Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 19)

The Buffalo Sabres continued to roll in this preseason, earning their second win in as many games, Tuesday night beating Pittsburgh, 3-2.  The Sabres will be all about the new faces and one of them led the way, as Vladimir Sobotka led the way with a goal and assist, the only notable player in this game.

Sobotka was another one of those guys that came over in the Ryan O'Reilly deal and it already looks like he will fit right in to this new look team.

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Chicago Blackhawks in their first preseason home game and made the most of it, coming back from an early 1-0 deficit to win the game, 4-1.  Alexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson were your notable players in this game, each posting a goal and an assist in the victory.  The Jackets are right in the thick of their window for success and those two are going to be key contributors to their success, no matter how far they go.

The Philadelphia Flyers blueline has already taken a bit of a beating in off-season training and then training camp, so they are in need of someone to step up and maybe take a spot for opening night and that guy could be T.J. Brennan, who led the way for the Flyers in Brooklyn tonight, picking up a trio of assists in a 5-1 road victory on Tuesday night.  The goaltending situation might not be in as much doubt, but Anthony Stolarz made his case in a complete game, making 31 saves for the win.

The Boston Bruins may have shipped a good portion of their first crew out to China for those overseas exhibition matches, but their remaining players didn't disappoint on the road in Washington tonight, earning a 5-2 win over the Cup champs.  Rookie forward Zach Senyshyn led the way for the visitors, notching a couple of goals, while recent trade acquisition Steve Kampfer and pro tryout forward Austin Fyten each picked up a pair of assists in the victory.  Goaltender Dan Vladar made 31 saves for the victory, as he got the whole game.

Kampfer may already have himself a spot on the opening night roster as a veteran player, but a former 1st round pick like Senyshyn is finally looking to crack the roster for the first time.  A couple of goals will certainly help his cause, but I didn't have him projected for a roster spot at the beginning of the preseason, but he's working his way there now.

The Carolina Hurricanes dressed a fairly young side, as they went into Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning, who also dressed a fairly young side as well, with a number of key veterans in the lineup.  It was the visiting team, however, getting the drop on the home side, as the Hurricanes put a 4-spot past Andrei Vasilevskiy in his first start of the preseason.  Rookie forward Andrei Svechnikov and sophomore forward Lucas Wallmark each potted a goal and an assist in the victory, making their marks early.

Expect both of those youngsters on the opening night roster for the Hurricanes and it could be very fair to think that Svechnikov will indeed be something special this year.

It was the Kraft Hockeyville game in Lucan, ON and they got a treat, watching the Ontario teams go at it, toe-to-toe, and even more so, because there was some pretty good talent on the ice as well.  The talent didn't disappoint either, with John Tavares making his preseason debut for the Leafs, he and linemate Mitch Marner put up 6 points on the night, Tavares a couple of goals and Marner a couple of assists, aiding the Leafs to a 4-1 win over their provincial rivals.

It's no secret, what Tavares and Marner should be doing for the Leafs this year, the question might have to be, how high are you willing to take them in the draft this year?

A fairly impressive looking Dallas Stars roster, on paper, needed to come back from a 2-1 deficit in the 3rd period to beat their division rival from St. Louis, 5-3 on Tuesday night.  Alexander Radulov picked up where he left off, scoring a pair of goals in the win, while Jamie Benn had a couple of assists as well.  The Stars are looking to be a potent offensive side this year, so much so, that a deficit into the 3rd period shouldn't faze them too much.

On the other side of the ledger, the St. Louis Blues had a good performance from both Jordan Kyrou and Joey Laleggia, each coming out of the gates with 2 points a piece.  Kyrou is certainly one of the favourite rookies to make the team this year, so keep an eye out for him.

The Golden Knights continued to roll through the preseason, as the Avalanche were no match for them last night, losing 5-1.  Forward Alex Tuch and rookie defenseman Erik Brannstrom each had a goal and an assist, while Paul Stastny and Tomas Hyka each picked up a pair of assists.  Zach Fucale got the start for the Golden Knights and he played the whole game, making 24 saves in the victory, showing that the crease is still in good hands, even if it isn't the top two goalies in the net yet.

The Kings and Coyotes opened a split squad doubleheader in Arizona to start the night and it was the host team that got the best of the early game, taking the contest, 4-2.  Newly named captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson led the way for the dogs, picking up 3 assists in the victory, while newcomer Alex Galchenyuk scored a pair of goals as well.  Derek Stepan and Clayton Keller each get a nod as well, since they both registered a couple of helpers each.  Things are looking a bit brighter for Arizona these days and this is a good start for some of their better players.

Jeff Carter scored the 2 goals for the Kings in this contest, as he's looking to put together a bit of a bounce back season of his own.  He only played in 27 games last season, so being healthy will be priority number one for him.

The Kings were not short of talent in their home half of the split squad doubleheader, as they gave their fans all the big guns, including newcomer Ilya Kovalchuk.  It wasn't quite enough though, as the Coyotes away roster still got the best of them, sweeping the doubleheader, taking it 4-3 on a goal from Lawson Crouse with less than two minutes to go.  Defenseman Jordan Oesterle had 3 assists in the win, while Trevor Murphy had a couple of assists and Brendan Perlini had a goal and an assist.

Darcy Kuemper, up for the number one job in net, played the whole game, making 38 saves for the victory.  Yes, things are definitely looking up for the Coyotes.

The Ducks and Sharks got together for an all-California preseason tilt and the home side was the one victorious on the night, as San Jose used strong 2nd and 3rd periods to beat Anaheim, 4-1.  Rookie forward Ivan Chekhovich scored a pair and added an assist for a 3-point night, while Barclay Goodrow also had a 3-point night, but only scored one himself.  Antoine Bibeau got the nod for the entire game, making 21 saves for the victory.

Chekhovich, a 2017 7th rounder, sure put on a good show for a longer look at camp and the Sharks do have some bubble spots that a kid with that kind of finish could certainly fill.

The Edmonton Oilers spoiled the party for some of the Vancouver Canucks debutantes in this preseason opener for the Canucks, with the visiting team taking this one, 4-2.  Newly-signed Oilers forward Ty Rattie was the only notable player for the winning, per the specifications of these blog posts, scoring a pair of goals.  Bo Horvat notched a pair of assists on the losing side, as he tries to overcome another injury-plagued season in 2018.

Finally, the last of the two China Games went this morning in Beijing and the Boston Bruins were able to sweep the 2-game series with the Flames, taking this morning's contest, 3-1.  Jake DeBrusk scored a pair of goals and Tuukka Rask made 22 saves, leading the Bruins to another overseas victory.  On paper, I would have thought the Flames may have had the better of the two lineups, but that didn't seem to matter much here, as the Bruins just wanted it more.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 15)

Believe it or not, it's finally hockey season!

The preseason officially kicked off with the first of two games in China, showcasing the talents of the NHL to the broad market over the Pacific Ocean and the NHL sent the Bruins and Flames as their show pieces.  It was a 12:30am MT start for the Calgary market, so for those who stayed up, it looks like you got a little bit of a game.

The Bruins didn't have their best squad out for this one, as injury, age and visa issues didn't allow them to take the roster that the league likely wanted them to have, but they were still good enough to get a 4-3 shootout victory over their travelling rivals on Saturday morning/night.

The Bruins leapt out to a 3-0 lead, just past the 15-minute mark of the opening frame, leaving the Flames to claw their way back, tying the game with under a minute to go.  Overtime solved nothing, but a 4-skater shootout, with Jake DeBrusk icing the game, got the job done for the Bruins and that was that.

As is tradition with the preseason posts, I pick out the multiple point players in the game as the notable players, which may or may not sway your projections, as we draw closer and closer to the hockey pool draft.  For the winning side, rookie forward Ryan Donato finished with a goal and an assist in the game and it was a sophomore forward, Peter Cehlarik drawing a couple of helpers as well.  Jaroslav Halak made 40 saves for the victory, standing tall against a more experienced Flames side.  For the Flames, Mark Giordano scored a pair in the 3rd period, including the late tying goal to lead the way for the Flames, while Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm each chipped in with a couple of helpers.

The second and last China game isn't set to go until Wednesday morning, a 5:30am MT start, which could be a little bit better for those who want to take the morning off to watch, before heading to work.

Morning Preseason Injury Notes (Sep 23)

The Canucks finished off their series with the Kings in China on Saturday morning (in Canada) and they did so without the services of forward Bo Horvat, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first game after getting in the way of a shot and taking it up high. That was about the extent of the report, except that the team expects him to miss about a week's worth of action, most of which will be recovering from the jet lag, back from China.

It doesn't sound like anything drastic needs to happen here, we're still 10+ days before the season opens, so I think we can assume he'll be ready for opening night.

Last Night's Preseason Performers (Sep 23)

The Pittsburgh Penguins needed to give Antti Niemi a good test and that was the case, visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets with a group of youngsters in front of him.  Niemi had to make 31 saves, playing the full game, and earning the 4-3 win.  Niemi is trying to work his way towards the backup job this season and he made a good case last night.

I have been seeing Zach Aston-Reese's name a few times in this training camp and preseason, but it wasn't until tonight, where he could hit the blog posts, as the only Penguins player to get 2 points last night, picking up a goal and an assist.  There are a couple of bubble spots left, where Aston-Reese still has a shot at one.

On the other side, 2016 3rd overall draft pick Pierre-Luc Dubois tallied a couple of goals in the loss, as he fights his way towards a roster spot this season.  This kid has pool potential and it was on display last night.

Twitter was a buzzing with the name Ville Husso, a St. Louis Blues 4th round pick in 2014, as he was able to shut down the offense of the Washington Capitals on Friday night, walking away with a 4-0 win.  The Finn had to make 27 saves for the shutout, but it's unclear as to whether or not he'll be ready to usurp the backup role from Carter Hutton just yet.

2017 1st round draft pick Robert Thomas made an impact in this one as well, scoring a couple of goals, including the eventual winner and was also drawing some rave reviews for his overall play, not just his nose for the net.  Young forwards Wade Megan and Jordan Kyrou each chipped in with a couple of assists each, showing that the Blues prospect pool is getting deeper.

The Tampa Bay Lightning welcomed the Nashville Predators to town on Friday night and it was a good opportunity to let the new number one get his legs under him, as Andrei Vasilevskiy got the nod for the whole 60 minutes in this one.  Vasilevskiy had to make 29 saves in a 3-1 win, moving another step forward towards a pretty big season in 2018.

Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos hit the scoresheet twice each on the night for the Lightning, Kucherov scoring a goal and adding an assist, while Stamkos had a couple of assists in his return to game action. The Lightning are expected to bounce their way back to the playoffs this year, but it will be a tough push in the Eastern Conference, and in doing so, they'll be a good team to pick from in the pool.

It was an NHL preseason game in an AHL barn, as the cross town rivals, Rangers and Islanders, went to Bridgeport, CT for a game in the Tigers' barn.  Jaroslav Halak got the nod for the full 60 minutes for the Islanders and the opponents kept him busy, forcing him to make 30 saves in the 2-1 win.

Sophomore forward Anthony Beauvillier was the big offensive bright spot for the team, as he tallied a goal and an assist in the neutral site win.  Beauvillier was a big surprise last season, coming in late, so will it be a good time to invest in him late?  It might be.

It was a penalty-filled affair between the Coyotes and the Flames in Calgary on Friday night, leading to lots of power plays for both teams.  Mike Smith got the nod for the Flames against his former team, getting the entire game and only having to make 15 saves for the 4-2 win.

Sam Bennett, who was noted as my most intriguing player for the Flames this season, got off to a good start in this game, notching a trio of assists in the win.  Johnny Gaudreau had a pair of goals, while newcomer Travis Hamonic also chipped in with a couple of assists, as the Flames did well against a very young Coyotes team.

Mario Kempe and Adam Clendening were decent in the loss, each picking up 2 points, chipping in on the only Arizona goals.

Some of the Edmonton Oilers veterans seemed to have their hands full with the young Vancouver Canucks team on Friday night, as they were taken to a 5-3 result, in their favour, by the end of the night.  Backup candidate Laurent Brossoit got the call for the Oilers for the whole game, stopping 24 of 27 in the end for the win.  Brossoit had the leg up going into camp and he should still have it, when we're ready to roll in less than a couple weeks.

Iiro Pakarainen and rookie Kailer Yamamoto each potted a pair of goals in the win, while Leon Draisaitl chipped in with one and one and finally, Drake Caggiula was good for a couple of assists as well.  Yamamoto is making it hard for the Oilers to cut him out of camp, as he has been hitting the scoresheet with familiarity.

On the losing side, Michael Carcone and Jalen Chatfield each had a goal and an assist.

The Anaheim Ducks took advantage of the lack of depth in the Los Angeles Kings franchise, dominating their state rivals, 4-2, on Friday night.  Dominating might have been a strong word, but it appeared to be somewhat of a one-sided affair in the boxscore.

Jakob Silfverberg had a good night, scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists in the win.  He'll be relied upon heavily this season, as the Ducks try to push through a much more difficult Pacific Division this season.  Bubble defenseman Jaycob Megna had a goal and an assist as well for the Ducks, who might start with the big club, thanks to injuries.

Out of the Kings prospects, forward Michael Amadio had a pair of primary assists on the only two goals for the club, but it seems very unlikely that he'll be breaking through to the big roster this year.


And then there was one more neutral site game, far more neutral than the other two AHL buildings played in on the night, as the Kings and Canucks finished up the China Games series in Beijing in a game that started around 1:30am MT this morning.

It was a battle of the backups in this one, as Darcy Kuemper and Anders Nilsson were in net for each team and this one needed some extra time to finish off.  So much extra time, it went to the shootout and without any real offensive stars in this one, the shootout winner went to Jonny Brodzinski and the Kings, taking both games in China.  Kuemper made 22 saves in regulation and overtime, plus all three in the shootout for the 2 points.