{allcanada} Nov. 1: Plante debuts mask in NHL game

 

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THIS DATE IN HISTORY: Nov. 1

1959: Montreal Canadiens goalie Jacques Plante makes history when he wears a mask during an NHL game for the first time.

Plante is cut by a rising shot taken by New York Rangers forward Andy Bathgate 3:06 into the first period of a game at Madison Square Garden. Plante goes off for repairs; when he returns, he's wearing a fiberglass mask. Plante has been using one in practice, but this is the first time he plays with one during a game.

The Canadiens win the game 3-1, and Plante insists to coach Toe Blake that he will no longer play without the mask. Blake, who's been opposed to the mask, relents. The facial protection catches on; within a few years most goalies wear one, and by the end of the 1973-74 season there are no more bare-faced goalies in the NHL.

The debut of Plante's mask comes seven years to the day he plays his first NHL game. With Gerry McNeil sidelined by injury, Plante defeats the Rangers 4-1 in his first NHL start. He wins two games and ties one before being returned to the Montreal Royals.

 

MORE MOMENTS

1924: The NHL officially comes to the United States when the Boston Bruins join the League. The NHL expands to six franchises by adding the Bruins and Montreal Maroons.

 

1947: Under new coach Tommy Ivan, the Detroit Red Wings' famed "Production Line" of right wing Gordie Howe, center Sid Abel and left wing Ted Lindsay becomes a regular unit for the first time. The nickname is a nod to Detroit's automotive industry as well as the line's offensive prowess.

 

1975: Billy Reay of the Chicago Blackhawks becomes the second man to coach 1,000 NHL games. The milestone comes in a 3-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Olympia Stadium.

 

1981: Val James becomes the first U.S.-born black player to play in the NHL when he takes the ice for the Buffalo Sabres in their 6-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Memorial Auditorium. James, a native of Ocala, Florida, who grows on Long Island before playing two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, plays a total of seven games for the Sabres in 1981-82 and four more with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1986-87 during a decade-long pro career.

 

1984: Mike Bossy scores four goals for the New York Islanders during a 6-5 overtime loss at Montreal, extending his season-opening goal-scoring streak to 10 games. Brent Sutter assists on all four goals. Bossy scores 17 times during the streak, which ends two nights later against the Quebec Nordiques.

 

1985: Sabres rookie Daren Puppa becomes the 17th goalie to have a shutout in his first NHL game. Puppa makes 37 saves in a 2-0 victory against the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers at Northlands Coliseum. Ten of his saves come against Wayne Gretzky.

 

1992: Mario Lemieux scores twice in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 win at the Tampa Bay Lightning to extend his team-record goal-scoring streak to 12 games. Lemieux scores 18 goals during the 12-game streak.

 

2006: Pittsburgh rookie Evgeni Malkin becomes the first player since 1917-18, the NHL's first season, to score a goal in six straight games from the start of his career. Malkin scores his second of the game at 2:45 of overtime to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center.

2017: Joe Thornton becomes the 20th player in NHL history with 1,400 points when he has an assist on Joe Pavelski's second-period goal in the San Jose Sharks' 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators at SAP Center.

On the same night, longtime teammate Patrick Marleau becomes the eighth player in League history to have 100 game-winning goals when he scores 1:09 into the third period of a 3-1 win by the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. The two are teammates from Nov. 30, 2005, when the Sharks acquire Thornton in a trade with the Boston Bruins, until July 2, 2017, when Marleau signs as a free agent with the Maple Leafs. They reunite when the Sharks sign Marleau as a free agent on Oct. 9, 2019.

 

2018: The Canadiens set an NHL record by scoring the final two goals of their 6-4 win against the Washington Capitals at Bell Centre in two seconds. Montreal's Max Domi scores at 19:38 of the third period to put the Canadiens ahead 5-4, and Joel Armia hits the empty net at 19:40. The previous mark for fastest two goals by one team is three seconds, set by the St. Louis Eagles on March 12, 1935, and matched by the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 21, 2004 and the New York Islanders on Nov. 30, 2016.

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{allcanada} Domi scores in overtime, Canadiens beat Golden Knights 5-4

 

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LAS VEGAS (AP) Max Domi scored 27 seconds into overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 on Thursday night.

Montreal's Brendan Gallagher scored his seventh of the season during a 6-on-5 sequence with 1:58 left in regulation, taking a perfect feed from the corner and beating Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury between the pads to tie the game at 4-all.

Domi then scored his fourth goal of the season when the puck trickled through the pads of Fleury for the winning goal.

Phillip Danault, Jonathan Drouin and Tomas Tatar also scored for Montreal, which was playing the second of back-to-back nights after winning 4-1 in Arizona on Wednesday.

Goaltender Keith Kincaid made 31 saves for Montreal. He is within one win of .500 against Western Conference foes, at 19-20-8. He is 13-13-1 lifetime against Pacific Division teams.

William Karlsson, Alex Tuch, Cody Glass and Mark Stone scored for Vegas.

Fleury, who is 22-14-4 lifetime against Montreal, made 25 saves. Fleury came into the game with a 3.06 goals-against average against Montreal - the fourth-highest of all opponents

Danault got the scoring going 2:35 into the game when he collected a rebound off a shot by Shea Weber and scored into a wide open net. It marked Weber's 100th point with the Canadiens. Vegas was the only team he had not registered a point against.

Karlsson netted the equalizer later in the period, taking a stretch pass from linemate Jonathan Marchessault and firing a wrist shot past Kincaid to make it 1-all with 5:25 left in the first.

Tuch ignited the sellout crowd in his season debut, gathering a long pass from Nate Schmidt down the left wing and scoring on a shot through the pads to put Vegas in front 2-1.

Drouin was credited with the only goal of the second period when Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb knocked the puck into his own goal. Drouin had maneuvered around Fleury, who denied the initial shot with his glove, but in an attempt to clear the puck, McNabb inadvertently pushed the puck over the goal line.

Glass put the Golden Knights in front after he took Cody Eakin's pass, worked his way around Montreal's Jordan Weal and banged the puck off the inside of Kincaid's right skate.

Less than three minutes later, Stone sent a wrist shot into the crease, off Montreal's Ben Chiarot, and into the net for his team-high eighth goal and 17th point of the season.

Former Canadiens player Max Pacioretty registered the 500th point of his career with the assist on Stone's goal. Pacioretty, who has 12 points in 14 games for Vegas, has 250 goals and 250 assists in 706 NHL games.

Tatar, who came to Montreal as part of the trade that sent Pacioretty to Vegas, cut into Vegas' lead when he scored off a rebound on a shot by Joel Armia off the post.

NOTES: The game marked Nick Suzuki's first game at T-Mobile Arena. The Canadiens forward was the 13th overall draft pick by the Golden Knights in 2017. ... Vegas forward Max Pacioretty spent the first 10 seasons of his career with Montreal. Wednesday marked the first time he faced his former team.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Finish a three-game trip in Dallas on Saturday.

Golden Knights: Host Winnipeg on Saturday.

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{allcanada} Tkachuk's trickery sends Flames past Predators 6-5 in OT

 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Matthew Tkachuk didn't think a comeback win was possible after Calgary's terrible start.

Then, he scored a pair of improbable goals for a come-from-behind win.

Tkachuk scored the tying goal with 40 seconds left in regulation and the winning goal with 1.4 seconds left in overtime on a between-the-legs shot as the Flames' beat the Nashville Predators 6-5 on Thursday night.

Calgary rallied from a three-goal deficit after Nashville took the game's first 14 shots.

''I didn't think it was going to be possible after the first 20 minutes or first 10 minutes,'' Tkachuk said. ''We were all over them in that third period and that's the way we need to be to be at our best.''

On the winner, Tkachuk skated in front of the net against two Nashville defenders, let the puck slip between his legs and flipped a shot that beat Predators goalie Pekka Rinne high to the stick side.

Derek Ryan, Rasmus Andersson, Elias Lindholm and Alan Quine also scored for the Flames.

Austin Watson scored twice, Calle Jarnrkok scored two short-handed goals and Nick Bonino had a goal as the Predators saw their four-game win streak halted.

''I think this comeback kind of gives us confidence that we can be down in the third, even though we don't want to be, and we can come back,'' Tkachuk said. ''So I guess that's the positive we can take.''

Tkachuk's rebound goal with 40 seconds left tied the game at 5 and forced overtime.

Calgary's David Rittich made 31 saves. Rinne made 21 saves.

Quine's first goal tied it at 4 with 3:21 left. Watson gave Nashville a 5-4 lead with 1:22 remaining.

Lindholm scored his team-leading ninth goal from close range, narrowing the gap to 4-3 of the third period.

''A lot of good things in the third period and it looks a lot more like us, right,'' Flames coach Bill Peters said. ''We put the work boots on and played with some speed and possessed the puck. It should be a springboard to bigger and better things.''

Calgary didn't take its first shot until about six minutes remained in the first period.

Bonino gave the Predators a 1-0 lead when he scored on a backhanded rebound at 5:33 of the first period.

It was his fourth straight goal, including a hat trick in Nashville's 3-0 win over Chicago on Tuesday. The center leads the Predators with seven goals.

Watson scored on assists from Colton Sissons and Matt Irwin, increasing Nashville's lead to 2-0 at 10:15 of the first.

Watson signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract extension earlier in the day.

Ryan scored on the Flames' second shot, a wrist shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle, narrowing the gap to 2-1 at 15:27 of the first.

Calgary almost tied it when Johnny Gaudreau's wrist shot bounced off the right post before Rinne smothered the rebound in the crease 18 minutes into the first.

The Flames missed another chance to tie when a shot hit the post again early in the second period.

Jarnkrok scored his first short-handed goal on a 2-on-1 breakaway after a Calgary turnover, sending a wrist shot into high near post past Rittich, boosting Nashville's lead to 3-1 at 4:36 of the second period.

Jarnkrok scored his second short-handed goal on another 2-on1 after a Flames turnover, firing a wrist shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle past Rittich for a 4-1 lead at 18:52 on the second.

Anderson narrowed the deficit to 4-2 in the third.

NOTES: LW Filip Forsberg, one of the Predators' top scorers, returned from a lower-body injury after missing the previous six games. ... Nashville RW Rocco Grimaldi played in his 100h NHL game.

UP NEXT

Predators: Host New York Rangers on Saturday.

Flames: Visit Columbus on Saturday.

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{allcanada} Letestu out at least six months for Jets with heart muscle inflammation

 

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Mark Letestu will be out at least six months for the Winnipeg Jets because of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

The 34-year-old forward's long-term health is not in question, coach Paul Maurice said. Letestu has missed the past six games with an undisclosed injury.

Myocarditis, usually caused by a viral infection, can affect the heart muscle, reducing the heart's ability to pump and causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Letestu signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Jets on July 2 and has no points in seven games. He has 210 points (93 goals, 117 assists) in 567 NHL games in 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers and Jets.

The Jets (6-7-0) also will be without forward Patrik Laine (lower body) against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, TSN3, NHL.TV). Center Bryan Little is questionable for Friday, but Maurice said his issue is not related to the concussion that sidelined him for the first nine games of the season.

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{allcanada} QMJHL: Four points from Pelletier helps Wildcats down Eagles

 

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SYDNEY, N.S. — Jakob Pelletier scored two goals and set up two more, and the Moncton Wildcats used a seven-goal opening period to down the Cape Breton Eagles 10-4 on Thursday in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Alexander Khovanov had two goals and one assist, Tristan Dejong and Mika Cyr had a goal and two helpers apiece and Mark Rumsey, Jeremy McKenna, Kyle Foreman and Christian Huntley also scored for Moncton (13-3-0). Jordan Spence chipped in with three assists.

Dejong's goal, on a power play 13 minutes into the first period, stood as the winner.

Ryan Francis and Egor Sokolov led the Eagles (12-5-0) with a goal and two assists apiece and Shawn Boudrias and Felix Lafrance supplied the rest of the offence.

Wildcats goaltender Olivier Rodrigue made 30 saves.

William Grimard started in net for Cape Breton, allowing six goals on 19 shots through 33:36. Kevin Mandolese stopped 16-of-20 attempts the rest of the way.

---

OCEANIC 6 SEA DOGS 1

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Cedric Pare recorded a hat trick and set up the other three goals, and Dmitry Zavgorodniy had a goal and four assists to lead Rimouski (10-4-3) over the Sea Dogs (5-11-1).

---

PHOENIX 2 HUSKIES 1 (OT)

SHERBROOKE, Que. — Taro Jentzsch scored 56 seconds into overtime, Felix Robert had the tying goal in the third period, and the Phoenix (14-1-2) earned a comeback win over Rouyn-Noranda (8-8-2).

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{allcanada} Twenty years later, Moore still remembered

 

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Twenty years have passed since Greg Moore had his accident in the final race of the 1999 season.

Today, in remembrance of the talented Canadian, INDYCAR highlights the five CART races he won: Milwaukee and Detroit in 1997, Rio de Janeiro and Michigan in '98, and Homestead (from the pole) in '99.

Video: https://youtu.be/diNldoapVJY

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{allcanada} Hinchcliffe working toward full-time ride for 2020 season

 

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James Hinchcliffe vowed Thursday in a social media post to come back to the NTT IndyCar Series "stronger" after being replaced in the driver lineup at Arrow McLaren SP.

The team Hinchcliffe has spent the past five seasons with will field cars in 2020 for the past two Indy Lights champions -- Patricio O'Ward and Oliver Askew.

Hinchcliffe is free to seek another team to drive for, and he said he would.

"Obviously, it's very late in the game, but my team is working flat out to try and salvage a full 2020 IndyCar campaign."

The Canadian driver with six career NTT IndyCar Series victories and the Indianapolis 500 pole in 2016 said he has been touched by the support from the motorsports community.

"We only get to do what we do because of the fans, and your passing is amazing," he wrote. "Disappointment aside, I still have my health, incredible family, friends and fans supporting me, and at the end of the day, there's not much a little maple syrup and a Leafs (hockey) game can't fix.

"We've been kicked down before and came back stronger. This is simply our next fight.

"Challenge accepted."

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{allcanada} Roughriders QB Fajardo misses practice

 

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Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo was not at practice Thursday. Head coach Craig Dickenson said he pulled a muscle in his back, according to multiple reports.

Fajardo reportedly pulled the muscle on Wednesday and his status for Saturday's game against the Edmonton Eskimos is to be determined.

The Roughriders are in the driver's seat to clinch the West Division. If Saskatchewan beats the Eskimos on Saturday, or the Calgary Stampeders lose to the BC Lions Saturday, the Roughriders would earn a bye into the Western Final.

Fajardo has been the Roughriders' starting quarterback since taking over for an injured Zach Collaros in Week 1 of the regular season.

In 17 games for the Roughriders this season, the 27-year-old has thrown for 4,302 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

Isaac Harker and Bryan Bennett took reps with the Roughriders' offence Thursday.

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{allcanada} Redblacks to start Davis at QB vs. Alouettes

 

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The Ottawa Redblacks will start Dominique Davis at quarterback in their regular season finale against the Montreal Alouettes Friday.

Davis was listed atop the Redblacks' depth chart at quarterback, ahead of Will Arndt and Jonathon Jennings.

Arndt had started the past three games for the Redblacks, and Davis has started since Week 11 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Friday will be the ninth start of the season for Davis, who opened the year as the Redblacks starter. In his eight starts, and nine appearances this season, the 30-year-old has thrown for 2,061 yards, five touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Davis has added another 109 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

The Redblacks are 3-14 and will finish last in the East Division.

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{allcanada} Canadian Denis Shapovalov off to quarterfinals at Paris Masters

 

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PARIS — Canada's Denis Shapovalov has recorded his second upset victory in as many days at the Paris Masters.

The 20-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., beat No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in the round of 16 on Thursday.

The latest win came just over 24 hours after Shapovalov, ranked 28th in the world, knocked off No. 11 seed Fabio Fognini of Italy.

The victory over Zverev was Shapovalov's first in four career matches against the German. It raised the Canadian's record against top-10 opponents to 3-13.

Shapovalov saved 11 of 13 break points and won 83 per cent of his points when he got his first serve in, well better than Zverev's 64 per-cent success rate.

Shapovalov will face the winner of a match between Radu Albot of Moldova and No. 13 seed Gael Monfils of France in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Shapovalov won his first career ATP Tour event in early October in Stockholm.

Meanwhile, four-time champion Novak Djokovic looked closer to his best level, reaching the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (7), 6-1 win against Kyle Edmund on Thursday.

After needing seven set points to clinch the first set, the top-ranked Serb reeled off six straight games in the second, finishing it off by breaking his British opponent to love with a two-handed backhand winner into the left corner.

He turned quickly to give his box a look of steely determination and former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic — who joined his coaching team at this year's Wimbledon — stood to applaud him.

"It was because my coach told me I don't have a great return. So finishing off with a return winner, I kind of gave him a look. No I'm joking," said Djokovic, who is widely considered among the game's greatest ever returners.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion served well, too, winning 89 per cent of first serve points won and conceding no break points.

He peaked with three crisp winners in the last game, including another two-handed backhand and a pinpoint forehand.

"It is great to finish the match in style and to feel the way I felt in the second set," Djokovic said. "I have not played my best yesterday, so of course I was hoping I can do as well as I did in second set. The look was about that."

His voice still croaky, Djokovic addressed the Bercy Arena crowd in his fast-improving French after the game. He told them in measured tones that he still felt a bit unwell, having laboured at times against the unseeded Corentin Moutet in the second round.

He next faces seventh-seeded Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas, who had 11 aces in a 6-3, 6-4 win against Alex de Minaur and holds a 2-1 record against Djokovic — including earlier this month in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters.

Also, Grigor Dimitrov advanced by beating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-2, breaking the fifth-seeded Austrian's serve four times. The Bulgarian did not face a break point and next plays Cristian Garin, an unseeded Chilean who saved three match points in a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6) win against Jeremy Chardy.

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{allcanada} Ticats' Banks and Evans, Stamps' Mitchell named October top performers

 

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TORONTO — Hamilton receiver Brandon Banks, Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans and Calgary Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell are the CFL's top performers for October.

Banks and Evans combined to form an impressive offensive duo for the East Division leaders as Hamilton went 3-0 over the month and set a new franchise record for wins in a season at 14.

Banks hauled in 26 receptions for 398 yards and five touchdowns over the three games, including a career-high 201-yard showing in a 38-26 win at Montreal on Saturday.

The native of Garner, N.C., set a new Ticats record for receptions in a single season (112) in the process and was named Hamilton's nominee for the CFL's most outstanding player award.

Banks' stellar play helped Evans to another outstanding month under centre. The Hamilton quarterback piled up 1,108 passing yards, seven touchdowns and a 78 per cent completion rate over Hamilton's three October wins.

Evans threw for a career-high 452 yards and a touchdown in the Ticats' 33-12 rout of visiting Ottawa on Oct. 19. The native of Sanger, Texas followed up that performance with 379 yards and establishing a personal-best four touchdowns in the win over Montreal.

Mitchell compiled 1,449 passing yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 72.3 per cent of his attempts as the Stampeders went 2-2 over the month.

The native of Katy, Texas, reached the 300-yard passing mark three times and capped his month with a 350-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 29-28 loss at Winnipeg on Friday.

The Stampeders enter the final week of the season second in the West Division and can clinch first place with a win at B.C. and a Saskatchewan loss to visiting Edmonton.

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{allcanada} Hughes using his creativity, speed to spark Canucks

 

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Asked about teammate Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson paused, smiled and laughed.

"Sometimes," he said, "I feel that he must have been a forward growing up or something."

A comment like that is not always meant as a compliment for a defenseman, especially a rookie defenseman. But in this case, it was. It was a skilled young player recognizing another.

Pettersson, who turns 21 on Nov. 12, won the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year last season when he had 66 points (28 goals, 38 assists) in 71 games, leading rookies in scoring by a 21-point margin.

Hughes, who turned 20 on Oct. 14, is a candidate for the Calder this season with 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in 12 games, tied for the rookie scoring lead with Buffalo Sabres forward Victor Olofsson (six goals, four assists), Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev (four goals, six assists) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (one goal, nine assists).

His 18-year-old brother, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, has five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 games.

Since the Canucks put Quinn Hughes on the No. 1 power play full time on Oct. 20, they have scored eight power-play goals, most in the NHL. Hughes has assisted on seven of them, leading the League in power-play points in that span. Vancouver is 4-0-1 in this stretch and 8-3-1 overall, second to the Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division.

"He's great," Pettersson said. "He just creates so much with his speed and the way he moves the puck. It's really great to have and fun to see. It's fun to play with him."

Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill is not surprised. He coached Hughes the past two years with the United States at the IIHF World Championship.

In 2018, Hughes was coming off his freshman season at the University of Michigan, where he had 29 points (five goals, 24 assists) in 37 games. He had two assists in 10 games at the worlds. The Canucks selected him No. 7 in the 2018 NHL Draft.

In 2019, Hughes was coming off his sophomore season at Michigan, where he had 33 points (five goals, 28 assists) in 32 games, and had just turned pro. He had three assists in five games for Vancouver down the stretch and three assists in eight games at the worlds.

Hughes is 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. But man, he can skate.

"Some guys are really good players in college or really good players in junior, but maybe they're not explosive enough or maybe they're not big enough or maybe they're not fast enough," Blashill said. "His skill set for me was transferable, because he is super explosive. I mean, super explosive. It wasn't explosive for college hockey. It wasn't explosive for the world championships. It's explosive for the best players in the world."

Hughes also has the moxie to make moves others wouldn't try.

He made opponents look silly in a 5-2 win against the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 22. After assisting on two power-play goals, he pinched up the left-wing wall, grabbed the puck, hit the brakes and spun away from a defender. Then he skated straight into three or four defenders, spun away and fired the puck in front.

He was minus-4 in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena on Oct. 25, but he made a dazzling assist on a power play, beating three defenders wide while going end to end, centering a pass to forward Brock Boeser.

"I mean, there's not a lot of guys in the NHL where a guy's chasing you, and you can do one head fake, power turn and beat the guy," Boeser said. "So it's something special."

Note: All of these comments were from the morning skate before that win in Detroit, before Hughes made either of those plays.

"I think it's not easy, especially as a small [defenseman], to come in and play against men like this, and he's handled himself really well," Canucks center Bo Horvat said. "I think obviously his skating allows him to escape checks and get himself out of trouble. He's been really good in that area."

Vancouver coach Travis Green heaped heavy praise on Hughes -- his edges, his stick, how he helps the breakouts, how he helps the transition game, how he makes everyone better. At the same time, Green said the Canucks were trying to keep expectations down.

"It's not just about points with him," Green said. "It's about playing an overall strong game."

Hughes said he feels more comfortable the more he plays in the NHL, but he doesn't want to lose his sense of urgency.

"Just continue to impact the game," Hughes said. "I want to be a really good player in the League, and for me, I'm just going to try to keep learning and getting better. … I've got a lot of work to do still."

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{allcanada} Koskinen, Smith proving huge keys in Oilers cause

 

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The Edmonton Oilers have two of the best players in the NHL in center Connor McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl. The problem is depth and goaltending.

Well, goaltending was supposed to be part of the problem, at least.

Goalies Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith have been part of the solution for the Oilers, who are off to a 9-4-1 start and lead the Pacific Division.

"Obviously it was something that was a question mark coming in from a lot of different people," Smith said. "But both guys have played well and given the team a chance to win on any given night."

Draisaitl leads the NHL in points (25) and is tied for the lead in goals (12) with Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak. McDavid has 23 points, including an NHL-best 17 assists.

Forward James Neal has 11 goals, including an NHL-best eight on the power play.

No one else on the Oilers roster has more than three goals or nine points. A dozen players have played at least six games and have two points or fewer. That raises the question of whether this is sustainable.

But good goaltending can mask flaws.

When Edmonton made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2016-17, McDavid won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player and the Art Ross Trophy as the League scoring champion with 100 points (30 goals, 70 assists). Draisaitl had 77 points (29 goals, 48 assists).

No one else on the Oilers roster had more than 51 points, but Edmonton tied for seventh in the NHL in 5-on-5 save percentage at .927. Goalie Cam Talbot played 73 games and had 42 wins, tying for the League lead with Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals. Talbot had a 2.39 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and seven shutouts.

McDavid had 108 points (41 goals, 67 assists) in 2017-18, winning another scoring title, and an NHL career-high 116 points (41 goals, 75 assists) last season. Draisaitl reached an NHL career-high 105 points (50 goals, 55 assists) last season. But there were no MVP trophies or playoff appearances, because they didn't have enough help.

Edmonton was 23rd in 5-on-5 save percentage in 2017-18 at .918 and 24th last season at .915.

This season?

The Oilers are tied for 12th at .931.

Koskinen went 25-21-6 with a 2.93 GAA, .906 save percentage and four shutouts last season. He's 5-1-0 with a 2.39 GAA and .922 save percentage this season.

Draisaitl sees more of a difference in the team than in Koskinen. Edmonton has a new coach in Dave Tippett, who preaches defense first and working smarter, not harder. It has gone from allowing 31.7 shots per game last season, tied for 18th fewest in the NHL, to 29.9, eighth fewest.

"I don't think people in the hockey world give [Koskinen] enough credit," Draisaitl said. "I don't understand where all the criticism's coming from, to be honest with you. He was good last year. We weren't a good team defensively. We didn't help him out. But he still won us games. We're better defensively this year. We're tighter, and it shows."

There are some differences with Koskinen, though.

Koskinen spent six seasons playing in the Kontinental Hockey League before originally signing with the Oilers as a free agent on May 1, 2018. One of his biggest assets is his 6-foot-7 height, and he had to relearn how to use it on the smaller NHL ice surface.

"The angles," Koskinen said. "To get the feeling when I can trust my size and when I can't. Just small things. Now it's been good. I didn't have to spend so much time [adjusting] when I came back this year. So it's way easier."

Koskinen never played more than 41 games in a season in the KHL, either; he played 23 in 2016-17 and 29 in 2017-18. He played 55 for Edmonton last season.

Now he is part of a tandem with Smith, who signed as a free agent July 1. Koskinen has started six games; Smith has started eight.

Smith is 4-3-1 with a 2.29 GAA, a .919 save percentage and one shutout. He has been better than his record indicates.

Before the Oilers faced the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday, McDavid said, "It's unfortunate that [when Smith] goes in, our offense just forgets out how to score goals." In Smith's previous four starts, he had allowed eight goals; the Oilers had scored three. They went 0-3-1.

Edmonton defeated Columbus 4-1 with Smith in net, and Smith even helped jump start the offense, firing a stretch pass up the ice that led to a power-play goal by Neal and a 1-0 lead.

"I'm really impressed how they manage the game, both of those guys, how they just push each other and have that competition," defenseman Oscar Klefbom said. "I think you need two good goalies to get the best out of them.

"As a defenseman, it's really nice to have solid goaltending in the back. It gives a lot of confidence to the whole group."

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{allcanada} Hinch looks forward to maple syrup, an NHL game after firing

 

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- James Hinchcliffe said he was ''shocked'' to learn Arrow McLaren SP was dumping him from his 2020 seat in the IndyCar Series this week.

Hinchcliffe first joined Sam Schmidt's team in 2015 and had repeated public assurances that the final year of his contract would be honored even after McLaren partnered with the team for next season. The team abruptly changed course and informed Hinchcliffe on Sunday evening he was not getting a car for next year.

''It goes without saying the happenings of the last 48 hours have been difficult,'' Hinchcliffe wrote in a Thursday social media post. ''We were shocked to learn we would not be in the No. 5 car for the 2020 season.''

Arrow McLaren will instead field cars for Pato O'Ward and Oliver Askew, the most recent two Indy Lights champions. The IndyCar season ended in September and Hinchcliffe, a very popular IndyCar star, is scrambling to find a new job.

Had he been told he was not going to be retained when McLaren came aboard in late summer, Hinchcliffe might have had opportunities at other rides. The Canadian is a spokesman for Honda in North America and wanted to retain that relationship but was not going to keep his personal services agreement driving a Chevrolet for the new team.

An effort would have been made to keep Hinchcliffe with a Honda team had his management been aware Schmidt was going to let him go. Conversely, teammate Marcus Ericsson knew as soon as McLaren came aboard that he would not be retained and he landed a ride with Chip Ganassi Racing.

There are few open seats remaining in IndyCar, and almost all options would require Hinchcliffe to bring considerable funding. He remains under contract to the McLaren/Schmidt group, and the last year on his contract will be paid for the final year.

''Obviously it's very late in the game, but my team is working flat out to try and salvage a full 2020 IndyCar campaign,'' Hinchcliffe wrote.

Hinchcliffe also made reference to his IndyCar history, which includes a near fatal accident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015 followed by a pole-winning run for the Indy 500 the next season. He also failed to make the Indy 500 in 2018.

Hinchcliffe is one of IndyCar's few crossover stars and was a runner-up on ''Dancing With the Stars'' in 2016. The Toronto native also represents Canada in the series and remains loyal to his home country, making reference to the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs in his statement.

''Disappointment aside, I still have my health, incredible family, friends and fans supporting me, and at the end of the day, there's not much a little maple syrup and a Leafs game can't fix,'' he said. ''We've been kicked down before and came back stronger. This is simply our next fight.

''Challenge accepted.''

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{allcanada} Boeser, Pettersson push Canucks to 5-3 win over Kings

 

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Brock Boeser had a hat trick and the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Elias Pettersson had a goal and three assists, and the Canucks improved to 8-1-1 in their past 10 games. Bo Horvat added a power-play goal, and Jacob Markstrom made 21 saves.

Anze Kopitar had two assists and passed 900 career points, but the Kings lost their fourth straight game. Jeff Carter scored twice and Jonathan Quick made 44 saves.

Boeser completed his third NHL hat trick 55 seconds into the third period when his shot redirected in off Drew Doughty's skate during a power play to give the Canucks a 4-2 lead. Boeser has five goals in his past three games.

Boeser put Vancouver back in front 3-2 at 15:17 of the second when Pettersson's pass started a breakaway as the Kings were making a line change.

Pettersson made it 5-2 at 15:46, getting the Canucks' fourth power-play goal. He has two goals and 10 assists during a five-game point streak, including multiple assists in four of his past five games.

Adrian Kempe tied it 2-all when he tipped Kopitar's shot in during a power play for his first goal of the season at 10:06.

The Canucks led 2-1 after the first period on two late power-play goals, with Horvat redirecting Quinn Hughes' one-timer from long range with 26 seconds remaining to take the lead.

Boeser scored for the third straight game with a sharp-angle shot from the left circle that tied it 1-all at 17:39 set up by a slap pass from Pettersson.

Carter put the Kings ahead 1-0 at 3:53 after faking out Markstrom and beating him with a backhand. Kopitar had the primary assist, finding Carter alone in the slot on the rush, for his 900th point in 1,016 games.

Carter added a consolation goal at 18:49 of the third period.

NOTES: Kopitar became the fifth Kings player with 900 points, joining Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille, Dave Taylor and Wayne Gretzky. ... Kings RW Tyler Toffoli was a healthy scratch, ending his streak of consecutive games played at 207. ... Canucks LW Micheal Ferland did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury in the first period. Ferland's last game action was a fight with Kings LW Kyle Clifford.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

Kings: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

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{allcanada} Price stops 33 shots in Canadiens' 4-1 win over Coyotes

 

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GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Montreal Canadiens arrived in the desert a day early and had an extra jump in their step.

The Arizona Coyotes had a day off following a long road trip and labored from the start.

The result was predictable.

Carey Price stopped 33 shots, Brendan Gallagher and Shea Weber scored in the opening minute of the first two periods, and the Montreal Canadiens rolled to a 4-1 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night.

''Those goals at the start of periods are huge,'' Gallagher said after his 500th NHL game. ''We know what those are like when they go against us and to get those, it carries over to the rest of the periods.''

Montreal got to town early for an extra day of practice and acclimation after beating Toronto 5-2 on Saturday.

The Canadiens scored on their first shift in each of the first two periods. Jonathan Drouin added his third goal in two games, Nick Cousins also scored and Price was superb as usual against Arizona, improving to 12-1 all-time.

''There's always going to be something you have to tweak and that's an area we spoke to our team about, starting and finishing strong,'' Montreal coach Claude Julien said.

Arizona fell behind as fans were still getting to their seats and never recovered, dropping to 7-2-1 in its last 10 games.

Jakob Chychrun scored for the Coyotes and Antti Raanta made 32 saves, giving up one goal when his skate blade fell off.

''The road trip was pretty good to us, then we came home and got some humble pie,'' forward Derek Stepan said.

The Coyotes had a successful road trip back East, winning three of four, but didn't get back from Buffalo until Tuesday.

Arizona was sluggish in its first home game in 11 days, giving up Gallagher's goal and plenty of pressure by the Canadiens.

The Coyotes were better late in the opening period, but got a bad break early in the second when Raanta's skate blade broke off. Weber scored from near the blue line as Arizona's goalie desperately tried diving back as his blade lay on the ice.

''Those are killers,'' Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. ''You can't give up freebies to Carey Price. He's too good a goalie.''

Cousins made it 3-0 early in the third period, one-timing a nifty pass through the crease by Nick Suzuki.

Chychrun scored on a similar feed from Phil Kessel.

Drouin was credited with a goal when Coyotes defenseman Jason Demers accidentally swiped the puck into his own net on a mishit shot.

''We're going to have some of these spots throughout the year. This is going to happen again,'' Tocchet said. ''We're going to be in a tough spot and we can't just say well, this is our schedule, it's this or it's that. I don't care what it is, we can't use it as an excuse.''

NOTES: C Brad Richardson missed his third straight game and Jordan Oesterle his sixth straight, each with an upper-body injury. The Coyotes hope to have both back soon. ... Gallagher has five goals and three assists in his past eight games. ... Montreal is 19-8-4 against the Coyotes since they moved from Winnipeg in 1996.

UP NEXT

Montreal plays at Vegas on Thursday.

Arizona hosts Colorado on Saturday.

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