NHL Three Stars: Skinner tricks again; Varlamov shuts down Blackhawks No. 1 Star: Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes Two hat tricks in three games? Welcome back to elite sniper-ville, Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes forward scored three goals on six shots – including that 1-on-4 beauty to complete the trick. Alas, Carolina could only pull a point out of Philadelphia in a 4-3 overtime loss. No. … [Read more...]

Steven Stamkos wonders if Leafs game felt weird for us Steven Stamkos wasn’t available before the Tampa Bay Lightning’s game at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, so the Toronto media had to wait until after the Bolts’ 5-4 win to watch him dutifully avoid questions about signing with his hometown team as an unrestricted free agent next summer.  "I didn't feel that weird — did it feel … [Read more...]

Maple Leafs ban ‘Sign Stamkos’ signs from arena The Tampa Bay Lightning visited Toronto on Tuesday night, at a time when the idea of their star Steven Stamkos taking his talents to Ontario this summer has become a local obsession. Stamkos is a pending unrestricted free agent, seeking an NHL record contract; the Toronto Maple Leafs are the League’s most cash-rich team, with the prerequisite … [Read more...]

Blackhawks GM turns Trevor Daley lemon into salary cap lemonade What the hell happened with Trevor Daley and the Chicago Blackhawks? He came over in the Patrick Sharp trade from the Dallas Stars, where he scored 16 goals last and had the worst possession stats for any regular defenseman in the NHL. He ostensibly was there to replace Johnny Oduya, who was a stay-at-home defenseman. He was a … [Read more...]

Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers in Winter Classic 2017? The Toronto Maple Leafs turn 100 years old in 2017, and like any spoiled kid on their birthday they want ALL THE TOYS.  They’ll have the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto as an appetizer in 2016. In the last two years, they’ve negotiated with the NHL to potentially get the same gifts the Montreal Canadiens got for their centennial: The … [Read more...]

NHL Three Stars: Goalies rule the night No. 1 Star: Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers Andrej Sekera’s overtime goal capped off a career night for Talbot, who made 47 stops in a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave Edmonton a 2-0 first period lead before the Bruins rallied, tying the game late in the third period. But it was Sekera’s goal 41 seconds into the … [Read more...]

Penguins deal Rob Scuderi to Blackhawks for Trevor Daley Rob Scuderi was on the ice at CONSOL Energy Center for warmups before the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals Monday night. He didn’t play and a few hours later he was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Penguins announced during the third period that Scuderi had been dealt straight up to the Chicago Blackhawks in … [Read more...]

Will Jets spend $152 million to keep Byfuglien, Ladd, Trouba? The fact that Dustin Byfuglien is due a new contract from the Winnipeg Jets is rather well-known, given that it’s been the catalyst for the season-long trade conjecture that’s surrounded him.  But GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has other significant players due for new deals after the season as well: Andrew Ladd, the 30-year-old captain, … [Read more...]

Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey: Nyquist, Dubinsky smart plays for Monday by Neil Parker It is a busier-than-usual Monday in the National Hockey League with 10 teams in action and a deeper player pool. There are a handful of noteworthy storylines, too. Pittsburgh will play their first game after firing Mike Johnstone against Washington, and the Oilers head to Beantown with a five-game winning … [Read more...]

What We Learned: What’s behind LA Kings’ resurgence this season? (Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.) Remember last season how the Kings missed the playoffs and people said, “Ah yes, well, there … [Read more...]