Arizona Coyotes Arizona Coyotes defense steps up in victory over Los Angeles Kings Coyotes assign Hodgman to Portland

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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Devante Smith-Pelly throwing his weight around, to Ducks' relief Karlsson hopes his first Ducks goal comes posthaste Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry lead Anaheim Ducks into Buffalo Arizona Coyotes Arizona Coyotes defense steps up in victory over Los Angeles Kings Coyotes assign Hodgman to Portland Boston Bruins Bruins Make Minor Change, Swap Cunningham for Griffith Bruins make changes, optimistic David Krejci will return Bruins hope Griffith can bring spark Griffith up, Cunningham down as Bruins search for answers Griffith looks to 'make something happen' for B's Spooner, Fraser still looking for their breakthrough What we learned from Saturday's 4-0 loss Morning Skate: Sunday, October Krejci practices again, hopes to play for Bruins on Monday Going's gotten tough, but Bruins haven't gotten going Bruins, seeking more offense, promote Seth Griffith Bruins penalty kill failing them early in season Buffalo Sabres Schedule offers little respite for Sabres Calgary Flames NHL training camp and pre-season important just ask Flames Mikael Backlund Burning questions for the Flames this week Carolina Hurricanes Boychuk recalled; Skinner placed on IR Two games in, what do we know about the Canes? Chicago Blackhawks Carcillo healthy, happy to be back with Blackhawks Brad Richards getting acclimated to new teammates, fatherhood First impressions of this year's Blackhawks Report: Blackhawks place Brandon Mashinter on waivers Carcillo capitalizing on his second chance with Blackhawks Hawks prospect watch: Hartman lights lamp twice in season opener Blackhawks by the numbers Colorado Avalanche Avalanche looks for ways to get offense back in gear after early slump Avs Erik Johnson not worried about NHL suspension, lobs back at Wild s Erik Haula Columbus Blue Jackets PNC Bank signs on as new sponsor of Blue Jackets Blue Jackets notebook: Dad on hand for Dano s first goal Blue Jackets: Ryan Johansen excels despite holdout Bob Hunter commentary: Rivalry with Rangers has potential to blossom NHL 10/13/2014 DAILY BRIEF Dallas Stars Stars violating all the clichés as they stumble to start the season Cold facts: Final member of second line up for debate after Stars loss to Predators Stars recall Curtis McKenzie from Texas Stars Observations from Stars' 4-1 loss in Nashville: Future can be bright if you can leave the past behind Detroit Red Wings Red Wings up to date on paying taxes at Joe Louis Arena Book: Chelios calls '02 Red Wings its own Hall of Fame Gustav Nyquist off to strong start: 2 games, 2 goals Glendening plays 20 shifts, shows value to Red Wings 'Sniper' Gustav Nyquist follows breakout NHL season with hot start for Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Jim Matheson: Do Oilers really need Nugent-Hopkins dropping the mitts? Player grades: Nail Yakupov looks like a new man (in a good way), but Edmonton Oilers fall 5-4 in shootout Matheson: First two games show Oilers stumbling out of the gate Edmonton Oilers have to remember the importance of getting off to a strong start Plenty of positive examples for both current Edmonton Eskimos and Oilers Florida Panthers Preview: Senators at Panthers; Monday, 7:30 p.m Panthers' Derek MacKenzie takes advantage of rare power-play time Los Angeles Kings Kings, Anze Kopitar put first things first to beat Winnipeg, Kings' Bob Miller to spend 76th birthday in familiar place Game recap: Kings 4, Jets Los Angeles Kings beat Winnipeg for first victory of season Los Angeles Kings Drew Doughty is happy to mentor Brayden McNabb Los Angeles Kings To conduct Jewish Heritage Night tonight October 12 postgame notes Zone Entries vs Winnipeg: October October 12 postgame quotes: Pearson, Toffoli, Jones October 12 postgame quotes: Winnipeg October 12 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter Game 3: Los Angeles vs Winnipeg Game 3 Preview: Los Angeles vs Winnipeg Muzzin getting closer, but not yet cleared October 12 morning skate quotes: Darryl Sutter October 12 morning skate notes Waking up with the Kings: October 12 Minnesota Wild Wild sharp in season-opening games Wild signs Brodin to six-year deal Rand: Wild's bandwagon is the fullest around Russo: Player, GM weigh in on new contract for Brodin Wild sign defenseman Brodin to 6-year extension Wild signs defenseman Jonas Brodin to a 6-year extension Minnesota Wild sign Jonas Brodin to 6-year, $25 million deal

2 Montreal Canadiens Preview: Can Canadiens keep the magic going against Lightning? A day off Sunday in Tampa for unbeaten Habs Nashville Predators Brent Peterson, Predators team up again for Parkinson's New Jersey Devils takeaways from the Devils' victory over the Florida Panthers Ken Daneyko's 7 best Devils rookie defensemen Martin Havlat off to a good start with Devils, feeling more comfortable with each game Havlat giving Devils early boost on offense New York Islanders Nikolay Kulemin relentless on Islanders' checking line New York Rangers Garden Lifts Curtain, and Rangers Flop In labor daze, NY Rangers aren't able to deliver in home opener NY Rangers power play woes continue, but penalty kill unit struggles for first time Toronto Maple Leafs spoil NY Rangers home opener, knock Henrik Lundqvist out of game in 6-3 loss Rangers and Maple Leafs lineups for New York home opener at Garden; Alain Vigneault constantly forced to adjus Crushed Ice: Rookie Anthony Duclair shines despite Rangers' loss to Blue Jackets, Cam Talbot struggles, Chris It s early, but Rangers still have plenty of issues Rangers raise banner, then get thrashed by Leafs Maple Leafs 6, Rangers 3: Rewind Live Blog: Leafs beat Rangers, Rangers notes: Mats Zuccarello sits out with injury Leafs chase Henrik Lundqvist, rip Rangers, Rangers' Kevin Hayes makes his NHL debut Henrik Lundqvist gets the hook as Rangers are routed by Leafs in home opener Rangers give up their first power-play goal of the season Rangers-Maple Leaves in review Maple Leaves 6, Rangers 3 post-game notes Maple Leaves at Rangers It s Go Time! Ottawa Senators Ottawa 67's top Oshawa 4-1 in the first of a home and home Reliable Phillips gives Senators a big-time boost Senators' Bobby Ryan talks about the $50M deal he signed to stay in Ottawa Senators defenceman Jared Cowen could be riding the pine against Panthers Philadelphia Flyers NHL breaks its own rules in Pronger hiring Flyers evaluating Lecavalier's foot injury Flyers prospect Morin suffers broken jaw Flyers prospect Samuel Morin taken to Quebec hospital after puck to the face Simmonds says a complete effort needed Report: Vinny Lecavalier in walking boot NHL Notes: Ex-Flyer Leino reportedly signs in KHL Berube wants to see more from Brayden Schenn Flyers collapse, leave Ray Emery to fend for himself Schultz trying to help stabilize Flyers blueline Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins' top line of Hornqvist, Crosby, Kunitz charging to net Penguins notebook: Competitive drive evident in practice Success, longevity define career of Penguins veteran Chris Kunitz Penguins notebook: Penalty-kill woes nothing to tinker with yet San Jose Sharks Sharks notebook: Power play not clicking Sharks forward Mike Brown will not play on upcoming road trip St Louis Blues Blues regain 'identity,' now aim to keep it Tampa Bay Lightning Canadiens will provide early gauge for Lightning Lightning gets early test vs. Canadiens Rematch with Canadiens not about revenge for Lightning Toronto Maple Leafs Reimer sharp as Leafs beat Rangers for first win: DiManno Tossing Leafs jersey was bush-league move: DiManno Maple Leafs defenceman Stuart Percy rewards coaches' faith Jersey boy not a hit with Maple Leafs' Nazem Kadri Another scare for Maple Leafs' James Reimer Jersey toss a symbol of Maple Leafs fan frustration It's desperation time for the Maple Leafs Leafs feast on Rangers 'We don't need fans like that': Leafs' Kadri responds to jersey toss New York Rangers Rick Nash leaves game against Toronto Maple Leafs to be with wife in labour Toronto Maple Leafs score five in second period to beat New York Rangers, James Reimer leaves after collision Vancouver Canucks Revived Canucks are fun again and winning back their fans Washington Capitals With goal, Mike Green gets off to good start in season debut for Capitals Trotz: 'I need Marcus to pull the trigger' NHL power rankings: starting shakeup Has D.C. become a true hockey town? Websites FOXSports.com / Kids spur Kings' first win of season USA TODAY / Toronto Maple Leafs already feeling a sense of urgency Winnipeg Jets Jets learn what quickness is, schooled 4-1 by Kings Captain by committee Jets get royally thumped by Kings Jets' Stuart joins the 500 club SPORT-SCAN, INC

3 Anaheim Ducks Devante Smith-Pelly throwing his weight around, to Ducks' relief By Lance Pugmire When: Noon. TV: Prime Ticket. Radio: 830. ETC.: Not exactly an announcer's easiest pronunciation, Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons has scored two goals. On the other end, defenseman Andrej Meszaros is minus-five in goal differential. LA Times: LOADED: The Devante Smith-Pelly who created such effective havoc, throwing his weight around in an impressive rookie playoff debut, has returned. The 22-year-old Ducks forward set the tone in Anaheim's 3-2 victory in Detroit on Saturday night by delivering five of his six hits in the first period when the Red Wings managed only five shots and helped silence the hosts on three power plays. Lance Pugmire "That's the way I have to play. I don't think I did a good enough job in the first game nerves or something, I had to be better and that started last night," Smith-Pelly said upon the team's arrival in Buffalo, where the Ducks (1-1) will play the 0-2 Sabres on Monday at noon Pacific time. In the Ducks' 6-4 season-opening loss in Pittsburgh on Thursday, Coach Bruce Boudreau thought using Smith-Pelly with center Rickard Rakell and Emerson Etem, a line that had success at minor league Norfolk last season, would translate to similar strength in the NHL. Instead, the third line was a combined minus-five in goal differential, and Smith-Pelly was limited to 11 minutes, 31 seconds of ice time. Boudreau, at assistant coach Brad Lauer's suggestion, immediately altered the plan, benching Rakell, putting Etem on the fourth penalty-killing line and attaching the 220-pound Smith-Pelly and physical Matt Beleskey with new addition Ryan Kesler, who already has three assists. Lance Pugmire "Played much better last night, and we've told [Smith-Pelly] this is the game he has to play," Boudreau said. "I don't think it hurts [playing with Kesler] an elite player, who talks a little more [than Rakell], more active offensively. "We wanted to shield the young guys instead of throwing them all in. It gives you more balance, with experience on every line." Smith-Pelly contributed five goals last postseason, with 53 hits in 12 games. Smith-Pelly said following Kesler's lead to forecheck, getting to the corners, allows him and Beleskey to "complement [Kesler] him well. The way he plays, how hard, it's contagious." INJURY UPDATE: Boudreau said forward Dany Heatley (groin) is skating back in Anaheim; he will probably return Oct. 26 at Honda Center against one of his former teams, the San Jose Sharks. Kyle Palmieri (ankle) is not skating yet. Defenseman Bryan Allen (lower body injury) accompanied the team on the trip, but with Sami Vatanen (two assists) playing so well and Mark Fistric a two-game healthy scratch, Allen has time to fully recover. Thoughts on kids Boudreau said 21-year-old center William Karlsson "didn't make any mistakes" in his NHL debut, in which he played 10 minutes, 42 seconds and hit a post on a shot. "There's times when he was tentative, but it was his first game, he did a nice job," Boudreau said. "Maybe the posts are wider in Sweden." After getting overwhelmed by 39 shots against Pittsburgh, 21-year-old goalie John Gibson seems to be a logical fit to start against Buffalo, which has been outscored 9-3 and gave up four third-period goals at Chicago on Saturday after finishing last season. "It might be," Boudreau coyly said. "This team scares me the most out of the whole trip because it's the team that people say, 'Tough trip, but they should beat Buffalo they're coming off [that] loss and [Coach] Ted [Nolan] works off emotion. They're going to play as good a game as they can play." TONIGHT AT BUFFALO SABRES

4 Anaheim Ducks Karlsson hopes his first Ducks goal comes posthaste BY ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER Published: Oct. 12, 2014 Updated: 6:33 p.m. BUFFALO, N.Y. William Karlsson was so close. Again. Karlsson hadn t played in a game since Sept. 28 in the preseason and in that one, he came inches away from beating Kings goalie Martin Jones for a goal but his low, hard wrist shot clanked off the post. There was déj vu for Karlsson on Saturday in his official NHL debut. His first goal was also inches away but a similarly well-placed shot had the same fate after it sailed past Detroit netminder Jimmy Howard. I just saw the net and tried to hit it, Karlsson said Sunday, a day after the Ducks won, 3-2. It was so funny because Gibby (Ducks goalie John Gibson) before the game said, You shoot post in now and I shoot post out. It s pretty funny but it s still pretty annoying not to get one. Karlsson s first NHL goal could come sooner than later if he continues to get playing time. The center benefited from some injuries to Ducks forwards to make the team but he put himself in that position by making things happen in exhibition games. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau has liked Karlsson s decision making in situations where he has had room to make a play. Among those was his near miss when he had a two-on-one with Andrew Cogliano and made the right call to take shot instead of force a pass that wasn t there. He didn t make any mistakes, Boudreau said. He should have scored the goal and he set up a really nice play. There s times where he was tentative but, holy smokes, it s your first game. You re going to be tentative. I thought, overall, he did a real good job. Karlsson, 21, said the heightened tempo of a regular-season contest was what he expected after going two weeks without any game action. The goal was not do anything too flashy and have your head up all the time. In his limited action with the Ducks, Karlsson is also showing off a deceptively good shot even though he has been more known to set up teammates than score goals himself. I ve always been a playmaker, he said. I see myself as a playmaker but hopefully I can score some too. KESLER PAYING DIVIDENDS The Ducks wanted to get center Ryan Kesler for months and now they have him. They re already seeing why they coveted him so badly. Kesler has done all that they ve expected in his first two games. His goal in the opener came on the power play and he s got three assists, with one of those coming on the tying score by Matt Beleskey in the third period Saturday. Orange County Register: LOADED:

5 Anaheim Ducks Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry lead Anaheim Ducks into Buffalo Posted: 10/12/14, 4:25 PM PDT Elliott Teaford DUCKS at BUFFALO Faceoff: noon, today, First Niagara Center TV/Radio: Prime, 830-AM Update: The Ducks best players have been their best goal-scorers to start the season. Corey Perry scored three goals in their season-opening loss Thursday to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ryan Getzlaf had two, including the game-winner with less than a minute to play, in their victory Saturday over the Detroit Red Wings. Ryan Kesler and Matt Beleskey are their only other goal-scorers.... Ducks forward William Karlsson made his NHL debut Saturday and rang a shot off the goal post on a quality scoring chance.... Defenseman Bryan Allen continues to be sidelined by a lower-body injury.... The new-look Sabres were beaten soundly by the Chicago Blackhawks and the Columbus Blue Jackets in their first two games. The Ducks defeated the Sabres 6-3 and 6-2 last season. LA Daily News: LOADED:

6 Arizona Coyotes Arizona Coyotes defense steps up in victory over Los Angeles Kings Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 5:52 p.m. MST October 12, 2014 Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle's eyes almost doubled in size when he heard that he and his teammates limited the Los Angeles Kings to only five shots through 27:03 of Saturday's game. Not too many heads peek up at the shot clock during the action, but the stat was certainly indicative of the Coyotes ruling the possession game en route to a 3-2 overtime win. "Unless the coaches said it in between periods, we wouldn't even notice," Yandle said. Actually, the number of shots given up isn't always a barometer that matters. Long-range lobs from the outside that are harmless count the same as point-blank attempts from the slot, so it's sometimes hard to whole-heartedly embrace the number without knowing the difficulty of the shots. But when the counter is as lopsided as it was at times in Saturday's game like in the second period when it was at it's a positive sign that the Coyotes were effective in stifling the Kings' offensive opportunities. "We did a good job in the neutral zone," Yandle said. "Our forwards (were) coming back and shutting them out and not letting them into the zone easily, especially a guy like (Anze) Kopitar and guys like (Jeff) Carter. When those guys have the puck coming into the zone, they make plays and they hold onto it a long time. I thought we did a good job of not letting them get in and set up." Backup goalie Devan Dubnyk didn't expect to appear in his first game as a Coyote in Game 2 of the season, but when he got word Friday that he'd be between the pipes Saturday, that was plenty of time for him to prepare. He was able to overcome a rocky start to make 24 saves in the win. "It's nice to get an opportunity," Dubnyk said. "I know my spot here, so you don't know when the opportunities are going to come. So to be able to get a win like that is fun to do." The performance had to be personally gratifying for Dubnyk, who saw his career plummet from an NHL starter to a spot in the minor leagues last season. The win was his first since Jan. 10. "It's been a roller coaster, mostly slow and down for the last little while for me," he said. "I actually thought about that (Saturday) afternoon. The last start, I think, was January 24th and win was, I think, the 10th. It's a long time between, and it's really nice to get that first one, especially in a game that we certainly deserved." Roster decisions Defenseman David Schlemko and forward Kyle Chipchura were both healthy scratches for the first two games of the season, but it's possible they'll make their season debuts soon. "I would say there's a good chance you'll see both of them in the lineup next game, but I haven't made those decisions yet," coach Dave Tippett said. "We want to get everyone involved, and after the first game, it wasn't good evaluation for anybody so we gave it one more game. But we certainly want to get everyone involved." Hodgman demoted The Coyotes, who were off on Sunday, assigned center Justin Hodgman to their American Hockey League affiliate. Hodgman made the 23-man roster out of training camp after signing with the team as a free agent on July 1. He was a healthy scratch for the first two games. Since the team didn't make a corresponding move, the roster now sits at 22. Arizona Republic LOADED:

7 Arizona Coyotes Coyotes assign Hodgman to Portland FOX Sports Arizona OCT 12, :17p ET GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Coyotes on Sunday assigned forward Justin Hodgman to the Portland Pirates, the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. The 26-year-old Hodgman led the Coyotes with in five preseason games. His four goals were tied for second most among all NHL players. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound native of Brampton, Ontario, recorded in 49 games with Metallurg, Torpedo and Admiral (KHL) in Hodgman signed with the Coyotes as a free agent on July 1. foxsportsarizona.com LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Bruins Make Minor Change, Swap Cunningham for Griffith Jeff Pini October 12, :21 AM The morning after their embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, the Bruins made a change at the forward position, switching out one Providence player for another. Right wing Seth Griffith was recalled to Boston, while center Craig Cunningham was assigned to Providence, the team announced Sunday morning. Griffith took part in the team s Sunday morning practice at TD Garden. Cunningham has played 34:17 in three games with the Bruins this season, registering two shots. In Saturday s 4-0 loss to Washington at the TD Garden, he tallied 12:24 of ice time with a shot and three hits. He s played five career NHL games all with the Bruins. Griffith, a 21-year-old right shot winger, is a one-year veteran of the AHL, playing 69 games with Providence last year, scoring 20 goals with 30 assists. In Providence s season opener on Friday against the St. John s Ice Caps, Griffith had a goal on three shots as the PBruins beat the Ice Caps 2-1 in overtime, while he also tallied three shots on Saturday in Providence s 3-1 loss to the Portland Pirates. The switch of the center Cunningham for the winger Griffith could indicate that the Bruins are ready to activate center David Krejci, who missed the first three games after being placed on injured reserve due to an injury he suffered in the final game of the preseason. Krejci is eligible to come off IR for Monday s game against the Colorado Avalanche. Boston Globe LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Bruins make changes, optimistic David Krejci will return By Amalie Benjamin Globe Staff October 13, 2014 No one was more upset on Sunday than Matt Fraser. It was the morning after a night of disappointment and disappearances for the Bruins, a team with title aspirations that for now can t seem to even score a goal. Twelve hours before, team leaders Chris Kelly, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron had stood in the dressing room and used words like embarrassed and upsetting, outworked, and outplayed, after being shut out by the Washington Capitals at home in a second straight poorly played game. So, the Bruins had made some changes. Seth Griffith, a right wing on a team in need of them, was up. Craig Cunningham, sacrificed for the failings of others, was down. Fraser and Bobby Robins, relegated to skating with the extra forwards, were demoted. Jordan Caron, added to the fourth line, was promoted. And the best news of all: David Krejci was on the ice for practice, cleared for contact, skating with Milan Lucic and Griffith, seemingly ready to return on Monday. Meanwhile, Fraser, who had looked so good in training camp that he was the first hopeful penciled into a spot with the NHL club, was the picture of frustration and self-flagellation. At the end of the day, it s unacceptable, Fraser said of his play. I definitely take full ownership of that and know that as a player and as a person that s unacceptable. He continued, It was probably an easy decision for [coach Claude Julien] to say, Fras doesn t deserve to go in. It s hard to look in the mirror and recognize that and say, Yeah, I don t deserve to be in the lineup, or whatever it may be. So that alone is very frustrating. Fraser is, of course, not the only issue. But the young (or inexperienced) players that the Bruins brought in by free agency and injuries have not panned out. The third and fourth lines that would be Lucic-Ryan Spooner-Fraser and Daniel Paille-Cunningham-Robins have struggled immensely. That has left the team playing with only two lines. And that just doesn t work. Not that the stars are off the hook. As Julien said, Your best players have to be your best players. And over the past two games, few Boston players have been at their best at anything they ve tried to do. Fortunately for the Bruins, there is that bright spot. Krejci, out for the first three games of the season, appears ready to return for Monday s matinee against the Avalanche, ready to extend the team s depth and answer the questions that have started to be asked. Even Julien, while cautioning that trainers still needed to be consulted, said it was looking good for Krejci to return. I m positive, Krejci said, when asked about staying optimistic. Every day has been better. So I know it s going to be better tomorrow again, I ll be good to go. I m positive, so everybody s got to stay positive. I ll be on the ice [Monday]. Even if Krejci is on the ice, that doesn t solve all the Bruins problems. They have holes that need filling, partially because of the loss of Jarome Iginla, who will be back in the building with the Avalanche on Monday. And while the Bruins had hoped that some of their young players such as Fraser and Spooner would step up and into the vacancies, that hasn t happened yet. Instead, they have been timid and have appeared to lack confidence; they have worried about making mistakes instead of playing the way they know they can. They have chased the puck, and have barely gotten to demonstrate the skills that brought them here: speed and shooting. The one thing I can say is that Spoons has shown flashes here that he can really do well, and so has Fraser, Julien said. [Fraser s] got a lethal shot and he showed that in camp, at times. Right now I think they re probably pressing like the rest of the team. When you lose these last two games, the last people you want to point the finger at is those guys. But they aren t helping, not right now. So it was time to bring up Griffith, a right-shot right wing. It was time for Julien to shuffle his lines to find more depth and scoring. It was time to ensure that his team didn t get deflated quite so easily. Yes, it might be just three games into the season, but the time to make the Bruins wrongs into rights is now. There s no reason to wait. The bottom line is you ve got to fix it, Julien said. You can t allow it to happen. I go back to having enough guys in here that have been with us for many years we know that are a lot more resilient. They ve got to take it over here, and if they take it over, everybody else will follow. I said it [Saturday] night: It s not panic. It s something we need to fix. Hopefully that happens [on Monday]. Boston Globe LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Bruins hope Griffith can bring spark Monday, October 13, 2014 Steve Conroy Coach Claude Julien all but promised some kind of move after Saturday night s eye-opening loss to the Washington Capitals and, when the Bruins reconvened for a battle-heavy practice at the Garden yesterday morning, there was indeed a new face in the lineup as well as a rearrangement of a few deck chairs. Right-shooting right winger Seth Griffith was brought up from the AHL and placed right on a top line with David Krejci, who is hoping for medical clearance to make his season debut today against the Colorado Avalanche, and Milan Lucic. Craig Cunningham, who had been playing fourth-line center (not too badly, either) but had already cleared waivers, was sent down to Providence. The 21-year-old Griffith a tad undersized at 5-foot-9, 192 pounds had a strong rookie pro season in Providence last year (20 goals, 30 assists) and also had a good training camp when he saw some time with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand when Reilly Smith was not in camp. (Griffith) has shown he can score, he s a right-handed shot, which we don t have much of right now, and I think we re obviously looking to see if we can find a role here right now, Julien said. He deserves a chance. Krejci liked what he saw from his new right winger. It felt good, said Krejci, who played with left-shooting Loui Eriksson to his right in training camp. He s a good player, he s got a good shot, he s got good speed. He got some power-play time as well. I thought we looked pretty good. If I m good to go, hopefully we ll have a good game (today). Griffith knows he could be handed as good an opportunity that any call-up could dream of. It s pretty sweet, Griffith said. It s something I ve been working towards for a long time so I m happy I m finally getting my chance and hopefully I can take advantage of it.... They re obviously great players and hopefully we can make some stuff happen out there. I know they re struggling a little offensively right now. Hopefully we can get some pucks to the net and good things will happen. While it was a good day for Griffith, it was not so much for Matt Fraser, who was not able to parlay an excellent camp into a strong start to the season while skating with Ryan Spooner (who practiced as the fourth line center with Jordan Caron and Daniel Paille yesterday). Fraser, along with Bobby Robins, were extra forwards at practice along with the injured Gregory Campbell and the unsigned Simon Gagne. Fraser took it hard, but like a man. You ve got to make the coach put you on the ice and for me, it was probably an easy decision for him to say, No, Fraz doesn t deserve to go, Fraser said. It s hard to look in the mirror and recognize that No I don t deserve to be in the lineup. That alone is very frustrating. But I ve been here before, I know how to work myself out of these things and it s just a matter of time. Fraser possesses perhaps the best shot of anyone in the organization, but it s becoming increasingly clear that the natural left winger is not as good on the right side, something he d been asked to do because of the shortage of righty shooters. I ve played the right side quite a bit before, Fraser said. I think the biggest thing is in the defensive zone just making sure I m coming back to the right side and not getting caught in no-man s land. I could make up all the excuses in the world about my play. But at the end of the day it falls on my shoulders and no one can correct it but me. While many of the moves were on the edges of the team, Julien didn t want people to lose sight of the heart of the matter. When you lose these last two games, the last people you want to point a finger at is those guys, Julien said. Your best players have to be your best players and right now it s a matter of adjusting ourselves as a team. Both games at home, we kept the teams to about 20 shots against. (Saturday) night we gave them eight chances and they got four goals. It s not so much our overall play. I think one of the things is the opportunities we gave them, they made the best of them and they were mistakes on our part. We ve got to cut those down. The other part is, we come out in the first period and we come out really well, we have a good power play but we didn t score. They come out, they score on their power play and then they got a second goal and it just deflated us. We can t allow that to happen. We ve got to be a little more resilient. Boston Herald LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Griffith up, Cunningham down as Bruins search for answers Sunday, October 12, 2014 Steve Conroy After Saturday night's 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, coach Claude Julien said that the team would be doing some re-evaluating. And it didn't take long to see those re-evaluations personifiied. Seth Griffith was called up from Providence and the right-shooting wing was immediately placed on the top line with David Krejci (eligible to come off IR for tomorrow's game against Colorado) and Milan Lucic in today's practice. Craig Cunningham, who'd been playing fourth line center, was sent down to Providence, but Julien made a point of saying that hard-working Cunningham was not being sent down because the organization was unhappy with his effort or that he was a root cause of the team's current problems. Also, Matt Fraser looked like he'd be on the outside looking in for tomorrow's game as the fourth line consisted of Daniel Paille, Ryan Spooner and Jordan Caron. "(Griffith) has shown he can score, he's a righthanded shot, which we don't have much of right now and I think we're obviously looking to see if we can find a role here right now. He deserves a chance," said Julien. Loui Eriksson, who got the first opportunity to play with David Krejci in preseason, remained on a line with Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly. While the personnel moves were on the edges of the team, Julien said that that's not necessarily where the meat of the problem is. "When you lose these last two games, the last people you want to point a finger at is those guys. Your best players have to be your best players and right now it's a matter of adjusting ourselves as a team," said Julien. "Both games at home, we kept the teams to about 20 shots against. Last night we gave them eight chances and they got four goals. It's not so much our overall play. i think one of the things is the opportunities we gave them, they made the best of them and they were mistakes on our part. We've got to cut those down. The othe part is, we come out in the first period and we come out really well, we have a good power-play but we didn't score. They come out, they score on their power-play and then they got a second goal and it just deflated us. We can't allow that to happen. We've got to be a little more resilient. We have been in the past and we will be again. Those are adjustments that we have to make here early in the season." Krejci has not officially been cleared to play tomorrow but both he and Julien are hopeful that will be the case. There should be a fair amount of desperation in the air tomorrow for an October matinee. The B's are obviously not happy with where their game is at while the Colorado Avalanche and former Bruin right wing Jarome Iginla, who fancy themselves Stanley Cup contenders in the West, have been shut out in their first two games. Boston Herald LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins Griffith looks to 'make something happen' for B's October 13, 2014, 1:00 am Joe Haggerty BOSTON Seth Griffith might have been disappointed he didn t stick around longer in training camp after excelling from the first day of practice. But that becomes a little easier when the rookie forward was called up to Boston less than a week into the regular season, and appears headed toward making his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday afternoon. Griffith was called up to Boston with Craig Cunningham getting assigned to the AHL, and the youngster skated on the right wing with David Krejci and Milan Lucic during Sunday s practice at TD Garden. He scored three goals in training camp and 20 goals for the P-Bruins last season, and could be an effective finisher for a team that s struggled offensively in the first three games. He showed he can score. He s a right handed shot, which we don t have much of right now, said Claude Julien. We re obviously looking to see if he can fill a role here right now. He deserves that chance just like we brought back some of those other guys that played well in Bridgeport. Griffith probably didn t expect to be in Boston this quickly after the start of the regular season, but he s looking to make an impression. I m happy to get my chance, and I m just looking to take advantage of it, said Griffith. [Krejci and Lucic] are obviously great players, so hopefully we can make something happen. I know we re struggling a bit offensively right now, so hopefully we can get some pucks to the net and make something good happen. Providence was only two games into the season, but it s better sooner rather than later, I guess. The Bruins have to hope that Griffith can click with Krejci coming back from injury, and Lucic off to a sluggish start with just one shot on net in three games. The only other in-house solutions to that right wing spot could be Simon Gagne playing on his off-side, or David Pastrnak as a 170-pound rookie that would be hard-pressed to withstand the intense physical punishment at the NHL level. So Griffith could get a few looks to gain some traction before the B s front office starts formulating the next move. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins Spooner, Fraser still looking for their breakthrough October 12, 2014, 11:45 pm Joe Haggerty BOSTON Ryan Spooner and Matt Fraser have a few things in common. They played together nearly all the time when both players were in Providence last season, and they both cracked the B s NHL roster to start this season. They also both remain without a point after the first three games of the season, and are beginning to feel the pressure to produce in their new-found roles. Fraser skated with the extra forwards along with Bobby Robins, Simon Gagne and Gregory Campbell at Sunday s practice, and knows there is a great deal of work to be done. It was probably an easy decision for [Claude Julien] to say I don t deserve to go in there, said Fraser. It s hard to look in the mirror and recognize that I don t deserve to be in the lineup, or whatever it may be. But I ve been in those situations before, and I know I have to work my way out of it. Spooner and Fraser were skating with Milan Lucic for the first three games, and it was apparent to everyone that line wasn t really working. Now Spooner is centering a fourth line in practice that includes Daniel Paille and Jordan Caron, and is a little closer to what people expected his role to be with this team. He s also looking to unlock the offense both five-on-five and on the power play, and maybe simplify things a bit after being far too worried about making mistakes early this season. I ve always been a pass-first guy, so it s a bit of a mental thing where I need to put shooting first more in my mind, said Spooner. That s the only way to score, so I need to do more of that. I haven t been playing like I usually play. I ve been a little timid with the puck. I think I m sitting back a little too much, and maybe I m a little too worried about making a mistake. I think I need to just go out there, play my game and use my speed. I need to be confident in myself and what I m able to do out there. Fraser has only one shot in three games, and hasn t been able to show off the nasty shot and release that have allowed him to score 90 goals in the AHL over the last three seasons. It s been a challenge for the 24-year-old Fraser to get things going like in the minor leagues with just 11:39 of ice time per game and no power play time, but that s part of the challenge of breaking into the best league in the world. There s always somebody knocking on the door or looking to take your spot, so it s very frustrating to put forth an effort like that in those games. You won t find a guy that s harder on himself than me, and at the end of the day you get what you deserve, said Fraser. There will be bumps along the road, but you wish they wouldn t happen this early in the season. I think the effort is there most times, but it s just not clicking. You need to work yourself out of these things. You look at a couple of those games in the preseason where you re feeling good, you re playing a lot and it s really easy to stay into those games. It s an adjustment for me playing the minutes I am, for sure, when you re used to the big minutes in the American League. But at the end of the day you ve got to make the coach put you on the ice. Both Spooner and Fraser are dynamite offensive players at the AHL level, and are up with a B s team that s scored only three goals in three games to start the season. It s pretty simple to determine what it will take to stick in the Black and Gold lineup, and now it s up to those two players to get it done. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED:

14 Boston Bruins What we learned from Saturday's 4-0 loss *The power play is 1 for 10 and the offense has three goals in three games. You can have offensive zone time to kingdom come, but it doesn t matter if players can t actually finish off those plays. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: October 12, 2014, 3:45 pm Joe Haggerty Here s what we learned from Saturday night s 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals at TD Garden: 1) The Bruins can present it any way they want, but it looks like this team is going to struggle to score goals while still missing one more top six winger that can finish off plays in the offensive zone. Matt Fraser hasn t really been given a shot in that kind of role on a line with Ryan Spooner and Milan Lucic that s more third line than top six line. It s also becoming more apparent that Loui Eriksson is better off in a permanent third-line role with Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly. The Bruins will try Seth Griffith first as a right-handed shot for Krejci and Lucic, and still have potential in-house candidates in David Pastrnak and Simon Gagne. But it looks more and more like the Bruins will only fill a 30-goal offensive hole by making a trade for some skilled talent outside the organization. 2) Bobby Robins still has some learning to do. He has now taken extra penalties twice along with fighting majors. Once he got his opponent to also take on the extra two minute minor, but on Saturday night he nailed Matti Niskanen on a borderline call that put the Capitals on the power play. They cashed in immediately with an Alex Ovechkin power-play goal, and Robins was left with a teaching moment about how closely the referees will be watching him at the NHL level. It s not the end of the world for him and the Bruins don t want to discourage Robins from running around hitting opponents like a mad berserker. So I d expect the message will be keep doing what you re doing, but just be a tad more careful about it. 3) Young guys like Ryan Spooner and Matt Fraser need to stop being tentative and start doing what earned them chances in the NHL in the first place. You can see Spooner going through things in his head rather than simply playing when he s on the ice, and that s not when he s at his best. Fraser isn t getting any chances to show off his deadly shot from the slot and the faceoff circles, and both are facing some adversity. Fraser has one shot on goal in three games, and isn t getting to the spots on the ice where he can do damage. On the positive side, Spooner s ability to move the puck on the power play off the half-wall is pretty impressive, but he needs to be a bit more willing to become a scoring threat when the shooting lane opens up for him. They should both take it as a vote of confidence that they re still with the team, and should get another chance to show what they can do. Plus *Chris Kelly had four shot attempts, four hits and won 8 of 9 faceoffs in an excellent display for what the third line forward can bring to the table when he s at the height of his modest powers. Kelly had the three best scoring chances for the Bruins, but Braden Holtby turned them all away. *Dennis Seidenberg had seven shot attempts and played pretty stout defense for the Bruins in 17:56 of ice time, and is starting to look more comfortable after his long layoff with the right knee injury. *Craig Cunningham is headed back to Providence, but he did a good job as a gritty, fourth-line center willing to do whatever dirty work was required of him. He wasn t the problem at all, but isn t the answer right now on a Bruins team starved for offense. Minus *Zdeno Chara said all the right things after the game, but was on the ice for a pair of Alex Ovechkin goals and finished without a single shot on net. He was one of Boston s best players not being one of their best players in the spiritless loss. *Milan Lucic notched his first shot on goal of the season and doubled his hit output for the season in the loss, but he still looks out of sorts coming back from the wrist injury with unfamiliar linemates. At least he looked like there was some energy in his game early against Washington, so perhaps that s something to build on.

15 Boston Bruins Morning Skate: Sunday, October 12 October 12, 2014, 3:30 pm Joe Haggerty' Joe Haggerty's daily spin around the world of hockey... and beyond: -- Boston training camp invite Ville Leino ends up signing with the KHL after not making the Bruins. -- Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews, shows off a little bit of his lighter side with the Chicago Blackhawks. -- Larry Brooks asks whether Boston College product Kevin Hayes will ever get his chance with the New York Rangers. -- The Score s website has Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dropping the gloves for the first time in his career. -- PHT writer James O Brien has Ron Hextall happy that Chris Pronger will take the next step after playing in the NHL as part of the league s Player Safety Department. -- For something completely different: I never tire of JJ Watt talking about being a hockey player, and how Zdeno Chara was his favorite player. Joe Haggerty serves as Comcast SportsNet's NHL Insider. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED:

16 Boston Bruins Krejci practices again, hopes to play for Bruins on Monday October 12, 2014, 2:15 pm Joe Haggerty BOSTON David Krejci is thinking positive thoughts about being ready for Monday afternoon s game against the Colorado Avalanche and his former linemate, Jarome Iginla. The playmaking center has missed the first three games of the regular season because of an undisclosed injury, and is now eligible to come off the injured reserve following Saturday s loss to the Washington Capitals. Krejci has now skated with his teammates two days in a row during practice, and was centering a line featuring Milan Lucic and Seth Griffith Sunday at TD Garden. He doesn t want to put too much pressure on himself to return to a B s team with an anemic offense that s totaled three goals in three games, and is just 1-for-10 on the power play. But he obviously sees the B s struggling without him. Hopefully I wake up tomorrow and feel good enough to play, said Krejci, who was injured in the second period of Boston s preseason finale against the Red Wings last weekend. It s tough to watch when the team is losing, but it s tough even when they re winning," said Krejci. "You re a hockey player, and you want to be on the ice whether you re winning or losing. It s been tough, but hopefully I ll be back. We ll see how it feels. I don t want to be a guy talking when I m not playing. I don t like it when people do that about me, so I don t want to do that about my teammates. Coach Claude Julien said he also hopes that Krejci can return to a team spinning its wheels without him, and add a little more offensive finish and poise to a team that s looked sorely lacking in both categories. I hope so. I haven t been told that he s totally cleared, but I hope so, said Julien. I think it s looking good. The hope is that if Krejci is looking good, then perhaps his hockey club will start following suit. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED:

17 Boston Bruins Going's gotten tough, but Bruins haven't gotten going October 12, 2014, 1:15 pm Joe Haggerty BOSTON -- It s certainly reached the point where it s okay to question what the heck is going on in the home offices on Causeway Street. A Stanley Cup win in 2011 and a return trip to the Finals in 2013, sprinkled in with division titles and entertaining playoff runs, will buy a lot of fan goodwill and build an army of apologists in the media. The Bruins -- a bunch of likable, talented players who embraced the style loved by the fan base and put out an air of unapologetic intimidation to the rest of the league -- had plenty of both in recent years. But times change swiftly in the salary cap era, and the nuclear-winter fallout of trading away a popular No. 3 defenseman in his prime for assets that aren t likely to help the team much in the short term has changed the landscape. Players, coaches and executives can say all the right things after a deal like the Johnny Boychuk salary dump, but the message that's reverberating from the upper levels down to the locker room is that the team isn t all in to win this season. That can have a toxic effect in the clubhouse, and signs of that toxicity have shown up in the first three games. Witness how many B s players seem to have a look of doom on their faces when they get down by a couple of goals, and there have been more shoulders slumped in the last two losses to Detroit and Washington than at any time in the last five years. Zdeno Chara recognized it after the shutout loss to the Capitals on Saturday, and pointed it out in some uncommonly scathing postgame comments. The attitude has to change, first thing," said the B's captain. "You can t be showing that kind of signs [of resignation] this early in the season when you have the whole season ahead of you. We can t really be also blaming that on the schedule or, like you said, new players. It s something that we have to face -- face the music and really answer. We ve done it before. We just have to go back to square one... It starts from simplifying and playing our game. It has to start somewhere. It s an added kick in the pants that Boychuk, who wasn t ever good enough to be on the power play in Boston, has four power-play points in two games with the Islanders. The Bruins have one power-play goal and three power-play points as a team through three games, and simply don't have enough playmakers to make things happen on offense. Which leads beyond the specific problem of the power play and to the bigger issue: The slow dismantling of a Cup champion, due to salary-cap constraints and a period of poor drafting that s left the Bruins with young players who don t look ready for prime time. Let s face some truths here: Loui Eriksson is a third-line winger in Boston, and he s never going to be the offensive force the Bruins hoped he'd be when they acquired him as part of the package for Tyler Seguin. Perhaps Reilly Smith, who also came over from Dallas, can be that guy if he continues to improve and takes another development step beyond the 20 goals and 50 points of last season, but Eriksson is nothing more than a nice complimentary piece on a good team. And that's the Bruins' issue. They need another top six forward at right wing to replace the 30 goals scored last year by Jarome Iginla, and it's going to be a huge problem for the Black and Gold until it s addressed. The Bruins have solid fancy stats and puck possession numbers, and will be a little better offensively once David Krejci returns to full health. But, basically, they are what they are, and scoring three goals in three games with a 1-for-10 performance on the power play screams that they don t have enough playmaking finishers who can turn good chances into goals. That becomes a really tricky mind scramble once a team falls behind. The Bruins have always been better frontrunners, but it s been a long time since I saw the them surrender like they did once they got down by a couple of goals to the Capitals on Saturday. They know what we know: They don t have the offensive capability to come back once they re behind by more than one. So what s the use in making the futile attempt? There is perhaps no better poster boy for what ails the Black and Gold than Milan Lucic. He is coming back from an injury sustained in a nightmarish Game 7 last spring, he s skating with unfamiliar, young linemates, and he s watching his team get pulled apart one piece at a time. His body language hasn t been great and his performance has been limited by lingering pain and discomfort in the wrist, and he knows it needs to change. One thing we ve always prided ourselves on is we ve never felt sorry for ourselves," he said. "With the body language and that type of stuff it seems like we were feeling a little sorry for ourselves because things weren t going the right way. When things have gotten tough for us in the past we seem to have kept our chins up, and worked right through it. I think we ve got to remind ourselves of that. We ve got to keep our chins up and fight through it because nobody is going to do it for us. We have to do it ourselves. Starting with myself, I have to be better and take charge in doing what I do best, and try to lead that way. The old leadership is largely gone now for the Black and Gold. Andrew Ference was allowed to walk two years ago. Shawn Thornton and his two Stanley Cup rings weren t wanted anymore. Boychuk was ripped out of the dressing room just days before the start of the season. That s an awfully big absence of influential voices and important personalities who made the Bruins as great as they were over the last four years. The Bruins will look for solutions, and should find some sooner rather than later. Seth Griffith and David Pastrnak sit in waiting as talented offensive candidates, and Simon Gagne could be a low-rent stopgap as a guy with a 40-goal season on his NHL resume. But one had better hope Peter Chiarelli has a card up his sleeve that he s still waiting to play, as he alluded to in the Boychuk trade press conference. Because right now this looks like the Bruins are set on a course for the first truly disappointing season they ve had in a long, long time. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: