The Laval Rocket may sit in last place in the AHL’s North Division, but getting healthy once again, the players are upbeat about their playoff chances at the holiday break. [La Presse]
“Yesterday it hit my leg and today my stick. Maybe soon I will be able to score from further away,” joked Juraj Slafkovský after Friday’s game in Chicago as he looks to broaden his offensive horizons. [RDS]
In Friday’s pre-tournament game ahead of the World Juniors, Owen Beck displayed some deft skills to score a short-handed goal:
Owen Beck (#GoHabsGo) catches a puck in mid-air behind him, pushes through a check, then breaks in alone for a beauty. pic.twitter.com/VHcmkou2EK
Missteps by the Lions de Trois-Rivières have led to a lack of engagement with the ECHL team from fans. [Le Nouvelliste]
Help the Canadiens’ mascot plan Youppi!’s Holiday Party. [Canadiens.com]
Around the league and elsewhere
Team Canada has finalized its WJC roster. With injuries to defencemen Trstan Luneau and Tanner Molendyk, Jorian Donovan and Ty Nelson have been added to the team. [TSN]
Samuel Girard has been cleared to return to Colorado Avalanche practice by the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. [Daily Faceoff]
With his second victory over the Boston Bruins in a week, Marc-Andre Fleiry is just one back of Patrick Roy for second in NHL history. [La Presse]
Gary Bettman upheld David Perron’s six-game suspension, but the NHLPA will appeal to an independent arbitrator in an attempt to help the player recover some of his forfeited salary. [TSN]
Initial fears were for a significant knee injury for Leo Carlsson, but the Anaheim Ducks rookie will miss only four to six weeks with a sprained MCL. [NHL.com]
In the final day of NHL action before the Christmas break, there were two Michigan goals scored, by Connor Bedard and Trevor Zegras. [NHL.com]
Also, Sebastian Aho and Sebastian Aho scored in the same game as the New York Islanders beat the Carolina Hurricanes. [NHL.com]
