ot, I’ll do my best at that, too,” he said.The Canucks will likely need another strong effort from him against Chicago.

BUFFALO Dallas Stars Hats Womens , N.Y. (AP) The Sabres’ top prospect, center Casey Mittelstadt, is leaving Minnesota following his freshman season after agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract with Buffalo on Monday.Mittelstadt is scheduled to join the Sabres on Tuesday, and general manger Jason Botterill said he expects the player to make his NHL debut Thursday, when Buffalo hosts the Detroit Red Wings.With Buffalo out of playoff contention, Botterill also told reporters before Buffalo’s game at Toronto on Monday that he hoped Mittlestadt would consider representing the United States at the world hockey championships in Denmark in May.The agreement with the Sabres was reached a little over a week after Minnesota’s season ended by failing to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Gophers are also undergoing a change after coach Don Lucia announced he is stepping down following 19 seasons.The 19-year-old Mittelstadt was selected by the Sabres with the No. 8 pick in the 2017 draft.Mittelstadt had 11 goals and 19 assists in 34 games and was named to the Big Ten all-freshmen team this year.He has already made a splash in Buffalo after creating several highlight-reel plays in representing the bronze-medal-winning United States team at the World Junior hockey championship Custom Dallas Stars Jerseys , which was held in the city three months ago.From Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Mittelstadt was named the 10-nation tournament’s MVP after finishing tied for first in scoring with 11 points (four goals, seven assists).Botterill was impressed by how Mittelstadt excelled at the world juniors.”With it being here in Buffalo, there was that added pressure,” Botterill told The Associated Press in January. ”And I think you saw a player who instead of succumbing to the pressure, actually thriving in that type of environment.”Mittelstadt’s most memorable goal came in a in a 3-2 preliminary-round loss to Slovakia.With the U.S. trailing 2-1 www.redwingsshoponline.com , Mittelstadt stripped the puck from Marian Studenic at the Slovakia blue line and circled back into the zone. Mittelstadt kicked the puck between his legs to avoid a check by defender Michal Ivan and didn’t break stride in cutting across the top of the crease and avoiding goalie Roman Durny. He swept a shot into the open left side with 3:11 remaining.Mittelstadt joins a Sabres team that has already extended its franchise-worst playoff drought to seven years, and in jeopardy of finishing last in the overall standings for the third time in five seasons.The Sabres have six games left after playing Toronto, and they are not allowed to demote Mittelstadt to the minors this spring.Mittelstadt will use up the first year of his contract this season. However, he would not be eligible to be exposed for selection in an expansion draft in 2020, should the NHL approve Seattle’s bid to join the league for the 2020-21 season.Mittelstadt’s addition comes a day after defenseman Will Borgen elected to skip his senior season at St. Cloud State to sign a three-year contract with the Sabres.— VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Patrick Kane hopes to whet his palate again Wednesday night.The Chicago winger is riding a six-game point streak as the Blackhawks prepare to visit the Vancouver Canucks in the first contest of a three-game road trip through Western Canada.“It’s always fun scoring goals,” Kane told reporters Tuesday in Chicago. “So I think when you get a taste of that Detroit Red Wings T-Shirts Womens , you feel like you’re getting hot. You want to keep it going.”Article continues below ...Kane ranks among the National Hockey League’s top scorers with 11 goals and seven assists after his latest run yielded six and four. He has earned a point in all but one of Chicago’s 12 games.The Canucks are not the same version of the squad that waged several heated playoff and regular-season battles with the Blackhawks in the past. But Kane will not have trouble getting motivated for Wednesday’s contest against a young Vancouver club that has surprised people despite enduring several injuries to key players.“That was always a fun rivalry,” Kane said. “I know it’s not the same as it once was. But it’s still fun to go into Vancouver and play in that rink.”But the Blackhawks have not had much fun on the power play lately. Kane and company have only scored on two of 14 power-play opportunities in the past four games. The Blackhawks split those contests.“I think we need to do a better job of recovering (the puck) off the (first) shot, and maybe some plays will open up,” Kane said. “But it’s still a work in progress.”Chicago coach Joel Quenneville wants his club to get off to a good start on what he calls “an all-important three-game trip.”“We’re playing three teams that are all in the (playoff) mix,” Quenneville told reporters. “All are improved. They’re all younger and have some speed through the lineup.”Swedish rookie Elias Pettersson, 19, is one player who has added to Vancouver’s speed this season. He has also provided some scoring punch to make up for the retirements of Daniel and Henrik Sedin.Pettersson scored two goals Detroit Red Wings Hoodies Womens , including the winner, Monday as the Canucks posted a 5-2 home win over the Minnesota Wild, who had won five straight beforehand. Despite missing six games to a concussion, he has seven goals in as many games — including a pair of two-goal performances.“He gets the building going like no other player — like Hank and Danny (Sedin) used to do, so it’s nice,” Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom told reporters.“He has really good hockey sense, and it’s not just offensively Detroit Red Wings Hats Womens ,” Canucks coach Travis Green said. “He’s got a good mind for the game and his details are sharp.”Pettersson’s on-ice sharpness was evident Monday as he scored on a one-timer and then capitalized on a breakaway after blocking a shot and taking a lead pass from Brock Boeser. The rookie said he wants to do his best at everything to help the team win.“If I have to block a shot, I’ll do my best at that, too,” he said.The Canucks will likely need another strong effort from him against Chicago. Vancouver lost center Brandon Sutter to an apparent shoulder injury against Minnesota. Coach Travis Green said Sutter is expected to be out “weeks.”The Canucks are also again expected to be without injured defensemen Alex Edler (knee) and Chris Tanev (hip) as well as winger Sven Baertschi (concussion). Vancouver called up two forwards — Brendan Gaunce and Darren Archibald — from Utica of the American Hockey League on Monday. That suggests another forward could also be unable to suit up.“I don’t know what’s going on around this team,” Markstrom said. “We keep getting injuries.”