CAROLINA HURRICANES. NEWS CLIPPINGS Nov. 15, Hurricanes find goals from a badly needed source

Transcription

1 Hurricanes find goals from a badly needed source By Chip Alexander calexander@newsobserver.com November 13, :29 PM Teuvo Teravainen was in for an NHL first Monday, returning to the Carolina Hurricanes locker room after a game to find a pile of hats in his stall. The new collection came courtesy of his first NHL hat trick, his three goals powering the Canes to a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars. The hats hit the ice in the third period as Teravainen ripped one, two, then a third shot past goalie Ben Bishop. On a night when Finland s Teemu Selanne was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Teravainen shined. He also found it fitting that a fellow Finn, Sebastian Aho, scored his first goal of the season in the Canes victory. Of course he s big in Finland and everyone my age has always looked up to him, Teravainen said of Selanne. He s one of the idols of many people in Finland. Everyone likes him. Now in his second season with the Canes, Teravainen, 23, has shown flashes of his skill and potential. There were games last season when the forward was invisible offensively, then others when his speed, puck-handling and a deceptively quick release on his shot made him a threat. But nothing like Monday. Teravainen assisted on Aho s goal in the first period, a relieved Aho letting out a scream after scoring. But it was a 1-1 game entering the third, the Stars having tied the score on a power-play goal by Alexander Radulov in the second. In third, Teravainen let a shot fly from the left wing as Elias Lindholm screened Bishop on the power play. Goal. A little more than four minutes later, Teravainen let one go from the right wing, the puck glancing off the stick of Dallas defenseman John Klingsberg and past Bishop. Later, strong forechecking by center Jordan Staal and Aho along the wall resulted in Teravainen getting an open shot from the slot. He didn t miss and the ice was peppered with hats, Teravainen later saying it was his first natural hat trick since his junior hockey days. He was on fire today, Aho said. After the game, Teravainen said, I m more like passer; I m not a goal scorer. In his mind, he s naturally suited at center, as a setup man, not on the wing. But the Hurricanes (7-5-4) are a team in need of scoring from someone other than Jeff Skinner, who managed to get a fifth puck past Bishop in the final seconds for his ninth of the season. Aho had 24 goals last season after not scoring in the first 13 games as a rookie, and Canes coach Bill Peters believes Aho can do that again now that he s broken through and gotten the first one. The guys were happy for him, Peters said. That thing went in and I don t know who was happier, more collectively on the bench or himself. But he s been playing well, and you knew it was going to come and hopefully everything now returns to normal. Peters has been tinkering with the lines, looking to find the right balance and consistency. Having Staal with the two Finns might be able to produce a solid scoring line Staal s four assists Monday were a career high. The Chicago Blackhawks made Teravainen a first-round draft pick 2012, and he was a valuable part of the Blackhawks 2015 Stanley Cup championship. Salary-cap issues forced Chicago to part with Teravainen in June 2016 as the Canes obtained Teravainen and forward forward Bryan Bickell in exchange for draft picks. Teravainen had career highs in games (81), goals (15) and assists (27) in He signed a two-year contract extension in the offseason that pays him $2.86 million this season and in The Canes are expecting more from him this season. Monday s game will only add to those expectations. He should attack the net more because he has the ability and the skill set to do that, and the skating ability, Peters said. He should be a little more, I wouldn t say selfish, but a little more attack the net, shooter s mentality. Read more here:

2 Teravainen s natural hat trick blasts Hurricanes past Stars Aho gets first goal of the season as top line totals 11 points November 14, 2017 Cory Lavalette RALEIGH If there was ever a good omen, it came just eight minutes into the Hurricanes home game Monday at PNC Arena when struggling Sebastian Aho scored for the first time this season. From there, he let countryman Teuvo Teravainen take over. Teravainen had four points, including a natural hat trick in the third period, to bust open a tie game in Carolina s 5-1 over the Dallas Stars in front of 7,968 at PNC Arena. The first came with the game tied 1-1 in the third period and Carolina s near-death power play on its fourth opportunity of the night after seeing two of the previous three washed away by penalties. It s been a struggle with the power play lately, we haven t scored that many goals, Teravainen said. But we ve been talking about shooting more pucks and being around the net. On the left point, Teravainen did exactly that, firing a shot while an in-front-of-the-net Elias Lindholm took away Ben Bishop s sight line and the puck went over the goalie s left shoulder for a 2-1 lead at 2:39 of the third. That s just a byproduct of guys wanting to do too much, right? Peters said of the two earlier power plays that were wiped out by penalties on Lindholm and Justin Williams. They want to do too much. Now that we ve scored on it we can build on moving forward. It was the Hurricanes first power play goal since Oct. 29, snapping a five-game drought and giving Carolina (7-5-4) just its second power play goal in the last 11 games after it started the season with five in its first five games. It s been frustrating, all throughout the room, said Jordan Staal, who finished with a career-high four assists on the night. It s nice to see us get rewarded with just a simple shot with a great screen. We ll continue to work like we have to get a better PP. Teravainen s second goal, just over four minutes later, was another shot from far out that hit Dallas defenseman John Klingberg s stick and deflected past Bishop (23 saves) for a 3-1 lead. At 9:44, Teravainen one-timed a pass from Staal in the slot that beat Bishop and sunk the Stars (9-8-0), giving the 23-year-old forward his first career hat trick. An early Stars power play opportunity and some sloppy play by Carolina had visiting Dallas with a 7-1 shot advantage and the Hurricanes scrambling to survive. However, just like the Hurricanes have been searching for consistency, Aho had been looking for the back of the net. The sophomore Finn who scored 24 times last season got his first goal of the year in his 16th game at 8:07 of the first period, finishing off a 2-on-1 feed from Staal to give Carolina an early lead. I tried to be positive and just go and make plays, just not think about it too much, Aho said of his goal drought, which nearly mirrored his start last season when he didn t score until his 14th game. I know it was coming and I m glad it happened then. The play was started in Carolina end when Teravainen poked a loose puck past Klingberg to spring Staal and Aho. The one man back, Esa Lindell, lost his edge and slid toward Staal s feet, leading the co-captain to feather the puck to a streaking Aho. Aho opened up Bishop s pads with a deke and slid the puck in. That thing went in and, you know, I don t know who s happier more collectively as a group on the bench or himself, Peters said. He s been playing well and he knew it was going to come. The line with Staal centering Aho and Tervainen finished with 11 points the same total it had when Aho got his first career goal against Washington last season in a three-point night. It was an exciting moment, Teravainen said of Aho s goal. He scored a goal finally, and last year was the same thing he didn t score in a lot of games at the start. It s good for him and hopefully he ll get more now. Carolina appeared to jump out to a two-goal lead early in the second when Brock McGinn, who had scored in three straight games, for the second straight game beat a goalie with a backhand on the rush. The horn went off, but review showed the puck hit both posts and did not go in. Four minutes later, the Stars evened things on the power play. After Williams was called hooking while Carolina was on the power play the second time in the first half of the game the Hurricanes had a man advantage erased by a penalty Alexander Radulov fired a Tyler Seguin feed past Carolina

3 goalie Scott Darling (25 saves) to tie it 1-1 at 8:44 of the second. But that was all the offense the Stars would muster. Jeff Skinner closed the scoring with just 2.6 seconds left, getting his ninth goal and second in as many games to produce the final margin. The win gave the Hurricanes points in five straight (3-0-2) and helped shake off Saturday overtime loss where they blew a two-goal lead in the final period. You only have a short-term memory with the bad stuff; the good stuff you remember and keep it rolling, keep the confidence going, Darling said. Stars coach Ken Hitchcock had a different point of view. I don t want to put it behind us, a disappointed Hitchcock said. I want us to remember this and I was us to grow from it. Notes: Radulov extended his point streak to eight games with his goal. Staal lost all six faceoffs he took in the first period, but won 10 of 16 in the final two frames. Haydn Fleury s 19:47 of ice time Monday was the most he s had in a regulation game in his career. Josh Jooris was credited with a team-high five hits. Klingberg, Lindell, Seguin and Radulov were all minus-3 on the night. Statrs defenseman Stephen Johns had a game-high eight hits, but was called for an illegal check to the head 51 seconds into the third period, leading to Carolina s game-winning power play goal. Breaking Down Teravainen's Hat Trick Inside the plays that led to Teravainen's first-career hat trick by Michael / CarolinaHurricanes.com November 14th, 2017 Teuvo Teravainen was rushed by a bevy of cameras and microphones and recorders and phones and maybe even a notepad or two after the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Dallas Stars 5-1 on Monday. That much wasn't all that unusual, especially after a big win at home. What was a first - all of the hats that surrounded Teravainen in his stall, scooped off the ice and delivered to the player whose first-career hat trick lifted the Hurricanes to victory. "It's a good collection," he said with a smile. It took Teravainen just seven minutes and five seconds to net three straight goals, his fourth, fifth and sixth of the season, and he became the first Hurricane to record a natural hat trick since Eric Staal did so in December Let's break down each of the three goals from the Finn affectionately known as "Turbo." First Goal: Teravainen (4) from Staal (5) and Aho (9) at 2:39 of the third period (PPG) On the Hurricanes' fourth and final power play of the game, the puck worked its way down low, where Sebastian Aho won a 2-on-1 battle. Jordan Staal supported and grabbed the puck as it squirted free. Staal brought it out from below the goal line and fired it over to Teravainen near the left point. Teravainen walked with it, giving Elias Lindholm time to slide in front of Ben Bishop, and then ripped a slap shot that eluded Bishop's sweeping glove. "We've been talking about shooting more. Lindy was making a good screen, and the goalie couldn't see the puck. I just tried to get it to the net, and luckily it went in," Teravainen said after the game. "Shoot some pucks, get some rebounds, get some action." "That was a real good screen," head coach Bill Peters said. "Lindy was in his eyes." The traffic in front of the net was the key to the Hurricanes scoring their first power play goal in six games. "It's been frustrating all throughout the room," Staal said. "It's nice to see us get rewarded with a simple shot with a great screen." Second Goal: Teravainen (5) from Slavin (3) and Staal (6) at 6:51 of the third period This play started with a defensive zone faceoff win off the stick of Staal. The puck slid to the near corner, where Jaccob Slavin retrieved it, looked up and found Teravainen scooting out of the zone. Slavin flipped the puck up in the air, where Teravainen batted it down and settled it onto his tape in the neutral zone. Staal joined the rush and made a beeline to the net while Teravainen walked with the puck atop the far faceoff circle. John Klingberg shadowed Staal as the two crossed in front of Bishop, and that's when Teravainen let a wrist shot go that deflected off Klingberg's stick and in.

4 "I wouldn't say it's a set play to necessarily put it on his tape like that or have him bat it down like he did, but it's just a play for us as a defensive zone start just to get the puck out of the zone," Slavin said. "We executed pretty good," Teravainen said. "We just tried to get it out of the zone. Slavo made a good flip right on my tape. I saw Jordo going to the net, so I just tried to shoot there and see what happened." "My job was to flip it out," Slavin said. "He did the rest." Primary and secondary assists off a defensive-zone faceoff win - that's a good night. "I'll take it," Slavin said with a smile. Third Goal: Teravainen (6) from Staal (7) and Aho (10) at 9:44 of the third period The Aho-Staal-Teravainen line was doing work all game and especially in the third period, and this shift typified their grinding, dominant effort. Dallas was trying to break the puck out of their own zone, but they were swallowed up by the forechecking pressure of Staal and Aho. Aho shoved Klingberg off the puck below the goal line. Staal handled it along the near boards, but Tyler Seguin gained control of the puck - until Aho smacked it off his stick back to Staal, who fought off both Seguin and Mattias Janmark to find Teravainen streaking in between the circles for the one-timer. Goal. Hat trick. "It was a great forecheck by Seabass, who's continually pestering guys. They were trying to make little plays like we do coming out of the zone, and it just didn't work out for them. We continued to press on them, and we got a quick bounce," Staal said. "I actually heard Turbo, so he said some words out there, and he was open. Great release and shot. It was a lot of good things that happened on that one shift." "I was just coming from the bench. They won the puck battle in the corner. I was just coming into the zone, so it was good timing. Jordo got the puck, and I shot it," Teravainen said. "I just felt hot right there." Hurricanes Prospect Corner: Go West, Young Men The West is best for Canes prospects, Martin Necas advances in the Champions League and more. by kleblanchockey@kleblanchockey Nov 14, 2017, 2:44pm EST Prospect Corner is our regular look at the Carolina Hurricanes of the future, checking in on prospects in juniors, college and in Europe. Canes WHL prospects making waves Each prospect group is different, and after having the majority of their pipeline playing in eastern Canada in the OHL and QMJHL over the past few years, the emphasis has shifted west to the WHL. If you have the ability to do so, on any given night you can likely see a Canes prospect in action in the Western League, with five players sprinkled across five teams. Forwards Hudson Elynuik, Stelio Mattheos and Morgan Geekie all find themselves in the WHL s Top 50 scorers with Elynuik leading the way in 14th with 11 goals and 16 assists. Jake Bean ranks among the league s top 20 blueliners in scoring despite playing the least amount of games of the group, and Brendan De Jong is continuing on a similar pace to a season ago when he posted 23 points in 72 games. Cotton, Boston College s slow start turning around A season ago, David Cotton was one of just five Boston College Eagles with double digit goals. He did so as a freshman, in an impressive NCAA debut season from the former sixth rounder. This year, the goals haven t been going in, but it seems to be a team-wide epidemic rather than a personal one. After averaging 3.3 goals-per-game a season ago, BC has struggled to score early this season, with just 28 goals in their first 12 games (2.33 G/PG). As a team, the Eagles are shooting just 7.5% in , although with the shift to conference play that number has improved recently to nearly 9%. This past weekend, the team scored nine times in a two-game sweep of Vermont, so there is some indication that BC may be pulling out of their goal scoring slump. As they continue to improve, don t be surprised to see Cotton return to his clutch goal scoring ways from his freshman campaign. Jack Lafontaine, starter? For the last two seasons, Jack LaFontaine has split time in the Michigan crease. The sophomore played in just 11 games as a freshman, and to start this season had been sharing a game-per-series with fellow second year netminder Hayden Lavigne. However, that changed this weekend. In a pivotal two-game tilt with the seventh-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, LaFontaine started both contests, albeit with mixed results. On Friday, the Canes third rounder from 2016 got the win in a 5-4 OT victory, making 27 saves on 31

5 shots which brought his record to 4-1 on the season. Saturday did not go nearly as well, as LaFontaine was lifted after the first period giving up three goals on nine shots. The #17-ranked Wolverines are at Wisconsin this weekend, so it will be interesting to see if he continues to get the majority of the playing time or if head coach Mel Pearson goes back to his goaltending timeshare moving forward. Kometa Brno makes Champions League Quarterfinals After winning 5-2 in Zug, Kometa Brno has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League in Europe, and the event could provide Martin Necas valuable experience over the next month. The quarterfinal games are set to begin on December 5th, with the return leg a week later. Necas has not played in a CL game yet, but does have three points in three games in Czech league play. Fellow 2017 draftee Eetu Luostarinen s club KalPa lost out in the group stage, with the second rounder posting three points in six games. Under-25 Core Rankings: Which teams are set up best for the future? Today November 14, 2017 is a very important day. It s the day I turn 25, the day I would ve statistically peaked as an NHLer, you know, if I ever made it. Only the complete lack of talent and determination stopped me from achieving the dream that I, and nearly every other young Canadian boy had. It s a soul-crushing day to realize you ve basically become NHL Old. Okay, that s not exactly fair, 25 isn t NHL Old but it s usually about the time when players have their best seasons. There are of course exceptions, not everyone ages the same, like Brad Marchand and Joe Pavelski breaking out closer to 30 or Jaromir Jagr being immortal, but it s still a general rule that 25 is the peak of your hockey existence. (I guess it s a good thing I didn t make it considering the peak age of my actual career seems to be much higher judging by most of my very old colleagues). That wasn t always the general rule. The old-school thinking was players peaked around 30 (hence some hideous past contracts), but recent-ish studies found it was much closer to 25 instead and that fact has become more generally accepted of late. Now, that doesn t mean players hit a cliff at 26, obviously, it s simply a plateau that trends into a gradual decline and again, it doesn t apply the same to everyone. To commemorate what would likely be the peak of my NHL existence, I ve created a ranking for each team based on the players they currently have on the right side of the age curve, the side I m no longer on. It s a ranking of each team s core players under 25 and it s merely a fun exercise to see which teams are set up best for the future based on the NHL talent they currently have. It may be the last fun thing I do as I ve been told that concept ends at this age. Everyone loves and hates rankings, so here are some brief notes about how each team was ranked, to make sure any future hateful comments are properly informed. The ranking is algorithmically based using the same model we use for our daily projections and is not a subjective list. That s not to say a model is completely objective and perfect, it simply means that it is not guided by my personal beliefs. Only players currently in the NHL were included, ie. no prospects. Core players are treated much more liberally than one might suspect and were defined as any player the model viewed as a top nine forward, top four defenseman or starting goalie, with some exceptions made for high pedigree players that are being used that way that haven t reached that height. Teams were ranked on total value, so a team with more players may rank higher than a team with fewer, but better players. Players have to be under 25 as of today, my birthday. Sorry, Adam two days older than me Larsson. The numbers beside each player s name is their current age, projected win rate (which is ageadjusted), and average Game Score this season. Here we go: 1. Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid, 20, +4.7, 1.31 Leon Draisaitl, 21, +2.5, 1.13 Oscar Klefbom, 24, +2.1, 0.55 Jesse Puljujarvi, 19, +1.2 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 24, +0.8, 0.77 Darnell Nurse, 22, +0.6, 0.76 Ryan Strome, 24, +0.3, 0.39 Of course the team in first is the team with the league s best and brightest player, Connor McDavid. He s not the only reason to be excited as the Oilers have seven important under-25 players, including budding superstar Leon Draisaitl and top tier defender (despite his struggles this season) Oscar Klefbom. The other four still have some growing to do, but Darnell Nurse is getting there this year with a lethal 60 per cent Corsi and the 14th best Game Score among defenders. Jesse Puljujarvi is finally up with the team and his first two games were solid. The two Ryan s are the oldest here and arguably the weakest (though Ryan Nugent- Hopkins has been much better this year), but they still add to an excellent foundation the Oilers have laid out. Things haven t gone well this season, but there are very bright times ahead for this group. 2. Columbus Blue Jackets

6 Zach Werenski, 21, +3.0, 1.00 Seth Jones, 23, +2.2, 1.01 Oliver Bjorkstrand, 22, +1.5, 0.70 Boone Jenner, 24, +1.3, 0.50 Alex Wennberg, 22, +1.2, 0.69 Josh Anderson, 23, +1.1, 0.78 Sonny Milano, 20, +0.7, 0.55 Pierre Luc-Dubiois, 19, +0.7, 0.44 The Blue Jackets have one of the best top D pairs in hockey and their average age is 21. That s a scary thought for the rest of the league. When Zach Werenski and Seth Jones are on the ice together, they control 56.7 per cent of the shot attempts and 66.2 per cent of the goals at 5-on-5. Not bad for two kids playing a position many players their age wouldn t normally be trusted in. They re getting a lot more trust than most defenders their age do as they're getting the tough minutes this year (and crushing them). After them, the team has six forwards under 25, all of whom are solid contributors giving them a lot of depth for years to come. The eight core players under 25 is the most of any team. 3. Florida Panthers Aleksander Barkov, 22, +3.3, 1.15 Jonathan Huberdeau, 24, +3.0, 1.31 Vincent Trocheck, 24, +2.5, 0.80 Aaron Ekblad, 21, +1.9, 0.63 Mike Matheson, 23, +0.6, 0.08 Don t be fooled by how awful the rest of the Panthers team is, their young stars are awesome. Aleksander Barkov is seriously one of the league s best centres and forms an incredible 1-2 punch with Jonathan Huberdeau who's having a great season himself. Adding Evgeny Dadonov to their wing has made them even better. Vincent Trocheck is super underrated and is playing at a point-per-game pace so far. Aaron Ekblad looked like he was slipping last season, but he s been a force this year and showing he can, in fact, be the No. 1 defenceman he was destined to be. Mike Matheson on the other hand has been awful after signing a large contract he probably didn t deserve yet. Based on how he played last year he should bounce back. Now if only the Panthers didn t give away some of their other good players during the off-season. 4. Winnipeg Jets Mark Scheifele, 24, +2.9, 1.01 Patrik Laine, 19, +2.3, 0.83 Nikolaj Ehlers, 21, +2.0, 0.76 Jacob Trouba, 23, +1.7, 0.37 Josh Morrissey, 22, +0.9,0.17 Kyle Connor, 20, +0.6, 0.51 Connor Hellebuyck, 24, +0.4 One of the league s most exciting young teams that could never put it together looks like they re finally putting it together. Mark Scheifele is torching the league, Patrik Laine is heating up with goals in five straight, Nikolaj Ehlers is on a 41-goal pace and Connor Hellebuyck is finally realizing his starter potential. They ve all been a big reason for the Jets hot start. Jacob Trouba and Josh Morrissey are very good guys on the backend, but both have struggled a bit after being tasked with shutdown minutes. Kyle Connor started the season in the AHL, but injuries brought him up and he s played well on the top line. If he blows up too, the Jets have serious dark horse potential with all the talent they have. 5. Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews, 20, +3.4, 1.36 William Nylander, 21, +2.4, 0.86 Morgan Rielly, 23, +1.9, 0.89 Mitch Marner, 20, +1.5, 0.65 Connor Brown, 23, +0.8, 0.43 Auston Matthews is already one of the league s best players in his second season and is doing it with a lot less ice-time than his contemporaries (and I m not sure why he doesn t get it either). The Leafs are 3-0 without him, but they haven t looked nearly as good in those games and his absence has been noteworthy. William Nylander is his running mate and the two are electric together, while the third member of The Big Three, Mitch Marner, has slumped a bit this season. Connor Brown, last year s forgotten Leaf rookie who scored 20 goals, is a versatile forward that gives them solid depth up front. Morgan Rielly rounds out the list and he s emerged as a legit No. 1 defender this season. Good thing too, because the Leafs badly needed one of those. 6. Carolina Hurricanes Sebastian Aho, 20, +2.2, 0.83 Jaccob Slavin, 23, +1.8, 0.55 Teuvo Teravainen, 23, +1.6, 0.79 Brett Pesce, 22, +1.5, 0.45 Elias Lindholm, 22, +1.4, 0.63 Noah Hanifin, 20, +0.8, 0.85 Victor Rask, 24, +0.7, 0.52 No other defenders this season face tougher competition on a nightly basis than Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce and they re still managing an above breakeven Corsi percentage. They re the league s best shutdown pair and they re only 23 and 22, respectively. Defence is no longer a veteran s game. It s allowed Noah Hanifin to thrive too as he s playing the best NHL hockey of his short career, giving the Hurricanes one of the league s best top fours. The talent up front isn t as dazzling yet, especially given Sebastian Aho s cold start production-wise, but they'll get there and Teuvo Teravainen's hat trick Monday night was a good start. They ve got some seriously underrated young forwards and with their defence group they're definitely a team to watch going forward. 7. Calgary Flames Matthew Tkachuk, 19, +3.0, 1.00 Dougie Hamilton, 24, +2.9, 0.85 Johnny Gaudreau, 24, +2.3, 1.28 Sean Monahan, 22, +1.7, 1.01 Sam Bennett, 21, -0.1, 0.00 The Flames have some very exciting young talent that make them a sneaky good team that s primed to climb up the standings. Matthew Tkachuk is an even bigger force this season with an uptick in production and somehow even more dominant possession numbers to boot. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have struggled in recent years at 5-on-5, but have found their way this season and are filling the net big time in the process. Gaudreau has looked like one of the league s best players early in the season. That s a terrific forward trio that ll be the envy of the league sooner rather

7 than later. Dougie Hamilton is the lone defender here, but he s once again making sure the Flames are on the right end of the ice more often than not with a monstrous 58 per cent Corsi, tops among the team s defenders, while playing the tough minutes. Now just imagine if he got a bit more ice time and Sam Bennett remembered what made him a fourth overall pick then they ll be cooking. 8. Tampa Bay Lightning Nikita Kucherov, 24, +4.5, 1.66 Brayden Point, 21, +1.6, 0.90 Vladislav Namestnikov, 24, +1.6, 1.06 Mikhail Sergachev, 19, +1.5, 0.72 Andrei Vasilevskiy, 23, +1.2 Despite starting the season with 30 points in 18 games and 66 points in his last 41 games (anyone remember Crosby's stat line by any chance ), I still don t think Nikita Kucherov gets the respect he deserves. And I m talking, there s probably only one forward better than him right now (apologies to Mr. Crosby and Mr. Kucherov s linemate) type of respect. He s been insanely good and probably doesn t get enough credit for it. He s leading the league in Game Score so far and is only behind McDavid in terms of total value by my model. The Lightning are flush with young stars and they re doing a lot of the leg work in this early season run. Brayden Point is just under a point-per-game, Mikhail Sergachev has been phenomenal, and Andrei Vasilevskiy is becoming the goalie everyone thought he would be. The Lightning are terrifying right now and they ll be terrifying for years to come thanks to this quintet. 9. Anaheim Ducks Hampus Lindholm, 23, +2.4, 0.82 Rickard Rakell, 24, +2.2, 0.65 John Gibson, 24, +1.8 Brandon Montour, 23, +1.0, 0.53 Ondrej Kase, 21, +1.0, 0.75 Nick Ritchie, 21, +0.6, 0.21 The Ducks are an old team, but they ve got some young stars on the come up. Hampus Lindholm is the best of the bunch and with Cam Fowler sidelined, he s finally being given the top defender role he deserves and has performed remarkably with the best relative Corsi numbers of his career while playing tough competition every night. Rickard Rakell has been pushed into the limelight too with Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler out and while his two-way game has hurt, he s putting up big point totals. John Gibson (who was mistakenly omitted previously) is one of the best young goalies in the world and pushes this team into the top 10. The rest provide the Ducks with some solid complimentary pieces who are still young enough to blossom into something more, though they need a bit more from Nick Ritchie who has just four points in 14 games this season. 10. Colorado Avalanche Nathan MacKinnon, 22, +2.0, 0.70 Gabriel Landeskog, 24, +1.5, 0.65 Alex Kerfoot, 23, +1.4, 0.66 Mikko Rantanen, 20, +1.1, 0.69 Sven Andrighetto, 24, +1.1, 0.49 Samuel Girard, , 0.44 With a hot start, the future in Colorado looks a little brighter than it did last season, though it likely won t last much longer given their affinity for playing in their own end. It helps that the team is actually scoring these days and the forwards look decent for a change. Nathan MacKinnon is flirting with a point-per-game pace and Gabriel Landeskog has bounced back, too. Mikko Rantanen has looked great, Sven Andrighetto was a savvy pickup last season and Alex Kerfoot has been a revelation this year. Adding Samuel Girard to the backend in the Matt Duchene trade looks like it should bode well for the future. 11. Boston Bruins David Pastrnak, 21, +4.1, 1.14 Charlie McAvoy, 19, +1.2, 0.58 Anders Bjork, 21, +0.9, 0.57 Jake DeBrusk, 20, +0.7, 0.38 Brandon Carlo, 20, +0.2, 0.30 The Bruins probably have no business being near a top 10 for young talent, but David Pastrnak is so good he drags them there. Maybe it s who he plays with, sure, but he s one of the game s premier young talents and can threaten a point-per-game at age 21 while maintaining a pretty good two-way game. Charlie McAvoy looks like he can be pretty special too and those two will be the future of the Bruins. Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk made their Bruins debuts this season and have looked like adequate players, while Brandon Carlo is still struggling a bit as a top four defenseman. 12. Philadelphia Flyers Sean Couturier, 24, +2.2, 1.28 Shayne Gostisbehere, 24, +1.9, 0.81 Ivan Provorov, 20, +1.4, 0.45 Travis Konecny, 20, +0.8, 0.31 Nolan Patrick, 19, +0.6, 0.30 Sean Couturier is having a terrific start to the season and is playing like an elite No. 1 centre. He s arguably the Flyers best player thanks to his newfound production while still maintaining his defensive excellence. Recent top draft picks Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick haven t been very strong yet, but carry a lot of promise. Patrick s possession numbers look especially troubling and it s likely it ll be a while before he finds his NHL game. Ivan Provorov has found his quickly and he forms a solid foundation on defence with Shayne Gostisbehere who is proving last year was just a sophomore slump. 13. Nashville Predators Flip Forsberg, 23, +2.7, 1.01 Viktor Arvidsson, 24, +2.7, 0.87 Kevin Fiala, 21, +1.1, 0.42 Only three players, but they re three pretty good ones. Filip Forsberg is an elite winger and Viktor Arvidsson isn t far behind. They form the foundation of what should be another Cup contending team, especially with the arrival of Kyle Turris to spread out some offence from the loaded top line. Kevin Fiala needs to take the next step for them to get there

8 though and that starts with shooting the puck more his shot rate has been nearly cut in half from last season. 14. New York Rangers Pavel Buchnevich, 22, +1.9, 0.89 Mike Zibanejad, 24, +1.8, 1.00 J.T. Miller, 24, +1.3, 0.63 Brady Skjei, 23, +1.3, 0.31 An interesting spot for the Rangers to be in as they re not usually known for their youth, but the emergence of Pavel Buchnevich has been a big part of that. He s seen a bigger role this season and has made it count with 15 points in 18 games. Ditto for Mika Zibanejad who s now the de factor No. 1 centre since Derek Stepan s departure and has been amazing in the role. His plus-six per cent relative Corsi is the best mark of his career and tops among Rangers forwards. J.T. Miller and Brady Skjei are decent as well, though Skjei has taken a bit of a step back this season. 15. Montreal Canadiens Jonathan Drouin, 22, +1.7, 0.78 Phillip Danault, 24, +1.5, 0.72 Artturi Lehkonen, 22, +1.4, 0.58 Alex Galchenyuk, 23, +1.0, 0.43 Charles Hudon, 23, +0.9, 0.58 All offence here as there s not a defender in sight, though Victor Mete deserves consideration. Jonathan Drouin was brought in to be the No. 1 centre and he s been pretty good at it, though there s a lot of room to grow. The Habs have a lot of good young players highlighted by Drouin, but no truly great ones. Phillip Danault is quietly decent (and I bet the Hawks really regret that move) while Artturi Lehkonen and Charles Hudon are scoring chance machines. Alex Galchenyuk is dropping in value by the week though and has had a nightmare start to the season with just six points in 18 games and more than enough struggles in his own end. 16. New Jersey Devils Nico Hischier, 18, +1.6, 0.66 Jesper Bratt, 19, +1.6, 0.65 Damon Severson, 23, +1.1, 0.44 Will Butcher, 22, +1.0, 0.57 Pavel Zacha, 20, +0.0, 0.14 The Devils were a team that was low on rising young skill aside from their first overall pick last season, but the emergence of Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher changed that this season and they ve been sensational so far. Nico Hischier is living up to his billing as a No. 1 pick and Damon Severson is still arguably the Devils best defender. It s a solid quartet of young talent and hopefully one day Pavel Zacha will join them as a competent player. 17. Buffalo Sabres Jack Eichel, 20, +2.4, 0.73 Sam Reinhart, 21, +1.3, 0.32 Rasmus Ristolainen, 22, +1.0, 0.35 Nathan Beaulieu, 24, +0.7, 0.40 After years of being awful you d think the Sabres would have more to show for it. Jack Eichel has regressed this season, Sam Reinhart hasn t been the same either and that s about it for young forwards. (Remember when Zemgus Girgensons was an all-star)? Rasmus Ristolainen looked like he turned a corner this season at 5-on-5, but his scoring is down and then there s also Nathan Beaulieu (I guess?) who s fine. 18. Arizona Coyotes Clayton Keller, 19, +2.2, 0.90 Max Domi, 22, +1.3, 0.47 Jakob Chychrun, 19, +0.7 Anthony Duclair, 22, +0.6, 0.43 Christian Dvorak, 21, +0.3, 0.32 Clayton Keller is the truth and Max Domi is a decent top six winger, but the verdict is still out on the rest of the youngsters who have mostly underwhelmed. The fact that Dylan Strome isn t on this NHL team yet isn t reassuring either, though he is lighting up the AHL with 15 points in 10 games. 19. Vancouver Canucks Brock Boeser, 20, +2.1, 0.95 Bo Horvat, 22, +1.3, 0.83 Sven Baertschi, 24, +0.9, 0.69 Ben Hutton, 24, +0.7, 0.39 The Canucks top line has been surprisingly effective so far this year and that s thanks in large part to Brock Boeser who very much looks like the real deal so far with 14 points in 14 games. Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi haven t been as prolific, but they re on 62 and 57 point paces respectively which is huge for a team that has been low on scoring talent during the Sedins continued decline. Ben Hutton is starting to eat big minutes and has looked pretty good in the process. 20. Detroit Red Wings Anthony Mantha, 22, +2.3, 0.89 Dylan Larkin, 21, +1.5, 0.82 Andreas Athanasiou, 23, +1.1, 0.53 Anthony Mantha has been a beast for the Wings this season and is a big part of why they ve had a respectable record so far. The return of Dylan Larkin has helped, too. His 15 points in 18 games and plus-six relative Corsi has him looking more like the kid who burst onto the scene two seasons ago, and less like the one that fell off a cliff after. 21. St. Louis Blues Colton Parayko, 24, +2.1, 0.62 Robby Fabbri, 21, +1.3 Joel Edmundsson, 24, +0.6, 0.54 Dmitrij Jaskin, 24, +0.5, 0.56 The Blues have had a great start to the season and that s made all the more impressive by the fact their best young forward is out for the season. Having Robby Fabbri around sure would be nice in a season where they look like genuine contenders. They re pretty low on quality after him as the next best bet is Dmitrij Jaskin who doesn t seem to be in the coach s favour right now despite efficient low minute results. The emerging young defenders this team has are promising though, especially Colton Parayko who could be one of the league s best young defenders. He s got the fifth highest value among defenders under 25 behind Werenski, Hamilton, Lindholm and Jones. Not a bad list to be on.

9 22. Washington Capitals Andre Burakovsky, 22, +1.7, 0.64 Jakub Vrana, 21, +1.0, 0.51 Madison Bowey, 22, +0.8, 0.27 Christian Djoos, 23, +0.6, 0.36 This ranking really depends on how you feel about the young blueliners in Washington, who have been mostly just okay so far. Same thing goes for Jakub Vrana who has lots of offensive tools, but lacks defensive awareness. This was supposed to be Andre Burakovsky s break-out season, but that was derailed by early struggles and an injury. There s no one here who can really step up if the big guns go down, especially in his absence. 23. San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl, 23, +1.9, 0.68 Timo Meier, 21, +1.0, 0.45 Kevin Labanc, 21, +0.6, 0.54 Tomas Hertl is on a decent 50 point pace without much power play time, which is nice to see. Timo Meier and Kevin Labanc are decent depth forwards too, but with how old San Jose s top guys are, the young reinforcements just don t seem good enough to sustain their competitive window for much longer. 24. Chicago Blackhawks Ryan Hartman, 22, +1.3, 0.51 Alex DeBrincat, 19, +1.2, 0.53 Nick Schmaltz, 21, +0.9, 0.56 The Blackhawks have really struggled this season and their days as a contender may be over. These three are their best hopes at providing them with young, solid depth to complement their stars which is something they desperately need given how much they re spending on them. The trio look like decent middle six forwards, but their consistency level hasn t been there yet. Hartman has just five points in his last 16 games after exploding for five on opening night. 25. New York Islanders Mathew Barzal, 20, +1.7, 0.96 Joshua Ho-Sang, 21, +0.9, 0.52 Adam Pelech, 23, +0.7, 0.44 Mathew Barzal has been sensational as the Isles second line centre and is already looking like an impact forward. It s also nice that they brought Joshua Ho-Sang back up because he gives them a much needed element of creativity and his game feels unfairly maligned given the skillset he brings to the table. Adam Pelech looks like a solid defender, too. The big issue is that s basically it. 26. Pittsburgh Penguins Jake Guentzel, 22, +2.0, 0.55 Matt Murray, 23, +1.4 Olli Maatta, 23, +1.0, 0.39 Not surprising for a team with two straight Cups to be this low, but they at least have an impact scorer like Jake Guentzel and a bonafide No. 1 goalie like Matt Murray to complement their actual core. 27. Dallas Stars Esa Lindell, 23, +0.9, 0.71 Mattias Janmark, 24, +0.8, 0.51 Radek Faksa, 23, +0.8, 0.54 Devin Shore, 23, +0.4, 0.28 Not the best look for Dallas as their window to win is basically now despite missing the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. These four aren t exactly impact players, though Esa Lindell has been great whenever he s next to John Klingberg while Mattias Janmark is having a nice start after missing all of last year. Radek Faksa is really underrated, but he s been stuck on the fourth line. 28. Vegas Golden Knights Alex Tuch, 21, +1.0, 0.66 William Karlsson, 24, +0.8, 0.69 Shea Theodore, 22, +0.6, 0.31 No surprise here as there weren t many young guys offered up to Vegas in the expansion draft, and all three players listed were acquired via side deals. Alex Tuch and William Karlsson have both impressed so far thanks to some power play time they weren t getting with their previous teams, while Shea Theodore still hasn t been able to prove himself after starting the season in the minors. 29. Minnesota Wild Matt Dumba, 23, +1.0, 0.30 Jonas Brodin, 24, +0.5, 0.08 Luke Kunin and Joel Eriksson Ek might find their way here soon, but they haven t earned it just yet. It s just two young blueliners in the cut here, both of whom have struggled to find their way early this season compared to where they were last season. Their struggles are a big reason for the Wild s current puck possession woes. 30. Los Angeles Kings Adrian Kempe, 21, +0.9, 0.62 The Kings are one of the league s oldest teams and it certainly shows here with Adrian Kempe being their lone young gun. He s had a nice start to this season though thanks mostly to the opportunity afforded to him by Jeff Carter s injury. 31. Ottawa Senators Cody Ceci, 23, +0.2, 0.13 I didn t even realize the situation was this dire in Ottawa. When your only prominent NHLer under 25 is Cody Ceci, that s a problem. They ve got some very good prospects, but this is bleak. (data as of November 13 via Corsica and Hockey Reference)

10 Shaya's 10 Thoughts: Nov. 14, 2017 Written by Jason Shaya Published: November 14, 2017 During the season, Checkers broadcaster Jason Shaya checks in each week with his 10 Thoughts - a series of observations about the team and the hockey world in general. 1. The loss against Syracuse was partly due to mental and physical exhaustion by the Checkers. While Charlotte was playing their third game in four nights, the Crunch hadn t played for a week. This is a recipe for loss in my mind. While the players and coaches will never blame the schedule on not playing to their potential, I don t have to be that cordial. 2. Speaking of exhaustion, as we sit here today, the Checkers are still three games away and five days away from ending an 18-day road trip. I am sure this was done with the best of intentions, but it s really tough for a team to be on the road that long. What s worse that is that the team will be back at practice on Monday and then play back-toback games at home against Belleville on Tuesday and Wednesday. It would have been great for the team to get a few days to rest and go back to somewhat a normal schedule before making them play back-to-back games almost immediately after an interminable trip. 3. With their victory last night against Dallas, the Hurricanes have now taken eight points out of a possible 10 in their last five games. Over the last four contests they are averaging over three goals scored and only allowed six goals against. This is obviously a huge step in the right direction. 4. It appears as if Lucas Wallmark still won t be available to the Checkers for at least tomorrow s early game against Springfield. In this short absence so far, Andrew Poturalski has stepped in nicely. 5. By season s end, I am guessing that Red Wings general manager Ken Holland steps away from the team in favor of new leadership if the team doesn t make the playoffs. The dream scenario is that Steve Yzerman becomes the team s new GM, coming home to the city that his family still lives in. But, with Tampa Bay perhaps best poised to win a Stanley Cup this season and contend for years to come, Yzerman isn t going anywhere. 6. Alex Nedeljkovic is undefeated this season in seven games. He is tied for the second-most wins in the AHL and is the only goalie amongst the top four that doesn t have a single loss in regulation or overtime. He looks big, confident and doesn t let anything rattle him when he s out there. He told me in an interview this week that having Mike Vellucci as his coach this season has put his mind at ease because he knows he has a man behind the bench that trusts him. Clearly, that relationship is paying off for the Checkers. 7. How about the relief on the face of Sebastian Aho when he scored his first goal of the season last night against Dallas? I love that kind of emotion because I think it fires everyone up. Another nice thing to see was goaltender Scott Darling outplay his equally big counterpart in Ben Bishop while getting the victory. 8. Tomorrow s broadcast starts at 10:15 am for the 10:30 am start time for the school-day game in Springfield. Long-time Checkers assistant coach Geordie Kinnear has been the Thunderbirds bench boss since leaving Charlotte before last season. Knowing Geordie for as long as I have, I can tell you there isn t a more competent coach in the league. He is a student of the game and is always interested in getting better. More important than his hockey acumen is the fact that Geordie is a terrific person and father. We wish him the best, with the exception of the next two games. 9. I want to take a second and thank all the people that reached out to congratulate me regarding the Hurricanes vs. Maple Leafs television broadcast I will be doing on Dec. 19 on Fox Sports Carolinas. If I started to list all of the people I owe this to, it would take up too much space here but they certainly know who they are. My original goal was to be the next Joe Satriani but an unfortunate lack of talent got in the way of my career in music. So, that aside, getting this chance is pretty much right up there! Before now and then, there are quite a few games to do for my team here. 10. I am excited to drive my own car, sleep in my bed and work out in my gym in just a few days. If rearranging furniture in my hotel rooms is a sign of duress, then I am in need of help. Enjoy tomorrow morning's game.

11 TODAY S LINKS Carolina Hurricanes Hurricanes find goals from a badly needed source BY CHIP ALEXANDER Teuvo Teravainen was in for an NHL first Monday, returning to the Carolina Hurricanes locker room after a game to find a pile of hats in his stall. The new collection came courtesy of his first NHL hat trick, his three goals powering the Canes to a 5-1 win over the Dallas Stars. The hats hit the ice in the third period as Teravainen ripped one, two, then a third shot past goalie Ben Bishop. On a night when Finland s Teemu Selanne was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Teravainen shined. He also found it fitting that a fellow Finn, Sebastian Aho, scored his first goal of the season in the Canes victory. Of course he s big in Finland and everyone my age has always looked up to him, Teravainen said of Selanne. He s one of the idols of many people in Finland. Everyone likes him. Now in his second season with the Canes, Teravainen, 23, has shown flashes of his skill and potential. There were games last season when the forward was invisible offensively, then others when his speed, puckhandling and a deceptively quick release on his shot made him a threat. But nothing like Monday. Teravainen assisted on Aho s goal in the first period, a relieved Aho letting out a scream after scoring. But it was a 1-1 game entering the third, the Stars having tied the score on a power-play goal by Alexander Radulov in the second. In third, Teravainen let a shot fly from the left wing as Elias Lindholm screened Bishop on the power play. Goal. A little more than four minutes later, Teravainen let one go from the right wing, the puck glancing off the stick of Dallas defenseman John Klingsberg and past Bishop. Later, strong forechecking by center Jordan Staal and Aho along the wall resulted in Teravainen getting an open shot from the slot. He didn t miss and the ice was peppered with hats, Teravainen later saying it was his first natural hat trick since his junior hockey days. He was on fire today, Aho said. After the game, Teravainen said, I m more like passer; I m not a goal scorer. In his mind, he s naturally suited at center, as a setup man, not on the wing. But the Hurricanes (7-5-4) are a team in need of scoring from someone other than Jeff Skinner, who managed to get a fifth puck past Bishop in the final seconds for his ninth of the season. Aho had 24 goals last season after not scoring in the first 13 games as a rookie, and Canes coach Bill Peters believes Aho can do that again now that he s broken through and gotten the first one. The guys were happy for him, Peters said. That thing went in and I don t know who was happier, more collectively on the bench or himself. But he s been playing well, and you knew it was going to come and hopefully everything now returns to normal. Peters has been tinkering with the lines, looking to find the right balance and consistency. Having Staal with the two Finns might be able to produce a solid scoring line Staal s four assists Monday were a career high. The Chicago Blackhawks made Teravainen a first-round draft pick 2012, and he was a valuable part of the Blackhawks 2015 Stanley Cup championship. Salary-cap issues forced Chicago to part with Teravainen in June 2016 as the Canes obtained Teravainen and forward forward Bryan Bickell in exchange for draft picks. Teravainen had career highs in games (81), goals (15) and assists (27) in He signed a two-year contract extension in the offseason that pays him $2.86 million this season and in The Canes are expecting more from him this season. Monday s game will only add to those expectations. He should attack the net more because he has the ability and the skill set to do that, and the skating ability, Peters said. He should be a little more, I wouldn t say selfish, but a little more attack the net, shooter s mentality. Herald-Sun LOADED: New York Islanders Henrik Lundqvist s heavy workload explained By Larry Brooks November 14, :01PM Henrik Lundqvist is scheduled for his seventh straight start and 16th in the Rangers first 19 games Wednesday in Chicago. Unless something unforeseen develops, he can be expected to get the call again Friday when the Rangers play at Columbus. This workload is a function of both a light schedule, in which the Rangers haven t had a back-to-back since Oct , and of the King s improved play. Lundqvist has recorded a.913 save percentage and 2.66 goalsagainst average in the current six-game winning streak and has gone.919 and 2.38 over his past five matches.