Michael Whitaker Articles - Page 17

The New York Rangers are on a roll to begin the 2024-25 NHL season, having won four of their first five games while picking up points in every game at the same time. And ahead of Saturday night’s Original Six clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they’ve made a lineup change that sees some serious […]

The Ottawa Senators acquired a major upgrade between the pipes during the offseason, acquiring former Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins and sending the struggling Joonas Korpisalo back to Boston in return; they soon locked up Ullmark with a four-year contract extension. However, Ullmark has only played in two games with his […]

The New York Rangers are off to a strong start in the 2024-25 NHL season, posting a 3-0-1 record through four games, bolstered by standout performances from stars like Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Chris Kreider. However, an intriguing storyline surrounds the future of goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who reportedly turned down an $88 million contract […]

The Boston Bruins were quite active during the offseason, making several roster changes that included both key additions and notable departures. Among those who left the team were Jake DeBrusk, Linus Ullmark, Kevin Shattenkirk, Pat Maroon, James van Riemsdyk, Danton Heinen, and Matt Grzelcyk. On the flip side, the Bruins welcomed new faces, including goaltender […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been without goaltender Joseph Woll to start the 2024-25 season due to injury. Fortunately, Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby have stepped up, helping the team to a 3-1 record through the first four games. The Leafs’ most recent win was a commanding 6-2 triumph over the Los Angeles Kings. And […]

The Vancouver Canucks secured their first victory of the season on Thursday night, defeating the Florida Panthers in overtime. J.T. Miller scored the game-winning goal just 2:09 into the extra period, clinching the extra point for the visiting Canucks. For the Panthers, it was their third game in the last four days and they also […]

Several NHL goaltenders have recently secured new contracts with their respective teams. Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins, Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, Linus Ullmark of the Ottawa Senators, and Joey Daccord of the Seattle Kraken have all signed new deals in recent weeks, solidifying their roles between the pipes for the foreseeable future. […]

It appears another starting goaltender has secured a lucrative long-term deal. Following the Boston Bruins’ decision to sign Jeremy Swayman to a massive eight-year contract, the Dallas Stars have finalized a similar deal with their star netminder, Jake Oettinger. The Stars signed Oettinger to an eight-year, $66 million extension on Thursday, the team announced. That’s […]

The Boston Bruins have now suffered back-to-back losses to division rival Florida Panthers, the same team that has eliminated them from the playoffs for the past two seasons. Their latest setback came in a 4-3 defeat at TD Garden on Monday, leaving the Bruins with a 2-2 record through their first four games. This follows […]

It was a night of milestones at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday, as the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Captain Sidney Crosby became the 10th player in NHL history to reach 1,600 points, and now fellow Penguins legend and future Hall of Famer Evgeni Malkin has achieved a historic milestone of his own. His […]

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has achieved nearly everything possible in his remarkable NHL career and is a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he retires. On Wednesday night, he added another milestone to his already illustrious career. With an assist on Bryan Rust’s first-period goal against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena, Crosby […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action on Wednesday evening, bringing in the Los Angeles Kings to Scotiabank Arena. But ahead of the matchup, first-year Leafs bench boss Craig Berube spoke at length about the early performance of forward Max Domi. Domi, who was re-signed to a four-year contract extension by the Leafs during […]

The Colorado Avalanche are off to a rough start in the 2024-25 NHL season, having lost all three of their games so far. While it’s still early, their winless start is already raising concerns. In the meantime, one of their cornerstone players is up for a contract extension and is in line for a major […]

While the Utah HC is off to a strong 3-1 start through their first four games of the 2024-25 NHL season following their relocation from the desert, they’ve been dealt some major adversity in the injury department. Defenseman Sean Durzi sustained an injury during Monday’s loss against the New Jersey Devils; he took a hard […]

It’s been just under two months since the hockey world was rocked by the shocking and tragic death of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, both of whom were killed while cycling in New Jersey after being struck by a drunken driver. It was especially tragic considering that both brothers were […]

The Nashville Predators were widely considered one of the most improved teams heading into the 2024-25 NHL season, which makes their 0-3 start—their worst in over 15 years—all the more puzzling. The Predators made significant moves in free agency, signing former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos to a four-year deal and bringing in Jonathan […]

The Edmonton Oilers have stumbled out of the gate for the second consecutive year, dropping their first three games of the 2024-25 season despite entering the campaign viewed by most pundits at the favorites to win the Stanley Cup after falling just one game short earlier this spring. It’s a movie that Oilers fans have […]

The Detroit Lions may have delivered the fifth-worst defeat in Dallas Cowboys history on Sunday, but it came at a steep price. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome, season-ending leg injury in the third quarter that required emergency surgery. It ended his season in which he was considered a top contender to win Defensive Player […]

The Ottawa Senators made a significant offseason move by trading for goaltender Linus Ullmark from the division rival Boston Bruins, sending Joonas Korpisalo—who was only one season into a five-year contract—back to Boston in return. However, Ullmark’s short time in Ottawa hasn’t gone as planned so far in the 2024-25 campaign.. He is already sidelined […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets will play their home opener on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena, the first regular season home game since the shocking and tragic deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew in late August. In addition to the usual home-opener festivities, there will be a special pre-game ceremony to honor the memories […]

The Dallas Cowboys were thoroughly embarrassed on their home turf Sunday afternoon, suffering one of the worst defeats in team history at the hands of the Detroit Lions. Detroit dominated in every facet of the game, cruising to a 47-9 victory. The 38-point margin was the Cowboys’ largest loss since a 43-3 defeat to the […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, winning by a 51-27 final score and improving to 4-2 through the first six games of the 2024 NFL season. But the victory had extra meaning for the Bucs and head coach Todd Bowles in particular, as the Tampa Bay […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers got back into the win column on Sunday, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium by a 32-13 final score. And despite the game taking place 2,200 miles from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, thousands of Steelers fans were in attendance in Sin City. Long-time Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin immediately took […]

The Buffalo Sabres earned their first victory of the 2024-25 NHL season on Saturday, defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 5-2 and snapping a three-game losing streak to start the year. However, not all is right in Sabres land. Tensions began to flair during Monday morning’s practice session. Rasmus Dahlin and Peyton Krebs […]

The Detroit Lions lost defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys. Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury and was carted off the field after being attended to by medical personnel. And after what was a dominating Lions victory, the latest update regarding his status has been released. According to ESPN’s Adam […]

The Detroit Lions dominated the Dallas Cowboys from start to finish at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, securing a commanding 47-9 victory to improve to 4-1 in the 2024 season. The game, however, was overshadowed by a severe injury to Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. During the third quarter, Hutchinson’s leg bent awkwardly after it hit […]

The Dallas Cowboys are in action Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Lions but have been without several key pieces of their lineup, including Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, and Eric Kendricks. But according to team owner and general manager Jerry Jones, he believes that the Cowboys can compete for the elusive Super Bowl that they’ve failed […]

The Los Angeles Chargers are in action on Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos, but Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh departed the sidelines for the locker room after going into the blue medical tent for an unknown reason. According to reporter Ari Meirov, the Chargers head coach was seen going into the blue medical tent […]

Despite winning their season opener against the rival Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators couldn’t secure back-to-back victories against them, falling 4-1 on Saturday night at the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal, Quebec. And it was Senators captain Brady Tkachuk who went viral for his on-ice actions, which visibly showcased his frustration. During the third period […]

The 2024-25 NHL season is underway, but several key free agents remain available on the open market, hoping for a team to show interest. Among them is veteran defenseman Mark Giordano, the elder statesman of the group of players still hoping for a new deal. Giordano spent the last two and a half seasons with […]

While the Kansas City Chiefs secured a valuable win over the New Orleans Saints to improve to a perfect 5-0 in 2024, one particular action by defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton is costing him financially. Wharton struck Saints offensive lineman Lucas Patrick in the face mask; he was flagged on the play. And according to NFL […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs underwent a series of major changes in leadership during the offseason following their latest postseason opening-round setback. To begin with, they terminated head coach Sheldon Keefe and replaced him with 2019 Stanley Cup-winning bench boss Craig Berube, who led the St. Louis Blues to their first-ever title. Additionally, John Tavares ceded […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs evened their record in the young 2024-25 season, defeating the New Jersey Devils on Thursday evening by a 4-2 final score to improve to 1-1. Rookie Dennis Hildeby made 23 saves in the win, his first career NHL start. However, the health of goaltender Joseph Woll remains a concern, and according […]

The Edmonton Oilers entered the 2024-25 season as the defending Western Conference champions, but their campaign began far from ideal. On Wednesday at Rogers Place, the visiting Winnipeg Jets overwhelmed the Oilers from start to finish, chasing goaltender Stuart Skinner after scoring five goals on 13 shots in a 6-0 blowout. The lopsided loss immediately […]

A new era of San Jose Sharks hockey is officially underway, as first-overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini made a big statement by recording his first NHL goal and assist in his debut on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center. However, his accomplishments on Thursday may have come with a price. Celebrini […]

The Houston Texans have been without running back Joe Mixon since he suffered a hip injury in their Week 2 matchup against the Chicago Bears, and his status for Sunday’s game has been released. According to NFL Insider Tom Pelissaro, Mixon has been listed as “questionable” to play against New England, via X: “#Texans #RB […]

Fans of the Florida Panthers are holding their collective breath after a scary collision involving their captain Aleksander Barkov, who departed late in the third period of what was ultimately a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Late in regulation, Barkov broke his stick during a shot attempt and scrambled to […]

The Winnipeg Jets lost the services of reliable backup Laurent Brossoit over the summer, as he decided to take his talents to the Windy City and join the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks. This meant that Winnipeg now had a notable absence behind starter Connor Hellebuyck. They filled that gap by inking Kaapo Kahkonen, who split last […]

The Edmonton Oilers opened the 2024-25 NHL season as the defending Western Conference champions and have been widely considered favorites to win the Stanley Cup after last season’s disappointment. However, their campaign got off to a rough start, to say the least. The visiting Winnipeg Jets pounded the Oilers into submission Wednesday night at Rogers […]