NHL Daily: After a rough start to his career, Zack Kassian is rebounding nicely and seems to have found a home in Edmonton, Nashville Predators being tested early on with an extremely tough schedule, Dallas goalies providing a surprising spark, and more! (Morning Coffee Headlines)
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Only four games were on the schedule Wednesday night. Montreal collected a road victory against the Islanders. The Rangers beat up on the Bruins 5-2 at home. Edmonton continued their strong start with a 4-1 win over Presidents’ Trophy winner Washington. While in the late game, Anaheim finally found the back of the net putting a 6-1 stomping on the Predators.
As per usual, we highlight the top performers of the previous night:
F Jakob Silfverberg, ANA (2 goals)
F Benoit Pouliot, EDM (2 goals)
F Brandon Pirri, NYR (2 goals)
D Shea Weber, MTL (1 goal 1 assist)
F Rick Nash, NYR (1 goal 1 assist)
F Jimmy Vesey, NYR (1 goal 1 assist)
F Derek Stepan, NYR (2 assists)
F J.T. Miller, NYR (2 assists)
F Connor McDavid, EDM (2 assists)
F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM (2 assists)
D Cam Fowler, ANA (2 assists)
D Sami Vatanen, ANA (2 assists)
G Cam Talbot, EDM (Stopped 34 of 35 shots)
G John Gibson, ANA (Stopped 28 of 29 shots)
G Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (Stopped 27 of 29 shots)
NHL Daily: Morning Coffee Headlines
Perry Third on Ducks Scoring List
On Wednesday night, Corey Perry surpassed Paul Kariya on the Anaheim Ducks all-time scoring list, marking a major feat. It took Perry 812 games to reach 670 points, while Kariya racked up 669 over 606 contests. [The Score]
Kassian Fitting in Nicely with Oilers
All NHL
Zack Kassian had a rough start to his career which seemed to plateau in Montreal. He wound up in the NHL’s Substance Abuse Program for a drinking problem and it was unclear whether or not he’d ever re-emerge. Luckily, the Oilers took a chance on the former Sabres 1st rounder, and it seems to be paying off as Sammi Silber over at Oil at Whyte discusses. [Oil on Whyte]
Las Vegas Franchise Shaping Up
It’s been a very busy 60 days for General Manager George McPhee down in Las Vegas. He has hired 30 individuals for various roles and now says that roughly 95 percent of the off-ice staff is constructed. [National Post]
Stars Goaltending Stepping Up
Josh Clark over at Blackout Dallas discusses how Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi have stepped up in 2016-17, giving the Stars a better chance to win each and every night. Unfortunately, they’ve been ravaged by injuries up front, which is severely affecting the team. [Blackout Dallas]
Early Questions in 2016-17
Allan Mitchell over at Bleacher Report takes a look at some of the biggest burning questions after a couple of weeks of play. Among some of the most intriguing proposed: Can the Edmonton Oilers continue their hot play? Something a lot of people are wondering around the league. [Bleacher Report]
Predators Tested Early by Schedule
Give the Predators some credit, they’ve faced arguably the toughest schedule early into the new season. Unfortunately, things don’t much easier over the next little while as they head on a four-game road trip. [Predlines]
Next: Bruins Injury Drama Between the Pipes
NHL Daily Morning Rant
I’d like to take a moment to give credit to two players. One was expected, the other I was critical of initially back when first acquired, but has come around to surprise me.
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and starting goaltender Cam Talbot have been absolutely outstanding thus far. If they can remain consistent (which is very possible) in 2016-17, we could be looking at a playoff team. Edmonton is still a year or two away from Cup contention, but there’s reason for optimism with these guys on the roster.
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