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Off The Draw: Tragedy in Ottawa; Voynov ban will cost Kings
What you missed last night:
NHL postpones Senators vs. Maple Leafs in wake of Ottawa shootings
• The Rangers' Rick Nash continued to light it up.
• Anaheim sits atop the first edition of our Power 10, but the Ducks weren't a unanimous choice.
• Alex Pietrangelo got a new haircut from his niece—the Blues D-man is supporting cancer awareness.
• The Sabres will retire Dominik Hasek's No. 39 in a ceremony before taking on the Red Wings.
• Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford is sidelined with a dreaded upper-body injury.
What to watch tonight:
Maple Leafs at Senators (7 p.m. EDT; TVA, SN1)
UPDATE: Due to today's tragic shooting incidents in and around Canada's Parliament building in Ottawa, this game has been postponed. The Maple Leafs are in lockdown at their hotel near where one of the shootings was reported. Events are still unfolding, but one gunman and a Canadian soldier have been killed, and a parliament guard was wounded.
#leafs could hear shots from their rooms, I am told. #OttawaShooting
— Kevin McGran (@kevin_mcgran) October 22, 2014
Surreal scene outside of our hotel right now. Lot of very brave police officers we should all be very proud of.
— Joffrey Lupul (@JLupul) October 22, 2014
Makes me sad what's going on in Ottawa right now. Thoughts and prays to everyone involved. Everybody stay safe
— Erik Karlsson (@ErikKarlsson65) October 22, 2014
Leafs had their pre game meal and brief meeting. No word from the NHL regarding the game tonight
— Joe Bowen (@PixelOhne) October 22, 2014
The Maple Leafs are coming off an impressive road win on Long Island and the Senators have taken four straight, but both teams are displaying an tendency to let their opponents take offensive liberties. At 34 and 35.6 shots-allowed per game respectively, they're both ranked among the bottom seven in the league. That's going to put all the pressure on the keepers tonight. James Reimer is expected to get the start for Toronto after Jonathan Bernier backstopped the Leafs to their 5-2 win over the Isles last night. Reimer's numbers aren't great (.906, 2.87), but he's won two of three and he's been lights out against Ottawa during his career (9-2-1 with a .944 save percentage and 1.98 GAA). Coach Paul MacLean hasn't said who'll start for the Sens, but Robin Lehner was strong on Saturday, stopping 38 shots to bump his save percentage to a sterling .950 in two appearances this season.
• Leafs' Kadri thinks he'll become a Tavares-like player
Flyers at Penguins (8 p.m. EDT; NBCSN, TVA2)
This may have been a rivalry last season but it wasn't much of a contest—the Flyers won all four meetings against their cross-state foes. If they want to keep that streak going, the formula is simple: keep Pittsburgh's top two lines off the board. If the Flyers can manage that trick, they're golden. Pittsburgh's third and fourth lines are struggling to contribute anything offensively, managing just one goal and three points in the early going. Lack of depth killed the Pens last season. Is that going to be a problem again in 2014-15? It might help that the Penguins are playing against a Philly defense that's been nothing more than a rumor during the Flyers' past couple of games. They coughed up 43 shots in a non-compete performance against the Blackhawks on Tuesday night, an ugly effort after a series of blown coverages in Dallas allowed the Stars to score five on netminders Steve Mason and Ray Emery on Saturday. GM Ron Hextall is beating the bushes for a veteran defenseman with some shutdown potential but he's stuck with this easily exploitable group for now.
• What to make of GM's support for Fleury
• Penguins are ready for Halloween
Sabres at Ducks (10:30 p.m. EDT; MSG-B, BELL TV, PRIME)
The league's top team against the worst. This should be fun. Buffalo coach Ted Nolan said the Sabres “looked like a pee wee team” in their 5-1 loss to Anaheim last week, which may have been more insulting to pee wees than his own players. You have to think the sting of that no-compete loss will provide some motivation, but will that be enough? Probably not. The Sabres have scored just seven goals in six games, with four players—Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno, ZemgusGirgensons and Torrey Mitchell—accounting for all the scoring. It's about time for newcomers Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta to get off the schneid, right? The two veterans, who were brought in specifically to add scoring depth, have combined for two assists during their sluggish starts. If this team has any hope of being competitive, it's on those guys to not just set an example in the room, but to start lighting the lamp with some frequency.
• Coveted prospect Connor McDavid plays in Buffalo tonight
The rest of the schedule:Capitals vs. Oilers (9:30 p.m. EDT; SN360, SN1, CSN-DC)
Today's must-reads:
• Columbus winger Nathan Horton has been diagnosed with “degeneration” of the entire lumbar region of his spine—his lower back. I'm no doctor, but that doesn't sound good.
• I'm with Kevin Kurz. Despite his solid point production, Brent Burns has been a disaster on defense for the San Jose Sharks. It's only a matter of time before this experiment is shelved.
• The L.A. Kings are rallying around each other as they try to compensate for the loss of top-four defenseman Slava Voynov.
• Terrific piece here from Chris Johnston on the salary cap implications of Voynov's suspension. For a team that's less than a million bucks under the ceiling, the impact of a prolonged suspension on the Kings could be substantial.
GALLERY: Great photos from season's early action
Snap Shots: NHL Season's Early Action
Alex Stalock and Rick Nash
The Sharks' goalie jumps to avoid a sliding Nash during the Sharks-Rangers game at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 19.
Matt Hunwick and Logan Couture
Rangers defenseman Matt Hunwick reaches to stop the puck from crossing the goal line as the Shark's Logan Couture hits the ice during a game at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 19.
Jhonas Enroth
A goal by Jack Skille of the Columbus Blue Jackets sends water splashing from the bottle behind Jhonas Enroth of the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 9.
Milan Lucic
Boston's burly winger, who infamously uttered a death threat at the Canadiens' Dale Weise in the handshake line after their playoff series last spring, was feeling all warm and fuzzy when the teams met for the first time this season in Montreal on Oct. 16. Along with this bout against Alexei Emelin, Lucic was fined $5,000 by the NHL for making a lewd gesture at the Habs' faithful after he took a penalty in the Bruins' loss. He later apologized.
Devils and Flyers
The upstart Devils spoiled the Flyers' home opener at Wells Fargo Center with a 6-4 win on Oct. 9.
Ducks fans
Anaheim greeted the new season in style before the Ducks' home opener against the Wild on Oct. 17.
Wayne Simmonds
Simmonds jumps as he attempts to set up a screen for Claude Giroux's shot against Ducks goalie Frederik Anderson on Oct. 14 in Philadelphia.
Maple Leafs fans
There was unbridled excitement at Toronto's Air Canada Centre as the Maple Leafs fell to Detroit, 4-1, on Oct. 17.
Panthers fans
Plenty of good seats available: Crickets and owls outnumber the 7,311 fans who showed up at the BB&T Center to watch the hometown Florida Panthers take on Ottawa. The smallest NHL crowd in three years was treated to a 1-0 barn burner won by the Senators.
Prudential Center
Speaking of barn burners, the Devils unveiled their spiffy new 3D projection system before their home opener against the Sharks at the Prudential Center in bucolic Newark, NJ, on Oct. 18.
Tomas Hertl and Drew Doughty
Hertl is pushed into the boards by Doughty during the Sharks-Kings game on Oct. 8 in Los Angeles. Doughty received a penalty for boarding on the play.
Flyers Ice Girl
Many Philly fans were delighted when the team decided to reinstate its all-female ice maintenance crew after it had been shelved during the preseason. Alas, an all-male version had not been warmly received.
Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux
Simmonds and Giroux celebrate after Simmonds scored his second goal 56 seconds after his first against the Devils on Oct. 9 in Philly.
Paul Gaustad and Jonathan Toews
The ever elusive puck slipped through the ref's five hole at Chicago's United Center as the Predators battled the host Blackhawks on Oct. 18.
Andrew Ference and Ben Scrivens
It's been a rough start for the perpetually promising but perennially disappointing Oilers, who saw their goaltenders allow 27 pucks into their net—including seven in this Oct. 15 tilt against the Coyotes—during the team's first six games.
Rick Nash
The red-hot Nash became a Broadway Smash by scoring seven goals in his first six games. One tally came four seconds after teammate Martin St. Louis lit the lamp against San Jose, the duo setting a franchise mark for fastest goals without an empty-netter.
Jarred Tinordi vs. Cody McLeod
An exchange of fistic pleasantries at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Oct. 18.
Maple Leafs Zamboni
Some wags suggested that it's only apt that the Maple Leafs, who currently own the NHL's longest Stanley Cup drought by a non-expansion team, employ a giant deodorant to resurface the ice in their home arena. The Leafs lost their first two games at Air Canada Centre en route to a 2-3-1 start.
T.J. Oshie
Blues winger T.J. Oshie shows off with a little puck juggling during warm-ups before a game against the Kings in Los Angeles on Oct. 16.
Joffrey Lupul and Justin Abdelkader
We have lift off: Winger Justin Abdelkader (8) of the Red Wings sent Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul into the boards during their game in Detroit on Oct. 18.
Frederik Andersen
The Ducks' answer to New York's dapper netminder Henrik Lundqvist greeted fans before the team's home opener against Minnesota at on Oct. 17. Andersen was named the NHL's Second Star of the Week.
Justin Peters
The Doh! moment: The shootout game-winner by San Jose's Joe Pavelski eluded Capitals goalie Justin Peters but not the attention of his team's fans at DC's Verizon Center on Oct. 14.
Linden Vey and J.T. Brown
The Canucks and Lightning chase the biscuit at Vancouver's Rogers Arena on Oct. 18.
Brandon Kozun
A painful start: Leafs winger Brandon Kozun displayed the unpleasant effects of being checked into the end boards during a game against the Red Wings on Oct. 17 in Toronto. Kozun suffered a high ankle sprain and was expected to be out at least six weeks.
Canadiens vs. Avalanche
Alex Tanguay of the Avs was welcomed to Montreal by Canadiens defenseman Tom Gilbert on Oct. 18.
Drew Doughty
The Sharks got a leg up on defenseman Drew Doughty and the Kings during their season opener in Los Angeles. San Jose's 4-0 win exacted a measure of revenge for last spring's bitter playoff defeat at the hands of their Pacific Division rivals
Roberto Luongo
Caged Panther: Goalie Roberto Luongo was trapped by Ottawa's Zack Smith at the BB&T Center on Oct. 13.
Flames vs. Jets
There's nothing like a little contretemps to get everyone's attention.
Matt Fraser
Glass act: Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner cashed a check on the Bruins winger at Boston's TD Garden on Oct. 11.
Nassau Coliseum
The old barn's final season opened on Oct. 11 as the surprising Islanders hosted Carolina.
Ben Bishop
The Lightning's towering goalie warmed up outside Tampa Bay's dressing room before a game against the Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Oct. 18.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers salute their fans after winning their first game, six games into the season, on Oct. 20 against the Lightning.
