Weekend Takeaways: Panthers showing no signs of regression, Blue Jackets turmoil

It sort of felt like the Florida Panthers were set up to fail.

Coming off an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers began the season knowing their top two defencemen would be shelved for a while. The short summer surely also meant that several players were not in peak training camp form following the quick turnaround from having your dreams dashed versus Vegas in mid-June to trying to get cranked back up again for a new season in September.

It’s a taxing task.

The extremely early returns were not great, as Florida dropped its first two games out of the gate. But after Friday’s 2-1 victory over the Ducks in Anaheim, the Cats are 11-3-1 since Game 3 of the season and have given the middle claw to anyone — guilty party, right here — who thought they might be hard-pressed to validate their status as the defending Eastern Conference champions.

Best of all, Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad — the stud D-men who were both waylaid by shoulder surgery — returned to the lineup in the win over Anaheim. Montour eased back in with a light night led the team with 24:02 of ice, while Ekblad also skated just over 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the player signed partially to help hold the fort while those two were gone, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, scored his fifth goal of the year versus the Ducks. The veteran Swede has been an enormous part of Florida’s early success and figures to continue playing an important role even as he gets bumped down the lineup a bit.

Sam Bennett — limited to just four games this season before Friday because of a pair of injuries — logged his biggest night of the year (18:40) against Anaheim, a sure sign he’s getting back to his old self.

Speaking of Sams, Friday was the rare night Sam Reinhart has been kept off the scoresheet. The 28-year-old has 24 points in 17 outings this year and you could probably win a bar bet by knowing that makes him the top-scoring Canadian forward in the entire league.

(Fellow B.C. boy Cale Makar also has 24 points from the back end.)

There was reason for concern on Friday when captain Aleksander Barkov took a knee-on-knee hit from Jackson LaCombe, but to the unending relief of Panthers supporters coach Paul Maurice said the player and team dodged a bullet and Barkov — who won’t play Monday versus Edmonton — is considered day-to-day.

Hopefully, for Florida’s sake, that means Barkov can get back in the lineup sooner rather than later as the Panthers try to keep the good times rolling. And for what it’s worth, there’s little reason to believe this is a smoke-and-mirrors record as the Cats are one of the top clubs in the NHL by expected goals percentage (54.9 percent) and have the seventh-best five-on-five save percentage (.931) in the league.

Short-term, things look great. Medium-term, maybe they can be an Eastern Conference playoff contender again. Long-term, the Panthers have some things to sort out as both Reinhart and Montour (and a slew of other support players) can hit the market as UFAs in eight months, while Ekblad is eligible in 2025.

Of course, South Florida is a pretty great spot to drop anchor and, these days, your professional existence can be as sunny as the rest of your life playing for the Panthers.

Even when the seas get rough, this team has shown it has the stuff to persevere.

Other Takeaways

• Sunday’s 5-2 win by the Philadelphia Flyers over the tail-spinning Columbus Blue Jackets really punctuated the different plights of these organizations. It felt like everything Daniel Briere did and said since taking over as GM in Philly in May signaled the squad was embarking on a long, bottom-up rebuild. Yet here they are, winners of five straight and — at least for the moment — occupying second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Columbus, meanwhile, has been desperately trying to claw up from the bottom for a couple years and nothing is working. Johnny Gaudreau can’t get going in Ohio and coach Pascal Vincent — after previously benching the likes of Gaudreau and big-time defence acquisition Damon Severson — went full healthy scratch on Patrik Laine versus Philly.

It’s gruesome in Columbus right now, with the club having dropped nine straight outings and posting just a single victory in its past 15 contests. The top-three draft pick the Flyers were likely eying may make its way to a Columbus squad that wanted nothing to do with the basement this season.

• Laine certainly also had an issue or two with his old team, the Winnipeg Jets. Things are pretty sunny in Manitoba right now, though (minus a tough Grey Cup loss on Sunday, of course) as the Jets scored two weekend wins over Buffalo and Arizona and are witnessing a couple guys at different stages of their careers find new gears.

Cole Perfetti opened the scoring on Friday versus the Sabres, making it three straight games with a goal for the 21-year-old and eight straight with a point. While both streaks were snapped 24 hours later versus the Coyotes, Perfetti is clearly finding his sea legs as a second-liner in the NHL.

Kyle Connor, meanwhile, is tied with Auston Matthews for the NHL goal lead after firing his 14^th dart of the season on Saturday. With the likes of Mason Appleton, Nino Niederreiter and Vlad Namestnikov chipping in right now, too, the Jets are getting great production throughout the top 9.

Weekend Warrior

Alex Nedeljkovic might be the best two-way goalie in the game. The 27-year-old began the weekend by firing his second career AHL goal — making him the A’s all-time goalie goal leader — on Friday night in Providence during a conditioning stint appearance with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Forty-eight hours later, the Ohio native was back up with the big club and making 38 saves to whitewash the Golden Knights in a big 3-0 victory for Pittsburgh.

Red and White Power Rankings

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (10-5-2) It’s Willy’s world — no matter what continent he’s on — we’re just marveling at his play in it. His overtime winner on Sunday against the Wild capped an incredible trip to Sweden that saw him post five points in two outings and join Connor McDavid as the only active NHLers to start a season with at least a point in 17 straight contests.

2. Vancouver Canucks (12-5-1) After Saturday’s 4-3 home loss to Seattle, the Canucks — on a two-game skid now — have allowed 19 goals in their past five outings and have just one regulation-time win in those contests.

3. Winnipeg Jets (10-5-2) Another three points for Mark Scheifele during Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Arizona. After establishing a career high with 42 goals last year, the 30-year-old has 21 points in 17 outings and is on pace to smash his previous points PB of 84.

4. Ottawa Senators (8-7-0) The Sens nudged Minnesota in a shootout on Saturday, completing a much-needed Sweden sweep. They’ve got all week to shake the travel cobwebs out and be ready to build on that success when the Islanders visit Ottawa on Friday. 

5. Calgary Flames (6-8-3) The Flames endured a shootout loss to the Islanders on Saturday, but if you’re looking for some sign of positivity it’s worth pointing out Calgary’s Corsi percentage (53.6) and expected goals percentage (53.3) since Nov. 1 have them firmly inside the top 10 squads in the league during that span.

6. Montreal Canadiens (7-9-2) The Habs have lost four straight after getting drubbed 5-2 in Boston on Saturday. With a four-game west coast road swing ahead, their record might soon reinforce the notion this is very much a rebuilding squad.

7. Edmonton Oilers (5-10-1) Just as it got to the point with former coach Jay Woodcroft where, even if it felt wrong, the Oilers had to do something behind the bench, you wonder if — after losing 6-4 to Tampa on Saturday — Edmonton gets to the same place in the crease. Even if you have to eat it in the transaction, you have to find a goalie who can help the situation.

The Week Ahead

• Thanksgiving week in American means we’ve got two days — Tuesday and Thursday — with zero games, but all kinds of action on Wednesday and Friday. Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks visit Adam Fantilli in Columbus on Wednesday for a must-see rookie showdown.

That same night the Nashville Predators will honour former GM David Poile before hosting the Flames. Poile served as Nashville’s GM for 24 seasons and has a record 1,533 career wins as a general manager during his time in Tennessee and with the Washington Capitals before that.

Wednesday will also mark banger Cal Clutterbuck’s 1,000^th NHL game, as the Isles host Philly.

• There’s lots of afternoon action on Black Friday, including Nylander and the Leafs visiting Bedard and the Hawks. The Preds take on the Blues that day, marking Ryan O’Reilly’s first trip to St. Louis since he was traded away last spring. Meanwhile, the 15-game slate also sees Connor McDavid and the Oilers visit Alex Ovechkin and the Caps, while we get a solid all-California matchup with the Kings in Orange County to tackle the Ducks.

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Oilers to start Calvin Pickard in goal against Panthers

Calvin Pickard will play his first NHL game since March of 2022 when he starts in goal for the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night.

The 31-year-old, who was born in Moncton, N.B., but grew up in Winnipeg, was recalled by the Oilers last Wednesday. He’ll get the start in net when the Oilers face the Panthers in Sunrise, Fla. That game can be seen on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. MT.

Pickard’s last NHL game was an 11-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 27, 2022, when the then-Detroit netminder was called in to relieve Red Wings starter Alex Nedeljkovic. His last start was on Jan. 28 of that year — also against the Penguins — when he played 65 minutes in a 3-2 shootout win.

He’s been in the American Hockey League since then, posting a 2.03 GAA and a .939 save percentage in four games with Bakersfield, the Oilers’ farm team.

Goaltending has been an issue for Edmonton so far this season, with regular starters Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner both sporting .873 save percentages. The team sent Campbell and his 4.49 GAA down to Bakersfield last week, calling up Pickard as his replacement.

Also expected to play is 22-year-old Swedish defenceman Philip Broberg. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound left-shooting rearguard was called up last week but has yet to see action. Broberg was loaned to Bakersfield on Nov. 4, after failing to register a point in eight games with the Oilers, while averaging just 11:12 minutes of ice time.

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Erling Haaland out of Norway’s game against Scotland with foot injury

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Manchester City striker Erling Haaland will miss Norway’s European Championship qualifying game against Scotland on Sunday with what the national team’s doctor described as a painful foot injury.

Haaland was hurt when playing in Norway’s 2-0 win over the Faeroe Islands in a friendly on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, I am missing tomorrow’s game against Scotland. Wishing the boys all the best. Now treatment and trying to get back asap,” Haaland posted on social media Saturday.

Team doctor Ola Sand said the foot injury had left Haaland in pain and with restricted movement.

Sunday’s game in Glasgow won’t affect either team’s qualifying chances. Scotland has already qualified for next year’s European Championship in Germany and Norway is third in the group and can’t qualify automatically, though it still has a chance of reaching the playoffs.

The injury had initially been described as a possible recurrence of an earlier ankle injury. Haaland came off with an ankle injury in the 6-1 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Nov. 4. He started in City’s next game three days later.

City, the leader, plays second-place Liverpool when the Premier League returns on Nov. 25. Haaland has 13 goals in 12 Premier League games for City this season.

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Quick Shifts: Could Mats Sundin grow more involved with Maple Leafs?

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. But, baby, we’re in Sweden. How’d you get to Sweden?

1. Mark Giordano lights up recalling that October night in 2006 at Air Canada Centre when he and one of his boyhood heroes left the rink with duelling milestones.

A Toronto-born Maple Leafs fan, Giordano was a rookie facing off against Mats Sundin on Oct. 14.

With plenty of friends and family in the hometown stands, the young Calgary Flames defenceman registered both his first and second NHL goals against Sundin and the logo he grew up rooting for.

“I had a good night that night, too, but he showed me up pretty good,” Giordano smiles Saturday morning inside Stockholm’s Hovet Arena. “He scored a hat trick for his 500th. So that was a pretty cool night, especially being from Toronto.”

That Sundin was in the rink Friday, delivering a surprise pep talk to Giordano’s Leafs, and again Saturday, quietly taking in practice from the bleachers — where his son’s youth team chanted “Ny! Lan! Der!” — is no small gesture.

The franchise’s all-time leader in goals and points has, at times, felt distant from the current group, separated by an ocean as Sundin and his wife, Josephine, raise their three young children near Stockholm.

No ill will or anything, but due to geography and his modest profile Sundin has simply been around less than local Leafs icons such Doug Gilmour, Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark.

At this Global Series, Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom (officially a VP with the Detroit Red Wings) dropped a ceremonial puck and held a press conference. Daniel Alfredsson (officially hired by the Ottawa Senators last month) walked the bench, guest coaching during Thursday’s thrilling OT win over the Wings.

“What I’ve enjoyed most is being on the inside again,” Lidstrom says. “You know what’s going on. You’re looking at, developing and scouting players. You’re part of the team again.”

Sundin is not officially part of the team, yet he has been present in his understated way this week, joining Brad Treliving, Brendan Shanahan and Sheldon Keefe for a team dinner, spending time catching up with “nephew” Max Domi, and sharing the stage with William Nylander at a fan event.

“He’s a proud Maple Leaf, first of all. You can see that. But also, he just loves the game, and I think he just enjoys being around everyone and telling the stories,” Keefe says.

The plan is for Sundin, 52, to return to Toronto in February and enjoy the city’s festivities during All-Star Weekend.

With his children growing up, and his words with the current players landing so meaningfully, one wonders if the hockey man will one day become even further involved with the Maple Leafs.

“Also a Canucks legend,” notes Vancouver native Morgan Rielly, with a grin.

“It was awesome [having Sundin call out the lineup]. I mean, what he means to our team and to Toronto is pretty special. And to be in Sweden and to have him around, it’s been very cool.”

Indeed.

2. Wondering if John Klingberg — and his $4.15 million cap hit — could be placed on LTIR.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman hasn’t played in a week despite aggressive treatment for an undisclosed injury that he’s been managing throughout his NHL career. He was in pain following Friday’s morning skate and walked off the ice just 10 minutes into Saturday’s full practice.

Injured and struggling, the defenceman is untradable at this point, unless the Leafs attach a sweetener.

Toronto also has another offensive-minded, playmaking right shot in Conor Timmins, who is nearly ready to return to game action.

Timmins has practised for a week without a non-contact sweater, and Keefe would rather not dress six lefties.

Timmins has got to return Friday in Chicago, no?

3. That the general managers are considering rule changes to 3-on-3 overtime — eliminating regroups once gaining the offensive zone or installing a shot clock — feels unnecessary and potentially disastrous.

The offside review has been more hassle than it’s worth, and the spirit of the original rule has been supplanted by Zapruder film–like studies that interrupt game flow and wipe goals off the Jumbotron.

Imagine stopping a fun 3-on-3 back-and-forth to analyze in slow-motion if the puck left Nathan MacKinnon‘s stick before the 10-second shot clock or if Miro Heiskanen brought the puck over-and-back by a hair over the red line.

Ugh.

Be careful not to open another Pandora’s box here.

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4. Why are shootouts so anticlimactic but penalty shots — and the leadup to them, waiting for the ref to point to centre ice — are one of the most exhilarating moments in hockey?

(Count me firmly against the floated idea of allowing coaches to select their penalty-shot taker. The skater who earned the breakaway deserves a chance to play hero.)

5. Shame that the Winnipeg Jets — firmly in a playoff spot and dressing one of the NHL’s goal-scoring leaders, Kyle Connor — are struggling at the gate.

The Jets are averaging 11,874 fans per home game and the Canada Life Centre is 79.1 per cent full.

Only the horrid San Jose Sharks (73.8 per cent) are having a more difficult time packing them in.

League sources point to 2011, when Winnipeg took over the Atlanta Thrashers, as an explanation for the current attendance issue in a depressed economy.

The bring-back-the-Jets movement sold 1,870 season ticket packages to Manitoba Moose loyalists, then another 8,000 to the public within two hours of going on sale.

What was a feel-good story at the time — regular working folk putting down hard-earned money to see live NHL hockey — has had a negative effect over time.

Too great of a portion of the ticket buyers were individuals, not corporations. Individuals fall on hard times or grow old or eventually wish to spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere.

Companies are more likely to renew their tickets.

Not enough corporate investment, the league believes, is the root of the Jets’ attendance woes now.

6. The Columbus Blue Jackets are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. They have the fewest wins (four), the worst goal differential (minus-15), the longest losing streak (seven games), and have allowed the most goals (61).

In Friday’s 3-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Johnny Gaudreau (zero goals on a netminder this season) got benched for the final 6:15. Star sniper Patrik Laine sat for the final 6:15.

Those who believed the Jackets couldn’t be any worse off than 2022-23 might’ve been mistaken.

Midseason GM changes are rare, but this performance has the franchise spiraling into something awful.

7. Hands up if you had 37-year-old Jonathan Quick ranking second leaguewide in goals-against average (1.98), earning nine of a possible 10 points in his decisions (4-0-1), and tracking a career-best save percentage (.928).

This after the 37-year-old netminder sat on the sidelines for the Vegas Golden Knights’ entire Cup run and settled for a $825,000 contract with the New York Rangers.

Big W for the olds.

8. We’re told the NHL doesn’t directly/immediately make money from its Global Series, but it is a long-term investment that goes miles toward keeping the league’s foreign sponsors and broadcasters happy.

To mitigate the financial damage on this weekend’s four-team event, it’s no surprise that the Maple Leafs — handily one of the NHL’s top three gate earners, despite the Canadian dollar — are not sacrificing a single home game in Stockholm.

Both of Toronto’s dates, against the Wild and Red Wings, are away games for the Leafs but “home” games for the opposition. Also, even with natural rivals Ottawa and Toronto in town, they aren’t playing each other in Stockholm because Battles of Ontario rake more HRR in Ontario.

9. Here’s Noah Hanifin on playing in Calgary through ceased extension talks and plenty of uncertainty regarding whether he will be wearing a flaming C past the trade deadline:

“It’s just controlling what I can each day and trying to play the best hockey I can. Right now, that’s all in my control and just trying to get wins for this team. That’s just where my mindset has to be at. Whatever happens in the future will happen and take care of itself. But for right now, it’s just trying to focus on each day, just continuing to get better and helping the team win games.

“You want to win games. Just the whole atmosphere, the mood, everything’s better when you’re winning. When you’re losing, things can be tough for everybody.”

10. Quote of the Week.

“To be honest, I hate watching baseball. I think it’s pretty boring.” —Tim Stützle, following his beautiful walk-off home run on opening night of the Global Series in Stockholm.

11. If William Nylander registers a point Sunday versus the Minnesota Wild in Stockholm, he will tie Connor McDavid for the longest season-starting point streak by an active player and Henrik Zetterberg for the second-longest such streak by a Swede (17 games).

12. Story time with Wayne Gretzky …

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