Edmonton Oilers Recall Dillon Simpson
The Edmonton Oilers have called up Dillon Simpson from the AHL ahead of their game tonight against the New York Islanders. Simpson has played seven games for Bakersfield this season, registering one point and eight penalty minutes. He won’t play in tonight’s game, though may figure into the early game tomorrow against the Red Wings.
Simpson was a fourth-round selection in 2011 (though it was #92 overall, the first selection of the round) and has played the last two seasons in the AHL, scoring 37 points. He’s the prototypical all-around defenseman, without any standout skill. His size, speed, and puck movement is all just good enough. As he makes the jump and waits for his NHL debut, perhaps he’ll push his game just a little bit further and find a role on the back end of Edmonton.
Kris Russell is out for tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury, meaning that the Oilers needed some insurance on the back end for tomorrow. They’ll fly right from New York to Detroit tomorrow to play the Red Wings at 4pm central time.
Franchise Faceoff: San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Tonight in San Jose two teams who went to battle nearly five months ago to determine who could lift hockey’s greatest trophy, will be back at odds fighting for just two points. The Sharks and Penguins will match up in what should be an outstanding game of hockey, not only because of the recent history but the immense skill on each side. The Penguins have followed up their championship season with a great 7-2-2 start, while the Sharks have sputtered a bit at 6-5-0.
Each team has an incredible puck moving defenseman on the back end in Brent Burns and Kris Letang, and deep forward groups. They play very different styles, with Pittsburgh flying in straight lines down the rink, while San Jose prefers a slightly slower, possession based attack. They do both have great futures, with players like Tomas Hertl and Olli Maatta only starting to hit their true potential.
It may lie in the financials that these two teams diverge however, as the Sharks have a number of big name players hitting free agency this summer, while the Penguins are locked into long-term deals with all of their top guns. You might see these differences in different ways however, as the Sharks will have plenty of freedom once Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau move on, while the Penguins will have little room to sign another big ticket.
So tonight, when the two teams who dominated the hockey world last season come together, we ask you to decide which roster (not all the franchise perks that go with it) would you rather have, if you were building a team for this season and the future?
Calgary Flames Recall Hunter Shinkaruk From AHL
After learning that Kris Versteeg would be out a few weeks, the Calgary Flames have recalled Hunter Shinkaruk from the Stockton Heat. Versteeg was injured was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury that he suffered last night, giving Shinkaruk a chance with the big club.
A former first-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks, Shinkaruk was traded to the Flames this February in exchange for Markus Granlund. The winger is off to a great start in the AHL this season with eight points in seven contests. After making his NHL debut last season he’ll try to show that he belongs full time at this level.
For Versteeg, it’s exactly the reason he was only able to score PTO’s this year. For a talented forward who has always been able to put up points, he’s never been able to stay consistently healthy or in the lineup. While he hasn’t suffered a huge setback in a few years, he’s often out with nagging injuries for at least a few games each year. It’s clear he can contribute offensively – he’s scored at least 35 points in almost every one of his seasons – but disappears on occasion and can’t be relied on as core piece.
The Flames have broken up their dynamic duo of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, but perhaps injecting a little more youth in the form of Shinkaruk can spark their offense. He scored 51 points in 62 AHL games last year, and is still just 22-years old.
Penguins Notes: Murray, Sheary, Hagelin
The Pittsburgh Penguins will take on the San Jose Sharks tonight in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final from last season, and there will be a familiar face in net. Matt Murray will make his second start of the season after allowing just a single goal in his debut against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. Even though Marc-Andre Fleury has played exceptionally well to start the year, head coach Mike Sullivan says both netminders will continue to play, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
We’re fortunate. We have two really good goaltenders that we know are going to give us a chance to win. We’re going to do our best to keep them both in the mix. We’ll go from there. These situations always have a way to work themselves out. Inevitably performance is always the dictator.
Mackey expects that Murray’s play tonight will factor large in the decision of who to start on Tuesday at home, though it’s up in the air from that point. The team doesn’t have another back-to-back situation until November 18th and 19th.
- The Penguins will get some help up front to try and score some goals for Murray, as Conor Sheary will return from a seven game absence to play tonight. Sheary suffered an eye injury last month in Montreal and has been itching to get back into game action. According to Mackey, he’ll start on the fourth line with Matt Cullen and Eric Fehr, though he could quickly ascend back up the lineup. Sheary has one goal and two assists on the season in just four games.
- The ‘HBK’ line (Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel) is officially broken up, according to Adam Gretz of NBC. The trio that was so dominant in the playoffs is now spread out over the Penguins top three units, with Hagelin skating alongside Sidney Crosby and Patrick Hornqvist. As Gretz notes, Hagelin brings a lot of the same aspects that Pascal Dupuis added so effectively to Crosby’s wing over the years. Hopefully it will spark something in the speedy winger, as he only has two points on the season so far. Kessel on the other hand is off to a great start this season and now finds himself skating alongside Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz. #81’s ten points this year trails only Malkin on the Penguins, and he leads the team in assists.
Versteeg To Miss “A Couple Of Weeks”
Calgary Flames forward Kris Versteeg will miss “a couple of weeks” with a groin injury, according to coach Glen Gulutzan. Versteeg suffered the injury against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. He left the game after playing just 3:19.
The Lethbridge-native has been held off the scoresheet for four straight games, and has just one assist to show for his last six games. Versteeg has just two goals this season, both coming versus the Blues on October 22. He’s also one-for-two in the shootout, having scored the winner against Chicago earlier this season.
The Flames signed Versteeg away from division rival Edmonton, where he was in training camp on a PTO. Calgary is Versteeg’s seventh NHL team in 10 seasons.
With Versteeg back in Calgary for evaluation, the Flames further broke up their top line, splitting up Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Sam Bennett will center Gaudreau and Troy Brouwer, while Monahan is centering Micheal Ferland and Alex Chiasson. Calgary will visit the injury-plagued Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Pacific Division Notes: Flames, Canucks, Oilers
The Calgary Flames have struggled in the early stretches of this season, and some of their fans have found a scapegoat: “The Wideman Effect”.
The belief is that since January 2016, when Dennis Wideman ran linesman Don Henderson from behind, ending the latter’s career, the referees have been biased against the Flames. Despite the catchy name, it appears that the perception just isn’t true. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector broke down the penalties called in the 47 games before the incident and the 46 since. While the Flames did see a nearly 50 per cent increase in penalties last season after the attack, they still spent more time on the power-play. Moving to this season, the Flames are the second-most penalized team in the NHL after the Bruins. But they’ve also had the fifth-most power-play opportunities of any team.
Fans can look no further than the struggles of Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and Brian Elliott, and some questionable lineup choices on the blue line. Fresh off signing new contracts for $6.375MM and $6,75MM respectively, Monahan and Gaudreau have combined for just 11 points through 12 games. That’s eight less than last season at this time.
Elliott was traded for to stabilize the Flames wretched goaltending from last season, and so far has a sub-900 save percentage and a GAA over 3. Backup Chad Johnson has been better, but is still below league-average.
Finally, the Flames new coach Glen Gulutzan‘s usage of Dougie Hamilton has been weird this season. Hamilton scored 43 points last season while playing just under 20-minutes per game, but has fallen below 19 minutes this season and has been playing third-pairing at even-strength with lesser players.
- It has been an ugly stretch for the Canucks, who have lost seven games in a row after starting 4-0-0. They’ve fallen from first in the NHL to 26th. Even worse, the Canucks have scored just seven goals in that stretch and have been shutout in four of their last five games. The Blue Jackets outscored the Canucks’ entire losing streak in 38-minutes on Friday night, and they weren’t even done yet. Coach Willie Desjardins said he believes in their players and thinks they can turn it around, despite admitting this season’s losing has been tough on him. Desjardins is on the hot seat, considering GM Jim Benning believes the Canucks are a playoff team. However, Benning may not be entirely accurate in that belief: the Canucks are averaging just 1.45 goals-per-game, nearly a goal-and-a-half less than the league-average. Most prognosticators have the Canucks pegged as a real contender, not for the playoffs, but for the best draft lottery odds.
- Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are sitting in first in the Western Conference after a hot start. They’ve cooled down a little, going 0-2-1 in the last week. Spector echoed a common sentiment about the team: if they can get their hands on a legit point-threat for their floundering power-play, then watch out. The Oilers were linked to Kevin Shattenkirk, P.K. Subban and Tyson Barrie over the summer, and more recently pending-UFA Brent Burns. In his article, Spector suggests Jason Garrison might be available in Tampa Bay as a cap casualty, though he’s another lefty; when healthy, five of the Oilers top-six defenders are left-handed.
Snapshots: Howard, Blue Jackets, Clutterbuck
Over the last few seasons, there has been much talk about the Detroit Red Wings’ goaltending situation.
Petr Mrazek, the club’s fifth-round pick in 2010, has been developing into a solid starting goalie, while 32-year-old Jimmy Howard‘s play has been below league-average since 2012-13. But while this season marks the first in which Mrazek has made over $1MM (he signed a two-year, $8MM contract in July), Howard has been making a shade under $5.3MM since 2013-14, the year after his numbers began to slide. Howard has an additional two seasons remaining on his contract.
The Red Wings have been trying to trade Howard for a while now, but have obviously been unable to find any suitors thanks to his cap hit. But as of right now, Red Wings GM Ken Holland may be glad about that. Howard has only allowed 3 goals in 4 appearances this season, with a 2-1-0 record and league-highs in GAA and SV% (0.86 and 0.974, respectively). Meanwhile expected starter Mrazek is 4-4-1 with a 0.904 SV% and a GAA over 3. Mrazek has lost three in a row, and Howard will be starting on Sunday versus the West-leading Edmonton Oilers.
It’s still early in the season, but Howard has helped keep the Red Wings in playoff contention; they’re currently in the first wildcard position in the Eastern Conference. Detroit will need Howard to keep up his stellar play if they want to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 1989-90.
- The Blue Jackets laid a 10-0 beating on the NHL-leading Canadiens Friday night, the first game with a 10-goal differential since 2002-03. On January 11, the Washington Capitals beat the visiting Florida Panthers by a score of 12-2. Then-Capitals forward Jaromir Jagr scored a hat-trick and added 4 assists against his future team. There are only two other players from that game still active in the NHL: Jay Bouwmeester and Roberto Luongo.
- It was the first 10-0 shutout win since 1996, when Trevor Kidd and the Calgary Flames shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Finally, John Tavares will have a new line-mate when his Islanders host the Oilers. Gritty forward Cal Clutterbuck will get a chance to play with his captain on the first line, alongside Josh Bailey. It’s a curious choice, seeing as Clutterbuck has only 1 goal and 5 points this season, and his career high of 34-points came back in 2010-11. It’s still more than big-name free-agent signing Andrew Ladd, who has only 1 assist so far. The Islanders have lost four of five, but hope to bounce back against the Oilers, who have dropped three in a row. Speaking of blowouts and the Islanders hosting the Oilers, Edmonton’s previous visit to Brooklyn was an ugly 8-1 win for the home side.
Lineup Updates: Backes, Carrier, Stone, Russell, Edler
News and notes from around the NHL this morning:
- The Boston Bruins announced that they expect David Backes back tonight in their tilt against the New York Rangers. Backes—the Bruins’ prized free agent signing this summer—has been out since October 24th with an elbow injury. The forward underwent surgery last week and sat out the past few games as he recovered. The Bruins did not want to rush Backes back, citing a need for complete recovery and to prevent infection. Surprisingly, the surgery was Backes’s first in his eleven-year career, reports CSN NE’s Joe Haggerty.
- The Buffalo Sabres called up prospect William Carrier from the Rochester Americans early Friday morning, reports the Buffalo News’ John Vogl, in anticipation of tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Carrier is having an excellent season in Rochester, scoring 3G and 1A in seven games.
- Mark Stone returns to the lineup for the Ottawa Senators in the same game, says the team. Stone missed the Sens last game with a neck injury, but it was not severe enough to sideline him for more than a game. Stone has 1G and 4A in 9 games for the Senators after returning from a pre-season concussion.
- The Edmonton Oilers will be without Kris Russell tonight as he sits with an undisclosed injury, reports Bob Stauffer of AM 630 CHED. Russell is still looking for his first goal of the season, but his defensive play has anchored the Oilers as they lead the Pacific Division. The new-look Edmonton defense featuring Adam Larsson and Russell allows the team to move the puck quickly to its highly-skilled forwards, something the team has lacked in years past.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced that Alex Edler is day-to-day with an injury and will not suit up tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friendman. Edler only has one goal on the season but is logging over 24 minutes a night. The Canucks have lost seven straight after winning their first four games to start the season.
Raffi Torres Retires
Much-maligned forward Raffi Torres has retired from the NHL, reports the Stouffville Sun Tribune’s Michael Hayakawa. The retirement went under the radar of more traditional hockey media, and with that a veteran’s career ends not with a bang but a whimper.
Torres ends his career with 137 G and 123A in 635 games with seven NHL teams. More telling is that he racked up 497 PIMs alongside thee fines and five suspensions. In total Torres missed over 70 games due to league discipline. Torres started his NHL career on the right foot by stringing together two 20+ goal campaigns with the Edmonton Oilers (after being traded by the NY Islanders), and was instrumental in the Oilers’ cinderella run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. He then played a role in Vancouver’s Final run in 2010-11 before the Canucks also lost in seven games.
It was the latter part of Torres’s career, however, that fans and players will remember. Since 2010, Torres was suspended three times for illegal hits to Jordan Eberle, Marian Hossa, and Jakub Silfverberg, the last one carrying a 41-game penalty. Torres did not play again in the NHL after the Silfverberg suspension due partially to a knee injury.
Torres attempted to make a comeback this year by signing a PTO with the Carolina Hurricanes. He established that it was the NHL or bust, and that he would not continue playing if he did not make the big team out of camp. Unfortunately for Torres, however, his play did not warrant an NHL spot and he was released after just two games. When no other offers came, Torres slipped quietly into retirement.
Craig Anderson Returns To Senators
Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson returns tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Anderson left the team for a second time this month following his wife Nicholle’s cancer diagnosis. The Sens reassigned goaltender Chris Driedger back to Binghamton to make room for Anderson.
Anderson initially left the team in October when his wife was first diagnosed, but returned after the Sens backup goaltender Andrew Hammond went down with an injury. Anderson posted two wins in his brief return, including an emotional shutout against the Edmonton Oilers. He then left the team again to be with his wife while the Senators announced that there was no timetable for his return.
It may not be a coincidence that tonight’s return is the same day as the NHL promotes Cancer Awareness day, and his presence is sure to garner extra attention. Anderson’s play, however, deserves attention regardless of what event the NHL is promoting. Anderson boasts a 6-1-0 record with a .924SV% and a 2.24GAA. And while it is a small sample size, his performance provides Ottawa with the goaltending stability necessary for the young team to progress.