The Daily Scan: Backlund fined $5K, Phaneuf retires, Boeser a mess

Recovering from their exciting but low-scoring outing against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Calgary Flames players get the day off from the ice. The 2-1 overtime loss was a tough one considering all the chances they had to score, but they’ve earned four points in their four games on the eastern swing so far and have the best goal differential (+15) in the Western Conference. Oh, but Mikael Backlund is $5,000 out for his cross check on Travis Konecny. Meanwhile, former Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf officially retired, and things are not going well in Vancouver.

Calgary’s Mikael Backlund has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking Philadelphia’s Travis Konecny.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 17, 2021

If you haven’t read enough about Jarome Iginla yet, you can read about his childhood friends who have enjoyed the ride alongside Iginla. Or, a few small stories about how Iginla was always conscious of everyone’s feelings – even the media.

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Montreal: The Montreal Canadiens fell 3-2 to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, but Cayden Primeau sure looks like the future no. 1 netminder for this Montreal team. He impressed yet again.

Vancouver: The Vancouver Canucks are in a tough spot at 5-9-2 on the season. They have struggled mightily to support their netminders. The offense has gone dry and head coach Travis Green needs his top players to start producing. Brock Boeser has struggled to provide any support. Alex Chiasson has played himself into being a healthy scratch, and the depth of the defense has been tested.

Toronto: The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Nashville Predators 3-0 Tuesday night. Jack Campbell picked up his third shutout of the season. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner performed well as they were reunited. Here are three takeaways.

NHL news and National Hockey Now

NHL: Former Calgary Flames bruiser Dion Phaneuf retired. Wait, he hadn’t already done that? He last played in 2018-19 but filing the paperwork is always a tough decision to make.

NYI: The New York Islanders ended their 13-game road trip Tuesday with an ugly 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers. Kyle Palmieri scored the only Isles goal of the night and Barry Trotz elected to pull Ilya Sorokin after the first period. They open their new rink to host the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

The Islanders were without one of their best defenseman and a top-nine forward. Ryan Pulock has an upper-body injury and Josh Bailey was placed in COVID protocol.

Vegas: The Golden Knights saw their three-game winning streak come to a close Monday as they fell to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Antti Raanta stood on his head for Carolina, and Vegas received little to no friendly bounces. Here are the takeaways from the loss.

San Jose: The Sharks defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Monday and Timo Meier netted a goal and picked up an assist. Head coach Bob Boughner says Meier may be their best player this year.

Detroit: Red Wings rookie forward Lucas Raymond is off to a great start this season and does not seem to be showing signs of slowing down.