One of the newest members of the Habs, defenseman Tom Gilbert, has been making GM Marc Bergevin look pretty darn good so far this season. Playing some of the toughest minutes on the team and averaging over 22 minutes per game, GIlbert is leading all Habs defenseman in plus/minus with a +4 and also leads the team in blocked shots with 32. Seeing as he is pretty much the replacement for the departed Josh Gorges, a shot blocking guru, this is a good sign so far. [Canadiens]
With the retirement of Guy Lapointe’s jersey coming up on Saturday night at the Bell Centre, I thought it would be a good idea to get familiar with the Habs legend if you aren’t already. See all of Lapointe’s accomplishments and a bunch of photographs of him as a lifelong Hab through the years. [Montreal Gazette]
With the stellar play of Nathan Beaulieu over the last three games, it is now Jared Tinordi’s turn to go to Hamilton to play a back-to-back set for the Bulldogs. Tinordi will most likely be recalled next week so this should be seen as merely keeping him in game shape and allowing him to log big minutes over the weekend in the AHL. [La Presse] (French)
The Habs snuck out a win on Wednesday night against the NHL’s worst team, the Buffalo Sabres, beating them 2-1 in a shootout. It’s great to get a win, yes, but I don’t think any of the teams concerns were answered with how sloppy they played. [National Post]
Referee legend Kerry Fraser answered some questions and gave his analysis on the hit that Canadiens forward Jiri Sekac delivered to Buffalo Sabres forward Nikita Zadorov on Wednesday night. Sekac was given a two minute boarding call, but some (people from Buffalo, Toronto, and Boston) felt that Sekac deserved a five minute boarding call and a game misconduct and possibly even a suspension. Let’s see what Fraser had to say. [TSN]
Around the League
Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne has had a rough couple of seasons after being one of the most dominant goalies the league has seen. This year, however, he looks to be back to form. [NHL]
Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg won the Stanley Cup in 2010 playing in a third line role with the Hawks, he then got traded to the Florida Panthers due to cap issues and became one of the Panthers best forwards in 2012, leading them to their first division championship and to the playoffs. Versteeg struggled in 2013, however, and was traded back to the Hawks where he continued to struggle through the 2013-2014 season. He might be back now though….[Second City Hockey]
Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Sharp will be out 3-4 weeks after he sustained a lower-body injury in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. [ESPN]
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Carter Ashton has been suspended by the NHL for 20 games for violating the PED policy. Ashton issued a statement that he used an inhaler which contained Clenbuterol, a banned substance, while he was working out in August and suffered an asthma attack. [TSN]
Here is a fantasy hockey update for all of you players out there. See who Yahoo thinks you should pick up, and who they can’t believe is still available in the first place. [Puck Daddy]
