Dan’s Daily: Jack Hughes Sets Crazy Record, Penguins Theft in Buffalo

BUFFALO — Greetings from Buffalo, where a missed exit on I-90 late last night became an hour-long detour and short night. New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes set a ridiculous shift record on Friday night. The Pittsburgh Penguins thieved a win over the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo but will have to face their victim again tonight. There have been NHL trade rumblings around Montreal Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There’s a goalie controversy in Edmonton, and  Flyers coach John Tortorella sent a loud message to Tony DeAngelo.

My goodness, if I covered John Tortorella, I think I’d buy the guy a steak dinner every week (or an Impossible Burger, whatever his taste). He is the media gift that keeps on giving and keeps the Philly Flyers on their toes. Even as they lack the talent to win games, they’re hustling and giving it 100%. That’s impressive.

The Penguins are also interesting as they scrounged for a win on Friday. They truly had no business winning, except for Tristan Jarry, who absorbed everything. He also completely shut me down when I asked about peeking or worrying about Tage Thompson’s whereabouts.

Pittsburgh Penguins  / Steelers, Pirates:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: You know the drill. The postgame recap by Dave Molinari. Always a good read, especially after a wild 4-3 win in OT. The Penguins win.

An athlete said it! I know Penguins Jesus loves Big Jeff Carter. He’s been a decent athlete to cover, though he doesn’t talk to the media too much. Friday night, Carter answered a basic question with a basic answer. And then laughed. It was gold. Go inside the room to see BJC’s priceless quote and Sidney Crosby’s reaction to the Penguins’ win. The Penguins locker room.

PHN+: The Penguins’ report card is far more serious. We took apart the game and found a glaring issue that might haunt the Penguins. We also issued two big red Fs on the report card. The Penguins grades.

After midnight, the NHL DoPS called a hearing for Jeff Skinner after he cross-checked Jake Guentzel, which led to the power play and the Penguins’ game-winner.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now (+): The Pirates might have a pitching prospect. 2019 first-rounder Quinn Priester is itching to help the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Remember– subscribe to one, and get all three sites!

Steelers Now: T.J. Watt and Diontae Johnson are questionable. The Steelers injury report.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now:

Montreal Hockey Now: The price tag on defensemen can vary wildly. When multiple teams have a need, the price can soar. Is Joel Edmundson a guy who can bring back a haul for the Montreal Canadiens?

Also, our boys in Montreal are doing a great job covering the emerging drama over Juraj Slavkovsky’s immediate future. Will he stay, or should he go? You gotta let me know… I highly recommend checking out Montreal Hockey Now every day. The content is on full blast and is a lot of fun.

Now the Clash and that little guitar pluck will be stuck in my head all day.

Sportsnet: Get this — Jack Hughes basically refused to leave the ice for the final six minutes of the New Jersey Devils’ loss. He set an NHL shift record at 6:02.

NYI: The Islanders beat the Devils, but we had some fun along the way. Melee! Watch this — Alexander Romanov delivered a big hit on Devils forward Miles Wood, then got jumped. A melee ensued for the New York Islanders.

I think that’s silly and probably hurt his team. Wanna bet $20 that Kris Letang considers trying to break it?

NBC Philly: John Tortorella sent a loud message to one of his top defensemen. He scratched Tony DeAngelo on Friday, and Cam York made his season debut for the Flyers.

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers played hard, but they just don’t have the horses. They lost to the Golden Knights. Here are Sam Carchidi’s Flyers takeaways.

Vegas Hockey Now: Here’s the gist. I like Owen’s postgame format. Vegas wins. Get the Golden Knights gist.

Washington Hockey Now: Hey, signs of life in D.C. (Notice, I never say intelligent life in connection with that city). Anyway, everyone is starting to feel good in the locker room after the Washington Capitals won three in a row.

TSN Video: Has Jack Campbell lost his starter’s net in Edmonton?

Dallas Hockey Now: It’s over? For six years, the Ottawa Senators have held a weird mastery over Dallas, but on Friday — finally — the Dallas Stars busted loose.

Later this morning, we get into the pregame, Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres, Round 2.