Doughty has no time for doubters

The Los Angeles Kings took an eightgame winning streak into Tuesday’s action — the longest winning streak of the season. The team seemed on the downswing last year, but a new up-tempo style has been embraced by the players, even if doubts linger. “People are still going to doubt us,” Drew Doughty told the L.A. Daily News. “There’s always going to be people who don’t believe in the success we’re having, but we’re not too worried about those other people. We believe in each other in here and we know that what we’ve done isn’t by mistake and it’s come through hard work and improving every single day.”

CREATING SPACE:

Sidney Crosby might be the best in the game at coming from behind the net with the puck while creating space for himself. “He’s just so strong,” says ex-teammate and current Leaf Ron Hainsey. “He either gets a guy to ride on his back, or beat him. He’s the best in the game as far as drawing people and then making a play to someone else, or doing it himself. That’s what makes him special.”

UP TO SPEED:

Mike Cammalleri has been Connor McDavid’s teammate for about a month and has almost run out of adjectives when it comes to describing the Oilers captain. “He does stuff where he’s standing there gathering the puck, and it looks like he’s not carrying a lot of speed, and before you know it, he’s eluded a guy and turned, you know the saying, turned chicken something into chicken salad,” Cammalleri says. “He has that X-factor you see in great players.”

GET GOING:

An issue with the Columbus Blue Jackets this season is scoring. They’re doing all right in generating shots, sitting fifth in the league in shots per game (34.83). But they’re 22nd in scoring, with 2.76 goals per game. “I believe our guys will get going, I know I’ve said that many weeks, but I believe there’s been some improvement,” said coach John Tortorella.

HALL OF FAME:

Former Leafs coach and player Ron Wilson is going into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He had 250 points (78 goals, 172 assists) in 111 games at Providence College from 1973-77, still the NCAA record for points by a defenceman. He won 648 games as an NHL coach, 10th in history, and guided the Washington Capitals to the 1998 Stanley Cup final. He also coached the United States to silver medal at the 2010 Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2016 world junior championship as well as World Cup gold in 1996. Kevin McGran