- For the second straight game, Blues starting goaltender Jake Allen will be a healthy scratch. Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that backup Carter Hutton will get the start tomorrow night after third-stringer Pheonix Copley started last game; Copley will back up Hutton. Allen is scheduled to start on Thursday, after what coach Ken Hitchcock called a week of “tech workload.” Allen has really struggled this season, with his SV% dropping below 0.900 after posting a 0.920 in 47 games last season. Allen begins a four-year, $17.4MM contract extension next season.
- Staying in the Central Division, the Dallas Stars announced via Twitter that Radek Faksa will miss the next two games with a lower-body injury and superstar center Tyler Seguin is questionable for tomorrow’s game with an illness. Seguin has quietly had a good season so far, with 45 points in 48 games. Meanwhile, Faksa has improved his point totals in his sophomore season with 22 points in 48 games, after posting 12 points in 45 games in his rookie year.
- A day after clearing waivers, Drew Miller has been loaned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. However, as Dana Wakiji of DetroitRedWings.com writes, Miller could be back up with the big club quickly because of recent injuries to Dylan Larkin and Thomas Vanek. Miller has has five goals and an assist in 34 games with the Red Wings, after re-signing him to a one-year, $1.025MM contract in July.
- The San Jose Sharks will get rookie Timo Meier back after missing two games with an upper-body injury. The 2015 ninth-0verall pick will play with Melker Karlsson and Tommy Wingels on the Sharks’ fourth line, according to Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Meier has two goals and four points in 15 games with the Sharks, and 15 points in 17 game with the San Jose Barracudas of the AHL. Meanwhile Tomas Hertl is travelling with the team but will not play tomorrow night.
Ken Hitchcock
Central Notes: Darling, Subban, Tarasenko, Maurice
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 1-0 Friday night thanks to another stellar game from Scott Darling. Darling has been superb this season, and as it usually goes for the Blackhawks, is due a pay raise when his contract expires after this season. Mark Lazerus writes that even with all the success, Darling is quick to credit his teammates for any one of his performances while also counting Corey Crawford as “one of the best goalies in the world.” In Darling’s mind, Lazerus reports, there is no goalie controversy, no matter how strong Darling continues to play.
In other Central Division news:
- The return of P.K. Subban will continue to be a delicate process writes the Tennessean’s Adam Vingan. Subban was supposed to play less in last night’s game but ended up logging 23 minutes of ice time. Vingan also reports that just having Subban’s presence in the lineup proves to be an immediate boon for the Predators’ possession game. With the Preds winning five of their last six, Vingan adds that there’s no rush for Subban to return to pre-injury form.
- Stuck on 20 goals for a half dozen games, Jeremy Rutherford reports that Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock will move Vladimir Tarasenko in an effort to generate scoring. Tarasenko will move to a line with Patrik Berglund and Robby Fabbri since Berglund has notched 10 goals in his last 16 games. Rutherford adds that Berglund cannot recall ever being on the same line with Tarasenko in his five years with the Blues.
- The Winnipeg Sun’s Paul Friesen doesn’t envy Jets bench boss Paul Maurice in having to deal with all of the different personalities on the team. But he is “puzzled” by Maurice’s approach. Friesen compares Maurice’s handling of 20-year-old Nik Ehlers with that of 31-year-old Dustin Byfuglien, and just how different it is working with a veteran and a rookie. Friesen reports that while Maurice was quick to explain Ehler’s shortcomings, he’s unsure as to why a veteran like Byfuglien is immune to the same critiques. He just wonders how Maurice will get a more consistent effort out of both players.
Blue Notes: Shattenkirk, Copley, Allen, Coaching
Much digital ink has already been spilled on the St. Louis Blues and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
As our Brian La Rose wrote yesterday, most hockey insiders believe Shattenkirk is committed to becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. However, the Blues are not looking like a serious contender, having lost six of their last 10 games. Goaltender Jake Allen is sporting an ugly 0.897 SV% in his first year as the Blues’ starter.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie appeared on TSN Edmonton radio on Friday morning and suggested the Blues could raise their asking price for Shattenkirk by talking to him and his agent to find out his ideal landing spot. The Blues could facilitate contract talks before completing the rare sign and trade, meaning the new team could get Shattenkirk on an eight-year contract and the Blues can get a higher price for the offensive defenseman compared to trading him as a rental.
The Blues may not be opposed to that option, as they did something similar at last year’s NHL Draft. The Arizona Coyotes and Edmonton Oilers were both granted permission to speak with Shattenkirk. The Coyotes reportedly made some progress, but the Oilers were told Shattenkirk wasn’t interested in signing long-term. Had he expressed interest in signing in Edmonton, it’s entirely possible that Taylor Hall could have been a St. Louis Blue instead of a New Jersey Devil.
According to Darren Dreger, Shattenkirk could have interest in signing long-term with Anaheim, Boston, Colorado, Detroit, New York (Rangers), San Jose, and Toronto. The Rangers are believed to be the front-runners at this time.
- The Blues have recalled Pheonix Copley from the Chicago Wolves. Copley is 11-4-1 with a 0.920 SV% with the Wolves. Neither of the Blues’ current goaltenders are injured, but Allen and Carter Hutton have the worst combined SV% in the NHL at 0.895.
- On their morning roundtable, ESPN insiders discussed the pros and cons of the Blues’ two-coach system. Ken Hitchcock is in his final year while Mike Yeo was brought in to eventually replace him; both men are behind the bench this season, however. While they agree that neither the coaches nor the system are to blame for the Blues’ struggles, Pierre LeBrun wonders “whether [Hitchcock] will last the rest of the season if the Blues keep producing uneven results,” especially considering his replacement is already in place.
Blues Place Paul Stastny on Injured Reserve
Andy Strickland tweets that Blues center Paul Stastny has been placed on injured reserve while Wade Megan has been called up from Chicago. Lou Korac adds, however, that the move is only for a game, and that it a roster spot for Megan. Jeremy Rutherford tweets that he’ll be ready for next Wednesday’s game.
Stastny was expected to miss tonight’s game after suffering an upper body injury against Dallas on Tuesday. Head coach Ken Hitchcock indicated that he was hit high during the game, and added later that should he miss tonight’s game, he would be ready to go next week.
This season, Stastny has 17 points (7-10), and according to Rutherford, is logging nearly 20 minutes of ice time per game. Rutherford reports that he will be missed most in the faceoff circle, where he takes 36 percent of the Blues’ draws and is sixth in the league with a 54.7% winning percentage.
The 26-year-old Megan, meanwhile, has 24 points (13-11) in 28 games this season with Chicago. Should he play tonight, it will be his first appearance in an NHL game.
Jori Lehtera To Be Healthy Scratched
Jori Lehtera will be watching tonight’s game from the press box.
The skilled center will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night when St. Louis host the Winnipeg Jets, according to Lou Korac, who covers the Blues for NHL.com. It appears that Nail Yakupov will take his spot in the lineup.
Lehtera has seven points (3-4-7) in 20 games, and was demoted to the third line during last game. Earlier this season, coach Ken Hitchcock scratched Robby Fabbri to get him motivated, and now he’s doing it again with another of the Blues top-nine forwards.
Yakupov will play on the third line with Patrik Berglund and Dmitrij Jaskin. The former first-overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers has five points (2-3-5) in 16 games this season. He’s been healthy-scratched eight times so far this season, since being acquired in October for ECHL forward Zach Pochiro and a conditional draft pick.
According to Korac, Hitchcock said he’s liked Yakupov’s effort in the last three practices. His last game was November 23.
Central Division Snapshots: Arvidsson, Blues, Hawks, Johns, Oduya
Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson is establishing himself as a legitimate top-six forward in the league with a strong early performance in Music City. In a feature on the team’s official NHL.com website, John Glennon writes that Arvidsson, after going undrafted on two separate occasions before finally going in the fourth-round of the 2014 entry draft, is exceeding any expectations associated with someone of that pedigree.
The Swedish winger saw significant action during the 2015-16 campaign, appearing in 56 regular season games and all 14 postseason contests, but only flashed his on-ice abilities. Arvidsson tallied just eight goals and 16 points last year but through 20 games this season, the 24-year-old has nearly matched that level of production with six goals and 13 points. He’s on pace to register 20-plus goals and eclipse the 50-point plateau, which is production commensurate with a top-six forward.
After going undrafted in both the 2012 and 2013 entry drafts, Arvidsson worked hard in his native Sweden to turn himself into an energy player:
“When I got up to the Elite League in Sweden, they wanted me to work on my strength and stamina so that I could play at a high level every game and every shift. I worked really hard, and I think it helped me a lot. Since then, I’ve been an energy player. Before that, I was kind of an average player.”
Glennon compares Arvidsson to a popular former Predator, tough guy winger Jordin Tootoo, in that despite playing different styles, there is a “buzz” generated when they are on the ice.
Earlier this season, Arvidsson graduated to the team’s top line with center Ryan Johansen and winger James Neal. He’s currently fifth on the club in scoring and second behind only Neal in shots on goal with 61.
Arvidsson is just another example that procuring NHL talent is an inexact science at best. Quality players often go undrafted but with hard work can become regulars in the NHL.
Elsewhere in the Central Division:
- Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides updates on a couple of injured Blues. According to Rutherford, Alexander Steen returned to practice Saturday but it’s still unclear when he’ll return to action. Steen has missed the last five games due to an upper-body-injury. Meanwhile, the news is more optimistic for blue liner Joel Edmundson. He also returned to practice Saturday but Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock indicated the 23-year-old defender could be ready to return to game action next week.
- After a 3 – 3 – 1 start to the campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks have turned their fortunes around, winning 11 of their last 16 decisions and accumulating 24 of a possible 32 standings points. This is despite boasting the league’s worst penalty kill, which allows nearly three goals for every 10 opportunities. The team has fared much better at even strength with a +13 goal differential in five-on-five man situations. But, as Chris Hine writes for the Chicago Tribune, the team feels as if they need to be even better. Head coach John Quenneville believes the team needs to generate more offensive opportunities at even strength: “We haven’t given up much five-on-five, but we haven’t generated what we’re looking for. A lot of games we’re neutralized (five-on-five), be it the neutral zone or both zones.”
- Lastly, Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News discusses the juggling that Stars head coach Lindy Ruff is having to do with the team’s blue line. Dallas has eight NHL-caliber defenders on the roster but obviously can only dress six on any given night. Johnny Oduya is currently on IR with a lower-body-injury but Ruff has still found it difficult to get Stephen Johns into the lineup. Consequently, the team assigned Johns to their AHL affiliate to get some game action this weekend. Johns scored three goals in two games for Texas, earning a quick recall to the big club. Meanwhile, Oduya appears to be nearing a return, according to Heika.
Central Notes: Hitchcock, Bowman On Expansion, Avalanche
While some have speculated that St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock could be at risk of losing his job, GM Doug Armstrong was quick to shoot that down, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Speaking with Rutherford, Armstrong said that Hitchcock isn’t in danger of losing his position:
“The guy has the best winning percentage in hockey over the last six years. If he’s in danger, then everybody’s in danger.”
Hitchcock’s unique situation has been well documented. With associate coach Mike Yeo set to take over next season, some have suggested it may make sense to make the transition early and eliminate any ‘lame duck’ situation. The team has had a decent start to the season overall, sitting second in the Central Division but have had some lulls along the way. The up-and-down start doesn’t really surprise Armstrong, however:
“This season was going to have more peaks and valleys than years in the past. It’s part of the growing pains that you go through. Obviously you’d like to have smooth waters all the time, but I don’t think it’s realistic. When you look how many games we’ve played, we’re competitive.”
Still with the Blues, Alex Steen missed his second straight game on Saturday with an upper body injury. Hitchcock noted that Steen is quickly getting better and remains day-to-day.
More from the Central:
- Although some teams are beginning to plan around next June’s expansion draft, Chicago GM Stan Bowman isn’t too worried about it at this point, reports Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Bowman tells Lazerus that the team has some flexibility when it comes to the expansion draft; as the roster currently stands, defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and center Marcus Kruger would be among the more notable players that would be left unprotected.
- After shuffling back and forth between center and the wing in the past three years, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon is feeling much better this season as a full-time player down the middle, notes Terry Frei of the Denver Post. MacKinnon is winning a career best 51.4% of his faceoffs (his previous high was 48.4%), taking an average of over 18 per night. However, the former first overall pick in 2013 off to another slower start offensively with 12 points in 17 games and has had to adjust to several different wingers lately thanks to injuries to Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog. In a separate article from Frei, Duchene noted that he hopes to return from a concussion on Monday while Landeskog isn’t quite ready to return from his lower body injury but shouldn’t miss too much more time.
Injury Notes: Hertl, Sharp, Bortuzzo
Tomas Hertl has flown back to San Jose to undergo an MRI on his knee, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN. The Sharks forward injured himself in the second period last night, leaving the game and not returning. While the extent of the injury is unknown, “waiting for MRI results” has not been a nice feeling for fans around the league of late; both Steven Stamkos and Taylor Hall received terrible news following trips home for examination.
If Hertl is to miss any length of time, it would adversely affect a Sharks squad that is already having trouble scoring goals. With 39 goals scored, they rank ahead of only the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference. While the team is still carrying a positive 9-8-0 record through the first 17 games, losing one of their top scoring threats would be devastating.
- Patrick Sharp is set to make his return to the lineup Saturday night for the Dallas Stars. The veteran sniper has missed the last fourteen games with a concussion suffered on a hit from Brayden McNabb in October. The consistent scoring threat is coming off his eighth 20-goal season, and hoping to reach that mark again in what is a contract year for the 34-year old. Sharp is earning $5.9MM this season in the final year of a five-year, $29.5MM deal signed way back in 2011. Even at his advanced age he’s likely to be looking for a multi-year contract to end his career.
- The Blues are starting to get healthier, as Robert Bortuzzo will be returning this weekend as well. The defenseman has missed the past ten games with a lower-body injury, though it’s not a guarantee that he’ll crack the lineup right away. As Ken Hitchcock points out “The one challenge for us is we’re carrying lefty-righty right now and it’s working, so that’s something we’ve got to think about also.” With Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk ahead of him, Bortuzzo would have to beat out Colton Parayko to skate on the right side, which is much easier said than done the way the 23-year old has established himself this season.
Blues Recall Ty Rattie From Chicago Following Conditioning Assignment
With 14 NHL-caliber forwards on the roster it’s proven to be a challenge at times for St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock to find playing time for everyone. In fact, Ty Rattie, once the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft, has made just one appearance for the Blues, playing just eight minutes in an OT loss to Vancouver on October 18th. The inactivity prompted the team to send Rattie down to Chicago just to get him some game action. Today the team recalled the 23-year-old right wing from the AHL.
The Blues obviously still see potential in Rattie as evidenced by their refusal to expose him to waivers and risk losing him to another club. Still, the clock has to be ticking for Rattie on his Blues career and if he doesn’t impress the coaching staff at some point in the near future, it’s possible the team will finally choose to move on. Given the Blues roster situation and barring an injury to a top-nine forward, it doesn’t appear as if there’s a clear path to playing time in St. Louis.
Rattie has put up good numbers in the AHL, tallying 69 goals and 137 points in 196 games in Chicago. But he’s had limited chances in the NHL, seeing action in just 27 contests and averaging 9:18 of ice time. His junior pedigree suggests he has the talent to succeed at this level and perhaps only needs an extended opportunity with another team.
Blues Notes: Coaching, Fabbri, Butler
The St. Louis Blues find themselves in a unique position this season when it comes to their coaching staff. Long-time head coach Ken Hitchcock announced during the offseason that he would be retiring at the end of the year and the team hired Mike Yeo as their coach-in-waiting. Throughout the major North American sports landscape, many teams are hesitant to have a coach in a ‘lame duck’ season with one year left on his contract so it’s particularly noteworthy that St. Louis is openly going with one in Hitchcock this season.
A quick look at the standings would suggest that it seems to be working so far. The Blues find themselves second in the Central Division with a points percentage over .500. However, the team has a negative goal differential, have taken a lot of undisciplined penalties, and are currently struggling on the man advantage. With that in mind, Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the Blues should promote Yeo now to the head coaching spot.
Hitchcock’s teams with St. Louis have in part been defined by their size and physicality, something that isn’t the case this year as power forwards David Backes and Troy Brouwer were replaced by faster, more finesse options in David Perron and Nail Yakupov. So far, the Blues have been hit-or-miss when it comes to playing their desired up-tempo style and that inconsistency – especially on the road – has proven costly as of late.
Given Hitchcock’s track record and the fact that the Blues are currently in a playoff spot, it’s hard to foresee them making the switch behind the bench this quickly. If their recent struggles continue though, promoting Yeo earlier than anticipated could become an option, especially if GM Doug Armstrong isn’t able to make any substantive changes to the roster beforehand.
More from St. Louis:
- As Hitchcock continues to shake up the lineup in an effort to get the team going, left winger Robby Fabbri is the most recent forward to be a healthy scratch. The sophomore has struggled lately with just one point in his last ten games and has only four points (1-3-4) on the season. Fabbri tells Tom Timmermann of the Post-Dispatch that the decision to hit him didn’t come as too much of a surprise: “It’s my first time being scratched ever, so it’s a little bit of a different feeling. Surprised? No. You start getting a feel from them and a feel from how you think you’re playing, and you know there’s a possibility. Once I saw it, I tried to get over it as soon as possible and move on and get ready for what’s coming up.” It appears that Fabbri will get back into the lineup tonight and play along Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko, reports Chris Pinkert of the team’s official site.
- The Blues announced that they have re-assigned defenseman Chris Butler to their AHL affiliate in Chicago, just one day after recalling him. As a result, they’re back to just the minimum of six healthy blueliners on the active roster. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising if Butler or another rearguard was to be brought back up before too long.