Tag: NHL

The Florida Panthers are currently on a seven-game winning streak, but forward Sam Bennett isn’t focused on that.

“We don’t really look at the streaks, just try and treat each game the same,” Bennett said. “We’re good at getting up for games that are tough to get up for and playing the same style of hockey. We’ve done a great job during this stretch.”

Bennett and the Panthers will try to keep their strong play going on Tuesday night when they play the New Jersey Devils in Sunrise, Florida. The two teams will meet again on Thursday in Florida.

Bennett scored a goal in Florida’s 4-3 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, bringing his season total to 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 15 games. He is second on the team in goals (11) and points (23), behind only Sam Reinhart.

Reinhart had an assist on Dmitry Kulikov’s goal in the second period of Saturday’s game, extending his point streak to seven games (six goals, five assists). Reinhart had a strong performance against the Devils in the 2023-24 season, scoring four goals to help the Panthers win two out of three games against them.

Evan Rodrigues added two assists before scoring the game-winning goal in the fifth round of the shootout against the Flyers.

Captain Aleksander Barkov has been productive since returning from a lower-body injury on October 28, with two goals and nine assists.

Sergei Bobrovsky has won five straight starts after being pulled in a game against the Minnesota Wild on October 22, where he allowed five goals in two periods. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner has a strong 20-7-1 record in 29 career games against the Devils.

The Devils lost 1-0 to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday, unable to get past former Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who recorded 44 saves for the shutout. New Jersey had won three in a row and five of their last six games before this loss.

“They’ve got a fast, skilled team, and they have been playing well of late,” said Devils backup goalie Jake Allen, who made 26 saves.

“Coming off (Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win versus the New York Islanders), we wanted to keep this stretch going here. Now we’ll take time to regroup. It’s going to be a tough test this week, a tough challenge.”

Jesper Bratt, who leads the Devils with 14 assists and 19 points, had a chance to score late in the second period on Sunday but was denied on a partial breakaway. He had three assists and five points in three games against Florida last season.

Jack Hughes had eight shots on goal in the loss to the Sharks, following back-to-back three-point games. The 2019 first overall draft pick is one point away from reaching 300 career points.

Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom has won four of his last five starts, with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. In 11 games (10 starts) against Florida, he has a 5-5-1 record, with a 3.08 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

The Devils have killed 19 straight penalties as they head into a three-game stretch in Florida. They will finish the trip with a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

Jalen Hurts had just lost a fumble that might have given Dallas the lead in the first half. However, the Cowboys’ offense, which was missing quarterback Dak Prescott, couldn’t capitalize on the mistake. Hurts quickly bounced back, not making another big error the rest of the game.

Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more, leading the Eagles to a dominant 34-6 win over the struggling Cowboys on Sunday. This game was the first since Prescott tore his hamstring. “Momentum is an illusion in a sense,” Hurts said. “Just treat every play like it’s its own.”

Hurts was sacked twice by Micah Parsons, who was returning from a four-game injury absence. The second sack caused the fumble that gave Dallas the ball on the Philadelphia 6-yard line, with the Cowboys trailing 7-3.

But the Eagles’ defense held the Cowboys to just a field goal. Then, Hurts led an 84-yard drive in the final two minutes, finishing it with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, who had missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.

The Eagles, now 7-2, took over first place in the NFC East with their fifth straight win. Meanwhile, Dallas dropped to 3-6 and fell to 0-4 at home, losing their fourth game in a row.

Earlier in the game, Hurts had thrown an interception in the end zone when the Eagles had a chance to go up 14-3.

“Obviously didn’t start the way we wanted it to start,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “But there’s something to be said for guys that can rebound and play a really good game after things don’t go right early on.”

Cooper Rush, filling in for Prescott, did not play well. He completed just 13 of 23 passes for only 45 yards. Rush had gone 4-1 as a starter in Prescott’s absence two years ago, but this time, the Cowboys’ offense struggled across the board.

Rush also lost two fumbles, and the Cowboys had five total turnovers. He was briefly replaced by Trey Lance in the second half, and then for good in the fourth quarter, as fans began booing. Lance threw an interception in his short time on the field.

Prescott is expected to be out for a while, possibly the rest of the season. He plans to seek another medical opinion about whether he will need surgery on his torn hamstring.

“Understand that you know our quarterback’s out,” Parsons said. “Things ain’t always going to be how you expect it. And it kind of just got to be the light. It’s one of them years where, like I say, it’s challenging, but we’ve got to be the light for everybody.”

The Cowboys’ offense, which gained just 146 yards—its worst showing at home since AT&T Stadium opened in 2009—has put more pressure on head coach Mike McCarthy, who is in the final year of his contract.

“Yes, I believe that,” said team owner Jerry Jones when asked if McCarthy would stay for the rest of the season. “I don’t believe we’ll make a coaching change during the season.”

The Cowboys’ poor offense gave Hurts plenty of time to find his rhythm after a rough start. He finished 14 of 20 passing for 202 yards and ran for 56 yards before being replaced by Kenny Pickett with the Eagles leading 31-6 in the fourth quarter.

Hurts posted a passer rating of 115 and became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw a touchdown, run for a touchdown, and have a 100-plus passer rating in four straight games. He is also the first QB to have at least 10 rushing touchdowns in four consecutive seasons.

“He didn’t let one play affect the rest of his game,” Sirianni said. “That’s what winners do. That’s what Jalen Hurts does, and I’m so accustomed to him doing that because when he makes a mistake, he’s able to put it in the past. That’s not as easy as it sounds.”

Hurts scored the game’s first touchdown after Rush dropped a snap and fumbled at the Dallas 17-yard line. Hurts ran for 8 yards and threw touchdowns to Goedert (14 yards) and Johnny Wilson (5 yards).

One of Dallas’ fumbles came in the Philadelphia end zone by Ezekiel Elliott, who was back in the lineup after missing the previous game because he was late for meetings. Dallas had a chance to take the lead, but the turnover ended that hope.

The Eagles’ defense forced five turnovers, including two fumbles forced and recovered by linebacker Zack Baun, marking their most takeaways in two years.

“I just thought that they played fast, they started fast,” Sirianni said. “They played great throughout the entire game. I love when we tackle well.”

St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway is in stable condition after a frightening incident during a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 5. Holloway was struck by a puck in the neck during the first period, and the impact caused immediate concern. He skated off the ice and was visibly holding his neck before being stretchered off the rink and transported to the hospital for further evaluation.

Teammates and officials were quick to respond to the situation, with Alexey Toropchenko recalling that he noticed something was wrong and alerted the team’s trainer. The team doctors quickly assessed Holloway, and although there was initial worry, Toropchenko mentioned that everyone was relieved to hear that the situation wasn’t as severe as it initially seemed.

Blues head coach Drew Bannister spoke to the media about the emotional impact of the incident, likening it to receiving news about a sick family member. He emphasized the closeness of the team, referring to Holloway as a “family member,” and said the players showed great mental strength in continuing with the game despite the traumatic moment. Bannister also expressed how tough it was to watch Holloway being taken off the ice.

Despite the emotional toll of the injury, the Blues were able to focus on the game and secure a 3-2 victory over the Lightning. Bannister noted that the team received updates on Holloway’s condition during the game, which helped ease their worries and allowed them to focus on finishing the match.

After the game, Bannister shared that the news about Holloway’s condition was positive, and the team was encouraged by the reports that Holloway was doing well. His stable condition was a relief to the team, and it provided some comfort after such a scary moment on the ice.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Conor Timmins has made the most of his chance since Craig Berube became head coach.

At the start of the season, Timmins’ future with the team was uncertain, and he was even considered a possible waiver candidate. However, he has been a pleasant surprise, playing well enough to stay in the lineup and earn a regular spot.

His strong performance led to Timothy Liljegren losing his place in the lineup, and Liljegren was traded to the San Jose Sharks just over a week ago.

Timmins scored his first goal of the season in Saturday’s win over the Montreal Canadiens. It was also his first goal since December 12, 2023, when he scored against the New York Rangers. After the game, Timmins was given the team belt as a reward for his efforts.

“It was great. Haven’t got one in a while, so to see it go in was a good feeling,” Timmins said to reporters. “Benny (Simon Benoit) made a good play at the line. There was some space for me, fanned on the puck, and then instincts took over. Just tried to get the puck on net and it went in.”

Timmins has not only been a regular in the lineup but has also been used in different situations, making noticeable improvements in his defensive game. He has been more confident with the puck, which has made him effective as a third-pairing defenceman.

Timmins is enjoying his consistent role, something he hasn’t had in a while. However, he remains focused on staying in the moment and doing what he can to help the team keep up their positive momentum.

“My simplicity, making the play when it’s there and not forcing things. Also defending: taking a step there, being a little stronger on my defending, that’s really helpful,” Timmins said when asked about playing in Berube’s system.

“It’s been very beneficial to me. I think we’ve been defending as a five-man unit and it makes it easier on everyone so it’s helpful.”

Going into the season, not many expected Timmins to be a regular in the lineup this early, considering the uncertainty around his future. But given the challenges he has faced since turning pro, it must feel good for the 26-year-old to see his hard work paying off.

“He’s been highly competitive for one thing with his defensive play, that’s key,” Berube said when talking about Timmins’ impact. “Makes plays with his puck, he sees the ice really well. On breakouts, he hits the middle of the ice quite a bit. Tonight he used his shot and scored, but he’s got a good shot. I think his competitiveness is what really stands out to me.”

Jani Hakanpaa is getting closer to returning after completing a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies, which will create some tough decisions for the Leafs as they deal with roster changes. They may need to make moves to stay within the salary cap, either through waivers or trades.

One thing is clear: Timmins won’t be one of the players moved, as he has earned his place in the lineup.

“It’s been great. Timmins made some really great plays for us on the backend,” Mitch Marner said about Timmins. “I think he’s done a great job winning our zone, laying the puck through the middle of the ice and trying to find that middle speed. He’s done a really good job this year. It’s great to see him get rewarded on that goal.”

Fraser Minten looked ready to make an impact at the NHL level during his season debut with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. It was also his first game in the AHL after spending most of the 2023-24 season in major junior hockey.

Minten had been recovering from a high-ankle sprain he suffered in September, which kept him out of the start of the 2024-25 season.

He returned to skating with the Maple Leafs’ development staff on October 17. The 20-year-old missed training camp but worked hard to get back to full health. In his first game with the Marlies, he recorded an assist in their 4-3 win over the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday.

For his strong performance, Minten was awarded the team’s belt, which is given to the player who makes the biggest impact.

Minten had a great training camp last season and made the Maple Leafs’ opening night roster. However, after playing four NHL games, he was returned to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers.

He was later traded to the Saskatoon Blades, where he became the captain of Canada’s World Juniors team. Minten had a goal and three points in the tournament, but Canada lost in the quarterfinals to Czechia.

“Very fun,” Minten said after the game when asked about his season debut. “It was a long time sitting on the sidelines since basically May, right? It was probably the longest I’ve gone without playing a game other than that one in Montreal. It feels like a long time ago, so it was very fun.”

Minten earned his first AHL assist by teaming up with Alex Nylander to set up Logan Shaw’s power-play goal in the first period.

Minten primarily played center on a line with Nikita Grebenkin—who had impressed during training camp—and Alex Steeves, who scored two goals, including the game-winning goal on the power play.

It was a solid debut for Minten, who is seen as a future key player for the Maple Leafs. If he continues to perform well in the AHL, he could get a call-up to the NHL soon.

Sabres forward Tage Thompson is pleased with how Buffalo has bounced back after losses this season. The next challenge for a team that is in the middle of an NHL-record 13-season playoff drought is how they handle success.

While Buffalo’s three-game winning streak, which included a 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday, may seem modest, the Sabres now have a chance to win four in a row for the first time in 21 months when they play Montreal on Monday.

“It gives you some confidence. It’s nice to see you get rewarded for the process that you put forward,” Thompson said, pointing out that Buffalo’s past problems were partly caused by straying from the right approach.

“It’s easy when things don’t go your way to try to do individual stuff out there, myself included,” he added. “I think we’ve learned, obviously, the hard way. You just have to commit to playing the game the right way and trusting even when you’re not feeling great or things aren’t bouncing your way.”

The win over the Flames was a good example of this, following a 5-1 win against Ottawa on Tuesday and a 6-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Against Calgary, the Sabres stayed calm after giving up a 2-0 lead, with Mikael Backlund tying the game late to force overtime. After killing off a too-many-men penalty during the final 80 seconds of overtime, JJ Peterka scored the only goal in the shootout, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all three shootout attempts to secure the win.

“It wasn’t our prettiest game by any means, but we found a way to get the job done,” Thompson said.

This three-game win streak is Buffalo’s second of the season, matching the team’s total from last year. The Sabres haven’t won four straight since a five-game streak from January 19-26, 2023.

Though the Sabres have the same 7-7-1 record through 15 games as they did last year under coach Don Granato, the team has shown more promise under Lindy Ruff, who returned for a second stint after being hired in April.

Slow starts are no longer a problem. After ranking 27th in the NHL last season for allowing the first goal of the game 46 times, Buffalo is now tied for second, having fallen behind 1-0 only four times. The team’s scoring has also improved, with Buffalo tied for eighth in the league with 49 goals after being 23rd last year.

Special teams have also improved. After starting the season 0-for-22 on the power play, the Sabres are 7-for-23 over the past seven games. Additionally, the team has successfully killed off 10 straight power plays and hasn’t allowed a power-play goal in its past six wins.

Ruff has also brought a sense of accountability to the team, something several players said was missing under Granato before he was let go.

After a three-game losing streak, Buffalo’s winning streak began after Ruff made changes to his lineup, including benching defensemen Mattias Samuelsson and Henri Jokiharju, as well as fourth-line forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

“I’ve probably been more patient than I’ve ever been just trying to figure these guys out. But there’s a standard you have to play to, and the standard, it hasn’t been good enough,” Ruff said, referring to the benched players.

“I like the way the group has played, but knowing that we’re going to need the other guys, too.”

The key for Ruff and the Sabres now is to keep doing what’s been working.

“Every team finds pockets of the schedule where they gain momentum. We’ve put two nice games together, and we’d like to continue that,” Ruff said before Saturday’s game.

After the win, Ruff’s message stayed the same: “When you get on a roll, you want to stay on a roll.”

St. Louis Blues forward Dylan Holloway made his return to the lineup Thursday night against Utah, playing in the team’s first game since he was taken to the hospital after getting hit in the neck by a puck.

Holloway took part in the Blues’ morning skate at Enterprise Center and said he felt good to return. Head coach Drew Bannister decided to put him in the starting lineup.

“Talking to the doctor at the hospital, he said just no activity for 24 hours. But other than that, I’m fine,” Holloway said after the morning skate. “All my tests came back good. There’s no further damage—nothing. It was kind of the best news I could get, and I feel like I’m ready to go.”

Holloway played 17:51 in the 4-2 loss to Utah, which was slightly more ice time than his usual. He recorded one shot and blocked two shots.

“He was out this morning on the ice and pushed himself, and he seemed to feel good going into the game, and he was cleared by the doctors,” Bannister said after the game. “He wanted to play, and we wanted to have him out on the ice for us.”

Holloway got injured late in the first period during St. Louis’ 3-2 win on Tuesday when a puck off Tampa Bay’s Nicholas Paul hit him in the neck. The play was stopped with 1:11 left in the period, and referees sent the teams to their locker rooms early after Holloway was taken off the ice on a stretcher.

“It was definitely kind of crazy. I felt pretty fortunate. I had a lot of people reach out to see if I was OK,” said Holloway, who joined the Blues after playing in the Stanley Cup final last season with Edmonton.

“I appreciate all the love and the support that I was getting. The team has been great, all the boys have been great, the coach has been great. I’m just thankful to have such a supportive group around me.”

Holloway mentioned that he felt dizzy and nauseous at the hospital, but other than a bruise at the base of his neck, he had no other symptoms.

“I just want to go out there and kind of forget about it, put it in the past,” Holloway said. “I feel good and I’m just excited to get out there.”

Bannister said that Holloway rode an exercise bike on Wednesday and “pushed himself hard” during the morning skate.

“He’s a worker. He has a high motor. The way we want to play, he dictates a lot of the play,” Bannister said. “He dictates a lot of the energy that happens on the bench and on the ice. He just works to get pucks back and he uses his speed. He does a lot of things really well and he’s fit in nicely.”

“Whether we’ve put him at center or at wing, he’s found a way to contribute to the team game and contribute on the scoreboard but also defensively.”

The Dallas Stars played back-to-back games at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, separated by 11 days and a trip to Finland.

Now, the Stars are set for a busy schedule with 21 games in 44 days leading up to Christmas.

“You get through training camp, you try and settle in and then we go to Finland and it kind of shuffles things for a second,” forward Sam Steel said. “Now we’re past that. We can just focus on this next stretch coming up and grind it out and try and get to our A-game.”

After losing two games to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in Finland last weekend, the Stars returned to Texas following an 11-hour flight. Back in their home arena, they won 3-1 on Thursday night.

Dallas will play next on Saturday against Winnipeg, which has the best record in the NHL at 13-1. This will be the Stars’ third game in three countries over an eight-day period.

“Just like we were waited a long time to play (in Finland). … So now we can just get in a routine,” goalie Jake Oettinger said. “It’s just hockey now and we’re going to be playing a lot, so it’ll be fun and hopefully we can just get on a roll and start winning a lot.”

Chicago, on the other hand, was playing its sixth game since its last visit to Dallas on October 26.

The Stars, who made it to the Western Conference final in each of coach Pete DeBoer’s first two seasons, never trailed in the 3-1 win after Steel scored 11 minutes into the first game back home.

Steel also assisted on Tyler Seguin’s goal, while Oettinger made 25 saves, including five in a 10-second span right after the Stars took a 2-0 lead.

“Going into this game, we just said find a way,” Seguin said.

“I thought we played a good game,” DeBoer said. “I liked a lot of things we did considering the situation coming back from overseas. I thought we controlled that game for the most part.”

When Marc-Andre Fleury made his NHL debut in 2003, Macklin Celebrini wasn’t even born yet, as he came into the world almost three years later.

On Thursday, the two players created an interesting statistic when Celebrini, the youngest player in the NHL and a rising star for the San Jose Sharks, scored on Fleury, the league’s oldest player.

“Good for him,” Fleury said with a laugh when he was told about the stat.

Celebrini, the first overall pick in the NHL draft, scored twice in the Sharks’ 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. At 18 years old, Celebrini is over 20 years younger than Fleury, who has been playing in the league for 21 years and has hinted that this will be his final season.

“He’s been in the league longer than I’ve been alive, so it’s been amazing to watch his career,” Celebrini said about Fleury. “Obviously, the runs he had with Pittsburgh and Vegas, and even him in Chicago and now Minnesota. He seems like a great personality, and it’s been fun to watch his off-ice antics as much as his on-ice.”

Celebrini’s first goal came when he was in the right place during a 3-on-2 rush. His second goal was a wrist shot that Fleury couldn’t stop – the puck zipped past Fleury’s glove, hit the crossbar, and went in.

The 18-year-old led the Sharks with seven shots on goal and had his second multi-point game in just three career games, making it his best performance so far.

“He’s got good awareness of where guys are at,” Fleury said. “He’s got a good shot. That last goal, I love. I wish I could get it back, but (it was) still good. Right at the bar above my head. I’ll be looking forward to watching him.”

Fleury also made history on Thursday by playing in his 1,029th career game, tying Patrick Roy for the most games played by a goaltender in NHL history.

He also won what might be his last game in San Jose, where he’s on an eight-game win streak at the Shark Tank. Fleury helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016, securing the championship in Game 6 in San Jose.

He said he’ll always remember the atmosphere at the arena.

“The atmosphere in the Tank is always good when the playoffs come around,” Fleury said. “It’s buzzing. Even in the regular season, they’ve had a good team for so many years while I was playing, and it was always a tough game coming in.”