The Daily Scan: Flames face Fins before roadie, Eichel gets flashy Vegas welcome

The Calgary Flames have been a pleasant surprise this season, and there is a long list of reasons why. Among them are the play of Milan Lucic, Johnny Gaudreau and Oliver Kylington. But the list is much longer than that and the team has really seemed unified after a couple of tough seasons. Jack Eichel arrived to a flashy welcome in Vegas, and the Canucks showed signs of life on Sunday.

Building up a bit of a buffer early this season is a great thing for a Flames team that has a nasty road trip ahead of them after their home game against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. They’ll need to lean on their learnings from the perfect 5-0 swing through the east earlier in the year.

Oh Canada! Canada Hockey Now

Toronto: Don’t look now but the Toronto Maple Leafs are catching fire. They have won five straight. After a slow start, here are five reasons why Toronto has been able to flip the script.

Vancouver: Uh oh, the Canucks learned how to powerplay. They beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Sunday night. Here are the takeaways from the win, which came on Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Rogers Arena.

NHL Trade Talk and League News

NHL: Jack Eichel will never know the Calgary Flames white-hat welcome (not sure that’s actually a thing) after the Flames missed out in the NHL trade sweepstakes. But Eichel was greeted with a glittering reception upon arrival in Vegas. What else would you expect?

NHL: Maybe the Blackhawks should have dumped their head coach sooner. Derek King was victorious in his first game behind the Blackhawks bench following the firing of Jeremy Colliton, beating the Nashville Predators in overtime.

National Hockey Now

Pittsburgh: COVID-19 and injures have given two young Penguins their Oliver Kylington moment. But unlike the Calgary Flames defenceman, the Penguins blueliners have disappointed.

Boston: The Bruins are treading water through their first nine games, just barely above .500 (5-4-0). It’s hard to believe but their struggles have come on the defensive side of the puck. They can’t even beat the Leafs now.

Vegas: Former Calgary Flames draft pick Laurent Brossoit struggled in the Golden Knights 5-2 loss to the Red Wings on Sunday. The injured Knights need to see their depth players step up. They can’t lean on Robin Lehner every night.

Florida: Despite the drama and loss of head coach Joel Quenneville to the Chicago Blackhawks mess, the Panthers keep winning with interim head coach Andrew Burnette behind the bench. The team is 3-0-1 since Quenneville resigned and, at 10-0-1, Florida has matched the best 11-game start to a season in NHL history.

Detroit: Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin made an emotional return after missing the last eight days due to a personal matter. He struggled to speak as the emotions seem to get the better of him.

San Jose: COVID has chewed through the San Jose Sharks organization and AHL Barracuda head coach Roy Sommer has never seen anything like it.

Washington: The Capitals are banged up with three of their top-six out of the lineup. The Caps are really relying on rookies so far this season.