THW Daily - Resurgence for Flyers' Joel Farabee & The Mental Battle of NHL Goalies
Also, why the Maple Leafs need a roster shake-up, the latest news and rumors from Buffalo & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have more on the resurgence of Flyers’ Joel Farabee why it’s a mental battle for NHL goalies, the Maple Leafs’ need for a roster shake-up, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
Maple Leafs Need a Major Roster Shake-Up
November 8, 2023 by Spencer Lazary
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been sputtering. They are 1-4 in their last five games and are looking to change their ways in a hectic week. This club needs a major shake-up as soon as possible. Entering the season, the Maple Leafs were considered the team to beat in the Atlantic Division, but unfortunately, they have shown quite the opposite. The offence has been struggling except for the core four – the rest of the eight forwards have produced nearly nothing for the team.
This has a lot of people concerned, especially after the hype surrounding the team this offseason. Now, the Maple Leafs sit with a 6-4-2 record with 14 points in 12 games, which lands them in fourth place in the Atlantic behind the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Flyers’ Joel Farabee in the Midst of Resurgence
November 8, 2023 by Justin Giampietro
Following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign for the Philadelphia Flyers, Joel Farabee has since been the best version of himself in his entire career this season. He is in the midst of a resurgence, and this is fantastic news for the Flyers if he can keep it up.
3 Avalanche Players Exceeding Expectations Early in 2023-24
November 8, 2023 by Marko Zlomislic
The Colorado Avalanche hit the 11-game mark of the 2023-24 season with a wild 6-3 win against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday (Nov. 7). They currently own a record of 8-3-0 (16 points) to rank first in the Central Division and are tied for third in the Western Conference in points percentage (PTS%).
It’s a marked improvement on the team’s record after 11 games last season, which was a middling 6-4-1. The Avalanche went 45-20-6 the rest of the way to win the Central by a single point, but fans and analysts alike shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that it’s a very long season. Even the best of teams will experience peaks and valleys of on-ice success, so the Avalanche have done themselves a favor by banking a few early points in the standings.
The Mental Battle of NHL Goalies: Samsonov and Campbell
November 8, 2023 by The Old Prof
Just last night, one of my favourite Toronto Maple Leafs “people,” Joe Bowen, tweeted “I feel awful for Jack Campbell. He was so good while here in Toronto but took it upon himself when things went badly. Ilya Samsonov is doing the same thing. So much of goaltending is Between the Ears and both goalkeepers need Positive reinforcement and less time with the press.”
Bowen is right, of course. He gets to watch these young Maple Leafs players because he’s the radio voice (with colour man Jim Ralph) of the team. Sometimes, I just listen to games rather than watch them because I enjoy the two radio announcers. Bowen has a unique insight because he’s been at this for many seasons – this is his 42nd season of calling Maple Leafs games. In this post, I’m going to expand on Bowen’s insight and discuss Ilya Samsonov’s recent struggles and then compare them to Campbell’s. Both young men seem like good guys, which perhaps might be part of the problem.
Buffalo Sabres News & Rumors: Luukkonen, Tuch, Dahlin & Granato
November 8, 2023 by The Old Prof
On Tuesday night (Nov. 7), the Buffalo Sabres played a tough game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ultimately, they came up short in a 3-2 overtime loss. The final outcome aside, the Sabres have been playing better. In this game, they showed resilience and a don’t-quit spirit against a tough Hurricanes team. The Sabres showcased their strong defensive game. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 24 saves, and Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin scored the goals.
Oilers: Anchor Suggests Awful Draisaitl Trade to Bruins
November 8, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
While the Edmonton Oilers haven’t been strong by any means, some ideas surrounding the team are absolutely brutal. The idea of firing head coach Jay Woodcroft has been circulating on social media, and while that seems like a bad idea, it wasn’t as bad as the mock trade that ESPN sportscaster John Buccigross recently put out on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Buccigross proposed the idea (in response to former Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney) that the Oilers should trade superstar Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Jake DeBrusk, Matthew Poitras, Linus Ullmark, Fabian Lysell, and a 2026 1st-round draft pick. For this idea to even have crossed someone’s mind is insane. Draisaitl has been the best player on the team this season and will go down as one of the greatest Oilers of all time. To suggest a trade after a bad stretch is crazy, and it won’t happen.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Calgary Flames - Flames’ Ryan Huska Explains Jonathan Huberdeau Benching
New York Rangers - Rangers Likely in for Wild Ride Without Fox
San Jose Sharks - Sharks Get Their First Win of the Season Over the Flyers
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Bruins, Flames, Canucks
From TSN - Wild acquire D Bogosian from Lightning for 2025 7th-round pick
From Sportsnet - A 'healthy enough' Connor McDavid vows 'to be better' for struggling Oilers
From ESPN - NHL won't reduce Charlie McAvoy's four-game suspension
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