NHL News: Auston Matthews injury update, what’s up with Mika Zibanejad, and is Patrick Kane the MVP of league?
Anthony Scultore
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Auston Matthews was on some tear this season. The Maple Leafs best player hands down had 18 goals and 31 points in 20 games this season. Apparently he did it with an injured wrist.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews a game-time decision
There some potential good news on the Matthews front as he’s missed the game yesterday was on ice this morning. Currently, he’s not expected to play tonight against the Oilers as he skated with the extras.
“He’s progressed here today compared to where he’s been in the last few days,” Sheldon Keefe explained on Matthews injury. “That’s very positive here. He’s not ruled out for tomorrow. We’re just going to have to see how he is.”
New York Rangers: What’s going on with Mika Zibanejad?
The Rangers most lethal goal scorer’s struggles are now at DEFCON 2. It’s getting hard to not see Mika Zibanejad’s difficulty handling and passing the puck. He was credited with three shots yesterday on five attempts. However, they were from the circle and with no traffic in front. And when it counted most on the late PP, he missed the net twice.
At this point, David Quinn has his hands full. What do you do with a your top goal scoring threat when at this point it looks purely mental. Almost everything Mika’s doing appears to be overthinking and squeezing the stick too tightly.
With two goals on the season (one into an empty net) and just 6 points does he demote him when Filip Chytil comes back? I mean, he could give him a game off as a scratch, but will that really help his psyche? This is not an easy choice for a coach who is still missing some of his best players in Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Kaapo Kakko.
Chicago Blackhawks: Is Patrick Kane the MVP of the NHL
Yes, I am aware that Connor McDavid is still in the NHL. The Oilers star has 40 points on the year and leads the league in scoring, but he also plays with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to name a few.
Patrick Kane scored his 400th NHL goal yesterday, and now has 34 points on the year. He’s tied with Draisaitl for second. He’s singlehandedly lifting a Blackhawks team without Jonathan Toews into contention.
All I am saying is that Kane deserves MVP talk now.