Arizona Coyotes Arizona Coyotes still searching for consistent defense NHL Insider: Ken Hitchcock taking it year-by-year in St.

Transcription

1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks What we learned from the Ducks' 3-0 shutout of St. Louis Blues Frederik Andersen, Ducks put away the Blues, Versatile Beleskey off to a solid start for Ducks Vatanen finds scoring touch on power play as Ducks beat Blues, Anaheim Ducks play complete game in beating the St. Louis Blues Arizona Coyotes Arizona Coyotes still searching for consistent defense NHL Insider: Ken Hitchcock taking it year-by-year in St. Louis Boston Bruins Bruins third line has been their best line Defensemen drive Bruins shutout of Sabres Bruins Notebook: Hamilton shows strong side Bruins send Spooner, Griffith to Providence What we learned: Bruins 4, Sabres Hamilton is back for the B's after a 'bad start' Svedberg gets first NHL shutout in road finale Buffalo Sabres Statistics do a number on Sabres Calgary Flames Gaudreau takes learning session in Columbus stands to heart Gaudreau, Setoguchi back in against the Winnipeg Jets as the Calgary Flames look to close off road-trip on a h Flames notes: Brodie nearing contract extension with Calgary Gaudreau finally lights lamp as Flames survive horrible first period to ground Jets Burning Questions for the Flames this week Deal between Calgary Flames and TJ Brodie appears close Recap: Calgary Flames beat Winnipeg Jets Carolina Hurricanes Hockey analytics: It s how, not just how many goals Hockey analytics: Gauging the impact of injuries Brown recalled from Checkers E. Staal, injured forwards could return during trip Chicago Blackhawks Blackhawks rookie Trevor van Riemsdyk playing like he belongs Hawks' Crawford doing his best to stay sharp Five things we learned: Blackhawks' power play not sharp Blackhawks' Shaw making a living at the net Colorado Avalanche Frei: No point in panicking about Avalanche's slow start Avs center Matt Duchene: Right now we re just sabotaging ourselves Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets: Injury forces call-up of rookie goaltender Blue Jackets recall goaltender Anton Forsberg; place Curtis McElhinney on IR McElhinney injured, Blue Jackets play well in 3-2 loss NHL 10/20/2014 DAILY BRIEF Dallas Stars Inconsistencies hampering 'great potential' of Stars' early on in season Stars recall Jyrki Jokipakka from AHL to take place of Patrik Nemeth Stars recall defenseman from AHL affiliate Detroit Red Wings Red Wings' Stephen Weiss happy 'to play without pain' Wings' penalty kill 'great' while power play goes cold Stephen Weiss a left wing but isn't left out, finally Stephen Weiss takes first step toward regaining spot in Detroit Red Wings' lineup Inactivity doesn't hamper Jonas Gustavsson, who is perfect in season debut for Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Oilers Purcell as good off the ice as he is on it Oil Spills: Another disappointing start to the season Gregor: Draisaitl s development likely better in junior Oilers Arcobello doin' his job Edmonton Oilers 5-loss streak not confident way to start the season Florida Panthers Tough defense keeping Florida Panthers afloat in early season Panthers record-low attendance clouds hockey s future in South Florida GETTING AFTER IT: Panthers defense keeping things close despite offensive woes... Brandon Pirri happy to be b Panthers forward Brandon Pirri hopes he did enough to get more ice time Los Angeles Kings Jonathan Quick is Kings' ultimate advantage in 2-1 win over Wild Scant offense but Kings still winning L.A. Kings beat Wild with a familiar formula October 19 postgame notes October 19 postgame quotes: Minnesota October 19 postgame quotes: Jarret Stoll October 19 postgame quotes: Jonathan Quick October 19 postgame quotes: Darryl Sutter Game 6: Los Angeles vs Minnesota Game 6 Preview: Los Angeles vs Minnesota Minnesota Wild Wild notes: Vanek finding ample shots but no goals Game recap: Kings 2, Wild Postgame: Wild dominates large parts of games, but goes Quick, LA Kings edge Wild 2-1 for 4th straight win Quick makes 40 saves for L.A., Wild drops second straight Wild stifled by Kings goalie Jonathan Quick in second straight loss Montreal Canadiens Jack Todd: The Bruins can t stop chasing the Road Runner Habs Subban looking like a $72-million man Habs have best record in NHL after Saturday s win over Avalanche Nashville Predators Predators Mattias Ekholm adjusting to new coach

2 New Jersey Devils Devils believe their improved offense will always keep them in games NHL: Devils fans like Prudential Center renovations. New York Islanders Barclays Center to Sound Horn for Islanders New York Rangers Goals in 4 Seconds Lift Rangers to a Rout NY Rangers stomp San Jose Sharks at Garden as Henrik Lundqvist earns shutout Crushed Ice: Kevin Hayes plays big, scores first NHL goal in 4-0 NY Rangers win over San Jose Sharks at Garden Rangers lose another defenseman Rangers score twice in 4 seconds, beat Sharks Rangers 4, Sharks 0: Rewind Rangers 4, Sharks 0: Girardi, Klein day to day Live Blog: Rangers dominate tired Sharks, Rangers notes: Dan Girardi, Kevin Klein day to day Rangers blank Sharks, 4-0, at the Garden Henrik Lundqvist gives defenseman Matt Hunwick the Broadway Hat Rangers score two goals four seconds apart in shutout of Sharks Rangers-Sharks in review Rangers 4, Sharks 0 post-game notes & quotes Sharks at Rangers It s Go Time! Ottawa Senators Dante Salituro nets three more in Ottawa 67's win, but Konecny leaves the game Mike Hoffman pushes for full time spot with Senators Confident Karlsson excited about Senators start Ottawa Senators winger Mike Hoffman slowly proving he belongs in the NHL Senators goalie Robin Lehner steals the show against Blue Jackets Sens' newest recruits making instant impact in Ottawa Philadelphia Flyers Voracek's Streaky Start Flyers just a defense away Flyers' Bellemare skates into NHL history Giroux scores in OT to lift Flyers past Stars, End to End: Call-up looming for Scott Laughton? Flyers hope confidence carries over from wild win Lindy Ruff: Stars played 'garbage hockey' vs. Flyers Flyers Notes: Bellemare, Roussel make NHL history Flyers mistakes annoying coach Quoting 'em: What Flyers are saying about 6-5 OT win over Stars Flyers' Claude Giroux scores game-winner trying to set up Wayne Simmonds (VIDEO) Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins forward Downie becoming a hit with teammates Andrew Ebbett patiently awaits chance to play a game for Penguins Penguins notebook: New looks aid penalty-killing San Jose Sharks San Jose Sharks lose Dan Boyle misses Sharks, and game San Jose Sharks put Alex Stalock in net Rewind: Preventable errors cost Sharks in loss to Rangers Instant Replay: Sharks struggle in second, blanked by Rangers Vlasic rotates in as Sharks alternate captain In the Crease: Sharks have first back-to-back at Rangers St Louis Blues Bluenotes: Stastny out with shoulder injury Blues can't catch Ducks, end road trip with loss Stastny is out week-to-week with shoulder injury Frederik Andersen, Ducks put away the Blues, Andersen gets 1st shutout as Ducks blank Blues Schwartz collects first career hat trick as Blues crush Coyotes Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning face more early adversity with Hedman injury Victor Hedman (hand) could miss a month Monday night: Lightning-Oilers preview Jonathan Drouin recalled by Lightning, could make NHL debut Monday Lightning know replacing Hedman a tough task Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs' play raises questions, but no cause for alarm: DiManno Marlies top IceHogs with shootout win Could Maple Leafs turn to Marlies defenders? Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle has reluctant praise for PK players Vancouver Canucks Canucks have liftoff, but thrust is a must Canucks send Horvat to Utica Ewen: Canucks buy some time with Horvat Canucks send prized youngster Bo Horvat to Utica for conditioning stint Washington Capitals Goaltender Justin Peters earns win in first Capitals start In win over Florida, Jason Chimera finds the net, was going really good NHL power rankings: Battle for the basement Trotz slowly becoming a fan of NHL shootouts Websites FOXSports.com / Ducks' Andersen gets first career shutout in fifth-straight win FOXSports.com / Quick saves the day as Kings win fourth straight USA TODAY / 5 NHL offseason moves that are paying off Winnipeg Jets Home team did things their way, until 2nd period started Jets can't stand success Jets better than they look Has it already gone sideways on Jets? Jets go down against Flames, Jets drop fourth straight with frustrating loss to Flames Jets can't stick to plan Jets look to snap losing streak vs. Flames SPORT-SCAN, INC

3 Anaheim Ducks What we learned from the Ducks' 3-0 shutout of St. Louis Blues By Lance Pugmire contact the reporter Sami Vatanen is showing he can be a valuable asset on the power play for the Ducks Matt Beleskey has brought a touch of scoring to his on-ice grit Can the Ducks duplicate the seven-game winning streak they compiled on the heels of a season-opening loss last season? They re only two victories away, with lowly Buffalo visiting Wednesday after getting out-shot by Anaheim in New York on Oct. 13, followed by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday at Honda Center. By shutting out the St. Louis Blues 3-0 Sunday, the Ducks are making strides in areas they maintained hope about, but were not banking on. Takeaway No. 1: Sami Vatanen, at 23, is taking nicely to his role on the power play. He scored two goals Sunday, the first a deep blast past Blues goalie Brian Elliott and the second following a superb pass from center Ryan Getzlaf, who has six assists through six games. Getzy made a great pass, but it was all about Sami going to the back door at the right time, that s a hockey sense move, Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. He s getting better, and as he gets better, his confidence grows. Takeaway No. 2: Matt Beleskey s offensive spark is a welcome complement to his gritty nature. After getting injured last postseason, Beleskey worked not only on strengthening himself during the offseason, but on the art of shooting. Four nice goals, Boudreau said. He s shooting more, has a great shot. Maybe he believes in his shot now where he never did before. He s scored some great goals with that shot, and it s catching a lot of people by surprise. Takeaway No. 3: Expect a different game Oct. 30 in Missouri. St. Louis was running on fumes Sunday. They looked quicker to pucks than we were, Blues Coach Ken Hitchcock said of the Ducks. They caught us on the back-to-back [after winning in Arizona on Saturday] and took advantage of it. I wasn t happy with the way we played, period. Takeaway No. 4: Good things are happening when defenseman Cam Fowler is playing. Fowler, in 20 minutes, 32 seconds of ice time, had a secondary assist to Getzlaf on Vatanen s second goal, matching his career-high point streak at four, and was on the ice during all three of the Ducks goals. LA Times: LOADED:

4 Anaheim Ducks Frederik Andersen, Ducks put away the Blues, 3-0 By Lance Pugmire contact the reporter Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen scores twice in 3-0 victory over St. Louis Blues Goalie Frederik Andersen makes 28 saves in the Ducks' shutout win over the Blues Ducks improve to 8-0 at home against the Blues going back to 2010 The test of manhood the Ducks expected from the St. Louis Blues didn't require anywhere near the muscle flexing that was anticipated. Assigned to a third game in four nights and deflated by the Saturday night upper-body injury to high-priced free-agent acquisition Paul Stastny, the Blues were flattened by the exuberant Ducks, 3-0, Sunday at Honda Center. "Any team coming off a back-to-back, you want to get a jump on them," said Ducks forward Matt Beleskey, who scored 93 seconds into the game. "We're tough when we're moving our feet like that, jumping on loose pucks it's hard to get hits on us." Goalie Frederik Andersen won his fifth consecutive start, stopping 28 shots for his first NHL shutout, while young defenseman Sami Vatanen produced his first two-goal game for the Ducks (5-1), who improved to 8-0 at home against the Blues since "You always don't want to let any goals in," Andersen said. "That's something you'll remember." The victory made Andersen the first goalie since Boston's Ross Brooks in to win at least 25 of his first 30 decisions. Andersen is Both of Vatanen's goals came on power plays, the first coming in the tonesetting first period, in which the Blues were limited to four shots. "We started the game pretty well, took the pucks into their zone," Vatanen said. "They're a good team, play big and strong, but I think we played pretty well." Beleskey, 26, scored a career-high nine goals in 55 games last season, but he's already at four even after being moved off the first line to join rookie William Karlsson and second-year Duck Rickard Rakell on the third line. The difference? "I worked a lot this summer with my skills coach [in Canada] on shooting, trying to hit the net, get that shot away quick," Beleskey said. "It's paying off. Got to keep it rolling, though." The Blues scored six goals in Arizona on Saturday night, with forward Jaden Schwartz producing his first career hat trick, but a night later, Schwartz was denied an open look by the stick of diving Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner. Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf had the second assist on Vatanen's first goal and was instrumental in setting up the 3-0 lead by drawing St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott's attention on a rush, then shifting a pass to Vatanen, who had a wide opening to shoot at. "Just close your eyes and shoot it," Vatanen said. "The other guys did the work. I just had to get my stick on the ice." Andersen capped the shutout by denying a frenzy of empty-net attempts in the final minute, making 16 saves in the third period. St. Louis (2-2-1) also had 14 shots blocked in the game, and missed 14 other tries. "We caught them at a good time," Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We played almost a perfect [first] period." LA Times: LOADED:

5 Anaheim Ducks Versatile Beleskey off to a solid start for Ducks By ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER Published: Oct. 19, 2014 Updated: 9:28 p.m. ANAHEIM Some players might get irritated by their coach moving them about the team s lineup. One night here and the next night there. Not Matt Beleskey. For one, the winger has become an everyday player in his seventh NHL season and it is his willingness to be effective in whatever role needed for the Ducks that keeps him in the lineup. Finisher on the top line? Energetic checker on the fourth line? A willing battler in the corners for any line? Check, check and check. I like to take pride in that, Beleskey said. Being versatile and being able to have the coaches do what is needed of me as long as they keep giving me the opportunities. Hopefully I keep producing for them. Beleskey is taking care of that part. His hot start to continued Sunday night when he scored his fourth goal of the season on a first-period slap shot just six games into the 82-game slate. The winger found himself on the third line with youngsters William Karlsson and Rickard Rakell against St. Louis after spending time on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. The production hasn t fallen off yet. It s huge, said Beleskey, whose career high of 11 goals came in I ve kind of had slow starts the last few years. It s tough to get your confidence going and be able to get one early and three early, it s awesome. When your coach and your team shows confidence in you and puts you in (offensive) situations, it s a lot easier to play your game. Injuries have often had Beleskey playing catch-up and his physical play is often at the root of those ailments. He has had to deal with concussions in the past and come back from various shoulder and hand issues. Beleskey was playing the best hockey of his career late last season but a torn abdominal muscle proved too painful to go on in the playoffs after Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Kings. As he recovered over the summer, Beleskey worked more on being more flexible and said that as the years have gone on, you ve got to learn what your body needs and you ve got to give in to it. Luckily this year, I did a lot of extra training this summer to get myself into this position, he said. I ve just got to stick with it. GETTING DEFENSIVE The Ducks 2-1 win over Minnesota on Friday might have offered up proof of their desire to win more games by that playoff-like score than 4-3 or 5-4 but Coach Bruce Boudreau believes that capability has existed within them. In fact, Boudreau was a bit defensive, saying we talk as if we weren t a good defensive team in He cited them finishing ninth in the NHL in goals-against average last season and being tied with St. Louis for allowing two goals or fewer in 46 contests. It s not like we re not used to playing those holding teams to two goals or less games, Boudreau said. People don t ever think that because we score goals. We re very capable. It s the same way (now). We were 46-1 when leading after the second period, which means that defending the lead and the close games, we re pretty comfortable with. But people don t want to think that because we also led the league in goals. Boudreau said his goal to have the Ducks as a top-five team defensively and factors such as goaltending, penalty killing and commitment from all four lines play into it. It always looks better for a coach to win 2-1 and 1-0 because they say, Well, they re a really well-coached team, he said. We re comfortable whichever way the game is going. But of course, we would love to be the best team defensively in the league. GIBSON ON WAY BACK John Gibson is expected to return to Anaheim after playing in two games with the Ducks American Hockey League team in Norfolk (Va.) this weekend. Gibson, who started for the Ducks on opening night, stopped 32 of 34 shots Friday in a 3-2 win over Manchester and came right back to make 23 saves in a 4-2 loss to the same Monarchs. Jason LaBarbera backed up Frederik Andersen for a second straight game. Orange County Register: LOADED:

6 Anaheim Ducks Vatanen finds scoring touch on power play as Ducks beat Blues, 3-0 By ERIC STEPHENS / STAFF WRITER Published: Oct. 19, 2014 Updated: 9:09 p.m. ANAHEIM If it had not been made clear before now, the Ducks Sami Vatanen showed Sunday night that he knows his way around a power play. Vatanen scored twice with the man advantage Sunday night to back goalie Frederik Andersen's first career shutout as the Ducks won their fifth straight, a 3-0 decision over the St. Louis Blues at Honda Center. Two days after dipping into the Western Conference fray with a tight 2-1 win over Minnesota, the Ducks (5-1-0) had no problem handling another fellow Stanley Cup contender that was coming off a 6-1 rout of Arizona on Saturday night. We re starting to play like we want to, said Andersen, who stopped 28 shots. Our last game wasn t the best but we got the job done. We came strong in this game and played well defensively and offensively the whole 60 minutes. That was a really good effort today. It was Vatanen who provided the offensive juice for the Ducks (5-1-0), scoring in the first and second periods for his first two-goal game in the NHL. The offensive-minded Finnish defenseman entered the season as a full-time regular for the first time. Vatanen put in his first goal of the early season when he took a slap shot from the point that whizzed by Blues goalie Brian Elliott as rookie William Karlsson provided a screen in front. His second came on an open one-timer off a pass from Getzlaf. With that, Vatanen became the sixth Ducks defenseman to score two power-play goals in game. The other four guys did the work there, Vatanen said. I just put my stick on the ice and the pass came there. It was good that was an empty net so it was easy to put in. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau has reached a complete comfort level with Vatanen on the power play, using him as the only defenseman on the top unit. He s always been able to move the puck and see the ice, Boudreau said. One of the things last year was he never hit the net when he shot the puck. Obviously it s (six) games in and he s hit the net twice. And that s a real big improvement. Matt Beleskey got the Ducks off to a quick start by getting a good bounce off the boards on a pass from Rickard Rakell and ripping a slap shot past Elliott. That was all Andersen needed as he is already entrenching himself as their No. 1 goalie. Andersen said the first shutout was not really too much on my mind. You try to keep focused on the next shot all the time no matter what the score is, the goalie continued. You always don t want to let any goals in but you can t be focused on that before the game starts. Orange County Register: LOADED:

7 Anaheim Ducks Anaheim Ducks play complete game in beating the St. Louis Blues By Elliott Teaford, Daily Breeze Posted: 10/19/14, 10:18 PM PDT Updated: 22 secs ago The Ducks weren t flawless during their 3-0 victory Sunday over the St. Louis Blues. They didn t perform every task correctly or without the slightest hint of uncertainty. They didn t win their fifth in a row without dropping a single bead of sweat on the Honda Center ice. Perfection probably won t happen for the Ducks in this or any other lifetime. But they sure were close to it at the start and at the end of their shutout of the road-weary Blues, who are often capable of so much more than they displayed while playing their third game in four nights. Left wing Matt Beleskey scored the only goal the Ducks would need to win only 1 minute, 37 seconds into the game. Defenseman Sami Vatanen scored twice on the power play. Goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 28 shots and recorded his first NHL shutout in his 33rd career game. Meanwhile, the Blues sure looked sharp in their uniforms. That was about the best thing that could be said about their play after Thursday s 1-0 shootout loss to the Kings at Staples Center and Saturday s 6-1 rout of the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz. This was not their finest moment, and the Ducks took full advantage. We talked about the last game about how we weren t ready off the top, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said of Friday s victory over the Minnesota Wild. The guys took it too heart. They came out in the first period and except for the last minute we played almost a perfect period. Beleskey got the Ducks pointed in the right direction by sending a laser by St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott before many in the non-sellout of 15,687 had time to settle into their seats. It was his fourth goal of the season, one fewer than Corey Perry s team-leading total of five. I don t know if he s better or if he s shooting the puck more, Boudreau said. He s got a great shot. Maybe he believes in his shot now whereas he never believed it in before. He scored some great goals with his shot already this year. I think it catches a lot of people by surprise. Vatanen then put the game out of the reach of the Blues with power-play goals at 17:53 of the first period and 15:37 of the second. His first goal of the season came on a slap shot from the perimeter and the second was on a quick shot off a cross-ice feed from Ryan Getzlaf. Andersen took care of the rest, turning away the Blues repeatedly in the third period, after they began to pressure the Ducks. St. Louis had only four shots on goal in the first period and eight in the second before rallying with 16 in the third. The Blues couldn t score, however. The defense deserves a lot of credit, blocking shots and, in the first two periods, making them go outside and not get any shots through, said Andersen, who improved his career record to with a 2.14 goalsagainst average and a.927 save percentage. LA Daily News: LOADED:

8 Arizona Coyotes Arizona Coyotes still searching for consistent defense Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 3:43 p.m. MST October 19, 2014 A 2-2 homestand to open the season usually wouldn't spark much concern, especially in the Coyotes' case since they were integrating new players into their system and two of their four opponents are regular playoff threats. But what is discouraging is that only one of those games was an actual representation of how the Coyotes want to play. In fact, their most recent example a 6-1 trouncing Saturday by the St. Louis Blues was a far cry from the defensive pillars that are supposed to guide this team. "Early in the season, you got a couple games that have been a little erratic," coach Dave Tippett said. "The LA game I thought we played all right, and this was going to be a big test for us and we just had too many players that couldn't pass the test (Saturday). We'll try to get them up to speed so that hopefully they can pass it in the future." What made the 3-2 overtime win against the Kings a model for the Coyotes is they were able to frustrate the Kings offense by not letting their forwards set up inside the Coyotes blue line. The Kings' offensive-zone time was dramatically cut, resulting in long stretches without even a shot on goal, and that enabled the Coyotes to rack up possession time in the Kings' end. And eventually, all that pressure culminated in goals. But the opposite happened against the Blues. St. Louis went to the power play four times and made the Coyotes pay on each opportunity, even converting on its last one with only three seconds left on the clock. What's more, the Blues goal scorers were unmarked on the second, third and fourth goals. On the Blues second power-play goal, the Coyotes had the chance to clear the zone twice and couldn't execute. "There are going to be mistakes in the game," winger Lauri Korpikoski said. "I think we just don't do a good job backing people up. If there's a mistake, we need to be there for the guy who makes the mistake and help him out. So it's more of a people are maybe just concerned taking our guy, but we gotta go and help. A lot of those mistakes end up in our net right now just little things, but we gotta be better." The loss to the Blues was the second time this season the Coyotes have given up six goals. Following the game, their 4.50 goals-against per game ranked 29th in the league. The last time the Coyotes allowed more than 18 goals through the first four games was when they let in 19. Goalie Mike Smith was only truly culpable for one of the goals against the Blues a five-hole shot on the fifth goal but the sloppy defense in front of him can't be conducive to him finding and maintaining the comfort level he was seeking to find after a 6-2 loss to the Jets in Game 1. Combine those two games with a 7-4 win against the Oilers, and Smith's goals-against average has ballooned to 5.33 while his save percentage sits at.822. "You can't let it slip, and that's how we've been successful here all these years everybody needs to be at their best every game so we have a chance to win the game," Korpikoski said. "That's how it has to be here. We have to get back to that." Arizona Republic LOADED:

9 Arizona Coyotes NHL Insider: Ken Hitchcock taking it year-by-year in St. Louis Sarah McLellan, azcentral sports 12:50 p.m. MST October 19, 2014 Players tend to covet the security of a long-term contracts, and usually coaches feel the same way. But not Blues coach Ken Hitchcock. Despite being the one to spearhead the Blues turnaround (they've made the playoffs ever since Hitchcock took over in 2011 after not advancing five out of the previous six seasons), Hitchcock wants to approach his contract status on a year-to-year basis, although it isn't hard to see why the Blues would want to lock him up longer than that. Hitchcock has the seventh-most wins by a coach in NHL history and with the Blues first win of the season, he became the first coach in league history to tally 125 wins with four teams (Dallas, Philadelphia, Columbus and now St. Louis). "I'm at the stage in my career where the decision to go one year at a time is mine not anybody else's Ken Hitchcock's," Hitchcock told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The reason for that is, I've reached a stage in my career where I don't want to cheat a franchise. The day I don't want to learn and get better, the day I don't want to go back and tweak, the day I just close the books and don't work at it, I don't want to be a coach. "That decision to do it one year at a time is strictly mine. I've told (Blues general manager Doug Armstrong) that I appreciate what the organization has done for me. But when Doug says to (the media), 'Hitch will coach as long as Hitch wants to coach'... well, Hitch wants to do it one year at a time." Scary sight Hurricanes defenseman Andrej Sekera was somewhat surprised he managed to avoid serious injury after crashing into the end boards Tuesday in a game against the Sabres. Sekera was trying to catch up to a two-on-one break by the Sabres when he tripped over goalie Cam Ward and fell face-first into the boards. He left the game, and coach Bill Peters thought Sekera broke his neck. But Sekera only suffered a smattering of bruises. Although he hasn't played since, he could get back on the ice Tuesday against the Jets. "Somebody up there must like me a lot," Sekera told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. "I'm just so happy and fortunate that I only had a couple of bruises and bangs and nothing serious. t felt like I was in the air for a good 15 seconds. Everything was in slo-mo. Thank God nothing serious happened." Music-city madness Although NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has promised to bring an All- Star Game to Arizona, making up for the one that was scheduled for but wiped out because of the lockout, Coyotes fans will have to wait at least a few more years to host the festivities. The league announced Friday that Nashville will hold the 2016 event, and one coach in favor of that decision is current Capitals bench boss and former Predators coach Barry Trotz, who was with the Predators for 15 years before he was fired after last season. "It's not only a great city to host, but they do host a lot of events with the downtown setup of the arena, great facility across the street," Trotz told Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post. "It'll be a lot of fun for the NHL to go there. They're going to be a destination. There's so much talent musically and production and all that in Nashville. I think they'll do an excellent job." Reunion special One of the highlights of the Oilers season so far -- and there aren't many in a start -- was the 30-year reunion of the 1984 Stanley-Cup winning squad. The roster from that year descended on Edmonton Oct.10 to recall memories for that championship season to fans as part of a fundraiser for a local children's hospital. Asked how that team, which included Hall-of-Famers like Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Grant Fuhr, would hold up in today's NHL, Paul Coffey told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, "We'd probably lose the first 10 games we are in our 50s, you know, and we'd have to get in shape. But we'd be just fine after that." Arizona Republic LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Bruins third line has been their best line By Amalie Benjamin Globe Staff October 20, 2014 BUFFALO The connections between the trio could easily be overlooked. They seem to anticipate sometimes, know where their linemates are going, know where they should be. It s a chemistry that is not always simple to attain. But that is why they re together. The line of center Carl Soderberg with wingers Chris Kelly and Loui Eriksson has been the Bruins best this season, needed in the face of injuries and a slow start. They have validated, in every way, coach Claude Julien s decision to keep them together. It s been important, and I think that s why we put them back together when David [Krejci] was injured, Julien said. We felt that we didn t have all the players in place. We put the ones that we thought had some good chemistry in the past together. That was [Patrice Bergeron s] line and then Carl s line. Because of that, they helped us weather the storm a little bit. So it s been hard to break them. The Bruins might not have a solution to their first-line right wing problem, but at least they have a third line that could stand up to any in hockey. After Saturday s 4-0 win over the Sabres, Soderberg and Kelly lead the Bruins with 5 points each. Eriksson has 4. It s probably not something Bruins fans would have predicted this summer, when many were eager to see Kelly s contract subtracted from a team tight against the salary cap. Now, he s proving crucial. I think we ve been playing well, controlling the puck well in the offensive zone, Kelly said Thursday. Obviously, I d like the puck to go in the net a little bit more, but at the end of the night I think the chances are there. And on Saturday, they converted one of them. In fact, of the four Bruins with multiple goals, two are on the third line (Soderberg and Eriksson), with Zdeno Chara and Reilly Smith the others. Asked if he hoped the line would stay together, Kelly said, I think so. I can t speak for the other two. I think the chemistry is there. We work well with one another. We re reading off each other better and better, I find, every game. But things change. It s 82 games and obviously Claude s going to do what he feels is best for the team, not just three individuals. At the moment, keeping that line together is best for the team. It s been the Bruins best line, solid offensively and defensively. Kelly leads the team at plus-4, tied with Kevan Miller. Eriksson is plus-3. Soderberg is even. It s a line that works. In some ways, Soderberg and Kelly have been able to share centering duties, with Soderberg technically in the role. We can play center, both of us, so we kind of change during the shifts, Soderberg said. Kelly has been taking the lion s share of the faceoffs, and adds defensive responsibility. I think it s really important, he said of having two natural centers on the line. I think it s fairly easy for a centerman to go to wing, as opposed to having a winger go to center. But Carl and I communicate well. Both can take faceoffs and both can play in our own end and know the center position well. Some of the impressive play can be attributed to the three having played together last season. Some can be attributed to the chemistry between them. And some can be attributed to the ever-improving Soderberg, who is making a case for himself as a top-six center, as he approaches being an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He has been arguably the team s best center to start the season. I think you can see Carl from when he came over to the end of last year to the [beginning] of this year, how much he s improved, just knowing the North American game, how well he s reading and just understanding the play, Kelly said. Soderberg said he doesn t think he s playing any differently. But whatever the case, he s happy to be playing with Kelly and Eriksson, happy to be helping the team. I enjoy playing with those guys, Soderberg said. I think we are playing pretty good, too. Want to keep that going, maybe score some more goals. The Bruins wouldn t mind that a bit.... The Bruins sent Ryan Spooner and Seth Griffith to Providence on Sunday. The pair had been healthy scratches the last two games... The Bruins were off on Sunday after going 2-1 on their trip. They next play Tuesday night at TD Garden against the Sharks. Boston Globe LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Defensemen drive Bruins shutout of Sabres By Amalie Benjamin Globe staff October 19, 2014 When you come off a road trip, you want to come off with a winning record, Julien said. If we do that every road trip, we re going to be OK. You ve got to start somewhere. I think we know that we struggled out of the gate. But you feel like it s starting to come around. You can see it even in the body language of the players. They re starting to have more fun, and when you have more fun you seem to have better legs and you seem to move the puck better. So that s where we re at right now. You ve just got to hope it continues. Boston Globe LOADED: BUFFALO Reilly Smith parked himself in front of Jhonas Enroth. Smith stood, positioned perfectly, as the pucks came screaming in toward the Buffalo net, once on a wrister from Dougie Hamilton, once on a bomb from Zdeno Chara. Smith didn t get a point on either first-period goal. No tips or deflections. Nothing on the stat sheet. But both goals owed an assist to Smith s positioning. I think that s the credit to the forwards for being in front, said Hamilton, who led the team with 2 points and was a plus-3. Those shots don t go in if they re not there. Well, mine. Maybe Torey [Krug s] and Zee s, they re pretty hard. So we were focusing on getting guys to the front and pucks to the net. Nice to get rewarded from that. It was that dirty work around the net that allowed the Bruins to score three of their four goals from long distance, as they to beat the Sabres, 4-0, at First Niagara Center on Saturday night. They stood in. They took the jostling and the pressure. They converted. It s something that you don t see very often, Chara said, of the three longrange goals. But when you have good traffic and guys are driving to the net and staying in front of the net, it makes it hard on the goalies to see the puck. It creates a lot of good things offensively. That s how I think we scored those three goals. Even the fourth one, we had so much pressure around the net that Carl [Soderberg] was able to basically put it in the empty net. But it s not going to happen if you are not going to have willingness to stay in front. It wasn t the only difference between Saturday night s game and the games that have come previously. The Bruins shored up their defense even as they played most of the game down one defenseman and took advantage of a bad team. But even though their competition wasn t nearly the same as it was in the two games prior (against the Red Wings and Canadiens), the effort and output also wasn t the same. The Bruins didn t make the mental mistakes they had made against Montreal, though they did commit eight penalties, and they combined good defensive play with good net-front presence and good goaltending to yield the first career shutout for Niklas Svedberg (32 saves). We were a lot better defensively, coach Claude Julien said. I think that made a big difference. It gives you an opportunity to go home feeling much better about yourself as a team, knowing that you got 4 out of 6 points [on a three-game road trip] and that our game is starting to come around. And they were better offensively, too. Those three goals from defensemen Hamilton (9:56 of the first), Chara (13:31 of the first), and Krug (11:40 of the second) were followed by a nifty backhand shot by Soderberg, as he flipped the puck past Enroth at 14:48 of the second. So even though there were mistakes, like the penalties that left the Bruins shorthanded for a whopping 13:18 of ice time, there were more than enough signs that the team is coming out of its malaise. It s something that we were not very happy about, Chara said about the six goals given up to the Canadiens on Thursday. We always take a lot of pride in our defensive game, and giving up six goals, it s something that it s not acceptable with this team. Even scoring four goals should be a good thing against a team like Montreal, but giving up six is way too much, way too many mistakes being made. So we wanted to have a really strong game defensively tonight, and I think we did. The win left the Bruins at as they headed home for a day off Sunday. They had better play, better presence, a better approach in the last three games and, finally, appear to be starting to resemble the team that they can be.

12 Boston Bruins Bruins Notebook: Hamilton shows strong side Monday, October 20, 2014 Steve Conroy With the way Dougie Hamilton started the season, one had to worry a bit that the strong training camp the third-year defenseman had was just a mirage. But after a couple of bad games that were mostly plagued by questionable decision-making, Hamilton appears to be once again hitting his stride. On Saturday night in Buffalo, he played the kind of strong two-way game that makes people believe he s destined for a terrific NHL career. Not only did Hamilton score a goal and add an assist for a plus-3, he led the Bruins in ice time (25:21) and played 6:06 on the B s perfect 7-for-7 penalty kill. Buffalo has always been good to him. He scored his first NHL goal there and his parents usually make the easy trek down from Toronto. On Saturday night, he gave them a good show. Dougie always seems to play well here in Buffalo, and at the same time that s what he needs, the confidence, said B s coach Claude Julien. He was good. You could see him coming around a little bit. Again, he had a great camp and he just struggled a little bit out of the gate. It s just a matter of time for guys like him to come around and be the player we know he can be. It was a good example of that tonight, for sure. Hamilton is pleased with the direction of his game. It definitely had a bad start and I think I m playing pretty good right now, said Hamilton. It s nice to have some lucky bounces, some pluses and be on the ice for some goals, and then win obviously. Just to feel like you ve contributed and have your hard work pay off is nice. The Bruins defensive effort all-around was strong. I think we were pretty good, said Hamilton. We didn t really give up any odd-man rushes or anything like that, so that s nice when you can do that. There was a lot of penalty killing, so that s not ideal, but we did a good job. It s just satisfying that we can see our hard work paying off a bit. Hamilton knows that things will get tougher this week when the San Jose Sharks (tomorrow) and the improved New York Islanders (Thursday) come to town. We ve got two tough games coming up, so maybe it s just the team we played today (referring to the truly bad Sabres team), I don t know. We have to prove to ourselves that we can keep going and it s not just a one-time thing. We have to keep playing hard and keep producing. Bully on backup Through two-plus games, the reviews on new backup goalie Niklas Svedberg are largely good. The first goal he allowed against Colorado last week was a bad one and his rebound control can be a little iffy, but otherwise he s given the B s a chance to win. He s been good, said Julien. He came in the other night cold (at Montreal last Thursday) and had to make some saves and he played well. I m pretty happy with the way he s handled himself. In that first game that he lost, he was really good as well. It was tough to give up that goal with half a second left and we know it wasn t his fault. I ve been pretty happy. We ve been fortunate to have a good goalie in Tuukka (Rask) and everybody that seems to come in (as backup) continues to do the job, so that s great. Suddenly thin on D Is it still a good idea to not have an enforcer on your team? After Saturday night, you have to wonder. Now there s no denying that the NHL is going away from fighting, but it s not quite there yet. And now it looks like the B s could be without defenseman Kevan Miller for a while with an apparent shoulder injury, though no prognosis has been given yet. Miller got into a tussle with the Sabres Nicolas Deslauriers and hurt himself when he crashed to the ice on top of Deslauriers. After trading Johnny Boychuk and now possibly without Miller for a bit, the Bruins no longer look quite so deep on defense.... Oh, and the notion that you could just throw anybody on the fourth line and they d get the job done? After training camp and two weeks of regularseason game, yet the Bruins still haven t found the right mix. The B s tried Matt Fraser with Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille and the line didn t have much of an impact. Fraser, however, played well enough in camp to give that trio a little time to grow.... The Bruins yesterday sent down Seth Griffith and Ryan Spooner to Providence of the AHL. Though Griffith was scratched Saturday, Julien spoke highly of him, conceding that playing him with David Krejci and Milan Lucic, who see top lines and defensive pairings, might have been just a little too much to ask from a player making his NHL debut. Spooner, meanwhile, was scratched the last two games after Gregory Campbell came off injured reserve. Boston Herald LOADED:

13 Boston Bruins Bruins send Spooner, Griffith to Providence Sunday, October 19, 2014 Steve Conroy The Bruins sent forwards Seth Griffith and Ryan Spooner to Providence today. Spooner had played five games for the Bruins while Griffith had skated in three. Neither had tallied a point. Though Griffith was scratched on Saturday, Julien spoke highly of him, conceding that playing him with David Krejci and Milan Lucic, who see top lines and defensive pairings, might have been just a little too much to ask of player making his NHL debut. Spooner, meanwhile, was scratched the last two games after Gregory Campbell came off the IR. Boston Herald LOADED:

14 Boston Bruins What we learned: Bruins 4, Sabres 0 shame that Gorges gutty play is getting wasted on a Buffalo team going absolutely nowhere. Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: Joe Haggerty October 19, 2014, 11:00 pm Here s What We Learned from the B s 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres at the First Niagara Center on Saturday night: 1) The Bruins took four out of six points on the three game road trip, and they should feel good about that. But it appears that anybody can kick the tar out of the pathetic Buffalo Sabres right now. The Bruins are the only team that s lost to a Colorado Avalanche team that s otherwise looked awful this season and they barely beat a bad Flyers team on opening night as well. Their win over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday is probably their best win of the season, but they still managed to only score two goals in a game they thoroughly dominated. So all is not completely well after administering a butt-kicking of the Buffalo Sabres, and the Bruins have a much bigger test coming up in the next few weeks: they ll face the Sharks, Islanders and Wild in three of their next four games. But at least they ve started making positive steps, and taking care of business against the teams they need to whoop. 2) Dougie Hamilton enjoys playing in Buffalo. He joked that it was about having his parents in the stands when asked about it following the game, but his two points on Saturday night gives him three goals and a pair of assists in six career games at the First Niagara Center along with a plus-6 rating. He also scored his first career NHL goal there two seasons ago, and genuinely appears to be in his happy place so close to his junior hockey home with the Niagara IceDogs, and to his family and friends in Toronto. 3) The Bruins offense is much more functional at this point when the forwards pay the price, and get a little dirty around the net. The Bruins are going to have to work and grind their way to goals until they find a permanent solution on that top line right wing, and that means offense spread around the roster. The B s defensemen scored three goals in the win over the Sabres, and the first two were keyed by Reilly Smith screening Buffalo goaltender Jhonas Enroth. David Krejci did the same for Torey Krug s goal in the second period, and the Swede Emotion Line goal to cap things off was all about Carl Soderberg, Loui Eriksson and Chris Kelly all paying the price around the net. The Bruins are going to have to do it the old-fashioned way if they want to produce offense with a shortage of playmakers: they re going to have to earn it. Plus * Dougie Hamilton: Two points, a team-high 25:21 of ice time, five generated shot attempts and a pair of blocked shots showcased what the 21-year-old defenseman can do for the first time this season. Hopefully kicking around the Sabres puts Hamilton on a long stretch of quality play where he can help lift the B s defense. * Thirty two saves for Niklas Svedberg, including 16 stops in the first period with the game in question, led to his first NHL shutout, and another piece of evidence that the 25-year-old Swede can handle the understudy role. * Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly now lead the Bruins in scoring with five points apiece, and the Swede Emotion Line has been the most impressive trio for the Black and Gold through the first seven games of the season. Who would have guessed that prior to the season starting? Minus * Just as the Bruins were starting to piece things together defensively, it looks like they ll be missing Kevan Miller for the near future with an upper body injury after crashing to the ice after his first period fight. Credit the B s for manning up with five defensemen for 50 plus minutes vs. the Sabres, and now the depth will be tested with Matt Bartkowski entering the lineup. * It s really too bad that Matt Fraser didn t get more than 6:45 of ice time in a blowout win over the Sabres while drawing back in on the fourth line. An otherwise meaningless goal in a game like Saturday night could be exactly what he needs to get himself going. * Josh Gorges blocked eight shots for the Sabres in defeat. I m not placing a minus on the effort or his performance. Quite the contrary: it s a damned