2007 as a sophomore. More recently, he played in three consecutive finals with three different teams from 2020-22, losing each. Perry's 196 career postseason games are the most among active players.
The Toronto Maple Leafs summoned goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the AHL's Toronto Marlies, the NHL club announced Wednesday.
The Leafs sent Samsonov down on New Year's Day after waiving him one day prior. However, he didn't play a game with the Marlies, as the parent club's plan for him was to simply work with the goalie coaches and support staff while the Leafs were on a three-game road trip in California. They've since returned, defeating the San Jose Sharks 7-1 on home ice Tuesday night.
Samsonov has struggled mightily this season after impressing in 2021-22. He has the fourth-fewest goals saved above average at five-on-five in the NHL (minus-7.39) and the 11th-fewest goals saved above expected (minus-4.72) in those situations in 2023-24, according to Evolving Hockey.
The Russian netminder has the NHL's worst GSAx and GSAA in all situations this season. He's 5-2-6 with a .862 save percentage in 15 games.
Samsonov, who'll turn 27 on Feb. 22, is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he went 27-10-5 with a .919 save percentage. The Leafs rewarded him with a one-year, $3.55-million contract over the summer.
Martin Jones has taken over as Toronto's No. 1 goalie of late, starting the club's last five games. He's won the last four, posting a .972 save percentage in that span while allowing only three goals on 106 shots. Joseph Woll had previously taken the reins, but he hasn't played since he got injured Dec. 7.
The Leafs sent Dennis Hildeby back down to the Marlies in a corresponding move Wednesday. They called him up when they sent Samsonov down, but Hildeby didn't get into any games during his call-up. Jones started back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 2 and 3.
Connor Bedard's first All-Star Game appearance will have to wait.
The Chicago Blackhawks phenom underwent surgery to repair his fractured jaw and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, the team announced.
Bedard was initially given a timeline of four-to-six weeks after suffering the injury Friday against the New Jersey Devils. He was the recipient of a hard open-ice hit by Brendan Smith.
All-Star Weekend takes place Feb. 1-3 in Toronto, so Bedard won't be able to attend barring a miraculous recovery.
Bedard paces all NHL rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games. He also leads Blackhawks skaters in both categories.
The NHL is typically insistent on having an All-Star representative from all 32 teams. If the league continues to enforce this, someone such as Philipp Kurashev, Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, or Petr Mrazek could be in line for an unexpected All-Star appearance.
Connor McDavid expressed his disdain for long, drawn-out offside reviews on very close plays after his Edmonton Oilers had a goal called back Tuesday night.
"If it takes you 15 minutes to determine if it's offside or not, it probably doesn't really matter," he said with a laugh following the Oilers' 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Though it didn't ultimately affect the outcome, Zach Hyman's goal early in the third period was overturned after a lengthy review because Leon Draisaitl was deemed to be offside.
EDM CHI G37. January 9, 2024. Zach Hyman goal waived off. 🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/9HPSjCp2sF
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 10, 2024
"I talked to the linesman after. Ultimately, it's not their call, I guess," McDavid said. "Obviously, they said it came down from the league. But you zoom in, you zoom in, you keep zooming in until you can't zoom in anymore, and I guess it's offside," he added with a laugh.
"These are calls that change games, and, ultimately, it didn't go our way," McDavid said.
The three-time MVP noted that while it was a very close call, the league's reviews are intended to reverse decisions on plays that are more plainly evident.
"I think the NHL uses the analogy 'dead wrong' ... like they want it to be clear and obvious, right? That one's certainly not clear and obvious."
McDavid scored the eventual game-winner earlier in the contest, notching his 15th tally of the season early in the second period. Draisaitl tied the game in the first about two minutes after Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson opened the scoring.
Edmonton improved to 21-15-1 with the victory. The Oilers won their eighth straight game and now sit fourth in the Pacific Division. The injury-riddled Blackhawks - playing without rookie superstar Connor Bedard and numerous others - dropped to 12-27-2. Only the San Jose Sharks have a worse record (9-29-3) this season.
Sat Shah and Bik Nizzar breakdown the Canucks 5-2 win over the New York Islanders. Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet (56:41) post game. Plus Randip Janda and Iain McIntyre (1:35;17) provide their analysis.Â
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.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 10, 2024
Ullmark had to be helped off the ice by teammates Kevin Shattenkirk and Jake DeBrusk. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed a lower-body injury but didn't know the extent of the issue, according to NESN's Gayle Troiani.
Jeremy Swayman allowed the first shot he faced in relief as the Coyotes won 4-3.
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 10, 2024
"It's really difficult. You've been sitting there for two and a half hours and now you gotta go in," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said postgame on NESN. "It doesn't matter who was in net, that's a post-and-in shot from inside the house, so that's a tough one to save."
Ullmark had made 32 saves on 35 shots before being hurt.
The reigning Vezina Trophy winner has played 21 games this season and sports a .916 save percentage.
Bruins rookie Matt Poitras was also injured in the loss. He exited the game with an upper-body issue after a collision with Coyotes defenseman Sean Durzi in the third period.