Browsing: trip

It was a winning road trip for the Vancouver Canucks even if it didnâ€t feel that way.

Most times on a five-game trip, if the visiting teamâ€s travel record is 3-1 heading into the last stop on the tour, that final game feels like a bonus. Win and itâ€s a superb trip. Lose and itâ€s still a successful one with six points out of 10. Go .600 on the road all season and youâ€d need to be putrid at home not to make the National Hockey League playoffs.

Normally, you take 3-2-0 in a heartbeat. Get home, rest up and use your own rink to your advantage.

The problem for the Canucks is that Thursdayâ€s travel finale, which they lost 2-1 to the struggling Nashville Predators, looked at least as winnable as the back-to-back home games Vancouver has this weekend against the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers.

For the Canucks, there are other problems, of course. There is a potential crisis at centre with no safety net even before Filip Chytil crashed with another apparent concussion Sunday in Washington. The Canucks arenâ€t scoring — two goals in their last seven periods — and their power play has suddenly disappeared.

The power play went 0-for-5 on Thursday, which included a 90-second five-on-three near the end of the first period, and actually finished minus-one because Ryan Oâ€Reilly opened scoring shorthanded for Nashville at 9:01 of the second period.

Big picture, Thursdayâ€s game felt like a missed opportunity for the Canucks not only to add an exclamation mark to their trip but, more essentially, simply stash two more available points in the standings. Two points that may be harder to come by this weekend.

The Canadiens will be in Vancouver before the Canucks get home and had won six of seven before losing 6-5 in Edmonton on Thursday. And the Oilers, though scuffling themselves and playing their own back-to-backs this weekend, still have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and fairly dominated Vancouver in a 3-1 win on Thanksgiving Weekend.

In Nashville, the Canucks managed more energy and a better game than they displayed in Tuesdayâ€s 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. But they were outshot 35-22 by a Predators team that had been winless in four, and the Canucks were outplayed at five-on-five.

Still, it was 1-1 heading into the third period, with both points there to be seized.

But the Canucks were slow to close down Justin Barron at the point, the Predatorâ€s shot was tipped by Cole Smith between goalie Thatcher Demkoâ€s pads and the puck rolled on edge just over the goal-line for Nashvilleâ€s winner at 5:09 of the third period.

Playing their fifth game in eight nights with two time-zone changes, the Canucks generated only seven shots in the third period. Brock Boeser, back from a two-game leave of absence for personal reasons, had one of the few good chances to tie it but couldnâ€t elevate his shot from the hashmarks over Juuse Saros†pad just before the buzzer.

By the time the Canucks see the Oilers on Sunday at Rogers Arena, it will be Vancouverâ€s seventh game in 11 nights.

Itâ€s important to remember the unease hovering around the Canucks when their five-game odyssey began after disconcerting losses to the Oilers and St. Louis Blues.

The team chased away those doubts with impressive wins in Dallas, Chicago and Washington to start the road trip.

But since Chytil was crushed in the final minute of the first period in Washington on Sunday, Vancouver has been outscored 10-3 and lost a pair of games against teams almost nobody is picking to make the playoffs.

The Canucks are 4-4 through eight games. Equal shares of good and bad.

Promoted from minor-league Abbotsford for the road trip, Max Sasson scored his third goal in five games. The skill he displayed in doing a spin-o-rama with the puck in the neutral zone to beat Barron along the boards, then skate away on a breakaway and fool Saros with a quick shot between his pads is why the 25-year-old is changing the narrative around him.

Yes, Sasson is an undrafted, late-bloomer who is undersized and speedy. He had only three goals in 29 games for the Canucks last season. But he is showing on this recall that he can make plays at the NHL level and may yet be able to transport his offensive game from the AHL. Is he the second-line replacement for Chytil? He shouldnâ€t be, not this season.

But Sasson has speed and skill the Canucks need, and he looks capable of breaking through the low ceiling attached to most second-tier prospects.

And by the way, it was a heckuva assist on his goal by another minor-league callup, Sassonâ€s AHL linemate Linus Karlsson, who used his heavy stick and game to emerge with the puck against two Predators behind the Canucks†net, then send a stretch-pass up ice.

Sure, Smithâ€s fortunate deflection broke a 1-1 tie in the third period. But, honestly, the game was decided by a Vancouver power play that allowed Oâ€Reilly to open scoring shorthanded on a two-on-one. It capped an atrocious minus-one night for the Canucks†man-advantage unit.

The power play was mostly peripheral, and the decisive puck movement and player interchanges we saw in the pre-season and the start of October have been missing the last two games. The Canucks were bullied on special teams in both.

WHATâ€S WRONG WITH QUINN HUGHES?

That headline-question gets asked as often in Vancouver as: “Why is this condo so cheap?â€

Hughes is the Canucks†superstar, their one game-changer, not including Demko. And even when he isnâ€t generating goals, Hughes always seems to have the puck and is generating chances.

But Vancouverâ€s captain seems to be pressing so much to help his team win that it is getting counter-productive.

Usually a play-driving force of nature, Hughes had no points and two shots in 29:26 of ice time in Nashville and, almost inconceivably, Vancouver was outshot 18-6 at five-on-five with its best player on the ice. Hughes†expected-goals-for share of 33.5 per cent looked like a misprint.

Through eight games, the Canucks have been outshot 91-64 at five-on-five with Hughes, and that shot-share of 41.3 per cent is more than 14 points below his elite level from last season.

The Canucks have 74 games to go and their surest thing is Quinn Hughes. But through two weeks, the Canucks†desperation is reflected by Hughes†desperation. Even with the greatest players on Earth, less is more sometimes.

Foote on power play: “The last three games, teams have been pressing us a lot on our power play. I think we have to move our feet a little bit more. . . and get a few more pucks to the net. We had some good looks, but it would have been nice to get one there (on the five-on-three).â€

Foote on the schedule: “We donâ€t have much time to, you know, get our legs back. But it is a condensed season that we all are aware of, and weâ€ve been aware of it for a long time. Itâ€s happening to every team, and every team is going to have their. . . tough week or tough two weeks. This is a tough one for us, but weâ€re going to be pros and get ready for the next one.â€

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Cristiano Ronaldo (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images) Saudi Arabiaâ€s premier club Al-Nassr is set to arrive in India on Monday night for their AFC Champions League 2 away fixture against FC Goa, but star player Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to miss the trip. According to Saudi sports daily Al Riyadhiah, the 40-year-old will not be part of the travelling squad, despite repeated requests from FC Goaâ€s management. Al-Nassr will be playing their third game in the continental competition after a comfortable league win over Al-Fateh, with the match scheduled at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on October 22. FC Goa, having defeated former AFC Cup winners Al Seeb to qualify for ACL 2, were drawn in Group D alongside Ronaldoâ€s Al-Nassr. The pairing has sparked excitement and speculation about the Portuguese superstar making the trip to India for a competitive match. Ronaldoâ€s contract with Al-Nassr reportedly allows him to select matches outside Saudi Arabia, giving him the flexibility to skip international travel. The forward, who is preparing for next yearâ€s World Cup, is also managing his workload to ensure he remains in peak condition for the tournament. Al-Nassr will land at Dabolim International Airport ahead of the game. The club has won both of its group-stage matches in the AFC Champions League 2 without Ronaldo and is well-positioned to progress to the next round. Following their clash against FC Goa, Al-Nassr will face rivals Al Ittihad in the Round of 16 of the Kingâ€s Cup on October 28.

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Ahead of a five-game road trip, the Vancouver Canucks are making some roster changes.

Head coach Adam Foote announced on Tuesday that centre Braeden Cootes is being sent back down to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. In a subsequent move, forward Max Sasson is being called up from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.

Cootes, 18, played in Vancouver’s first three games of the 2025-26 season, posting a minus-two plus/minus in 10:47 of average ice time with a 38.5 face-off win percentage.

According to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Foote praised Cootes for his brief NHL stint to open the season, adding that the youngster will be able to apply that experience back in Seattle.

The NHL rookie was a point-per-game player with the Thunderbirds last year, logging 63 points (26 goals and 37 assists) in 60 appearances.

The Canucks selected Cootes with the 15th overall pick in the 2025 draft.

Meanwhile, Sasson now prepares for his second NHL stint after playing 29 games with Vancouver last season. The 24-year-old posted three goals, four assists and was plus-one in that span.

The Canucks are 1-2-0 as they enter the five-game stint away from Rogers Arena, tied for the team’s second-longest road trip of the season, beginning with a tilt against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

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Oct 12, 2025, 12:11 AM ET

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes are preparing for a long road trip with concerns about the status of defenseman Jaccob Slavin.

He missed a large portion of the third period and all of overtime in Saturday night’s 4-3 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“He’s getting looked at,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We’ll know more about his status Monday. He came up a little gimpy.”

Carolina begins a six-game road trip Tuesday night at San Jose. The Hurricanes will go more than two weeks before playing again on home ice.

Slavin, 31, logged less than 4 1/2 minutes of ice time following the second period Saturday night. He was on the ice for more than 20 minutes in Carolina’s season-opening 6-3 victory over New Jersey on Thursday night.

Slavin, who didn’t play in the preseason, has appeared in more than 75 regular-season games in each of the past four seasons. He had three consecutive seasons earlier in his career when he played all 82 regular-season games.

He’s a two-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player. He signed an eight-year contract in the summer of 2024.

The Hurricanes beat Philadelphia on Seth Jarvis’ goal with 16.7 seconds left in overtime.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are now 0-1-1 through two games to open their season. It began with two road Eastern Conference matches. Chicago lost to the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Tuesday night and dropped an overtime game 4-3 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Now, they will return home to the United Center, where the celebration of Chicagoâ€s centennial season will begin. They will host the Montreal Canadiens for an Original Six matchup.

Ahead of this upcoming two-game home-stand, we learned a few things about the Blackhawks that we couldnâ€t confirm before the games started to count.

Frank Nazar might already be a star.

So far, Frank Nazar has been Chicago’s best player. He drives his own line, makes his teammates better around him, and has numbers to show for it through two games. That includes one goal and two assists.

In overtime of game two against the Boston Bruins, he had a great chance in overtime, but was stoned by Joonas Korpisalo. That was one of many plays he was a part of that would be considered scoring chances for Chicago.

Nazar isn’t the type of star who only contributes offensively, either. He plays well in his own end, kills penalties, and uses his skating to impact the game in all three zones. Nobody on the team is faster at top speed or with their bursts.

Although he isn’t even 82 games into his NHL career, Nazar is already showing the signs of being a star. He was given a big contract extension over the summer, which drew criticism due to its length, monetary value, and his lack of experience, but now it appears to be a bargain.

There is a long way to go for Nazar to truly realize that dream of being a star player, but he’s on the right track. He had a strong finish to last season, was one of Team USA’s best forwards at the World Championships, controlled play throughout camp/preseason, and now is off to this great start through two games that count. Expect him to be a difference-maker from now on.

Connor Bedardâ€s summer speed/skating workouts are already paying off.

Connor Bedard skipped the World Championships with Team Canada to spend the early stages of his summer working on skating. He didn’t waver from that at any point leading up to training camp, either. It shows.

Through the first two games, Bedard has one goal and one assist, which is nice, but his style of play is what’s really eye-popping right now. Only Frank Nazar has had higher overall speeds and speed bursts through the first two games, which is good company to be in for Bedard.

He didn’t score in overtime against the Bruins on a breakaway, but he had the speed and tenacity to have a chance all alone, which is important to see.

Bedard has all of the tools to be a high-end offensive player. His shot, passing, and offensive IQ are as good as it gets for young players. Adding this element of speed and high-end skating could be what gets him to that next level of superstardom. Through two games, it looks like he’s headed down that road.

Artyom Levshunov has a long way to go.

As good as it’s been for Nazar and Bedard, it’s mostly been the opposite for Artyom Levshunov. He collected an assist thanks to a good play to help set up an Andre Burakovsky goal, but the rest of his play has been subpar through the first two games.

This does not mean that Levshunov is going to have a bad year, but it does mean that he has a long way to go before being a top-tier defenseman in the NHL.

Since the beginning of camp, Jeff Blashill has had him stapled next to Wyatt Kaiser, who has been great in his role as a top-four defender on the team. The same can’t be said for his partner.

Levshunov has had more valleys than peaks so far as the second man on the pair. Bad positioning, questionable decision-making, and too many penalties taken are what lead to these struggles. For a young defenseman in his teens, these are common problems.

Does Levshunov need time in the AHL? An argument can be made, but then who comes up? Nolan Allan, Ethan Del Mastro, and Kevin Korchinski haven’t been much better, so they might as well let the guy with the highest ceiling continue to work out his issues.

By the end of this season, the hope for Levshunov is that he will have shown a lot of improvement. He had good moments last season after some seasoning, so there is already evidence that he can play well at this level. If he just works on his penalty trouble and positioning, he will be a serviceable defender at worst.

If the offensive IQ continues to take leaps, like on the Burakovsky goal against the Boston Bruins, then there will be chatter about him being a legit top-pair guy.

What will come of these storylines once the Blackhawks return home? Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard are going to continue on their upward trajectory. They will be this team’s two-headed monster down the middle for the entire year, and possibly long beyond that.

As for Levshunov, he will work to change the narrative as quickly as possible. With home ice for two games, Blashill will have the opportunity to get Levshunov more favorable matchups to get his confidence back.

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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CALVERTON, NY — When the New York Islanders left for the Hamptons on Friday afternoon to begin their three-day team-bonding trip, Isaiah George and Calum Ritchie boarded the bus.

The two youngsters aren’t likely to make the Islanders’ roster, but the organization felt it was essential to have them on the trip.

“It’s important to have them. I mean, are you kidding me?” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said with a huge smile on his face. “To be around the guys who’ve been here for a long time, or even less, it’s good bonding. It’s good for them to be with the club and have a bit of a taste of what it is. I think that’s great.”

George had a great camp, but with No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer cracking the starting lineup and Adam Boqvist having the ability to quarterback a power play, there isn’t yet room for him to get valuable minutes at the NHL level.

It makes more sense for his development to be playing big minutes for Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.

When it comes to Ritchie, the main return piece in the Brock Nelson trade, he proved that he’s NHL-ready and did everything possible to make the Islanders’ decision tough. However, a lower-body injury sustained in their final preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday will keep him out 1-2 weeks, making that once-difficult decision an easy one.

Injured players cannot be sent to the AHL, so, in theory, he’ll likely remain up with the club to rehab before he’s optioned to Bridgeport.

Both will play big roles or this team sooner than later, so why not get them acclimated with their future teammates.

“It’s great. When I was a young guy, coming on these things, it really feels like you’re part of it,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “You’re part of the organization, you’re part of the team, and you get to start to know everybody, so when the time comes and they’re here with us, they feel comfortable. It’s like they’re one of us. And I think that stuff’s great. We get to know them, like I said, look out for them, take them around, show them the ropes, have some fun, and really begin that relationship.”

While both George and Ritchie, playing 33 and seven NHL games, respectively, have some experience, feeling as comfortable as possible off the ice with this specific team will translate to on the ice.

“It’s cool [to be a part of this],” George said. “I mean, obviously, to be with the guys, to be a part of the team like this is great, no matter what happens. “This helps build camaraderie amongst the group, and I think that helps us when we’re out on the ice.”

The Islanders’ future is bright, and whether it’s the team-bonding trip or participating in a training game with NHLers, having the organization’s top prospects feel comfortable is a priority under general manager Mathieu Darche, and it makes all the difference.

Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

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