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Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes’ Svechnikov Completes Comeback Win vs Blue Jackets
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If you ever ask any Carolina Hurricanes fan what game they thought turned around the 2023-24 season, the one on Sunday, Nov. 26 might be the most common answer. The Hurricanes hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets to finish off their five-game homestand. Carolina was looking to bounce back from their 8-2 loss on Friday, Nov. 24 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. What proceeded on Sunday night was a game for the ages that once again involved the Blue Jackets. The dramatics went from zero to 37 in an epic comeback that will live on forever. Hurricanes and Blue Jackets in…

Hurricanes Goaltending is at a Crease Roads This Season
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The 2023-24 Carolina Hurricanes are at a crossroads, or crease roads, 19 games into the season. As of this being written, the Hurricanes, before the Sunday, Nov. 26 game versus the Columbus Jackets, sit one point out of a wild card spot. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings occupy the two wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. However, the Hurricanes are tied with the Washington Capitals for the third spot in the Metro Division. That being said, some concerns unfortunately need to be addressed. Hurricanes Have Hard Decision to Make While the defense has its struggles, it…

Carolina Hurricanes Jersey History
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For people that are supposed to be exceedingly competent businesspeople, National Hockey League owners sure do make some fascinating choices. For evidence, look no further than Peter Karmanos Jr., former majority (and current minority) owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. Formerly chief executive officer at Compuware, Karmanos joined the NHL ownership ranks in 1994, as part of the group that purchased the rudderless Hartford Whalers. Now, an NHL team is a risky investment for anyone (how many of them actually make money, do y’reckon?), but Karmanos had been involved in hockey his entire life. The Whalers were a disappointment on the…

Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets’ Results Show Critical Leadership Element Missing
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The Columbus Blue Jackets were not ahead in the third period on Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. However they were tied for most of it. At a minimum, teams find ways to get to overtime even when they don’t have their A-game or energy throughout. Just like most other nights this season, the Blue Jackets were not able to get to overtime. Instead, a late goal by Joel Armia with just 2:57 left in the game helped the Canadiens to a 4-2 win. For the Blue Jackets, Wednesday night was not only a winnable game, it was a game…

Maple Leafs’ Nylander Needs to Learn Lessons From Gaudreau
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William Nylander has been nothing short of spectacular this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His 18-game point streak came to an end on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, against the Chicago Blackhawks, which saw him register a point in every game since the start of the season. While it has been awesome to see, and you hoped it would have gone on for longer, the question that now starts to arise is, what will he cost to re-sign? Nylander has played himself into the $10 million-plus range for his new average annual value (AAV) with his excellent play so far…

Blue Jackets News & Rumors: Voronkov, Better Results & More
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It’s the last Tuesday in November. That means it’s time for another edition of Columbus Blue Jackets News & Rumors. We hope that you and yours made the most of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. If you’re anywhere else, well, we hope you had a good day. When we last spoke, the Blue Jackets were mired in an 0-7-2 funk that plummeted them to last place in the Eastern Conference. They wake up on this Tuesday morning in last place by points percentage. But by points, they no longer have the fewest in the East. That distinction now…

New Jersey Devils

3 Takeaways From Devils’ 5-4 Comeback Win Over Islanders
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The New Jersey Devils returned to action on Thursday evening (Nov. 28) in hopes of gaining some much-needed momentum in a bunched-up Metropolitan Division. Fortunately for them, they pulled off a gutsy two-goal comeback to grab an important 5-4 victory and put an end to the New York Islanders’ six-game point streak. Goaltending Struggles Mightily Head coach Lindy Ruff decided to give Vitek Vanecek the nod in goal following his win on Sunday (Nov. 26), albeit it was a win where the Devils allowed their lowest total of shots in over a decade (12) and Vanecek stopped just 10 of…

3 Takeaways From the Devils’ 7-2 Victory Over the Sabres
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On Oct. 27, the Devils headed into game seven against the Buffalo Sabres looking to rebound from a performance where their coach said they played “soft.” Head coach Lindy Ruff mixed up his line combinations at the morning skate to jump-start his team and get more ice time for Curtis Lazar. The team responded by defeating the Sabres 5-4, but the victory was expensive as a hit from Connor Clifton has sidelined Nico Hischier ever since. Similarly, the Devils headed into Saturday’s matchup one game removed from a performance that Ruff called the worst he’s seen in his entire Devils…

Devils and Flames Are Perfect Trade Partners
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From the offseason mess surrounding several players and their desires to leave the organization to the recent Nikita Zadorov trade request, the Calgary Flames have been surrounded by a whirlwind of trade rumors for months on end. With questions about their direction moving forward, Calgary will almost certainly move several key pieces ahead of the trade deadline. The Devils and Flames have been trade partners as recent as late June, with the Devils having acquired star forward Tyler Toffoli in exchange for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 third-round pick. The Devils’ defense and goaltending have been the reason for their…

New York Islanders

5 Ways the Blackhawks Can Get the Most Out of Beauvillier
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It wasn’t that long ago that Anthony Beauvillier played a significant role on a competitive New York Islanders team. He scored 15 goals or more four seasons in a row in a top-six role and notably scored the Game 6 overtime winner in the Stanley Cup Semifinal, which was the final game played at Nassau Coliseum. As a dynamic playmaker on the wing, Beauvillier looked like a skater with high upside and a promising NHL career. Fast forward to the 2023-24 season and he’s playing on his third team in 11 months. He was traded from the Islanders to the…

Today in Hockey History: Nov. 30
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This date in 2005 saw a major trade that forever changed two franchises. Also, one of the greatest players in National League Hockey history hit a significant milestone. In addition, Nov. 30 was a very busy date on Long Island and for some of the biggest names in the game. So. let’s hop aboard the THW time machine and relive all the great best moments from this date. A Huge Date in 2005 Nov. 30, 2005, is a date that makes Boston Bruins fans cringe and San Jose Sharks fans give high fives. This is when the Bruins traded team…

4 Takeaways From Islanders’ 5-4 Loss vs Devils
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The New York Islanders have blown enough third-period leads this season that it’s hard to find the one that has been the worst, gut-wrenching, season-defining defeat. There’s the Oct. 30 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, a game where they led 2-0 early in the third but ended up losing 4-3 in overtime. Then there was the Nov. 4 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes where they led 3-0 and lost 4-3 in overtime. Recently, there were the 4-3 losses on back-to-back nights against the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken on Nov. 16 and 17, both losses coming in overtime. Related:…

New York Rangers

Panarin’s Scorching Start Adds to Complicated Rangers Legacy
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Artemi Panarin has recorded at least 92 points in his three mostly full seasons with the New York Rangers, and he almost certainly would have hit the 100 mark in 2019-20, when the NHL shut down after 70 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic with Panarin at 95 points. At age 32, the Breadman might be on his way to his best season in 2023-24, with 31 points in 21 games to help power the Blueshirts toward the top of the league. That kind of resume would ordinarily make a player the darling of a fan base, especially in New…

Rangers Continue to Be Haunted by Joe Sakic
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NHL Hall of Famer Joe Sakic never delivered much in the way of on-ice heartbreak to the New York Rangers, the star center spending 13 of his 20 NHL seasons in the Western Conference and thus mostly facing them sparingly during the regular season. In his only playoff matchup with the Blueshirts, Sakic’s top-seeded Quebec Nordiques were stunned in the opening round in six games in 1995 by the defending Stanley Cup champion, Mark Messier-led Rangers. And while Sakic recorded more than a point per game against the Rangers during the regular season, with 41 in 37 games, his 1.1…

Rangers’ Depth Takes Hit With Chytil & Kakko Injuries
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Last season, the New York Rangers were one of the healthier teams in the NHL. They did not lose many players to injuries and did not lose players for long periods of time. Now, as this season has progressed, they have been hit with the injury bug on multiple occasions. Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin and Filip Chytil were all injured in the same game against the Carolina Hurricanes. While Shesterkin has returned and Fox is likely to return for the team’s next game, Chytil is still out and now they have another injured forward. Kaapo Kakko injured his leg during…

Philadelphia Flyers

3 Takeaways From Flyers’ 4-1 Loss to Hurricanes
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The Philadelphia Flyers saw their record fall to 11-10-1 after a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Now having losses in three of their last four games, some of the inconsistencies of a rebuild may be starting to show for the Flyers. What were some takeaways from the defeat? Flyers’ Offense Still Not Producing Since the Flyers’ five-game winning streak ended on Nov. 22 against the New York Islanders, their offense has struggled to produce. Scoring just four goals in their last four games, they are lucky to even have one win in that span. It wasn’t for a lack…

Flyers’ John Stevens Brought Winning Culture Back to Philly
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The Philadelphia Flyers were in a pretty bad place when they hired John Stevens to be their head coach early in the 2006-07 season after a slow start. Things only continued to get worse, leading to the team’s worst record in franchise history. With it being their first time missing the playoffs since the 1993-94 season, a winning culture was zapped from the team. Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Coaching History Led by Stevens, the Flyers were able to make a historic turnaround from bottom feeder into Stanley Cup contender. He was one of the sparks necessary to make a winning culture…

Flyers’ Ristolainen Has a Chance to Improve His Reputation
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It’s hard to shake a reputation in sports, especially when you’re playing for a losing team. Rasmus Ristolainen made his NHL debut on Oct. 2, 2013, and he has known failure more than just about anyone since then. The Buffalo Sabres lost 402 games between his first game and the end of the 2020-21 season, 35 more than any other team. There were supposed to be brighter days ahead for him when the Sabres dealt him to the Philadelphia Flyers that summer. Instead, the Flyers lost 108 games in his first two seasons, the sixth most of any team. Ristolainen…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Today in Hockey History: Nov. 30
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This date in 2005 saw a major trade that forever changed two franchises. Also, one of the greatest players in National League Hockey history hit a significant milestone. In addition, Nov. 30 was a very busy date on Long Island and for some of the biggest names in the game. So. let’s hop aboard the THW time machine and relive all the great best moments from this date. A Huge Date in 2005 Nov. 30, 2005, is a date that makes Boston Bruins fans cringe and San Jose Sharks fans give high fives. This is when the Bruins traded team…

Marc-André Fleury Curse Continues to Hit Teams
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The NHL’s expansion protocol dictates the holding of a draft to fill out the roster of new teams. The Seattle Kraken picked apart the rest of the league to staff their team in 2021-22, just as the Vegas Golden Knights did when they began play in 2017-18. When the Golden Knights arrived on the scene, the hockey world was shocked when the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins failed to protect franchise goaltender and former first-overall pick Marc-André Fleury. The Golden Knights jumped on the opportunity and selected Fleury in the expansion Draft. The former Penguins superstar promptly led the…

Penguins Letting Fast Starts by Crosby, Guentzel Go to Waste
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Prior to their Nov. 24 meeting with the Buffalo Sabres, one might have expected the Pittsburgh Penguins to fare well. After all, they had already beaten them 4-0 on Nov. 11, as part of a five-game winning streak they were on at the time. Unfortunately, the game went as so many this season: the Penguins got a goal from Sidney Crosby’s line, but they couldn’t get enough support from the bottom two lines or the power play. They ultimately lost the game 3-2, sending them below .500. The next night (Nov. 25), they faced off against the Toronto Maple Leafs,…

Washington Capitals

Gretzky, Ovechkin and the Goalies They Scored On (A Lot)
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Hockey fans who were old enough probably remember where they were on Mar. 23, 1994. Wayne Gretzky, known as The Great One, took a pass from longtime teammate Marty McSorely and fired a snapshot past Kirk McLean to become the league’s all-time scorer with 802 goals.  The historical moment was Gretzky’s 13th career goal against McLean, who spent the bulk of his career as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Gretzky finished his career with 21 goals against McLean, which isn’t the only goalie The Great One terrorized. Richard Brodeur will forever be linked with Gretzky because he surrendered the…

Capitals Prospect Ryan Leonard Showing Star Potential in NCAA
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The Washington Capitals have been quite strong to start out their 2023-24 campaign. Looking away from their current team and into the future, there is a lot for Capitals fans to be excited about. The Capitals’ top prospect Ryan Leonard has exploded in the NCAA this season and he is beginning to show signs of being a future superstar in the NHL. Aside from his offensive output, he does the little things away from the puck right as well. He is proving that he slipped farther down the draft than he should’ve and that the Capitals got a steal when…

3 Potential Trade Destinations for Blues’ Jakub Vrána
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There have been three games for the St. Louis Blues with Jakub Vrána as a healthy scratch this season. On both occasions, head coach Craig Berube mentioned the idea of needing more from him in every phase of the game. I don’t think the Blues have handled this situation perfectly, especially with their lack of giving Vrána an opportunity to play with a passer like Robert Thomas to maximize his goal-scoring ability. There is no word of whether Vrána is actually on the trade block or not, but it seems to be heading in the wrong direction. It’s been less…