The 18-year-old left wing had one shot on goal in 16:59 of ice time.
“It was great and I’m sure it will only be better and better, like when the season starts (Oct. 12), but it was great,” Slafkovsky said. “It was faster for sure, but those are little things. I will get used to it.
“I won a couple of pucks, I lost a couple of pucks. I can be better. I know myself, I can play better, I can skate faster and shoot more.”
It was the first preseason game for each team.
Tomas Tatar and Graeme Clarke scored for the Devils. Mackenzie Blackwood started and made 15 saves on 16 shots for the Devils. Nico Daws came on midway through the second period and made five saves.
Cole Caufield scored for the Canadiens. Jake Allen made 18 saves in 29:18, and Cayden Primeau made 11 saves on 13 shots in relief.
Caufield scored on the power play at 12:32 of the first period to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead.
Tatar tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 16:07 of the second period.
Clarke scored at 14:03 of the third period for the 2-1 final.
New Jersey center Nico Hischier left the game after the first period due to cramping. Hischier, who is Devils captain, had one shot on goal in 6:24 of ice time.
Panthers 4, Predators 3 (OT): Aleksander Barkov scored with one second left in overtime to give the Florida Panthers a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in the preseason opener for each team.
Barkov’s shot from the left circle on the rush deflected in.
Paul Maurice made his debut as Florida coach in the first of two split-squad games between the teams. Nashville won the second game 4-0.
Ryan Lomberg, Eetu Luostarinen and Kai Schwindt scored, and Aaron Ekblad and Santtu Kinnunen each had two assists for the Panthers. Barkov had an assist, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 10 saves on 12 shots in 31:45 before being replaced by Mack Guzda, who made 12 saves.
Juuso Parssinen had a goal and an assist for the Predators. Connor Ingram made 10 saves on 12 shots in 31:17 before being replaced by Devin Cooley, who made 18 saves.
Nino Niederreiter had an assist in his Predators debut after signing a two-year, $8 million contract ($4 million average annual value) on July 21.
Ryan Johansen tied it 3-3 for Nashville with 5:25 left in the third period on a deflection.
Luostarinen gave Florida a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal with 43 seconds left in the first period when he scored on a 2-on-1.
Schwindt made it 2-0 at 3:41 of the second period before Parssinen cut it to 2-1 at 4:42. Roland McKeown tied it 2-2 at 11:45.
Lomberg put the Panthers ahead 3-2 at 2:11 of the third on a rebound at the left side of the net.
Rangers 4, Islanders 1:Igor Shesterkin stopped all 14 shots he faced playing midway into the second period, helping the New York Rangers to a 4-1 win against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It was the first preseason game for each team.
K’Andre Miller scored a shorthanded goal, and Brennan Othmann had two assists for the Rangers. Dylan Garand made nine saves in relief of Shesterkin, who played 31:41 after winning the Vezina Trophy last season voted as the best goalie in the NHL.
Robin Salo scored for the Islanders, who lost in Lane Lambert’s first game as coach. Semyon Varlamov allowed four goals on 20 shots in 31:15 before being replaced by Jakub Skarek, who made 15 saves.
Jimmy Vesey gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead on the power play at 10:51 of the first period with a sharp-angled shot over Varlamov’s left shoulder from the right side. The 29-year-old forward, who played his first three NHL seasons (2016-19) with the Rangers, is in training camp on a professional tryout contract.
Chris Kreider made it 2-0 on a rebound at 15:48.
Miller extended the lead to 3-0 with four seconds left in the period when scored off a feed from Othmann, who chased down a loose puck in the corner after an Islanders turnover.
Zac Jones pushed it to 4-0 with a one-timer at 11:41 of the second period.
Blues 4, Stars 0:Josh Leivo had two goals and an assist for the St. Louis Blues in a 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Logan Brown had a goal and an assist for St. Louis, which has won its first two preseason games. Thomas Greiss made 10 saves in the first period, and Colten Ellis made 23 saves to complete the shutout.
Anton Khudobin made 11 saves on 13 shots in the first, and Jake Oettinger made 13 saves on 15 shots for Dallas in its preseason opener.
Brown scored his third goal in two games on a rebound at 13:13 of the first to make it 1-0.
Leivo made it 2-0 at 19:04, then scored again at 11:54 of the second period for a 3-0 Blues lead.
William Bitten scored at 13:01 of the third period for the 4-0 final.
Predators 4, Panthers 0: Forward Matthew Tkachuk was held without a point in his Florida Panthers debut, a 4-0 loss to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
It was the second of two split-squad games between the teams. Visiting Florida won the first game 4-3 in overtime.
Tkachuk, who had one shot on goal in 18:13, was acquired July 22 in the trade that sent forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames.
Ryan McDonagh had an assist in his Predators debut, and Matt Duchene and Mattias Ekholm each had two assists. Kevin Lankinen stopped all 13 shots he faced before being replaced midway through the second period by Yaroslav Askarov (12 saves).
Spencer Knight started in goal for the Panthers and made 19 saves on 20 shots in 29:56. Alex Lyon made 15 saves in relief.
Filip Forsberg put Nashville up 1-0 at 14:23 of the first period. It was his first game since signing an eight-year, $68 million contract ($8.5 million average annual value) on July 11.
Cody Glass pushed it to 2-0 at 8:01 of the third period from the right hash marks off a pass from Duchene for a power-play goal.
Colton Sissons made it 3-0 at 13:30 when he finished a breakaway with a backhand, and Tanner Jeannot tipped a McDonagh shot at 17:12 for the 4-0 final.
McDonagh was traded to Nashville by the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 3.
Kraken 3, Oilers 0:Matty Beniers, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, scored for the Seattle Kraken in their 3-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Beniers, who had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 10 NHL games last season, gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 2:12 of the second period.
Martin Jones stopped all 13 shots he faced in 32:15, and Joey Daccord made 15 saves in relief for Seattle in its first preseason game.
Olivier Rodrigue started in goal for Edmonton and allowed one goal on nine shots in 30:00. Ryan Fanti made 16 saves in relief.
Ryan Donato made it 2-0 at 14:15 of the second, and Morgan Geekie scored shorthanded 43 seconds into the third period for the 3-0 final.
Kings 2, Golden Knights 1 (OT):Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist in his debut with the Los Angeles Kings, a 2-1 overtime win against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Fiala, a forward, was acquired by the Kings in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on June 29 and signed a seven-year, $55.125 million contract ($7.875 million average annual value) the next day.
He tied it 1-1 for Los Angeles at 14:07 of the second period, then assisted on Adrian Kempe‘s power-play goal at 1:48 of overtime for the 2-1 final.
Cal Petersen stopped 10 of 11 shots in the first period for the Kings, and Pheonix Copley stopped all 23 shots he faced in relief.
Jack Eichel scored, and Phil Kessel had an assist for Vegas. Logan Thompson stopped all nine shots he faced in 30:13, and Adin Hill made seven saves in relief.
Eichel gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 7:10 of the first.
NHL.com independent correspondent Sean Farrell contributed to this report
MONTREAL – Canadian National Railway Co. told employees this week it plans to relocate its operations in Jasper to near Hinton, Alta., about 100 kilometres away.
In a memo sent to employees in the fire-ravaged town, the company said it’s aiming to increase efficiency by minimizing train stops between Edmonton and Blue River, B.C., which sits across the Rockies.
CN plans to close its Jasper bunkhouse and build a crew change facility east of Hinton, with workers slated to clock in at the new site starting in September 2025, according to the document obtained by The Canadian Press.
“CN has made the decision to implement operational changes to improve network fluidity,” regional vice-president Nicole James said in the memo.
The union representing rail workers criticized the relocation, which affects about 200 employees, though no layoffs are expected.
“This is another devastating blow to the town of Jasper, after this year’s catastrophic wildfires. Rail is one of the largest industries in Jasper, after tourism, and CN’s move will cripple this community even further,” said Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
“And for the workers who’ve already lost so much — some even their homes — this is a truly cruel blow.”
Union spokesman Christopher Monette noted that most residents or their spouses must work in town to qualify to live there under Jasper National Park’s residency rules. The company has told the union it will apply for an exception for the workers, he said.
CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski says the railway is committed to supporting employees through the transition and keeping them updated.
“These types of changes take time to fully plan out and implement. That’s why one of our initial steps was to have this discussion with our employees as well as advising the town of Jasper,” she said in an email.
A wildfire ripped through Jasper in July, destroying a third of the mountain town and displacing many of its 4,800 residents.
The blaze also caused smoke damage to the CN bunkhouse, which the company says it has worked to restore since it was allowed to re-enter the community with contractors on Aug. 16.
Engineers and conductors have been reporting for work in Hinton, roughly an hour away, since the wildfire.
With roots as a fur trade outpost, Jasper launched as a railway town in the early 20th century after tracks built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway — CN’s predecessor — paved the way for the municipality.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
