Sat Shah and Bik Nizzar breakdown the Canucks 4-3 OT loss to the St. Louis Blues. Hear from Head Coach Rick Tocchet (45:10) and Ian Cole (1:25:21) post game. Plus Randip Janda and Iain McIntyre provide their analysis.
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.
It was a night to remember for Ilya Samsonov.
The Maple Leafs goaltender turned in his best performance of the season, stopping all 32 shots he faced for a shutout in Toronto's 1-0 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.
Amid a challenging year, Samsonov said he was nearly brought to tears while Leafs fans chanted his name.
"It's unbelievable," Samsonov said postgame. "I almost cried."
"It's unbelievable, you know, like I almost cried."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 25, 2024
Ilya Samsonov, when asked about his reaction to the crowd chanting his name during a dominant performance. 👏 pic.twitter.com/vthA1gqZyQ
Samsonov kept the Leafs afloat during a rough first period in which they were outshot 16-4 and allowed the Jets to generate six high-danger scoring chances.
In the second period, he robbed the Jets on a 2-on-0 rush.
ILYA SAMSONOV WITH SOME HUGE STOPS. 😳
— NHL (@NHL) January 25, 2024
📺: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/sEijvXhbA1 pic.twitter.com/3tFpIbABJh
Samsonov attempted to give the Leafs' player-of-the-game belt to Auston Matthews, who scored the only goal in overtime, but the league's leading goal-scorer told the netminder to keep it.
"Unbelievable. I thought he was the best player on the ice for us by far," Matthews said postgame. "I can't say enough good things about him. The way he played tonight was incredible."
The Leafs placed Samsonov on waivers on New Year's Eve after a series of poor starts plummeted his save percentage to .862 on the season. He spent nearly two weeks in the minors, but instead of suiting up in the AHL, he worked with the organization's performance staff and Marlies goalie coach Hannu Toivonen.
In three starts since his recall, Samsonov is 2-1-0 with a .944 save percentage.
"He was terrific," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "Just another building block for him where he just looks as confident as ever."
The Leafs and Jets will play the second leg of a home-and-home Saturday in Winnipeg.
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In this week's edition of Overrated/Underrated Sat and Bik debate topics such as the Lotto Line, the Oilers winning streak and grilled cheese sandwiches among other topics.
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.
Sat Shah and Bik Nizzar look at possible forward trade options for the Canucks as the deadline draws closer by the day. Plus Kevn Woodley from NHL.com joins the show to break down a deeper analysis which has allowed the Canucks to stay at the top of the NHL standings.
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 talk about Rick Tocchet's first year on the job, what it would take to get Sean Monahan or one of the top deadline rentals, shiny metallic helmets making their debut, the 2018 World Junior Championship players taking leave of their clubs amid a London Police investigation into sexual assault, and the emergence of Salt Lake City as an expansion, or relocation, candidate.
Frank Corrado joins -- and has his interview crashed by The Stanchion! -- after the Canucks beat the Leafs Saturday. Frank played for both teams and lost a bet over it. He tells about the TSN Power Rankings and why the Oilers are ahead of the Canucks, whether Edmonton can catch Vancouver in the standings. Plus, he talks about his time with Tocchet and what makes him such a great coach, including explaining a hockey term that Toc has used in discussing what he needs from Andrei Kuzmenko.
Uffe Bodin covers hockey in Sweden and has been talking about a lot of Canucks on his podcast lately. He says the best fit for Calgary centre Elias Lindholm would be the Canucks, and explains why. He gives us his take on whether Elias Pettersson will sign an extension, comments on the work of Patrik Allvin (the first Swedish GM in NHL history), tells us why he's not surprised with Nils Höglander's progress, and forecasts the Canucks future for Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
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Patrick Roy knows he's a popular figure in Montreal, but he wants all the attention to be on the New York Islanders when the Canadiens host his new team Thursday.
"We just don't want to have distractions. ... I don't want it to be about me," the Islanders head coach said after Wednesday's practice. "I want it to be about the Islanders. We're going there to win a hockey game. We're not going there to win for the coach, it's for our team."
Roy is even planning to forgo the team's morning skate in the city where the legendary goaltender won his first two Stanley Cup championships, as well as three Vezina Trophies and two Conn Smythes.
"They're going to ask questions about me, they're going to say this and that," Roy added. "I don't need this, and they don't need that. ... I want an Islanders game."
Though Roy is keeping a low profile, Thursday's game is still significant for Martin St. Louis, who's set to coach against his childhood idol for the first time.
"The amount of times I was Patrick Roy in the street playing goalie," the Canadiens bench boss said, per Sportsnet. "We all admire him and idolize him. He meant a lot to me, the rest of the kids growing up here, he was kind of the backbone of the franchise for a long time."
The Islanders hired the Hall of Famer to be their new head coach Saturday to replace the fired Lane Lambert. New York beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime during Roy's debut but dropped its next game 3-2 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
Roy outlined what he wants to see from the Islanders in game No. 3.
"The next step for me is the mindset," he said. "The structure is the first step, and I think the players are buying into the structure, and I think we're getting better and better. But the next step is the mindset: How do we approach the first game after a win? How do we approach the first game after a loss?"
The Islanders return home Saturday against the Florida Panthers before taking to the road again Monday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. They'll then have a four-game homestand. Roy said he's looking forward to sitting with his players one-on-one to get to know them better once the dust settles.
New York currently sits in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with a 20-16-11 record.
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The Oilers are on an absolute heater, winning 14 straight games to get within three of the NHL record held by the 1992-93 Penguins.
But will Connor McDavid and Co. break the 17-game mark?
Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have set their odds of Edmonton winning at least 18 straight at +275 for an implied probability of 26.7%.
You may think those odds for the Oilers to win four more games in a row aren't long enough, but when you look at their upcoming schedule, it makes more sense.
The Oilers host the NHL's worst team - the Blackhawks - on Thursday. A lot would have to go wrong for this streaking Edmonton side to walk away from that game without two points.
They then host the Predators on Jan. 27. Nashville is in the mix for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Oilers will be decent-sized favorites in that contest as well.
Following the All-Star break, the Oilers are in Vegas for the toughest matchup of their next four games. If they can get past the Golden Knights, a contest against the Ducks on Feb. 9 would be the potential record-breaking game.
Thanks to this incredible run, the Oilers are now co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup alongside the Avalanche at +750. During their rough start to the season and shortly after they fired their head coach, the Oilers were +2000 to win the Cup.
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The Oilers are on an absolute heater, winning 14 straight games to get within three of the NHL record held by the 1992-93 Penguins.
But will Connor McDavid and Co. break the 17-game mark?
Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have set their odds of Edmonton winning at least 18 straight at +275 for an implied probability of 26.7%.
You may think those odds for the Oilers to win four more games in a row aren't long enough, but when you look at their upcoming schedule, it makes more sense.
The Oilers host the NHL's worst team - the Blackhawks - on Thursday. A lot would have to go wrong for this streaking Edmonton side to walk away from that game without two points.
They then host the Predators on Jan. 27. Nashville is in the mix for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Oilers will be decent-sized favorites in that contest as well.
Following the All-Star break, the Oilers are in Vegas for the toughest matchup of their next four games. If they can get past the Golden Knights, a contest against the Ducks on Feb. 9 would be the potential record-breaking game.
Thanks to this incredible run, the Oilers are now co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup alongside the Avalanche at +750. During their rough start to the season and shortly after they fired their head coach, the Oilers were +2000 to win the Cup.
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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed goaltender Petr Mrazek to a two-year contract extension worth $4.25 million per season, sources told The Athletic's Scott Powers.
Mrazek was scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer. He's in the final season of a three-year, $11.4-million deal awarded to him by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021. Toronto dealt the goaltender and a first-round pick in 2022 to get out of the contract as Mrazek severely underperformed.
The 31-year-old has been Chicago's best netminder this season, posting a .907 save percentage and 3.6 goals saved above average. The rebuilding Blackhawks have been ravaged by injuries in 2023-24 and are currently 31st in the league standings.
Mrazek was a fifth-round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2010. He owns a career .907 save percentage across 336 appearances.
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Tuesday was a great night on the ice as we swept the board with all three of our player props.
We'll try to replicate that performance with a few more plays for an abnormally juicy Wednesday card.
Death, taxes, and Matthews overs at home. His hit rate for shots is 17% higher when playing in Toronto as opposed to on the road.
While the Jets have not been a good team to target for shots this season, the screws appear to be loosening defensively. They have conceded an average of 32.25 shots on goal over the last four games, giving up 35 or more in three of them. The one exception came last time out against the Bruins.
The Jets fell behind early in that game, and the Bruins were happy to sit on their lead, squeezing a team that was missing a couple of its best weapons in Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi.
The Leafs tend to fight fire with fire, matching the Matthews line against the opposing team's top unit. That means he'll see plenty of the line currently centered by Adam Lowry, a useful player but one who is in far over his head on a first line.
The numbers for that unit are down significantly without Scheifele, and I expect that to continue with plenty of ice time against the league's best scorer.
Look for the Matthews line to spend a lot of time on the attack in this game, which should naturally lead to plenty of shot volume.
Odds: +110 (playable to -125)
Colton is registering three shots or more in only 31% of his games this season and has gone over his total in 14 of 45 appearances. He's averaging 1.9 shots on four attempts per game, which means there isn't much wiggle room for blocked shots or missing the target if he's going to go over.
His volume is up slightly over the last 10 games (4.4 attempts per), but that includes an 11-attempt outburst against the Canadiens. Not only are the Habs susceptible to giving up shots, but they take a ton of penalties, and Colton found himself on the top power play due to the absences of Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin.
The expectation is that Lehkonen will return to the lineup tonight and bump Colton off the top unit. That lowers his ceiling. So does playing on a line with an extreme shoot-first player like Miles Wood, who often puts the puck on net the moment it comes his way.
Given Colton no longer has top power-play responsibilities and plays with a shot hog at even strength, I have a hard time seeing him generate much shot volume against a very low-event Capitals team.
Odds: -145 (playable to -160)
This is a really nice spot for McCann. The Blackhawks are one of the worst five-on-five teams in the league and spend a ton of time on their heels absorbing pressure, which is probably why McCann has managed to go over his shot total in six of the past eight against Chicago.
What I also like about McCann here is the surrounding circumstances. Matty Beniers is sidelined with an injury while Yanni Gourde has a game remaining on his suspension. A healthy bite has been taken out of the Kraken lineup so more will fall on the plate of McCann offensively.
McCann hasn't had his best season but still leads the Kraken in goals by six. Due to absences around him, McCann finds himself as the top-line center at even strength and a focal point on the No. 1 power play.
Look for McCann to take advantage of an uptick in usage against one of the NHL's bottom-feeders.
Odds: -134 (playable to -150)
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.
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