Yesterday’s Games
NHL Standings
Last Night’s News 📰
MISSING THE POINT?: Already down Nikita Kucherov, the Tampa Bay Lightning might be down yet another star forward. During Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils, Brayden Point incurred an upper-body injury after crashing into the boards when he was tripped by defenseman Ryan Graves. Though he finished the game, it was later announced that Point will be out indefinitely.
BUZZER BEATER: New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren did his best Nazem Kadri impression on Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. No, he didn’t incur a suspension in the playoffs for a reckless act. Instead, he helped the Blueshirts to a 3-2 victory on the strength of a buzzer-beater, notching the game-winner with just 0.7 seconds remaining and mirroring Kadri’s marker with 0.1 seconds on the clock against St. Louis during the 2020 postseason.
DUCK DOWN: Max Comtois, the Anaheim Ducks 22-year-old left winger, underwent surgery on Friday to remove a small bone in his right hand. Comtois is expected to be out for six weeks, with a scheduled return for Dec. 31, 2021. After leading the Ducks in scoring last season, Comtois only has one assist in 13 games played this year.
MAKE YOUR BED-NAR: One year removed from winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the top team in the NHL, the Colorado Avalanched signed head coach Jared Bednar to a two-year extension. Bednar was brought in to replace Patrick Roy in the summer of 2016 but has struggled to lead the Avs past the second round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
Spotted 👀
Last weekend offered a chance for families to get together prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Let’s check in.
Father/Son Bonding
Tom and Colin Hanks were spotted at Staples Center, oh, I’m sorry, the future Crypto.com Arena (enter eye roll emoji here). Colin was sporting an aesthetically pleasing LA Kings reverse retro jersey, while his slightly more famous father opted for all black, including a matching mask. I guess black was appropriate since the Kings were shut out by the Washington Capitals.
Magic McDavid
Connor McDavid did it again! During Edmonton’s game against Winnipeg, McDavid got the puck and entered the offensive zone flying by three Jets players and beat the goaltender to score another goal of the decade. He is single-handedly making the price of admission worth it at Rogers Place. The only question left is, how many times can he do it again?
Family
Angela Price shared an adorable family photo that included her husband, Carey. He has not been shown on her Instagram page for quite some time, and it was wonderful to see the family reunited after Carey’s stint in the player assistance program. The beloved hockey family celebrated their son’s first birthday. Happy belated birthday, Lincoln!
That New Arena Smell
While the New York Islanders might be significantly undermanned and struggling while mired in the Metropolitan Division basement, this past weekend was, nonetheless, one for celebration. The franchise hosted two games—both losses, unfortunately—to open the brand new UBS Arena.
While few outside of Long Island may care about the Isles’ new digs, the arena boasts some pretty cool, thoughtful, and, most of all, fan-friendly features. Let’s take a look inside and see what UBS Arena has to offer.
Supporter’s Wall
One nice and very visible nod to supporting fan groups comes in the form of the supporter’s wall, which prominently features the logos of all the organized supporter groups of the club. By the looks of it, there are about 34 different groups holding a significant place within UBS. What a great gesture to honor the fans and community!
Return of Offside Tavern
The bar scene inside the arena is certainly plentiful, featuring 10 drinking spots and a 100-foot tailgate bar. But the Offside Tavern stands out a bit among the crowd. Once a Manhattan-based hub for Islanders’ fans that had since been shuttered during the pandemic, the tavern has found new life as an official facet of team culture within the new building—with a view of the ice, no less.
Belmont Park Vibes
UBS Arena is situated on the Belmont Park grounds, sitting right beside the famed track that hosts the Triple Crown horse race of the same name. The club has worked to maintain a complementary look and feel, adorning UBS with red bricks and matching arched windows and included an outdoor terrace that overlooks the track’s paddock area.
Nassau-Like Intimacy
Nostalgic fans pining for the intimate feel of Nassau Coliseum might be in luck. Though UBS isn’t the same tight, cozy setting as its predecessor, the building’s roof is actually only three feet higher than the one that covers Nassau, meaning that the crowd noise contained inside will bounce back quicker, rather than getting lost in the arena’s upper reaches. And you know the fans will do their part to make it loud.
Food
No, but seriously—what is this thing???
Devils Jersey Critique
This past week, a photo of the New Jersey Devils’ alternate jersey was leaked, and it caused a sparking debate across the hockey community. Most believe that this concept is poor in design quality, as the logo looks amateurish and cheeky, but it also embodies a tribute to the past hockey culture of the area. There is much more to analyze and critique, so let’s look at what works versus what doesn’t.
What Works: History Shown
This jersey concept appears to be paying homage to the Newark Bulldogs, a professional hockey team that existed for only one season during 1928-29. That organization was the start of the sport being showcased in the New Jersey area and contributed to the Devils coming into existence a few decades later. It also helps that making the jerseys black and white is very original, as few NHL teams utilize that color scheme for their respective designs. Some may not appreciate this choice, but Devils are honoring the franchise that went 14-26 in its sole season in Brick City,
What Doesn’t: Nobody Asked
Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives in this circumstance, and the template looks ugly. There is too much blank space, with just a single white stripe at the bottom and nothing in between the logo and that stripe. New Jersey’s decision to have differently sized white stripes on the arm and collar is not a great fit, and it comes across as messy to the eye. Lastly, the font used for the word mark comes across as too simplistic. Based on the general audience’s reaction to the leaked photo, the consensus is that this sweater could end up being one of the NHL’s worst jersey designs.
Today’s Games
