Kitchener Odds

Some interesting momentum changes after the bye weeks. Columbus, Vegas, and Colorado have struggled recently, and now that Philadelphia finally has some solid goaltending, they are on an eight game win streak. It will be interesting to see how this month plays out.

Ron Hextall has been fired as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers.

From NHL.com:
'"The Flyers organization has decided to relieve Ron Hextall of his duties as executive vice president and general manager," Flyers president Paul Holmgren said. "We thank Ron for his many significant contributions, but it has become clear that we no longer share the same philosophical approach concerning the direction of the team. In light of these differences, we feel it's in the organization's best interests to make a change, effective immediately. I have already begun a process to identify and select our next general manager, which we hope to complete as soon as possible."'

This coming after a 6-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and, even before then, a struggling start to the 2018-19 season, answers the speculations of many flyers fans and on watchers seeing the ingredients for a firing either on the bench or in the front office.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Nick Schmaltz to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini.

Schmaltz has two goals and nine assists in 23 games this season. He finished with 21 goals and 31 assists in 78 games for the Blackhawks last season and has 29 goals and 62 assists in 162 career games in the NHL.

Strome has three goals and three assists in 20 games this season. The third overall draft pick in 2015 has seven goals and nine assists in 48 career games with the Coyotes.

It didn't take Andreas Johnnson longer than 13 minutes to score three goals for his first nhl hat trick. Johnnson was called up from the marlies to the leafs and solidified his spot on the nhl roster in toronto. Johnnson has steadily proven himself to the coaching staff and continues to show his amazing speed and skill, which is what the new leafs are known to be; fast and skillful.

One of our founders will be at Nationwide Arena tonight to watch a huge matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and The Columbus Blue Jackets.

Shea Weber could make his season debut for the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes at Bell Centre.

Weber had an "arthroscopic procedure to repair a torn meniscus" in his right knee on June 19 and wasn't expected to return until December.
"I think the way things are going right now, if everything continues to go in the right direction, I think the medical staff and everybody feels that Tuesday could be a possibility for Shea to come back," coach Claude Julien said after practice Thursday while in Buffalo.

Weber was named Canadiens captain Oct. 1 and has not yet made an appearance on ice this season. He sustained a season-ending injury to his left foot on Dec. 13 and had surgery on March 13.

Despite their captain being stuck off-ice, Montreal is 11-7-4 but has lost its past two games. The Canadiens are to visit the Buffalo Sabres Friday.

Matt Murray was placed on injured reserve by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday with a lower-body injury.

Murray hasn't played since Nov. 17, when he allowed three goals on 10 shots in a 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators before being replaced by Casey DeSmith after the first period.
DeSmith has started Pittsburgh's past two games and is 4-3-3 with a 2.39 GAA and .924 save percentage.
Murray also missed time earlier this season after was diagnosed with a concussion on Oct. 9, and didn't play again until Oct. 18.
The Penguins will recall goaltender Tristan Jarry from Wilkes-Barre Scranton of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis later Thursday. He is expected to dress for the Penguins against the Boston Bruins on Friday.

Chris Wideman has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers by the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Wideman had five points in 19 games for the Senators this season. Selected by the Senators in the fourth round (No. 100) in the 2009 NHL Draft, Wideman has 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 175 NHL games and four points (one goal, three assists) in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The Senators will get the pick that Edmonton was scheduled to receive from the St. Louis Blues in an Oct. 1 trade for defenseman Jakub Jerabek. Edmonton was to get St. Louis' fifth- or sixth-round pick in 2020.

As the Calgary Flames are starting to roll in the Pacific, Michael Stone and Michael Frolik were placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Stone is out with a blood clot and has no timetable for a return. Frolik has a lower-body injury.

Stone has four assists in 11 games this season, but has played one game since Oct. 25. He has 116 points (29 goals, 87 assists) in 436 NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes and Flames.
Frolik has 343 points (144 goals, 199 assists) in 748 NHL games with the Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets and Flames.

Patrice Bergeron has been diagnosed with a rib and sternoclavicular injury and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, the Boston Bruins announced.

Bergeron was injured in a 1-0 overtime loss at the Dallas Stars on Nov. 16. He was checked along the board by Stars forward Radek Faksa in the second period and left the game but returned.
Bergeron is tied for seventh in the NHL with 26 points. He's two goals from 300 in his NHL career and 18 games from 1,000.

Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara is also out at least four weeks after he injured his left MCL on Nov. 14th when he collided with Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg.
Chara has four points in 18 games this season.
Boston is also without defensemen Brandon Carlo (upper body), Charlie McAvoy (concussion), Kevan Miller (hand), John Moore (lower body) and Urho Vaakanainen(concussion). With almost half the Bruins lineup gone for injury, will they start to lag behind in the highly competitive Atlantic division? Will the bruins be able to bounce back and make it to the playoffs?

Todd McLellan was fired as coach of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and replaced by Ken Hitchcock.

McLellan is the fourth NHL coach (John Stevens, Los Angeles Kings; Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks; Mike Yeo, St. Louis Blues) fired this season after there were none fired last season.
The Oilers (9-10-1) have lost two straight and six of their past seven games (1-6-0), are 3-7-0 since a 6-3-1 start and in sixth place in the Pacific Division. They've allowed 3.30 goals per game (tied for 24th) and are 27th on the penalty kill (74.2 percent).