NHL Daily: Philadelphia Flyers F Dale Weise received a 3 game suspension for his illegal check to the head on Anaheim Ducks D Korbinian Holzer, Kris Russell gamble paying off early for Oilers, Tampa Bay Lightning ranked top franchise by ESPN, and more! (Morning Coffee Headlines)
Grab your morning cup of coffee and join us here at Puck Prose for a compilation of NHL daily links that will help keep you updated with everything going on in the hockey world.
Before turning to the headlines, as per usual, we highlight the performers of the previous night. Only three games were on the NHL schedule Friday night: The New York Islanders won 3-2 vs. Arizona, Columbus notched their first win of the year beating Chicago, and Detroit knocked off the Predators 5-3 at home.
Previous Night Performers:
D Johnny Boychuk, NYI (1 goal 1 assist)
F Richard Panik, CHI (1 goal 1 assist)
F Nick Foligno, CLB (1 goal 1 assist)
D Zach Werenski, CLB (1 goal 1 assist)
F Gustav Nyquist, DET (1 goal 1 assist)
D Roman Josi, NSH (2 assists)
G Sergei Bobrovsky, CLB (Stopped 32 of 34 shots)
NHL Daily: Morning Coffee Headlines
Weise Suspended 3 Games
Philadelphia Flyers forward Dale Weise was suspended three games for his illegal head check on Anaheim Ducks defenseman Korbinian Holzer. The call was missed on the ice Thursday night, but caught later by the Department of Player Safety. Weise will forfeit a little over $39,000 dollars in salary. [Yahoo Sports]
Russell Signing is Paying off Early
All NHL
According to analytics, the Edmonton Oilers took a gamble when they signed defenseman Kris Russell. Bret Tasker over at Oil on Whyte discusses how the veteran blue liner has managed to stand out even without a preseason/training camp to get in game shape. [Oil on Whyte]
Who Will Coach Las Vegas
Greg Wyshynski over at Yahoo Sports wonders who might be the first coach for the NHL’s 31st franchise. There’s speculation that personal connections to GM George McPhee may propel certain candidates further to the top. He offers a few suggestions, including Kevin Dineen and Craig Berube, among others. [Yahoo Sports]
Lightning Rank as Top Franchise by ESPN
ESPN ranks the franchise’s in each of the four major professional sports leagues in North America. After two top 10 finishes in previous years, the Tampa Bay Lightning came out on top in 2016. Toronto ranked last among NHL franchise’s, and 118th of 122nd overall. [Bolts by the Bay]
5 Players Off to Hot Starts
CBC takes a look at five players who are off to hot starts in 2016-17. For each of these individuals, there’s a question of whether or not they can sustain the productivity of the course of an 82-game season. [CBC]
Canucks Haven’t Lost in 2016 Draft
Some in the Canucks community are looking at Olli Juolevi’s demotion back to OHL London as a bad sign with so many other 18-year-old’s making surprise contributions. Janik Beichler over at the Canuck Way explains why Vancouver hasn’t lost in the 2016 Draft. [The Canuck Way]
Next: Week 2 NHL Power Rankings
NHL Daily Morning Rant
Since we’ve got 12 games on the schedule on a busy Saturday, it’s a good time for another edition of five predictions, this time of the daily nature.
1. The 1-3 Los Angeles Kings hand Vancouver their first loss of the season in the late game
2. Montreal/Boston engage in a chippy low-scoring affair in this goaltending duel
3. Tampa Bay/Ottawa light the lamp in a high-scoring affair after sloppy defense and goaltending
4. Multi-point night for Devils rookie Pavel Zacha – overdue for a big performance
5. P.K. Subban/Roman Josi respond with big night vs. Penguins after disappointing loss to Detroit on Friday
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