Hey everyone, hope you are doing well. Tonight, we are back at it for another great Episode 12 of Season 7 of Two Guys & Hockey Talk, where we dive into the stories around the world of hockey. It’s been a busy few days as the NHL season is well underway and we have some stories from the past week
- Jamie Benn hits 400-goal milestone – On Tuesday night when the Dallas Stars played the Edmonton Oilers, captain Jamie Benn netted his #400 career goals becoming the 113th player in NHL history to hit that mark, during Dallas’ dominant 8-3 win over Edmonton. The Stars got balanced scoring throughout their lineup, while the Oilers struggled defensively and both goalies looked out of sorts. This looked like another awful effort from the Oilers club as they struggle close to American Thanksgiving. But congratulations to Benn for the accomplishment as he continues to help lead his team towards another deep run.
- Jesper Wallstedt shines for Minnesota – Jesper Wallstedt is having himself a great season so far as the Wild won their 5th straight where he made 32 saves to earn his third shutout of the season, powering the Wild to a 3-0 victory over Winnipeg. The win extended Minnesota’s point streak to eight games (7-0-1) and ended a long losing skid against the Jets and have been red hot as of late. This is a team that has really figured it out and is rolling in the Central.
- Mikko Rantanen Suspended for 1 game – The league issued Rantanen an automatic one-game suspension after his second major penalty in three games, after his hit against Matt Coronato into the boards. The suspension marks the first of his career, raising eyebrows given his high-profile status with Dallas, following second ejection in three games, and after the Romanov hit, which will now keep the Islanders defenceman out for at least 4 to 5 months. This isn’t a good look as he would miss the game between his club and the Edmonton Oilers.
- Ben Chiarot fined $5,000 – In a fiery game between the New Jersey Devils versus the Red Wings game, Chiarot was penalized by the league for a butt-ending incident to young prospect Simon Nemec in the third period of a 4-3 loss by Detroit. The fine is the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement (and goes to the league’s players’ emergency assistance fund).
- Brad Lambert Trade granted/Hellybuyck out – The Winnipeg Jets has allowed Brad Lambert and his representatives to speak with other teams about a potential trade. The move suggests Winnipeg may be re-tooling as injury and performance concerns linger as there is no room right now for the young prospect to play for the team who is 12-9-0 so far this season and are also out with their #1 netminder Connor Hellybuyck, who will miss at least a month due to a knee surgery that he will require. We wish him a speedy recovery as the team tries to stay competitive in the Central and West.
- Injury wave sweeping across the League – It’s also been rough stretch for many NHL clubs because as of mid-November many teams have a lot of players out like Alex Newhook (fractured ankle) and Kaiden Guhle (torn adductor) are out long-term for Montreal Canadiens, while teams like Toronto Maple Leafs are missing Chris Tanev, Auston Matthews and Matthew Kniews (who should be back in tonight for the game versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Andrei Svechnikov trade-request rumours – During Saturday headlines Elliotte Friedman noted that Svechnikov might be seeking a trade earlier in the year due to a low ice time, and not living up to his potential. However, he has publicly refuted those rumours today, stating he remains focused on Carolina as he has been given more ice time on the top line with Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.
- Vancouver Canucks Changing – Due to a myriad of injuries (as several forwards and their goaltender among those out) and even adding depth-option in center David Kämpf. But given their standing and being 9-12-2, there is growing insider chatter that Vancouver could make trades as they try to adjust strategy mid-season and as they determine how to proceed with their captain Quinn Hughes.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey as we start up Season 7 of the Podcast each Wednesday night at 7pm MST, where we dive into some of these great topics, interview many in the game and so much more. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two & @revinev on X and give us a follow (subscription) on YouTube, and check out our website for articles that we share regularly at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
Pawel ‘The Cat’
