Brewin Flames

Game # 36 Flames 4 Flyers 3 Flames outlast Philadelphia 4-3 to end Flyers' 9-game road points streak ByAP Updated: Jan 1, 2024, 01:11 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Mikael Backlund, Dennis Gilbert, Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman scored and the Calgary Flames outlasted the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday night. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves to help the Flames improve to 15-16-5. Andrew Mangiapane had three assists and Jonathan Huberdeau added an assist to snap a 12-game points drought. “It’s confidence. Just making the plays when they’re there. I cannot complicate it on myself,” Huberdeau said. “That’s what I did tonight. I’ve just got to build on that and do the same thing over and over.” Mangiapane entered the night with a goal and two assists in his previous 12 games. “It’s good for, obviously, my confidence levels,” Mangiapane said. "Just have a good game and I think of late, I’ve been trending in the right direction.” Rasmus Ristolainen, with his first of the season, and Bobby Brink and Egor Zamula scored for Philadelphia and Sam Ersson made 28 saves. The Flyers dropped to 19-12-5, failing to earn points for the first time in their last 10 road games. “Every now and again we’re going to have games like this,” Ersson said. “It’s about finding ways to win games and today we came up short, but I think, as we showed at the end, that we push and we have that mentality that we don’t give in and we don’t give up. Obviously, a tough loss but some good things to take with us.” There were four goals in the last 5:31, with Kadri beginning the spree to give Calgary a 3-1 lead. With Ersson off for an extra attacker, Brink scored with 3:24 to go. Coleman scored into an empty net with 2:18 remaining. With Ersson off again, Zamula scored with 1:24 left. “No quitting at the end,” Flyers center Sean Couturier said. “Too bad we didn’t show up the first two periods.”

Game # 35 Bos 5 Wings 3 Frederic scores 2 goals as Bruins win 3rd straight by downing Red Wings, 5-3 Updated: Dec 31, 2023, 10:06 pm DETROIT -- — Trent Frederic scored twice, Charlie Coyle had the go-ahead goal and the Boston Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Sunday. Boston forward Pavel Zacha scored an empty-net goal in his 500th regular-season game. Jake DeBrusk also added an empty-netter and Charlie McAvoy had three assists for the Bruins, who have won three straight. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves. Boston beat New Jersey at home Saturday night. “We have a tough travel with a 5 o'clock game, but we had really good energy and it was nice to pull that one off,” Frederic said. “Call it a little bit of a gutsy win.” Jake Walman scored his third goal in two games for Detroit. Ben Chiarot and J.T. Compher had the Red Wings' other goals, and Alex Lyon stopped 23 shots. “We did some quality things tonight,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “You look back, we easily could have won that game. Probably our most complete 60 minutes from start to finish in a while. It just came against a team with a very slim margin of error to be successful.” The Atlantic Division opponents split their four-game season series. Frederic scored his first goal of the game with 51.8 seconds left in the first period. David Pastrnak flicked the puck out of his own zone as Frederic got behind Detroit's defenders. Frederic backhanded the puck over Lyon's left shoulder. “Pasta hit a nice little 60-degree wedge shot to me, and I was a little slow, so all I had was the backhand,” Frederic said. “I was lucky to get that over his shoulder.” Frederic crashed into Lyon, who was checked out by the team's trainer but remained in the game. Frederic's second goal and ninth of the season came at 4:25 of the second. He skated in along the right boards and wristed a shot that whistled through Lyon's pads. “I think he’s playing faster," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. ”He’s underrated as to how great a skater he is, and now he’s going north consistently instead of delaying, which he did a lot. He’s opening up space for himself and he’s got great hands." Walman notched his ninth goal this season at 13:01. He lifted a shot from the left circle over Swayman's shoulder. Chiarot scored his third goal later in the period from the slot to tie it at 2. Boston's challenge of goalie interference was denied. Boston regained the lead at 3:52 of the third. McAvoy passed the puck to Coyle, who scored his 13th goal from the slot. DeBrusk's empty-netter came with 2:01 remaining. Following a Boston penalty, Compher scored on a rebound with 1:22 left. Detroit had gone 0 for 5 on the power play before Compher's goal. “I thought we had chances,” Compher said. “It wasn’t perfect tonight. You’re judged on goals and we weren’t able to capitalize early in the game.” Zacha's empty-netter with 24 seconds to go clinched the Bruins' victory.

Games played on 12/30/23 Wild Jake Middleton vs Jets Brenden Dillon Winner ? Habs Michael Pezzetta vs Fla William Lockwood Winner ? Preds Michael McCarron vs Caps Tom Wilson Winner ?

Game # 34 Bos 5 Devils 2 David Pastrnak and Kevin Shattenkirk each score twice to lift Bruins over Devils 5-2 ByAP Updated: Dec 30, 2023, 10:39 pm BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak scored two of Boston’s four second-period goals, Kevin Shattenkirk recorded his 100th and 101st career goals and the Boston Bruins rallied for a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Jake DeBrusk also had a goal during the second-period scoring burst and Linus Ullmark stopped 31 shots for Boston, which posted its second straight win after a four-game losing streak. Charlie Coyle added a pair of assists. Luke Hughes and Nico Hischier scored for the Devils, who had their three-game winning streak stopped. Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves and Tyler Toffoli had two assists. Boston star defenseman Charlie McAvoy left the ice late in the game, favoring his left leg, after crashing into Ullmark hustling back on a Devils’ 2-on-1 break. “He's fine,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “I think he just had a little bit of a scare with a burner or a stinger of some sort. I don't know where it was but he's walking around. He's happy right now.” Trailing 2-0, the Bruins scored four goals in just under 12 minutes. “I just think it was nice, honestly, having a reset and just having some time away from the game,” DeBrusk said of the Christmas break before the consecutive wins. DeBrusk got it going when he took a pass in the slot from Brad Marchand, shifted around Vanecek and tucked a backhander in at 5:35. Pastrnak then went to work, scoring his team-leading 21st and 22nd in a 2:48 span. On the first, he was cutting to the net from the right wing when Brandon Carlo’s shot from the left point was tipped and sailed over near the winger. He redirected it at the back of Vanecek’s pads before tapping a backhander into the net when the goalie didn’t seem to know that puck was behind him. Pastrnak’s go-ahead goal came on the power play when he was skating in hard from the right wing, collected a pass from DeBrusk and shifted before putting a backhander into the net at 15:39. “You're on the bench and you're excited: 'What's he going to do next?'" Montgomery said. “He just went for a simple, traditional backhand goal around the far post, but he makes it look pretty nice.” Pastrnak saw the goalie make a move and changed his mind quickly. “I think he challenged me forward,” Pastrnak said. “I was thinking about shooting high glove, had a quick look, had a lot of speed. It's hard for the goaltender to follow me all the way to the far post.” After he scored, Pastrnak spread his arms wide before pumping his left fist as he skated to the bench. Shattenkirk’s 100th came on a wrister from the right circle at 17:14. He added a power-play score with less three minutes left after being set up by Pastrnak. Playing their second straight night, Hughes scored just 71 seconds into the middle period to give the Devils a 2-0 edge after Hischier’s power-play goal 6:03 into the game. “We let Pastrnak walk right in and he took advantage of a tough change,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said of Boston's go-ahead score. Boston’s 23-year-old center Georgii Merkulov made his NHL debut, and Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk collected an assist in his return after missing three games with an upper-body injury.

Does seem silly...strange.

Games played on 12/29/23 Preds Roman Josi vs Wings Alex DeBrincat Winner ? CNJ Erik Gudbranson vs Leafs Simon Benoit Winner ?

That guy would be awesome in the NHL....

World Junior Championship roundup: Snuggerud hat trick leads United States Brindley adds 2 goals, Nazak 4 assists in victory against Switzerland @mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Staff Writer 2:58 PM Thursday is the third day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden. Day 3 games United States 11, Switzerland 3 -- Jimmy Snuggerud, selected No. 23 by the St. Louis Blues in the 2022 NHL Draft, had three goals and an assist for the United States in a Group B preliminary-round match at Frolundaborg. Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets) had two goals and an assist, Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning), Quinn Finley (New York Islanders) and Zeev Buium (2024 NHL Draft eligible) each had a goal and an assist, and Frank Nazar III (Chicago Blackhawks) had four assists for the United States (2-0-0-0). "I think I was just kind of shooting anything that I could on [Switzerland goalie Lorin Gruter]," Snuggerud said. "He's obviously on his off-hand, too, so it's a little different from normal, but I think just getting pucks to the net. [linemates] Rutger McGroarty and Cutter Gauthier] were there for me." The United States has won 24 times and tied twice in 26 games against Switzerland at the World Junior Championship. Gregory Weber (2024 eligible) had a goal and an assist for Switzerland (0-0-0-2). The U.S. scored five goals on 14 shots in the first period. "I think we were just making plays early," Snuggerud said. "Obviously, we didn't have a great start [in a 4-1 win against Norway on Tuesday] and we talked as a line. We wanted to come on strong tonight so Cutter and Rutger were making strong plays, and luckily a few went in." Will Smith (San Jose Sharks) opened the scoring from the bottom of the left face-off circle at 1:20 of the first. Snuggerud then scored on a shot at the left post at 3:21, and then again from the slot at 8:11 for a 3-0 lead. Weber pulled Switzerland within 3-1 on a snap shot just inside the right post from the slot at 9:17 before Snuggerud responded with his third goal on a wrist shot from the high slot at 12:36 for a 4-1 advantage. Gruter (four goals allowed on 10 shots) was replaced by Ewan Huet (2024 NHL Draft eligible) after Snuggerud's third goal. Huet, the son of former NHL goalie Cristobal Huet, finished with 23 saves. Buium, an A rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, pushed it to 5-1 when his attempt to pass the puck from low in the right circle deflected off the skate of a Switzerland defenseman and into the net at 18:29. The United States extended the lead to 9-1 with four goals on 15 shots in the second period. Brindley made it 6-1 on a snap shot from the slot at 5:06. Ryan Leonard (Washington Capitals) scored a power-play goal at 9:33 to make it 7-1 and Brindley pushed it to 8-1 at 10:04 before Howard scored his second of the tournament at 14:55. Finley and Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose Sharks) each scored in the third period for the United States. Gael Christe and Thierry Schild each scored in the third for Switzerland. The McGroarty-Gauthier-Snuggerud line combined for eight points (three goals, five assists) in the victory. “I just thought they were on it," U.S. coach David Carle said of the trio. "They were moving their feet. I thought Rutger looked better, much more comfortable, had more timing than the first night and to me that was a big difference.” Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens) made 21 saves for the U.S. in his WJC debut. “He made some big saves," Carle said. "I thought he was very good throughout the night; had to make some big ones in the second period. I thought he was good when he needed to be for us.” The United States next plays Czechia on Friday (11 a.m. ET). Switzerland will face Norway on Saturday (11 a.m. ET). On Tap All games on NHL Network in U.S., TSN in Canada Germany vs. Sweden (1:30 p.m. ET) -- Germany (1-0-0-0) will look for its second straight victory at Scandinavium after earning the first major upset of the tournament with a 4-3 win against Finland on Wednesday. It marked the first World Juniors win by Germany against Finland in 26 games (1-0-0-25). Look for goalie Philipp Dietl to make his second straight start after making 40 saves against Finland, including 17 in the third period. Sweden (1-0-0-0) will be without Elias Salomonsson (Winnipeg Jets) after the defenseman received a one-game suspension for boarding Latvia forward Emils Veckaktins 25 seconds into a 6-0 win against Latvia on Tuesday. Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks) and Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Vancouver Canucks) each have two goals in the tournament for Sweden.

Games played on 12/27/23 LA Alex Laferriere vs SJS Luke Kunin Winner ?

Game # 35 Flames 2 Seattle 2 Chris Driedger makes 37 saves in NHL return as Kraken hold off Flames 2-1 ByAP Updated: Dec 28, 2023, 02:01 am CALGARY, Alberta -- — Making his first NHL start in nearly 20 months, Chris Driedger made 37 saves to backstop the Seattle Kraken to a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. “He was outstanding for us tonight, right from the first period through,” said Seattle coach Dave Hakstol. “A couple saves on the PK were difference-makers and he had to make one more for us right before the buzzer. Really happy for him. He’s worked hard to have that opportunity. He was a difference-maker for us tonight.” Kailer Yamamoto and Alex Wennberg scored for Seattle (13-14-9). The Kraken extended their points streak to seven games (5-0-2) and moved ahead of Calgary in the Pacific Division standings. Nazem Kadri scored for Calgary (14-16-5). Making his fourth straight start for the Flames, Jacob Markstrom had 19 saves. After the conclusion of his first season with the Kraken, Driedger tore his ACL while playing for Canada in the gold medal game of the 2022 world championships. The resulting surgery sidelined him most of last season before he returned to action in late February with Seattle’s American Hockey League affiliate in Coachella, where he played for the rest of the season. “The most adversity I’ve ever faced in my career,” said Driedger, whose last NHL start was May 1, 2022. “It’s been a long road, lot of hours spent with the medical staff putting in hours when the guys are skating and doing my own thing and watching from the stands. To come out and finally get back in, it was pretty emotional.” His biggest stop, keeping the game tied, came on a Flames two-man advantage in the second period when he went from post to post to rob Elias Lindholm at the side of the net after he had been set up for a one-timer by a cross-crease pass from Connor Zary. “He did amazing,” said Wennberg. “He played games down there but it’s a different game up here and just making those big saves. He’s winning the game for us.” Tied at 1, the game-winner came off the stick of Wennberg six minutes into the third when he took a pass from Jared McCann and zipped a quick shot that beat Markstrom inside the post on the short side. Seattle opened the scoring 2:24 into the game on its first shot when Vince Dunn’s pass sprang Yamamoto on a breakaway. Kadri scored on the power play six minutes later. “You try to bear down in those situations, of course, we want to score and we want to capitalize on those opportunities,” said Kadri. “But at the same time, he made some great saves, timely saves to keep his team in it on the road.” It was Seattle’s 200th regular season game in franchise history. Defenseman Adam Larsson is the only player to have played in every one. At 304 consecutive games, Larsson has the league’s fifth-longest active Iron Man streak.

Game # 33 Bos 4 Buff 1 Charlie Coyle scores twice as Bruins beat Sabres 4-1 to end 4-game skid ByAP Updated: Dec 27, 2023, 11:20 pm BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — Charlie Coyle scored twice and Brad Marchand had two assists to lead the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. Mason Lohrei and Morgan Geekie also scored for the Bruins, who ended a four-game losing streak. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves. “As a group, obviously, we didn’t like how we ended the break,” forward Jake DeBrusk said. “Had a couple days to reset and came out with a good effort tonight, had some good goaltending and just rolled with it.” Erik Johnson scored for the Sabres. Devon Levi made 21 saves. Special teams played a big role in the outcome as the Bruins scored on their first three power-play chances. Meanwhile, the Sabres went 0 for 6 with the man advantage. “Bottom line is special teams, no doubt,” Johnson said. “They scored when they needed to and they capitalized on their chances, especially on the power play. That was the difference.” Lohrei opened the scoring 4:19 in, sending the rebound of a shot past Levi. Coyle stretched the lead to two goals, scoring on a power play with 6:18 left in the first period. Jake DeBrusk got the puck behind the Buffalo net and spotted a wide-open Coyle in front of the Buffalo crease. Coyle then buried a one-timer. Coyle scored his second power-play goal of the game 4:18 into the second, when his shot deflected off Johnson’s skate into the net. “We always want to get out to a lead if you can, and then it’s up to us to push that lead, build in our game, play the right way,” Coyle said. “We’ve just got to keep building on our game.” Geekie made it 4-0 with 6:16 left in the second on another power-play goal for the Bruins. After Charlie McAvoy’s shot bounced off the end boards, Geekie fired the puck toward the net and a sprawling Levi was unable to make the save. It was Geekie’s fourth goal in seven games. Johnson got the Sabres on the board 5:11 into the third, scoring on a slap shot from the right circle. Tage Thompson, Buffalo’s No. 1 center, missed the game due to personal reasons.

World Junior Championship roundup: Kechter, Germany upset Finland in opener Blackhawks goalie prospect Gajan makes 36 saves in win for Slovakia; Kulich, Sale hat tricks lift Czechia © Björn Larsson Rosvall /TT News Agency via AP ByMike G. Morreale @mikemorrealeNHL NHL.com Staff Writer 12:13 PM Wednesday is the second day of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, which is being held at Scandinavium and Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden. Day 2 games Germany 4, Finland 3 -- Veit Oswald (2024 NHL Draft eligible) scored two goals for Germany in an upset victory during a Group A game at Scandinavium. The victory by Germany was its first against Finland at the World Junior Championship in 26 tries (1-0-0-25). Seven players on Germany returned from the 2023 team that finished eighth. Eric Hordler had two assists and Philipp Dietl made 40 saves for Germany (1-0-0-0). Samu Bau (Arizona Coyotes) had a goal and an assist and Niklas Kokko (Seattle Kraken) made 24 saves for Finland (0-0-0-2). Germany scored three goals on 10 shots in the second period to take a 4-3 lead. Roman Kechter (2024 draft eligible) scored on a rebound at the right post to pull Germany into a 3-3 tie at 13:07 of the second. Oswald, a 19-year-old forward representing his country for a second straight year, made it 4-3 1:31 later on a snap shot from low in the left face-off circle at 14:38. Dietl (2024 draft eligible) made 33 consecutive saves after allowing a goal to Bau at 3:05 into the second that gave Finland a 3-2 lead. The 19-year-old made 17 saves in the third period. Germany will play Sweden on Thursday (1:30 p.m. ET). Finland, which lost 5-2 to Canada on Tuesday, will next play Latvia on Friday (8:30 a.m. ET). Slovakia 3, Switzerland 0 -- Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks) made 36 saves to earn his first shutout at World Juniors for Slovakia in a Group B game at Frolundaborg. Slovakia opened the World Juniors with two straight wins for the first time since 2002 when it finished eighth. Slovakia last won a medal at the tournament in 2015 (bronze). Peter Repcik (2024 NHL Draft eligible) had a goal and an assist for Slovakia (2-0-0-0). Alessio Beglieri (2024 draft eligible) made 17 saves for Switzerland (0-0-0-1). Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) scored from the slot on a backhand to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead at 8:33 into the first period. Repcik whiffed on an attempt at the right post but was able to back pass the puck to the front of the net from the end boards. "I thought we played a really good game and showed character," Honzek said. "We had a couple of little mistakes, but we had an amazing goalie and he had our backs." Honzek was denied on a penalty shot at 2:56 of the second period when Beglieri got his stick blade on a backhand attempt down the middle of the ice. Repcik scored an empty-net goal for a 2-0 lead at 18:19 of the third period. Servac Petrovsky (Minnesota Wild) pushed it to 3-0 on a short-handed, empty-net goal, at 19:12. Gajan, selected in the second round (No. 35) of the 2023 NHL Draft, was making his second straight start after making 27 saves in a 6-2 win against Czechia on Tuesday. He made 11 saves in the third period Wednesday, including a sprawling left-glove save against Gregory Weber (2024 draft eligible) at the right post. The 19-year-old goalie was named the best goalie of the 2023 WJC after winning four straight starts, finishing with a 2.40 GAA, .936 save percentage and one shutout in four games. He made 33 saves in a 6-3 victory against the United States in the preliminary round and 53 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to eventual champion Canada in the quarterfinals. Switzerland will next play the United States on Thursday (11 a.m. ET). Slovakia will face Norway on Friday (6 a.m. ET). Czechia 8, Norway 1 -- Jiri Kulich (Buffalo Sabres) and Eduard Sale (Seattle Kraken) each had a hat trick for Czechia in a Group B game at Frolundaborg. Kulich had four points (one assist), Tomas Hamara (Ottawa Senators) had two assists and Michael Hrabal (Arizona Coyotes) made 20 saves for Czechia (1-0-0-1). Matyas Melovsky, a right-shot center who is a C rated skater on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and a possible fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, had three assists. Markus Stensrud (2024 draft eligible) made 32 saves for Norway (0-0-0-2), which lost 4-1 to the United States on Tuesday. Kulich scored two goals in the first period for Czechia. His first came from the top of the left face-off circle for a 1-0 lead at 10:30. The 19-year-old forward scored a power-play goal on a one-timer from the right circle for a 2-0 lead at 17:46. Johannes Lokkeberg scored on a shot from the left point to pull Norway within 2-1 1:15 into the second period. Sale scored two goals in the second. His first gave Czechia a 4-1 lead at 12:52 off a turnover in front of Norway's net 37 seconds after teammate Ales Cech scored on a shot from the right point. Sale pushed the lead to 5-1 on a wrist shot from the right hashmark at 18:46. Matyas Sapovaliv (Vegas Golden Knights) had a shot from the right point deflect off his leg into the net for a power-play goal at 8:49 of the third period for a 6-1 lead. Sale scored a power-play goal for a 7-1 lead at 13:16, and Kulich scored his third goal at 15:15 for the 8-1 final. Norway is playing in the top division at the World Juniors for the first time since 2014. Each country will next play on Friday with Norway facing Slovakia (6 a.m. ET) and Czechia playing the United States (11 a.m. ET).

Not only that, it might make players think less about attempting it. I don't mind it, cause a goal is a goal, even thought it's a hotdog move.

https://teamusa.usahockey.com/2024wjcroster GO USA !

Meyy Xmas all...from me. Lone bruins/flames fan....Cheers.

Simple fix...if stick makes contact with the netminder in any way, disallowed goal, and penalty called.

The goal bedard scores vs Florida was disgusting.....

Coyotes Send 7 Prospects to 2024 World Junior Championship December 24, 2023 by Cooper Krigbaum The World Junior Championship (WJC) is a time for prospects to represent their country and live out their dreams. Last year, Team Canada took home gold thanks to Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther, who scored the golden goal. This time around, teams head to Gothenburg, Sweden, where the highly anticipated tournament will be held. As the Coyotes’ ever-growing prospect pool seems to multiply every draft, there are a handful of players making the trip. Here is your Coyotes guide to the 2024 WJC, which will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Conor Geekie – Canada Conor Geekie was one of three first-round picks in the 2022 NHL Draft for general manager Bill Armstrong and company. When looking at the player, the first trait that stands out is his height. His 6-foot-4 frame gives him an edge before stepping onto the ice. This season has seen multitudes of success for the Minnedosa, Canada, native in the Western Hockey League. In 26 games with the Wenatchee Wild, he has 20 goals and 49 points. This puts him on a pace for 111 points, which would be a career-high for Geekie. “Young players want to go on offense. They want to go play at the other end so they cheat and then pucks turn over and they have to play in their own end for half of their shift or longer because of it. That was a big thing with Conor [last] year,” [development coach Jeff] Shantz said. “He’s definitely a more of a 200-foot player who is stopping on pucks in his own end and as a centerman, he’s staying between the puck and his net when he’s in his own end, especially when there’s not full control. He’s not cheating as much. When you do a really good job of that as a centerman, you don’t have to play defense.” Conor Geekie, Arizona Coyotes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Going to the WJC, he can show his skills on the global stage. While Canada doesn’t have as potent of a roster as last tournament, they have loads of highly talented players. Geekie is likely to have a substantial role on the team and expect him to get power play minutes and a first or second-line role. This will be an ideal situation for the 19-year-old to shine with the eyes of an entire nation on him. Maveric Lamoureux – Canada Maveric Lamoureux was one of the most intriguing prospects taken at the 2022 NHL Draft. While defensemen tend to take a while to fully develop into what they are intended to be, Lamoureux is making waves in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The mammoth defenseman stands tall at 6-foot-7 and, in his fourth season with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, has 27 points in 25 games. That’s the fourth most by any defenseman in the QMJHL and is maturing into his massive frame. The hope is that success in the QMJHL transfers across the Atlantic to Gothenburg, Sweden. Similar to Geekie, Lamoureux is expected to have a prominent role with the team. The defense corps comprises Denton Mateychuk, Oliver Bonk, Tanner Molendyk, and much more. We could see Lamoureux on the right side along with Mateychuk, but we won’t find out until Canada’s first game against Finland on Dec. 26. Melker Thelin – Sweden Melker Thelin was one of three netminders taken in the 2023 NHL Draft for the Coyotes. The Coyotes’ goalie pipeline nearly tripled at the 2023 NHL Draft, and Thelin was the second out of the bunch, being taken in the fifth round. The 18-year-old is playing for IF Björklöven of HockeyAllsvenskan and has a 2.77 goals-against average (GAA) and a .913 save percentage (SV%). Considering those stats, it’s been a solid season for him, and he’s showing signs of improvement every game. “We didn’t take a goalie last year, and we knew this year was going to be a good goalie class,” [associate director of amateur scouting Ryan] Jankowski said. “Our goalie department [and scout Clay] Adams did an awesome job of making sure that we had every detail covered right from first round to seventh round. We could take a volume of goalies this year and that’s what you look to do when you have 12 picks.” It’s not expected for Thelin to get the starting job for Sweden out of the gate, but if anything happens, he could take over the reins as the starter. He has limited experience in international competition, which could also be a deciding factor in how many games he will play, but it is a superb opportunity for him. Adam Zlnka – Slovakia The Coyotes had a lot of draft selections in 2021, and Adam Zlnka was one of them. He was taken in the seventh round and has yet to find his footing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) this season. He has five goals and eight points in 18 games with the Waterloo Blackhawks. The 19-year-old is already committed to Northeastern University for next season, but he has his eyes set on the WJC. “He can skate, he can shoot, he can move the puck well, and he has good vision,” Waterloo head coach Matt Smaby said. “I think with some players a fresh start and a change of scenery can be a healthy thing, and he’s got an opportunity here. So we’re excited for him.” The role he’ll have with Team Slovakia is undetermined, but if he can be on his A game, he could see significant minutes throughout the tournament, gaining bunches of confidence in the process. Michael Hrabal – Czechia Michael Hrabal has a chance to change a narrative surrounding the Coyotes organization for what seems like an eternity. Drafting and developing a prospect, or in this case, developing a goaltender. Hrabal was one of the first netminders taken in the 2023 NHL Draft and could be the goalie of the future down the line. This season, he’s impressed many at the University of Massachusetts. So far, he’s logged a 2.67 GAA and a .905 SV%, and for an 18-year-old playing his first season in collegiate hockey, this is a positive step forward. Michael Hrabal, Arizona Coyotes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) Hrabal is set to be the starter in net for Czechia and will likely have a monumental role as they push towards a medal game. In front of him, he’ll have top prospects such as Jiří Kulich and Eduard Šalé and much more. Hrabal is one of the top prospects the Coyotes will have at the tournament, and it’ll be intriguing to see how he does. Samu Bau – Finland Samu Bau was taken in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Coyotes, and so far, this selection is raising more questions than answers. The Helinski, Finland native, has one goal in 30 games played for Ilves in the Liiga. He also is a minus-14, which is one of the worst on the team. While his stats aren’t impressive, he stands at 6-foot-5, something Armstrong looks for when drafting prospects. “That’s always been Bill’s thing is to be big and if you look back at the St. Louis drafts, and even our drafts in Buffalo and Darryl’s drafts to some extent in Tampa, it was [about] getting some size and being big,” Jankowski added. “It did work out that way [for us]. It obviously speaks to what Vegas accomplished this year. You’ve got your Kellers and your Cooleys. You need to make sure you’ve got some support around them with some bigger players, too.” Bau will play for a highly talented Finland team consisting of Kasper Halttunen and a top draft prospect in 2024, Konsta Helenius. It’ll be interesting to see his role as the tournament treks on, but his height should give him an advantage over others. Julian Lutz – Germany This time around, Germany is projected to have a rough tournament with the need for more talent, but they will have Julian Lutz at their disposal. Lutz has done a terrific job in the USHL this season with the Green Bay Gamblers, notching ten goals and 23 points in 19 games. This is his first season playing in North America, and the stats show he’s succeeding and, most importantly, developing. “Having played each of the last two seasons in Germany’s top pro league, Lutz now will get a chance to familiarize himself with the North American style game, while also getting significantly more ice time than he was as a younger player in the pro ranks, Peters said. “Additionally, with his skillset, he should be an impactful player among his age peers in junior hockey.” Julian Lutz, RB Muenchen (GEPA / RedBulls) Team Germany won’t have many high-end players on their roster this tournament, but it’s safe to say Lutz will have a prominent role and could be the focal point of the team’s offense. WJC Holds Promise For Coyotes’ Prospects Every time this tournament rolls around, it’s compelling to see the future right in front of your eyes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a first or a seventh-round selection; it’s thrilling to know you may be watching a piece of the Coyotes or any team’s future. The tournament games will begin on Dec. 26 and end on Jan. 5 in what should be a competitive tournament. It’ll be intriguing to finally see what Armstrong is building in the desert on the global stage.

Lomberg vs Kolesar (one punch) 12/23/23

Games played on 12/23/23 VGK Keegan Kolesar vs Fla Ryan Lomberg Winner ? Wild Brandon Duhaime vs Bos Jacob Lauko Winner ? NYR Will Cuylle vs Buff Erik Johnson Winner ? Yotes Lawson Crouse vs Avs Miles Wood Winner ?

Game # 34 Flames 3 Kings 5 The Flames win one, lose one on their California road trip after a 5-3 setback in Los Angeles ByChris Wahl @wahlsy CalgaryFlames.com 1:02 AM Two goals 3:29 apart in the second period gave the Kings a lead they would not relinquish, handing the Flames a 5-3 setback on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. Blake Coleman counted a pair of tallies to take sole possession of the team's goal-scoring lead with 12, while Rasmus Andersson also found the back of the net for Calgary in its final game before the holiday break. The homeside opened the scoring 61 seconds into the first period thanks to Quinton Byfield, who accepted a setup from Drew Doughty before one-timing his ninth goal of the season. Flames netminder Jacob Markstrom was tested moments later on a point-blank chance from Trevor Moore, denying the 15-goal man with his right pad on a low shot from the slot. Markstrom - who was terrific all night, particularly in the third period to keep his team in the fight - finished with 29 saves. Unfazed by the early goal against, the Flames responded 2:47 into the contest on Andersson's fifth goal of the season. The Calgary blueliner snapped a shot goalward from the right wing half-wall that handcuffed former Flames netminder Cam Talbot in the Los Angeles net. The Flames almost grabbed the lead at the seven-minute mark when Elias Lindholm was sprung in alone by Yegor Sharangovich off an odd-man rush, but Talbot was equal to the task on an effort from close range. Markstrom was the busier of the two goaltenders in the first period and saved his best work for a Calgary penalty kill in the later stages of the frame. The Flames puck-stopper denied the Kings on a pair of one-timers, first on an Adrian Kempe slot shot, then off Anze Kopitar's effort from the left circle. Los Angeles reclaimed the lead one second after their man-advantage expired, though, when Pierre-Luc Dubois redirected a point shot past Markstrom for his sixth goal of the campaign. The Flames pressed to equalize before the first period was through, coming close on a speedy rush from Nazem Kadri that also produced a rebound opportunity from Martin Pospisil, but the Kings retained a 2-1 lead at the break. Los Angeles outshot Calgary 13-7 in the opening frame. The Flames ability to score shorthanded goals has been a talking point all season long, and again, the duo of Coleman and Sharangovich made good on an opportunity after Coleman stripped Kings defenceman Jordan Spence in the neutral zone. He dished to Sharangovich, who floated a return feed back across the low slot for Coleman to bang into the net from just outside the blue paint 4:01 into the middle stanza. The marker was Calgary's league-leading ninth shorthanded goal of the season, and sixth in December; Coleman has accounted for four of those tallies this month alone. The score did not stay level for long, though. The Kings grabbed a 3-2 lead when Alex Laferriere took advantage of a fortuitous bounce at Markstrom's right post two-and-a-half minutes after Coleman's equalizer. Los Angeles extended their lead to 4-2 through Moore at the midpoint of the period. The Flames had a couple of opportunities to get back on the scoresheet in the latter stages of the frame, first on a slot shot from Connor Zary that struck iron with just under seven minutes remaining. Coleman nearly replicated his goal from earlier in the period on a rush with Mikael Backlund, but a back-checking King did just enough to thwart the Calgary winger from tapping in a puck at Talbot's back post. Shots in the second period were 13-11 in Los Angeles' favour. Calgary put on the pressure to start the third, which began with 3:48 of powerplay time for the guests, but it took the Flames' fifth man-advantage opportunity of the night to solve the Kings' penalty-kill. At 7:18, Coleman banged in a rebound from just outside the crease to trim the deficit to 4-3, after Adam Ruzicka sent the puck goalward from the right flank. At the other end, Markstrom stood tall to preserve the 4-3 scoreline, denying Los Angeles on a pair of attempts shortly after Coleman's tally, including one off a Kevin Fiala partial breakaway with just over eight minutes gone in the frame. He stoned Dubois on a clear-cut breakaway with a sound positional stop with six minutes left, not long after a Mikael Backlund shot attempt forced Talbot into a reaction save on a Calgary powerplay to highlight a breathless stretch of play. Then, with the Flames short-handed late, Markstrom flung himself across his crease to deny Moore a tap-in that would have all but sealed it for the home side. Byfield iced it for Los Angeles with a minute left to play; he raced after a loose puck in the Calgary zone and pushed it into the empty net for his second goal of the contest. Markstrom stopped all eight shots he faced in the third period, while Talbot earned the win with a 29-save performance. Andersson led all Calgary skaters with five shots on goal.

Game # 32 Bos 2 Wild 3 Kaprizov scores for the third-straight game; Minnesota holds off struggling Boston 3-2 The Bruins slump to their first four-game losing streak since August 2020. ByAP Updated: Dec 23, 2023, 11:01 pm ST. PAUL, Minn. -- — Kirill Kaprizov scored for the third straight game, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno added goals, and the Minnesota Wild held off struggling Boston 3-2 on Saturday night. Marc-Andre Fleury made 19 saves for career win No. 550, one shy of tying Patrick Roy for the second-most in NHL history. David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie scored, and Linus Ullmark made 33 saves for the Bruins, who are 0-2-2 in their past four. Boston has not lost four in a row since an 0-4-1 skid Dec. 5-12, 2019. “It was one of our better games defensively. We played a very good team out there and didn’t give them much,” Fleury said. Boston captain Brad Marchand said the Bruins made it too easy for Minnesota. “Will and compete is what it comes down to,: he said. "Seems like we’re losing a lot of battles that we should be winning.” Kaprizov has four goals and two assists in his past three games. In addition to Tuesday’s overtime winner against Boston, Kaprizov scored with 4.9 seconds left in overtime in Thursday’s 4-3 win against Montreal. “Since I’ve been here, I haven’t seen a difference in his game. For me, I would just say that he’s getting rewarded for it,” said Wild coach John Hynes, who took over Nov. 27. “When you’re an elite player like him, and you play the game the right way, and play the style of game that he has, it’s kind of what I said, it wasn’t if, it was going to be when.” Minnesota, 10-3-0 under Hynes and winners of six straight at home, took over in the middle stanza, outshooting Boston 19-6 and turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in 85 seconds. Eriksson Ek netted his team-leading seventh power-play goal of the season almost six minutes into the second period, scoring off a rebound of a one-timer by Matt Boldy. Then, Kaprizov, from the top of the slot, passed to Alex Goligoski near the left dot, continued cutting down the slot, and buried a perfect return feed for a 2-1 Wild lead. Foligno converted a pass from Pat Maroon early in the third period for his first goal in nine games. “To be going into the break with another win is huge, and the consistency we’ve been getting has been nice,” Foligno said. “It makes the egg nog taste a little bit better come the Christmas holidays, and we’ve just got to keep it rolling when we come back.” Geekie, stopped twice by Fleury on breakaways, buried a pass from Danton Heinen with 6:07 to play to get the Bruins within 3-2. “I liked the first 15 minutes of our game, and I liked the last 10 minutes of our game,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “We just need a more concerted effort.” Pastrnak, who scored twice on Tuesday against Minnesota, scored on the power play early in the first with a one-timer from the left dot for his 20th tally of the season. He is the sixth player in franchise history to reach the 20-goal mark in eight consecutive seasons.

Games played on 12/22/23 Flyers Nick Seeler vs Wings Christian Fisher Winner ? Hawks Mackenzie Enstwistle vs Habs Jayden Struble Winner ?

Game # 31 Bos 1 Jets 5 Niederreiter scores twice to lift Winnipeg Jets to 5-1 win over Boston Bruins ByAP Updated: Dec 23, 2023, 12:53 am WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- — Nino Niederreiter scored a pair of power-play goals and had an assist to help the Winnipeg Jets defeat the Boston Bruins 5-1 on Friday night. Winnipeg’s Gabriel Vilardi extended his goal-scoring streak to five games with a goal and one assist, while Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry also scored goals. Mark Scheifele contributed a pair of assists for the Jets, who have points in five consecutive games and are 8-1-1 their past 10 outings. “We came out wanting to win the game and go into the Christmas break with a good feeling,” Niederreiter said. “I think we left it all on the line. I think we gave ourselves the feeling that we can compete against anyone.” They also stretched a franchise record by holding opponents to three or fewer goals in 22 consecutive games. Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves to help Winnipeg finish a four-game homestand 3-0-1. Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo spoiled Hellebuyck’s shutout bid with 5:38 remaining in the third period. The Jets failed to clear the puck and Carlo’s shot on net went in off a Winnipeg player. Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 shots — including a penalty shot — for the Bruins, who fell to 1-1-3 in their past five games. Boston had won six straight meetings with Winnipeg before Friday’s loss. “We know how good they are, so that’s a big standard that we want to be in the league,” Morrissey said. “I think we did a great job and everybody feels great.” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said he had a bad feeling at his team’s morning skate. “I was worried this morning, I don’t really know why,” he said. “It wasn’t really because of anything I had noticed, I just had that feeling. It’s all excuses, anything I give you. We weren’t good.” Morrissey put the Jets on top 1-0 with 7.8 seconds remaining in the first period, putting home the rebound of Vilardi's shot. “Dominant. Dominant,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said of Morrissey’s first period. “He can take over the game. Both sides of the puck. He loves the challenges. He just loves to be challenged. And he rises to it.” Vilardi made it 2-0 when he banged the puck in from the side of the net at 11:17 of the second period. Niederreiter made it 3-0 with a power-play goal from the side of the net with 2:29 remaining in the period. “I think our start wasn’t very good,” Carlo said. “We didn’t come to play tonight and that’s on us. They did and it showed, especially in the first period and then throughout the game. We didn’t really get much momentum at any point.” Niederreiter scored his second power-play goal with 19 seconds remaining in the third period.