Josh Wegman

Hellebuyck fuels Jets to NHL-record 14 wins through opening 15 games

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty departed Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with a lower-body injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Eckroat wins in Mexico for 2nd victory this season

Mackenzie Blackwood put the San Jose Sharks on his back Sunday, stopping all 44 shots he faced in a 1-0 victory against the New Jersey Devils.Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky lauded his goaltender's strong outing."(Blackwood) was outstanding, probably the best I've seen him play," Warsofsky said postgame. "You could tell he was dialed in, focused, tracking pucks really well."The victory was extra sweet for Blackwood, who spent the first five years of his career in New Jersey before he was traded to San Jose in 2023."It's pretty cool for me," Blackwood said of blanking his former club. "I spent a lot of time here (in New Jersey), I have good relationships with a lot of the guys over in that room."Teammate Fabian Zetterlund called Blackwood the best goalie in the NHL right now, prompting a funny response by the netminder. Priceless exchange with Blackwood, I asked him about Zetterlund calling him the best goalie in the NHL right now: "Today? I'll take it today. But tomorrow, ehhhh I don't know, we'll see. Appreciate that." pic.twitter/Wuk1CyO6zb— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) November 11, 2024 Blackwood's 44 saves were the second most in a shutout in Sharks franchise history, trailing Troy Grosenick's 45 back in 2014.The 27-year-old now owns a .910 save percentage in nine games this season, a mark that ranks tied for second among Canadian netminders with at least seven starts. Blackwood's play so far this season could earn him some consideration for the country's wide-open goaltending competition for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

It's time to look ahead to 2025 after the Hockey Hall of Fame inducted a star-studded 2024 class Monday.

Lars Eller is heading back to D.C.The Pittsburgh Penguins traded the veteran center to the division-rival Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick, the teams announced Tuesday.More to come.

Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper exited Wednesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period with an apparent injury.

It appears Cole Caufield's blazing-hot start to the season likely won't be enough to secure him a spot on USA's 4 Nations Face-Off roster.While no final decisions have been made, the Montreal Canadiens sniper is currently on the outside looking in to make the team, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun. Caufield enters Thursday tied for the NHL lead with 12 goals on the campaign. However, he has only one assist and his defensive metrics are poor. He's posted minus-2.4 expected defensive goals above replacement this season, a bottom-10 mark among NHL forwards, per Evolving-Hockey.The 4 Nations Face-Off rosters must be named by Dec. 2 before they're announced Dec. 4. The tournament begins Feb. 12 and also includes Canada, Sweden, and Finland.The Americans have an embarrassment of riches up front, leaving tough decisions for the management group led by general manager Bill Guerin.The United States and Canada lobbied to expand the rosters from 23 players to 25, but to no avail, LeBrun added.

Debating key position battles for USA's 4 Nations Face-Off roster

Rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off are due Dec. 2 and will be unveiled two days later. In other words, the clock's ticking louder by the day for management groups in Canada, Sweden, Finland, and the U.S.Each nation must select 23 players - 20 skaters and three goalies. Six picks were announced in June, which means 17 spots remain unfilled.Here, theScore's Josh Wegman and John Matisz debate the toughest decisions for Team Canada general manager Don Sweeney and his staff ahead of the February tournament. (Read our Team USA rundown here.)Forwards Leila Devlin / Getty ImagesAlready on roster: Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Brad Marchand, Connor McDavid, Brayden PointNear locks: Mitch Marner, Sam Reinhart, Mark Stone5 spots left for: Mathew Barzal, Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Quinton Byfield, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Zach Hyman, Seth Jarvis, Wyatt Johnston, Travis Konecny, Alexis Lafreniere, Ryan O'Reilly, Mark Scheifele, Steven Stamkos, Nick Suzuki, Robert Thomas, Carter Verhaeghe, Tom WilsonWegman's picks: Bedard, Cirelli, Hagel, Hyman, KonecnyCanada has an embarrassment of riches up front, making these picks incredibly difficult. There are just so many ways Sweeney can go.Cirelli isn't overly popular in mock rosters, but I believe he's the perfect choice as Canada's fourth-line center. His skating, competitiveness, and intelligence make him a Selke Trophy-caliber defensive player who can match up against anyone. He's no slouch offensively, either, producing at a near-point-per-game clip this season. And head coach Jon Cooper trusts him immensely.The same can be said for Hagel, who would bring instant chemistry to a line led centered by either Point or Cirelli. Hagel is as skilled offensively as other contending players, plus he's super consistent. He'd also bring some competitive fire - not completely unlike Konecny, another feisty winger who'd fit a bottom-six role well.Hyman has picked things up after a slow start, so I'm sticking with him. Bedard's my 13th forward. He'll take on a bigger role at the 2026 Olympics.Matisz's picks: Bedard, Hyman, Konecny, Lafreniere, VerhaegheThe options are truly limitless.Still, three players jumped to the top of my queue. Verhaeghe could be an incredibly valuable piece as a true dual-threat winger. Lafreniere could easily assume a complementary role on a line that plays with pace and can tap into his quick-strike style. Bedard is a lethal triggerman whose goal-scoring totals have been suppressed in Chicago - he's ready to pop with better linemates.Konecny and Hyman were harder choices. Ultimately, both are connector types: highly intelligent wingers who've mastered wall play, puck hounding, and net-front havoc-wreaking. Hyman's chemistry with McDavid is a bonus.My toughest cuts were Johnston, Hagel, and Suzuki. I would've strongly considered Thomas as well if he weren't currently injured. And I like Cirelli, but I think Canada has a handful of better options at fourth-line center.Scheifele, who's tied for 17th in NHL scoring, deserves a mention. He probably makes the cut based on pure talent. However, his offense-first skill set would be redundant on a Canadian squad teeming with firepower.Defense Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesAlready on roster: Cale MakarNear locks: Noah Dobson, Josh Morrissey, Devon Toews3 spots left for: Evan Bouchard, Drew Doughty, Dougie Hamilton, Brandon Montour, Colton Parayko, Adam Pelech, Alex Pietrangelo, Owen Power, Morgan Rielly, Shea Theodore, MacKenzie WeegarWegman's picks: Doughty, Parayko, PowerDoughty is the biggest question mark as he remains out with a fractured ankle suffered in preseason. If he's healthy in time for the tournament - a big "if" - he needs to be on this team. (He's projected to return in early January.)I opted to lean on size for my final two picks - Power and Parayko both stand at 6-foot-6. They played together at the 2024 World Championship, so there's already some familiarity if they combine forces on the third pair. Parayko, in particular, would bring much-needed nastiness and penalty-killing chops to a Canadian blue line that's rather undersized in the top four outside of Dobson.Matisz's picks: Doughty, Pietrangelo, TheodoreSweeney and his staff are reportedly keeping a close eye on Doughty's recovery. Barring an injury setback, he's tracking toward a key shutdown role.Canada should try to strike a balance between mobility/skill and size/toughness on the blue line, especially with question marks in goal. In my eyes, veterans Theodore and Pietrangelo best round out the defense corps. You know exactly what you're getting from both of them.Makar and Morrissey can each man the point on a power-play unit, while any of the seven defensemen is capable of hunkering down on the penalty kill.Goaltending Scott Rovak / Getty ImagesAlready on roster: NoneNear locks: None3 spots left for: Jordan Binnington, Mackenzie Blackwood, Marc-Andre Fleury, Adin Hill, Connor Ingram, Darcy Kuemper, Sam Montembeault, Stuart Skinner, Cam Talbot, Logan ThompsonWegman's picks: Binnington, Talbot, ThompsonCanada's goaltending is easily the most wide-open and intriguing position battle of the entire tournament. I was of the belief someone would separate themselves from the pack, but that hasn't been the case.I'm giving Binnington the nod as the nation's most consistent goalie in recent years, but I don't feel overly confident about it. He was playing relatively well this season until he was shelled for eight goals against the Capitals recently.I'm rolling with the hot hand for my other two picks. The 37-year-old Talbot seems to play well in whatever uniform he's wearing. That bodes well in a short tournament. He's been lights out despite playing behind a mediocre Red Wings team.Thompson, meanwhile, is beginning to emerge as the Capitals' go-to guy after a couple of promising tandem seasons with the Golden Knights.Matisz's picks: Binnington, Montembeault, TalbotIt feels like there's no great answer here. However, I'm going with Binnington as the starter, Talbot as the backup, and Montembeault as the third-stringer.Binnington hoisted the Stanley Cup more than five years ago, yet there's still something about the fiery competitor that screams "big-game player."Talbot has posted excellent underlying numbers this season (top five in the NHL in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes, according to Sportlogiq).Montembeault has been quietly trending up over the past few seasons, his raw numbers dragged down by Montreal's putrid goaltending environment.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r