AM Skate – Canucks Practice News, Golden Knights in Trouble

The Vancouver Canucks practice at 11 am Monday morning at Rogers Arena in preparation for Tuesday night’s home opener against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild suffered their first loss of the season Sunday at home at the hands of the Nashville Predators 5-2. The Wild remain tied for first place with St. Louis in the Central Division with 8 points although the latter have played one less game.

Speaking of the Blues, they are one of only four teams that remain perfect thus far this NHL season, joining the undefeated Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers. The Arizona Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks are the two winless teams. Time to start this Vancouver Canucks week with a twirl …

Let’s Skate!

— Rob Simpson will be hopping on Rob Fai’s Sports Bar Radio today to recap the Vancouver Canucks road trip and let you know what happened at practice Monday. You can check it out this afternoon on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever fine productions like this one are heard. Look for episode 124 at the top.

— Yikes!! I mentioned the winless Blackhawks. They played Sunday’s game without Patrick Kane because of Covid protocol and lost to the Detroit Red Wings 6-3. The ‘Hawks set an NHL record that continues as we speak for going the longest at the start of a season without having a lead. They haven’t scored first and haven’t taken the lead a single time in six hockey games. The Vancouver Canucks contributed to this dubious record, beating Chicago this past Thursday night at the United Centre 4-1.

— Meanwhile, the Red Wing’s 4th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Lucas Raymond, picked up is first career hat trick in Detroit’s victory. Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff has more on some of the history made by the 19-year-old winger. It was a Winged Wheel moment that the club’s General Manager Steve Yzerman might be particularly interested in and impressed by.

— We just watched the Vancouver Canucks ruin the Seattle Kraken’s first ever home came on Saturday night as the BC boys won 4-2. After six games played the Kraken have a grand total of 3 points in the standings. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but things are even worse down the road for the NHL’s next newest hockey team. After five games in their fifth season, the Vegas Golden Knights are in the basement of the Pacific Division with a grand total of 2 points following Sunday’s 2-0 home loss to the New York Islanders.

— Remarkably, the Seattle Kraken’s first ever home game was not carried in the local or regional market on television. The sold out game was also not available on the NHL Package for purchasers and viewers of that online/cable product. In the US, the game was hijacked by ESPN and offered up at a cost specifically for their streaming service. Roots Sports, the regional sports network handling the Kraken games on TV, didn’t produce it or carry it. It was essentially a pay-per-view affair in the US. I’m thinking NHL Package holders might be a bit ticked off.

— The Toronto Maple Leafs were routed at home by the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada 7-1. Defenceman Jake Muzzin called the effort “unacceptable”. Meanwhile, Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner has gone five games without a point, his longest skid since 2017. That’s not much bang for your buck when your making $10.9-million US per season.

— The Ottawa Senators sent a 2022 7th-round draft pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for 25-year-old centre Dylan Gambrell.

Enjoy the Hockey Action!!