NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned during Saturday's broadcast of the Edmonton Oilers versus the Toronto Maple Leafs that there is a noticeable change in Connor McDavid. No, it's not the 15 points he's put up in five games -- although that's a big deal. Instead, it's McDavid's smile -- something the Oilers haven't seen a whole lot this season. 

Friedman noticed that at least twice during the game against the Maple Leafs, he could see the often stoic and serious McDavid visibly relax, smile, and sometimes laugh.  Overall, he looked happy on the bench. That's a recent change, something that has come with the Oilers playing better hockey, having a better record... and perhaps, finally making a decision on their goaltending. 

Related Story:

Jarry Successful in Oilers Debut, Gets Front Row Seat To The McDavid Show

This is not to suggest that McDavid wanted Skinner out of Edmonton. McDavid was the first to say that the former starter will be missed after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, Friedman also noted that there was speculated tension in the room as the entire organization knew that the goaltending needed a makeover. 

Friedman seemed to be hinting that the uncertainty with Skinner weighed on everybody. 

The analyst argued that, as the season got going, if Skinner had a rough game tensions tended to resurface.  While I can say I noticed those tensions first hand after a tough loss, I can't say I ever felt the fingers being pointed solely at Skinner.

What I can say is that the locker room vibes were often tense. Skinner faced the music on many nights, but the Oilers' early struggles brought with them high stress levels. They were staying in the fight and never slipping too far out of contention. Still, from the very first game of the season, when Skinner flubbed a handle against the Calgary Flames, which led to a tying goal and eventual overtime loss, the writing was probably on the wall. 

Friedman reported on Saturday that pressure was weighing heavily on Skinner himself. A consummate professional, when the trade finally happened, it sounds like all parties were ready for it. Reports have since surfaced that Skinner wasn't opposed to a fresh start, while the Oilers were aware he wasn't going to be their starter for this season's playoffs -- no matter what. 

Stuart Skinner has far more Stanley Cup Playoff experience than Tristan Jarry -- which some are arguing is a reason to call the Oilers losers on this trade. One thing to remember, that experience brought with it two failed attempts to win the NHL's ultimate prize. The Oilers weren't going to gamble with a third attempt at it and the same guy between the pipes. 

When it comes to Jarry, having less Stanley Cup Playoff experience in the eyes of the Oilers. If for no other reason, no one knows what Jarry can and will do. Would it be nice if he was a proven playoff netminder? Sure. But what he isn't is a goalie who got the very end twice and couldn't cross the finish line.

Skinner, unfortunately, carried that with him into this season. He knew it, the Oilers knew it, and the players in that locker room knew it. Whether or not moving on from that is the kind of thing that might cause McDavid to smile more often is perhaps assuming too much. 

What might be fair to argue is that the Oilers are playing better hockey and that big questionmark about what Edmonton intends to do with a very real goaltending conundrum is, at least for now, answered. 

That could be bringing with it a sense of ease that allows everyone to move forward.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are fresh off another epic collapse on Saturday. 

They had a 5-1 lead with less than 13 minutes to go in regulation against the San Jose Sharks and coughed up the lead before losing in overtime. They even had a 5-2 lead with less than six minutes left and still couldn't find a way to get the two points. 

The Penguins were dominating the Sharks all afternoon, but when one bad thing happened, it snowballed and got so much worse. 

They will try to get over it quickly on Sunday when the Utah Mammoth come to town. The Mammoth are fresh off a 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Friday night and are 15-13-3 this season, good for fourth in the Central division. 

Nick Schmaltz has been fantastic this season, compiling 12 goals an 29 points in 33 games. Clayton Keller has also been great with 10 goals and 28 points in 33 games. Dylan Guenther and JJ Peterka are also big threats when they're on the ice. 

The Mammoth will be without Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley, who has 14 goals and 23 points this year. He has blossomed into an entertaining player since he was drafted third overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. 

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is closing in on more history. He's only two points away from tying Mario Lemieux for the most points in the Penguins' franchise history and the eighth-most points in NHL history. He also only needs three points to move past Lemieux. 

Sergei Murashov will start in goal for the Penguins since goaltender Stuart Skinner is still dealing with immigration following the trade from Edmonton. Defenseman Brett Kulak is dealing with the same thing and also won't be available for this game.

Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh and fans can listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'

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The Nashville Predators don't feel like they played a bad game against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday in Denver. 

In the 4-2 Predators loss, both head coach Andrew Brunette and forward Jonathan Marchessault agreed that Nashville had played a good game, and the loss was more on the Avalanche, which found a way to win. 

"I don't think it was a step back. I think we had a pretty good effort," Marchessault said. "Sometimes you've just got to give credit to the opponent and that's a really good team that finds ways to win hockey games. Tonight, they were just better than us." 

The Predators had 18 scoring chances, 11 of them high danger on 29 shots and paced play for the early part of the second period. However, facing Colorado's starter, Scott Wedgewood, they struggled to find the back of the net.

It also came down to Nashville giving Colorado a little too much space, a power-play opportunity, or letting in a bad goal.

Nathan MacKinnon's opening goal saw the Predators' defense give the league's leading scorer too much space. Jack Dury's shot found its way into the net off a double deflection off of Roman Josi and Nic Hague. 

Victor Olofsson scored on a play that saw the Avalanche pull Wedgewood for a 6-on-5 opportunity on the delayed penalty call. The final goal was an empty net. 

"First goal was a little bit of a breakdown, an unlucky bounce on the second goal and 5-on-6, with their goalie out, was the difference in the game," Brunette said. "We hung in there and had our chances. I really liked the first 10 minutes of the second period and then we got into penalty trouble."

Nashville had opportunities to cut the lead and tie the game. Specifically in the second period, Ryan O'Reilly made a centering feed to Steven Stamkos in the slot, but Wedgewood shut down Stamkos' opportunity. 

Marchessault still got a conversion on the power play and Tyson Jost scored late, recording his second goal of the season. 

"It was a game that could've been had. We had some really good opportunities to tie the score, and it didn't happen," Brunette said. "I really like our overall game. There were no overall passengers. That's kind of the pattern we've had over the last two or three weeks and we'll continue to do that moving forward." 

Up next: Nashville Predators (12-15-4, 8th in Central) at St. Louis Blues (12-14-7, 7th in Central) on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. CST at the Enterprise Center. 

On a day when the New York Islanders inducted Pat LaFontaine into the team's Hall of Fame, one of the team's newest acquisitions was the hero.

Emil Heineman scored the shootout winner to cap off a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, his second in as many skills competitions. 

However, in a roundabout way, Heineman's heroics were the end of a 44-year history of the original deal that brought LaFontaine to Long Island. The pick used to select LaFontaine was acquired in a 1981 deal with the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Dave Cameron and Bob Lormier.

However, that was just the start of what was an expansive trade tree. 

You are NOT wrong. Dobson stemmed from it, sicko stuff pic.twitter.com/Jzd3W36Z0L

— MF Isles (@MF1sles) December 14, 2025

The Heineman branch of the trade tree has several high-profile names involved.

It starts with Pierre Turgeon, one of four players acquired in the first trade with the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. After four seasons, he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens with Vladimir Malakhov for three players, including Kirk Muller and defenseman Mathieu Schneider, who set the next leg into motion. 

Schneider and D.J. Smith were part of the deal that brought Wendel Clark back to Toronto, with Kenny Jonsson, an Islanders Hall of Famer being part of the return. However, a Hockey Hall of Famer in Roberto Luongo was taken with a first-round pick that went to New York in the trade, which became the next branch. 

He and Olli Jokinen were dealt to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. Those two were dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in the trade for Jeff Tambelini. The other Islander acquisition, Denis Grebeshkov, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers Marc-Andre Bergeron and a 2008 third-round pick that became Kirill Petrov. 

Petrov and Allen Rourke were part of a return deal to the Oilers for a 2008 second-round pick, which became Travis Hamonic. Which leads us to the more recent and, for now, final developments. 

Hamonic was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2017 with a 2019 fourth-round pick for three draft picks. One of them was a 2019 first-rounder, which became Noah Dobson. Evidently, this culminates in the Heineman trade, where he joined the Islanders in exchange for the picks that became Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. 

Emil Heineman scores a beauty to secure the @NYIslanders' shootout win! 🦞 pic.twitter.com/Oz84UlypEb

— NHL (@NHL) December 14, 2025

However, several of the tree's branches are eye-catchers.  As part of the deals on the opposite side, the Alexei Yashin trade is part of the story. The Islanders traded Hall of Fame defenseman Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a first-round pick, which became Jason Spezza, in the deal for Yashin. Also notable was a deal for forward Oleg Kvasha to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2006 third-round pick, which was later traded to the Boston Bruins to allow them to take Brad Marchand. 

With the original trade of LaFontaine to Buffalo sparking the last 44 years of deals into motion, everything came full circle on his special day. As Heineman continues to make a name for himself on Long Island, it all can be traced back to Saturday's honoree. 

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The metal of the Detroit Red Wings was put to the test as they embarked on a season-high six-game road trip. 

The road trip, which just concluded on Saturday evening, yielded extremely encouraging results, as the Red Wings won four of six games while claiming nine of a possible 12 points. 

The Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a 4-0 final score at United Center thanks to multiple contributions from former Blackhawks players Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, helping Detroit maintain a tie for the first place position in the Atlantic Division. 

Not only that, but John Gibson picked up his second shutout in three games, and won his fifth straight start, something he attributed to a complete team effort. 

“I thought it was a complete game top to bottom, from the drop of the puck to the finish," Gibson said. "We stuck to our game plan and played really well. A total team effort.”

DeBrincat scored just 55 seconds into the contest, while Kane picked up the 498th goal of his NHL career in the venue in which he wowed legions of Blackhawks fans during his 15 and a half seasons as a Blackhawk. 

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Rookie Emmitt Finnie increased the lead to 3-0 in the second period, while DeBrincat capped the scoring with an empty-net goal late in the third period, his second of the night and team-leading 18th goal. 

Afterward, head coach Todd McLellan, who is closing in on his one-year anniversary since being hired, lauded Detroit's efforts not only against Chicago but on the overall road trip.

“When you look at it from a points perspective, it’s a really good trip for us, we had to win in a lot of different ways," he said. "To finish six games in 10 nights with a shutout, that’s something we should be proud of."

McLellan has repeatedly spoken about the importance of mental fortitude and game management, which he saw plenty of over the course of the trip. 

Red Wings' Patrick Kane on Coming Back to Chicago: “It’s Always Fun”On Saturday evening, longtime Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane will suit up for the Detroit Red Wings for the third time at United Center, the venue he called home for so manyyears.

When we started Training Camp three months ago, we talked about being mentally stronger, physically stronger, and improving (our) in-game management," he said. "I thought we saw all three of those elements on the trip, especially here tonight.”

The Red Wings return home to play consecutive games on Tuesday and Wedesday evening against the New York Islanders and Utah Mammoth. 

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William Nylander did not skate for the final 6:07 of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, resulting in the star forward logging a season-low 13:46 of ice time.

The second line, comprised of Nylander, Bobby McMann, and John Tavares, was ineffective on Saturday. The trio was on the ice for two of Edmonton’s even-strength goals and failed to score themselves. Nylander finished the game as a -3.

Nylander did not take part in the morning skate due to illness, and Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube explained why he limited the forward's usage in the third period.

“He played tonight. But obviously he wasn't even close to 75 percent,” Berube said. “He was sick, but he played. But I didn't feel there was any reason to keep playing him.”

With the game out of reach, it is hard to classify the move as a benching, but Nylander hasn’t recorded an ice time that low since posting 13:32 in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on April 6, 2023.

William Nylander went minus-3 and skated a season-low 13:46.

Craig Berube: "He wasn't even close to 75 per cent. I mean, he was sick. But he played. I didn't feel there was any reason to keep playing him."

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) December 14, 2025

Dakota Joshua, who also missed the morning skate due to illness, was not healthy enough to play. Joshua's absence affected Toronto’s second and third lines, necessitating McMann's return to the lineup following a one-game suspension.

William Nylander leads the Leafs with 34 points in 27 games and is coming off a two-point night in a 3-2 overtime loss against the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 11. It is clear the Leafs took a bet on playing a less-than-75-percent Nylander over a player like Matias Maccelli, who hasn’t played since Nov. 28. Given the underlying numbers, it may have been the wrong decision.

Ultimately, what cost the Leafs the game on Saturday was a late second-period goal that gave Edmonton the lead. Toronto followed that by getting caught standing around as the Oilers took over with three more goals, chasing Dennis Hildeby out of the net and forcing Artur Akhtyamov to make his NHL debut in a relief situation.

Charlie Coyle(5) and Yegor Chinakhov(3) scored the only goals against the Vegas Golden Knights, while Jet Greaves made 22 saves in a 3-2 loss on a snowy Saturday night in Columbus. 

They had this one. It really felt like they had this one. Instead, after blowing multiple leads in the game, they would lose to the Golden Knights to seal their 5th straight loss. 

When Adam Fantilli left the game pouring blood after taking a high stick from Brayden McNabb, giving the Jackets a power play for the duration of regulation, and then came back patched up and ready to finish, you just knew they were going to score. But that didn't happen, and the Blue Jackets were left frustrated once again. 

Almost 17,000 fans braved the snowstorm that hit Columbus midday to watch their team lose a fifth straight game. 

Charlie Coyle said after the game: "The effort was there. Just because you do the right things and give the right effort doesn't guarantee you win. It was a step in the right direction. We need to compete and play the right way. I think defensively was definitely better. It's not perfect, but it's a work in progress."

This loss brings much frustration to a fan base that is desperate to see some wins. Losing five in a row is tough to swallow, especially after all of the positivity surrounding the team coming into the season. 

The Blue Jackets need to right this ship quickly, or the season will end early yet again. 

Final Stats

Player Stats

• Charlie Coyle scored his 5th goal. He also had 4 shots on goal.
• Yegor Chinakhov scored his 3rd goal. It was his first goal since Oct. 28 at Buffalo.
• Zach Werenski recorded his 24th assist of the season. He now has a home points streak of 10 games.
• Cole Sillinger picked up his 11th assist.
• Kent Johnson tallied his 5th assist.
• Dante Fabbro recorded his 4th assist.
• Jet Greaves made 22 saves.

Team Stats

• The Jackets power play went 0/4.
• The Columbus PK stopped 2 of 3 Vegas man advantages.
• Columbus won 58.1% of the faceoffs - 36/62
• The Blue Jackets had 19 blocked shots.

Up Next: The Jackets are back at home to play the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. 

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As it turns out, the Philadelphia Flyers were never one of the serious players involved in executing the Quinn Hughes trade and were ultimately behind two Metropolitan Division rivals in the hunt.

On Friday night, Hughes, 26, was traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for prospects Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren, center Marco Rossi, and a 2026 first-round pick, and the immediate (and correct) reaction was that the Flyers were never going to beat that offer.

The Flyers themselves must have known this, because, according to a recent report from The Athletic and TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun, Philadelphia was never a true contender for Hughes.

"The New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers are among those six teams confirmed to have made legitimate offers. The Devils feel they made a strong first offer. I can also confirm that the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes showed interest," LeBrun wrote for The Athletic.

"The Philadelphia Flyers were among the teams that kicked tires but didn’t get to the next level. The Flyers weren’t willing to give up the assets the Canucks wanted, so that took Philadelphia out of being a major player in it."

Flyers Miss Out on Egregious Quinn Hughes TradeIt's official: the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> pulling off a Quinn Hughes trade is not going to happen, and they should be thankful it won't.

The fact that, as LeBrun reported, the Flyers weren't ready to part with assets the Canucks wanted means that Vancouver asked for a blue-chip prospect akin to Buium, which implies that Porter Martone or Matvei Michkov would have needed to be on the table.

Of course, the Flyers could have drafted Buium outright in 2024, but traded down with the Wild to instead select center Jett Luchanko.

Much can and will be made about the Flyers' management of assets, especially as it relates to how and why they use their draft picks, and there is nothing we know that suggests the Canucks would not have taken the Flyers' offer had they ponied up.

Yes, the Flyers do not have a center like Rossi aside from savant Trevor Zegras, but it would also be disingenuous to say that a Hughes trade was impossible.

Truthfully, the Flyers are probably better off not going for that kind of a deal anyway, but there is a point to be made regarding the rebuild.

3 Flyers Defense Targets With Quinn Hughes Off The BoardQuinn Hughes is officially no longer a potential option for the Flyers. Due to this, let's look at three defensemen who the Flyers should consider targeting instead.

If you're rebuilding, trading away players, and stockpiling young players and draft capital, and you can't trade for a superstar when they are actively available on the NHL trade market, what is the point?

The Flyers certainly would have had a better case for the trade had they drafted Konsta Helenius or Buium and Jackson Smith ahead of Luchanko and Jack Nesbitt, respectively, but instead, the current result is a prospect pipeline that inspires little confidence in fans whose faith in the organization is already shaken.

With Hughes off the table and seemingly no big additions coming to Philadelphia anytime soon, only time will tell if that malaise will grow or fade.

After enjoying a day off in New York on Friday, the Montreal Canadiens were back on the ice on Saturday night to take on the New York Rangers. For a second game in a row, Jacob Fowler was in the net, Samuel Montembeault was backing him up, and Jakub Dobes was in the press gallery.

After a solid first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the American netminder had earned an opportunity to play another game. Still, he had a tall task since the Canadiens had struggled against the Rangers in the last couple of years.

Canadiens: Demidov Needs To Be Selfish
Canadiens: The Goalies Dilemma Is Far From Over
Ex-Canadiens First-Rounder Has Big Moment With New Team

Weathering The Early Storm

When the puck dropped in the first period, the Rangers tested Fowler quite a few times while the Canadiens were looking for the perfect play at the other end, repeatedly passing the puck instead of unleashing a shot on legitimate scoring chances. Ivan Demidov made that same mistake quite a few times tonight. It’s all well and good to be an elite playmaker, but that’s not a reason for not even shooting when you have a golden opportunity.

Still, thanks to Fowler weathering the early storm, the Habs stayed in the game, and when they finally took a shot, it went in. And they did it again a minute and a half later. With shots up to 5-2 Rangers, the score was 2-0 Canadiens, and the Sainte-Flanelle even added another goal to take a 3-0 lead. When the goaltender holds the fort, he gives the team a chance to overcome a tough start.

Le capitaine met la table dans la Grosse Pomme

A Big Apple in the Big Apple#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/mpE9HeVo3H

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 14, 2025

Had the Canadiens been able to take that lead into the intermission, things might have worked out differently, but after a penalty to Lane Hutson, the Rangers got on the board through Noah Laba. Both Arber Xhekaj and Mike Matheson tried to get the puck on the play, but they missed it; Laba didn’t. Then, with Artemi Panarin heading on a breakaway, Noah Dobson spun him around, and he was awarded a penalty shot, which he buried.

Stuck Inside

While the Canadiens do not normally struggle to launch their attack, tonight, they had trouble getting out of their own zone. The Rangers were both proactive and aggressive, quickly shutting down the young Habs and making it hard not only to attack but to defend, as the quick turnovers allowed New York to come back and attack in waves.

Stuck in their own zone, the Canadiens panicked and repeatedly gave the puck back to the Rangers. No matter who’s in net, if you play nervously and on your heels, you will make mistakes, and it’s only a question of time before they cost you.

Speaking to the press after the game, Martin St-Louis maintained the Habs weren’t giving much to the Rangers early on, but that stupid mistakes were their downfall. He was clearly annoyed by the outcome, but said he was happy that his men would have the opportunity to get right back on the saddle when they host the Edmonton Oilers.

Pucks On Net

In the first frame, the Canadiens got seven shots on net; in the second, they managed only four, before putting up five in the third and one in overtime. Scoring three goals on seven shots on Igor Shesterkin is a miracle; you shouldn’t have beaten him that often, and you certainly won’t fool him again in that game if you don’t give him a real test.

The Habs went 10 minutes in the middle frame without taking a single shot; that can’t happen, and it’s a significant reason they are struggling in the second period. Montreal has scored 32 goals in the second stanza this season and has allowed 44; that’s a minus-12 differential. When they scored a goal 3:17 into that period, I thought they might have turned a corner, but they didn’t.

As Michael Gary Scott once said, 100% of the shots you don’t take don’t go in (don’t worry, I know Wayne Gretzky said it first, and I fancied a wink to The Office), it was never as evident as it was in the first period. St-Louis may say he’s not worried about the number of shots, but the shots are so few and far between and so often that it is a trend and one that needs addressing. This was a 5-4 overtime loss that should have been a win.

After the game, the coach said he didn’t know who would be in the net on Sunday night, but given that Montembeault has been the backup for the last two games, I’d put money on him being in.

The Canadiens flew right back home after the game, and there won’t be a morning skate because of the back-to-back, but it will be in their best interest to play a much better game against the Oilers.

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The Los Angeles Kings (14-8-9)  had a chance to put away the Calgary Flames (13-16-4)  on Saturday night. Instead, they left Crypto.com Arena with another frustrating loss, another recurring issue that sums up who they are this season. 

Anze Kopitar thought he had scored the game-winning goal in overtime, but the goal was waived off after an apparent kicking motion, giving the Flames a chance to win it in an extra period. 

After the obvious kicking motion, Calgary centre Morgan Frost scored the game-winning goal just a few seconds later as the Flames edged the Kings 2-1, extending Los Angeles’ struggles to win at home 4-6-4 and close out games despite strong goaltending from Darcy Kuemper today and another early lead. 

Final from Los Angeles. #GoKingsGopic.twitter.com/0lGASYTkJV

— LA Kings (@LAKings) December 14, 2025

Early Lead, No Follow-Up

The Kings struck midway through the first period when Adrian Kempe finished off a clean pass from Alex Laferriere to score his 11th goal of the season. But the momentum didn’t carry for Los Angeles’ offense. 

Defensively, the Kings were great tonight until the final moments, especially in goal, where Kuemper delivered 36 saves, quietly playing like the best player on the Kings this season. 

In the middle frame of the second period, the Flames answered back, tying the scoreboard 1-1 after extended pressure in the Kings' zone, and Kevin Fiala turning it over, costing them a goal on the other end. 

Power Play Struggles

It was a breakdown, likely due to fatigue and poor puck management by Fiala, two issues that helped the Flames get back in the game.

Both teams had plenty of chances to score in power-play, the Kings going 0-2 tonight and the Flames finishing 0-4 for the night. It was looking like it would end the same way again for Los Angeles, and it did. 

Kuemper Keeps it Close

Kuemper was great all night, bailing out the Kings in so many possessions where they were close to giving up a goal; without Kuemper, the game wouldn’t have reached extra time. 

Anze Kopitar said after the game they can't take him for granted and need to help support him by scoring more goals. 

"He was the reason why we got the one point," Kopitar said. "We have to find something to jumpstart the offense." 

But, once again in overtime, the Kings were exposed when it mattered most. 

Calgary controlled possession early in the 3-on-3 action, and Frost finished the sequence, beating Los Angeles to seal the win. Despite winning 54 percent of their faceoffs, the Kings also committed 17 giveaways, which gave Calgary extended possession. 

The same result is turning into a pattern for the Kings. It’s either a slow start that ends with them losing in overtime or a strong start that ends with them blowing the lead and losing again in an extra period. 

Until Los Angeles figures this issue out, the losses will continue to pile up, and so will their missed points in a tightly crowded Western Conference. 

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