Morning Skate - Friday, December 2

Morning Skate - Players' Better Halves & When Bullying Backfires

December 02, 2022

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Yesterday's NHL Scores

Last Night's News 📰

LO-VEMBER: Logan Thompson took home the NHL's rookie of the month honors for November. Over the month, the Vegas Golden Knights netminder went 8-2-0 while posting a 2.88 goals-against average (GAA) and .909 save percentage (SV%), beating out the Seattle Kraken's Matty Beniers, as well as Akira Schmid and Fabian Zetterlund of the New Jersey Devils. 

BELLOWS ON WAIVERS—AGAIN: Yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers placed forward Keiffer Bellows on waivers. A former first-round pick, Bellows was initially claimed off waivers from the New York Islanders on Oct. 27, appearing in 12 games with the Flyers while registering zero points and posting a minus-5. 

IT'S STAMMER TIME: Tampa Bay's long-time captain, Steven Stamkos, registered his 1,000th NHL point in the Lightning's 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Thursday. Stamkos' secondary assist on Nick Paul's second goal extended his point streak to nine games (six goals, nine assists), making him the ninth active and 95th player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point mark. 

MATTY BENIERS—FASTEST ROOKIE ALIVE: After giving up two goals on his first two shots faced, Philipp Grubauer made 21 saves for the Seattle Kraken to shut the door on the Washington Capitals. Yanni Gourde tied the game late in the third, as Matty Beniers scored his first overtime goal seven seconds into the extra frame. Bernier's goal eclipsed the record for the fastest overtime goal scored by a rookie by one second, set in 1933 by Walter Jackson of the New York Americans.

A STAR AMONG THE STARS: Raise your hand if you had Jason Robertson as the league's first 20-goal scorer of the season. Robertson, who missed most of the preseason awaiting a new contract, registered his third career hat trick as the Dallas Stars shut out the Anaheim Ducks 5-0. Jake Oettinger made 31 saves for his 50th NHL victory, as Robertson now has points in 17 straight games (20 goals, 12 assists).

Friday Favorites

Let's look back at our favorite moments of the week.

Ring the Bell

Fans have seen different "Hockey Fights Cancer" initiatives throughout the league, and this week the New York Rangers hosted their "Hockey Fights Cancer" night by inviting 12-year-old Brody Kuenzler to participate in the ceremonial puck drop. Following the ceremony with Rangers and New Jersey Devils captains Jacob Trouba and Nico Hischier, Kuenzler 

 hanging from a stick at center ice. 

The Game of the Season [So Far]

First, let us send our condolences if you missed the Seattle Kraken at the Los Angeles Kings game on Tuesday. It's not often that a team scores eight goals and still manages to lose, but that's what happened to the Kings, who

. Jordan Eberle and Kevin Fiala each earned four points for their respective teams, and surprisingly there was not a single hat trick—even with the 17 goals scored. 

The Crossover We Never Knew We Needed

Before this week, most had no idea that singer Christina Aguilera spent some of her childhood in Pittsburgh. We would guess that even more would be surprised to know she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a Pittsburgh Penguins game. Last Saturday, Penguins captain

after their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it's honestly the crossover we didn't even know we needed. 

Trolling for a Good Cause

When Boston Bruins' play-by-play voice Jack Edwards recently made disparaging comments on-air about Pat Maroon's weight, the veteran Tampa Bay Lightning forward didn't take the bait by responding angrily. Instead, he found a way to pull a silver lining out of some rather ugly commentary. Maroon donated to his local mental health non-profit—Tampa Bay Thrives—in Edwards' name and invited his Twitter followers to do the same.

This clever way of throwing some shade—while doing some good—isn't new to the NHL. Here are some ways hockey feuds have served to benefit charities and maintain a spirit of giving, even under somewhat testy circumstances.

Tkachuk Billboards Around Edmonton

When Matthew Tkachuk was a fan favorite in Calgary, a Flames fan named Moe Saghir decided to prepare for an upcoming showdown with the Edmonton Oilers by placing billboards in Edmonton promoting 

." When the idea went viral on social media, Saghir invited followers to donate money to #SnowyStrong, an ALS research initiative supporting Flames assistant GM Chris Snow and 

.

The Canes, Habs & World Kindness Day

Between the offer sheet for Sebastian Aho and the cheeky response for Jesperi Kotkaniemi, it's fair to say that the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens 

. But their off-ice rivalry produced one bit of goodness (other than getting Kotkaniemi paid) when Carolina set aside its differences on World Kindness Day and 

. Guess they're not always a "

."

$19.67 of Shade

After their Lightning sent the Toronto Maple Leafs to another one-and-done playoff appearance last spring, fans in Tampa Bay made sure Toronto 

. Fans started a fundraising campaign for local charities as a token of recognition after a tough series. Of course, the goodwill didn't happen without a little bit of prodding, as many opted to donate $19.67—a reference to the last year the Leafs won the Stanley Cup.

NHL Players & Their Celebrity Partners

Recently, the Boston Bruins asked their players what their reaction was to the news of comedian Pete Davidson dating supermodel Emily Ratajkowski, with some hilarious reactions. It's always fun to see NHL players' takes on pop culture and the world of celebrities, so we thought we would fill you in on some players dating celebrities in their own right!

Andreas Athanasiou

This couple is very sporty, as Chicago Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou has been dating Nelly Korda, a golfer on the LPGA Tour, since 2019. Korda is currently ranked the second-best female golfer in the world and was ranked best in the world in 2021. She has eight championships and an Olympic gold medal to her name, but that doesn't stop her from being a Blackhawks superfan, with her sporting a Blackhawks jersey on the 17th hole of the CP Women's Open back in August.

William Karlsson

Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson found his "Bachelor(ette) in Paradise" as he recently married Emily Ferguson over the summer. Ferguson was on season 20 of "The Bachelor" with her identical twin sister Haley in 2016, vying for the heart of then-Bachelor Ben Higgins. They also were seen looking for love on "Bachelor in Paradise." The Karlssons have been together since 2017 and are expecting a baby boy.

Leon Draisaitl

Leon Draisaitl is living the dream. He is one of the best players in the NHL, playing alongside another legend on the Edmonton Oilers, and his girlfriend since 2018, Celeste Desjardins, is an actress. Desjardins has been in several movies and TV shows, including the "Obsession: Stalked by My Lover" movie series on Lifetime, and will be starring in an upcoming film called "Fashionably in Love."  

Evgeni Malkin

This couple is more famous in Russia as Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Evgeni Malkin has been married to TV journalist Anna Kasterova since 2016. Kasterova is well-known and respected in Russia as she hosted a morning show in Russia and has worked alongside BBC, NTV, Russia 2, and others. They share six-year-old son Nikita, who recently read the Penguins' starting lineup in the locker room for his dad's 1,000th game on Nov. 20. 

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