SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 4/27/2022
Anaheim Ducks 1242803 Ducks break out to early lead, beat Sharks 5-2 - Los Angeles Times 1242804 Ducks build early lead en route to victory over Sharks 1242805 Ducks sign Sam Carrick to 2-year, $1.7-million contract extension
Boston Bruins 1242806 With win over league-leading Panthers, Bruins know they can defend against any team come the playoffs 1242807 Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk focused on the playoffs, not his future 1242808 With mighty Panthers in town and playoffs near, it was time for Bruins to ramp up the intensity 1242809 Bruins smother Panthers for 4-2 win 1242810 Bruins notebook: Jake DeBrusk responding to challenge and opportunity 1242811 How Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen's injury could impact Bruins in playoffs 1242812 Talking Points: Boston Bruins With Impressive Win Vs. Florida 1242813 Pastrnak Racks Up The Hardware As Bruins Announce Season Awards 1242814 Game 80: Boston Bruins Vs Florida Panthers Lines, Betting Preview 1242815 Pastrnak, Lindholm Return For Boston Bruins Vs. Panthers 1242816 Playoff Focus Comes Into Play For Boston Bruins Best 1242817 You know Jarome Iginla. Now meet the next generation of Iginlas making their mark
Buffalo Sabres 1242818 Sabres notebook: Casey Mittelstadt having success at tail end of 'long year' 1242819 Erik Brady: Rick Jeanneret has been with us for decades, and yet still will be gone too soon 1242820 Tage Thompson's breakthrough season for Sabres on the verge of franchise history
Calgary Flames 1242821 SNAPSHOTS: Flames edge Preds in OT thriller 1242822 'Everyone's Game' urges Calgarians to embrace all the benefits of youth hockey 1242823 Dube could be playoff X-Factor for Flames 1242824 Game Night: Flames at Predators
Carolina Hurricanes 1242825 Hurricanes beat Rangers, clinch Metro Division crown behind rookie Pyotr Kochetkov 1242826 Raanta to serve as Canes’ backup goalie in Rangers game as Kochetkov starts
Chicago Blackhawks 1242827 Patrick Kane thinks the Chicago Blackhawks can succeed sooner than expected: ‘You can win and still be in a re 1242828 Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane proud of his performance this season in light of still-nagging injury 1242829 DeBrincat is here for Hawks rebuild, hopes to accelerate it
Colorado Avalanche 1242830 Avalanche snaps four-game losing streak with home victory over St. Louis Blues 1242831 Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews returns to lineup against St. Louis Blues 1242832 Avalanche continue to await first-round opponent following 5-3 victory over St. Louis – 1242833 Avs Grades in Win Over Blues - Colorado Hockey Now
Columbus Blue Jackets 1242834 Blue Jackets overwhelmed by Tampa Bay Lightning's top players in 4-1 loss 1242835 'Sink or swim': Young Columbus Blue Jackets lineup faces tough stretch to end season 1242836 Boone Jenner, Sean Kuraly to miss final three games for Blue Jackets 1242837 Five observations: Tough night for depleted Blue Jackets, who are limping to finish line
Dallas Stars 1242838 Jake Oettinger’s ‘stellar’ shootout performance saves Stars 1242839 How Stars can pass Predators for the West’s first Wild Card spot 1242840 Jason Robertson’s two goals help propel Stars past Golden Knights 1242841 Stars’ biggest game of season lives up to hype, moves them to brink of playoffs
Detroit Red Wings 1242842 Detroit Red Wings lose, 3-0, to Leafs, can't contain Auston Matthews, who reaches 60 goals 1242843 Fake 1936 Red Wings Stanley Cup rings seized at US border 1242844 Road to Stanleytown: 1997 Detroit Red Wings prepare for pivotal Game 6 at Joe Louis Arena 1242845 Detroit Red Wings lose to Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0: Game thread replay 1242846 Red Wings blanked in Toronto, Auston Matthews reaches 60-goal milestone 1242847 Wings' Moritz Seider looking forward to challenges, not concentrating on Calder vote 1242848 Auston Matthews scores 60th goal as Red Wings fall to Leafs 3-0 1242849 Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - NHL (4/26/22) | Faceoff, How to Watch, Preview 1242850 Russia will not host 2023 world championship, International Ice Hockey Federation says 1242851 The Red Wings like acquiring proven winners. Which free agents could be next?
Edmonton Oilers 1242852 Oilers clinch second with McDavid in virtuoso performance against Crosby 1242853 OILERS NOTES: McDavid looks back at when he was a Crosby fan 1242854 JONES: With playoffs around the corner, don't ask the Oilers about next year 1242855 GAME NIGHT: Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins 1242856 ‘It’s incredible’: How Connor McDavid’s season is so stellar and why it’s not getting enough attention
Florida Panthers 1242857 Flat offense and pair of defensive lapses lead to Florida Panthers’ loss to Bruins 1242858 Sergei Bobrovsky makes 34 saves but Panthers fall to Bruins, drop second game in a row 1242859 Garden Party: Boston Bruins 4, Florida Panthers 2 1242860 Florida Panthers Pregame: Regular Season Winds Down in Boston 1242861 The Florida Panthers get new deal, cash infusion with Bally Sports deal 1242862 GameDay 80: Lineups, Betting Odds for Panthers at Bruins 1242863 Bill Lindsay’s big goal still lives in Florida Panthers lore 26 years later
Los Angeles Kings 1242864 Kings clinch first postseason appearance since 2018 - Los Angeles Times 1242865 Kings clinch playoff berth, will face Edmonton in first round 1242866 Kings look to lock up postseason bid on Pacific Northwest trip 1242867 LA Kings clinch postseason berth, will return to Stanley Cup Playoffs for first time since 2017-18 season - LA 1242868 Practice 4/26 - Kings Off To Seattle + Defensive Group, Fourth Line's Play, Luc on Rome - LA Kings Insider 1242869 A "humbled" Blake Lizotte embodies the qualities of the Masterton Trophy - LA Kings Insider 1242870 10 Biggest Questions: Final Answers (2021-22 LA Kings) - LA Kings Insider
Minnesota Wild 1242871 Wild's long points streaks end with loss to lowly Arizona 1242872 GREEF line — Greenway, Eriksson Ek and Foligno — back together again 1242873 Wild's Marc-Andre Fleury starts again; Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway return vs. Coyotes 1242874 Wild get exactly what they deserve in 5-3 loss to Coyotes 1242875 Marcus Foligno returns to Wild lineup after another bout with COVID 1242876 Wild blow golden opportunity to get playoff advantage with loss to lowly Coyotes: ‘One we might wish we had ba
Montreal Canadiens 1242877 Stu Cowan: Uncertain futures for Canadiens, Price remain intertwined 1242878 Canadiens by the numbers: Gallagher shows his worth in surprising ways 1242879 Canadiens' Carey Price heads to N.Y. for appointment with knee doctor 1242880 Lise Ravary: What Guy Lafleur taught all of us, off the ice 1242881 Basu and Godin: Concern for Carey Price, a perfect tank storm, the Mike Hoffman dilemma 1242882 André Pratte: With Guy Lafleur’s death, Quebecers have lost one of the family
Nashville Predators 1242883 Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros suffers possible injury against Calgary 1242884 Juuse Saros hurt, but Predators clinch playoff spot, thanks to Stars' victory 1242885 How good has Roman Josi been for the Nashville Predators? We asked a Hockey Hall of Famer 1242886 Here’s how the Predators can clinch a playoff berth
New Jersey Devils 1242887 Devils' comeback falls short in overtime loss to Senators
New York Islanders 1242888 Islanders rally to beat Alex Ovechkin-less Capitals 1242889 Islanders coach Barry Trotz: 'It's really strange' to not be in playoffs 1242890 Jean-Gabriel Pageau returns, but Brock Nelson and Zdeno Chara miss Islanders' win with illness 1242891 Worn-out Islanders begin to dissect what went wrong, while Barry Trotz readies for a rare ‘mental break from t 1242892 Rapid Reaction: Islanders Snap 5-Game Skid, Defeat Caps 4-1 - New York Islanders Hockey Now 1242893 Nelson & Chara Miss Game Thursday, Non-COVID Illness - New York Islanders Hockey Now 1242894 Defense Not Enough in Full Season, The Rise & Need For Offense - New York Islanders Hockey Now 1242895 Three To Go, Gm 80: Lines, Previews & How to Watch vs. Capitals - New York Islanders Hockey Now 1242896 Islanders Daily: Masterton Nominees, Lehner to Have Surgery & More - New York Islanders Hockey Now
New York Rangers 1242897 Rangers lose to Metropolitan Division winner Hurricanes 1242898 Rangers fans vote Chris Kreider Extra Effort award winner 1242899 Rangers get injury scares as Hurricanes clinch Metro division 1242900 Rangers impressed by Gerard Gallant even if Jack Adams Award doesn't come 1242901 Frank Vatrano has been ultimate complement to Rangers first line 1242902 Rangers vs. Hurricanes odds, prediction: Trust Carolina's explosive offense 1242903 Rangers must prioritize health with first-place lost, NHL playoffs looming 1242904 Rangers' coach Gerard Gallant getting secretive about injuries 1242905 Artemi Panarin, Andrew Copp injured in Rangers' loss to Hurricanes 1242906 New York can become Rangers Town again with a deep playoff run 1242907 Frank Vatrano making the most of likely short stay with Rangers 1242908 Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for Hart? How his season stacks up historically: ‘He’s definitely in the conver
Ottawa Senators 1242909 GARRIOCH: Batherson nets OT winner against Devils, giving Senators four straight wins 1242910 SNAPSHOTS: Plenty of questions surround Matt Murray's future with the Senators 1242911 GAME NIGHT: New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers 1242912 Examining the Flyers’ odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft lottery 1242913 DeBrincat, Lankinen help Blackhawks top Flyers 3-1 1242914 More lottery chatter as Flyers lose to Blackhawks, fail to win 3 straight again
Pittsburgh Penguins 1242915 Sputtering Penguins suffer rare home loss to Oilers, lose Jason Zucker to injury 1242916 Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen returns to lineup 1242917 Penguins to start goaltender Casey DeSmith against Oilers 1242918 Tim Benz: NHL playoff expansion ideas are unnecessary, reward mediocrity 1242919 Connor McDavid leads Oilers in rout of struggling Penguins 1242920 Penguins significantly shake up lines with just two games left in the regular season 1242921 Ron Cook: Penguins vs. Oilers is well worth the price of admission 1242922 Yohe’s 10 observations: Slow, stale Penguins look like a dead team walking 1242923 PHN Penguins Postgame: The Pens are Lost, Outlook Bleak After 5-1 Loss 1242924 Problems Mount as Playoffs Near; Penguins Crash in 5-1 Loss to McDavid, Oilers 1242925 Penguins Game 81 Preview: Sullivan Puts Lines in a Blender, Crosby v. McDavid 1242926 Dan’s Daily: Penguins Questions, Biden Goof Cracks up Lightning
San Jose Sharks 1242927 After emotional win vs. Golden Knights, Sharks falter in final home game 1242928 Sharks’ Karlsson not expected back this season, ending another frustrating year 1242929 Bordeleau developing quickly but has plenty to learn 1242930 Meet the Sharks’ unofficial team barber: ‘He’s honestly like one of the boys’ 1242931 Sharks Will Finish Below .500 This Year, Lose 5-2 | San Jose Hockey Now 1242932 Slow the Bordeleau Hype, What Might Barabanov's Contract Ask Be? | San Jose Hockey Now 1242933 Preview/Lines #80: Burns Named Sharks’ Masterton Nominee | San Jose Hockey Now
Seattle Kraken 1242934 Kraken finish first season series winless against Vancouver 1242935 The top moments of the Kraken’s inaugural season 1242936 Canucks beat Seattle Kraken, will miss playoffs 2nd straight year
St Louis Blues 1242937 Blues rally falls short, point streak ends in Colorado 1242938 Blues notebook: This time, Walker intent on sticking around 1242939 Blues Game Day: Krug in, but Schenn, Bortuzzo out 1242940 Gordo on the NHL: Underachieving Golden Knights reach brink of elimination
Tampa Bay Lightning 1242941 Lightning’s White House visit ‘a long time in the making’
Toronto Maple Leafs 1242942 Auston Matthews hits another milestone, going from hero to 60 1242943 Muzzin back for Leafs as Toronto takes on Detroit Red Wings tonight 1242944 Matthews scores his 60th, Maple Leafs clinch home ice with shutout win against Red Wings 1242945 Maple Leafs captain Tavares: Matthews' ability to regain possession of the puck 'uncanny' 1242946 TRAIKOS: The reason why Moritz Seider is the overwhelming favourite to win the Calder Trophy 1242947 Maple Leafs' Matthews wants to hit 60 goals, but 'not the end of the world' if it doesn't happen 1242948 Maple Leafs report cards: Auston Matthews hits 60 goals as Toronto secures home-ice advantage 1242949 Here are TSN and Sportsnet’s playoff plans for Leafs radio voices Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph 1242950 Maple Leafs end-of-season prospect report: Topi Niemela’s possible Marlies future and more
Vancouver Canucks 1242973 Canucks 5, Kraken 2: Victory overshadowed by emotional loss of playoff pursuit 1242974 Vancouver Canucks officially eliminated from playoff contention 1242975 Canucks: Thatcher Demko sidelined by injury, Spencer Martin gets crease call 1242976 The Armies: Canucks skate into the Spencer Martin era
Vegas Golden Knights 1242951 3 takeaways from Knights’ loss: Playoff hopes on life support 1242952 Golden Knights report: Russian prospect signs 2-year contract 1242953 Window narrows with Vegas’ 3-2 shootout loss to Stars 1242954 Here’s what the Golden Knights need to make playoffs 1242955 Golden Knights’ second straight shootout loss pushes Vegas to brink of elimination 1242956 Explaining a bizarre week in Vegas that ended with Robin Lehner’s season-ending surgery 1242957 Vegas Golden Knights Season Ticket Prices For 2022-23: Email Us Your Thoughts On Prices And Value 1242958 Improbable But Not Impossible: Updated Golden Knights Playoff Odds 1242959 It’s Over: Golden Knights Lose To Stars in Shootout, Playoff Hopes Gone 1242960 Golden Knights Gameday 80: THIS IS IT! Lines, Notes vs Stars
Washington Capitals 1242961 Ilya Samsonov’s misadventures continue as the Caps miss a golden opportunity 1242962 Alex Ovechkin is hurt, but you just know he’ll be back for the playoffs 1242963 Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk on Alex Ovechkin breaking his age-old record 1242964 Disastrous 3rd period dooms Ovechkin-less Caps 1242965 Caps playoff opponents narrowed down to Panthers or Rangers 1242966 Caps lose precious chance to move up East standings 1242967 Matthews scores 60th goal, joins Ovechkin on prestigious list 1242968 Alex Ovechkin’s injury brings the Capitals a feeling of déjà vu
Websites 1242977 Igor Shesterkin? Juuse Saros? Ilya Sorokin? Who is actually most deserving of this year’s Vezina Trophy? 1242978 NHL playoff WATCH: Ranking the most likely matchups, from 1-8 1242979 You know Jarome Iginla. Now meet the next generation of Iginlas making their mark 1242980 ESPN / NHL playoff watch standings update - X factors, predictions for Dallas Stars-Vegas Golden Knights 1242981 Sportsnet.ca / With historic 60th goal, Matthews takes throne as top sniper in today's NHL 1242982 Sportsnet.ca / In Crosby's barn, Oilers' McDavid sends loud message to Hart voters 1242983 Sportsnet.ca / Thrilling Flames-Predators tilt whets appetite for playoff series 1242984 Sportsnet.ca / As playoff hopes vanish, Canucks' Hughes shatters long-standing record 1242985 Sportsnet.ca / After spirited playoff chase, the value of belief is part of the Canucks' culture 1242986 TSN.CA / Matthews aims for milestone, momentum ahead of playoffs
Winnipeg Jets 1242969 Perfetti’s missed opportunity 1242970 ‘It was kind of embarrassing’ 1242971 Jets' Perfetti gearing up for... summer? 1242972 Pionk hits nail on head, calls Winnipeg Jets’ season ‘embarrassing’
SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129
1242803 Anaheim Ducks
Ducks break out to early lead, beat Sharks 5-2 - Los Angeles Times
Josh Dubow
SAN JOSE — Max Comtois and Sonny Milano scored in a span of less
than a minute in the second period and the Ducks beat the San Jose
Sharks 5-2 on Tuesday night.
Trevor Zegras and Josh Mahura also scored and Zach Aston-Reese had
an empty-netter for the Ducks, who had lost six of their past seven
games. Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves to beat San Jose for the third
time this season.
Brent Burns and Scott Reedy scored for the Sharks in their final home
game of the season. Kaapo Kahkonen made 25 saves.
The Sharks started slow the game after posting their biggest win of the
season, when they rallied late to force overtime and beat Vegas in a
shootout on Sunday night to harm the Golden Knights’ playoff chances.
San Jose has little else to play for outside of the spoiler role as the
Sharks will miss the playoffs for a third straight season for the first time in
franchise history.
The Ducks are in a similar situation, missing the playoffs for the fourth
straight season and coming off an emotional game Sunday night when
Ryan Getzlaf played the final game of his career.
Anaheim converted on an early power play in the first when Zegras beat
Kahkonen up high from in close. The puck got stuck in the netting and no
one reacted immediately to the goal before Zegras raised his hands in
celebration when he finally realized he scored his 23rd goal of the
season.
Anaheim then seized control with two goals in a stretch of 56 seconds
early in the second period that came right after the Ducks killed a
penalty.
Comtois got the first when he finished off a give-and-go with Kevin
Shattenkirk and then Sonny Milano made it 3-0 with a backhand from the
slot.
The Sharks got back into it with a power-play goal from Burns and a
deflection by Reedy late in the second period.
Mahura scored midway through the third to give the Ducks an insurance
goal.
LA Times: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242804 Anaheim Ducks
Ducks build early lead en route to victory over Sharks
Elliott Teaford
SAN JOSE — The Battle for Sixth? Or was it the Battle for Seventh?
Bragging rights? Or the better odds at a higher draft pick?
The Ducks and the San Jose Sharks took to the ice Tuesday night at
SAP Center looking to settle matters in the fourth and final meeting of a
season that will end for each team on Friday. Neither advanced to the
Stanley Cup playoffs and for the Ducks, it will mark a fourth straight early
vacation.
In the end, the Ducks delayed the standings skirmish by building a three-
goal lead and taking a hard-earned 5-2 victory from the Sharks. The
Ducks play the Stars on Friday in Dallas in their season finale. The
Sharks have games Thursday in Edmonton and Friday in Seattle.
Josh Mahura’s goal at 10;47 of the third period gave the Ducks a 4-2
lead after the Sharks had narrowed their 3-0 advantage to 3-2 in the
closing minutes of the second. Trevor Zegras, Max Comtois and Sonny
Milano also scored for the Ducks, and Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves.
Stolarz also assisted on Zach Aston-Reese’s late empty-net goal.
“Absolutely,” Stolarz said when asked if he had tried to shoot the puck
into the empty net. “My cross-hairs were a little off and it went a little left.
I’ll take the assist. I kind of double-clutched it. The ice wasn’t so great
and (the puck) rolled up on me. I actually got good wood on it.”
Stolarz’s attempt from below the goal line, after the Sharks shot the puck
behind his net, veered left and didn’t have enough distance to travel the
200-foot length of the ice. Aston-Reese latched onto it in the neutral zone
and fired it from near the left wing boards into the vacant net.
The Ducks’ victory wasn’t sufficient to enable them to vault over the
Sharks into sixth place. The Ducks (31-36-14) and Sharks (32-26-12)
each have 76 points, but San Jose has one game in hand and
maintained its edge in the Pacific Division standings over its rivals.
“Obviously, the (overall) results aren’t what we want,” Stolarz said. “But
at the end of the day, you look at the majority of the games and we’re
playing hard, battling hard against good teams. L.A. and San Jose, we
know that these are our rivals. No matter what, we’re competitive guys.
“Even though we’re out of it, we want to try to stick it to them.”
Zegras scored only 4:05 into the game on a perfectly placed shot from a
sharp angle that got caught in the netting at the very top of the goal,
giving the Ducks a 1-0 lead. Zegras’ goal was his 23rd of the season,
and his 60th point, extending his franchise rookie scoring record.
Troy Terry appeared to have given the Ducks a 2-0 lead at 13:13 of the
first period by smacking home a rebound from close range. The play was
reviewed and it was determined that Terry directed the puck into the net
with a distinct kicking motion and the goal was washed out.
The Ducks would get their 2-0 lead and a 3-0 advantage, too, but they
had to wait until the second period to get it done. Comtois scored at 5:26
of the second, moments after the Ducks killed a penalty. Milano then
made it 3-0 with a backhanded shot from the high slot at 6:22.
San Jose scored twice late in the second on goals from Brent Burns
(power play) and Scott Reedy, generating some momentum at long last
and making a game of it. The Ducks played their best overall period in
the third, controlling the run of play and outshooting the Sharks by 14-6.
“We scored at opportune times,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “We
didn’t start out great but got better as the game went on. We haven’t
faulted our team at all with the way we’ve worked since the trade
deadline especially. I think our guys have worked hard and stuck
together the best they can.”
Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242805 Anaheim Ducks
Ducks sign Sam Carrick to 2-year, $1.7-million contract extension
Elliott Teaford
SAN JOSE — Sam Carrick earned his first regular shift in the NHL this
season at the age of 29, after toiling primarily in the AHL since 2012-13,
and the Ducks rewarded him with a two-season, $1.7-million contract
extension Tuesday. He had been in the Ducks’ organization since 2016-
17.
Carrick, now 30, set career highs with 11 goals and eight assists in 64
games before suffering a hip injury that sidelined him for Tuesday’s game
against the Sharks and, most likely, Friday’s season finale against the
Dallas Stars. He had two goals and four assists in 13 games last season.
“I fought and clawed my way to get here,” Carrick said. “I’ve heard the
expression that it’s a lot easier to get to the NHL and it’s a lot harder to
stay. I think there’s a lot of truth to that. I think everyone in this league
has earned it. Nothing comes easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
With the Ducks rebuilding and looking to fill significant roles with a mix of
young players and veterans alike, Carrick made his mark after an early-
season recall from their AHL team in San Diego. Only his late-season
injury kept him out of the lineup the past three games.
“He’s played every shift like it might be his last one,” Ducks coach Dallas
Eakins said. “He arrives at puck battles in a foul mood. He goes to the
net. That’s where he scores his goals. He sticks up for his teammates.
He’s everything you want in a team player.”
Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242806 Boston Bruins
With win over league-leading Panthers, Bruins know they can defend
against any team come the playoffs
By Matt Porter Globe Staff, Updated April 26, 2022, 9:42 p.m.
The Bruins know their first-round opponent will be the Hurricanes or
Maple Leafs. They know they would start either series on the road.
They also know, based on how they stifle some of the highest-powered
offenses in the game, that they can defend well enough to make a playoff
run that stretches into late spring.
Boston, rising to the challenge of facing arguably the best offense in
hockey, stopped Florida, 4-2, on Tuesday night by playing one of their
more complete games of the season. Forcing the rush-happy Panthers to
turn to the ol’ dump-and-chase, the Bruins controlled shots, 38-21. They
entered the third with a one-goal lead, then allowed three shots in the
final 20 minutes — only one of those coming in the final 3:27, when the
visitors pulled netminder Sergei Bobrovsky for an extra attacker.
The Panthers (57-17-6) have scored 334 goals this season, more than
any team since 1996. In the final week of the regular season, Bruins
coach Bruce Cassidy said before puck drop he was using this game as a
measuring stick to see how well his team could check.
Checkmate.
“[The Panthers] didn’t look like, to me, they had their usual jump,”
Cassidy said after his team (50-25-5) reached the 50-win mark for the
first time since 2017-18. “We’ve got to take our share of credit for getting
in their way. Maybe it was just one of those nights. But I certainly liked
the way our team played. Offensively, we generated a lot.”
Two goals in six seconds in the first period — from Erik Haula and Taylor
Hall, both set up by David Pastrnak — and a Jake DeBrusk strike early in
the second were the difference.
The power play didn’t score — now on a franchise-record 0-for-36 skid —
but Brad Marchand quenched his thirst. Marchand fired home an empty-
netter from the blue line seconds after the Panthers pulled Bobrovsky, his
first goal after an 11-game drought.
Brad Marchand -- and Bruins' fans -- celebrate after his third-period goal
Tuesday night at TD Garden.MADDIE MEYER/GETTY
“Empty net or not, he hit the post on one of those the other night,”
Cassidy said. “He probably went home thinking, ‘It’s never going to
happen.’ But I thought his game was good tonight. Their line was
excellent.”
Starting the play was the reborn DeBrusk, who made a host of smart
moves on the forecheck. He bothered Panthers captain Aleksander
Barkov in the neutral zone before Patrice Bergeron scooped up the
turnover, then fed Marchand for the ENG.
The Panthers rushed the puck up the ice often Tuesday, but things
petered out once they neared the Bruins’ zone. The pair of Hampus
Lindholm (25:28) and Charlie McAvoy (26:17) killed rushes and kick-
started the attack.
The Bruins put on display some of their sharpest puck-moving in weeks.
In the opening minutes, several backdoor looks nearly went in. Marchand
walked in and nearly scored on a three on two, taking a no-look
backhand feed from McAvoy.
Still, it was 1-0, Panthers, at the 8:00 mark of the first. Some 19 seconds
after a Haula minor expired, defenseman Gustav Forsling sneaked a shot
through a Sam Reinhart screen. Linus Ullmark (19 saves) turned around
a second after the puck went in the net, seemingly stunned to see it
there. But Ullmark made some big stops, none larger than a glove-
flashing denial of Reinhart’s wrister from in tight, with less than five
minutes left in the first.
Sparked by that save, the Bruins solved Bobrovsky on their eighth shot.
On a quick-strike two on one thanks to Hall’s soft-touch entry feed,
Pastrnak pulled defenseman Robert Hagg toward him with some fancy
stickhandling, then zipped it across the slot to Haula (18th goal).
Make it two goals in six seconds. Off the ensuing faceoff, Florida’s
Mackenzie Weegar passed to no one, and Pastrnak shuttled a feed to a
streaking Hall. The left winger, who shows a blistering shot when he
chooses to deploy it, beat a frozen Bobrovsky over the glove. That left
Hall at 19-40–59 for the season, his highest point total since his MVP
season in 2018 (39-54–93) and fourth highest of his 12-year career.
“I wasn’t the most confident shooter for a while there,” Hall said. “The last
couple games I’ve scored some goal-scorer goals. It’s good to get that
feel. It really is a feel … If I can start to get that feel as we’re heading into
the playoffs, it’s a good thing.”
With Tuesday’s win, the Bruins will finish no worse than the first wild-card
spot, which would put them into a series with the Hurricanes. They could
also catch the Lightning for third place in the Atlantic, which would pit
them against the Maple Leafs.
The Panthers (57-17-6) may well capture the Presidents’ Trophy this
week. They just won’t do it by beating the Bruins.
The Bruins continued to add to their franchise record (since 1977) for
power-play ineptitude. They went 0 for 3 and stand 0 for 36 over the last
12 games, stretching over 60:04. They couldn’t crack a weary group of
Panthers penalty killers when they had back-to-back minors midway
though the third. It is becoming comical, this run. Maybe a few good days
of practice before the playoffs will turn things.
“Our power play, we want to get that fixed,” Hall said. “It’s a struggle point
for us right now. But when we’re healthy and we have everyone in our
lineup, you can see how powerful we can be as a team. Our identity’s
always going to be a solid defensive team that can make you pay once
we have the puck. I think our game’s pretty good right now.”
Boston Globe LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242807 Boston Bruins
Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk focused on the playoffs, not his future
By Matt Porter Globe Staff,Updated April 26, 2022, 7:36 p.m.
Jake DeBrusk has been cooking in the second half. He won’t say if he
believes his future is with the Bruins.
“Again, I can’t comment on that as of now,” said DeBrusk, who spoke to
reporters before scoring in Tuesday night’s 4-2 win over the Panthers.
“It’s one of those things that I focused on winning the Stanley Cup with
this team. Whether I’m playing — it’s one of those things where there’s
only three games left, and the playoffs are approaching. That’s my main
focus right now. I’m not thinking about anything else.”
DeBrusk, who cratered last season — a career-low five goals and 14
points in 41 games — has 24 goals and 40 points, three shy of his bests
in each category. He has responded to the challenge of moving to the
No. 1 line, playing his off (right) wing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad
Marchand.
Along the way, DeBrusk requested a trade around the time he was
scratched for a Nov. 28 game against the Canucks. He had COVID (for
the second time) in early January. He remained with the team through
the March 21 trade deadline. Hoping to find a taker for the unhappy
winger, the Bruins re-signed him to a budget-friendly two-year, $8 million
deal. Had he not signed that deal, he would have been owed a $4.41
million qualifying offer.
DeBrusk’s bounce-back season earned him the Bruins’ Masterton Trophy
nomination, as selected by the local chapter of the Professional Hockey
Writers Association. The award is for sportsmanship, perseverance, and
dedication to hockey. DeBrusk was surprised by the nod, word of which
came Monday in a text from his mother, Cindy.
What does DeBrusk consider his greatest challenge this season?
“At this point, I don’t actually know,” he said. “I haven’t really thought of
that. There’s obviously a lot. I’d probably say just my goal was to hit 20
goals. My goal was to bounce back.”
DeBrusk has remained mum about what made his game go south, and
why he wanted — or wants — out of Boston. For him, all that matters
right now is that he’s all-in.
“Obviously, it was a tough year for everybody, myself included. This year
with everything else, it was a lot,” he said. “I give lots of credit to my
teammates and everybody here that kind of kept it pretty tight-knit, and
made it feel pretty normal. I give a lot of credit to the guys in the room for
helping me steer the ship back in the right way.”
Jumbo sighting
Unless he returns for a 25th season at age 43 — or gets the call for a
potential Bruins-Panthers playoff series — Tuesday was likely Joe
Thornton’s final game on Causeway Street.
Thornton, chasing the Stanley Cup in Florida after coming up short in
Toronto last season, has a 5-5–10 line in 32 games. The man with the
jumbo-length beard was playing his third game in April, with “DNP” next
to his name for 10 other games.
He drew in at No. 4 left wing for the Panthers after Ryan Lomberg was
suspended one game (an automatic ruling) for taking an instigator
penalty in the final five minutes of Sunday’s 8-4 loss to the Lightning.
Thornton and Tomas Nosek exchanged angry shoves during a scrum at
18:22 of the first period, leaving both penalized for roughing. That may
have been carryover from the first round of the 2019 playoffs, when
Thornton (San Jose) drew a one-game suspension for a head shot on
Nosek (Vegas). Thornton, chippier in his old age than he was as a young
Bruin, was called for tripping at 11:49 of the second when he clipped
Charlie McAvoy while heading off for a change.
Thornton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 draft, spent eight years in
Boston (169-285–454 in 532 games) before a November 2005 trade to
San Jose.
And the winner is …
The Bruins handed out player awards before the game. McAvoy won the
Eddie Shore Award (hustle and determination), David Pastrnak won the
Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy (performance in home games), Nick Foligno
took home the John P. Bucyk Award (charitable endeavors). This
season’s three stars: 3. Bergeron; 2. Marchand; and 1. Pastrnak The
Seventh Player Award will be presented before Thursday night’s game
against Buffalo ... Hampus Lindholm, believed to be dealing with a left
knee issue, and Pastrnak (core) returned after one-game rests … Trivia:
The the most recent scorer of a power-play goal for the Bruins? Erik
Haula. He connected April 2 vs. Columbus. It was part of his second-half
surge, which saw him put up 16-22–38 in 53 games since the Jan. 1
switch to put him and Pastrnak on the second line … Mike Reilly and
Marc McLaughlin were healthy scratches … Florida’s 13-game winning
streak, which fizzled with that home loss to Tampa Bay, was a franchise
record and the longest in the NHL this season. The Panthers outscored
opponents, 64-33, during that run … The Panthers finished 34-7-0 at
home … Old pal Noel Acciari, who has battled an upper-body ailment all
season (2-5–7 in 18 games), skated the No. 3 left wing for Florida … The
Panthers rested middle-sixer Mason Marchment, who had been 2-3–5 in
his previous three games … Aaron Ekblad, out since March 18 with an
apparent right leg injury, took part in the Panthers’ pregame skate at TD
Garden. His availability for the playoffs is unknown … Coach Bruce
Cassidy said he expected to play his full lineup Thursday against Buffalo,
then potentially rest some mainstays Friday in Toronto. His goalies will
split the starts.
Boston Globe LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242808 Boston Bruins
With mighty Panthers in town and playoffs near, it was time for Bruins to
ramp up the intensity
By Kevin Paul Dupont Globe Staff, Updated April 26, 2022, 5:06 p.m.
The Florida Panthers, the best team in the NHL at the moment, and the
league powerhouse for most of the last six-plus months, were on
Causeway Street Tuesday night, offering the Bruins a glimpse of the type
of hockey they’ll face next week.
Prior to Tuesday night, that glimpse could have turned into a high-
definition, nose-to-the-glass challenge against Florida in Round 1. But
the 4-2 win over the Panthers removed any chance the Bruins will face
the Panthers to open the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“They are pretty good with their game,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy,
asked if he felt he could get a true read on the Panthers, given that
they’re assured the No. 1 seed in the East. “Tonight’s game, I’m going to
guess they’ll say wasn’t their best, because they didn’t seem to have the
same jump they typically have, for whatever reason. But again, that’s
outside of our control. I thought we did what we needed to do to be the
better team.”
The Bruins, with two games to play, will finish with the first wild-card
berth in the East, or perhaps shimmy their way by Tampa Bay and into
the No. 3 spot in the Atlantic. Their most likely Round 1 opponent is
Carolina, with an outside chance, if they do pocket the No. 3 spot, it will
be Toronto. All the Bruins know for sure is that they’ll open on the road.
The Panthers, a bit dull at times in their 80th dry run of the season, have
clinched the regular-season conference title. They’ve earned the right to
open the postseason against the perceived weakling that lands in the No.
8 spot. When the smoke cleared Tuesday night, that meant Florida would
be facing the Capitals or Penguins.
But that’s just the math, raw analytics. The reality is, there are no tomato
cans in the top eight, be it East or West, but especially in the East where
all eight qualifiers have amassed at least 100 points.
With 100 points comes a certain amount of confidence, the right to dream
of a Cup title, at least until the puck goes down for Game 1.
“When you’re healthy, the way the team’s played the second half,
different guys in and out,” mused Cassidy earlier in the day, “yeah, I feel
good about our team. We play the right style for us to be successful.”
The Panthers feel the same, of course, and rightly so. They have more
wins (57) and points (120), and the best point percentage (.750), than
anyone else in the wild and wonderful Original 32.
To make a rosy picture all the rosier, Panthers general manager Bill Zito
added elite Flyers center Claude Giroux at the trade deadline, and also
picked up veteran defensemen Ben Chiarot (6 feet 3 inches, 235 pounds)
from Montreal and Robert Hagg (6-2, 210) from the Sabres. Giroux
provided insurance to an already stacked offense, while Hagg and
Chiarot brought weight and depth to a defensive corps that was a just
shade short in both categories — what often can portend trouble in the
playoffs.
The Panthers arrived with a dazzling 14-2-0 mark since the trade
deadline, with a plus-23 goal differential in those 16 games. Hagg and
Chiarot bolstered a backline much harder to play against these days.
All of which is to say, much like the Bruins, the Panthers will have no
obvious holes in roster composition when they begin the chase for 16
wins next week.
“All hands on deck right now,” said Cassidy, happy to have David
Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm, injured of late, back on the job to face
the Panthers. “That’s all I can ask for.”
One huge difference between the teams, particularly in recent weeks,
has been the power play. The Panthers arrived ranked No. 7 in the
league, clicking at 24.2 percent. The Bruins once clicked like that, until
their league-worst 0-for-36 nightmare spanning 12 games and a
stupefying 60:04.
The lack of a power play would hurt the Bruins against any team in the
East. Their power play would struggle against St John’s Prep.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of it, trust me,” Cassidy said. “I don’t
think we’re practicing it that well when we do practice it, you know, there
should be a little more urgency because of the lack of production lately.
“So we’ll keep harping on that, even though we haven’t practiced it a lot.
We should be a little crisper on it, because we aren’t getting that many
reps.”
The Bruins were awarded only 10 power–play opportunities across five
games prior to facing Florida. More chances won’t guarantee better
production, but more reps at least would allow the man-up units the
chance to gain some traction. All they’ve done is spin their wheels since
April 2, the night Erik Haula scored the club’s most recent PPG.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel on it,” noted Cassidy. “But, yes,
it’s been a while. It’s dragged on too long.”
Only two more test cases of 60 minutes or more to get it right. The DNQ
Sabres are in town Thursday night. The 82-game run-up ends Friday in
Toronto, where the 52-win Maple Leafs as of Tuesday morning owned
the game’s No. 1 power play (27.0 percent).
As Cassidy’s morning media session drew to a close in Brighton, he
pondered what looks and matchups are to come next week, be it against
the Hurricanes, Rangers, Panthers, or whomever.
“At the end of the day,” he said, “I don’t think most teams change their
stripes going into the playoffs, especially if they’ve had a successful year.
“If you look at the teams in the East, all with 100 points, every team feels
they’re a pretty good hockey club. You know, might be a little bit behind
this team in this area, or that team in this area. I wouldn’t anticipate any
team changing the way the play.”
The biggest change, the one that separates the Stanley Cup playoffs
from all the rest, is the intensity of play, the urgency wired into the clock.
It all begins next week. And the one thing in common for all 16 teams:
None of them truly can know if they’re ready.
Boston Globe LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242809 Boston Bruins
Bruins smother Panthers for 4-2 win
Steve Conroy
The Bruins nabbed their 50th victory of the season and secured the first
wild card spot with a solid 4-2 victory over the NHL-leading Florida
Panthers at the Garden on Tuesday.
The only thing left to determine is their first-round opponent, which will be
the Carolina Panthers if the B’s don’t catch Tampa in the last two games
of the season. If they somehow catch the Lightning — three points ahead
of the B’s with two games left — the B’s would meet Toronto.
How much Tuesday’s game mattered to the Panthers, still looking to nail
down the Presidents’ Trophy but in the Eastern Conference driver’s seat,
is anyone’s guess. But they were coming off a spanking at the hands of
the Lightning, so you would have thought they’d want to get that taste out
of their mouths.
But the B’s had their checking game going, especially in the third period,
playing on their toes while protecting a 3-2 lead. Florida came into the
game with a plus-38 goal differential in third periods. But not only did they
not score, the B’s outshot them 16-3 in the final 20 minutes to salt away
the victory.
“Tonight’s game, I’m going to guess they’re going to say it wasn’t their
best, because they didn’t seem to have the same jump they typically
have for whatever reason,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “But that’s outside
of our control. We control our game, and I think we did what we were
supposed to do to be the better team and win the game.”
The win means that the B’s don’t have to play the potent Panthers in the
first round. But either Carolina or Toronto — against whom the B’s have
amassed an 0-5 record — would be a tough challenge. While it’s
expected he’ll rest some regulars in the season finale in Toronto on
Friday, Cassidy said that he’ll play his full lineup on Thursday when they
host the Sabres.
It would certainly be nice for the B’s to snap their brutal string of futility on
the power-play before the playoffs arrive. They were 0-for-3 on Tuesday,
including two failed PPs in the third period when it could have made their
life a little easier. They are now on an 0-for-36 skid.
“That first power-play of the game, you want to be sharp and I just don’t
think we have the confidence right now to be that way,” said Taylor Hall,
who had a goal and an assist. “We need maybe a couple of practice days
to get that in order. It’s all five of us on that unit that need to help each
other out. You’re going to go through that in spurts throughout the
season. That’s a real focal point that I’m sure we’ll work on before
playoffs start. But if we can get pucks back, retrieve pucks after shots,
then our power play’s great. But if we’re one-and-done and they’re
clearing it after every shot on goal, it’s really hard to get momentum that
way. I think we’ll figure it out. There are too many good players on that
unit.”
The B’s did shed one 800-pound gorilla on Tuesday. With the Panthers
down a goal and getting nothing going 5-on-5, coach Andrew Brunette
got aggressive and pulled goalie Sergei Bobrovsky with almost three and
half minutes left. But the B’s easily broke out of the zone and Patrice
Bergeron set up Brad Marchand for an empty-netter, snapping an 11-
game streak without a goal. He’s still the B’s leading scorer, but it had to
be somewhat of a relief.
“Empty net or not. He hit the post on one the other night (against the
Rangers) and he probably went home thinking it’s never going to
happen,” said Cassidy. “But I thought his game was good tonight and his
line was excellent.”
The two teams played an entertaining first period that featured two
Bruins’ goals in six seconds and their customary last-minute buzzkill that
led to a 2-2 score after 20 minutes.
The Panthers took the first lead of the game at 8:00 when Gustav
Forsling beat Linus Ullmark on what appeared to be a screen shot.
But the B’s were playing a pretty good opening period against the
league-leading Panthers and they blitzed them with a pair late in the
period. First, David Pastrnak fed Haula with a nifty backhand pass off the
rush for Haula’s 18th at 16:18.
Then the same line scored off the faceoff. Haula lost the draw, but Hall
flicked it away from MacKenzie Weegar and it went right to Pastrnak,
who gave it right back to Hall for a breakaway. Hall fired an absolute
laser that was in and out of the net before Bobrovsky even flinched. It
was Hall’s 19th, and his second breakaway goal in three games.
“It’s nice to score,” said Hall. “I wasn’t the most confident shooter for a
while there. But the last couple of games I’ve scored some goalscorer’s
goals and it’s good to get that feel. It really is a feel. Some people chalk it
up to luck or whatever. But the best goalscorers in the league seem to
score a lot. If I can get that feel as we’re getting into the playoffs, that’s a
good thing.”
But as is their way, the B’s made a costly last-minute mistake. On a 2-on-
2, Brandon Carlo let Anthony Duclair get behind him and had to take a
slashing penalty with 10 seconds left in the period. And don’t you know it,
that was plenty of time for the Panthers to score. In fact, they left half a
second on the clock after Sam Reinhart scored on a rebound off the post
to tie the game going into the first intermission.
But the one good thing about giving up so many late period goals – if you
can call it that – is the fact that the B’s equilibrium seems to no longer get
negatively altered by what were once considered back-breaking goals.
They regained the lead at 4:59 of the second on Jake DeBrusk’s 24th
goal of the year. Bergeron and Marchand won a puck in a scrum out high
along the right boards and Marchand fired a shot right on net that
seemed to stun Bobrovsky. He left a fat rebound for DeBrusk, who buried
it for the 3-2 lead.
They still had 35 minutes of hockey to play, but this time they held on to
the lead with a grip-like vise and take the season series 2-1 from the
Panthers with a feel-good win.
Boston Herald LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242810 Boston Bruins
Bruins notebook: Jake DeBrusk responding to challenge and opportunity
Steve Conroy
Jake DeBrusk has run the gamut this season. He’s gone from being a
healthy scratch in November to a highly functioning member of the
team’s top line for the last two months.
And while his future with the club remains a bit murky, he’s in a much
better place than at this point last season, easily his worst as a pro. Last
year, he had lost his place in the top six, was affected by the isolation
created by the COVID restrictions, had a bout with the virus and finished
with meager 5-9-14 totals in 41 games. Now, he’s back where he
belongs up over 20 goals (23 going into Tuesday’s game against Florida)
and four points behind his career high, which was 43 in his rookie
season.
Not a bad turnaround.
“A complete change from everything, pretty much, with how frustrating it
was at the end of last year. Obviously I wasn’t happy with anything that
was going on on the ice. And it’s definitely a different moment right now,”
said DeBrusk on Tuesday morning. “It’s kind of interesting to play 82
games again. … It’s a matter of life being normal again. There’s fans in
the stands and in our last game against Montreal, the crowd was pretty
intense. It was pretty cool, obviously. There are just different types of
things that make you remember what it was like to play in the National
Hockey League, and that’s what we all love.”
DeBrusk was named the Boston nominee for the Masterton Trophy –
given to player that best exemplified perseverance, sportsmanship and
dedication to the sport – by the local chapter of the Professional Hockey
Writers Association. Each team nominates a player and the winner will
be announced during the finals.
It was an unconventional choice. DeBrusk had requested a trade last
summer, it was made public by his agent in November, then reiterated
before the trade deadline. And if his most recent success has changed
his mind, he’s not saying.
“I can’t comment on that now,” said DeBrusk, who wound up signing a
two-year extension worth $4 million annually. “It’s one of those things
where I’m focused on winning the Stanley Cup with this team wherever
I’m playing. There’s only three games left and the playoffs are
approaching. That’s my main focus right now. I’m not thinking of anything
else.”
But to his credit, he has not let that desire to leave affect his play
negatively. In fact, he’s seemingly used the situation to refocus his game.
He played well in both third and fourth line roles before he was told prior
to the B’s game in Seattle on Feb. 24 that he would be bumping up to
play with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The move also entailed
him moving over to his right side, something that had not gone well for
him in previous assignments. Coach Bruce Cassidy had a long chat with
him about it, as did his new linemates.
“It was more so if I was comfortable with being in that position and
whether I was willing to give it a try. Obviously, I said yes. I think
everybody would agree to that role,” said DeBrusk. “At the same time,
you don’t want to lose, so you’ve got to bring it every single night,
whether you’re not feeling it or things aren’t going in the net. I think we’ve
generated a lot. It just hasn’t gone in the way we’ve wanted it to. It’s a
good sign when you’re generating.”
Cassidy has not been hesitant to move DeBrusk in the lineup or even sit
him. But he’s had no cause to take him off that line.
“Jake has done his part,” said Cassidy. “That was certainly a turning
point.”
While it was a great opportunity for DeBrusk, it was also a challenge
because of the elite matchups. He’s responded well.
“There’s not necessarily a bad No. 1 line in the league, so you know
they’re going to have their best some nights and it’s about limiting those
and trying to equal it if not make them pay on the other side of the ice,”
said DeBrusk. “That’s the biggest thing, knowing that our matchup’s
going to see the best line, the best D pairing every single shift, whether
it’s home or away. And obviously, that has a lot lot do with the respect for
how Bergy and Marchy play.”
But more and more, it has something to do with DeBrusk as well.
Third pairing coming into focus
Barring injury, it sounds like Cassidy will go with Derek Forbort and
Connor Clifton as the third defensive pairing, which had been one of the
bigger questions since the trade deadline acquisitions of Hampus
Lindholm and Josh Brown. That would mean Brown and Mike Reilly
would be in the press box to start the series.
“I think (Forbort and Clifton’s) game has been solid of late,” said Cassidy.
“Now they’re going to have a bump along the way, like everybody. But
they’ve played a lot together and they’re getting a good understanding of
the expectations of what we need from them. … They’ve managed the
puck a lot better.”…
The Bruins handed out some end-of-season hardware on Tuesday.
Charlie McAvoy received the Eddie Shore Award given out by the Gallery
Gods for the player he exudes the most hustle.
David Pastrnak received the Elizabeth Dufresne Award for the player
who performed the best in home games.
Nick Foligno earned the John P. Bucyk Award for his charitable work.
Pastrnak, Marchand and Bergeron are the No. 1, 2 and 3 stars for the
season.
The 7th Player Award will be given out prior to Thursday’s game against
the Sabres.
Boston Herald LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242811 Boston Bruins
How Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen's injury could impact Bruins in
playoffs
by Nick Goss
The most likely opponent for the Boston Bruins in the first round of the
2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs is the Carolina Hurricanes, and an injury to
'Canes starting goalie Frederik Andersen could significantly impact a
potential series.
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski reported Tuesday that Andersen might miss the
"first few games" of Round 1.
As I just reported THE POINT: The current expectation is that @Canes
goalie Freddie Andersen may miss the first few games of the 1st round
with his injury. Team will reevaluate when it returns from road trip. If
status quo, could we see rookie Pyotr Kochetkov in Game 1? #CamWard
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 26, 2022
Andersen suffered a left leg injury earlier this month. He's in the midst of
a fantastic season with a 35-14-3 record, a .922 save percentage and a
2.17 GAA. He has a very strong case to be one of the three finalists for
the Vezina Trophy.
Ranking Bruins' potential first-round opponents in 2022 playoffs
His absence would be a huge one for Carolina. The Hurricanes are a
well-rounded team that defends quite well as a team, and Andersen is
the backbone of that success.
The situation worsened for the Hurricanes on Sunday when backup
netminder Antti Raanta left the team's win over the New York Islanders. If
neither Andersen nor Raanta are ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, we
could see rookie Pyotr Kochetkov in net. He has an .889 save
percentage in 44:18 minutes played this season.
The Hurricanes being forced to play Raanta or Kochetkov in net, even for
just a couple games, would be a major break for the Bruins. Andersen
went 3-0-0 with a .990 save percentage in three games against the B's
this season. Carolina swept the season series by a combined score of
16-1.
We don't know for sure if Andersen will in fact miss the start of the
playoffs, but it's a storyline Bruins fans should continue to monitor given
the likelihood of these two teams meeting in the first round.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242812 Boston Bruins
Talking Points: Boston Bruins With Impressive Win Vs. Florida
By Joe Haggerty
BOSTON – Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 4-2 win
over the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
GOLD STAR: Taylor Hall seemed like he had an extra gear throughout
the game, so it’s no coincidence that he ended up as one of the offensive
stars for the Boston Bruins. Hall finished with a secondary assist on
Boston’s first goal when he found an open David Pastrnak just as he was
slicing down the heart of the Florida defense before backhanding a dish
off to Erik Haula for a one-timer. Then six seconds later Haula won the
faceoff to Pastrnak, who hit Hall in stride heading down the slot for a
buried wrist shot for his 19th goal of the season. In all Hall finished with a
goal, two points, a plus-2 in 17:47 of ice time to go along with five shots
on net, a hit and a takeaway in a solid night’s work.
BLACK EYE: Jonathan Huberdeau was a potential Hart Trophy
candidate for most of this season, but he was dreadful against the
Boston Bruins. He finished a minus-2 with one shot on net, three
giveaways and was a non-factor in 19:44 of ice time for the Panthers. He
wasn’t along, obviously, as Patric Hornqvist was a no-show for the
Panthers, and Aleksander Barkov was a minus-2 while losing more than
he won in the face-off circle. Even Joe Thornton couldn’t muster up
much, in what’s likely his final game at TD Garden, aside from a half-
hearted shoving match with Tomas Nosek early in the game. As Bruce
Cassidy said postgame, it didn’t look like the Panthers had their usual
jump on this night.
TURNING POINT: The Bruins could have been rattled when they allowed
another last-minute goal with literally less than a second to go on the
clock at the end of the first period. The late goal made it a 2-2 game
going into the first intermission and things certainly could have taken a
turn for the Black and Gold. Instead, they got back to work and struck for
another goal in the first five minutes of the second period when Brad
Marchand fired a rocket at the Florida net that Sergei Bobrovsky was
able to stop, but Jake DeBrusk crashed the net and snapped home the
rebound. The play gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead in the game and gave them
back the momentum in a game they truly dominated from a 5-on-5
perspective.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brad Marchand has shown signs he was
coming out of his recent struggles in the last few games, and really
snapped out of it on Tuesday by scoring an empty netter than snapped
an 11-game goal-scoring drought. He also assisted on Boston’s game-
winning goal when he fired a long-distance rocket that handcuffed Sergei
Bobrovsky into a big rebound with Jake DeBrusk bearing down on the
net. Marchand finished with 20 minutes of ice time, a goal, two points,
five shots on net and three big hits in a game where he brought energy
and offense to the table. It’s reassuring to the Bruins to see Marchand
and Patrice Bergeron playing with this kind of energy this late into the
season. This hit on Patric Hornqvist was a beauty.
Brad Marchand with a heavy hit on Patric Hornqvist.
pic.twitter.com/RwY1Z0AA03
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 27, 2022
BY THE NUMBERS: 11 – the number of the goal-scoring drought that
Brad Marchand finally snapped when he scored on an empty netter in the
closing seconds of Tuesday night’s win.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “Special teams, power play…that’s definitely an area
we want to get fixed. It’s been a struggle point for us. The confidence just
isn’t there. We need a couple of practices to get things in order.” –Taylor
Hall on a Boston Bruins power play that’s now 0-for-36 and hasn’t scored
since the opening days of April.
Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242813 Boston Bruins
Pastrnak Racks Up The Hardware As Bruins Announce Season Awards
By Jimmy Murphy
Boston Bruins star winger David Pastrnak added two more awards to his
growing list of accolades with the Bruins and in the NHL.
In the annual end of the season awards just prior to the Boston Bruins
hosting the Florida Panthers Tuesday, Pastrnak was awarded the
Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy awarded to the player exemplifying
outstanding performance on home ice as determined by the Boston
Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Heading into
Tuesday’s game, Pastrnak had 26 goals and 18 assists in 36 games on
TD Garden ice this season. This is the second time Pastrnak has taken
home the Dufresne Trophy after winning it in 2019-20.
David Pastrnak has 39 goals and 34 assists overall in 70 games and just
returned from a nine-game hiatus due to an undisclosed injury.
Pastrnak was also the No. 1 Star for the Bruins Three Stars, as selected
by 98.5 The Sports Hub, for being top performers at home games over
the course of the season. Brad Marchand was the second star and
Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was the third star.
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy won the Eddie Shore Award,
given to the player who shows exceptional hustle and determination,
chosen by the “Gallery Gods”. McAvoy is tied with Marchand for the team
lead in assists with 45 helpers and leads all Bruins defensemen in goals
with ten lamplighters.
Nick Foligno took home the John P. Bucyk Award for providing
exceptional off-ice charitable contributions, chosen by John Bucyk. Per
the Boston Bruins:
Foligno has been involved in every virtual visit this season with local
Boston area hospitals as well as the Bruins annual Toy Shopping event.
In 2020, Nick and his wife Janelle started The Heart’s Playbook
Foundation in honor of their daughter Milana who has been battling heart
disease since birth. The goal of their foundation is to help patients and
families work with the best physicians, receive the best care and engage
with the best technology in heart health, and be introduced to some of
the most positive communities so that they may have positive outcomes.
The Foligno family participated in Heart Health Night at TD Garden on
April 12, providing gift bags to heart health patients and heart healthy
recipes to share throughout the Bruins game.
With 20 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio,
ESPNBoston, NESN, NHL.com, etc.) covering the Bruins, the NHL,
NCAA and junior hockey and more, Jimmy Murphy’s hockey black book
is full of Hall of Famers, current players, coaches, management, scouts
and a wide array of hockey media personalities that have lived in and
around this great game. For 17 of his 20 years as a hockey and sports
reporter, Murph covered the Bruins on essentially a daily basis covering
their victorious 2011 Stanley Cup run and their 2013 run to the Final as
well. Murphy has hosted national and local radio shows and podcasts
and also has experience in TV as well.
Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242814 Boston Bruins
Game 80: Boston Bruins Vs Florida Panthers Lines, Betting Preview
By Jimmy Murphy
Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Boston Bruins Game Day Preview:
Boston Bruins (49-25-5, 103 pts) vs Florida Panthers (57-16-6-120 pts)
TIME: 7:00 PM ET
TV: NESN+, BSFL
The Boston Bruins will host the Florida Panthers at TD Garden Tuesday.
The Bruins will try to prevent a postgame Presidential ball as the
Panthers can clinch President’s Trophy if they defeat the Bruins in any
fashion and the St. Louis Blues defeat the Colorado Avalanche in any
fashion or If they get one point vs. Boston AND St. Louis defeats
Colorado in regulation.
The Boston Bruins come in trying to extend their win streak to three
games and stay at least three points ahead of the Washington Capitals
for the top wild card slot in the Eastern Conference and within three
points of the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Caps will host the New York Islanders Tuesday night and the
Lightning host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
If the Boston Bruins lose and the Capitals win, the Caps pull within a
point of the Bruins, and if the Bruins lose and the Lightning win, then the
Lightning clinch third place in the Atlantic. The Bruins can only gain four
more points after tonight with just two games left.
The Bruins will go back to goalie Linus Ullmark between the pipes
Tuesday night. In his first start since leaving with an upper-body injury
after the first period of a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on April 14,
Ullmark was brilliant, making 30 saves in a 3-1 win over the New York
Rangers Saturday at TD Garden. Ullmark is now 24-10-2 with a 2.52
GAA and .914 save percentage.
The Florida Panthers will look to Sergei Bobrovsky in their first attempt to
clinch their first-ever President’s Trophy. Bobrovsky comes into this tilt
with the Boston Bruins at 39-6-3 with a 2.66 GAA and .912 save
percentage.
Betting: As my colleague for Florida Hockey Now pointed out in his game
preview for tonight, the Florida Panthers just had a franchise-record 24-
game win streak snapped in their 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on
Sunday. Usually, when a team has a long win streak like that snapped,
they tend to lose a few in a row after, but there is still a lot on the line for
the Panthers here. With tonight likely the last game before a back-to-
back Thursday (at Ottawa Senators) and Friday (at Montreal Canadiens),
that head coach Andrew Brunette ices a playoff-like lineup, the Panthers
will want to lock the top seed in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs down
ASAP.
So expect a playoff-like performance from the Cats in this one and a low-
scoring affair as the Panthers will buckle down after allowing eight goals
on Sunday. Panthers in Regulation (+115) and the UNDER 6.5 (+110)
are the plays here.
Prediction: Panthers 3 Bruins 2
Boston Bruins Notes
-David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm will be back in the lineup after not
traveling to Montreal for the 5-3 win over the Canadiens. In his first game
back after a nine-game absence with an undisclosed injury, Pastrnak had
a goal and an assist Saturday. Lindholm skated 24:41 and had three
shots on net and one hit.
-Brad Marchand is mired in one of the worst goal-scoring slumps in
recent memory with no goals in his last eleven games and five assists
during that stretch. Marchand did look much better and involved in the
win over the Habs Sunday and had two helpers to show for it so maybe
he breaks through tonight?
-Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron finally awoke from a slump of his own
Sunday, scoring two goal at the Bell Centre with his family on hand and
on a night when fellow Quebec native Guy Lafleur was honored after
passing away on Friday.
Florida Panthers Notes
-With Ryan Lomberg suspended for a game and Mason Marchment
taking a maintenance day, Carter Verhaeghe and former Boston Bruins
captain Joe Thornton will draw in.
-This will be the Panthers first visit to Boston since Oct. 30. The Bruins
handed Florida its first loss of the season that night, winning 3-2 in a
shootout.
Boston Bruins Lineup:
Forwards
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron– Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall – Erik Haula – Tomáš Nosek/Marc McLaughlin
Trent Frederic – Charlie Coyle – Craig Smith
Nick Foligno – Tomáš Nosek/Marc McLaughlin – Curtis Lazar
Defense:
Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly – Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort – Connor Clifton
Goalies:
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Florida Panthers Lineup:
Forwards:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau – Sam Bennett – Anthony Duclair
Noel Accari – Anton Lundell – Sam Reinhart
Joe Thornton – Eetu Luostarinen – Patric Hornqvist
Defensemen:
Ben Chiarot – MacKenzie Weegar
Gus Forsling – Brandon Montour
Robert Hagg – Radko Gudas
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
With 20 years of experience (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio,
ESPNBoston, NESN, NHL.com, etc.) covering the Bruins, the NHL,
NCAA and junior hockey and more, Jimmy Murphy’s hockey black book
is full of Hall of Famers, current players, coaches, management, scouts
and a wide array of hockey media personalities that have lived in and
around this great game. For 17 of his 20 years as a hockey and sports
reporter, Murph covered the Bruins on essentially a daily basis covering
their victorious 2011 Stanley Cup run and their 2013 run to the Final as
well. Murphy has hosted national and local radio shows and podcasts
and also has experience in TV as well.
Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242815 Boston Bruins
Pastrnak, Lindholm Return For Boston Bruins Vs. Panthers
By Joe Haggerty
BRIGHTON, MA – The Boston Bruins got back to work on Monday
morning at Warrior Ice Arena and they had a full complement of players.
David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm rejoined the practice group at
Warrior after sitting out Sunday’s practice following their return to the
lineup in Saturday afternoon’s matinee win over the New York Rangers.
That meant the line combinations and defense pairings at practice were
the same as they were against the Blueshirts over the weekend and that
defenseman Mike Reilly and Marc McLaughlin were going to be the
healthy scratches on Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers.
With three games remaining in the regular season, it’s fair to wonder
whether this would be the opening night lineup for the Stanley Cup
playoffs if everybody remains healthy for the next week. Either way, the
Boston Bruins were looking at Monday’s showdown with the high-
powered Panthers as an excellent test for their defense ahead of the
postseason.
“This is the most explosive offensive team arguably in the NHL that we’re
facing,” said Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said of the match
with a Panthers team that ranks 1st in the NHL while averaging a
ridiculous 4.16 goals per game. “So the measure will be in our checking
game to see how we’re looking in that department. We’ve done a really
good job with that in the second half of the year.”
The Panthers just had a 13-game winning streak snapped with an 8-4
loss to the Lightning and have won 16 of their last 18 games dating back
to around the time they picked up Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot at the
NHL trade deadline.
There will be playoff implications on the line as the Panthers can clinch
the President’s Trophy with a win over the Bruins and guarantee
themselves home ice throughout the postseason. The Carolina
Hurricanes could also clinch the Metro Division and essentially lock in the
Boston Bruins as their first-round opponent in the playoffs as well.
Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark will get the start for Boston and
look to build on his strong return to the B’s lineup on Saturday when he
made 30 saves in the victory over the Rangers. Here’s the projected
Boston Bruins lineup against the Rangers based on morning skate:
Marchand-Bergeron-DeBrusk
Hall-Haula-Pastrnak
Frederic-Coyle-Smith
Foligno-Nosek-Lazar
Lindholm-McAvoy
Grzelcyk-Carlo
Forbort-Clifton
Ullmark
Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242816 Boston Bruins
Playoff Focus Comes Into Play For Boston Bruins Best
By Joe Haggerty
You had to know that Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand were going
to give a little Boston Bruins reminder of exactly what they can do prior to
the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After a mostly quiet couple of weeks with David Pastrnak and Hampus
Lindholm missing time due to injuries and their playoff fate having been
ostensibly clinched months ago in a predictable Eastern Conference,
Patrice Bergeron and Marchand finally exploded over the weekend in the
5-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Amidst an emotional Bell Centre backdrop where Quebecois legend Guy
Lafleur was being honored at the time of his sad passing, Bergeron
scored a pair of goals to take sole possession of fourth place on the
Boston Bruins all-time goals scored list (397) ahead of Ray Bourque.
Bergeron sits just five behind Rick Middleton for third place on the all-
time Boston Bruins list and is just three goals away from 400 career
goals with the Boston Bruins that would have him join Middleton, Phil
Esposito and Johnny Bucyk in an incredibly exclusive Black and Gold
club.
But rather than being about history, it was about the 36-year-old
Bergeron declining a night off in Montreal and instead getting his game
back on track while absolutely wanting to be a part of the Lafleur
memorial.
“[Bergeron] is a legend in Boston, obviously, like a [Jean] Beliveau was
here or a [Jacques] Lemaire, Lafleur’s center and a really professional
player and very good two-way player,” said Boston Bruins head coach
Bruce Cassidy. “Nice to do it here in his home province. Good for Bergie.
“It’s a long year when you get to be that age and you’ve played that many
games. It’s game 79 for him and it was back-to-back. We even talked to
him about ‘would you like the night off?’ We’ve got five games in seven
days to close out the season. It’s kind of crazy finish. But he wanted to
play in front of his parents, and good for him. I’m glad he decided to.”
It was also about Bergeron continuing to put his best foot forward (23
goals and 59 points in 74 games) in his home province of Quebec
against a Canadiens team he did not root for as a kid and doing it in front
of his adoring parents in the stands.
Bergeron finished with two goals, three points and a plus-3 in an
economical 15:36 of ice time and had three shots on net, three hits and
won 11-of-15 in a typically excellent all-around game. Marchand still sits
with only one goal in the month of April at this point and barely missed on
an empty netter a couple of games ago.
Brad Marchand is far from pleased after hitting the post on an empty net.
His last goal came on April 2: pic.twitter.com/rvhUnNrGRb
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) April 23, 2022
But his all-around game and commitment to making winning plays was
100 percent there in Montreal as well, just as it was on Saturday against
the Rangers. People talked about the missed empty net, but they didn’t
talk about Marchand hustling to beat out an icing call that kept the puck
in the Rangers end for 30 seconds. Those are the kinds of unheralded
plays that win games in the playoffs.
Marchand finished with two assists, had a plus-2 rating in 16:51 and
reflexively tackled Jeff Petry when the Montreal defenseman lowered the
boom with a beautiful hip check on Bergeron in the neutral zone during
the first period.
You don’t touch 37 on Brad Marchand’s watch
pic.twitter.com/jeDWqZEBAV
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) April 25, 2022
“It’s a matter of one going in [for Marchand]. A lot of great looks,
especially the last few games. He’s right there. Lots of unlikely bounces. I
think we saw that [against the Rangers]. He’s been through it in the past,”
said Bergeron, prior to Sunday’s game talking about Marchand when he
might have been talking about himself as well. “You just need to rely on
that past experience. It’s one good bounce and then it’s back on track,
and you gain a lot of confidence from it.”
Trent Frederic also paid Petry a visit at the end of the first period to let
him know that No. 37 wasn’t going to be targeted, especially this close to
the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But all Bergeron did was keep playing after scoring the first goal of the
game in the first period.
He wound up with the empty netter in the closing seconds for his 22nd
goal of the season and scored as many goals on Sunday night as he had
in the previous 11 games during the month of April.
It was a sharp reminder to Boston’s upcoming playoff opponents that
Boston’s best players are finding the range again as the Bruins regain full
health, and as the postseason quickly approaches for players like
Bergeron and Marchand that live for this time of year.
“It’s keep working on our game and feel good headed into the playoffs. I
think that’s the biggest thing. You don’t want to cruise through the last
few games and expect to flip a switch when you walk into the playoffs,”
said Bergeron, who should be looking at some kind of rest this week with
just three more games remaining on the regular season schedule and a
first-round date vs. Carolina looking like the most likely possibility. “You
need to stay sharp and stay focused and keep carrying on with the things
that you’re doing well.”
If looking sharp and focused for next weeks’ Stanley Cup playoffs was
the name of the game in Montreal, Bergeron and Marchand are where
they need to be with just three tune-ups left until the postseason.
Boston Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242817 Boston Bruins
You know Jarome Iginla. Now meet the next generation of Iginlas making
their mark
Ryan S. Clark
After spending months away from her family playing hockey at a
boarding school, Jade Iginla returned for winter break only to decide she
wanted to play even more hockey.
This is how seriously she takes everything in life. Especially hockey.
Jade was home with her family in Boston when she found out there was
a chance to play in a game and stay sharp over break. The only
problem? There was a snowstorm bad enough for her dad to consider
whether it was worth braving the elements to get there. Or that’s how it
was until Kara Iginla told her husband, “We’re from Canada!”
“I was late. We always find a way to leave late,” Jade recalled. “We had
to stop and he did not have any gas.”
Her dad stopped at a gas station, and then this happened:
Jarome was pumping gas when a reporter approached him and asked if
she could interview him about the snowstorm. He agreed because he did
not want to be rude to a reporter who was also out in the storm doing her
job. Of course, the clip of Iginla as an “area man” appearing on a local
Boston television station went viral. Jarome admitted that he never
thought it would receive that much attention. He’d initially hoped to find
the clip somewhere and send it to a few friends.
“(The reporter) tried and she asked me my name,” Jarome recalled. “She
asked, ‘Can you say your name?’ I said, ‘Jarome Iginla,’ and she was
like, ‘Yeah, OK.’ She did not even want to try it and attempt it! I turned
into the area man or whatever it was. I would never expect her or anyone
else to recognize me by any means.”
These days, Jarome is more likely to be recognized by parents than
players. But he isn’t bothered about that. He and Kara have long been at
the stage of parenthood in which they want the attention to be on their
kids.
Now, their children are starting to find their place in the world. Jade, 17,
will play college hockey next season for the Brown University women’s
hockey program. Tij, 15, will play next season for the Seattle
Thunderbirds after being the franchise’s first-round pick in the WHL
Bantam Draft. And the youngest, Joe, 13, looks to follow the same
course as his older brother.
They are deeply aware of their famous last name and the expectations
that come with being the children of a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. But
the thing to understand about Jade, Tij and Joe is that they are their own
people — which is exactly how Jarome and Kara raised them.
And furthermore? They wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I think I approach it like I am my own person,” Tij said. “I want to be like
him, obviously. I take pride in that. But, (at) the same time, I am obviously
not the same person and I want to be as good as I can be.”
Jarome and Kara Iginla’s life together began in St. Albert, Alberta. They
were Grade 7 students who met in French class and dated for two weeks
before dating for longer in Grade 8. Jarome joked that they would have
the odd argument that caused them to “break up but not for long.” They
still remained close and never went too long without talking to one
another.
“Some people meet the right one later, and I met the right one early,”
Jarome said.
They always wanted to have children, and they knew early on that they
wanted their children to be active in sports. But they were also open to
the possibility that their kids could be interested in anything but. Either
way, they wanted to ensure their kids could feel passionate about
whatever they chose to pursue while also feeling supported.
All three Iginla kids turned out to love sports. Hockey became their
collective passion because the game has remained a constant in their
lives.
“Jarome built an ice rink in our backyard when they were 1, 3 and 5,”
Kara said. “Our youngest was on rollerblades in our house at 1. The
oldest two were in skating lessons before they turned three. I think I
visited every single park in Calgary. They were very active. The Iginla
family is engaged and athletic. Our kids were like little muscle people.”
The eldest Iginla child was given the name Jade because there was just
something about it Jarome and Kara really liked. It could also be because
Jarome enjoyed knowing there would be another “J. Iginla” in their family.
Jade played ringette growing up and was later a figure skater before
choosing hockey. She has fond memories of figure skating and always
believed she was “great” at it only to recently learn the opposite was true.
Her transition to hockey started by watching Tij play. Her love for the
game became evident after her freshman year of high school. She was
playing softball when she sustained an elbow injury that kept her
sidelined for 14 months. At first, she was only supposed to be out for six
months. But there was a problem with her recovery, which led to a
second surgery that put Jade on the shelf.
While sidelined from softball, Jade did 14 months of skating and non-
contact drills. She then left Boston, where the Iginlas were living at the
time, to play at the famed Shattuck-St. Mary’s Boarding School in
Faribault, Minn. Shattuck played a role in the development of future NHL
All-Stars such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Zach Parise and
Jonathan Toews, among others. It has also played a crucial role in
developing a number of elite women’s hockey players such as Brianna
Decker and Amanda Kessel, along with twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-
Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando.
Jade scored 15 goals and had 30 points in 39 games in her lone season
at Shattuck. Initially, the Iginlas were living in Boston while Jade attended
Shattuck. But they moved to Kelowna, B.C., where the family now lives.
Jade made the move north, too, playing her senior year at RINK Hockey
Academy, where she scored 18 goals and 28 points in 22 games. She
also had four goals and 11 points in five playoff games before
graduating.
“I think I always wanted to play college hockey and being in
Massachusetts, there were so many universities around,” Jade said,
referencing when the family lived in Boston during and after her dad’s
time with the Bruins. “I thought, ‘It does seem accessible.’ There are
scouts in high school rinks at almost every game. … It was about looking
for a school that has a strong hockey program. In Brown’s case, it is
building. I wanted strong academics and I feel like I like my Brown
coaches a lot.”
Brown coach Melanie Ruzzi took over the program last June, and
immediately started building her recruiting class after signing her
contract. Ruzzi was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Providence
College, when she first saw Jade play.
“She’s a young woman who works very hard, ” Ruzzi said. “She has been
through different injuries and setbacks. She started to stand out. She has
a powerful stride, and my goodness can she shoot the puck and be an
elite goal scorer at the Division I level. She is not a huge person but plays
with swagger in her game. She has a high hockey IQ and can do things
other kids cannot do.”
Please Melanie, share with the class.
“The way the puck comes off her stick when she shoots it,” Ruzzi
continued. “She has an incredible release. She can feel it. I was on the
ice with her last week in Kelowna for a camp because you never stop
looking for players. It’s that power piece, that technical piece and that
part of the game she is building. She can partner that skill set with her
hockey IQ and get it in the right spots on the ice. There are other young
players who can shoot the puck, but they don’t do it in a game because
they cannot find themselves in the right spots.”
Ruzzi also noted that Jade could be part of Hockey Canada’s roster for
the IIHF U-18 Women’s World Championships in June. She was named
to the U-18 World Junior Championship roster, but the tournament was
eventually cancelled.
“I worry she is going to be Jarome’s daughter in the eyes of other
people,” Ruzzi said. “But she is her own person. She is comfortable in
her own skin. Hopefully, she is named to the next world championship
team and people see she is someone coming from a great hockey family.
That she is a great hockey player and someone who is going to make a
name for herself.”
Naming their second-born child Tij was not the original plan. Jarome
wanted to name him Tracy. He liked the name because of two-time Grey
Cup champion quarterback and Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee
Tracy Ham. Jarome grew up going to Edmonton games with his
grandfather where they watched Ham. He lost that battle, so they named
their son Tij after Jarome’s paternal grandfather in Nigeria.
Tij said it was easy to gravitate toward hockey because he has always
wanted to be like his dad. Clearly, he knew his dad played in the NHL.
He just did not realize his father’s place in the sport until after his career
ended. It made Tij wish he were a little bit older so he could have
appreciated it more. But what he did watch allowed him to understand
that he can be like his father but still be his own person.
Back in December, the Thunderbirds drafted Tij with the ninth pick in the
bantam draft. He had an assist in four games before returning to
Kelowna. He also plays for RINK Academy on the U18 team. Tij, a
forward, finished the regular season with 26 goals and 48 points in 32
games; he had three points in as many postseason games.
“I feel like the only pressure is really the pressure you put on yourself,” he
said. “You cannot let external pressure have a big impact on you. You
can have the right mindset and let the internal pressures be what pushes
you. I think my upbringing and being around people and my dad having a
lot of experience with that, he has shared things with me that worked for
him. It allowed him to be as good as he was. It’s the people around me
who have helped.”
Thunderbirds assistant general manager Jared Crooks said Tij first
appeared on the franchise’s radar when he was playing in Boston.
Normally, a player on the East Coast like Tij would have been eligible to
play in the QMJHL. But Crooks said there is a clause in place that made
Tij eligible to play in the WHL because his father also played in the WHL
with the Kamloops Blazers. When the Iginlas moved to Kelowna, the
Thunderbirds got a chance to see Tij on a more frequent basis against
players his age they had scouted for more than a year.
“One of the things that jumped off the page for me when I saw him play
was the puck skills and the ability to play in tight spaces, get shots off
and make plays,” Crooks said. “I saw a skill set that I see at our level and
thought it would translate incredibly well.”
Crooks said maturity will play a crucial role in Tij’s development. The
Thunderbirds like having 16-year-old players on their roster. It gives them
a chance to learn from older players who have been in their situation
while playing against more physically mature talent. Crooks said part of
the Thunderbirds’ development strategy with high picks like Tij is to see
how they handle a challenge.
“Not all of them are going to be what they want with their physical
maturity,” Crooks said. “But you can tell that if he wants to be here, he
will want to make it work. To fit in with our team and our organization, we
want guys who are banging down the door to be in Seattle and force their
way into our line. Even at 16, we know Tij is as driven as the rest of our
guys.”
Another item that made Tij going to the Thunderbirds interesting was his
dad’s relationship with the Blazers. It’s not enough that Jarome was one
of the best players in Blazers history. He’s part of the Blazers’ ownership
group, which also features Shane Doan, Mark Recchi, Darryl Sydor and
Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi. So it is possible that Jarome could
have wanted Tij to become a Blazer too. Crooks said Thunderbirds
director of player personnel Cal Filson had conversations with the Iginlas
and wanted to make sure they were OK with Tij coming to Seattle. The
Iginlas gave their blessing.
“He’s like a lot of the young kids that come in that they are pretty quiet
and want to get their legs under them,” Crooks said. “But there is a quiet
confidence and we love that. We don’t want young guys to hide and
survive. He fits right in. We did not get too long with him and we would
have loved to have him train with us during the playoffs but he is a little
injured right now, so that is unfortunate. I know our guys have said good
things about him. Our players are excited to have him.”
“You go to rinks now and it’s not as many people that recognize you,”
Jarome Iginla said.
The third Iginla child got the name Joe because that was his father’s
childhood nickname. Jarome said they chose to give their children
“simpler first names” because he could remember the times when
“saying Iginla seemed like a mouthful for others.” But while they kept
Joe’s first name simple, Jarome and Kara gave him the same middle
names as his father: Elvis Adekunle Junior.
Kara described their youngest as an extremely smart kid with a big brain
and someone who is always happy. In terms of hockey, Joe ended the
regular season with 19 goals and 35 points in 30 games. He played this
past season for RINK Academy’s U-15 team, where the head coach was,
well, his dad.
“I love watching when Joe scores because I have never seen such pure
joy,” Kara said. “Our other kids are more serious. But they love hockey.
It’s just that Joe has this joy and it cracks me up to see how happy it
makes him when he scores.”
Experiences like watching Joe score mean even more for Jarome and
Kara these days. Their household dynamic is about to change with Jade
and Tij leaving later this year, and Joe being the last child left at home.
Jade going to Shattuck was a slight prelude of the future. But they admit
this will be different now with Joe being the only kid still with mom and
dad before he too eventually sets off on his own path.
Kara said she isn’t worried. Jade’s time away came during the early
stages of the pandemic so they know she will be OK. Kara sees this as a
chance for their children to go chase their dream.
“They are supposed to grow up and leave. But it is harder on Jarome,”
she said. “Our kids call me cold! But I know it will be harder for him. But
you do what is good for them.”
Jarome’s career meant the Iginla family has lived in Calgary, Pittsburgh,
Boston, Denver and Los Angeles. The plan had always been to make
sure all three children played hockey no matter where they were living.
The Iginlas were living in Denver in 2017 but decided to return to Boston.
Jarome said they loved living in Denver. But they knew they had to move
because of hockey.
Living and playing in Denver meant their family would spend more time
apart than together because they would always be on flights. So they
decided to move and sought a bit of input from their children. They
moved back to Boston before Jarome and Kara thought about where
they wanted to make their forever home. Moving back to Canada was
something they wanted. But the goal was to also be in a place that
allowed their children to advance their aspirations.
“It is a little bit quieter for us having been just retired,” said Jarome, who
retired after the 2016-17 season. “You go to rinks now and it’s not as
many people that recognize you for sure. They want to talk hockey —
and being in Canada, a lot of people want to talk hockey. It’s quieter and
the focus is on them. We are hockey parents and sports parents and that
was part of our decision.”
Both Jade and Tij have the stories that one would expect given their
father. Jade has had moments when people recognize her last name, do
a double take and inevitably ask if she is related to you-know-who. But
the moments that matter most are the ones they have spent together
away from the NHL.
“He’s just my dad,” Jade said. “That’s what I see first.”
Talking about their children makes Jarome and Kara reminisce. It starts
with building them an outdoor rink. They would split into teams. Usually,
Jarome would play with Joe as his teammate because he was the
youngest. Those games were fun because it was a battle to see who
would win. Jarome admits he would manipulate the games when Joe
was due for a win against his siblings.
Kara would sometimes play as well. But that changed as they got older.
All three Iginla kids reached a level that forced Kara to tap out and turn it
over to the former NHL superstar in their household. Still, it amounted to
a family experience that’s been documented with countless photos and
videos collected on their phones over the years.
But there is a bittersweet chapter to those family games: The moment
when Jade and Tij started beating their dad for real.
“It has happened. Tij has passed me,” Jarome said. “Jade and I have not
played as much one-on-one this year. That would be a good battle. She
is in better shape than me now. It was probably last year, I think, when it
happened. We were on the outdoor rink in the backyard. I am battling as
hard as I can. Joe got so mad at me and said, ‘Are you going to let them
beat us?!’ I told him, ‘I’m trying!’ The whole last year was a crapshoot for
who would win. Joe would get so mad. I am trying my butt off and Joe
would go in and say I’m terrible, but I was trying my hardest.”
Tij said learning about hockey from his dad has been important. But the
lessons that have meant the most are the ones about how to be a better
person. Jarome has told his children to treat others how they want to be
treated, to put themselves in another person’s shoes and to try to help
people as much as they can.
Perhaps this is why Jarome was humbled when he was told what Tij had
said about the life lessons he’d learned. Hearing that made Jarome
proud that the lessons he and Kara continue to teach their children are
making an impact. All they have wanted is to be the guides to help their
children find what makes them happy. Jarome said the biggest lesson he
has wanted to teach is what it means to be a good teammate.
His point: A hockey team has more than 20 people. Not players —
people. Individuals with different personalities who come from different
backgrounds. The way to make that all work is by being a good
teammate who wants to make life better for those around them. But it is
also about how they make others within the team, such as the athletic
training staff and coaches, feel the same way.
“That is what makes the game great and what makes life great,” Jarome
said. “It’s not all the same views and upbringings. It is being able to see
the best in each other and treat each other how you want to be treated. I
am thrilled our kids are really enjoying it. It’s a great lesson to learn along
the way.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242818 Buffalo Sabres
Sabres notebook: Casey Mittelstadt having success at tail end of 'long
year'
Lance Lysowski News Sports Reporter
This wasn’t the season Casey Mittelstadt envisioned when the Sabres
center’s first shift began with a faceoff against the Canadiens’ Nick
Suzuki in KeyBank Center on Oct. 14.
Mittelstadt, 23, missed 42 of the Sabres’ first 49 games because of an
upper-body injury that required surgery and an arduous recovery. He’s
been back in the club’s lineup for the past 31 games, but his return to
form has been a slow build.
“We’re not seeing the true Casey Mittelstadt; we’re seeing him push
through the ripple effect of a long injury, and I think he’s doing a
spectacular job in that,” said coach Don Granato.
Over the past month, we’ve seen the subtleties in Mittelstadt’s game that
were apparent when he was unquestionably the Sabres’ top player
during training camp in the fall. He’s holding onto the puck longer to allow
plays to develop, breaking pressure on the power play with a well-placed
pass, extending possessions by winning battles on the forecheck and
aggressively attacking in the offensive zone.
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Most recently, Mittelstadt used his left-handed shot to score his fifth goal
in 38 games this season. Skating down the right wing on a 2-on-1,
Mittelstadt waited for Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho to take away
the cross-slot pass. Mittelstadt then beat goalie Ilya Sorokin with a low
shot to the far post for the Sabres’ opening goal of a 5-3 win Saturday.
“I mean, I think it’s taught me some patience,” said Mittelstadt. “I think
that’s probably one of the things I struggled with most. … I think the
biggest positive for me is it’s going to give me some motivation going into
this summer to get right and get ready for next year.”
It was only one year ago that Mittelstadt was one of the Sabres’ brightest
success stories following the firing of former coach Ralph Krueger.
Mittelstadt, who was drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, had nine
goals and 17 points in the final 22 games of the season.
The breakout, albeit in a short stretch of games, was a significant
development for the Sabres because their depth at center was uncertain.
The position is now a strength for the organization with Mittelstadt, Tage
Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Peyton Krebs.
Over the past 18 games, Mittelstadt has three goals and 12 points while
shifting between center and left wing. For the season, he has averaged a
career-high 16:04 of ice time. He’s back on the top power-play unit – the
Sabres rank first in the NHL on the man advantage since March 27 – and
receiving top-six minutes.
“As far as his level of where he feels he’s at, I don’t want to speak for
him, but I do know that he’s going to be a special player for us and he’s
doing the right things, right now to get to that level sooner than later,”
Granato said.
The long offseason will provide Mittelstadt with time to recover and
strengthen his game. He has all the on- and off-ice intangibles to be a
consistent difference-maker for the Sabres entering the next phase of
their rebuild.
But first, Mittelstadt will help the Sabres try to win their final two games of
the season, beginning Thursday night in Boston. A road game against
the Bruins will bring difficult matchups for Buffalo’s young players,
Mittelstadt included, and an opportunity to build on the club’s impressive
run.
The Sabres’ .635 points percentage since March 1, a span of 26 games,
ranked 11th in the NHL entering Tuesday. And even through a difficult
injury, Mittelstadt has played a prominent role in that success.
“Obviously, it’s been a long year and a lot of time without skating and
hockey,” he said. “But, yeah, it feels great, go out, have the puck, have
some team success, I think caps it off. I think it’s been a fun last month.”
Goalie watch
The Sabres’ attendance at practice Wednesday could reveal their
goaltending plan for the final two games. Craig Anderson has been
unavailable since Saturday with an undisclosed minor injury and was
examined by doctors Tuesday.
Another practice absence could make it difficult for Anderson to get ready
for game action. The Sabres’ final two games are a back-to-back, capped
by the home matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.
Buffalo will only have a morning skate Thursday in Boston.
Getting ready
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be needed for Rochester’s final game of the
season Friday night against Utica. The Amerks will need help to qualify
for the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs.
If Rochester loses in regulation, it will need Toronto to earn a maximum
one of a possible six points over its final three games this week. If the
Amerks lose to Utica in overtime, Toronto can’t get more than two points.
And if the Amerks defeat Utica, Toronto cannot get more than three of its
final six points.
Final celebration
The Sabres will wear their white jerseys to finish the season Friday night
against Chicago. There will be a pregame happy hour, alumni
appearances and giveaways at KeyBank Center as part of the club’s final
sendoff. It will be Patrick Kane’s first game back in Buffalo since Feb. 1,
2019.
Buffalo News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242819 Buffalo Sabres
Erik Brady: Rick Jeanneret has been with us for decades, and yet still will
be gone too soon
Erik Brady Special to The News
This is a column about Rick Jeanneret.
It is also about Harold Arlen. And Harold Arlin.
Jeanneret you know.
Harold Arlen you should know. He is the Buffalo-born composer of “Over
the Rainbow,” the greatest song of the 20th century. (Don’t take my word
for it; the National Endowment for the Arts says so.)
Harold Arlin you probably don’t know — he was the world’s first sports
broadcaster, 101 years ago, which makes him Jeanneret’s spiritual
forebear.
When Arlin called the first baseball game on radio, on Pittsburgh’s KDKA,
he didn’t even tell listeners his name. As the National Baseball Hall of
Fame’s website puts it: “Stations preferred their announcers to be
anonymous voices in those days in the fear that the on-air talent would
become too popular.”
They were right to see such popularity coming, but oh so wrong to fear it.
Just look at Jeanneret: He is more popular these days than wings and
weck and game-winning goals.
People are also reading…
This week, RJ will broadcast his last game for the Buffalo Sabres. As it
happens, his first Sabres broadcast came in 1971 — 50 years after Arlin
used a converted telephone as a microphone to call a game from the box
seats behind home plate at Forbes Field. (The Pittsburgh Pirates beat
the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-5, on August 5, 1921.)
Jeanneret is a living embodiment of the reality that listeners fall for the
voice of their favorite team. For proof, measured in decibels, one need go
back only a few weeks, to RJ Night at KeyBank Center.
That night, he got to say goodbye to us. But how do we say goodbye to
him? He’s like a member of the family. Jeanneret has been with us since
the Sabres’ second season. He has seen them all, from Perreault to
Power.
We love Sabres players, but they are at a remove from us: They play on
ice, behind glass. It is different for longtime broadcasters. Rick is one of
us. That’s how it feels. And, more important, how it sounds: His voice is
as familiar as your father’s.
That voice surround-sounds our family rooms while we gather, and our
cars while we drive. And it will stay with us long after his last call.
Van Miller died in 2015. He broadcast his first Buffalo Bills game in 1960,
his last in 2003. Even now, when we hear him on old clips, Van’s voice
offers a small thrill. The timbre brings us back to a time and place — from
before the AFL title teams of the 1960s to beyond the AFC title teams of
the 1990s.
It will be the same for RJ. He has been with us since before the Fog
Game in 1975 through No Goal in 1999 all the way to Friday, when the
Sabres host the Chicago Blackhawks in the last game of another lost
season.
The Sabres offer real hope for next season, but we have run out of next
years for RJ. This will take some getting used to. The kind of love we feel
for him is of the kind that Nashvillians feel for Pete Weber, and that Los
Angelenos felt for Vin Scully.
The intimacy of home markets allows that kind of bond. National
broadcasters rarely reach that level of love. Joe Buck’s voice means Big
National Game. Jack Buck’s voice, in St. Louis, meant root, root, root for
the home team.
That’s what RJ’s voice means here. He understands the powers of
observation and of memory. He tells us what he sees on the ice in the
moment while reminding us of all those magic moments gone by.
Harold Arlin, 101 years ago, was not a sports broadcaster until the
moment he became history’s first one. He was a 25-year-old electrical
engineer who worked for Westinghouse, which owned KDKA, the
nation’s first commercial radio station. Arlin’s bosses picked him to do
that first game because he had a pleasing voice.
Harold Arlen was born in Buffalo in 1905 as Hyman Arluck. He composed
songs for the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” with the lyricist Yip Harburg.
Their masterpiece, of course, is “Over the Rainbow.”
Which, as it happens, is one way Rick Jeanneret commutes to Sabres
games from his home in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Over the Rainbow … Bridge.
Cue the music.
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Here comes Rick.
He’s got a voice that we heard tell
Tales of a hockey stick.
Somewhere over the Rainbow
There goes Rick.
And the games that he called are gone
From us much too quick.
The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo
The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you
a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories
every weekday.
Buffalo News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242820 Buffalo Sabres
Tage Thompson's breakthrough season for Sabres on the verge of
franchise history
Mike Harrington News Sports Reporter
Tage Thompson's first year at center has been the breakthrough his NHL
career needed. With two games left in the season, he might even be able
to make a major entry into the Buffalo Sabres' record book.
The 24-year-old has 37 goals – more than double the total he had over
his first 145 career games. He's aiming to become the team's first 40-
goal scorer since Jeff Skinner scored 40 three years ago. And if
Thompson gets there, he can join an elite group of centers in Blue and
Gold to hit the mark.
That list? Gilbert Perreault, Pat LaFontaine and Pierre Turgeon. That's it.
"Obviously, it'd be really cool, an incredible achievement I think
personally," Thompson said after practice Monday in KeyBank Center.
"It's hard not to think about it, but you try just to kind of block it out and
focus on the team stuff first. I think when you start focusing on the
number, that's kind of when you'll probably get snakebit and chances will
start not going in for you. Keep that team-first focus and I think the goals
will follow."
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Coach Don Granato made sure Thompson was on the ice with the
opposing net empty late in Saturday's 5-3 win over the New York
Islanders when Ilya Sorokin was pulled for an extra attacker.
"I was cheating down the ice there at the end," a smiling Thompson
admitted.
"It would be great. I think the whole team would be happy, I'd be happy
for him, no question," Granato said of the 40-goal quest. "And there's no
question if we have a situation where there's an empty net at the other
end, why wouldn't I get him out there? He's earned it, he's worked for it.
It'd be nice to give him that. And he's defensively responsible."
Thompson's previous career high in the NHL was last year's eight-goal
season. So Granato was thrilled when he got to 20. And to 30. And that's
the key: Keep pushing higher.
"There's more, you can do more," Granato said was his basic message.
"Even when Tage hit 30, he and I had a talk, 'I know you're going to
score more, you know you're going to score more, so we can celebrate
this, but onward and upward, let's go. There's still more for us.' "
Granato is particularly impressed by how unselfish his team has become.
Thompson has 30 assists and is as happy setting up a goal as scoring
one. The coaching staff and fans watching on TV were quick to notice
how fast Skinner grabbed the puck Thursday in New Jersey after Owen
Power scored his first NHL goal. And Thompson and Power were
immediately in the thick of the action Saturday when Islanders tough guy
Matt Martin jumped Skinner during a third-period scrum.
"There's no selfishness and I think people get selfish when they fear
there's not enough for them," Granato said. "And we want to create a
culture where they don't fear whether there's not enough for you. There is
enough for you and there's more for you if we get this whole thing going
right."
Thompson and Skinner combined for 15 goals last season. To be at 70
this year is a testament to their offseason training, the honing of their
individual games and the pushes they've received from the coaching
staff.
"I would hope we helped him gain a calm and a confidence and he's
playing with that," Granato said of Thompson. "It looks like he's gained
that calm and confidence, I would like to think we were part of that as a
coaching staff in the organization, more than just the coaches, and just
saying, 'Hey, we have this confidence in you, just go play.'"
"He's very competitive. And I think I'm pretty competitive, too," Thompson
said of Skinner. "We both want to be the guy that scores and can lead a
team in goals. It's a good thing. It's good friendly competition. I think it
makes our team better when you have guys that are hungry to outplay
each other."
Thompson's shot has become a true howitzer from the faceoff circles, a
major weapon both at 5-on-5 and the power play. But he's improved
dramatically as a playmaker as well.
"I feel like it's been there but I feel like you get more puck touches in the
middle. ... As the game moves along, you just have that confidence that
you know you're gonna make a play," he said. "I feel more comfortable
coming up the middle of the ice, too. You see a lot more of the ice and
instead of being locked onto a wall, and I think that's kind of why maybe
some of the passing and playmaking showed up a little more this
season."
For a young player, Thompson has learned to have patience with the
puck. It's easy to get too frenetic with it and that causes mistakes.
"As a young guy or guy without much experience, you're almost trying to
prove your skill set and so you force a play," Granato said. "It's 'I want to
make a play here.' Tage is at a point now where he's like, 'I don't have to
make a play here. If there's a play to be made, I am going to make it. And
I'm going to extend the possession long enough to see if that might open
up or that might open up.' He's actually seeing layers of options."
Buffalo News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242821 Calgary Flames
SNAPSHOTS: Flames edge Preds in OT thriller
Wes Gilbertson
NASHVILLE — A first-round showdown between these two teams, if
that’s how it pans out, doesn’t start until early next week.
The rivalry may have started in Tuesday’s thriller at Bridgestone Arena.
If the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators do, indeed, hook up for a
best-of-seven set to open the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, this final
regular-season meeting is going to be tough to top. A feisty, physical
affair was punctuated by Matthew Tkachuk’s buzzer-beater with 0.1
seconds remaining in regulation and then capped by Elias Lindholm’s
sudden-death snipe as the Flames rallied for a 5-4 overtime victory.
“I think everyone that was here and watching on TV got their money’s
worth,” grinned Flames forward Milan Lucic. “I’ve gotta say, I’ve played
over 1,000 games now and that’s probably in the top five games that I’ve
been a part of with the hits, the fights, the emotion, the crowd. It was a
great game to be a part of.”
It would be great to see six or seven more in May, wouldn’t it?
If the Flames do draw the Predators in Round 1, Tuesday’s tone-setting
certainly wasn’t limited to that crazy comeback. This entire evening was
jam-packed with intensity and animosity, including a two-minute stretch
of mayhem in the opening period that featured a pair of fights — both
heavyweight tilts — and an attempted spear where the sun don’t shine.
It was enough to suggest a series between these two might have as
much spice as Nashville’s famous hot chicken, as many dance requests
as a busy night at Tootsie’s or one of the other famed honkytonks on
Broadway.
During the post-game presser, a reporter mentioned to Tkachuk that
these potential playoffs foes were credited with a combined 74 collisions
in Tuesday’s battle at Bridgestone Arena, a lot more than you see in a
standard regular-season spin.
“What, in the first period?” he quipped.
While the hits and hostility lasted from start to finish, the temperature
really cranked when Flames defenceman Erik Gudbranson — ex of the
Predators — hammered Tanner Jeannot late in the first. The former car-
pool pals dropped their mitts at the end of that same shift for a spirited
scrap.
As everybody lined up for the next faceoff, Tkachuk shoved Matt
Duchene and clipped the Predators leading goal-scorer with a little errant
lumber. Duchene did not appreciate that one bit and responded with a
jab of his stick. Within a blink, all five skaters on both sides were
skirmishing and Tkachuk was following his newest friend into the neutral
zone, asking for a tussle that never did happen.
It wasn’t long before Lucic and Mark Borowiecki were throwing
haymakers in the neutral zone. The Flames’ sheriff won the bout, and
Tkachuk — mouthguard hanging from his lips, per usual — couldn’t wipe
the grin off his face as he watched from the penalty-box.
Fans in both Smashville and the Stampede City must have been thinking,
‘Jeez, this could be fun.’
And it was just getting started.
Filip Forsberg ripped his second power-play goal of the night midway
through the third frame. Just three minutes later, Nashville’s go-to
goaltender, Juuse Saros, pulled up lame after a routine push-off and
headed for the locker-room. He was replaced by familiar face David
Rittich.
These squads have squared off three times this season and this one, like
the previous two, would require overtime. The Predators were 0.1
seconds from completing the sweep when Tkachuk stuffed a puck under
Rittich’s pad.
“I couldn’t hear so I didn’t know if it was actually in or not and then when I
came to the bench, they said it was in,” Tkachuk said of his 41st of the
season. “It was just like, ‘What else? What else could possibly happen in
this game?’ ”
Lucic chimed in: “How much more can we get entertained?”
Lindholm squeaked one past Rittich in overtime to end three-plus hours
of fun. (It wasn’t all bad for the Predators, who officially punched a post-
season ticket when the Dallas Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights
in a marathon shootout.)
“That’s what playoffs are — up one, down one,” said Flames coach
Darryl Sutter after Tuesday’s humdinger in Nashville. “You have to play
every shift like it’s the one that will be the difference. That’s the way it
works.”
The Flames (50-20-10) are locked in as the top seed in the Pacific
Division. The Predators are now tied for the first wild-card spot, but they
have the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Stars.
“Ultimately, we hadn’t beat these guys yet this year,” Tkachuk reminded.
“If we do run into them, it’s nice to have the confidence that we can beat
them.
“Just what that game did for us, bringing us together and at this time of
the year … That game did so much more for us than people would
probably expect. We’re definitely feeling good. That game prepared us
for what this next little bit is going to be like.”
“I just think we showed a lot of character in sticking up for each other and
for ourselves,” Lucic echoed. “Darryl has been on us about being in
playoff mode for the past 10 or 15 games and I think that’s what makes
him a really good coach and why we’ve had success as a team is he
prepares us and gets us ready and fired up for every game, no matter
what. If we play them, if we don’t play them, whoever we play, it was
definitely a playoff type of game.”
Dillon Dube scored twice more Tuesday, continuing his recent roll, while
blue-liner Noah Hanifin had the other notch for the Flames. Dan Vladar
delivered 19 saves in the visiting crease.
OFF THE GLASS
This marks the third time in franchise history the Flames have piled up 50
wins in a season — the others in 1988-89 and 2018-19. That includes a
club-record 25 triumphs in road rinks. “Still got two left,” Sutter said. “Hey,
I’m proud of our team. I mean, to have that kind of record and do what
they’ve done, it’s a pretty good group” … Sutter’s squad was dinged for
seven minors, something that the skipper stressed can’t happen in the
Stanley Cup tournament. “I don’t think you want to be taking all those
penalties, that’s for sure. I mean, there was two or three that were
retaliation penalties. In playoffs, if you take those … ” He trailed off, but
he’d already made his point … The Predators and Stars are even at 95
points apiece. Nashville holds the tiebreaker. They’ll conclude their
regular-season slate on the road against the Colorado Avalanche and
Arizona Coyotes, while the boys from the Big D host the Coyotes and
Anaheim Ducks … There was no immediate update on Saros’ health.
This would be a significant loss, especially since Rittich — a former fan
fave at the Saddledome — has a dreadful .883 save percentage this
season … The Flames continue this three-game getaway with
Thursday’s matchup against the Minnesota Wild (6 p.m. MT, Sportsnet
West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan) … Jacob Markstrom should be back
between the pipes in Minnesota. With Vladar tapped for back-to-back
starts, the workhorse goalie should be well-rested for a playoff push …
Netminding call-up Dustin Wolf, who dressed Saturday as Vladar’s
backup, was reassigned to Stockton.
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242822 Calgary Flames
'Everyone's Game' urges Calgarians to embrace all the benefits of youth
hockey
POSTMEDIA NEWS SERVICES
Everyone’s Game.
That’s the new awareness campaign being launched by Hockey Calgary,
which is rooted in encouraging all Calgarians to get involved in the sport.
Advocating the benefits of hockey is at the core of the program, as it
invites kids and parents alike to look beyond the ice and the bench to
experience the benefits of participating in the game. ‘Everyone’s Game’
highlights myriad benefits, including inclusion, program availability,
safety, time, sense of community, volunteer opportunities and
affordability.
Getting involved in the sport can encourage growth opportunities that go
well beyond the ice. Kids all over Calgary can have the opportunity to
play ‘Canada’s game’ while meeting new friends, learning leadership
skills and understanding the importance of teamwork.
“The game of hockey teaches kids so much more than how to skate and
the skills needed for the game,” said Hockey Calgary executive director
Kevin Kobelka. “Hockey teaches our youth about teamwork, inclusion,
community and leadership. These are important skills at any age or stage
in life, and we want all Calgarians to be able to participate in the game.”
Hockey Calgary offers several unique programs to fit the needs of every
family. Cost, time commitments, travel, skill level, development and fun
are factors to consider when deciding which stream is the right fit.
The different streams include:
First Shift: an initiative for kids to try hockey programs
Flames Community House League
Community hockey
Recreational Hockey Calgary
Female hockey
Elite hockey
“There are various ways to get involved in the sport, well beyond playing
the game,” Kobelka said.
“The campaign isn’t solely focused on kids either,” Kobelka said. “It will
also speak to the many ways families can also get involved in the sport.
Through Hockey Calgary, Calgarians can get involved off the ice at a
grassroots level. This includes volunteer opportunities open to everyone,
regardless of having children in the game or not. These opportunities
enable everyone to get involved and help grow the sport in Calgary.
“We are always encouraging involvement in the sport and providing
volunteer opportunities throughout the season.”
Early registration for the 2022-23 season runs from June 15-July 1,
depending on a player’s community association. To find out more about
the initiative, visit www.hockeycalgary.ca.
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242823 Calgary Flames
Dube could be playoff X-Factor for Flames
Wes Gilbertson
NASHVILLE — Playoff poolies are taking note.
Trouble is, Dillon Dube might be jeopardizing his own sleeper status.
With the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs just around the corner, the Calgary
Flames’ third-line forward is on a heater.
Perhaps this shouldn’t come as any sort of surprise. As Flames coach
Darryl Sutter has mentioned on a couple of occasions: “If you look at his
track record, wherever he’s played, Dillon shows up at important times.”
Over the past couple of weeks, the 23-year-old speedster has been
regularly showing up on the scoresheet.
Dube tallied twice more in Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime triumph over the
Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena and has now splurged for eight
goals in a seven-game span.
He has totalled nine tallies in April, half of his season total. Across the
league, only seven guys have more markers this month — a list that
includes Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews.
“I think I just needed to be a lot better for this team going into the final
stretch, to elevate my game to get ready for playoffs and try to get into
that spot,” Dube said after tucking two in Saturday’s home victory over
the Vancouver Canucks. “I think I needed to be a lot better, so it’s been
going better of late.”
Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk are the
undisputed offensive catalysts for the Flames, but everybody knows that
secondary scoring is an essential ingredient for any extended playoff
push and Dube has the makings of a could-be X-Factor for the Pacific
Division pennant-winners.
He has the speed and sandpaper to create havoc on the forecheck.
He has the skill to finish on his opportunities.
He’s currently brimming with confidence and clicking with linemates Calle
Jarnkrok and Blake Coleman, two dudes who play with a similar
determination. Collectively, they could be more than a mild annoyance
for the opponents in a best-of-seven series.
It’s a bonus that Dube can grow a full playoff beard in roughly the same
amount of time required to cook a pot roast. Remember, too, that he was
among the standouts in the Flames’ most recent post-season
appearance, notching four goals during a 10-game stay in the bubble in
2020.
Only Sam Bennett tickled more twine for the Calgarians during those
summer showdowns. (Dube was tied for second on the team charts with
Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund.)
“I think that was big for me, taking that step,” acknowledged Dube, who
accumulated a good chunk of big-game experience thanks to two world-
junior tournaments — including a golden moment as Captain Canada —
and three consecutive trips to the conference final or beyond with the
Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets. “But it was obviously a lot
different in the way it happened — having however many months off and
coming back and playing in the bubble. It was a lot different, and it’s in
the past too. You can’t just expect to be a good playoff player because I
had a couple good games. And at the same time, we didn’t get to where
we wanted to, so obviously I didn’t feel like I performed well enough.
“In the playoffs, you have to get out of your comfort zone. You could say I
played well because I was scoring goals. But if I’m not scoring, I need to
play well without the puck and just play how I’ve built through these 82
games.”
Sutter certainly seems pleased with the way that No. 29 is trending. He
has offered plenty of praise of late, including this nugget from Saturday’s
post-game presser: “He’s his own worst critic and he listens. I’m good
with that.”
The youngest regular on the Flames’ roster, Dube has clearly been
paying attention to the recent moaning and groaning from the boss that
there is too much focus on individual performance.
Despite his April outburst, he’s been expertly stickhandling around
questions about his personal play, about whether he’s popping at the
perfect time.
“It’s about getting to our best hockey and the best team we can possibly
be heading into playoffs,” Dube stressed. “Because yeah, it was a huge
goal to get into playoffs. But if you’re not playing good hockey at that
point, it’s a waste of lot of hockey before if you’re not ready. So I think it’s
really important for our group to be at our best.”
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242824 Calgary Flames
Game Night: Flames at Predators
Daniel Austin
CALGARY FLAMES (49-20-10) at NASHVILLE PREDATORS (44-29-6)
Tuesday, 6 p.m. MT, Bridgestone Arena
TV: Sportsnet West
RADIO: Sportsnet 960 The Fan
WHY WATCH?
POTENTIAL PLAYOFF PREVIEW
If the regular season were to end right now, the Flames would be facing
the Predators in the first round of the NHL playoffs, so Tuesday’s
matchup could offer a preview of what’s to come. There is – of course –
still lots to be decided with the Western Conference’s wild-card spots, so
there are no guarantees that these teams are going to get super familiar
with each other in the post-season, but there should be an added edge to
Tuesday’s encounter.
POINTS LEADERS
FLAMES
Johnny Gaudreau 79 39 72 111 +61
Matthew Tkachuk 79 40 61 101 +55
Elias Lindholm 79 40 40 80 +58
PREDATORS
Roman Josi 77 21 70 91 +13
Matt Duchene 75 41 40 81 +3
Filip Forsberg 66 40 40 80 +9
SPECIAL TEAMS
FLAMES: PP — 23.6% (8th): PK — 84.0% (5th)
PREDATORS: PP — 24.5% (6th): PK — 78.9 (19th)
THREE THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
1. The Flames might know where they’re ending up in the standings
when the regular season ends later this week, but the Predators still have
everything to play for. Sure, they’re in the Western Conference’s first
wild-card spot now with 94 points, but the Dallas Stars are one point
behind them and the Vegas Golden Knights are desperately trying to
catch them, too. The Predators be playing desperate on Tuesday.
2. When these two teams lock horns, there’s rarely much that separates
them. Dating back to 2019, four of the last five meetings between the
Flames and Preds have gone to overtime. The Predators have won four
of those games, including both meetings this season – and last week’s 3-
2 shootout thriller in Nashville.
3. Roman Josi is one of those defencemen who you’ve gotta sit back and
admire. The 31-year-old has been consistently excellent for years, but
he’s gone to a whole new level this season and is leading all NHL d-men
with 91 points. He’s the first defenceman since 1994 to record 90 points
in a season. Phenomenal.
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242825 Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes beat Rangers, clinch Metro Division crown behind rookie
Pyotr Kochetkov
BY CHIP ALEXANDER
The Canes are the best in the Metropolitan Division, the toughest in
hockey. They clinched the Metro title with a 4-3 victory Tuesday over the
New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
They also did it with a rookie goalie, Pyotr Kochetkov, whose story added
another intriguing, if unexpected chapter.
Had goalie Frederik Andersen not been injured 10 days ago, Kochetkov
would not have been called up from the American Hockey League. Had
Antti Raanta not been injured Sunday, Kochetkov would not have been
playing in a third straight game Tuesday or winning for a third straight
time.
But it has been as astounding confluence of events, a move made of
necessity, and Kochetkov has made the most of it. Making 31 saves
Tuesday in his matchup against the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, he joined
in the post-game celebration and was among the last to leave the ice
before Vincent Trocheck jumped into Jaccob Slavin’s arms, as Trocheck
does after victories.
“It’s unreal,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s a great story and
hopefully it continues. The way he looks, nothing fazes him. He looks like
he belongs.”
The Hurricanes (53-20-8) broke a couple of franchise records that have
stood since 2006, then the Canes were Stanley Cup champions and
Brind’Amour its team captain. They have 53 wins and 114 points, topping
the 52 and 112 of the ‘06 team that put the big banner up in PNC Arena.
“You probably need to take a minute and realize it’s been a pretty good
darn year and we’ve done what we wanted to do,” Brind’Amour said.
“What’s great is guys aren’t really excited about it. We know that there
are bigger things we want to accomplish.
“But when we set out we wanted to be the best in 82 games and we’re at
the top of our division, which is great. That’s an accomplishment and we
can enjoy it for a little while and we’ll get right back at it.”
The Hurricanes have one game left in the regular season, at home
Thursday against New Jersey. Who knows, Kochetkov might play in a
fourth consecutive game.
Raanta, to everyone’s relief with the Canes, was not seriously injured
Sunday -- he left the game with 7:03 left in the second period -- and was
able to be the backup goalie. Andersen did not make the three-game
road trip as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury suffered
April 16 at Colorado, and Brind’Amour had no update Tuesday on his
status.
The importance of winning the division was gaining the home-ice
advantage in both the first two rounds, if Carolina advances. The Florida
Panthers, the Atlantic Division champs, lead the Eastern Conference with
120 points.
The game Tuesday had Kochetkov matching saves against Shesterkin, a
Vezina Trophy candidate and possibly the favorite to win. The game had
high-skill plays and had some playoff-quality physicality and scuffles.
Trocheck, after sitting out a game, returned to have a goal and assist and
gave the Canes the game’s first score in the second period off a Brady
Skjei feed. That came after the Canes’ top-ranked penalty kill had been
tested by three straight penalties that gave the Rangers the chance to
take the first lead, late in the first and early in the second.
The Canes made it 2-0 in the second when a Derek Stepan shot glanced
off Jordan Martinook in front of Shesterkin -- “It hit my big bicep,”
Martinook later quipped. Teuvo Teravainen scored late in the second --
his 100th career goal with the Canes -- and Sebastian Aho made it 4-1 in
the third with his 37th of the season.
Chris Kreider scored his 52nd for the Rangers (51-23-6), who despite
having Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp leave the game with injuries
made it interesting late. Jacob Trouba scored in the third and Alexis
Lafreniere after Shesterkin was pulled for a sixth attacker, but there
would be no tying goal against Kochetkov.
“He’s got confidence, he’s got a little swagger to him,” Skjei said.
News Observer LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242826 Carolina Hurricanes
Raanta to serve as Canes’ backup goalie in Rangers game as Kochetkov
starts
BY CHIP ALEXANDER
Goaltender Antti Raanta was at the team’s morning skate Tuesday at
New York’s Madison Square Garden, and Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour
said he would be the backup to starting goalie Pyotr Kochetkov against
the Rangers on Tuesday night.
Raanta left Sunday’s road game against the New York Islanders with an
undisclosed lower-body injury. With goalie Frederik Andersen sidelined
since April 16, also with a lower-body injury, the Canes were in the
position of potentially being without both veterans near the start of the
Stanley Cup playoffs.
But Raanta was on the ice Tuesday, which Brind’Amour said was “good
to see.”
“There’s obviously nothing serious there, which is obviously huge,”
Brind’Amour said. “I don’t know that’s he’s 100 percent. I think he’s still a
little nicked up. He can play if we needed him to.”
The Canes (52-20-8) can clinch the Metropolitan Division title over the
Rangers with a victory. Andersen was the winning goalie two weeks ago
when the Canes beat the Rangers 4-2 at the Garden.
Brind’Amour had no further update on Andersen, who he said remained
in Raleigh to recover while the team was on its three-game road trip. He
said he should know more Wednesday.
Kochetkov, recalled from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on an
emergency basis, made his NHL debut Saturday as the Canes edged the
New Jersey Devils in overtime, and won again Sunday after relieving
Raanta. He faced 27 shots in the two games as the Canes were effective
in limiting the Devils’ and Islanders’ offensive chances.
“He’s going to be a great goalie, you can already tell,” Canes
defenseman Brendan Smith said Tuesday.
Kochetkov speaks very little English, but Smith said he “picks it up quick”
and that the language barrier is not a detriment on the ice in the
communication between goalie and D-men.
“He understands way more than he talks,” Smith said. “He’ll understand
what we say.”
News Observer LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242827 Chicago Blackhawks
Patrick Kane thinks the Chicago Blackhawks can succeed sooner than
expected: ‘You can win and still be in a rebuild’
Phil Thompson
Clearly Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane doesn’t like the word
“rebuild.”
“I mean, I guess it’s all noise, right?” he said. “You could talk about
‘rebuild’ — it seems like that word is brought up a lot — but as a player
it’s more about just trying to be the best you can be and to help the team
win.”
“Rebuild” comes up a lot because the Hawks made it the centerpiece of
their public introduction of new general manager Kyle Davidson.
“We’re going to look at more of a rebuild here,” Davidson said in March.
“There are some things that we really need to fix that are going to take
time. No matter if it takes three years, five years to get to the level of
success that we’re looking to achieve, when we get there, it’s our mission
to stay there.”
[ [Don't miss] Kyle Davidson is fully aware of the task ahead as the new
Blackhawks GM: ‘It’s clear we need to be better. The standings tell us
that every day.’ ]
Still, players such as Alex DeBrincat have expressed a desire to
“accelerate” the rebuild by winning sooner than expected, so it begs the
question: Do the players’ and the organization’s perceptions of the
rebuild align?
“Yeah, you can win and still be in a rebuild,” Kane said Tuesday at the
United Center in what amounted to an exit interview for the season. “I
think there are teams that have accelerated that, too, right?”
Kane held up the Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers as prime
examples.
The Kings have leaped from a .438 points percentage during the
abbreviated 2020-21 season to a .600 percentage that puts them in
playoff position.
The Rangers finished fifth in the reconfigured eight-team East Division
last season but rank second in the Metropolitan this season.
However, a naysayer could point out that — if one discounts the
expanded postseason format in 2019-20 — each team has had a three-
season gap since its previous playoff appearance.
“You can win and still be in rebuild. …You obviously need those young
guys to take next steps but I think it can be done quicker than maybe
some people think.”
—Patrick Kane pointing to the LA Kings and NY Rangers as teams that
accelerated their rebuilds pic.twitter.com/77xRKUN020
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) April 26, 2022
Nevertheless, Kane said, “You look at L.A., they had some young guys
that ... maybe exceeded some of their front-office expectations, and all of
a sudden they’re in a spot where they can sign guys like (Phillip) Danault
and trade for (Viktor) Arvidsson and they’re a better team.
“Same thing with the Rangers, right?. It was like they put out that memo
a couple of years ago that they’re rebuilding, and all of a sudden they’re
one of the best teams in the league a couple of years later. Obviously
you bring a guy in like (Artemi) Panarin, that helps. Or a guy like
(goaltender Igor) Shesterkin, he comes to the forefront.”
Kane referenced those teams but also took stock of the youth on the
Hawks roster.
“You need those young guys obviously to take next steps, but I think it
could be done quicker than maybe some people think,” he said. “So as a
player, like I said, you’re not worried about how long it takes or what’s
going on as far as when we’re going to win again, but you’re always
trying to help that process move along as quickly as possible.”
[ [Don't miss] Dominik Kubalík looks to ‘refresh my mind’ rather than
worry about whether the Blackhawks want to re-sign him ]
Defenseman Connor Murphy, making his first media appearance since
suffering a concussion against the Ottawa Senators on March 12, agreed
with Kane’s line of thinking.
“I think every player, no matter what stage is spoken about the
organization that you’re in, is going to be equally as eager to make the
playoffs and work as hard to get there,” Murphy said. “And it doesn’t
mean that you’re not going to (make the playoffs) each year just because
you’re in a rebuild.
“I don’t look at it with any negativity. ... I’m happy to be here as long as
I’m wanted and fortunate, even though we’ve had some struggling
seasons, to be a part of this group.”
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242828 Chicago Blackhawks
Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane proud of his performance this season in light of
still-nagging injury
Ben Pope
Patrick Kane has looked so much like his usual self this season — and
has produced so much like it, too — that his still-undisclosed nagging
injury, once a topic of major concern, has been practically forgotten.
That is, it has been practically forgotten by everyone else. Kane himself,
while racking up 92 points through 76 games in the third-highest scoring
season of his career, has been reminded of it by pain and discomfort
every night.
“I’m proud of myself in some ways, for sure, [about] the way this season
went and the way I was able to perform,” Kane said Tuesday. “But I still
think I need to be at another level coming into next year. That starts with
just having a good summer and getting 100% healthy. . . . I really want to
make sure my body’s feeling good and that I’m able to do the stuff that I
want to [do].”
Kane has been quietly inhibited healthwise all year.
“I was able to get myself ready pretty much for every game, and I
definitely give the training staff a lot of credit for that, but it probably
wasn’t where I needed it to be,” he said. “There are certain things on the
ice that maybe you feel limited with.”
Kane has been alluding to his injury for more than a year now — it
seemed to be more visibly affecting him last spring, during the latter half
of the 2021 season — without disclosing many details. He admitted
Tuesday there are some procedures available for his issue, but he’s not
considering any at the moment.
While rehabbing the injury this summer, Kane also expects to meet
“more than one” time with general manager Kyle Davidson to “talk about
certain things.” He’ll certainly want to get a clearer sense of Davidson’s
rebuilding plans and how he may or may not fit in.
For now, though, Kane is still talking — as he has all season —as if he
expects to stay in Chicago. He said he “really, truly believes” that there
are “parts of our team that can come back next year, surprise some
people and win a lot of hockey games.”
Davidson might inject in him a dose of reality this summer about what the
Hawks’ rebuild will entail, but Kane is looking toward the Kings’ and
Rangers’ examples to stay optimistic.
“You can win and still be in a rebuild,” he said. “There are teams that
have accelerated that. You look at L.A. — they had some young guys
that came in and maybe exceeded some of maybe their front-office
expectations, and all of a sudden, they’re in a spot where they can sign
guys like [Phillip] Danault and trade for [Viktor] Arvidsson and they’re a
better team.
“[It’s the] same thing with the Rangers, right? They put out that memo a
couple of years ago that they’re rebuilding, and all of a sudden, they’re
one of the best teams in the league a couple of years later. Obviously,
[when] you bring a guy in like [Artemi] Panarin, that helps. Or [when] a
guy like [Igor] Shesterkin . . . comes to the forefront. You need those
young guys obviously to take next steps, but it could be done quicker
than maybe some people think.”
Kane, always a believer in himself, thinks he could boost that youth-
development process.
Alex DeBrincat’s continued presence could, too. Kane went out of his
way Tuesday to make it clear DeBrincat’s fate will significantly affect his
fate.
“If [Alex is] here and if he’s a big piece, then that makes it easier for me,
too,” he said. “Because I’m playing with him every day and he’s such a
good player and it makes it fun to be out there with him. We’ll see how it
all shakes out.”
Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242829 Chicago Blackhawks
DeBrincat is here for Hawks rebuild, hopes to accelerate it
BY CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS
When the Blackhawks traded away Brandon Hagel at the March 21
deadline, it signaled just how serious GM Kyle Davidson was about a
rebuild. But reality probably didn't start sinking in until a little after that.
Despite picking up five out of six points in the three games that followed
the trade deadline, the Blackhawks have since won only two of their last
13 games, and in those two wins, they needed overtime or a shootout to
close the deal. If we're being brutally honest, this might be a glimpse of
what next year will be like for the Blackhawks.
Alex DeBrincat was recently asked whether he's wrapped his head
around the rebuild yet, and here was his response:
"This stretch has been pretty tough, but I think we have a lot we can work
on and build off of," DeBrincat said on April 15. "Obviously next year, with
the rebuild, we might lose more games than we win but that’s obviously
never the goal. If we come out hot or doing well, there’s no point to
rebuild after that, right?
"I think if we can still just instill a good identity and compete every night,
it’s our job to win games whether we have a good team or a bad team.
We’ve got to do our best to compete and really come to work every day
and work hard, and just be there to try to win."
When Davidson declared a rebuild on March 1, the topic quickly shifted
to the futures of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. They're both 33
years old — Toews turns 34 on Friday — with one year left on their
contracts after this season. Do they want to be around for it? That's the
big question.
And then there's DeBrincat, who's 24 years old and just entering the
prime of his career. He's about to wrap up a career statistical season in
Year 5 at the NHL level, but he hasn't tasted postseason success yet,
aside from the 2020 bubble in Edmonton. It might be a while before he
does, too.
I asked DeBrincat after Monday's morning skate whether he's talked to or
plans to talk to Kane and Toews about what they might be feeling, and
he seemed committed to being a part of the Blackhawks' rebuild
regardless of what happens with them.
"We'll talk maybe a little in the future, but that's kind of their decision,"
DeBrincat said. "It doesn't really affect me. I'm still young. I want to help
bring this team to the playoffs and win. I'm here to do whatever I can and
obviously try to help win games. If that's the rebuild next year, hopefully
help some of the young guys come in and feel comfortable and excel that
rebuild."
The question now shifts to, will DeBrincat be around for it? It sounds
stupid to suggest, but the Blackhawks don't have many tradable assets to
kickstart a long-term rebuild other than DeBrincat and Kane, who has a
full no-movement clause, and you have to wonder how much attention
DeBrincat's name could get from other teams this summer and whether
the Blackhawks would be tempted to consider moving him if the potential
return swept them off their feet like the Hagel package did.
DeBrincat will be a pending restricted free agent at the end of the 2022-
23 season, the same year as Kane and Toews, and he's expected to
earn a fairly substantial raise. His negotiating window opens on July 13,
and the last time his window opened, he ironed out a three-year, $19.2
million deal ($6.4 million cap hit) pretty quickly.
DeBrincat said he's "open to anything" this time around, but understands
the Blackhawks have bigger things to sort out first.
"We'll see what they're thinking," DeBrincat said. "I think they have a lot
of things to do probably before me. But I'm open to talking whenever they
are, so we'll see where it goes."
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242830 Colorado Avalanche
Avalanche snaps four-game losing streak with home victory over St.
Louis Blues
Kyle Fredrickson
The Avalanche held a team meeting on Tuesday morning to reestablish
championship expectations after four consecutive losses.
Head coach Jared Bednar joined veteran players in speaking out. The
message to the team?
“We’ve taken a dip,” Bednar said after morning skate. “Now, it’s time to
get it back.”
The Avs took that advice to heart in a 5-3 victory over the visiting St.
Louis Blues at Ball Arena. Colorado exploded for three goals in the
second period from Val Nichushkin, Erik Johnson and Josh Manson.
Meanwhile, Avs goaltender Darcy Kuemper was solid making 29 of 32
saves.
The Avalanche (56-18-6) has only two games left in the regular season
— home on Thursday against the Nashville Predators and at the
Minnesota Wild on Friday — before opening the playoffs as the top seed
in the Western Conference. Colorado’s 118 points on the year tie a club
record set by the 2001 Stanley Cup championship team.
A six-minute stretch in the second period on Tuesday made all the
difference in an Avalanche victory.
It began with a Nathan MacKinnon faceoff win that found its way to
Nichushkin. The Russian-born forward circled the high slot and beat St.
Louis goalie Jordan Binnington with a slick wrister. Johnson followed it up
moments later by rebounding a J.T. Compher attempt at the net. A
Manson shot past Binnington gave Colorado a 3-0 lead. Blues forward
Brandon Saad closed the second with a power-play goal.
“We didn’t get rewarded in the first period but then it came in the
second,” Manson said. “We controlled a majority of that game.”
Colorado extended its advantage just nine seconds into the third when
Artturi Lehkonen went five-hole through Binnington. But the Blues weren’t
done yet. St. Louis forward Ryan O’Reilly scored twice (once with
Binnington pulled) to get within a single goal. Kuemper staved off the
comeback attempt with several clutch saves over the final two minutes.
Nazem Kadri scored on an open net to seal the Colorado win.
“Right from the get-go, I thought we were playing well,” Bednar said. “We
did a nice job in our checking with the second period being our best
period. They have a four or five-minute push there late in the (third)
period. Then we kind of bounced back for the last three minutes. On our
toes and being assertive. There was a physicality to our game. Guys
were moving the puck and execution was good. I liked our game from
start to finish.”
A scoreless first period nearly broke open in an unconventional way. The
Blues pulled Binnington on a delayed Avs penalty call when a loose puck
careened off the boards and headed toward the open St. Louis net.
Colorado would have scored had it not been for the diving effort of Blues
defenseman Marco Scandella.
Before the game, Avalanche forward Alex Newhook expressed gratitude
for the team’s leadership group. Their words of encouragement in that
Tuesday morning meeting clearly stuck.
“We’ve got so many veteran guys in the room that can steer us in the
right direction here,” Newhook said. “It’s great when our coaching staff’s
message is the same that the players are carrying out. … It’s comforting
to have that as a piece of our team here. It’s going to be important going
down the stretch.”
Denver Post: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242831 Colorado Avalanche
Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews returns to lineup against St. Louis
Blues
Kyle Fredrickson
Devon Toews felt like most Avalanche fans watching from a distance
during the team’s four-game losing streak.
“Frustrating,” Toews said.
Now, he’ll try to do something about it.
The Avs defenseman returned to the lineup Tuesday night against St.
Louis at Ball Arena. Toews missed the past four games to rest minor
undisclosed injuries before the playoffs, a stretch during which the Avs
went winless.
Colorado’s record this season with Toews in the lineup: 50-9-5. In games
without Toews: 5-9-1.
“It’s tough watching it on a screen instead of being live and being
present. It’s a little different,” Toews said. “I didn’t go back and watch the
film like our coaching staff does and all that. So, I can’t really nitpick on it.
It just looked like a little bit of lack of urgency from our team and a lack of
details that we’re trying to get better at now.”
Toews has been among Colorado’s most consistent players this season.
His plus/minus rating (+52) is the highest on the team. Avs coach Jared
Bednar described Toews as “a calming influence” on the ice.
“He’s a special player,” Avs forward Alex Newhook said. “I know that he
brings the same game every night. He’s super consistent and great on
both ends of the puck….He’s got that sense where he’s a calming guy
and is always doing the right things. It’s great to have him back in the
lineup. We definitely miss him when he’s out.”
A glaring problem with the Colorado blueline over its April losing skid has
been full-period breakdowns. The Kraken scored three times in the third.
Edmonton notched four goals in the second. The Jets rolled to four goals
in the third.
Toews is confident the Avalanche will clean up their defensive miscues
with just three regular-season games left before the playoffs.
“It sucks losing and it definitely puts you down a little bit,” Toews said.
“But I think we’re trying to find joy in the game and enjoy playing with
each other. We don’t know who is going to be in the lineup these last
three games.”
Footnotes. Gabe Landeskog (knee surgery) and Mikko Rantanen (non-
COVID illness) skated early Tuesday morning but will not be in the lineup
against St. Louis. Rantanen is “gearing up” to play on Thursday against
the Predators and Landeskog is “unlikely” to be back until the playoffs
begin, Bednar said. … Forward Nazem Kadri struggled over his first
three games back from an upper-body injury with only one assist. Bednar
said: “Nowhere good enough. That line is getting eaten alive. He’s got to
get engaged. … Work ethic, competitiveness, details, all of it. That whole
line has to go.”
Denver Post: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242832 Colorado Avalanche
Avalanche continue to await first-round opponent following 5-3 victory
over St. Louis –
Aarif Deen
It wasn’t a must-win for the Avalanche but it certainly was a much-
needed bounce back following a bad week.
Colorado defeated the red hot St. Louis Blues 5-3 on Tuesday to end a
season-long four-game losing streak. The Blues’ 14-0-2 run came to an
end despite a late push to tie the game.
“It’s important because You don’t want to let it linger,” Avs coach Jared
Bednar said of getting back in the win column.
Listen to “Losing Streak” on Spreaker.
The Avs pulled within two points of the Florida Panthers in the
Presidents’ Trophy race with two games remaining. Colorado holds the
regulation wins tiebreaker (45-41) on the Panthers, who lost their second
consecutive game.
“We were just thinking about tonight honestly,” defenseman Josh
Manson said. We wanted to get back on track and we’ll take a look at the
standings when we get done with this.”
While the Blues are locked into a first-round series against the Minnesota
Wild, the Avs still aren’t sure who their opponent will be — albeit they
have a much clearer idea. The Dallas Stars defeated the Vegas Golden
Knights in the shootout and Nashville earned a point in their overtime
loss.
The Predators and Stars, who currently occupy the wildcard spots in the
Western Conference, both jumped to 95 points while Vegas trails by four
points. Each of the three teams has two games remaining. The Preds
and L.A. Kings both clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday.
Colorado could still see either of the three opponents in the first round
but Vegas’ chances of survival suffered immensely following its defeat.
The Golden Knights need to go 2-0 in their last two games and Dallas
has to lose twice in regulation for Vegas to clinch the final spot.
Valeri Nichushkin, Manson, Erik Johnson and Artturi Lehkonen scored for
the Avalanche, who welcomed back defenseman Devon Toews to the
lineup following a five-game absence. Colorado was 1-4 without their top-
pair defenseman.
Toews recorded three shots and was a plus-2 in 24:07.
Tazer brings us stability. I think still he’s probably a little
underappreciated around the league,” Johnson said. “He’s a top-10
defenseman in the league and he brings all the pairings kind of where
they’re supposed to be. He’s one of our MVPs for sure this year.”
Nichushkin’s goal was his 25th of the season and eight in 13 games. The
26-year-old has 15 points in that stretch after also assisting on
Lehkonen’s tally nine seconds into the third period.
“I thought he was a beast tonight. He was on pucks all over the ice,”
Bednar said of Nichushkin. “That’s the sort of tenaciousness that we
need and he’s been bringing it even through the slump.
__
Aarif Deen is our Colorado Avalanche beat reporter. He covers Avs
games live from Ball Arena and attends practices, media availabilities
and other events pertaining to the Avs on the daily beat. He is also a co-
host of Hockey Mountain High: Your go-to Avalanche Podcast. Deen
joined Mile High Sports upon completion of his bachelor’s degree in
journalism and master’s in business administration from the University of
Michigan – Dearborn. Before Mile High Sports, Deen worked for the
Michigan Wolverines Athletics Department as the assistant sports
information director.
milehighsports.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242833 Colorado Avalanche
Avs Grades in Win Over Blues - Colorado Hockey Now
By Kelsey Hammond
You don’t get out without singin’ the blues
Bowen Byram : B – He seemed to get better as the game went along like
he was feeding off the energy.
Erik Johnson : A – I liked his play offensively and defensively. This was a
really good bounce-back game for everyone as it ended the losing
streak.
Devon Toews : A – Not saying he’s the missing link but…..he’s the
missing link. I hope he feels rested because it’s go time.
Cale Makar : B- – A quiet night compared to normal. 20 plus minutes
played, plus two and three hits. Hope he can turn it around…kidding.
Andrew Cogliano : B- – Really impressive on the penalty kill again. He
kept the pressure on and cleared the puck when needed.
Valeri Nichushkin : A+ – Best season of his career. Hopefully, it carries
over into the postseason because he will be a difference-maker.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel : C+ – He was tied for the team lead in hits (4) and
played over 13 minutes. I’ll take it.
Alex Newhook : A – 20 apples for the season. He’s played well through
the losing streak and it’s nice to see him rewarded. He also was 5-0 in
the faceoff dot.
Logan O’Connor : C+ – Avs snap their streak and looked like their
dominant selves. Everyone gets a good grade!
Nathan MacKinnon : B+ – A plus three and an assist. He now has 88
points on the season, behind only Rantanen who has 91.
$20 Dollar Bonus Voucher!
J.T. Compher : B+ – He has himself a nice four-game point streak
going right now. He was also a plus three tonight.
Josh Manson : A – He NEEDED this type of game. I loved his shot from
the point and hopefully we see more of those shot selections come
playoffs.
Darren Helm : C – Nothing crazy or impactful but hey! You win as a team
and you lose as a team.
Sam Girard : B – Another defensemen who needed a strong
performance. He had an assist and over 18 minutes played. Keep. It.
Going.
Attruri Lehkonen : B+ – He is a prime example of hard work paying off.
He hustles to the net and keeps the pressure on with every shift.
Nico Sturm : C – Struggled in the faceoff dot tonight going 2-4. He played
a little under 10 minutes.
Nazem Kadri : B – It would be nice to see him catch fire again before the
regular season ends. He’s not playing horrible but we are missing that
energy. An empty-net goal is a good start.
Andre Burakovsky : C – He missed the net a few times tonight but also
blocked three shots.
Darcy Kuemper: B- – It’s just been an odd couple of games. There has
been a fluke/random/incredible play that has happened in almost all of
them. Tonight, O’Reilly’s 2nd goal of the game had me fooled! What a
play. At the end of the night he faced 31 shots and let three in. More
importantly, he got the W in a third period that could have been a
meltdown.
Colorado hockey now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242834 Columbus Blue Jackets
Blue Jackets overwhelmed by Tampa Bay Lightning's top players in 4-1
loss
Bailey Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch
TAMPA, Fla. — The Blue Jackets did everything they could.
Unanimously, Zach Werenski, Oliver Bjorkstrand and coach Brad Larsen
agreed that they were pleased with the way their team played against
Tampa Bay. They thought the Jackets hung with the Lightning throughout
the majority of Tuesday's game and turned in a solid performance.
But there's a clear gap in skill between the two teams, and in a 4-1 loss
at Amalie Arena, the Lightning's top players took full advantage of it.
Nikita Kucherov scored the game's first goal and had the primary assist
on the other three goals, and Steven Stamkos had two goals and two
assists while reaching 100 points for the first time in his career.
"I actually thought we played pretty good tonight, to be honest," Werenski
said. "It’s a team that if you give them time and space and give them
room to make plays, they’re gonna make plays and find the back of the
net.
"But I thought for the majority of that game, we were right there. I thought
we played pretty good tonight. It’s tough that it was 4-1, but I thought it
was a good game, pretty much for the most part, from our group."
Kucherov scored the game's first goal just 1:37 into the first period, as he
found himself with plenty of time and space in the high slot to convert a
feed from Stamkos in the corner.
The Jackets (36-37-7) struck back less than 90 seconds later with a
power-play goal from Bjorkstrand, his second goal in two games, and
played a relatively even period for the majority of the frame. But the skill
of Tampa's top players was the difference-maker, and Kucherov teed up
Stamkos for a one-timer on the power play late in the first period that
gave the Lightning (50-22-8) the lead.
The first-period goal and assist gave Stamkos 99 points on the season,
and it felt inevitable that he'd reach 100 at some point in the evening.
Midway through the second period, it was Kucherov again who set up the
tally. Immediately after leaving the penalty box, Kucherov hassled
defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov into a turnover and put the puck right on
Stamkos' stick. The Lighting captain did the rest, scoring his 39th goal of
the season and reaching 100 points in the process.
"Second period, it’s 2-1, we get two real good looks on our power play
there," Larsen said. "(Kucherov) gets out of the box, pops our stick, it’s 3-
1 instead of 2-2. But that’s what good teams do. We don’t have to talk
about how good they are, because we know. They’ve won
championships."
Though the Jackets had a strong offensive push for much of the third
period, they were unable to solve Andrei Vasilevskiy. Kucherov picked up
his fourth point of the night on pass from behind the net to Ondrej Palat
right in front, pushing the game firmly out of the Jackets' reach.
Columbus was credited with just six shots on goal in the third period but
had five shots blocked by the Lightning and missed eight attempts,
including one that hit the post.
"We had a lot of good looks," Larsen said. "They had 25 blocked shots.
The shot discrepancy looks like it was — but that’s a big group back
there. They do a real good job of being in front. And if you get by them,
you’ve gotta get by the other guy, 88 (Vasilevskiy). He’s pretty good."
Playing Lighting provides learning opportunity for Blue Jackets' young
players
Rookie forward Cole Sillinger didn't start out the game matched against
the Stamkos line, but after Stamkos and his linemates scored three even-
strength goals against Justin Danforth's line, Larsen made a switch —
and praised Sillinger's ability to handle the matchup down the stretch.
"Silly drew a tough assignment," Larsen said. "He was flipping that match
there on the Stamkos line. It’s great. It’s great experience for him to play
against those guys. You see that line’s rolling. They were in on all four
goals. They did all the damage. But how he handled himself tonight was
real important, I thought. He played. He wasn’t on his heels. He was
attacking the game."
Sillinger played a total of 14:50, sixth among the Jackets' forwards, and
had three shots on goal, three hits and three shots that were blocked. He
won six of the 11 faceoffs he took.
Larsen has spoken multiple times recently about the opportunity for his
young players in the final few games, and with center Sean Kuraly out for
the final three games with a broken toe, Sillinger is a player Larsen
expects to step up even further. It's a one-game sample size, and he
didn't play against Stamkos the whole night, but the control Sillinger
seemed to have over the game bodes well for the future.
And it wasn't just Sillinger who Larsen was pleased with. Yegor
Chinakhov and Kent Johnson also earned praise for their performances,
particularly Johnson as he continues to settle into his young NHL career.
Tuesday was just his seventh game, and he played 12:21 while recording
one shot on goal.
"(Johnson's) game’s coming," Larsen said. "Especially in the second half
of that game, I thought it really started to come. He’s getting more
confident with the puck. These are encouraging signs.
"We know we’re not a playoff team, but you want to see these guys take
some steps, and it was really good to see them play against a really good
hockey team. I thought those guys played a really good game."
OK not the best photo on my part but here’s a look at the repairs on Zach
Werenski’s nose. Said he feels fine. Just bad luck to take one to the face.
#CBJ pic.twitter.com/YgBBUR4Lf1
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) April 27, 2022
Zach Werenski returns for Blue Jackets, suffers another injury, sets
career high
Werenski missed the Jackets' last three games with a jaw injury and was
excited Tuesday morning to return to the lineup. But barely halfway
through the first period, a puck deflected off a Lightning player's backside
and hit Werenski on the bridge of his nose, sending him down the tunnel
for repairs.
After the game, neither he nor Larsen could believe he'd been hit in the
head again. Werenski previously missed time with two concussions this
year, prior to the jaw injury he suffered April 17 in Anaheim.
"You see how he got hit? He’s in the far corner in the offensive zone and
it goes off a hip," Larsen said. "Right in the middle of the face. It’s
incredible. I said, ‘You’ve got a target on your head right now.’ "
Despite missing almost half of the first period while having his injury
tended to, Werenski returned for the second period and still led the
Jackets in ice time with 23:01. He had one shot on goal, three shot
attempts blocked and three that missed the net.
Werenski also picked up the secondary assist on Bjorkstrand's goal,
giving him a career-high 48 points on the season.
Blue Jackets' defensemen rotation forced to adjust
It wasn't a straightforward night for assistant coach Steve McCarthy, who
runs the defensemen. The Jackets had to shuffle their defensive pairs
throughout the game, as Werenski wasn't the only player to be hit in the
face.
Andrew Peeke also fell victim to an errant puck as he slid to block a
centering pass, though he returned to the game only a few minutes later.
Nick Blankenburg also appeared to be banged up as he headed down
the tunnel late in the first period, but he returned for the second and
played the rest of the game.
At one point in the first period, with both Werenski and Blankenburg
being looked at, Gavrikov took a penalty, leaving the Jackets with just
three defensemen — Peeke, Jake Bean and Dean Kukan — to attempt
to kill the penalty. The Lightning scored 61 seconds into the two-minute
power play.
"It is what it is," Larsen said. "It’s hockey. These guys, they all came
back. All played their tails off."
Nick Blankenburg continues to move up Blue Jackets' lineup
In Sunday's win over the Oilers, Blankenburg played top-four minutes
alongside Gavrikov and moved up to run the first power-play unit in the
third period. Tuesday, in his seventh NHL game, he continued his charge
up the lineup.
Though he missed part of the first period with an apparent injury, when
he returned to the ice, Blankenburg flashed his offensive skill — and his
commitment to physicality, as he finished with a game-high eight hits. No
other player recorded more than four.
In the third period, Blankenburg played his final five shifts on the top pair
with Werenski, signifying a further promotion. According to Natural Stat
Trick, the duo — both of whom played college hockey at Michigan —
played 9:07 together at even strength.
They appeared comfortable together almost immediately, and Werenski
didn't hesitate to express his approval of the new defensive pairing.
"I enjoyed it," Werenski said. "(He's a) really smart hockey player. I think
he knows his game really well, doesn’t try too much. Jumps up in the
play and creates some offense. I think he’s very solid defensively. Just
an easy guy to play with. I enjoyed it. Obviously only a couple games left,
not sure what’s gonna happen, but I enjoyed playing with him."
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242835 Columbus Blue Jackets
'Sink or swim': Young Columbus Blue Jackets lineup faces tough stretch
to end season
Bailey Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch
TAMPA, Fla. — The Blue Jackets entered this season as one of the
youngest teams in the NHL, and with several veteran players out of the
lineup the roster has gotten even younger. The Jackets are also set to
face two of the best teams in the NHL, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, for
their final three games of the season.
For coach Brad Larsen, the approach is simple. It's sink-or-swim time for
the young players, who have to step up as Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine
and Sean Kuraly are out of the lineup. Kuraly is a new addition to the list
after suffering a broken toe on Sunday and will miss the rest of the
season.
"We’ve talked about all the guys out of our lineup, so someone has to
take the minutes," Larsen said Sunday after a 5-2 win against Edmonton.
"See how they do. Sink or swim, really, for a lot of these guys. ... I’m sure
a lot of them, they’re probably looking for an autograph after the game
with some of these guys. That’s how special those guys are."
Blue Jackets: Larsen getting consistency from Gustav Nyquist, which
isn't a surprise
NHL: Blue Jackets 'excited' to face Colorado Avalanche in Finland next
season
Blue Jackets: Nationwide Arena gets millions for upgrades, but official
suggests 'major facelift' needed
The Jackets passed the first test of the final stretch with that win over the
Oilers, with rookie forward Carson Meyer and rookie defenseman Nick
Blankenburg both playing the majority of their minutes against Connor
McDavid's line. With a home-and-home against the Lightning and a road
game in Pittsburgh on the docket, the matchups aren't going to get
easier.
Blankenburg grinned after practice on Saturday as he reeled off the list of
elite players he's about to face, less than 10 games into his NHL career.
"Tampa, you’ve got (Nikita) Kucherov and all those guys," he said.
"Pittsburgh is Sidney Crosby."
Kucherov missed time with an injury this year but leads the Lightning with
1.41 points per game and is third overall with 62 points in 44 games.
Crosby has never produced below a point per game in his 17-year NHL
career and he's not slowing down at age 34, with 84 points in 67 games.
The list of players beyond Kucherov and Crosby who make the Lighting
and the Penguins formidable opponents could go on and on. The
combination of elite skill and depth throughout the lineup is what has
made them two of the league's best teams this year, and, in Tampa Bay's
case, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion.
Larsen has spoken throughout the season of his desire to put his players
in a position to succeed, and that intention doesn't change down the final
stretch. But he has no qualms about giving the young players — rookies
Cole Sillinger, Yegor Chinakhov and Kent Johnson among them — a
tough matchup that they may struggle with.
With the Jackets out of the playoffs, this is a learning opportunity for the
young players, and there are few better teams to learn against than the
class of the NHL.
"It’s going to be a trial by fire here, and you’re gonna have to jump in with
both feet," Larsen said. "The pace of the game’s gonna be faster, the
execution. You’re gonna see some higher level of competition here. I’m
very curious to watch it. ... If it’s too much, then you pull back. But I have
no problem seeing them struggle, either. Maybe they’ll thrive, who
knows?"
Justin Danforth nominated for Masterton Trophy
The Columbus chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association
selected forward Justin Danforth as their nominee for the Masterton
Trophy, which is given annually to a player who “best exemplifies the
qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.”
The award is named for Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota
North Stars and died of a head injury suffered in a game in 1968. He is
the only NHL player to die as a direct result of an on-ice injury.
Danforth made his NHL debut this season at the age of 28, after playing
four years at Sacred Heart University and spending time in the minors
before going to Europe. He played two years in Liiga, the top league in
Finland, then spent one season in the KHL before signing his first NHL
contract with the Jackets last summer.
He didn't make the roster out of camp and spent eight games with AHL
Cleveland before being called up for his NHL debut on Nov. 15 and
scoring his first goal one game later. In 42 games, Danforth has nine
goals and four assists.
"He went down in the minors, he went on the wing, he fought his way
back and came into our lineup," Larsen said earlier this month. "I notice
him every single night. His energy. His physicality. These are all things
he wasn’t doing consistently in his last however-many years pro. It’s
hard. It’s really hard when you get to that age.
"But if you have the will or the determination to do it, you’ll do it. He
wanted to make it so bad. He’s done it."
Zach Werenski returns for Blue Jackets
After missing the last three games with a jaw injury he suffered in the first
period against Anaheim on April 17, defenseman Zach Werenski returns
to Jackets' lineup against Tampa Bay.
"He wants to play, and I love that," Larsen said. "He's adamant that he
wants to get back in the lineup. He's not trying to coast into the finish. He
definitely could've just shut it down, but he's feeling great. He probably
would've played the game before, but we've kind of had to put the reins
on him."
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242836 Columbus Blue Jackets
Boone Jenner, Sean Kuraly to miss final three games for Blue Jackets
Bailey Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch
TAMPA, Fla. — It was starting to look like a foregone conclusion, but the
Blue Jackets made it official Tuesday morning that center Boone Jenner
will miss the remainder of the season.
Jenner hasn't played since March 11 after a back injury he'd been trying
to play through proved too severe to keep playing. Jackets coach Brad
Larsen described Jenner at the time as a "crushed soul" when they made
the decision to shut Jenner down on a week-to-week basis. At the time of
the injury, Jenner led the Jackets in both goals and points with 23 and
44, respectively.
The Jackets also announced Tuesday that center Sean Kuraly will miss
the final three games after suffering a broken toe in Sunday's 5-2 win
over the Edmonton Oilers. Kuraly played 20:23 in that game with three
shots on goal and a game-high five hits.
In his first year with the Jackets after signing in Columbus as a free
agent, Kuraly set a new career-high of 14 goals and 30 total points in 77
games. He is second to Jenner in faceoff percentage at 49.4%, trailing
Jenner's mark of 53.6%.
"We lose two very key guys that play a lot of real key situations," Larsen
said. "But this is the time of year for us, in the position we're in, it forces
us to look at some guys in different situations against some real good
teams."
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242837 Columbus Blue Jackets
Five observations: Tough night for depleted Blue Jackets, who are
limping to finish line
Aaron Portzline
Five observations from the Blue Jackets’ 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay
Lightning on Tuesday at Amalie Arena:
1. Hits keep coming
The Blue Jackets have played the past seven weeks without their captain
and heart-and-soul leader, Boone Jenner, who is out with a back injury.
They’ve played the past 10 days without top-scoring threat Patrik Laine.
On Tuesday, before the Blue Jackets began a home-and-home with the
defending two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, it was
announced that center Sean Kuraly was done for the season with a
broken toe.
Yes, the Jackets welcomed defenseman Zach Werenski back into the
lineup (more on that in a bit), but those staggering losses explain how the
Jackets could be pleased with how they played Tuesday despite losing to
the Lightning.
“Better than decent; that was a heck of a game,” Blue Jackets coach
Brad Larsen said. “I had no issue with how we played tonight. There
were zero passengers. We had guys takin’ pucks off the face, bleeding.
At one point, we had three defensemen on the bench.
“They’re just that good. They’ve won two Cups for a reason. But how we
played them, I thought it was a really solid game from everybody.”
The Lightning scored a late first-period power-play goal for a 2-1 lead
and tacked on one goal each in the second and third to pull away.
The loss of Kuraly is big, almost on par with Jenner’s absence. He had a
career season in Columbus after signing a four-year, $10 million contract
with his hometown club as an unrestricted free agent last summer.
He’s set personal scoring marks (14-16-30), took a majority of the club’s
important defensive-zone faceoffs and was a regular on the top penalty-
killing unit. Kuraly led the club in hits and has been consistently
competitive all season.
2. Werenski drilled again
In an interview with The Athletic late last week, Werenski indicated that
he’s had two concussions this season, the first two of his career. The
injury he suffered earlier this month in Anaheim was to the jaw, not a
concussion.
Still, it’s been a rough season for Werenski’s head and face, and the hits
kept coming Tuesday in Werenski’s first game back after the jaw injury.
Midway through the first period, Werenski was standing well outside the
line of fire when a puck deflected off a Lightning player and shot directly
to — where else? — his face, striking him on the bridge of his nose.
“Did you see how he got hit?” Larsen said. “He’s in the far corner of the
offensive zone. It goes off a hip and gets him right in the middle of the
face. It’s incredible.
“I told him, ‘You’ve got a target on your head right now.'”
Werenski quickly skated off the ice with his hand held up to his face and
blood dripping from his nose. It’s been an all-too-familiar site this season,
but this time, Werenski was able to return for the start of the second
period.
Remarkably, Werenski led the Blue Jackets in ice time (23:01) despite
missing half of the first period. His secondary assist on the Jackets’ only
goal allowed him to set career records with 37 assists and 48 points.
3. Strong finish
There was a long lull this season when the Blue Jackets’ power play
settled into a funk and slid to a familiar spot … near the bottom of the
NHL rankings.
The only goal the Jackets scored Tuesday came early in the game with a
man advantage. Jack Roslovic made a no-look pass from the right circle
to Oliver Bjorkstrand across the high slot, and Bjorkstrand one-timed it
past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Ollie makes it a tie game! pic.twitter.com/r98Iyoj55n
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 26, 2022
That gave the Blue Jackets a power-play goal in four straight games,
matching a season high. They’re 4 of 9 (44 percent) in the stretch, with
Roslovic scoring two of the goals and registering the primary assist on
Bjorkstrand’s tally.
The recent surge has moved them from 27th to 24th in the league’s
rankings at 18 percent.
4. Block-aid
A stat you don’t see every day: The Blue Jackets had more shots
blocked by Tampa Bay (25) than shots that actually required Vasilevskiy
(21) to make a save.
That says something about a two-time Cup champion … perhaps that the
Lightning are invested in becoming a three-time champion.
“That’s something you do when you’re a Stanley Cup champ,” Werenski
said. “That’s just part of their game now. It’s a skilled team, but that back
end is big and they don’t give you much.
“We did a lot of good things, but they shut us down offensively.”
Werenski and rookie Yegor Chinakhov each had three shots blocked by
Tampa Bay, but only two skaters didn’t. Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point
blocked five shots, and Ryan McDonagh had four.
“The shot discrepancy (32-21) makes it look a certain way,” Larsen said.
“We had a lot of good looks. They had 25 blocked shots.”
Congratulations to #CBJ Assistant Equipment Manager Jason Stypinski,
who is working his 1,500th professional game tonight.
Here's to many more, Ski! pic.twitter.com/avM9tkqilJ
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 26, 2022
5. Snacks
Larsen made official Tuesday what has seemed likely for weeks, that
Jenner — out since March 11 with a back injury — will not play again this
season. … Despite not having Jenner or Kuraly, the Blue Jackets
managed to go 22 of 44 on faceoffs Tuesday. … Rookie Cole Sillinger
was tasked with checking Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos frequently in the
second and third periods. He was not on the ice for any of the Lightning
goals, led Blue Jackets forwards with three shots on goal, had three hits
and won 6 of 11 faceoffs. “How he handled himself tonight, I thought was
really important,” Larsen said. “He wasn’t on his heels, he was attacking
the game.” … Fellow rookie Kent Johnson played mostly on the fourth
line with Brendan Gaunce and Carson Meyer. … Jackets defenseman
Andrew Peeke was struck in the face by a puck at close range off the
stick of Tampa’s Zach Bogosian, but returned a short time later. …
Stamkos (2-2-4) and Nikita Kucherov (1-3-4) had big nights. Stamkos’
four-point night put him at a career-high 101 points this season. …
Defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who took several shifts on the No. 1 pair
next to Werenski, led the Blue Jackets with eight hits. … With Kuraly out,
Brendan Gaunce returned to the lineup, and Justin Danforth was moved
from left wing to center. … Blue Jackets assistant equipment manager
Jason Stypinski was honored Tuesday for working his 1,500th
professional game. Stypinski has been a part of hockey in Columbus
dating back to the ECHL Columbus Chill in the 1990s. … The Blue
Jackets host Tampa Bay on Thursday in Nationwide, the final home
game of the season.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242838 Dallas Stars
Jake Oettinger’s ‘stellar’ shootout performance saves Stars
Matthew DeFranks
For Jake Oettinger, what a difference a year makes.
Oettinger stopped all seven shots he faced in Tuesday’s shootout, lifting
the Stars to a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights that inched them
closer to a playoff spot and trimmed the club’s magic number to one.
Oettinger also made 33 saves in regulation and overtime to keep the
Stars in the game.
“Those are the moments you dream about: To win a shootout, to get one
point away from clinching a playoff spot is what you want and what we
worked for all season long,” Oettinger said.
In the shootout, Oettinger made saves on Jack Eichel, Shea Theodore,
Nicholas Roy, Chandler Stephenson, Evgenii Dadonov and William
Karlsson. Jonathan Marchessault hit the post, so Oettinger thanked his
post with a little tap.
“I told one of the guys ‘I had everything inside the net covered,’”
Oettinger said. “Thankfully, that hit the post.”
This season, Oettinger has emerged as the Stars’ No. 1 goaltender after
starting the season in the AHL. He will likely start Game 1 of the Stars’
playoff series, and maintain that title that fits his selection as a first-round
pick in 2017.
At the start of the season, he was fourth on the Stars’ depth chart, but
injuries to Ben Bishop, Anton Khudobin and Braden Holtby elevated
Oettinger into the role. He’s relished taking on big challenges, something
that Khudobin handled down the stretch a season ago.
Jake Oettinger last season in shootouts: Stopped 5 of 10, 1-3
record.
Jake Oettinger this season in shootouts: Stopped 15 of 17, 2-1
record.
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) April 27, 2022
“It felt like last year down the stretch, when we were fighting for a playoff
spot, I feel like I didn’t get the net in those big games,” Oettinger said. “To
get the net tonight in this type of game is a great feeling, knowing what I
needed to do to step up.”
He’s also drastically improved in shootouts from just one year ago.
Last season, Oettinger stopped just five of 10 shootout attempts as the
Stars went 1-3 in his four shootout appearances. This season, he has
stopped 15 of 17 attempts, and the Stars are 2-1 in his three games.
“He had a lot of confidence,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “He
tries really hard to get better at shootouts. He told me that at the
beginning of the year that it’s something he wants to work on. At this
pivotal moment, it’s great to see that paid off for him. He’s the backbone
for this one.”
Oettinger: “I can actually stop them this year. I feel like last year, I didn’t
have a ton of confidence in shootouts. Obviously, I played college, so I
didn’t get much experience with that in the game. You can do it a million
times in practice, but you just got to do it in games. Now, I think I’m a lot
more confident.”
Four of Oettinger’s saves kept the Stars alive. One of them sealed the
victory.
“Stellar,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “Taught him a lot by practicing
on him, teaching him everything he knows by making him look good in
practice. I think he’s worked hard in shootouts, and how good he’s gotten
at them. That’s all from his determination and his practice and he was
huge for us.”
In the third period, Oettinger made a snazzy glove save on Shea
Theodore, doing the splits to see around Michael Raffl (who tried to block
the shot) and keep the game tied with 2:37 left in the third period.
“I just tried to stay back a little bit so I could give myself more time to
react to it,” Oettinger said. “I was a little bit deeper, so I had to stretch
more. Thankfully, it went in my glove.”
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242839 Dallas Stars
How Stars can pass Predators for the West’s first Wild Card spot
Matthew DeFranks
In the last three days of the regular season, the Dallas Stars would need
to accumulate more points than Nashville in order to claim the first Wild
Card spot in the Western Conference and draw Calgary in the first round.
The second Wild Card team will play Colorado.
The easiest way for the Stars to finish ahead of Nashville is a win over
Arizona on Wednesday, followed by a regulation loss by Nashville in
Colorado, and at least one point from Dallas on Friday against Anaheim.
There are other ways to finish with more points, but they all require
Nashville to lose at least one of their remaining two games. The
Predators clinched a playoff spot Tuesday.
No Robo? When Roope Hintz and Jack Eichel took matching roughing
minors in the third period of the Stars’ Tuesday night victory over Vegas,
it set up two minutes of 4 on 4. These were the Stars forwards who
played during that time: Tyler Seguin, Vladislav Namestnikov, Luke
Glendening, Michael Raffl, Jamie Benn, Joe Pavelski and Radek Faksa.
So, that’s seven Dallas forwards, and not one of them was the team’s 40-
goal scorer. Why didn’t Bowness use Jason Robertson during 4 on 4?
“He was up, but I like him with Roope,” Bowness said. “Roope was in the
box.”
If the Stars wanted to avoid defensive zone draws with Robertson, there
were two chances to get Robertson out there at the other end of the ice.
Given two offensive faceoffs at 4 on 4, Bowness used Seguin and
Namestnikov, and Glendening with Raffl.
Shootout decisions: This was the Stars’ order of shooters in the shootout:
Robertson, Seguin, Pavelski, Hintz, Faksa, Namestnikov and Miro
Heiskanen. Heiskanen was the only one that scored.
Faksa was the surprise of the group, with only five goals this season.
Jamie Benn (18 goals, 30% in shootouts) and Denis Gurianov (11 goals,
67% in shootouts) did not go in the shootout.
“Try it,” Bowness said of the Faksa choice. “We told him what to expect.
Sometimes you got to throw a surprise at them. It didn’t work.”
Faksa entered Tuesday with one career shootout attempt. It was on Oct.
19 in Pittsburgh, and Faksa was the first shootout shooter for the Stars
this season. He missed.
Heiskanen, meanwhile, went to his old bag of tricks to win the game,
pulling the same backhand move he used against Tampa Bay last
season.
Thinking about it: During overtime, goalie Jake Oettinger thought about
negating a Vegas icing, which would have allowed the Stars to keep
possession of the puck instead of setting up an offensive zone faceoff.
“Possession is huge and we have a lot of really good centers that can
win draws, so I thought leave the tired guys out there and give us a
chance to win a draw,” Oettinger said.
Same lineup: The Stars used the same lineup as during their win over
Seattle on Saturday. That meant forwards Alexander Radulov, Marian
Studenic and Jacob Peterson, and defensemen Joel Hanley and Andrej
Sekera remained healthy scratches.
With Oettinger’s start on Tuesday night, Scott Wedgewood could be in
line to start Wednesday night against Arizona.
Might changes be on the way for Wednesday against the Coyotes?
“Listen, we won the game tonight, but we’ve got some guys who still
have to play a whole lot better for this team,” Bowness said.
One clincher: AHL affiliate Texas clinched a spot in the AHL playoffs on
Tuesday night with a 4-2 win over Manitoba in Texas’ final game of the
regular season. Texas only needed to get a point to secure fifth place in
the Central Division, which is good enough to qualify in the AHL.
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242840 Dallas Stars
Jason Robertson’s two goals help propel Stars past Golden Knights
Matthew DeFranks
The Dallas Stars will have to wait a little while longer to clinch a playoff
spot.
In beating the Golden Knights 3-2 in a shootout on Tuesday night, the
Stars picked up a huge win but kept Vegas alive in the chase for a playoff
spot in the Western Conference. Dallas dropped its magic number to
clinch a playoff spot to one.
Any combination of one point gained by the Stars or lost by the Golden
Knights would send Dallas through to the postseason. The Stars can
secure their spot as soon as Wednesday with a point against Arizona, or
a Vegas loss in Chicago.
“The buzz is there, but we don’t want to get too high,” Stars forward
Jason Robertson said. “The job’s not finished right now. We just got to
come with the same approach we did today, and play hard tomorrow.”
The Stars (95 points) are also tied with Nashville (95 points) for the first
Wild Card spot in the West as each team has two games left. The
Predators hold the tiebreakers with a 35-30 edge in regulation wins.
Nashville lost in overtime to Calgary on Tuesday and plays at Colorado
on Thursday.
Miro Heiskanen won the game in the seventh round of the shootout for
Dallas. Jake Oettinger followed with a save on William Karlsson, and
Oettinger was perfect in the shootout.
The formula for the Stars looked familiar: Get timely saves from Oettinger
and goals from Robertson.
Robertson scored twice, becoming just the fourth player in Dallas Stars
history to score 40 goals in a season. Oettinger made 33 saves. William
Carrier and Chandler Stephenson scored for the Golden Knights.
Players with 40 goals in a season as a Dallas Star:
Mike Modano
Jamie Benn
Tyler Seguin
Jason Robertson
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) April 27, 2022
Robertson twice rescued the Stars, who trailed 1-0 and 2-1 before his
goals. In the second period, Robertson side-stepped Brayden McNabb
(crumpling him to the ice) before beating Logan Thompson on the far
side with a perfectly placed shot. In the third period, he slid through the
slot and redirected a pass from John Klingberg.
With his second goal, Robertson joined Mike Modano, Jamie Benn and
Tyler Seguin as the only Dallas Stars to score 40 goals in a season.
“I’m just trying to make it [in the NHL],” Robertson said. “I’m just trying to
play hockey. Definitely couldn’t have got there without guys setting me
up, even Klinger great find. It’s just playing hockey. Like I said, I have the
luxury of being on one of the top lines this year.”
Oettinger called Robertson a “rink rat.”
“I love having him as one of the guys that comes out early and shoots
because he tests you 24/7,” Oettinger said. “He’s never trying to warm
you up, he’s always trying to score, which sometimes can be annoying,
but it pushes you to be better. He loves hockey, he loves scoring. I have
a really good feeling that that’s going to be the first of many of those type
of seasons for him.”
Vegas scored in the final minute of both the first and second periods.
With 49 seconds left in the first period, Carrier centered a pass on the
rush that banked off of Luke Glendening and into the Stars’ net. With 3.3
seconds left in the second period, Vegas crashed the net on the power
play, resulting in Stephenson’s goal.
On Tuesday night, the Stars had the weight of the hockey world behind
them.
A regulation win by Dallas would clinch a playoff spot not only for the
Stars, but also for the Predators and the Kings. But, more importantly for
teams around the league, it would eliminate the Golden Knights, the fifth-
year team that hasn’t missed the playoffs since it entered the league in
2017-18.
The Golden Knights have become one of the most disliked teams in the
league given their success (or lack of suffering), to go along with their
continued pursuit of every big name on the trade or free agent market,
and their usage of the long-term injured reserve to ice a team that is cap
compliant.
As a result, dozens of other fanbases joined social media cries for a
Stars win.
“We’re down to the last three games,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said
before the game. “We still don’t have an X beside our name. We’re
playing a team that has to win tonight. They have to win. This is an
exciting day. This is a great day to be part of the National Hockey
League.”
The Stars have had big games with the Golden Knights in recent years.
Dallas hosted the first game in Vegas franchise history in 2017. The two
sides tangled in the Western Conference Finals in 2020, highlighted by
Anton Khudobin’s performance and Denis Gurianov’s series-winning
one-timer.
A clincher with most of the league wearing Victory Green?
Not Tuesday night.
Wednesday night will present another chance.
“Try to get some sleep quick and get ready to go again,” Seguin said.
“We need that win more than they do tomorrow,” Robertson said.
“It gets you that much closer,” Bowness said. “It’s right there. We want
more. We need more. And we haven’t ruled out seventh place. We’ve got
to get in. We need that one point to get in. We have two games to try to
get in, and then hopefully take a run at seventh.”
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242841 Dallas Stars
Stars’ biggest game of season lives up to hype, moves them to brink of
playoffs
Saad Yousuf
Living up to the hype heaped on the shoulders of the Stars as they
hosted the Golden Knights on Tuesday night at the American Airlines
Center was going to take a lot. The game had a chance to rock the
Western Conference playoff picture into near finality.
Although the result didn’t apply all of the potential effects, the game itself
delivered. The coronation of a 40-goal scorer and the continued
maturation of a young goaltender headlined the night as Dallas beat
Vegas 3-2 in a seven-round shootout. Let’s peel back the layers of this
one.
The 2017 draft class, with a special appearance by Joe Pavelski
Jason Robertson
Robertson came into the game with 38 goals this season and left the
arena as the Stars’ first 40-goal scorer since Tyler Seguin in 2017-18.
Robertson became the fourth player in franchise history to hit the 40-goal
mark, joining Seguin, Jamie Benn and Mike Modano. Robertson is just
22 years old.
“Honestly, I think I could do a little bit more,” Robertson said. “I still have
that little bit of tentativeness, but it’s still playing at the NHL level.
Everyone is good, everyone is great around you if you’re playing against
top guys. I think eventually I’ll get that full confidence, but I have my
linemates to help me out there and I keep looking for them.”
On the night he scored his 40th goal, Robertson deflected much of the
credit to his teammates.
“For me, it’s just playing my game, playing the game they all preach me
to do,” Robertson said. “I have the luxury of having elite players around
me that allow me to do that. It’s just playing hockey, right? I have guys on
my team who are very supportive of everyone and very encouraging. We
have a lot of leaders in this locker room. I’m grateful for them.”
Was 40 goals in an NHL season ever a personal goal for Robertson?
“I have no idea, I just try to make it,” Robertson said, laughing. “I’m just
trying to play hockey. I definitely couldn’t have gotten there without guys
setting me up. Even (John) Klingberg (tonight), great find. It’s just playing
hockey. Like I said, I have the luxury of being on one of the top lines of
this year. You look at my other linemates, they’re putting up that amount
of goals, too, so it’s a team effort.”
Both of Robertson’s goals Tuesday lend credence to his point. The first
was born of a great pass by Miro Heiskanen to Joe Pavelski, who
managed to dish the puck in slick fashion to a flying Roope Hintz.
Of course, the finish was filthy, too.
Pavelski’s game can sometimes still be underrated because it doesn’t
have the same flashy appeal as those of Robertson and Hintz, but his
skill and hockey IQ are so critical to the operation. There was a good
example of that in the first period as well, when Pavelski let a Hintz pass
go by him and took out his man, knowing Robertson was trailing and
would have a good scoring opportunity.
Plays like that don’t register on the stat sheet but have a big impact on
the team, and on players like Robertson and Hintz.
On Robertson’s second goal, Pavelski was credited with an assist, but he
assisted in more ways than one. The secondary assist shows up on the
stat sheet, but Robertson camping in front of the net to provide a target
for Klingberg is something Robertson has seen Pavelski do plenty of in
practice and in games. Soaking that in helped get Robertson to 40 goals.
John Klingberg shot the puck. Jason Robertson finished the job.
pic.twitter.com/ZrKPR0d9bg
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) April 27, 2022
Jake Oettinger
Jake Oettinger was fantastic for the Stars once again. He made the
saves he needed to throughout the game, but coach Rick Bowness
preaches about the “timely save.” Oettinger came through with that late
in the third period.
That kept the score tied at 2-2, which is how regulation ended. After a
scoreless overtime, Oettinger came through with seven more timely
saves in the shootout.
“He had a lot of confidence,” Robertson said. “He tried really hard to get
better at shootouts. He told me that at the beginning of the year, that that
is something he wanted to work on. At this pivotal moment, it’s great to
see that pay off for him, and he’s a backbone for this one.”
Last season, Oettinger stopped five of 10 shots in shootouts, going 1-3.
This season, he has stopped 15 of 17 shots, going 2-1.
Miro Heiskanen
Miro Heiskanen was his usual self throughout the game, making plays at
both ends of the ice. He played 28 minutes, almost three more than any
other Stars player. In the seventh round of the shootout, the Stars called
on him to end the game. He delivered.
Miro, our hero. pic.twitter.com/SI2C2j0poI
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 27, 2022
Coaching explanations
The Stars’ shootout order went like this: Robertson, Seguin, Pavelski,
Hintz, Radek Faksa, Vlad Namestnikov and Heiskanen. Why did
Bowness elect to go with Faksa after the expected top four instead of
guys such as Heiskanen, Jamie Benn or Denis Gurianov?
“You try it,” Bowness said. “We told him what to expect, sometimes
you’ve got to throw a surprise at them. It didn’t work. … You like to throw
some guys out there, but they hadn’t played much in the last 10 minutes.
Sometimes, man, you just — you throw Miro out there and he scores.
You’re going to predict that? There’s no steadfast guy, he’s going to
score or he’s the guy. You take some gambles sometimes. Anybody see
(Jacob Peterson) score in that shootout goal when he did in Chicago?
Takes some gambles.”
Peterson went sixth in the shootout order in Chicago, after Robertson,
Pavelski, Seguin, Alexander Radulov and Hintz. Peterson, though, is an
offensive specialist, unlike Faksa, who is a checking line centerman
whose calling card is defense. Faksa is now 0-2 in the shootout in his
career.
The other decision in question was playing Luke Glendening and Michael
Raffl over Robertson at four-on-four with two minutes left in regulation.
“Yeah, he was up, we just — I like him with Roope,” Bowness said.
“Roope was in the box.”
Hintz had gone to the box for roughing along with Vegas’ Jack Eichel to
create the four-on-four, a situation favoring skilled players because of the
additional open ice. The Stars had multiple offensive-zone draws during
the four-on-four but opted not to use Robertson in those situations.
Playoffs? We’re talking about playoffs
Vegas’ slim playoff hopes remained alive, and the Stars’ ticket to the
postseason will wait. Completing the victory and getting the two points
put the Stars truly on the brink of the playoffs. The magic number is down
to one. The Stars beating the Coyotes or Ducks would finish the job, as
would merely going to overtime in either game. Vegas needs Dallas to
falter and needs regulation wins in its final two games, in Chicago on
Wednesday and in St. Louis on Friday. The Golden Knights haven’t won
two consecutive games in regulation in which at least one of the teams
was in playoff position since before the NHL trade deadline.
A trip to the postseason seems like a pretty good bet for the Stars. That’s
not what the Stars are limiting their hopes to in the final three days of the
season.
“It’s right there now,” Bowness said. “We want more. We need more. We
haven’t ruled out seventh place. We’ve got to get in, we need that one
point to get in, and then we have two games to try to get in and then take
a shot at seventh.”
The Stars’ path to seventh place is a bit tougher, but the Flames did
Dallas a solid Tuesday night to keep the Stars within striking distance.
The Predators held a 4-3 lead at home in the final minute of regulation.
Calgary scored with a tenth of a second left to send the game to
overtime, where the Flames eventually won it and robbed Nashville of the
second point. The Predators and Stars have 95 points through 80
games. Nashville holds the tiebreaker, meaning the Stars have to finish
with more points than the Predators to jump them in the standings. The
Predators finish the season in Colorado on Wednesday night and in
Arizona on Friday night.
Quick hitters
• The Stars continue to make the final minute of periods more exciting
than necessary. Both of the Golden Knights’ goals came in the final 60
seconds, the first with 48 seconds left in the first period and the second
with three seconds left in the second period.
• The Texas Stars clinched a playoff berth in their final regular-season
game Tuesday in Manitoba.
• The Stars used the same lineup as they did in Seattle. Peterson,
Radulov and Marian Studenic were healthy scratches up front, and Joel
Hanley and Andrej Sekera were scratches on the blue line.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242842 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings lose, 3-0, to Leafs, can't contain Auston Matthews,
who reaches 60 goals
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
The Detroit Red Wings patched their lineup and played their best goalie,
but the Toronto Maple Leafs proved why they're headed to the Stanley
Cup playoffs.
Led by Alex Nedeljkovic in net, the Wings held Tuesday's game at
Scotiabank Arena scoreless past the halfway point, but Auston Matthews
cemented his place in Leafs history when he became the first player in
franchise history to record 60 goals in a season, sending the Wings onto
their next stop with a 3-0 loss.
"We’re missing pieces, and some really big pieces." Wings forward Sam
Gagner said. "I thought the group that was playing did a really good job
early on. We were trying to press and create some chances and had a
few looks. Ultimately they broke through.
"There were some things to like, but when you fall short, it never feels
good."
Matthews netted his 60th during a power play when he fired from the slot,
sending the puck over Nedeljkovic's glove. Matthews broke Nedeljkovic's
shutout bid late in the second period, and John Tavares took advantage
of a defensive breakdown to double the lead early in the third.
"You’re playing a team that’s a real good hockey team so you want to
check great," coach Jeff Blashill said. "You want to stay in the game. You
want to make the game kind of boring in a situation like this. We were
able to keep the game 0-0 for a long time. We had some chances to be
able to go up. So I thought in a lot of ways we put ourselves in position
going into the third to win a hockey game. We just weren’t able to make
the play to score the next goal and unfortunately they got it."
Jack Campbell (Port Huron) made 20 saves for the Leafs, whose 3.80
goals-per-game average ranks second in the NHL. Nedeljkovic made 33
saves.
The Wings (31-40-10) play their season finale Friday at the New Jersey
Devils.
Roll call
The Wings brought in minor-league call-ups Turner Elson and Kyle
Criscuolo to flesh out a roster that was missing Dylan Larkin, Robby
Fabbri, Tyler Bertuzzi, Filip Zadina and Adam Erne. Jonatan Berggren,
the No. 33 pick in 2018, was not on the call-up list, even as the Grand
Rapids Griffins have been eliminated from playoff contention. Berggren
just became the new leader on the Griffins rookie single-season scoring
list when he earned his 60th point over the weekend.
"He's had a good year," coach Jeff Blashill said. "The decision on
Jonatan Berggren is a decision made on what's best for his individual
development. That's a decision Steve Yzerman makes."
In addition to missing multiple guys up front, defenseman Marc Staal was
placed in COVID protocol earlier in the day, prompting the Wings to go
with seven defensemen.
Circumstantial evidence
Given the Wings were missing significant players and the Leafs were
trying to lock up second place in the Atlantic Division, the Wings
acquitted themselves well in the first period. Nedeljkovic deserved a
share of the credit, but Lucas Raymond had a nice chance around the
net early on, and Michael Rasmussen attempted a wraparound in the
waning minutes. Pius Suter was called for tripping with 2:04 to play, but
Nedeljkovic stopped one attempt by Matthews and Danny DeKeyser
blocked another.
A case for the offense
Joe Veleno had a shot from the slot during a Wings power play in the
second period, but the Leafs continued to generate the majority of quality
chances. It took them 23 shots and more than 35 minutes to beat
Nedeljkovic. The puck was loose behind Detroit's net, and recovered by
Colin Blackwell. He got it to Jason Spezza at the net, who tapped it out
front for a waiting Matthews to guide into the net for his 59th goal.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242843 Detroit Red Wings
Fake 1936 Red Wings Stanley Cup rings seized at US border
Emma Stein, Detroit Free Press
2-2 minutes 26/04/2022
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized counterfeit
1936 Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup Championship rings.
They found the shipment, containing 10 counterfeit rings, at the
Champlain port of entry in New York, according to a news release.
Officers determined the rings had a total Manufacturers Suggested Retail
Price (MSRP) value of approximately $15,000.
The Detroit Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup in 1936, so the rings
likely hold sentimental value for fans. And that's not all — the 1935-36
season was a big one for Detroit. An unfamiliar feeling for current
Detroiters, it was a city of champions. In 1935, the Tigers won the World
Series and the Lions won their first National Football League
championship.
The rings violated the Intellectual Property Rights of the Detroit Red
Wings trademark, and the release said IPR violations can "threaten the
health and safety of American consumers, the economy and national
security."
“Our CBP officers take pride in the work they do which includes
protecting our economy and consumers from counterfeit goods,” said
Champlain Area Port Director Steven Bronson. “Their role is crucial in
protecting both the consumer and businesses from imported fraudulent
items.”
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242844 Detroit Red Wings
Road to Stanleytown: 1997 Detroit Red Wings prepare for pivotal Game
6 at Joe Louis Arena
Gene Myers, Detroit Free Press
5-6 minutes 26/04/2022
In the spring of 1997 — a quarter-century ago — the Detroit Red Wings
embarked on their quest to end a 42-year Stanley Cup drought.
The Free Press has commemorated that historic quest with a new book:
“Stanleytown: The Inside Story of How the Stanley Cup Returned to the
Motor City After 41 Frustrating Seasons.”
Day 11: April 26, 1997
The backstory: In Game 5, with a 5-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena, the Red
Wings equaled their offensive output from the first four games of their
opening series with St. Louis. Then they acted as if a giant weight had
been lifted from their shoulders. After the final buzzer, the Wings had less
than 38 hours to practice at Joe Louis Arena, make it to St. Louis, lace
’em up again for Game 6 and prove they had turned a corner in pursuit of
the Stanley Cup.
“So far it seems no game carries over to the next,” Brendan Shanahan
said. “We can’t just go out there, throw our sticks on the ice and expect to
win.” Fox was slated to televise the Sunday matinee. No Wing wanted a
Game 7, especially after the agony (but ultimate ecstasy) from the
previous season, when Detroit won a Game 7 against the Blues on a
Steve Yzerman goal in double overtime.
Worth noting: “We have to play like it’s a Game 7,” Shanahan told the
Detroit News. “Sure, anything could happen in a seventh game,”
Yzerman said. “But we’re in position to win a series, and it’s important to
win it. That’s it. There’s no fear involved. We just want to win the next
game.”
“We have a lot of desire to win,” Martin Lapointe said. “And I think our
focus should only be on Game 6, not Game 7.” … The new Shanahan-
Yzerman-Lapointe line contributed to the Wings’ first, fourth and fifth
goals in Game 5. … Blues coach Joel Quenneville, who took over for
Mike Keenan in January, contended that he felt no pressure as a first-
year coach in his first playoff series, even against a Hall of Famer such
as Scotty Bowman.
“It’s exciting,” Quenneville told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Sure, you
have pressure to win because winning is what it’s all about. That’s our
job. But you control what you can control. You prepare everyone to play
their best game possible.”
Off the ice: After Game 5, Darren McCarty forced Kirk Maltby to show off
a new T-shirt. If featured caricatures of Maltby, Kris Draper and Joe
Kocur with the slogan “The Grind Line.” Later, Maltby described the tee
as “one of those where our heads are big and whatnot; you can kind of
see us. I got my visor on, so you can see that’s me.” In Game 5, though,
Bowman used McCarty on the team’s checking line most of the game
instead of Kocur.
Famous last words: The Blues expected a huge boost from the
boisterous fans at the Kiel Center, some of whom threw beer and spare
change at the Wings bench during a Game 4 melee. Sniper Brett Hull
told the Post-Dispatch: “The crowds have been great. They’ve put up
with a lot of garbage for a couple of years, and we’re going to bring them
back and show them that we’re the team that they used to love to watch.”
Relive the glory: The Free Press has crafted a 208-page, full-color,
hardcover collector’s book with fresh insights and dynamic storytelling
about the 1996-97 Wings. It’s called “Stanleytown 25 Years Later: The
Inside Story on How the Stanley Cup Returned to the Motor City after 41
Frustrating Seasons.” It’s only $29.95 and it’s available at
RedWings.PictorialBook.com. (It’ll make a great Mother’s Day or Father’s
Day gift for the Wings fanatic in your life!) Personalized copies available
via [email protected].
More to read: Another new Wings book arrived in April from Keith Gave,
a longtime hockey writer for the Free Press in the 1980s and 1990s:
“Vlad The Impaler: More Epic Tales from Detroit’s ’97 Stanley Cup
Conquest.” It is available through Amazon and other booksellers and a
portion of the proceeds is earmarked for the Vladimir Konstantinov
Special Needs Trust. (Plenty of Gave’s prose also appears in
“Stanleytown 25 Years Later.”)
Even more to read: Red Wings beat reporter Helene St. James, who
helped cover the 1997 Stanley Cup run, recently wrote “The Big 50: The
Men and Moments That Made the Detroit Red Wings.” Featuring
numerous tales about the key figures from 1997, “The Big 50” is available
from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. (Plenty of St. James’
prose also appears in “Stanleytown 25 Years Later.”)
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Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242845 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings lose to Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0: Game thread replay
Tyler J. Davis, Detroit Free Press
2-3 minutes 26/04/2022
Detroit Red Wings (31-39-10) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (52-21-7)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit Extra.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) (Red Wings radio affiliates).
• Box score
ANALYSIS: Why Tyler Bertuzzi's performance lends hope to next season
for Wings
2022 NHL draft lottery: Where Red Wings rank with 2 games left
Game notes: The lottery-bound Wings will try to beat playoff-bound Leafs
for the first time in three tries this season. Toronto has dominated the
Original Six rivalry on offense, scoring at least five times in each game
and winning a 10-7 barnburner on Feb. 26. Michael Bunting has five
goals in those games, including a hat trick Jan. 29. Mitchell Marner had
four goals in that February matchup alone and is nearing 10 points vs.
the Wings this season.
Last time out the Wings beat the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, behind a goal
apiece from Tyler Bertuzzi, Oskar Sundqvist and Michael Rasmussen.
The Wings end the season Friday at the Devils and the Leafs stay home
for their finale vs. the Boston Bruins.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242846 Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings blanked in Toronto, Auston Matthews reaches 60-goal
milestone
Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
The Red Wings got an up close and personal look Tuesday at Auston
Matthews' personal rampage through the NHL.
Matthews, the NHL's goal-scoring leader, scored two goals to reach the
60-goal milestone as Toronto defeated the Red Wings, 3-0.
Matthews scored No. 60 with a third-period, power-play goal, a wrist shot
from the high slot that beat goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, giving the Leafs
a 3-0 lead. Matthews became the first 60-goal scorer in the NHL since
Tampa's Steven Stamkos in 2011-12.
"If you score 60 goals, you are finding ways to get it done no matter who
you match up against," forward Sam Gagner said. "He's a special talent,
one of the top players in the league, certainly the top goal scorer. He's
going to get his looks. You just try to limit him and try to keep him to the
outside as much as you can.
"It's a really hard league to score in. I know this year there's been kind of
a little bit of a scoring renaissance but he's kind of separated himself.
Everyone talks about his shot but he scores in a bunch of different ways."
John Tavares added the other Toronto goal, his 27th, and Port Huron
native goaltender Jack Campbell stopped 20 shots for his fifth shutout.
The victory clinched the second-seed for Toronto (53-21-7) in the Atlantic
Division, and home-ice advantage in the first round against either Tampa
Bay or Boston.
For the Red Wings (31-40-10), it was a fine effort against a playoff-
contending team with so much offensive firepower. But the attrition in the
Wings' lineup took its toll against the Leafs.
The Wings were already missing forwards Dylan Larkin (core surgery),
Robby Fabbri (knee) and Filip Zadina (appendix), and didn't have Tyler
Bertuzzi in Toronto because of Bertuzzi's unvaccinated status (can't
travel to Canada).
Defenseman Marc Staal was placed on the COVID-19 list Tuesday,
forcing Staal out of the lineup, and the Wings were also missing forward
Adam Erne (undisclosed injury).
"You're playing a team that's a real good hockey team, so you want to
stay in the game and on the road, make it boring, and in a situation like
this, find a way to capitalize on your chances," coach Jeff Blashill said.
"We were able to keep it 0-0 for a long time, we had some chances to go
up, and if you score, potentially it's a different game.
"In a lot of ways, we put ourselves in position to win a hockey game."
Nedeljkovic stopped 33 shots in a busy night in net and kept the Wings
close early on.
But Matthews broke a 0-0 tie at 15 minutes, 48 seconds of the second
period, scoring his 59th goal.
Leafs forward Jason Spezza outmuscled Jake Walman for the puck near
the post, and fed Matthews driving through the slot. Matthews slipped the
puck through Nedeljkovic with a backhand flip.
"He's been excellent his whole career," said Blashill, who compared the
difficulty of what Matthews has accomplished as a center to a young
defenseman.
"Those are hard positions to be great. He's done a real good job over
time of getting better and better on the defensive side of the puck. He's
better at making sure he's checking well, and with that, they've won a
bunch of games.
"There are moments, whether he's added strength or confidence, but
he's just been really taking games over when you feel he gets to a whole
another level.
"There's been nights he's been an absolute beast, and with the package
he has with the size and skill and skating and shooting, when he's in that
mode, he's really hard to contain, even for the best players in the world
on the other team. That's what a guy like he can do. He's just an elite
NHL package."
The Wings had a patched together lineup, but Blashill liked the way the
Wings competed against a playoff-bound team.
"We did a pretty good job of defending and checking and being above
them and the opportunities, for the most part, were contested, not big
time chances," Blashill said. "We kept ourselves in position to win the
hockey game. We're obviously a bit undermanned, so keeping yourself
on the road in position to win the game, at some point you have to
capitalize and turn the momentum (your way)."
Detroit News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242847 Detroit Red Wings
Wings' Moritz Seider looking forward to challenges, not concentrating on
Calder vote
Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News
6-7 minutes 26/04/2022
Moritz Seider has had a lot of challenges, a lot of games during this
rookie season with the Red Wings where he's facing the best players in
the world.
Tuesday was another one, playing in Toronto against a Maple Leafs
team getting ready for the playoffs with some of the elite offensive
players in the world in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares
and William Nylander.
Like the previous 80 games, Seider was looking forward to the
opportunity, this time with the task of stopping the 58-goal scoring
Matthews.
"It's exciting," Seider said. "It's exhausting, but you always like to play
against the best guys in the league and that's what I'm looking forward
to."
With the regular season ending Friday, and ballots for individual awards
now safely stored in voters' laptops across North America, speculation
will center on Seider's chances of winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of
the year.
At this point, it would be shocking if Seider doesn't win. The way his
game has progressed over the long season and how impressive he's
been at both ends of the rink has appeared to have an impact with NHL
media eligible to vote.
But Seider isn't paying any attention.
"It's more about finishing the season strong," Seider said. "It's definitely
an honor (to be considered) but I don't even think about that at all. Not a
lot of defensemen (have won it) but I have to be honest, I don't pay
attention to that just because it's a distraction, an unnecessary distraction
from your game, and not what I need now.
"I want to enjoy the moment and come to the rink with a big smile and not
think about what people are thinking on social media. That's something I
learned pretty early. I just want to come to the rink and work hard every
day."
The NHL has been a constant learning experience for Seider, but there's
been one adjustment that has stood out.
"Just (being) mentally prepared for 82 games," Seider said. "I've never
played that many games. But I'm still enjoying every single one, and
that's a good adjustment."
With the Wings not competing in the playoffs, some players will be asked
to represent their countries at the upcoming world championships (May
13-29 in Finland).
Coach Jeff Blashill will be an assistant coach on Team USA and Lucas
Raymond will play for Sweden. Seider said Tuesday he will definitely play
for Germany.
"I'm looking forward to that," Seider said. "It's a great honor, always nice
to put the (national) jersey over your shoulder pads and sing that national
anthem after you win. It's always a big honor, and we (Germany) have
been taking very big strides the last couple of years and it's definitely
progress for us."
Blashill has been impressed by Seider's steady professionalism
throughout the season.
"He's handled it very well, up against the other team's best all season
long," Blashill said. "It's pretty remarkable the season he has had, given
he's gone up against the other team's best on a nightly basis. You're
seeing the stars of the league every night. It's just the reality of it and he's
done a real good job.
"He's an all-situations defenseman who will continue to get better
because he cares."
Earned opportunity
Tuesday's game was quite the thrill for forward Turner Elson, who was
promoted from the Grand Rapids Griffins to play the final two games for
the Wings.
Elson, 29, had played in one NHL game in his career, for Calgary during
the 2015-16 season.
Elson has spent the last five seasons with the Griffins, posting pro career
highs of 21 goals, 24 assists and 45 points this year.
"Turner is a heart and soul player. He's done an excellent job in Grand
Rapids over the last number of years, and he's really earned this
opportunity with his play," Blashill said. "That's something that's really
important within our organization, that guys understand you can earn
these types of opportunities. He's done that, so it's great he's getting a
chance here.
"He has a chance to help us. You need guys who can win pucks, guys
that are reliable and are hard at the net. He's a jack of all trades. I'm
excited to have him in our lineup."
The decision to bring up Elson, Riley Barber and Kyle Criscuolo and
keep top prospect Jonatan Berggren in Grand Rapids was a call made
for Berggren's development.
Berggren has 20 goals and 40 assists with two games left for the Griffins
this weekend.
"He's had a really good year, but at the end of the day, the decision on
Jonatan Berggren is a decision made on what's best for his individual
development and that's a decision (general manager) Steve Yzerman
makes," Blashill said. "We had a similar decision a number of years ago
on Moritz Seider. He could have come up at this time of year (two
seasons ago) and we made the decision to leave him back in the
American League and to have him continue to finish the year out.
Ultimately, it looks like that was a good decision.
"This would be a similar case with Berggren. Those are decisions solely
made on what's best for his long-term development."
Staal out
Defenseman Marc Staal was placed on the league's COVID-19 protocol
list and will miss the final two games.
Staal, 35, has three goals and 13 assists in 71 games this season.
Staal was named Monday the Wings' nominee for the Masterton Trophy
(perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game) by the Detroit
chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He appeared in
his 1,000th NHL game on March 12.
Detroit News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242848 Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews scores 60th goal as Red Wings fall to Leafs 3-0
Published: Apr. 26, 2022, 9:31 p.m.
By Ansar Khan | [email protected]
Auston Matthews scored a pair of goals Tuesday, giving him 60 for the
season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-
0 at Scotiabank Arena.
Jack Campbell made 20 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and
ninth of his career.
The Red Wings (31-40-10) finish the season Friday at New Jersey (7
p.m., Bally Sports Detroit). The Leafs (53-21-7) clinched second place in
the Atlantic Division and will play either Tampa Bay or Boston in the first
round of the playoffs.
When Matthews wired a wrist shot from the slot over Alex Nedeljkovic’s
glove at 5:49 of the third period on the power play, he became the first
Leaf to score 60 in a season. He is the first NHL player to notch 60 since
Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos in 2011-12.
The Leafs swept the four-game season series from the Red Wings,
outscoring them 25-15, and have won seven in a row overall against
Detroit.
The depleted Red Wings were missing forwards Dylan Larkin, Tyler
Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri, Filip Zadina and Adam Erne and defenseman
Marc Staal (COVID protocol). Detroit finished 2-7-0 this season in
Canada without Bertuzzi, who can’t cross the border because he is not
vaccinated for COVID-19.
Matthews opened the scoring at 15:48 of the second period. He skated
hard to the net, took a pass from behind the goal line from Jason Spezza
and deposited a backhand shot past Nedeljkovic.
John Taveras capitalized on a defensive breakdown to make it 2-0 at
4:03 of the third period. He was all alone in front of the net when he one-
timed a pass from William Nylander past Nedeljkovic.
Michigan Live LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242849 Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - NHL (4/26/22) | Faceoff,
How to Watch, Preview
Published: Apr. 26, 2022, 3:47 p.m.
By Tyler Kuehl | [email protected]
Detroit is feeling good coming off a win on Sunday over the New Jersey
Devils, this coming after a blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins the
day before. The Red Wings are now 5-7-1 in the month of April, having
won two of their last four games. The victory keeps Detroit in the sixth
spot in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Buffalo Sabres and
three ahead of the Ottawa Seantors.
In their 3-0 win on Sunday in Newark, Detroit controlled the play against
the battered Devisl. Oskar Sundqvist, Tyler Bertuzzi and Michael
Rasmussen each found the back of the net, while Alex Nedeljkovic had
to stop just 17 shots to earn his fourth shutout of the season.
Now the Red Wings get to face one of their most storied rivals one last
time this season. The Maple Leafs come into Tuesday hoping to clinch
the second seed in the Atlantic Division. They return home after a brief
road trip, winning five of their last seven games, including a 4-3 shootout
win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Toronto has gone 9-2-2 so
far in the month of April.
While the Leafs have won the first three games of the season series, and
six-straight against the Wings dating back to the 2019-20 season, each
game has been one worth watching. Especially after Detroit almost came
back from a 7-2 deficit back on February 26, before Toronto pulled away,
10-7. The Wings are 2-6 while playing in Canada this season.
Michigan Live LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242850 Detroit Red Wings
Russia will not host 2023 world championship, International Ice Hockey
Federation says
Updated: Apr. 26, 2022, 12:01 p.m. | Published: Apr. 26, 2022, 11:48
a.m.
By Brandon Champion | [email protected]
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the latest sporting body to
sanction Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
The IIHF council announced Tuesday that Russia will no longer host the
2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. The decision to withdraw the
event was made in Zurich, Switzerland on Tuesday “out of concern for
the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and
fans.”
The tournament was scheduled to take place in St. Petersburg, Russia
from May 5 to May 21, 2023.
The IIHF is the latest governing sports body to make a ruling against
Russia. The All England Club announced last week that Russian and
Belarusian tennis players would not be allowed to play at Wimbledon.
FIFA has also banned Russia from international competition, including
the World Cup.
An alternative host for the World Championship will be confirmed during
the 2022 IIHF Annual Congress in Tampere, Finland, which will take
place during the final week of the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World
Championship. Russia and Belarus have also been banned from that
competition.
“The decision to relocate the event was taken primarily out of concern for
the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and
fans,” the statement reads.
“As was the case with council’s earlier decision to withdraw the 2023 IIHF
World Junior Championship that was to be held in Omsk and
Novosibirsk, Russia, the council expressed significant concerns over the
safe freedom of movement of players and officials to, from, and within
Russia.”
The decision was made well in advance of the event in order to ensure
an alternative hosting option and give the new host enough time to make
preparations, the IIHF said.
The Ice Hockey World Championship is one of the biggest international
events on the hockey calendar. Unlike the Olympics, which are held
every four years, the championship is held annually. It features NHL
players and some of the best young talent in the world.
Michigan Live LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242851 Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings like acquiring proven winners. Which free agents could
be next?
Max Bultman
12-16 minutes 26/04/2022
Late in the third period of what was already looking like a lopsided loss
Saturday afternoon, Oskar Sundqvist stood in the defensive zone slot
and absorbed an Evgeni Malkin one-timer off his foot or ankle. He
dropped to the ice instantly, in obvious pain. But then he stood up, and —
in a game where his team trailed 6-2 with just over seven minutes
remaining — put himself back in position to block another one. When he
came off the ice, he went straight down the tunnel.
Sundqvist has only been a Red Wing for a month, after being acquired at
the March 21 trade deadline in a deal that caught him by surprise. He
went from a winning team with dark horse Stanley Cup aspirations, to
one with no chance at the postseason. If his night had ended right then,
no one would have blinked. Blocking that shot, in that situation, was
impressive enough.
But when play resumed after a media timeout Saturday, Sundqvist was
back on the ice for the ensuing faceoff. Some adrenaline probably helped
in the moment, but even the next day, when Detroit flew in for the second
half of its back-to-back in New Jersey, Sundqvist was back in the lineup
and scored the Red Wings’ first goal in a 3-0 win.
“He’s won Cups,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said afterward. “And he didn’t
feel great today. He was still in pain today. And he puts his gear on and
makes sure he goes out and plays really hard, good hockey. And that’s
the type of example that I think a number of our young guys need, of
what it takes to be a good pro. Ultimately, what we’d like to do here is go
on playoff runs — and if you’re going to do that, you’re going to have to
learn how to play when you don’t feel your best.”
When the Red Wings dealt defenseman Nick Leddy to the Blues, the
immediate attention focused on the more future-focused pieces of the
rebuilding Red Wings’ return. That meant a lot of emphasis on the 2023
second-round pick St. Louis was sending over, and a young
defenseman, Jake Walman, whom GM Steve Yzerman had been
following for years.
But while Sundqvist was soon-to-be 28 and had only a year and change
remaining on his contract, he also filled several needs for Detroit. He is
considered a shutdown defensive forward — an aspect of the game in
which the Red Wings have been exposed for much of the second half.
He shoots right, unlike most of Detroit’s forward corps. And he also
brings size at 6-foot-3, helping the Red Wings get to the net and not get
so pushed around by much heavier teams.
On top of it all, though, Sundqvist fit another mold the Red Wings have
seemed to gravitate toward in their acquisitions under Yzerman. He’s a
proven winner, with two Stanley Cup rings already to his name from his
time in Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
Think back on some of the players Detroit’s new GM has brought in
during his three seasons helming the team. Robby Fabbri was on
Sundqvist’s Cup team in St. Louis in 2019. Marc Staal never won the
Cup, but he’s played in more than 100 playoff games, including a trip to
the Stanley Cup Final and three conference finals with the mid-2010s
Rangers. Jakub Vrana won one with the Capitals in 2018. Mitchell
Stephens may have only played seven playoff games for the Lightning in
their 2020 Cup run, but his name is on hockey’s holy grail, and he
certainly saw up close what it took to win it. That’s true of many of these
players, who weren’t the driving forces of these championship-winning
teams, but soaked in the lessons of what that kind of hockey looks like.
Throw in acquisitions who have since been traded away or retired —
including Leddy, Vladislav Namestnikov, Jon Merrill, Bobby Ryan, Valtteri
Filppula — and the general manager’s acquisition track record with the
Red Wings is littered with players who have at least been to the
conference finals at some point in their careers.
It’s not universal, but it’s certainly a trend. And as another offseason
without playoffs looms in Detroit, the importance of those players is only
rising.
The Red Wings’ young players are the ones who will eventually lead the
team out of this now-six-year postseason drought, and that process is
now well underway. But it’s clear that as it continues — with few
remaining homegrown players with any NHL playoff track record to speak
of — players like Sundqvist will be some of the biggest influences in
showing them what it looks like.
“A guy like that, that can lead by example, that can show young guys: ‘I
don’t care if you feel your best or you don’t feel your best, you’ve gotta
find ways to be successful,'” Blashill said. “Because if you ever want to
win in the end, that’s what you’ve gotta do. I think it’s imperative to have
and he’s been great at it.”
Many of these players, over the last three years, have been acquired by
trade. Some have even seemed like secondary pieces in those
exchanges at the time of the deals. And certainly, there could be more of
that to come.
But the simplest acquisitions tend to come through free agency. And with
the offseason now just around the corner, it’s worth looking ahead to see
which upcoming free agents could fit the bill for the Red Wings —
including some higher-profile ones.
Ondrej Palat, LW
After the departures of Yanni Gourde, Tyler Johnson, Barclay Goodrow
and Blake Coleman last summer, the Lightning “cap crunch” talking point
can take a relative vacation this summer — at least until Anthony Cirelli,
Mikhail Sergachev, Alex Killorn and Erik Cernak all need new contracts in
2023.
The two-time (and soon, maybe three-time) defending champs will still be
entering the offseason pretty close to the ceiling, thanks to Brayden
Point’s extension due to kick in, but only three current Lightning players
are in need of new contracts: Palat, forward Nick Paul and defenseman
Jan Rutta. So the Lightning could probably find a way to keep their
seventh-round success story in Palat without needing too much short-
term creativity.
But Palat is the highest earning of that trio of pending UFAs, and with
some major contracts looming for the Lightning in 2023, there’s a solid
chance he makes it to market. And if he does, he certainly could bring
plenty of winning pedigree to the Red Wings’ top six.
At age 31, Palat’s not young, but that could also make him a reasonable
medium-term candidate who could boost Detroit’s lineup without
requiring a major term commitment. Whether he’ll be eager to leave the
league’s premier winner for a rebuild is an open question, but his history
with the GM should help, and the Red Wings are in position to spend
competitively on AAV thanks to their cap space.
Andrew Copp, C/W
Copp tests the boundaries of this particular article a bit — he has only
one conference final appearance, with Winnipeg, in which the Jets won
just one game — but he does play that classic two-way brand of hockey,
and his offense has popped this season. He’s been a bit of a Red Wing
killer, too, with three goals against his hometown team in three games
this season.
Oh, that’s right — Copp is a local kid, which could certainly help a pitch to
him this offseason. If, that is, the Rangers let him out of New York. He’s
up to 18 points in 15 games in New York, including eight goals, and with
both him and Ryan Strome up for new deals, it may be an either/or
situation for the Rangers.
If he gets to market, though, he’d be a potential second-line center for the
Red Wings, with size, goal scoring and the versatility to flex to the wing
as needed. And he may pick up a little more of that winning pedigree this
postseason, as the Rangers have closed the regular season on a tear.
Andre Burakovsky, LW
Burakovsky won his Cup with Vrana back in 2018, playing a similarly
limited role. But now, he’s holding down a top-six spot on perhaps the
league’s best team in Colorado. He produced in the playoffs for the
Avalanche in 2020, scoring more than a point per game in just 13
minutes a night. And now he’s having a career year with 60 points that, if
you take his per-game averages from the last three seasons, actually just
looks like his true level.
For those reasons, Colorado may well find a way to keep Burakovsky —
though they go into this summer one year away from Nathan
MacKinnon’s next contract, with Nazem Kadri and Valeri Nichushkin also
pending UFAs (both of whom could also be of some interest to Detroit if
they make it to market). But if he’s there, he figures to be one of the more
interesting offensive wingers available, with the main question being
whether he’s amenable to the medium-term range that has thus far been
Detroit’s cap under Yzerman.
Bryan Rust, RW
Rust is another hometown product, so get ready to hear his name this
summer if he and the Penguins can’t reach an extension. He’s won two
Cups in Pittsburgh, and is currently working on his second point-per-
game season in the last three years. All of that is certainly appealing,
even with the caveat Detroit doesn’t have Sidney Crosby or Evgeni
Malkin — Rust’s most common centermen the past three years — to play
him with.
The bottom line, as always, is likely to come down to what Rust’s looking
for on the open market. He’s been making $3.5 million per year for the
past three seasons, and considering his production, is due for a
substantial raise without question. After being a bargain on his last deal,
though, is he going to be looking to max out the term (a la Zach Hyman
in Edmonton) as well at age 30? If so, the fit may be tricky for a GM who
hasn’t been willing to do that so far.
Calle Jarnkrok, C/W
A bit less offensive pop than some of the above names, but Jarnkrok’s
played in the Stanley Cup Final in the past for the Predators and may be
lining up for another deep run this summer in Calgary. The Red Wings’
main needs aren’t so much filling out their bottom half — their best-case
scenario would be to bring in upper-lineup players to help better slot the
rest of their talent — but Jarnkrok looks more like the Yzerman
acquisitions to this point in Detroit: a good two-way player who can help
set a standard for the Red Wings’ young players.
And, of course, there’s the fact the Red Wings drafted Jarnkrok way back
in 2010. It’d be a great story to see him finally suit up for the franchise 12
years later.
Olli Maatta, LHD
The Red Wings have holes to fill on the left side of the blue line. They
also have played some of the worst team defense in the league, ranking
second in goals against per game and giving up the fourth-most
expected goals per 60 minutes. Maatta would help that, as a veteran
blueliner who specializes on the defensive end. He’s won a pair of Cups
in Pittsburgh — playing 20 minutes a night on the second run — and will
be 28 this summer.
Bringing him in as a steadying player for the Red Wings’ young right side
— possibly including Moritz Seider on the top pair — could make a lot of
sense for the Red Wings. But he also makes plenty of the sense for the
Kings to bring back, as they look to take the next step, too.
Ian Cole, LHD
Maatta’s teammate on those Penguins Cup teams, Cole — another local
product, out of Ann Arbor — could have a similar steadying influence on
the Red Wings’ young defenders. His role has been a little lower the past
two years, playing more third-pair minutes, and at 33, he’s getting up
there in age. But the flip side could potentially be more amenability to a
shorter-term contract, which would be a bonus for the Red Wings as their
young defense prospects continue to percolate.
Josh Manson, RHD
Recently acquired by the Avalanche, Manson may be in for a long playoff
run — and potentially a ring — in the coming months. For now, he just
meets the criteria here by virtue of making the Western Conference finals
with Anaheim in 2017. But either way, the reasons the Red Wings could
have interest are likely the same ones that landed him in Colorado. He
could help Detroit’s back end get bigger and tougher, and would bring a
long track record of strong defensive impacts to the table.
The fact he’s a right-hand shot doesn’t line up with Detroit’s expiring
deals on the left side, but after Seider, Detroit’s ‘D’ just flat out wasn’t
good enough for anyone to have their same role guaranteed for next
season. Of course, Manson would have to make it to free agency first,
and Colorado may not let him get there after giving up a good prospect to
acquire him.
Alex Edler, LHD
Edler just turned 36, so a long-term answer he is not. But he is a 6-foot-3
left-shot defender with a great track record who has played in the Stanley
Cup Final from his time in Vancouver and was a leader for the Canucks.
He checks a lot of boxes, and saw his production tick back up this
season in Los Angeles. His age means any deal would have to be short,
but again, that isn’t a bad thing for the Red Wings.
It’s hard to imagine many better players to mentor the Red Wings’ young
Swedish defensemen — including Simon Edvinsson — than Edler, who
was nearly a Red Wings draft pick back in 2004.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242852 Edmonton Oilers
Oilers clinch second with McDavid in virtuoso performance against
Crosby
Jim Matheson • Edmonton Journal
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
The Edmonton Oilers exercised their will and exorcized their demons on
the Penguins in Pittsburgh Tuesday, registering their first regulation win
here in 16 years, back when the teams were playing at the Igloo, a pile of
rubble today.
The only player still around from that Jan. 10, 2006, game where Shawn
Horcoff got his one and only NHL hat-trick, with all three Oiler goals in a
3-1 win, is Sidney Crosby who was a teenager on that night when his
coach Michel Therrien offered up his famous post-game rant calling his
team soft, with very little pulse.
In this one, Crosby, now 34, was going head-to-head with Connor
McDavid. Two stars colliding, along with Mike Smith vs Casey DeSmith
in net, so another wordy parlay as the Oilers were faster and way more
dangerous (especially No. 97) throughout in a 5-1 win to clinch home-ice
in the first round of the playoffs against most-likely Los Angeles.
McDavid had an instant replay of his Dec. 1 game in Edmonton, when he
had a goal and three helpers in their 5-2 victory. In this one he set up
three by Evan Bouchard, Evander Kane and a power play score by Zach
Hyman before lifting one of his own on the PP over DeSmith — two
power play goals against the best PK in the league that had only given
up 29 PP goals in 80 previous games. He wasn’t in on Zack Kassian’s
into the empty net to finish it off a little after Smith’s 195-footer curled
nine inches wide of the cage — good draw weight but needed some
sweeping to keep it on line.
McDavid’s four points sewed up his fourth Art Ross trophy, so he’s one of
only seven guys to win that many scoring titles and he’s only 25. He’s got
122 points — figuring in nine of the last 13 Oiler goals over three games
— seven clear of Jonathan Huberdeau in Florida with two games left
against San Jose and Vancouver at Rogers Place.
In nine career meetings, McDavid has now outscored Crosby 18-5,
although Sid’s beaten Connor much more often in terms of team play. An
exclamation point with his eight in the head-to-head match-up this year
while Crosby had just one assist. He did have five shots against Smith
Tuesday and also won 66 per cent (19-10) of his face-offs, but this was
McDavid at the very top of his game against his hero growing up.
And he’s dusted Jonathan Huberdeau, too, in the scoring race.
“That’s what the best players in the world do, they rise to those
occasions,” said Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft. “What he’s doing in
Edmonton this season … I don’t think he gets appreciated by everybody.
It’s like there’s almost a consensus that’s just McDavid being McDavid.
That’s what he does. But he’s got 122 points, he’s driving our team,
playing the right way, driven to win.”
McDavid didn’t come out to talk post-game, but Hyman seconded
Woodcroft’s emotion. So how would he describe the four points?
“A quiet four? A loud four? I mean, it’s just normal,” said Hyman, of his
45th multiple-point night this season. “He makes so many plays on the
ice that don’t result in goals and when they do go in … hey, he probably
could have a few more points.”
“He’s such a dynamic player, best player in the world. I’m glad he’s with
us, and I’m glad I’m here (after being in Toronto),” he guffawed.
But, doing it against Crosby, arguably one of the five top players all time?
There’s some theatre for a Crosby-McDavid battle.
“He knows Sid obviously. For everybody of our generation Sid was the
guy most of us looked up to. I’m sure this (match-up) adds another layer
for Connor. I’m sure he’s not making it a personal battle. He focussed on
winning but Connor played great tonight,” said Hyman.
Smith won his 10th straight start — longest in terms of starts in the NHL
this season — which ties him with Grant Fuhr for the all-time Oiler best,
in ’85-86. Andy Moog and Tommy Salo had nine. Smith’s last loss as a
starter was trade deadline night March 21 in Denver, so more than a
month ago.
In a wide-open first, Bouchard celebrated his 100th NHL game with his
12th goal of the season, beating DeSmith off the post and in off a
McDavid feed. Jeff Carter got the lone goal past Smith (34 shots) to tie it
but Kane got his 22nd in his 41st Oiler game 25 seconds after the Carter
goal to make it 2-1. Hyman, McDavid and Kassian made it a blowout.
And so the Oilers will start the playoffs at home, either Monday or
Tuesday next week. They’ve taken care of that business. “Great start (9-
1), lull in the middle (two wins in a 15-game stretch), strong finish,” said
Hyman.
The only drama in the dying minutes Tuesday was whether Smith would
score his second NHL goal (the other was with Arizona). He came close
with Pens down 4-1.
“I was on my toes on the bench to see if it was going in. I’ve seen goalie
goals on video but I’ve never seen one live,” said Woodcroft.
This ‘n that: Bouchard had a second goal wiped out on an offside by his
buddy Ryan McLeod, long before he scored. Does McLeod have to pay
him back with, say, a steak dinner. “He owes me something. I’ll be talking
to him about that,” he laughed…Derick Brassard was also offside late in
the game to erase his goal on a 2-on-1 with Devin Shore with DeSmith
pulled…Duncan Keith, who went into the game with 1,998 blocked shots
had four in the first 20 minutes and passed 2,000, becoming only the
second in history with teammate Kris Russell the other one..
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242853 Edmonton Oilers
OILERS NOTES: McDavid looks back at when he was a Crosby fan
Jim Matheson • Edmonton Journal
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
PITTSBURGH — Connor McDavid played junior hockey in Erie, Pa.,
about two hours away from here, and remembers getting an audience
with Sidney Crosby in the Penguins’ dressing room after a game back
when McDavid was a wide-eyed teenager.
“Great experience, something I’ll never forget,” he said.
So, it wasn’t one hockey player to another?
“Uh, no. I was more a fan at that point. I was, like, 16 years old, “
admitted McDavid, who got to about five games in Pittsburgh when he
played three seasons for Kris Knoblauch in Erie.
There’s only one Crosby and one McDavid with the torch passed, but
McDavid certainly admires No. 87’s game and the way he carries
himself. Like Mario Lemieux learning from Wayne Gretzky.
“Sid’s so strong down low at both ends of the rink. Offensively, he can
play with guys on his back and make plays behind the net or in the high-
traffic areas. He makes it hard on guys,” said McDavid.
McDavid would have been on Team Canada in Beijing at the Olympics if
the NHL hadn’t decided to pull the plug on going because of COVID-19.
It was a lost opportunity for him, and for everybody in the country.
Gretzky and Lemieux got that chance in the 1987 Canada Cup, on the
ice for the game-winner against Russia as Gretzky fed Mario on a three-
on-one break with Larry Murphy.
Maybe Crosby, who turns 35 in August, will still be playing at the World
Cup in 2024.
“Unfortunate that it hasn’t worked out thus far. I was definitely looking
forward to it in February but now the focus shifts to getting something
done in the near future here,” said McDavid, who misses the head-to-
head battles because the twain seldom meet, with McDavid in Edmonton
and Crosby in Pittsburgh.
In the first 485 NHL games for both players, McDavid had 692 points,
Crosby 688.
“Always fun for these matchups, always good to test yourself against
somebody like Sid. Fun to play against the whole Pittsburgh group with a
core of guys who’ve had so much success. That’s something we want to
do,” McDavid said of the group’s three Stanley Cup rings.
Said Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft: “I had the good pleasure of being on
the Canadian coaching staff at the 2015 world championship that went
undefeated where Sidney was our captain. Like our leadership group,
Sidney has his value system in the right place in terms of being driven to
win.”
“For both fan bases, it’s an exciting thing to see them playing each
other.”
Fun stuff for coaches too, like the Penguins’ Mike Sullivan.
“I enjoy watching McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl going against Crosby and
(Evgeni) Malkin,” said Sullivan. “As a hockey enthusiast, it doesn’t get
any better. These players are generational talents. The things they can
do with the puck at the speed with which they do it is so impressive. To
be able to witness that up close, it’s exciting. Now, we’re also trying to
stop Connor and Leon to win the game.”
NOT WHAT DOCTOR ORDERED
The chances of Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse (leg) playing before the
Oilers’ regular season ends Friday at Rogers Place against Vancouver
are slim, but McDavid has talked to his best buddy often since he was
hurt against Colorado last Friday, and says that Nurse will be ready for
the playoffs.
“I definitely expect that. I don’t want to put a timeline on him but I know
Nursey,” said McDavid.
“Knowing injuries come in all shapes and sizes and in all different ways.
Weird play,” said McDavid, who didn’t think Nurse jostling with J.T.
Compher was that big of a deal at the time. “I’m sure he’ll be all right.”
Said Woodcroft: “We’ll see how Darnell is when we get back to
Edmonton. We’re not rushing anybody, just like we won’t overplay
anybody down the stretch. We’ll take it one day at a time.”
Winger Jesse Puljujarvi, who has missed three straight games because
of an illness, is skating at home.
“We’ll see how he is when we see his eyeballs tomorrow. I would think he
would play at home,” Woodcroft said of games Thursday against San
Jose and Friday against the Canucks to close out the schedule.
ALL-TIME RANT
Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Oilers hadn’t won in regulation in
Pittburgh since Jan. 10, 2006, a period of more than 16 years. That was
the night Penguins coach Michel Therrien offered up his classic post-
game diatribe after the Oilers victory. Nothing ever like it.
“I believe their goal is to be the worst defensive squad in the league,”
began the thoroughly disappointed Therrien. “They turn the puck over,
they have no vision, they’re soft. I’ve never seen a bunch of defencemen
soft like this. A lot of guys don’t care. I know they don’t care. Do I think as
a coach that the team cares for each other? Wow! They’re making my job
as coach miserable … so it’s give and take.”
Colby Cave’s outstanding goal against Pittsburgh on Nov. 2, 2019, will
stay forever in Woodcroft’s visual archive.
“Right before Colby got called up, he had a chance exactly like that in
Bakersfield and didn’t score. We talked about what he had done. I liked
that he brought the puck all the way across the net on the same play
against Pittsburgh and scored,” said Woodcroft, who was coaching the
American Hockey League’s Condors at the time.
“His wife, Emily, and I have talked about that. I was so happy for him.
You could see the joy on his face. Wasn’t that an awesome moment?”
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242854 Edmonton Oilers
JONES: With playoffs around the corner, don't ask the Oilers about next
year
Terry Jones
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Will Ken Holland attempt to sign Evander Kane to a new multi-year
contract with the Edmonton Oilers next year?
Don’t ask.
Does the general manager have major decisions with his goaltending
regardless of how Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen perform in the
playoffs?
Don’t ask.
And hasn’t Holland seen enough to replace the interim tag and offer head
coach Jay Woodcroft a multi-year contract?
Don’t ask.
I had the opportunity to ask those questions of Holland in a far-ranging
end-of-regular-season interview and he was detailed in discussing all
three. But when it came to providing answers to the actual questions,
Holland said he’s adopting a playoff policy.
Don’t ask.
Holland said he is well aware of the big-picture bottom line that will be
here when the season is over.
“The reality is that I’ll have to make some difficult cap decisions.
Certainly, my job is to have an eye to the off-season but I also believe it’s
important to watch our team play in the playoffs.
“I do know that we have difficult, difficult decisions to make but many
teams also do. That’s the nature of the salary cap. Hopefully, we’re going
to play for a long time and some decisions are going to be even more
difficult.
“I’m not worrying about those difficult decisions today. I want to win
today. I don’t want to stir everybody up about those decisions. I like our
team. I like the way we’ve played. It’s the playoffs. Lets go out there and
embrace the playoffs.
“It’s like I told Jay Woodcroft. When I signed Jay, I wanted him to know
that the mandate is to win, that he didn’t have to play someone because I
signed him or play some young player because of where we drafted him.
The mandate is to win. I told Jay that when the season is done, we’ll sit
down and talk about the future.
“The focus for everybody in our organization has to be the opportunity we
have immediately in front of us. Like I said, this is an opportunity of a
lifetime.”
As the Oilers return home for their final two regular-season games
Thursday against San Jose and Friday against Vancouver, the subject of
Kane is front burner with Oilers fans and that’s not where Holland wants
it.
“Certainly, we did a lot of research,” said Holland of making the move to
sign hockey’s serial offender for the bargain rental rate of just over $1
million at mid-season.
“I knew Kane’s agent, Dan Milstein, going way back to Pavel Datsyuk in
Detroit. Dan set up a dinner with Evander when we played in Vancouver
and Dave Tippett and I went to a restaurant back room and spent three
hours with him.
“For me, that was an important dinner. We asked lots of questions. I left
there thinking I wanted to push ahead.
“To me, it wasn’t a tough decision because we did our research. We
talked to lots of people. Meeting him one-on-one, face-to-face for three
hours and asking all the questions we wanted to ask, made me
comfortable.
“What he’s given us is over a half of a season that projects to a 40-goal
year. We have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-
Hopkins. We signed Zach Hyman. We have Jesse Puljujarvi and Kailer
Yamamoto. So, we added another top-line forward.
“Beyond that, he plays with an edge. He goes to the hard areas. You
need some people that play with some sandpaper. He’s given us another
dimension.”
Woodcroft had a 23-9-3 start to his NHL head-coaching career going into
Tuesday’s final road game of the year in Pittsburgh, but he’s 0-0 in the
playoffs.
“I’ve known Jay since 2005-06, when he worked for the Detroit Red
Wings. Mike Babcock hired him as our video coach. So, I had a
relationship going back 15 years.
“I watched his Bakersfield teams over the last two and a half years. They
looked organized. They were five-man units. They attacked in five-man
units and they defended in five-man units. Last year in a pandemic year,
Bakersfield won the Pacific Division championship. The year I got here, I
think Bakersfield had won 18 (games) in a row.
“When I made the decision that I thought we needed to make a head
coaching change, Jay was close enough to know our team but he was far
enough away that he was also somebody from the outside.
“I thought we needed the change and I thought that Jay was going to be
the solution. And it’s been fabulous under Jay’s watch. The team has
really, really responded to him, and played very, very well. He’s been a
big story for us this year.”
And what about the goaltending?
“I think that when both goalies are together and healthy, they feed off of
one another and the each can get hot and go on a run. I’ve always
believed in our goaltending when the team in front of them gives them a
chance. They are both incredibly hard workers, are both very popular in
the locker-room and their teammates are cheering for them. Chemistry is
a big part of our sport.
“The team has paid more attention to detail and when we play the right
way, our guys give us good goaltending.”
But Smith is now 40 and Koskinen …
Sorry. Forgot. Don’t ask.
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242855 Edmonton Oilers
GAME NIGHT: Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins
Jim Matheson • Edmonton Journal
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Hey, it’s Crosby and McDavid
With Sidney Crosby now 34, we’re running out of chances to watch him
play against Connor McDavid. The Oilers and Penguins only meet twice
a year. There’s five scoring titles between these two and four Hart
trophies. Back on Dec. 1, McDavid had the upper hand with a goal and
three helpers, while Sidney had a rare off-night, going minus-4 in a 5-2
Oilers win.
THREE THINGS ABOUT PENGUINS
1.They’re in a battle with the Washington Capitals for third spot in the
Metro Division, one point up on them. If they get third, they play the
Rangers. If the Caps, who lost Alex Ovechkin to a suspected shoulder
injury Sunday, overtake Pittsburgh, Sid’s Crew will draw Florida in the
first playoff round.
2. Crosby would be challenging 100 points if he hadn’t played just one
game until mid-November because of September surgery on his left
wrist, which had bothered him for years. He first hurt it seven years ago
in a collision with then-teammate Ryan Reaves. Crosby played his first
NHL game in 2005, when McDavid was eight years old.
3. Their No. 1 goalie, Tristan Jarry, the one-time Edmonton Oil Kings
junior, suffered a suspected broken foot two weeks ago against the
Rangers. He won’t be ready for the playoffs so they’re going with backup
Casey deSmith, who has holding the fort. He’s been just fine this season
with a .915 save percentage in 24 games.
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242856 Edmonton Oilers
‘It’s incredible’: How Connor McDavid’s season is so stellar and why it’s
not getting enough attention
Daniel Nugent-Bowman
6-8 minutes 27/04/2022
PITTSBURGH – Connor McDavid entered Tuesday’s game relishing the
test of the twice-per-season matchup against his childhood idol. He aced
it as if it were an open-book quiz.
As he was in the Dec. 1 head-to-head battle against Sidney Crosby,
McDavid was the best player on the ice against the Penguins. He
recorded a goal and three assists again, helping the Oilers to a lopsided
win, this time 5-1.
“For everybody in that generation, Sid was the guy that most kids looked
up to,” Oilers winger Zach Hyman said. “I’m sure that adds an extra layer
for him.”
McDavid became the leading scorer of any NHL player against the
Penguins this season. He played only two games against them.
Anyone watching the game could tell McDavid had just a little extra jump
in this one.
The Oilers had missed out on clinching home-ice advantage in the first
round of the playoffs by losing in Columbus on Sunday. It was inevitable
they’d secure that prize eventually, but the captain acted as though he
wasn’t interested in any further delays.
What better than to shine against Pittsburgh’s leader and the player
widely regarded as the NHL’s greatest before McDavid at the very least
called that into question.
McDavid now has five goals compared with Crosby’s two in the nine
games when they’ve shared the ice. Points are even more slanted in
McDavid’s favour: 18-5.
What surely matters more to McDavid is the Oilers have won three of the
past four games — including Tuesday, which was their first regulation
victory in Pittsburgh since 2006.
“He’s such a good hockey player, and he rose to the occasion,” Oilers
coach Jay Woodcroft said. “It was an important game for our team. It was
a complete 60 minutes from everybody, but certainly Connor led the
way.”
That’s just what McDavid so often does when it’s expected of him.
Tuesday had all the makings of a big game. Not only was he taking on
Crosby, but also supposed Hart Trophy favourite Auston Matthews was
closing in on 60 goals (which he hit), and Jonathan Huberdeau was three
points behind him in the Art Ross Trophy race.
McDavid made sure the spotlight didn’t shine too brightly on Matthews.
And that margin atop the scoring list is now seven points after Huberdeau
was held off the scoresheet in Boston.
Thanks to Tuesday’s effort, McDavid is closing in on his fourth scoring
title. Only Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux, Phil Esposito,
Jaromir Jagr and Stan Mikita have four or more. And McDavid is just 25.
“That’s what the best players in the world do,” Woodcroft said. “They rise
to those occasions.
“What he’s doing here with this season, I don’t think he gets appreciated
by everybody because there’s almost a consensus that it is just McDavid
being McDavid. That’s what he does. But he’s at a career high (in points),
he’s driving our team, and he’s playing the game the right way. He’s
driven to win.”
That career-high point total is now at 122. Only two players have reached
125 points since 2000: Nikita Kucherov in 2019 and Joe Thornton in
2006. McDavid has two games to pick up three points and join the club.
“It’s incredible,” rookie defenceman Evan Bouchard said. “You wouldn’t
think that somebody would get that many points — it doesn’t surprise me
at all. Watching him all year, you really see the kind of player he is.”
Though this season might not seem as otherworldly as last season, when
he had 105 points in 56 games, the scuttlebutt around the team is that
McDavid is an even better and more complete player now.
He’s always finding some way to help the Oilers’ cause. Tuesday was a
prime example.
McDavid played 12 minutes at five-on-five. Per Natural Stat Trick, the
Oilers outshot the Penguins 11-5, out-attempted them 17-11 and
outscored them 2-0 when McDavid was over the boards.
“It’s just normal,” Hyman said. “He makes so many plays on the ice that
don’t result in goals. He probably could have had a couple more points.
“He’s such a dynamic player. He’s the best player in the world. That’s
what you expect. That’s what you get. I’m glad he’s with us. I’m glad I’m
here.”
There were lots of things to be pleased about from the Oilers’ side of the
ledger against the Penguins.
Bouchard scored once and would have had a second one had it not been
successfully challenged by Pittsburgh for an offside. Zack Kassian ended
a 28-game goal drought, albeit with a shot into an empty net.
Mike Smith was excellent again in winning his 10th consecutive start, the
longest such streak of any NHL goalie this season. Smith also won his
ninth consecutive decision, one behind Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr’s mark
from the 1985-86 campaign. He made 33 saves on 34 shots.
But there’s no question who stole the show.
McDavid now has 12 points in his past four games.
“Of late, he’s been unbelievable — just generating chances for himself or
his linemates,” Hyman said. “Any time he gets the puck, he beats a guy
or draws another guy there, and then there’s space. It seems like he’s at
the top of his game, and that’s great for us.”
Ho-hum. Par for the course. Even if we shouldn’t think that way.
It wasn’t so long ago that the Oilers’ season was coming off the rails. The
team underwent a dreadful 2-11-2 stretch that began after that Dec. 1
victory against the Penguins and passed the midway mark of January.
Dave Tippett was fired as coach eight games later.
The Oilers are 24-9-3 under Woodcroft, with a .708 points percentage,
the fourth highest in the league during that span. McDavid has 61 points
in those 36 games. No one else has more.
That’s why Tuesday was hardly a shock. The performance gave the
perception of “McDavid being McDavid,” as Woodcroft said.
He might be overlooked by some, but not by those wearing blue and
orange.
“Towards the end of the season, things get harder, and it’s harder to
score. He’s obviously making it easier,” Hyman said. “He’s stepping up
and being a huge difference-maker for us.
“We needed it. We had a stretch there where things weren’t going well.
We needed to turn it around quick. He’s a big reason why we were able
to.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242857 Florida Panthers
Flat offense and pair of defensive lapses lead to Florida Panthers’ loss to
Bruins
Jordan McPherson
Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall on Brad Marchand’s wrist shot from the right
circle early in the second period with the puck bouncing off his chest.
The Florida Panthers’ goaltender couldn’t get back in position quick
enough for the second effort that came directly in front of him by Jake
DeBrusk.
DeBrusk’s rebound goal put the Boston Bruins in front for good as they
beat the Panthers 4-2 at TD Garden on Tuesday.
The Panthers (57-17-6), after winning 13 consecutive games, have now
lost back-to-back games for the first time since losing three consecutive
games in late February.
Bobrovsky did what he could to keep the team in the game. He finished
with 34 saves on 37 shots against, but the first two goals he allowed —
which came in a six-second span in the first period — were in large part
due to defensive lapses in front of him.
It started with Erik Haula beating Bobrovsky from the right side on an
odd-man rush with 3:42 left in the period. Radko Gudas tried to lay a hit
on Taylor Hall at the blue line at the start of the Bruins’ rush attempt. Hall
spun past him as he sent the puck to David Pastrnak, who fed the puck
across the crease to Haula for the wrist shot.
On the ensuing faceoff, Hall broke past the Panthers’ defense and fired a
wrist shot from the slot to give the Bruins a lead with 3:36 left in the
period.
Brad Marchand added an empty-net goal for Boston (50-25-5) with 3:05
left in regulation for the final two-goal margin.
“I thought he was dialed in right from the start,” Panthers interim coach
Andrew Brunette said. “We weren’t very good in front of him, especially in
the first. He kept us in the game.”
Florida’s normally high-octane offense was held to just 21 shots and two
goals on Tuesday, both of which came in the first period. Gustav Forsling
opened scoring eight minutes into regulation with an unassisted wrist
shot from near the blue line. Sam Reinhart closed scoring in the frame
when he poked the puck past Linus Ullmark with 0.6 seconds left in the
period after the Panthers nine seconds into a Florida power play to the
the game at 2-2 after 20 minutes.
They wouldn’t score the rest of the game.
Playoff tracking
The Panthers’ loss on Tuesday does nothing in terms of their playoff
standing. Florida already has the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference
clinched and still has a chance to win the Presidents’ Trophy, given to the
club that finishes the regular season with the best overall record, and get
home-ice advance throughout the entirety of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However, the result — coupled with two other final scores Tuesday — did
give the Panthers some clarity as to who they might face in the first
round.
With Boston winning and both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington
Capitals losing in regulation, Florida will host either Pittsburgh or
Washington based on how both teams finish their regular-season
schedules.
Pittsburgh has 101 points with one game left on its schedule — Friday at
home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Washington has 100 points
with two games remaining — road contests against the New York
Islanders on Thursday and New York Rangers on Friday. Whichever
team finishes with the fewest points will be the Eastern Conference’s
second wild card and face Florida in the first round.
Verhaeghe returns
Carter Verhaeghe returned to the Panthers’ lineup on Tuesday after
missing the past three games. He took his usual spot as the left wing on
Florida’s top line with Aleksander Barkov and Clauder Giroux.
Joe Thornton also slotted into the lineup against the Bruins, serving as
the left wing on Florida’s fourth line with center Eetu Luostarinen and
right wing Patric Hornqvist. Maxim Mamin (maintenance) and Ryan
Lomberg (suspension) were out.
Lundell, Gudas exit
Center Anton Lundell left Tuesday’s game early in the second period with
an upper-body injury. Defenseman Radko Gudas also missed the third
period with a lower-body injury.
Brunette described both injuries as “little tweaks” and their removal from
the game precautionary.
“We’re obviously trying to be smart and ahead of the curve a little bit
here,” Brunette said.
Miami Herald LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242858 Florida Panthers
Sergei Bobrovsky makes 34 saves but Panthers fall to Bruins, drop
second game in a row
Mark Altman
3-3 minutes 27/04/2022
BOSTON — Jake DeBrusk snapped a 2-2 tie in the second period, Linus
Ullmark made 19 saves and the Boston Bruins beat the Florida Panthers
4-2 on Tuesday night to clinch the first wild card in the Eastern
Conference.
DeBrusk scored the eventual game-winner when he slammed home the
rebound of a Brad Marchand shot at 4:59. Ullmark is 5-1 in his last eight
appearances and has only allowed 10 goals in that span.
Erik Haula and Taylor Hall scored six seconds apart in the first period
and Marchand notched his 32nd goal late in the third for Boston, which
will travel to Carolina in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The
Bruins were swept in three games in the regular season by the
Hurricanes by a 16-1 margin.
Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak each had two assists for Boston.
“I thought it was a good test for us,” Haula said. “Florida is a high-
powered offensive team and keeping them to two goals is good.”
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had 34 saves as Florida lost for the
second straight game after rattling off 13 wins.
Sam Reinhart scored a power-play goal to tie the game at 2-2 for Florida
with less than a second left in the first.
Goals by Haula and Hall had given Boston a 2-1 lead with just under four
minutes to play in the first.
Gustav Forsling scored his 10th in the first period for the Panthers, who
mustered only three shots in the third period.
“They didn’t look to me like they had their usual jump tonight for whatever
reason,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I liked the way our team
performed and the amount of chances we generated.”
PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY
Florida failed to clinch the trophy for the best record in hockey and needs
to win one of its final two games.
MISSING THE POINT
The Bruins held Jonathan Huberdeau off the score sheet for only the
second time in the last 20 games. Huberdeau entered the night second in
the NHL in points.
POWER OUTAGE
Boston went 0-3 with the man advantage and has now gone 12 games
without a power-play goal, going 0-for-36 in that span.
“We want to get the power play fixed heading into the playoffs,” Hall said.
“Don’t think we have the confidence right now, but we have too many
good players not to figure it out.”
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242859 Florida Panthers
Garden Party: Boston Bruins 4, Florida Panthers 2
Staff Report
Published 7 hours ago on April 26, 2022 By George Richards3-4 minutes
27/04/2022
The Boston Bruins took a lead on the Florida Panthers early in the
second period Tuesday and put the clamps on, holding the Panthers to
10 shots on goal for the final 35 minutes.
None of them went in.
The Bruins, still trying to chase down Tampa Bay for third in the Atlantic,
pulled out a 4-2 victory over the Panthers at the Garden.
It was the second consecutive regulation loss for the Panthers who were
trying to lock down the NHL Presidents’ Trophy with a win.
Florida fell behind 3-2 in the second period and the score stayed that way
until Brad Marchand scored into an empty net with 3:05 left on the clock.
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Now today!
The Panthers took the first lead of the night as Gus Forsling scored his
seventh goal of the month at 8:02.
Forsling created his own chance, intercepting a clearing pass from Matt
Grzelcyk and threw it up at the net.
Florida’s lead did not last, with the Bruins scoring twice within a span of
six seconds.
With 3:42 left in the period, David Pastrnak fed it to Erik Haula on a 2-on-
1 who beat Sergei Bobrovsky to it.
Literally, moments later, the Bruins won the ensuing faceoff and Taylor
Hall broke through the defense after a MacKenzie Weegar turnover,
walked in on Bobrovsky and scored.
Down 2-1, the Panthers got a late power play chance with Anthony
Duclair getting slashed; Florida made a push with Sam Reinhart following
up his own rebound off the post and beat the clock to tie the score.
Reinhart’s goal came with just .06 left.
One of the highlights of the first period came near the end when Joe
Thornton — who was in the starting lineup in what could be his final
game in Boston — got into it with Tomas Nosek in the corner.
Boston, which outshot the Panthers from the start of the game, made it 3-
2 at 4:59 of the season on a rebound goal from Jake DeBrusk.
— The Panthers announced that rookie Anton Lundell (upper-body
injury) and defenseman Radko Gudas (lower) would not return to the
game.
Lundell left the game after sustaining a hit with 9:11 left in the second;
Gudas left with 1:52 remaining in that period.
After the game, coach Andrew Brunette said the injuries were nothing
more than “little tweaks” and the team was resting them out of precaution
what with the playoffs starting next week.
Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242860 Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers Pregame: Regular Season Winds Down in Boston
Staff Report
Published 14 hours ago on April 26, 20225-6 minutes 26/04/2022
The Florida Panthers have one final game remaining in this regular
season against a team which will be in the upcoming playoffs and it looks
like they are going to bring their best to Boston tonight.
The Panthers will ice most of their regulars tonight, perhaps for the final
time before the postseason starts for them Monday or Tuesday in
Sunrise.
According to coach Andrew Brunette, Florida will be without Mason
Marchment due to maintenance but will have former Boston star Joe
Thornton and Carter Verhaeghe in the lineup.
Thornton spent parts of his first eight NHL seasons with the Bruins before
being traded to San Jose; this could be his final game at the Garden.
Ryan Lomberg will be in the press box watching after being suspended
on Monday.
Sergei Bobrovsky will be in net.
For daily coverage of the Florida Panthers, subscribe to Florida Hockey
Now today!
“I don’t think we’re looking too far into it,” Brunette said from TD Garden
on Tuesday morning while his team took an optional morning skate.
“We’re just trying to play a good, solid road game here tonight. As for
looking too far ahead, we’re still in this day-to-day grind. Who knows
what is going to happen? We have to make sure we tighten our game
up.”
Both teams have something to play for as they jockey for positioning
within the Eastern Conference.
Boston, which has three games remaining, is currently three points back
of the Lightning for the third spot in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins look like they will end up the first wild-card — which would put
them in the Metropolitan side of the playoffs — with a first-round series
against either Carolina or the New York Rangers.
”This is a big game for them and will be a really good test for us,”
Brunette said. “They are as good as any team in the league. We expect
them to play at their best.”
Florida can clinch the Presidents’ Trophy which is given to the top team
in the NHL at the end of the regular season. That comes with home ice
advantage throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Panthers can lay claim to the top spot tonight with a win in Boston
and a Colorado loss to the Blues.
Florida can also clinch with a overtime/shootout loss tonight and a
regulation loss from the Avs.
Bobrovsky can win his 40th game tonight against the Bruins.
“He has been huge, just having him in the room,” Sam Reinhart said. “To
see someone work that hard on a daily basis and earn the trust of the
group is really important. That’s obviously another milestone for him and
another reason to show up tonight, try and come out on top.”
PANTHERLAND
Tomorrow is the 26th anniversary of the biggest single goal in Panthers’
history and it is fitting that Florida is in Boston tonight.
Bill Lindsay scored after being tripped up by Ray Bourque while coming
around the right side and was able to score to give the Panthers a 4-3
win over the Bruins and a series victory in Game 5 of the 1996 opening
round.
Lindsay had a lot of things to say about that goal — and how we would
love to see the Panthers make some more memories in these playoffs.
And bring the Stanley Cup to Fort Lauderdale.
— The Panthers are finally going to see some television money again
after agreeing to a new carriage deal with Bally Sports. Read all the
details HERE
— We’re hosing a watch party for tonight’s game on the second floor of
the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs. Specials throughout the game.
Come and join us!
Florida panthers
— Are players coming up from Charlotte to join the lineup Thursday or
Friday night? We think so.
— Miss why Lomberg was suspended and Brunette fined for Sunday
night’s fight in Sunrise? You can watch it all right HERE
— Anthony Duclair is the Panthers’ nominee for the Bill Masterton
Memorial Trophy for his play on the ice — and his work off of it.
— The Boston Bruins are turning their focus to the upcoming
postseason.
You had to know that Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand were going
to give a little Boston Bruins reminder of exactly what they can do prior to
the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242861 Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers get new deal, cash infusion with Bally Sports deal
Staff Report
Published 17 hours ago on April 26, 20223-3 minutes 26/04/2022
With the team bringing in the highest ratings ever, the Florida Panthers
came into negotiations for a new television deal with Bally Sports in a
good spot.
The Panthers picked a good time to have their best two seasons in their
history.
On Tuesday, the team announced it agreed to a new contract with Bally
Sports to continue carrying the team’s non-nationally televised games.
Steve Goldstein and Randy Moller are expected to continue in their roles
as television voices of the Panthers.
Florida signed a 10-year deal with the then-Fox Sports group which
reportedly paid a lot of the money up front. When the Panthers were sold
to Vinnie Viola in 2013, the money stayed behind.
The Panthers, according to Sports Business Journal, are now finally
going to see some local television money with the deal reportedly over
$10 million per season and described as in the “high teens.”
The former contract averaged $6 million per year, but again, a lot of it
was paid out before the team was sold. Per SBJ, it was one of the lowest
carriage deals in professional sports.
South Florida only has the Sinclair-owned Bally Sports to negotiate with,
so both the Panthers and Miami Marlins getting more money in their
recent dealings with the company is a win.
If the Panthers did not reach an agreement with Sinclair — which
renamed its network to Ballys in a name-rights deal — it is not known
where their broadcasts could have gone.
Due to numerous cable and streaming services dropping Sinclair
channels over the years, the company is planning a direct-to-consumer
streaming service of its own.
The Panthers said in a statement they would be part of it.
There has been no word whether the new deal will include road pregame
shows as other teams have but the Panthers have not.
The Panthers are the only South Florida pro team on Bally Sports — the
Marlins and Heat are the others — without a road pregame show.
Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242862 Florida Panthers
GameDay 80: Lineups, Betting Odds for Panthers at Bruins
Staff Report
Published 19 hours ago on April 26, 20226-7 minutes 26/04/2022
If you were thinking the Florida Panthers were down in the dumps after
losing their final home game of the regular season on Sunday night, well,
they were not.
Although the Panthers certainly would have liked to extend their
franchise-record winning streak to 14 games, they were in good spirits
following the cantankerous loss to their in-state rival.
Florida’s 13-game winning streak was the longest in the NHL this season
and longest since Columbus won 16 straight during the 2016-17 season.
“I don’t think this gets to us at all,’’ said coach Andrew Brunette, who was
tossed from the game late in the third after Ryan Lomberg was given an
instigator penalty.
“I thought 5-on-5 was fine. A little disappointed in our power plays; we
gave up goals. You can’t give a team like them goals late. We got in a
little penalty trouble, and they score on the power play. they’re a great
power play team.
“We showed our resilience, we showed our grit, we didn’t back down. We
fought through adversity, outside influences and played our game.”
For daily coverage of the Florida Panthers, subscribe to Florida Hockey
Now today!
Florida ended its home run at 34-7-0 which gives them the most home
wins in franchise history and will be the most in the NHL this season.
“We will take a couple things away from it, but I think for the most part
we’ve just got to move on,’’ Mason Marchment said.
“We have been really good the last 12, 13 games. I‘m happy the way our
team stuck together there. No one’s going to push us around now or
ever. I think that was one thing we’re going to take out of this.”
Colorado, the team chasing the Panthers for the top spot in the NHL, can
only finish with 33 home wins.
The Avalanche — which had GM Joe Sakic in the press box for Sunday’s
game — comes into Tuesday four points behind the Panthers with three
games left in the regular season.
Florida’s final three games before the playoffs will be on the road and it
kicks off tonight in Boston.
With the playoffs coming as early as Monday, tonight’s game may be the
last one before the postseason in which the Panthers ice their normal
team.
On Tuesday morning, Brunette announced that Carter Verhaeghe and
Joe Thornton would return to the lineup with Marchment taking the night
off for maintenance.
The Panthers have not announced any call-ups from AHL Charlotte, but
with the Checkers having completed their regular season, some are
expected to join the team for the Canadian back-to-back which starts
Thursday in Ottawa.
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Charlotte clinched the Atlantic Division title last week and wrapped up its
regular season — while other AHL teams are playing make-up games
this week.
The Checkers also earned a first-round bye in the playoffs so a few
players could join the Panthers not only to play, but to get some NHL
money as a reward for a nice job this season in Charlotte.
“We will reassess after tonight and see where we’re at and go from
there,’’ Brunette said Sunday. “This is a weird time with a long stretch of
games. …
“Obviously we have limited recalls, but they did an unbelievable job.
Geordie (Kinnear) does a great job and that’s a team in transition with
Seattle not having a lot of players and we have moved some guys. For
them to do what they did was exceptional.
“And when those guys come up from Charlotte, they are ready to go right
into our system. That’s a real benefit as a coach.”
Florida will be without Lomberg Tuesday after he was suspended by the
NHL for instigating a fight with Tampa Bay’s Erik Cernak.
Brunette was fined $10,000 for getting a game misconduct during the
aftermath of the Lomberg scuffle.
Both the fine and suspension were automatic as they came in the final
five minutes of the game.
— This will be the Panthers first visit to Boston since Oct. 30. The Bruins
handed Florida its first loss of the season that night, winning 3-2 in a
shootout to drop the Panthers to 8-0-1.
The game was on a second half of a back-to-back with Florida winning
the first in Detroit.
These were the first two games with Brunette as the Panthers’ interim
head coach.
Florida has gone 49-16-5 since.
— The Panthers ended up having three separate home winning streaks
of at least nine games with two streaks of 11 straight home wins.
Florida set a franchise-record with 191 goals at home (4.66 per game)
which was the most in a season since Pittsburgh got 215 in 1995-96.
Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242863 Florida Panthers
Bill Lindsay’s big goal still lives in Florida Panthers lore 26 years later
Staff Report
Published 21 hours ago on April 26, 20227-9 minutes 26/04/2022
With the Florida Panthers in Boston preparing to take on the Bruins
tonight and the team enjoying their best season in franchise history, you
can expect to see one of the biggest goals in franchise history shown on
the broadcast.
On the eve of that goal’s 26th birthday to boot.
Billy Lindsay, forever known around these parts as the ‘Blonde Bomber,’
is often asked about his flying goal in Game 5 of the 1996 playoffs, one
that helped the Panthers win their first-ever playoff series.
Lindsay’s goal was the difference in a 4-3 victory over the Bruins on April
27, 1996, at Miami Arena in Game 5 of that opening-round series.
It was a really big deal then — the expansion Panthers beating an
Original 6 team in their first trip to the playoffs — and it has stood the test
of time.
To some, anyway.
“I’m getting old,’’ Lindsay said with a laugh. “That was a long time ago.
But there are still people come up to me to talk about it and they
remember it so vividly. It is fun, the season ticket holders who have been
around it since the beginning and have stuck with the franchise, the
diehards, they mention it a lot.”
That may be an indictment of Florida’s performance in the decades to
follow as it does the heroics of Lindsay.
Considering 1996 was the first and only time Florida has moved beyond
the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs helps the goal live on.
There’s also the fact that goal helped really get South Florida rallying
around their new hockey team.
Those who were around back then remember how the Panthers had this
region wrapped around their little finger.
Lindsay, who is part of the team’s radio broadcasts as well as an analyst
for NHL Network, hopes this year’s version of the Panthers have even
more highlights to be remembered.
“It’s a good thing that goal happened, a good thing that playoff series
happened,” Lindsay told Florida Hockey Now. “But with this team and
what is happening with them, it is time for that narrative to change. It’s a
nice memory for me and it has lived on for a long time, but for me
personally, it’s not going anywhere so I want a Stanley Cup for this
fanbase and everything they have incurred down here.
”I love the goal, love that team, love everything we did at the start and
were able to build. But, in my heart, I am a Panthers guy through-and-
through. Those years of futility kind of hurts especially since I came back
as a broadcaster.
“To see this success, I can understand the emotions the fans go through
because I have been there with them. We saw some losing and now
we’re seeing the winning. It’s an incredible feeling. I have to stop myself
from imagining what a Stanley Cup parade will be like down here.
“I think about it every day. It just runs through my brain and I cannot push
it away. How incredible would a boat parade or whatever be like down
here? I’m ready for some new chapters, some new history. I’m proud of
my goal, but I am ready for another great moment and a Stanley Cup
championship would be the ultimate. I couldn’t win it as a player, so you
want to be part of the organization that does it.
”It would be a dream come true for me if they were to win the Cup. I
honestly believe I would tear up.”
Looking back at the goal, it really is a beauty and was compared to
Bobby Orr’s famous ‘Flying Goal’ which was scored 25 years prior.
They built a statue depicting that Stanley Cup-winning goal in Boston.
Lindsay will not get one here, but this team could.
“The first four games I felt unbelievable. I had so much energy, it felt like I
was floating on the ice,” Lindsay said. “It was playoff hockey and it was
unreal. Game 5 was a Saturday afternoon and I couldn’t find my legs. I
had no jump. I had much better games than that one, by far. I had to dip
down to find some energy and then that moment happened.
“I got a chance and just took off down the wing. The proudest part for me
was, it was the first time my parents were down here and in the building.
They were in the stands and they meant so much to me.”
In the game that Saturday in Miami, Lindsay took on one of the top
players in the NHL — and won.
As he raced up the wing, Lindsay was tripped by Ray Bourque.
But Lindsay kept his focus on the puck, and put it past goalie Bill
Ranford.
“It was a chip shot that got over my glove,’’ Ranford said afterward. “Had
I known he was falling down, I might have played it differently.”
Florida had the lead with 4:57 remaining in the game and held on for the
victory.
It was not the only goal Lindsay ever scored in a playoff game, but it was
his biggest.
“I really didn’t expect to score on that play,’’ Lindsay said. “When I took
the shot, I was looking back to the referee to see if a penalty was going
to be called. Not in my wildest dreams, honestly, did I think the puck was
going in the net.
“That building was so loud and there was so much juice. That was my
first experience in the playoffs and there was nothing like it. Listen, I
scored one playoff goal and people still remember it and talk about it. If I
had three 50-goal seasons, it might not be as important as that one goal.
You create your legacy in the playoffs. It still hurts to have never won the
Stanley Cup as a player. I still have some regrets in that aspect. To look
back and have that special run with that team in that building, though, it is
hard to explain.”
The Panthers would move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals
where they beat Philadelphia in 6 games.
Florida panthers
Florida then beat Pittsburgh in 7 to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals
where it was swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Not bad for a team in just its third year of existence.
And, for you nostalgia fans, the 2022 postseason could see some familiar
faces.
Aside from the Flyers, Florida could see Boston, Pittsburgh and Colorado
in these playoffs.
Lindsay sees plenty of similarities between his team from 1996 and this
one — although he admits the current Florida Panthers possess a lot
more talent.
But the 1996 Panthers beat teams with more talent. This version of the
Panthers is going to have to find their way when the playoffs start next
week in Sunrise.
“They have to go through this. They have talent, but there is a lot of hard
work to come,” Lindsay said. “What this group has is that same chemistry
vibe that we had back in 1996. A lot of what you see on the ice happened
was a product of what happened off the ice.
“A lot of our success was because of how close we were and you have to
develop that. This group has fun, they play for each other. Good teams
become great when you decide you cannot let the guy beside you down.
When the guy next to you is working so hard you don’t want to let them
down. That’s when good teams become great.
“Our stuff, the things we did in 1996 will never be erased. They will
always be there. It is part of what we created and people of that
generation will never forget it. I am just hoping a Stanley Cup happens
for this organization. It will never take away from what we did, but you
sure can add to it. And the more you add to it, the better.”
Florida Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242864 Los Angeles Kings
Kings clinch first postseason appearance since 2018 - Los Angeles
Times
Hans Tesselaar
2-2 minutes 27/04/2022
For the first time since the 2017-18 season, the Kings will have a chance
to compete for the Stanley Cup.
They clinched a playoff spot Tuesday without even playing. When the
Vegas Golden Knights lost on the road to the Dallas Stars 3-2 in a
shootout, it guaranteed a third-place finish in the Pacific Division for the
Kings (43-27-10). They will play the Edmonton Oilers in the first round,
the best-of-seven series beginning next week.
The Kings, with 96 points, will open the series in Edmonton. The Oilers’
5-1 victory Tuesday night in Pittsburgh gave them 100 points and locked
up second place in the Pacific. The Kings went 1-2-1 this season against
Edmonton.
Since winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in three seasons in
2014, the Kings have just one playoff win. They lost to the Sharks in five
games in 2016 and to the Golden Knights in four games in 2018.
Hans Tesselaar is an assistant sports editor for the Los Angeles Times,
in charge of coverage of college sports and hockey.
LA Times: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242865 Los Angeles Kings
Kings clinch playoff berth, will face Edmonton in first round
Andrew Knoll
6-7 minutes 27/04/2022
The Kings are in the playoffs.
After scouring scoreboards, ogling odds and working to win each and
every shift, the Kings are finally headed back to the postseason for the
first time in four years after the Vegas Golden Knights’ loss to the Dallas
Stars on Tuesday night cemented a playoff berth for captain Anze
Kopitar’s club.
The Kings will now travel to the Pacific Northwest for back-to-back
games against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday and Vancouver
Canucks on Thursday to conclude the regular season.
But their sights will soon shift about 750 miles northeast of Vancouver to
Edmonton, where they will face Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the
Oilers in a best-of-seven first-round series that will begin next week.
Games 1 and 2 will be in Edmonton, as well as Games 5 and 7, if
necessary.
For the Kings, it seemed as though the playoffs began weeks ago, with
so many precarious moments, near-misses and arduous battles on their
path to clinching, now 80 games into an 82-game regular season. They
clinched in Game 81 in 2012, and then went on to win the franchise’s first
Stanley Cup.
“We’ve kind of felt that way for a few weeks now. Every game has been a
huge game for us, it’s just kind of felt like that, one game, let’s just get
that one game,” defenseman Matt Roy said after Saturday’s victory over
the Ducks. “We’ve been chipping away and it’s nice to be in that spot.”
In a battle of generationally talented duos, Edmonton’s McDavid and
Draisaitl blew past Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on
Tuesday, 5-1, to secure a second-place finish in the Pacific Division and
home ice in Round 1. McDavid had four points and Draisaitl added an
assist.
“(McDavid) does it one way and Leon does it the other, that’s what
makes it tough for the Kings and every other team in the league. You’ve
got a guy that’s going 100 miles an hour and another guy that slows the
game down,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said earlier this season. He
coached Edmonton from 2015 to 2018, including a formidable playoff run
in 2017.
For many Kings, such as Roy and center Blake Lizotte, this will be their
first playoff experience.
The undersized but temeritous pivot has become emblematic of a Kings
team that went from bare cupboards and the basement of the league’s
weakest division to a potential Stanley Cup contender. His perseverance,
sportsmanship and dedication as well as his performance as part of the
Kings’ bottom six and penalty kill earned him a nomination for the Bill
Masterton Trophy this season.
“You don’t do the type of things that good people would do to get noticed,
but, at the end of the day, everyone likes to be appreciated for the things
that they do,” Lizotte said. “It’s super humbling for sure.”
Lizotte has moved up to the third line, bringing his trademark tenacity to a
trio with former first-liners Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo. McLellan said
that regardless of who he lined up with, Lizotte’s presence was felt
throughout the lineup.
“Blake has the ability to pull people into the game and he does that on a
nightly basis,” McLellan said. “He drags teammates in and they follow
him. When he’s out, we miss it. And when he’s in, it’s there.”
Another once-unheralded prospect, goalie and former third-round pick
Jonathan Quick, has been an even longer-standing symbol of the Kings’
selflessly competitive culture. He has gone on to become the most
accomplished netminder in franchise history and arguably the top
American-born goaltender of all-time as well. Heading into the season,
the younger Cal Petersen was anointed not-so-subtly with a fresh
contract extension and the nod in net on opening night.
But down the stretch, Quick has seized the reins in goal, winning four
consecutive appearances and five out of six to get the Kings off the
bubble and onto the promised land. For his most recent efforts – he went
3-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in
three games last week – Quick was named the NHL’s third star of the
week on Monday.
Quick and the Kings’ final challenges of the regular season will be a pair
of divisional foes without playoff aspirations. Seattle (26-46-6) has had an
inaugural season to forget, having finished last in the division and been
forced to sell off pieces at the trade deadline. Going into Tuesday’s
games, forward Jared McCann’s 47 points represent the most meager
figure in the NHL for a player leading his team in scoring, with
Philadelphia’s Travis Konecy’s 52 the next lowest total.
The Kraken went 4-4-0 over the past eight games, a stretch that included
the franchise’s first-ever three-game win streak. Seattle has lost two of
three meetings with the Kings to date.
Vancouver (38-30-11) has fizzled of late with three consecutive losses
before Tuesday, but to that point, they had been challenging the Kings,
Vegas, Dallas and Nashville for the final available playoff spots in the
Western Conference. Coach Bruce Boudreau has compiled a 30-15-9
record since taking the helm Dec. 7, a better record than all but the Kings
and Calgary Flames among Pacific Division teams during that span.
Vancouver battered the Kings 4-0 in Boudreau’s debut, but the Kings set
up a Game-82 rubber match with a 2-1 shootout victory at home on Dec.
30. Forward J.T. Miller’s 96-point campaign is the most prolific for a
Canuck since Daniel Sedin’s 104-point, Art Ross Trophy-winning season
in 2010-11. On Saturday, Quinn Hughes set the record for assists in a
season by a Vancouver defenseman (56) and tied the best single-season
mark by a Canucks blueliner with 63 points.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242866 Los Angeles Kings
Kings look to lock up postseason bid on Pacific Northwest trip
Andrew Knoll
5-6 minutes 26/04/2022
With the postseason around the bend, the Kings could enter their final
two games of the season with a berth in hand and an opportunity to
secure home-ice advantage in the first round to boot.
They traveled to the Pacific Northwest for back-to-back matches against
the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday and Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
The Kings could clinch a playoff spot as early as Tuesday night with a
Vegas loss of any kind to the Dallas Stars. Even if Vegas were to win out,
the Kings could secure no worse than the third seed in the Pacific
Division by earning a solitary point from their final two games via an
overtime or shootout loss. The Kings also own the tiebreaker against
Vegas, for now, with 34 regulation victories to the Golden Knights’ 33.
“We’ve got to do some things that we can control to get to where we want
to go,” Kings coach Todd McLellan said. “Now, that can obviously
change before we play again, but no one is thinking any differently
around here: worry about your own work.”
To leapfrog second-place Edmonton and gain home ice in a first-round
matchup with the Oilers, the Kings would need to win out and for the
Oilers to earn one point or none across their remaining three games.
Edmonton was up two points on the Kings on Tuesday morning and had
cemented its tie-break advantage already.
While the fate of their campaign may still be malleable, the Kings are on
the verge of their first playoff appearance since 2018. The following
season, center Blake Lizotte made his NHL debut after signing as an
undrafted free agent.
The undersized but temeritous pivot has become emblematic of a Kings
team that went from bare cupboards and the basement of the league’s
weakest division to a potential Stanley Cup contender. His perseverance,
sportsmanship and dedication as well as his performance as part of the
Kings’ bottom six and penalty kill earned him a nomination for the Bill
Masterton Trophy this season.
“You don’t do the type of things that good people would do to get noticed,
but, at the end of the day, everyone likes to be appreciated for the things
that they do,” Lizotte said. “It’s super humbling for sure.”
Lizotte has moved up to the third line, bringing his trademark tenacity to a
trio with former first-liners Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo. McLellan said
that regardless of who he lined up with, Lizotte’s presence was felt
throughout the lineup.
“Blake has the ability to pull people into the game and he does that on a
nightly basis,” McLellan said. “He drags teammates in and they follow
him. When he’s out, we miss it. And when he’s in, it’s there.”
Another once-unheralded prospect, goalie and former third-round pick
Jonathan Quick, has been an even longer-standing symbol of the Kings’
selflessly competitive culture. He has gone on to become the most
accomplished netminder in Kings history and arguably the top American-
born goaltender of all-time as well. Heading into the season, the younger
Cal Petersen was anointed not-so-subtly with a fresh contract extension
and the nod in net on opening night.
But down the stretch, Quick has seized the reins in goal, winning four
consecutive appearances and five out of six to get the Kings off the
bubble and onto the promised land. For his most recent efforts – he went
3-0-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in
three games last week – Quick was named the NHL’s third star of the
week Monday.
Quick and the Kings’ final challenges of the season will be a pair of
divisional foes without playoff aspirations. Seattle (26-46-6) has had an
inaugural season to forget, having finished last in the division and been
forced to sell off pieces at the trade deadline. Forward Jared McCann’s
47 points represent the most meager figure in the NHL for a player
leading his team in scoring, with Philadelphia’s Travis Konecy’s 52 points
being the next lowest total.
The Kraken went 4-4-0 over the past eight games, a stretch that included
the franchise’s first-ever three-game win streak. Seattle has lost two of
three meetings with the Kings to date.
Vancouver (38-30-11) has fizzled of late with three consecutive losses,
but to that point they had been challenging the Kings, Vegas, Dallas and
Nashville for the final available playoff spots in the Western Conference.
Coach Bruce Boudreau has compiled a 30-15-9 record since taking the
helm Dec. 7, a better record than all but the Kings and Calgary Flames
among Pacific Division teams during that span.
Vancouver battered the Kings 4-0 in Boudreau’s debut, but the Kings set
up a Game-82 rubber match with a 2-1 shootout victory at home on Dec.
30. Forward J.T. Miller’s 96-point campaign is the most prolific for a
Canuck since Daniel Sedin’s 104-point, Art Ross Trophy-winning season
in 2010-11. On Saturday, Quinn Hughes set the record for assists in a
season by a Vancouver defenseman (56) and tied the best single-season
mark by a Canucks blueliner with 63 points.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242867 Los Angeles Kings
LA Kings clinch postseason berth, will return to Stanley Cup Playoffs for
first time since 2017-18 season - LA Kings Insider
By Zach Dooley
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
Playoff Bound, Insiders!
With a Dallas win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the LA Kings have
officially clinched a postseason berth, returning to the Stanley Cup
Playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season. We now know the
Kings are in, with two regular-season games still to play. Here’s
everything we’ve got to date on what could still happen and what’s to
come regarding the 2022 Playoffs.
Seeding & Opponent
The Round 1 Matchup is set.
2. Edmonton Oilers vs. 3. Los Angeles Kings
The Kings clinched a playoff spot this evening, courtesy of the Dallas win
over Vegas and Edmonton clinched home-ice advantage in the first-
round matchup, courtesy of their own victory over the Pittsburgh
Penguins, despite the best efforts of Jeff Carter, who scored in defeat.
Up until this evening, the door was left open for the Kings to finish either
second or third in the Pacific, with the potential of earning home-ice
advantage in the first round. Though the teams could still tie on points,
should the Kings win tonight and tomorrow and the Oilers lose on
Thursday and Friday, Edmonton already owns the first tiebreaker, with
the Kings unable to catch them in regulation wins.
Schedule
To Be Determined.
The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs are scheduled to begin, leaguewide, on
Monday, May 2. The expectation is that teams would have two weeks,
per series, which brings us to the league-mandated final date for the
postseason, June 30.
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series will take place in Edmonton, as will
Games 5 and 7, if necessary. The Kings are set to host Games 3 and 4
and, if necessary, Game 6, all at Crypto.com Arena. The series could
begin as soon as the second, with reports on social media today
suggesting the possibility of Games 1 and 2on May 2 and May 4. That
would place the first game on home ice somewhere around May 6th, 7th
or 8th, depending on scheduling conflicts, events, movement, etc. A full
schedule is expected to be released at a later date, once seeding is
confirmed between the Kings and Oilers.
Also to be determined is a broadcast schedule between national
coverage and Bally Sports West. The first round of the postseason offers
both local and national coverage of the series, with that schedule to
come through the Kings once available. National coverage of the
postseason is split between ESPN and Turner Sports, while Bally Sports
West will broadcast the first round locally.
Round 1 Tickets
Per The Kings –
Tickets for First Round home games at Crypto.com Arena will go on sale
Thursday, April 28 at 10 AM. VIP Pre-Sales are live now and can be
accessed by using your American Express Card, following LA Kings
Social channels for an access passcode, or subscribing to the LA Kings
VIP eNews. Season Ticket Memberships for 2022-23 are on sale now
and include access to the best seats at the lowest prices, including
access to all playoff games. Visit www.lakings.com/playoffs for more info
and to secure tickets.
For those looking to get a jump start and some inside access, visit
axs.com/lakings and use the promo code FOLLOW in the “VIP
PRESALE” section of the webpage. That will give you access to Round 1
tickets.
That’s all for tonight, Insiders! We’ll get reactions from players and
coaches tomorrow on finally clinching a playoff berth, with the team set to
take to the ice tomorrow morning at 11:30 AM for morning skate in
Seattle. Until then….the Kings are in! Enjoy it, Insiders!
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242868 Los Angeles Kings
Practice 4/26 - Kings Off To Seattle + Defensive Group, Fourth Line's
Play, Luc on Rome - LA Kings Insider
By Zach Dooley
8-10 minutes 27/04/2022
The Kings hit the ice this morning in El Segundo in advance of today’s
trip to Seattle. The Kings depart Los Angeles one point shy of a
postseason berth, with the possibility of clinching the playoffs without
playing tonight, which could come via a Dallas win in any fashion over
Vegas.
Today’s practice was relatively brief, following a longer skate yesterday
morning. Today’s alignment mirrored what we saw yesterday, with no
changes indicated from Saturday’s win over Anaheim.
With that in mind, here’s how the Kings lined up this morning in El
Segundo –
Athanasiou – Kopitar – Kempe
Moore – Danault – Arvidsson
Iafallo – Lizotte – Brown
Grundstrom – Byfield – Kaliyev – Lemieux
Andersson – Vilardi – Kupari
Edler – Roy
Moverare – Durzi
Maatta – Spence
Bjornfot – Stecher
Anderson – Strand
Quick / Petersen
Todd McLellan has said that he knows what tomorrow’s lineup looks like
at this time. Should tomorrow’s result impact the meaning of that game
for the Kings, they could adjust accordingly, but nothing until that point.
Notes –
Defensemen – By Committee
“Trust our systems, trust each other and do the job.”
A good way of putting it simply, courtesy of Sean Durzi, who was asked
about the group of defensemen this season without Drew Doughty and
how they’ve banded together as one at this time of the year.
Todd McLellan said yesterday that he hasn’t really experienced a
situation like this, as he’s usually had a defined and clear-cut number one
defenseman, number two defenseman, etc. He noted that Alex Edler
certainly was that player in his prime and obviously should the Kings
have had Drew Doughty available, we wouldn’t be having this
conversation or writing this bulletpoint in an article. But here we are.
“Obviously Dewy is huge part of the team,” Durzi said. “Early on in the
season, every single night, being able to watch him and learn from him
was huge. I try to do things in my game now that I’ve seen him do, so it’s
pretty cool to notice that. He’s still a huge part of our team now, just
talking to him, having that experience, it makes it a lot easier for us.”
McLellan spoke about Edler, Matt Roy and Olli Maatta separately from
the group as a whole, with the experience of those players compared to
the other three in the lineup in Durzi, Jordan Spence and Jacob
Moverare. The duo of Roy and Edler have combined to log a lot of the
tougher minutes for the Kings as of late, with others slotting in behind.
Speaking with Durzi today, he pointed to Roy’s mentality as being
something he can try to learn from and grow from. Considering himself to
be a passionate player and individual, it’s easier than he would like to get
too high or low on himself. He pointed to Roy as someone who does a
great job of not doing that, something he’d like to pull into his own game
when applicable.
“His mentality,” Durzi said. “He does amazing things on the ice and you
can’t give him enough credit for the things that he does out there, but just
the way he goes about his game, how even-keeled he is. He’s never too
high, never too low. For a passionate player like myself, it’s pretty easy to
get too high or too low on yourself, so that’s something you know you’re
seeing every day in him and that’s what he’s so reliable.”
With Roy coming back into the lineup, it’s relieved a bit of the burden that
was being placed on Durzi and Spence on the right side.
Edler and Roy both have experience playing against, and attempting to
shut down, the top players on an opposing team. Durzi and Spence were
being asked to do a lot of that with Roy injured and Edler recovering and
handled it as well as you could have possibly expected. Now, the Kings
are deeper on the backend, with three pairs capable of sharing the load a
bit more than they did. And that’s a rallying cry for the group.
“The group all year, we’ve been resilient, whether anyone is missing or
not, we’ve been resilient enough to say next man up,” Durzi noted. “I
think that’s the mentality moving forward. What we have in the room, we
have to believe we have everything we have to win and that’s something
I think we have and the belief is going to be even stronger. That’s
something we’re going to rally behind.”
Fourth Line & Impact
We’ve talked about the other three lines here over the last week, so
might as well make our way to the fourth line today.
“I’ve liked their last six periods, they’ve been a factor in the games,” Todd
McLellan said of the line. “They have physicality, there’s pace, there’s
some size, puck movement and goals. All while being fairly responsible,
their checking skills were pretty good, it’s a good look right now.”
A great display from that trio on Saturday specifically, with Arthur Kaliyev
involved in all three goals, Quinton Byfield collecting two assists and Carl
Grundstrom collecting one. All three had strong games, all three were
noticeable, and it was noticeable how the meshed and played together
as well.
CG – I think we played together, helped each other out and we played
direct, which was key. All three of us are strong down low and strong with
the puck, so I think that helps us because we all want to play the same
way.
QB – I think Carl has a lot of skill and he works super hard, he’s always
finishing hits, he’s always getting in there. Arty, he has a crazy shot and
he’s always making plays. I’m just trying to read off of those two guys.
Last year in Ontario, me and Arty played a lot together, so there’s
definitely some chemistry there as well.
Over their past 120 minutes (in full game time) together, that line has
controlled shot attempts by a 18-14 margin at even strength, but it was in
the higher-danger metrics that they really stood out. Scoring chances
were 11-4 in favor, while high-danger chances were 6-1. Goals for, as a
three-man unit, were also +2 in the Anaheim game for that trio, with
Kaliyev also impacting a third during a line change, though that play was
started by the full line.
Looking specifically at Grundstrom, who we spoke with this morning, he
believes that consistency has been his biggest area of improvement this
season. He hasn’t been a regular in the lineup but he has impacted
games when he’s played, with nine goals in mostly a fourth-line role.
Grundstrom has career highs in all offensive categories, as well as
incredibly consistent and above-average possession metrics (he’s
between 52.68 and 53.63 in percentage of shot attempts, scoring
chances and high-danger chances controlled). Good signs from #91.
“I think I’m getting more consistent this year, that’s been my biggest
improvement,” Grundstrom added. “I think you learn when you play
games, I’ve been here for a couple of years and I’ve learned that way.
Try to play my game and help the team the way that I can do.”
The Kings prioritize playing four lines, but can only do that when all four
lines are playing consistently at a level that merits the more even split.
We’ve seen a lot of fluctuation over the bottom six over the last month
and a half, with a rash of injuries necessitating changes, but seeing some
consistency at the right time is a huge boost.
Over the last two games at the least, they’ve gotten that contribution
across the board, a good sign heading into tomorrow, and hopefully
some additional important games to come.
Luc on Rome
Lastly, Insiders, hear from Kings President Luc Robitaille on the Jim
Rome Show –
Robitaille joined the program to talk about the push for the postseason
the Kings are undergoing, the larger-scale plan and vision for the
organization and a few other stories along the way. Enjoy!
Stars and Golden Knights tonight, Kings and Kraken tomorrow. The
Kings can watch the former, but regardless of outcome, they control their
own fate tomorrow evening. A win for the Kings, or even a point, would
lock in a playoff position for Los Angeles.
Until then, Insiders!
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242869 Los Angeles Kings
A "humbled" Blake Lizotte embodies the qualities of the Masterton
Trophy - LA Kings Insider
By Zach Dooley
7-8 minutes 26/04/2022
“In this league, you never stop proving yourself, you’re only as good as
the last shift you played.”
Hard to think of a more perfect sentence to describe Blake Lizotte than
that one.
It was Lizotte himself who said it, demonstrating a great understanding of
his situation, his role and his skillset. For those reasons, amongst several
others, Lizotte was selected yesterday as the LA Kings’ nominee for the
2022 Masterton Trophy, as voted on by the Los Angeles based members
of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National
Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of
perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. The award
is named after former Minnesota North Star Bill Masterton, who was the
only player in NHL history to pass away from injuries sustained during a
game.
Each of the league’s now 32 teams has one honoree recognized by their
local media, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists for the
award, which will be presented in June, between Games 3 and 4 of the
Stanley Cup Final.
Speaking with Lizotte yesterday, he was honored to be recognized for
things that he tries to do naturally, with no one watching.
“It’s humbling, it’s obviously a super-cool honor,” he said yesterday. “It’s
the kind of award you don’t really look to get per say, it’s not like a
performance award or whatever. I always like to say that what you do
when no one is watching that is most important. Anybody can do the right
thing, or persevere, when the spotlight is on you, but it’s something that’s
a cool honor.”
His comments are spot on.
You don’t necessarily set out during a season to be nominated for the
Masterton Trophy, but rather you try to do the right things each and every
day. In Lizotte’s case, just by doing those things on a day-in, day-out
basis, he was recognized on a larger scale.
“You don’t do the type of things that good people would do to get noticed,
but at the end of the day, everyone likes to be appreciated for the things
that they do,” Lizotte added. “It’s super humbling for sure.”
The criteria for selection leaves a lot of the discrepancy up to those
voting. For Lizotte, it was his combination of tenacity, willpower and
character that more than merited his nomination.
The officially submitted bio highlighted things like Lizotte’s undrafted
status, his tenacious style of play and his performance this season that
merited a two-year contract extension, signed on Deadline Day back in
March. It’s for those reasons, and many more, that the choice of Lizotte
was a good one.
“Great choice,” Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan said. “That award is
about commitment, drive, resilience and Lizzo, he lives that every day
here at the rink. He lives like it’s his last day in hockey equipment.
Whether it’s a game day, practice day, workout day, he shows up and to
find a young man like that, who doesn’t have a long career, but already
gets it, is valuable in the room.”
Lizotte has embodied that quote just about every day this season.
Entering training camp, his everyday place in the lineup wasn’t a
guarantee. With highly-touted, young forwards coming up through the
system, several at the center-ice position, Lizotte knew he needed to
earn his place in the lineup each and every day. And earn it he did.
Now, with 80 games in the rearview mirror and Lizotte playing each one
he was healthy for, that almost feels weird to say. Lizotte is one of the
first names on the team sheet every night, playing an important role that
embodies the identity the Kings have created this season.
“Big difference, pretty big difference,” McLellan said, of having Lizotte
versus not having him available. “Blake has the ability to pull people into
the game and he does that on a nightly basis. He drags teammates in
and they follow him. When he’s out, we miss it and when he’s in, it’s
there.”
Lizotte spent the bulk of the season on the fourth line for the Kings, an
effective energy line with Brendan Lemieux and Arthur Kaliyev as his
long-term wingers. Injuries to Lizotte and Lemieux separated that line
back in March, with the trio not playing together after all three members
were finally healthy again.
Lizotte has since been trusted with centering the team’s third line, with
the veteran duo of Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo on his wings. Since his
promotion to that line, Lizotte has seen his ice time per game surge from
fewer than 12 minutes per game to nearly 13 and a half minutes per
night, averaging 13:27 per night with the Brown/Iafallo combination.
“We have a lot of confidence in that line right now, they’ve been able to
go out against any line of the opposition and hold their own,” McLellan
said. “Sometimes that opens up the other lines for a mismatch, or when
you’re in trouble they give you trusting shifts. Without him there, I don’t
know if we always have that.”
All of the traits that have earned Lizotte the Masterton nomination are the
same traits that have endeared him to older players – such as his current
linemates – and younger players alike.
Lizotte rarely has a day at the rink that veers from his ideals. Whether it’s
a game day or a practice day, a day on the ice or a day in the gym,
Lizotte brings it. That type of reputation earns him respect amongst the
veterans, while also providing a great example for the younger players.
“He’s connected to the older players as well as the younger group,”
McLellan added. “They can eyeball him, take a look at him and realize
this guy knows what to do. When you know what to do, you fit the whole
group. When you’re still learning, guys have their eye on you. If you’re
older and you don’t do it, young kids are watching you, but he’s the
middleman and he does a great job.”
The remainder of Lizotte’s regular season, and the start of the
postseason at least, will come against Western Conference opposition.
McLellan believes that, by this point, those teams know exactly who
Lizotte is. He recalled, however, a conversation with a friend who
coaches in the Eastern Conference, who reached out to him after playing
the Kings earlier this season.
“I have a good friend who coaches on [an Eastern Conference] team and
he texts me and says who the hell is 46,” McLellan said, with a chuckle.
“But they don’t know our team, they haven’t played us. I think the
Western Conference teams know who he is.”
That’s the impression Lizotte has made this season, clearly on media
and hockey operations alike.
Now, with the postseason just a short step away, those same traits will
be valued more than ever. At this time of the year, when every shift
actually could be your last, a player who plays every shift in that way is a
nice piece to have.
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242870 Los Angeles Kings
10 Biggest Questions: Final Answers (2021-22 LA Kings) - LA Kings
Insider
Staff Report
By LA Kings Insider
1-1 minutes 26/04/2022
TOP 10 QUESTIONS FOR THE 2021-22 LA KINGS
10 – Will Cal Petersen convincingly claim the starters role?
9 – Will Viktor Arvidsson have a bounce back offensive season?
8 – How will Phillip Danault impact the offense and defense of the LA
Kings?
7 – Will the “Core Four” repeat their strong performances from the 2021
season?
6 – Will the Power Play provide consistent offense?
5 – What will the recovery process look like for Quinton Byfield?
4 – Will the defense provide more offense?
3 – How many games will be played by prospects and rookies?
2 – How will the rest of the Pacific Division perform?
1 – Will the Kings be an improved team this season?
LA Kings Insider: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242871 Minnesota Wild
Wild's long points streaks end with loss to lowly Arizona
Sarah McLellan
17-22 minutes 27/04/2022
How can an already miserable loss to one of the NHL's bottom feeders
get worse after the fact?
When the Wild whiffs on the chance to gain ground in the neck-and-neck
race for home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs because the
team it's jostling with banks zero points for the first time in almost a
month.
That's right, the Blues finally stumbled after a mind-boggling 14-0-2 surge
with a rare blip to the Avalanche.
But the Wild couldn't take advantage because it had a bigger gaffe earlier
in the evening, a 5-3 eyesore to the lowly Coyotes on Tuesday night in
front of an announced 18,383 at Xcel Energy Center that ended the
team's 10-game point streak.
So, the Wild and St. Louis remain tied at 109 points; the Wild is still
ahead for now, in second place in the Central Division, because it's
played one game fewer than the Blues.
"It's a tough one, obviously," Jordan Greenway said. "One we're going to,
hopefully not — but one we might wished we had back."
This was the Wild's first regulation loss since April 5 and only the second
in 22 games, and it ended the team's home point streak at 13 — one
game shy of breaking the franchise record.
A power-play goal by Arizona's Travis Boyd 10 minutes, 22 seconds into
the third period was the difference.
Not only did it halt the Wild's comeback, which was stoked by two goals
24 seconds apart earlier in the period, but the Wild also lost momentum
from a lengthy unsuccessful challenge to see if the play was offside. The
NHL ruled there wasn't conclusive evidence to show the Coyotes were
offside, so the goal counted and the Wild was dinged with a delay-of-
game penalty.
"I don't know how they do their video, but our video shows that he's
offside," coach Dean Evason said.
Phil Kessel added an empty-net goal with 1:19 to go, but signs of a
letdown by the Wild popped up much earlier.
"We got what we deserved," Evason said. "It's hard to find a good player
here tonight."
Despite scoring first, the Wild didn't have its usual aggressiveness and
wasn't as physically engaged as it normally is; the team finished with
seven hits and 38 shots, this after racking up 22 shots in one period last
game.
Ryan Hartman tallied his 34th goal 11:05 into the first period, and Matt
Boldy's assist extended his career-high point streak to 10 games to
become the first rookie to have a double-digit point streak since Arizona's
Clayton Keller's 10-game run in 2017-18.
But the Wild never ran away from the Coyotes even though it had plenty
of looks on the power play, with Kevin Fiala drawing three penalties in his
first game in 11 without a point. Overall, the Wild went 0-for-6 with just
five shots with a man advantage. Arizona was 1-for-4.
"When the power play is good, we shoot the puck. We get it back," Joel
Eriksson Ek said. "Today, the power play should have won that game for
us."
With 1:45 left in the second, the Coyotes tied the Wild on a shot by Anton
Stralman from inside the right faceoff circle before Jack McBain scored
his first NHL goal on a deflection 20 seconds into the third.
McBain, drafted by the Wild, was traded to Arizona last month after he
informed the Wild he wouldn't be signing with the team.
Before long, Antoine Roussel doubled the Coyotes' lead at 2:56.
That seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Wild.
A backhander by Eriksson Ek sailed in at 4:51, his 26th goal and fifth
during a career-high three-game goal streak. Kirill Kaprizov picked up his
second assist of the game and his 105th point on his 25th birthday.
Then on the very next shift, Marcus Foligno poked in a loose puck at 5:15
to bring the Wild back to equilibrium. He and Eriksson Ek totaled two
points apiece.
"Usually we win these games," Eriksson Ek said.
But the rally fell short, dropping Marc-Andre Fleury to 8-2 with the Wild
after his 21-save effort. Karel Vejmelka had 35 stops for Arizona, which
won for the first time in 11 games.
"I've got to be better," Fleury said. "I feel like I'm giving up a lot of goals
lately. It's making me mad. But keep working and keep practicing hard
and move on to the next one."
Star Tribune LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242872 Minnesota Wild
GREEF line — Greenway, Eriksson Ek and Foligno — back together
again
Sarah McLellan
15-18 minutes 27/04/2022
Wild forwards Jordan Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno
were finally reunited Tuesday against the Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center,
but Eriksson Ek certainly didn't look lost on the ice while his "GREEF"
linemates were sidelined.
"He doesn't need us at all," Foligno said. "Past two games he's been on
fire."
Eriksson Ek entered this three-game homestand on a roll, tallying two
goals and three points overall in back-to-back games for the first time in
the NHL as the center continues his career season.
"He's just been so big for us all year and making sure that his best is still
yet to come," said Foligno, who had a goal and an assist in the Wild's 5-3
loss to Arizona on Tuesday as did Eriksson Ek.
The last time Eriksson Ek played with Greenway and Foligno was April
12 vs. the Oilers.
Greenway exited that game early with an upper-body injury that ended
up keeping him out for seven games. Then Foligno was idle all last week
after testing positive for COVID-19.
"It's been tough watching, but the guys have been doing such a great
job," Foligno said. "You see a tough game in Nashville and just the battle
of it all, you miss it. Tough to watch. I think your heart races way more
watching than you do playing.
"Just happy to back now and obviously healthy and ready to finish off the
season with the guys and get ready for the playoffs."
Injury update
Captain Jared Spurgeon did not suit up Tuesday after suffering an upper-
body injury Sunday at Nashville.
Spurgeon left the 5-4 overtime win vs. the Predators after getting hit into
the boards by Filip Forsberg.
"We were more encouraged yesterday and today how he felt," coach
Dean Evason said. "So, that's positive I guess. As far as a timeline, we
don't have one. We'll just see where he's at."
Mats Zuccarello (lower-body injury) and Matt Dumba (upper-body injury)
remained out for the Wild.
Dumba has been unavailable since getting hurt April 5 after delivering a
shoulder check to Nashville's Michael McCarron. Evason mentioned the
Wild "probably" planned on Dumba playing against Arizona but the
defenseman isn't ready. The team hopes Dumba will be able to get a
game in before the regular season ends.
"Things change and guys progress from injuries quicker or slower,"
Evason said.
Jordie Benn drew in on defense with Spurgeon injured, and Nick
Bjugstad remained in Zuccarello's spot next to Kirill Kaprizov and Ryan
Hartman; the Wild scratched forward Connor Dewar.
Although the team would like to roll out its projected Game 1 lineup that'll
face the Blues before the playoffs, Evason said that likely won't happen
because of the team's injuries.
What the coaching staff can do, however, is give certain pairings and
lines reps, like it is with the Wild's fourth line of Nic Deslauriers, Tyson
Jost and Brandon Duhaime.
"We project that that would be a line for us," Evason said. "So, the more
touches and more time they can get together, playing together, and
continue the chemistry built, that's a good thing."
If that trio stays intact the rest of the way, Bjugstad and Dewar could be
the extra forwards when the playoffs begin.
Playoff tickets
A limited number of single-game tickets for the Wild's first-round playoff
series at Xcel Energy Center will go on sale Wednesday at 2 p.m. at
ticketmaster.com.
Star Tribune LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242873 Minnesota Wild
Wild's Marc-Andre Fleury starts again; Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway
return vs. Coyotes
Sarah McLellan
16-20 minutes 26/04/2022
The Wild kicks off the final week of the regular season against the
Coyotes at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday, the beginning of a three-
game homestand, and Marc-Andre Fleury will once again be in net.
This will be Fleury's third straight start, a season-high with the Wild since
joining the team in a trade last month from the Blackhawks. Fleury is 8-1
with a 2.77 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.
"We've got a plan going forward here with the three games, and Fleury
will get tonight," coach Dean Evason said.
Marcus Foligno will be back in action after missing four games while on
the COVID list, and his linemate Jordan Greenway is also set to return
from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for seven games.
Captain Jared Spurgeon, who left the 5-4 overtime win at Nashville on
Sunday with an upper-body injury, won't play.
"We were more encouraged yesterday and today how he felt," Evason
said. "So, that's positive I guess. As far as a timeline, we don't have one.
We'll just see where he's at, but he won't play tonight."
Aside from Spurgeon, the Wild will also be without Mats Zuccarello
(lower-body injury) and Matt Dumba (upper-body injury).
Not only is the Wild on a 10-game point streak, but the team has a 13-
game point streak at home.
As for Arizona, the Coyotes have been going the opposite direction.
They've dropped 10 in a row.
"We respect our opponent all the time," Evason said. "We've shown that
all year. There's no reason why we would change tonight just because
we've clinched and they're not in the playoffs. We still have to play this
hockey game. They're still in the same league as us."
Star Tribune LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242874 Minnesota Wild
Wild get exactly what they deserve in 5-3 loss to Coyotes
Dane Mizutani
3-4 minutes 27/04/2022
Not surprisingly, coach Dean Evason didn’t mince words after the Wild
got exactly what they deserved in a 5-3 loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes
on Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center.
In the hours leading up to the game, Evason warned the Wild of
overlooking the Coyotes. He didn’t care that the Wild entered the
matchup on a 10-game point streak. He didn’t care that the Coyotes
entered the matchup on a 10-game losing streak.
As far as Evason was concerned, the Wild still had to play their game.
They did not.
“Our whole game sucked tonight,” Evason said. “We got what we
deserved. We were just going through the lineup. You go through
everybody and it’s hard to find a good player here tonight.”
The most surprising part of the loss was that the Wild have been so good
about not overlooking opposing teams this season.
“It’s human nature maybe,” Evason said. “Were we surprised by it? We
were disappointed by it for sure. I would guess that nobody’s more
disappointed than the players putting the skates on. We expect our
character to come through and have this be a one-off.”
It has to be. With games against the Calgary Flames and Colorado
Avalanche left on the schedule, the Wild still control their own destiny as
far as getting home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That
would be a big boost in the series against the St. Louis Blues.
“It’ll be a good time to push and see where we’re at,” Marc-Andre Fleury
said of the games against the Flames and Avalanche coming up. “Our
last real test before (the playoffs) start.”
As for the loss to the Coyotes on this particular night, the Wild were very
disappointed with their overall effort.
“It’s frustrating,” Joel Eriksson Ek said. “We know we can be so much
better. We have to learn from this. At the same time, we know it’s
playoffs coming, and we can’t let this get down too much.”
After Ryan Hartman put the Wild in front 1-0 in the first period, they
looked like a team going for style points for most of the night, and it cost
them. They finished 0 for 6 on the power play in the game, failing to net a
separation goal that might’ve opened the floodgates.
Instead, the Coyotes continued to hang around, getting a goal from
Anton Stralman in the second period to tie the game at 1-1, then a goal
from Jack McBain in the third period to go up 2-1. Antoine Roussel added
another goal in the third period to make it 3-1 in favor of the Coyotes.
That served as a wake up call for the Wild, as Eriksson Ek promptly cut
the deficit to 3-2, and less than 30 seconds after that, Marcus Foligno
scored to make it 3-3.
In the end, though, former Gophers star Travis Boyd scored what proved
to be the game-winner for the Coyotes, beating Fleury with a redirection
from the point to make it 4-3.
Thinking the play might have been offside, Evason challenged the play to
no avail. He wasn’t happy with the call.
“We just went back and watched it and it’s offside,” Evason said. “I don’t
know how they do their video. Our video shows that he’s offside.”
With the Wild trying to mount a comeback in the waning minutes, Phil
Kessel tallied an empty-netter to finalize the score at 5-3.
“It’s not the outcome that we wanted,” Jordan Greenway said. “It’s one
we’re going to — hopefully not — but one we might wish we had back.”
Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242875 Minnesota Wild
Marcus Foligno returns to Wild lineup after another bout with COVID
Dane Mizutani
3-4 minutes 26/04/2022
Wild winger Marcus Foligno remembers feeling “a little bit off” after the
Wild’s 5-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Easter. He woke up the
next morning with a stuffy nose, a dry throat and a pit in his stomach
knowing he had to get tested for COVID ahead of a road game against
the Montreal Canadiens.
Though the NHL eliminated daily testing a couple of months ago, it still
requires teams to get swabbed before cross-border travel between the
U.S. and Canada. That’s how Foligno found out he had COVID once
again.
“You get the test and you get the call back from the docs letting you know
you’re positive, and you’re just like, ‘OK. Here we go,’ ” Foligno said. “It is
what it is. I’m happy that at the end of day I was the only one that got it
and we don’t have anyone else kind of going down that road. You want
everyone healthy going into playoffs here.”
After staying home for his mandatory isolation period, Foligno was set to
return to the Wild lineup Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center for a
game against the Arizona Coyotes. He missed games last week against
Montreal, Vancouver, Seattle and Nashville.
“It’s been tough watching,” Foligno said. “You see a tough game in
Nashville and the battle of it all. You miss it. It’s tough to watch. I think
(my) heart races way more watching than (it does) playing.”
Fortunately for Foligno, he only had minor symptoms last week.
Unfortunately for Foligno, his wife and kids got sick, too.
“You’re dealing with two little ones that don’t know how to blow their
nose,” he said. “It’s a little different and more stressful than actually being
sick myself. Everyone is doing better now.”
Perhaps the silver lining of Foligno testing positive is he got to rest his
body.
It’s no secret Foligno has been dealing with some bumps and bruises
over the past couple of months. He’s just played through the pain
because that’s what he does.
“It was good to kind of just quiet some things down with the schedule that
we’ve had,” Foligno said. “Even days that we get a day off, it’s (one) day
and we’re right back at it to hitting something again, or doing something
like that.”
Not surprisingly, Foligno said his body is feeling much better after a week
off. He added that he was looking forward to getting back on the ice to
work alongside Joel Eriksson Ek and opposite Jordan Greenway, who
also returned to the Wild lineup Tuesday after missing the past couple of
weeks with an upper-body injury.
“I’m really excited,” Foligno said. “Just happy to back now and healthy
and ready to finish off the season with the guys.”
Pioneer Press LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242876 Minnesota Wild
Wild blow golden opportunity to get playoff advantage with loss to lowly
Coyotes: ‘One we might wish we had back’
Michael Russo
9-11 minutes 27/04/2022
It didn’t sound like there would be any rest for the weary during the final
two home games, but that especially could be the case now that the Wild
allowed their 13-game home point streak and 10-game overall point
streak to explode Tuesday night at the hands of the worst team in the
Western Conference and one of the worst in the NHL.
“We want home ice,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said during the
“Worst Seats in the House” podcast. “Anytime you get a chance to earn
something or win something or do something that could help us, we’re
going to do it.”
Guerin’s comments came one night before the Wild blew a golden
opportunity against a Central Division opponent that’s usually a free
space on their bingo card, the Arizona Coyotes, who were winless in 10
consecutive games and hemorrhaging goals against.
But in a disappointing effort, the Wild lost 5-3 on a night when the St.
Louis Blues’ 16-game point streak ended in Colorado. Had the Wild won,
they would have needed just one point in their final two games to secure
home-ice advantage in their first-round matchup with the Blues.
Now we won’t know where the series is starting until Friday — the final
day of their regular seasons. The teams are tied with 109 points with the
Wild hosting Calgary and Colorado on Thursday and Friday. The Blues
host Vegas on Friday night. If the teams tie in points, the series will start
in St. Louis.
“It’s a tough one, obviously, one we’re gonna — hopefully not, but one
we might wish we had back,” said left wing Jordan Greenway, who
returned after missing seven games because of an upper-body injury.
Guerin believes home ice would set the stage for a great series. It would
put an exclamation on a terrific season but also allow the Wild to start in
front of an electric atmosphere and give them a tactical advantage, like
the last change and the ability to dictate matchups.
“If we just started resting guys and not trying to get home ice, what would
our players say, what would our fan base say?” Guerin said. “They’d be
like, ‘What the heck? What are you doing? You’re just giving St. Louis
home ice.’ No, we’re not going to do that. We’re not giving them
anything.”
But the Wild didn’t take care of business Tuesday night against a team
they were 25-5-3 against in the previous 33 meetings and one that
entered with 51 points, tied for the fewest in the NHL. Desperately
missing defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Matt Dumba and playmaker
Mats Zuccarello on the power play, the Wild went 0 for 6 with five shots
on goal. Then, after rallying from 3-1 down in the third period on goals by
Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno 24 seconds apart, the Wild
surrendered a power-play goal to former University of Minnesota forward
Travis Boyd midway through the period.
Coach Dean Evason challenged offside, feeling Arizona’s Nick Schmaltz
forced teammate Shayne Gostisbehere over the line. After a long review
by the linesmen and the NHL Situation Room in Toronto, the goal was
upheld because the league said there was no conclusive video evidence
to show Gostisbehere preceded the puck into the zone.
“It’s still frustrating because we just went back and watched it and it’s
offside. It’s offside,” Evason insisted. “We had a call this year where they
couldn’t see the puck in the net and they said that it was common sense
that the puck’s in the net. Well, common sense … and we have two
angles and we did both and we flipped it back. One, the puck’s not over,
and the other his skate’s off. So I don’t know how they do their video, but
our video shows that he’s offside.”
Regardless, Evason wasn’t using the lost challenge on Arizona’s winning
goal as an excuse.
“Power play’s been good (lately). Obviously, it sucked,” Evason said.
“Listen, our whole game sucked tonight. We got what we deserved. …
It’s hard to find a good player here tonight.”
One of those players who fell on the knife was goalie Marc-Andre Fleury,
who got a third consecutive start.
There are two ways to look at the rationale to start Fleury again: The Wild
were either trying to get him into a groove to start Game 1 of the playoffs
Monday or they’re giving fellow veteran Cam Talbot a rest if they’re
planning on his starting the series.
Fleury, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, came to Minnesota last month
with the playoff pedigree of 90 wins and three Stanley Cups. But Talbot is
12-0-3 in his past 15 starts and hasn’t lost in regulation since March 1.
Fleury is 5-2 in his past seven – yet with a 3.59 goals-against average
and an .881 save percentage.
“Personally, I’ve got to be better,” he said. “I feel like I’m giving up a lot of
goals lately. It’s making me mad. … I feel like there’s always a goal a
night that I can have. It makes a difference for our team. There’s some
good saves in there. Still, it’s too many goals. I can’t be giving up this
much and expecting our team to win every night. Just have to clean that.”
He’ll obviously start one of the last two games, but one wonders if his
recent erratic play will cause the Wild to start the playoffs with Talbot
between the pipes.
“Everything weighs into our decision,” Evason said. “We’ll have to watch
the goals again and talk as a group. We’re going to have a difficult
decision. When I say there wasn’t one good player on our hockey club,
we could talk to every one of the guys and say they didn’t play well. We
could go through the entire lineup from the goalie to every other player
on the team wasn’t good enough.”
The Wild hoped to get a boost from the returns of Greenway and Foligno,
who missed the previous four games after he, his wife and kids caught
COVID-19. But the Wild looked like they were skating in slush the first
two periods and couldn’t build on Ryan Hartman’s 34th goal 11:05 into
the first.
Power play after power play — three drawn by Kevin Fiala — was
wasted as players, especially Fiala, overpassed pucks and coughed
them up left and right. It’s a shame because the power play easily could
have blown the game wide open.
“We started slow, didn’t win enough battles to play with the puck and they
got energy from feeling they were in the game, and we let them dictate
pretty much how they wanted to play the game,” Eriksson Ek said.
“That’s not what we want to do.”
Or, as teammate Jonas Brodin said more bluntly, “This is a game we’ve
got to win.”
After the Coyotes tied the score at 1-1 late in the second period, they
stunned the Wild with two goals in the opening seconds of the third
period, including the first NHL goal from Jack McBain, the 2018 Wild
third-round pick who snubbed the team last month by refusing to sign
with the organization because he felt it was too deep at center. The Wild
at least were able to trade his rights for a second-round pick.
But when Eriksson Ek and Foligno tied the score so quickly, it just felt like
the Wild, who have mastered the art of the comeback all season, were in
prime position to do it again against a fragile opponent.
It wouldn’t happen despite the Wild saying all the right things earlier in
the day, like the lowly Coyotes are still in the same league as them and
they better put on their work boots later in the evening. Instead, the Wild
paid for their lack of jump and intensity early in the game. Fiala’s 10-
game point streak ended, while Kirill Kaprizov celebrated his 25th
birthday with two assists to give him 105 points on the season.
“The easy answer is we got full of ourselves, reading our press clippings
and all of that. Maybe that happened,” Evason said. “It’ll be addressed,
obviously. The positive thing is it’s uncharacteristic for us. We will fully
expect our group to respond the next game.”
We’ll see if the Wild can get Dumba, Zuccarello or Spurgeon back
Thursday or Friday. Spurgeon got hurt Sunday night in Nashville, and
Evason said earlier Tuesday that they were encouraged by how
Spurgeon was feeling and that his injury isn’t as serious as initially
feared.
They better hope so because the Wild will need a full cast of healthy
players to beat the Blues.
“This was maybe a good team for us to get two points here trying to get a
little lead on St. Louis,” Fleury said. “That’s why it’s a little more sour to
lose that one.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242877 Montreal Canadiens
Stu Cowan: Uncertain futures for Canadiens, Price remain intertwined
Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
The mystery surrounding Carey Price’s future with the Canadiens took
another turn on Tuesday.
Price didn’t practise with his teammates in Brossard after not dressing for
Sunday night’s 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre. Monday
was a day off for the team.
Before Sunday’s game, head coach Martin St. Louis announced Price
wouldn’t travel to New York for Wednesday’s game against the Rangers,
but that he might play in the final regular-season game Friday night at the
Bell Centre against the Florida Panthers.
After practice Tuesday, the Canadiens said Price would travel to New
York, but it was for a medical appointment concerning the knee surgery
he had last July for a torn meniscus. That surgery was performed at New
York’s Hospital for Special Surgery by Robert Marx. The Canadiens said
Price remains listed as “day-to-day” but you have to think his season is
over and his future remains uncertain.
St. Louis said it’s hard to comment on Price’s future until hearing what
the doctor says.
Price has only played four games since returning to the lineup on April
15, posting an 0-4 record with a 4.03 goals-against average and an .853
save percentage. In his last start — a 6-3 loss to the Senators last
Saturday in Ottawa — Price allowed six goals on 26 shots for a .769
save percentage.
“I thought it was a big plus for him to fight and get back from a long year
of dealing with his injury,” St. Louis said. “But we knew that it wasn’t just
going to be smooth sailing. There’s possibilities and I think that’s where
we’re at and that’s why he’s getting looked at.”
When asked if he has had any discussions with Jeff Gorton, the
executive vice-president of hockey operations, or general manager Kent
Hughes about the future of the goaltending situation, St. Louis said: “It’s
not my job. I’m coaching the team. I’ll let them do their job. They have to
deal with that.”
Gorton and Hughes are in Germany scouting the IIHF World U18
Championship.
Price and his contract will have a huge impact on the Canadiens’ future.
The goaltender will turn 35 on Aug. 16 and has four seasons remaining
on his eight-year, US$84-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of
$10.5 million. Price is scheduled to earn $31.25 million during the next
four seasons, including $24.25 million in signing bonuses. Price received
an $11-million signing bonus last September and will receive a $6.75-
million bonus this September. His base salary next season is $1 million,
followed by three seasons with a base salary of $2 million. There is a
$6.5-million signing bonus in 2023 and signing bonuses of $5 million in
2024 and 2025.
It would be shocking if Price decided to retire with that much money left
on the table. Long-term injured reserve might be a possibility depending
on the severity of his knee issue, but a trade at this point seems
impossible with Price’s age, health and salary-cap hit.
Buying out Price’s contract doesn’t make much sense. According to
CapFriendly.com, if the Canadiens did buy out Price his contract would
still have a salary-cap hit of $10.083 million next season, followed by
three seasons with a cap hit of $9.083 million and then four seasons with
a cap hit of $583,338. The contract wouldn’t be fully bought out until the
end of the 2029-30 season.
At this point, it seems like the best-case scenario for the Canadiens is
that Price can regain his health and something close to the form he had
in the playoffs last season, when he carried the team to the Stanley Cup
final, posting a 2.28 GAA and a .924 save percentage in 22 games.
To make the Canadiens’ goaltending future even more uncertain, backup
Jake Allen’s season came to an end on April 9, when he suffered a groin
injury. Allen will turn 32 on Aug. 7 and has one season remaining on his
two-year, US$5.75-million contract with a salary-cap hit of $2.875 million.
The Canadiens said Allen will be ready for training camp next season.
But will Price?
Samuel Montembeault, who has played the most games in goal for the
Canadiens this season, and Cayden Primeau can both become restricted
free agents this summer.
Shea Weber has been on long-term injured reserve all season and
Hughes will try to trade the veteran defenceman and his contract —
which has four more seasons with a salary-cap hit of $7.857 million —
during the off-season. The GM will also try to move defenceman Jeff
Petry, who has three more seasons with a salary-cap hit of $6.25 million.
But there’s no guarantee those two things will happen.
Nick Suzuki’s eight-year, US$63-million contract kicks in next season
with a salary-cap hit of $7.857 million. Brendan Gallagher has a $6.5-
million salary-cap hit next season, while Josh Anderson and Jonathan
Drouin have cap hits of $5.5 million.
So the combined salary-cap hit for Price, Petry, Suzuki, Gallagher,
Anderson and Drouin would be $42.215 million — more than half the
$82.5-million team maximum for next season.
What the Canadiens will look like next season remains a mystery —
starting with Price.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242878 Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens by the numbers: Gallagher shows his worth in surprising ways
Andrew Berkshire • Special to the Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
There has been a lot of focus recently on Canadiens right-winger
Brendan Gallagher. From his comments about Ottawa centre Tim
Stützle’s embellishing, to leading his teammates in a salute to Guy
Lafleur’s banner on Sunday, to his play on the ice.
Gallagher plays with his heart on his sleeve, which has helped and hurt
him during his career, but one thing that cannot be questioned is the
pride he takes in wearing the Canadiens sweater.
However, after scoring only two goals in 22 playoff games last year while
playing a defensive role and battling a hand injury, and only six goals in
54 games this season, what can we expect from Gallagher and his
US$6.5M annual cap hit for the next five years?
Gallagher, who turns 30 on May 6, is far from old, but he is at the point in
his career when NHL aging curves see a decline in play, especially in
terms of production. Couple that with his physical play and the serious
injuries he’s endured, and there’s a lot of wear and tear on his body.
Gallagher mentioned recently that multiple short off-seasons have made
it hard to recover and he wasn’t able to prepare his body in the way he
would have liked ahead of this season. Those are all factors we need to
take into account, but we also can’t ignore that the sample size of
Gallagher’s scoring struggles is growing.
In last year’s playoffs and this season, Gallagher is scoring on just 4.2
per cent of his shots on goal, which is less than half of his career average
of 9.7 per cent. Gallagher has always been a creator of high danger
scoring opportunities, but has also finished with a lower-than-expected
percentage on those chances. Through his regular-season career,
Evolving-Hockey gives his unblocked shot attempts (shots on goal, plus
missed shots) in all situations an expected finishing rate of 9.03 per cent,
and an actual finishing rate of 7.3 per cent.
From 2019 to 2021, even with Gallagher’s shot being relatively poor
overall, only Toronto sniper Auston Matthews scored even-strength goals
at a higher rate than Gallagher. You read that correctly. That makes his
one goal at 5-vs-5 this season even more shocking.
Outside of scoring, this season has also seen a drop in Gallagher’s
overall play but, to be fair, we need to split up this season to see the truth
of that.
In every season of his career, Gallagher has been an unbelievably
excellent player at 5-vs-5, driving play like very few of his contemporaries
have. And he’s been a positive every season of his career, until the first
half of 2021-22 under Dominique Ducharme.
After Martin St. Louis took over, Gallagher got right back to what we
expect him to do, having an outsized impact on driving possession,
scoring chances, expected goals (xGoals), and actual goals, even if his
personal production is nowhere to be seen.
This is the thing that makes Gallagher such a valuable player, even if
he’s not scoring, his play has led to teammates scoring, and it’s been that
way throughout his decade-long career. Through a variety of roles —
whether he was on a rookie exploitation line with Alex Galchenyuk, or a
hard-minutes line with Phillip Danault — the Canadiens have outscored
the opposition every season when Gallagher was on the ice.
Adjusted for score and venue by Evolving-Hockey, the Canadiens have
been plus-69 goals better at 5-vs-5 with Gallagher on the ice during the
last decade. If that seems small, consider that only 10 players have seen
a larger relative impact on goal differential than Gallagher during that
period, and they include high-end scorers Connor McDavid, Sidney
Crosby, Brad Marchand, Nathan MacKinnon, Mark Stone, Taylor Hall
and Artemi Panarin.
It’s entirely possible that Gallagher’s goal-scoring will never return to the
level he showed from 2017-21 — when he scored 32 goals per 82 games
and was outpaced by only Matthews and Alex Ovechkin in per minute
played — but I also don’t believe he will continue to shoot at a four-per-
cent finishing rate.
With the outsized impact Gallagher has on the scoreline even when he’s
not producing, his US$6.5M cap hit isn’t nearly as bad as some believe.
Looking at last season and the playoffs compared with the rest of his
career, do you believe the signal or the noise?
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242879 Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens' Carey Price heads to N.Y. for appointment with knee doctor
Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Carey Price wasn’t on the ice Tuesday morning when the Canadiens
practised in Brossard.
Afterward, the Canadiens announced Price would travel with the team to
New York later in the day for a medical appointment concerning the knee
he had an operation on last July to repair a torn meniscus.
The Canadiens say Price remains listed as “day-to-day.”
The Canadiens have two games remaining in the regular season, playing
the Rangers Wednesday night in New York and the Florida Panthers
Friday night at the Bell Centre.
Price has only played four games this season, posting an 0-4-0 record
with a 4.04 goals-against average and a .853 save percentage.
Price’s knee operation was performed in New York at the Hospital for
Special Surgery by Robert Marx, after consultation with his colleague
Bryan Kelly, regarding hip and knee injuries. The hip injury did not
require surgery.
Head coach Martin St. Louis said after practice Tuesday that it’s hard to
comment on Price’s future until hearing what the doctor in New York has
to say.
“I think it’s just an update,” Canadiens forward Josh Anderson said when
asked about Price’s status. “We all go through it. Any time you come
back from a surgery or whatnot you want to get checkups. I’ve been
there before. But I’m sure it’s just a check on how things are going and
go from there.”
When asked if there’s concern about Price’s future, Anderson said: “Of
course. You’re talking about Carey Price at the end of the day. A goalie
that’s been here forever and one of the best in the league. So any time
you hear that news it’s concern, for sure. But I guess we’ll have to see
today or tomorrow — see where he’s at and go from there.”
Samuel Montembeault is expected to start in goal for the Canadiens
Wednesday night against the Rangers.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242880 Montreal Canadiens
Lise Ravary: What Guy Lafleur taught all of us, off the ice
Lise Ravary • Special to Montreal Gazette
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
We’ve all met people who know how to put forward a charming public
persona, but who can be quite nasty or callous in their private lives. We
even suspect that some of our well-known heroes may be among those
who act differently when the microphones and the cameras are turned
off. I could name names, but of course, I won’t.
In a world where there are so many people who are not what they seem,
Guy Lafleur was authentic. His kindness and generosity were real. And
this was part of what makes him a hero, in addition, of course, to his
extraordinary talent on the ice.
Of course, we’ll never forget the slapshots, the speed, the drive to win,
the Stanley Cups, the panache, the list goes on and on. Lafleur is now
ensconced in the Holy Trinity of the Montreal Canadiens with Maurice
Richard and Jean Béliveau. When the Habs were the greatest, he was
the Blond Demon.
Since his death last week, his niceness and his accessibility have been
celebrated as much as his athletic prowess. The same things were also
said about Mike Bossy and Jean Béliveau. Quebecers have a reputation
for being approachable, easygoing people.
The news of his passing brought a real sadness that was palpable, in
Quebec and beyond. Few people expected him to beat his cancer, but
heroes have special powers. Maybe, just maybe, we thought, he would
pull through.
It was not to be. Fans everywhere were in shock when his sister Lise
broke the news. Grown men were crying openly. Radio and television
hosts were choking up on the air. Franco, anglo, it did not matter one
iota.
As much as his exploits on the ice set him apart from the rest of us poor
mortals, we can all aspire to follow the examples he set in his everyday
life.
Everyone has heard stories about Lafleur visiting sick children he heard
about in the media, at their homes, unannounced, bringing an
autographed jersey purchased with his own money to cheer them up.
Such stories are true and plentiful. There was one more in Tuesday’s
Montreal Gazette letters section: a father recounted a small kindness
shown to his son celebrating his 10th birthday in a restaurant, back in
1980, when fellow diner Lafleur invited him to his table. That’s not
something most of us can replicate, but we, too, can be real, kind and
decent in our own lives.
There are also stories of kindness shown to his team mates, even to his
opponents. People in the business say he signed more autographs in his
lifetime than anyone else. He never said no to a photograph with a fan.
Never ignored an extended hand. Or a question by the media. During his
glory days and after. Until the end.
I never met him, but I have it from a multitude of impeccable sources —
the the flood of anecdotes testify — that Guy Lafleur was a good man
even when the mikes were off.
Today, so many people find pleasure in being unpleasant, mistaking
meanness for wit. Some make a career out of it, others become online
monsters. In our world, kindness is often mistaken for weakness.
On the ice, Flower was a dominant player. He took no prisoners. Off the
ice, he was the ultimate gentleman. In his private life, he lived for his
family. As a father, he faced his son Mark’s problems with fortitude and
lucidity but stood by him always, even in the darkest moments.
As the great Guy Lafleur laid on his death bed, Mark held his hand until
the end.
Being great is fantastic. Being good is priceless.
Being great and good is the pinnacle of a life well lived.
Merci Guy.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242881 Montreal Canadiens
Basu and Godin: Concern for Carey Price, a perfect tank storm, the Mike
Hoffman dilemma
Arpon Basu
13-17 minutes 26/04/2022
NEW YORK – Carey Price was elected by the Montreal chapter of the
Professional Hockey Writers Association as the team’s candidate for the
Masterton Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies
perseverance and dedication to hockey. Price has done that, diligently
working to get back from another knee injury this season while also
availing himself of the help available from the NHLPA/NHL player
assistance program. His comeback game on April 15 against the New
York Islanders was one of the best stories of the Canadiens’ miserable
season.
But now, Price is gone again. Coach Martin St. Louis said prior to the
game against the Bruins that they were giving Price a break after he
played four games in eight days, not an overly taxing workload. Then on
Tuesday, the Canadiens announced Price would be traveling with the
team to New York to visit with his knee surgeon.
Not good.
“I thought it was a big plus for him to fight and get back from a long year
of dealing with his injury,” St. Louis said Tuesday before the team left for
New York. “But we knew that him playing, we knew that it wasn’t going to
be just smooth sailing, we knew there were possibilities. I think that’s
where we’re at and that’s why he’s getting looked at.”
After playing very well in his first two games back, Price allowed 12 goals
on 60 shots on goal in his next two. Not all of them were his fault, of
course, but enough of them were stoppable shots to be of some concern.
“It’s a long absence,” St. Louis said in Ottawa on Saturday. “It’s hard to
find your form and be the goalie you’re able to be.”
The next day, St. Louis announced Price was getting a break.
This turn of events takes nothing away from Price’s Masterton candidacy,
to be clear. But it raises more questions about his future. And also about
how much perseverance and dedication to hockey he might have left.
Because he’s used up a lot of his reservoir this season, both on the
mental and physical side, both on the personal and professional side.
There are some who would want you to believe Price working as hard as
he has to come back is simply about collecting his paycheque, which is
ludicrous and simply untrue, because Price would be getting paid
regardless.
If Price didn’t want to play, if he didn’t want to recapture a big part of his
identity, as he said back in January, of being the starting goaltender for
the Montreal Canadiens, he could have easily sat at home and done
nothing once it became clear the knee wasn’t holding up to the strain of
building the strength back up to allow him to play at an acceptable level.
That term, acceptable level, is something Price said often when
describing how he would judge his own performance. It is an intentionally
vague term, the definition of which only he knows for sure. But now the
question becomes how much of this is acceptable to Carey Price? How
much uncertainty with his knee can he take? How much treatment and
work in the gym and on the ice to prepare to play can he accept not
knowing if the end result will be him playing in NHL games?
“When Carey wanted to play, we listened to him,” St. Louis said after the
loss to the Bruins. “We did that same thing yesterday, we listened to
Carey, and he couldn’t be on the bench today.”
Neither Price nor the Canadiens will know if the there is a serious issue
with the knee until he visits with his doctor and gets it examined, so it’s
fair that St. Louis didn’t want to say much about it Tuesday, preferring to
wait for that process to provide some information.
But so much of Price’s return to play at the end of a lost season was
about removing some doubt in his mind about his knee, about his ability
to play the game he loves and be part of the solution in Montreal.
This doesn’t accomplish that.
Saturday night in Ottawa, the Canadiens experienced a tanking perfect
storm.
Allowing three goals in just over a minute ensured the Canadiens would
lose to the Senators, which they did despite a strong effort in the third
period to try to make it a game. That same night, the Arizona Coyotes
reached overtime against the St. Louis Blues, giving them a point and
moving them into a tie with the Canadiens for 31st place in the NHL.
But because the Canadiens have fewer regulation wins than the
Coyotes, they were slotted into 32nd place. Otherwise known as last
place. Otherwise known as the spot with the best odds in the upcoming
draft lottery, scheduled to be held May 10.
This is what everyone has wanted. Everyone except the players and the
coach.
Cole Caufield hit the 20-goal mark in that game Saturday, but even
though he was able to admit he was happy to reach that number,
Brendan Gallagher painted a different picture of what Caufield looked like
in the dressing room after the game.
“He’s in the room upset that we lost, which you like as a teammate, but
he’s going to appreciate this,” Gallagher said. “It’s his first real season in
the NHL, it’s not easy to score goals, he reached 20 with obviously the
slow start he went through in the beginning of the year.
“It’s important, I’m actually glad he went through it because I think he
understands the difference between how he felt when he was going
through those slumps and how he feels now, regardless of results. He’s
going to look back and realize he needs to play with a little bit of swagger
in his game, and he has that for us right now and he needs to keep that
always. He’s going to go through little droughts in his career again and
it’s important for him to realize that.”
As that was happening Saturday, the Canadiens’ braintrust of Jeff Gorton
and Kent Hughes were in Germany, taking in the world U18
championships, where U.S. centre Logan Cooley — a projected top-three
pick in the draft — is among the prime attractions. We’re told they were
also planning on going to Finland on this trip, presumably to see Slovak
winger Juraj Slafkovsky, another potential top-three pick.
Gorton and Hughes, as opposed to their players and coaches, are
preparing for the draft lottery and the opportunity to get the No. 1 pick.
Finishing behind the Coyotes in the standings would give the Canadiens
an 18.5 percent chance at the top pick, odds that drop to 13.5 percent if
the Canadiens finish 31st.
We have long maintained that the difficulty of losing games for weeks on
end is not worth the five percent improvement in odds, and we still feel
that way.
“The losing is getting heavy,” Martin St. Louis said Sunday night after the
Canadiens’ ninth straight loss, this time to the Bruins on Guy Lafleur’s
special night at the Bell Centre.
We don’t have any doubt it is indeed getting heavy. But there are only
two games left at this point, against strong opponents in the New York
Rangers on Wednesday and at home to the Florida Panthers on Friday.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, visit the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, play in
Dallas against a desperate Stars team on Wednesday and finish up
Friday at home against the Nashville Predators, a game that might not
matter much by then.
We would never suggest the Canadiens should intentionally lose their
remaining two games, and they would never do that regardless. But
we’ve also advised against rooting for losses, because a losing culture is
something that is difficult to get rid of. It has a tendency to linger.
But with two games left, is there much difference between a nine-game
losing streak and an 11-game losing streak when your odds to win the
draft lottery improve by 5 percent if you lose 11 games in a row as
opposed to nine?
Far be it for us to suggest the Canadiens lose these games on purpose.
But the way things are going of late, they may not need to do it on
purpose, it might just happen organically.
Mike Hoffman’s game in Ottawa on Saturday was just about as Mike
Hoffman as it gets. He had, overall, an excellent game. He created a ton
of chances, made dynamic plays with and without the puck, there was a
lot of positive to focus on.
But there were also some negatives, and those negatives wound up in
the back of his net on a couple of occasions. Generally, if your positives
don’t result in a bunch of goals and your negatives result in goals
against, that’s not a good balance. But St. Louis didn’t see that game
quite like that.
“Hoffman was very good tonight,” he said.
And honestly, he was good that night. It was just those mistakes, how
glaring they were and how costly they were, overshadowed the good on
that night. His game against Boston was similar, nutshelled by the single
most bizarre play of the night when Hoffman caught Erik Haula from
behind on a breakaway, made a great defensive play to separate him
from the puck but was not only called for a penalty, Haula was actually
awarded a penalty shot, and scored.
What makes the great, misinterpreted defensive play so problematic is
that it was only necessary because of a brutal giveaway … by Hoffman.
This is something St. Louis will need to grapple with next season; though
he has shown Hoffman nothing but public support, the giveaways and
typically Hoffman plays that have gone on this season must be
addressed behind closed doors.
When Marc Bergevin signed Hoffman as a free agent last summer, it was
not in the hopes that he would suddenly become an elite backchecker.
That was never the expectation. It was that Hoffman would score a ton of
goals on the power play, because that is what he has always done.
Between 2015-16 and 2020-21, Hoffman scored 65 power-play goals,
just under 11 per season. This season, he has scored four.
One reason might be that Hoffman was playing in his career-long sweet
spot in the right faceoff circle on the second unit, away from Caufield and
Nick Suzuki. On Saturday, St. Louis put him in that spot on the first unit.
That forced Suzuki to move to the left circle and Caufield to move to the
bumper.
“He’s been in that spot for a while, but he’s been in that spot with a lefty
at the top and a lefty on the other side and tonight we wanted to have
one-timers on the flanks,” St. Louis said. “He’s got a good shot, but he’s
got really good playmaking abilities too.”
The unit created a ton of chances and looked good doing so, but moving
Suzuki from that right circle is problematic because it is where he is most
comfortable.
Much like Hoffman.
Caufield would also need to learn how to play that bumper spot,
something he has not done too often up until now.
“I think I can play pretty much in all those three positions, at the half-wall,
on the bumper,” he said in Ottawa. “It’s something that I can learn from
and get better at and pick things up as we go along.”
This is the dilemma. But it is compounded by the fact the power play has
been dormant, scoring one goal in eight games heading into Sunday
night against the Bruins. But then Josh Anderson got one on a rebound.
And then it was Hoffman’s turn.
The goal he scored off the power play’s opening faceoff is a perfect
example of why Hoffman should be in his most comfortable spot on the
top unit. Because his shot can create a goal out of nothing.
Suzuki can do the same thing at times with his wrist shot from that spot,
but with how poorly the power play has performed, this is definitely worth
a shot.
Last week, we wondered out loud if hockey sense can be taught, and
more specifically, if it can be taught to Josh Anderson.
We noted one play where Anderson needed to make a quick decision,
and he made the wrong one. We did acknowledge how unfair that might
have been, but we thought it exemplified the challenge of the process.
Well, if one play can be used to show that, then another play should be
able to show the opposite can also be true.
Anderson had a couple of plays Thursday night against the Philadelphia
Flyers where he appeared to be using two principles St. Louis has been
trying to drive into his players. The first is using the entire width of the ice
to create and exploit space, something Anderson did quite well at the
very beginning of this clip where Anderson sends it cross ice through his
own zone to Jeff Petry.
The second concept St. Louis wants Anderson to embrace is controlling
his speed. Sometimes, St. Louis believes, you can get more
accomplished by going slower because it allows you to exploit space
better. This is something Nick Suzuki does incredibly well, but it is also
something Anderson has never been asked to do. And yet, at the very
end of the above clip, you saw how Anderson waited with the puck in the
neutral zone and found Suzuki in the middle of the ice with a nice saucer
pass, leading to an easy controlled zone entry.
Normally, Anderson would have dumped that puck in the zone and gone
after it immediately 10 times out of 10. But he didn’t do that.
Then here, watch how fast Anderson is skating through the neutral zone,
as in not fast at all, when the puck pops out onto his stick and he’s sent
in on a partial breakaway.
Again, we don’t know if hockey sense can or cannot be taught. But it
would appear Anderson is at least trying.
Then again, if you watched him play Sunday night, all of this went
completely out the window. Anderson was skating as hard as he could,
hitting everyone he could, playing like his hair was on fire, the way he’s
always played when he’s at his best. And it’s not as though St. Louis is
asking him to stop doing that. He just wants to add elements like the
ones shown above to what Anderson already has.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242882 Montreal Canadiens
André Pratte: With Guy Lafleur’s death, Quebecers have lost one of the
family
André Pratte
Publishing date:Apr 25, 2022
Guy Lafleur’s death, at age 70, has caused a huge wave of grief in
Québec. Of course, Quebecers are remembering the great hockey player
of the 1970s. But what makes this collective sorrow so special is that
people here feel like if they were losing a close friend. For Guy was not
an ordinary superstar. His scoring talent made him someone special,
evidently. But it is because he had tragic weaknesses, because he was
never afraid to discuss his failings and his doubts, and because he
overcame them all in the end, that the sadness is so profound.
As a journalist, I had the privilege of meeting all three of the greatest
players in the Montreal Canadiens’ dynasty. When I met Maurice
Richard, a man of few words, with a piercing gaze, I felt idolization and
fear; when I met Jean Béliveau, an authentic class act, I felt respect.
When I met Guy Lafleur, I felt idolization, respect, and love all at once.
Quebecers loved “le démon blond,” and he gave back so much! While
watching a TV special replaying the best and the more tragic moments of
his career, I spent Friday evening crying.
I was at the Montreal Forum when Lafleur played his first game in the
Canadiens’ uniform, a pre-season game against the Boston Bruins. The
hall was packed. We expected so much from this young man who had
outrageously dominated the Quebec junior league the previous year,
scoring 130 goals in 62 games. “Ti-Guy” appeared a bit lost on the ice
that evening. It would be the case for much of his first three years with a
team filled with stars the likes of Ken Dryden, Yvan Cournoyer and Henri
Richard.
Then, something clicked. He took his helmet off, and the magic came
back. Lafleur was certainly the most spectacular player of his age, and
he became a superstar all over the league. Yet he remained, all his life,
the kid from Thurso, Québec. Emotional, gentle, extraordinarily generous
with his money and his time.
Of the thousands of comments published in the media or social media
since Lafleur’s passing, a large part tell a personal story: a time when the
writer met the superstar and was given the Lafleur treatment: the sincere,
sympathetic look, the powerful handshake, a friendly exchange like if
Guy had all the time in the world for this one fan.
Lafleur was not necessarily a troubled soul. He simply faced, to the
umpteenth degree because of the high expectations, the kinds of
problems that we all have to tackle at some point in our lives. We loved
him all the more for that.
The last game I attended at the Forum was against the Detroit Red
Wings, on Nov. 24, 1984. Lafleur’s best days were over. For some
unknown reason, he was again lost on the ice. He appeared to be
skating as fast as ever, but he went in every direction with the puck, not
passing, not shooting … until he lost it to an opponent. During the third
period, former line mate and now stern coach Jacques Lemaire benched
the sad superstar. Lafleur felt prisoner of Lemaire’s defensive strategy.
He asked to be traded, but the unrelenting Canadiens organization
refused, knowing full well that such a trade would cause a controversy of
unprecedented proportions. So Ti-Guy, emotional and spontaneous as
always, decided that he had had enough. Two days later, he announced
his retirement from hockey, at the young age of 33.
However, deep inside, Lafleur knew that he still had some hockey left.
Four years later, in August 1988, he announced that he would attempt a
comeback with the New York Rangers, then led by bold general manager
Phil Esposito and Lafleur admirer Michel Bergeron. For the first time in
his life, Lafleur trained seriously in order to be ready for the training
camp. On day one, he was the fastest skater on the ice.
Lafleur went on to play three more seasons. His goal production was
very far from that of his best years. But by then, the “démon blond” had
accepted that he could only play a supporting role. Some nights,
however, the spark came back. On Feb. 4, 1989, Guy Lafleur played in
his first game at the Montreal Forum as a New York Ranger. When he
stepped on the ice, the crowd gave him a standing ovation that seemed
to last forever. They had not forgotten. Neither had he: he went on to
score two goals and one assist that evening. Pure Lafleur!
After having been treated for lung cancer two years ago, Lafleur was
asked to become the ambassador of a major Montreal hospital’s cancer
research. As always, he said yes. He devoted himself to this new cause
with the same determination and humanity that he had shown as a
superstar on and off the ice. The CHUM Foundation collected $1.5
million. Pure Lafleur!
On April 22, 2022, Quebecers lost more than an icon. They lost one of
the family.
National Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242883 Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros suffers possible injury against
Calgary
Paul Skrbina, The Tennessean
1-1 minutes 27/04/2022
Juuse Saros limped down the tunnel and to the Nashville Predators
locker room Tuesday night with 6 minutes, 32 seconds left in the third
period against Calgary.
The Predators goalie didn’t appear to be putting weight on his left leg
when he left the game in favor of backup David Rittich.
Rittich allowed the tying goal to force overtime. The Predators, who lost
5-4, could have clinched their eighth consecutive playoff berth with a win.
Instead, they fell 5-4 in overtime, but still clinched, thanks to the Dallas
Stars' shootout victory against the Vegas Golden Knights.
No immediate update was provided by the Predators concerning Saros.
Predators coach John Hynes said an update probably would be made
available sometime Wednesday.
Tennessean LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242884 Nashville Predators
Juuse Saros hurt, but Predators clinch playoff spot, thanks to Stars'
victory
Paul Skrbina, The Tennessean
3-4 minutes 27/04/2022
Postseason greetings?
Postseason greetings. That's what was on the line for the Nashville
Predators on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.
And they were less than a second away Tuesday.
In their regular-season home finale at Bridgestone Arena, the Predators
had to wait for for another result to see whether they had clinched their
eighth consecutive playoff berth thanks to a 5-4 loss after the Flames tied
the score with 0.1 seconds remaining on Matthew Tkachuk's goal.
Elias Lindholm scored in overtime to give the Flames the victory, but the
Predators clinched a postseason spot because the Dallas Stars defeated
the Vegas Golden Knights in a shootout.
Predators goalie Juuse Saros left the game limping with 6:32 left in the
regulation, favoring his left leg. No immediate update was made
available.
The Flames, the Predators' likely first-round opponent, came in winners
of nine of their previous 11.
But the score was overshadowed in the first by a pair of fights -- one
between Tanner Jeannot and Erik Gudbranson and another between
Mark Borowiecki and Milan Lucic -- in the period.
The Flames' Dillon Dube scored a power-play goal 4 minutes, 2 seconds
into the first to put the visitors ahead.
Predators captain Roman Josi, who recently was praised by Hockey Hall
of Famer Paul Coffey, tied the score 1-1 5:41 into the second to extend
his franchise record to 92 points.
Matt Duchene put the Predators ahead 2-1 with his team-leading 42nd
goal of the season less than three minutes later. Josi and Mikael
Granlund picked up assists on the score, further extending Granlund's
career high to 49. It also was Josi's 400th career assist and 93rd point.
Dube tied the score during a 4-on-4 with 6:46 left in the second.
Forsberg tried to keep pace with Duchene with his 41st goal to give the
Predators a 3-2 lead on a power-play early during the third before
catching him with his 42nd to put the Predators ahead after Noah Hanifin
tied the score 93 seconds after Forsberg's first goal.
Tennessean LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242885 Nashville Predators
How good has Roman Josi been for the Nashville Predators? We asked
a Hockey Hall of Famer
Paul Skrbina, The Tennessean
3-3 minutes 26/04/2022
The praise did not have to be pried from Paul Coffey's lips.
The Hockey Hall of Famer and four-time Stanley Cup champion has
never met Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi.
Well, not in the traditional sense.
That doesn't mean Coffey isn't aware of Josi. The two talked virtually in
2020, when he presented Josi with the Norris Trophy, an award Coffey
won three times during his 21-year NHL career.
At the time, Josi said he was humbled to receive the award from "such a
legend of the game."
Josi again is a frontrunner for the award this season, one that has been
stuffed with numbers not seen by a defenseman in a long time.
"You know what I like about him, other than everything?" Coffey recently
told The Tennessean.
Coffey, whose seven 90-point seasons are most in league history for
defensemen, needed no pause on the way to answering his own
question. He's also second in NHL history in goals, assists and points
behind Ray Bourque.
"Just his consistency," he continued. "He's good year after year after
year. This year, offensively, is a real special year for him. That's a lot of
points. Good for him.
"There's not a GM in the league who wouldn't take him. He can play any
way you want.
Josi became the ninth defenseman to reach the 90-point mark in a
season, setting career highs in goals and assists along the way. He's the
first one to reach 90 since Bourque did in 1993-94.
With three games remaining, beginning Tuesday against the Calgary
Flames, Josi isn't likely to become the first defenseman since Brian
Leetch in 1991-92 to hit 100, a feat reached by Coffey five times.
But his 91 points already were a franchise record and led all players at
his position. So, too, did his 70 assists. And his 10 power-play goals. And
his 36 power-play points. His 21 goals were second only to Colorado's
Cale Makar.
Makar, Coffey figures, is the other horse in the Norris race, along with
Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman, who recently said he'd choose Josi for the
award.
"All three of those guys, that's what the final three is going to be," said
Coffey, a skills development coach with the Edmonton Oilers. "They're all
Norris Trophy guys in my mind."
Tennessean LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242886 Nashville Predators
Here’s how the Predators can clinch a playoff berth
Michael Gallagher
3-3 minutes
For the Nashville Predators, it’s as simple as win (in regulation) and in.
A regulation victory Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena over the Calgary
Flames, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and lead the Pacific Division by 10
points over the Edmonton Oilers, will clinch the Predators’ eighth straight
playoff appearance.
More importantly, it will allow the Predators to rest goaltender Juuse
Saros, who has started more games (66) and played more minutes
(3877:55) than any other goalie this year, during the final two regular
season games against the Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes.
“For us, we haven’t talked about clinching; we haven’t talked about any of
that,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “We’ve talked about getting
ready for Calgary. Let’s make sure our mindset is the right way that we’re
going to be in for a battle. We’re getting ourselves to our competitive
mindset that gives us the best chance to win, and the results will take
care of themselves.”
Nashville is 2-0 against Calgary this season — both 3-2 victories with
one coming in overtime and the other in a shootout. Saros will start and
the Predators also recalled forward Mathieu Olivier Tuesday morning; he
will take Eeli Tolvanen’s spot in the lineup.
“You want to be a player, and you want to be a team, that plays your best
when the stakes are high,” Hynes added. “That’s what we’re here to do is
to be able to play games that matter and play in important situations. If
you’re going to accomplish anything as a team, you have to be mentally
tough, and you have to understand what it’s going to take to win.”
A win over the Vegas Golden Knights also seals a playoff spot for the
Dallas Stars, who currently trail the Predators by a point in the wild card
standings.
The first wild card team will travel to play Calgary in the first round while
the second wild card team will travel to Colorado to play the Avalanche.
Nashville Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242887 New Jersey Devils
Devils' comeback falls short in overtime loss to Senators
Staff Report
Associated Press
2-3 minutes 27/04/2022
OTTAWA, Ontario — Drake Batherson scored in overtime to give the
Ottawa Senators a 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
Batherson also scored in regulation, Tim Stutzle had a pair of goals and
Thomas Chabot also scored for Ottawa in this matchup of teams near the
bottom of the Eastern Conference. Brady Tkachuk chipped in three
assists, while Anton Forsberg made 37 saves.
Nolan Foote had a pair of goals for the Devils, whose skid extended to
four games. Pavel Zacha and Yegor Sharangovich also scored.
Mackenzie Blackwood, making his first start since Jan. 19, stopped 29
shots for the Devils.
Stutzle had the crowd of 13,101 chanting his name when he beat Reilly
Walsh in a foot race for the first short-handed goal of his career. Less
than a minute later, Zacha beat Forsberg to cut Ottawa’s lead to 4-3 at
the seven-minute mark of the third.
The Devils completed the comeback when Zarangovich was given too
much time and space in close, scoring to force the extra period.
Batherson gave the Senators a 2-0 lead 11 seconds into the second
period with his 16th goal of the season.
The Devils got on the board when Fabian Zetterlund made a nice pass to
Foote for his first of the season.
A few minutes later, the Senators made it 3-1 with their second power-
play goal as Stutzle jumped on a Tkachuk rebound.
Foote scored his second of the game with 5.2 seconds left in the period,
beating Ottawa’s Mark Kastelic to a rebound at the side of the net.
The Senators opened the scoring with 16.9 seconds left in the first period
when Tkachuk made a cross-crease pass to Chabot, who knocked in his
seventh of the season.
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242888 New York Islanders
Islanders rally to beat Alex Ovechkin-less Capitals
Staff Report
Associated Press
4-4 minutes 27/04/2022
WASHINGTON — Peter Laviolette couldn’t explain why his Washington
Capitals fell flat in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night
with a chance to move up in the standings and improve their playoff
positioning.
“We were flat,” the veteran NHL coach said. “I don’t know.”
Playing without injured captain Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals blew a lead
and gave up four unanswered goals to an opponent that has long been
out of playoff contention. They allowed power-play goals to Ryan Pulock
and Noah Dobson, goaltender Ilya Samsonov botched a puck-handling
attempt behind the net to help Casey Cizikas score short-handed and
Tom Wilson turned the puck over to Anders Lee for New York’s fourth
goal of the game.
“Guys were out of sync a little bit, couldn’t get much going,” winger Tom
Wilson said. “Kind of an ugly game.”
Washington failed to pass rival Pittsburgh for third place in the
Metropolitan Division after the Penguins lost at home to Edmonton, but
the Caps still have two more chances before the end of the regular
season.
Ryan Pulock #6 of the New York Islanders celebrates a first-period goal
against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on April 26, 2022
in Washington.
The Islanders’ Ryan Pulock celebrates a first-period goal against the
Capitals.
Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves to help the Islanders snap a five-game losing
streak near the end of what has turned into a lost season a year after
reaching the East final. They played a forward short with 17 skaters
instead of the usual 18 after Brock Nelson and Zdeno Chara were ruled
out because of illness.
Nelson was in uniform and expected to play until he told coach Barry
Trotz just before warmups he didn’t feel well enough.
“Our room is hacking and coughing and there’s a lot of guys sick and
right now they’re battling through it,” Trotz said. “Give them a lot of credit.
I thought it was a good character win.”
Ovechkin was deemed a game-time decision and is listed as day to day,
but it was obvious earlier in the day he wasn’t a good bet to play with
what the team is calling an upper-body injury. He slammed left shoulder
first into the boards Sunday, and his status moving forward is uncertain.
The Capitals got some clarification on their first-round opponent:
Carolina’s victory at the New York Rangers clinched the Metropolitan
Division, and that combined with Boston beating Florida takes the
Hurricanes out of the equation for Washington.
Washington is now set to open against the Rangers or Panthers,
depending on how the final games of the season go.
The Capitals could have wrapped up third in the Metro when they play
the Islanders again Thursday — had they won Tuesday. Now, it’ll come
down to Friday to see whether Washington can avoid Eastern
Conference-leading Florida and a more difficult path through the Atlantic
Division side of the bracket.
“We can’t play like we did tonight,” Laviolette said. “This isn’t who we are.
This isn’t our M.O. It’s one night, it was lousy and so that’s that.”
On the way to a second tough loss in a row, the Capitals got a bit of a
scare when winger T.J. Oshie took a puck off his left foot and left the
game briefly. Conor Sheary, who scored their only goal on a deflection in
the first period, also went down late in the second blocking a shot but
stayed in.
“He finished the game,” Laviolette said of Oshie. “He came back and
played, and he seemed to be fine.”
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242889 New York Islanders
Islanders coach Barry Trotz: 'It's really strange' to not be in playoffs
By Andrew Gross
Updated April 26, 2022 11:21 PM
WASHINGTON — Barry Trotz coached the Capitals to the playoffs in all
four of his seasons with that team, culminating with the Stanley Cup in
2018, and the Islanders qualified in his first three seasons behind their
bench.
So this will mark Trotz’s first playoff miss since 2014, his last season with
the Predators. And he guided that expansion franchise to the postseason
seven times between 2004 and 2014.
“It’s really strange,” Trotz said before the Islanders won their final road
game, 4-1, to open a home-and-home series with the Capitals on
Tuesday night at Capital One Arena. “We’ve been in the second round or
deeper seven years and then the short offseasons. But it’s all worth it.
[Not being in the playoffs] it is feeling really strange, there’s no question.”
The Islanders (36-34-10), who went 2-for-2 on the power play and got a
shorthanded goal to snap an 0-4-1 skid, reached the NHL semifinals in
each of the past two seasons. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves for the
Islanders while counterpart Ilya Samsonov stopped 22 shots for the
playoff-bound Capitals (44-24-12), who were missing Alex Ovechkin
(upper body).
Defenseman Noah Dobson’s power-play goal gave the Islanders a 2-1
lead at 2:56 of the third period. Casey Cizikas, laying on the ice after
stealing the puck on the forecheck, shoveled in a shorthanded goal to
make it 3-1 at 8:42 and Anders Lee pushed it to 4-1 at 15:17.
Trotz, whose mother passed away on Jan. 1, said he would use the
offseason to handle some family matters.
“I’m going to take a chance to try recharge,” Trotz said. “I’ll use it as a
mental break from the game. We’ve been grinding hard for seven-plus
years. I’ll just have to make the best of a situation that I’m not really used
to and come back with hopefully renewed energy and get us back to
where we feel we can be.”
This might have been Trotz’s hardest season in just trying to navigate the
twists.
There was a 13-game road trip to open the season while construction at
UBS Arena was completed. Trotz and nearly the whole team wound up in
COVID-19 protocol at different times starting in mid-November. Multiple
games were postponed and rescheduled. That resulted in a condensed
schedule from mid-February on that has severely limited the team’s
practice time.
“It wasn’t an easy year for everybody,” Trotz said. “There was no script
for it. It was seat-of-your-pants almost on a nightly basis. And then we
didn’t have the season we envisioned, or anybody envisioned.
“It just didn’t go the way you anticipated. You wipe yourself off and you
learn a little bit from it. You try to get better from it. It’s in the past. You
can’t fix the past but you can maybe fix the future decisions.”
For instance, Trotz said, in retrospect, he probably would change how he
handled the Islanders’ long stretches without games through December
and January.
“We’ve had about five little mini-training camps,” Trotz said. “Some of
those we probably didn’t need because there was still that mental grind
of preparing. We had like a 10-day training camp. Looking back, maybe
we should have taken five days off. Sometimes you try to push too hard
and you get less done. But we couldn’t plan it. It was hard to plan this
year.”
Conor Sheary’s tip gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 10:24 of the first
period, less than two minutes after Kyle Palmieri’s apparent 200th career
goal was overturned as the Capitals successfully challenged for goalie
interference against Zach Parise. Defenseman Ryan Pulock tied it on the
power play at 16:18 of the first period.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242890 New York Islanders
Jean-Gabriel Pageau returns, but Brock Nelson and Zdeno Chara miss
Islanders' win with illness
By Andrew Gross
Updated April 26, 2022 11:14 PM
WASHINGTON — The Islanders were able to dress only 11 forwards —
one fewer than usual — for Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over the Capitals at
Capital One Arena even with center Jean-Gabriel Pageau returning to
the lineup after three games while in COVID-19 protocol.
But top-line center Brock Nelson, already in uniform for warmups, was
the latest to be felled by the non-COVID-19 illness going around the
Islanders’ room.
“He just got sick and he said, ‘I’m not going to be able to help,’” coach
Barry Trotz said. “Our room is hacking and coughing and there’s a lot of
guys sick.”
Center Otto Koivula was returned to the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in
Bridgeport from emergency recall earlier in the day after notching an
assist in three games filling in for Pageau.
Defenseman Zdeno Chara also missed the game because of illness but
the Islanders were able to bring up Robin Salo from Bridgeport on
emergency recall. Salo logged 12:40.
Center Mathew Barzal played a game-high 24:05 but the official
scoresheet had Oliver Wahlstrom on ice for just 6:09 and Kieffer Bellows
logging 8:57.
“Just keep your shifts short at the start, get the legs going,” Casey
Cizikas said. “You’re going to get back out there. Don’t let one shift
bother you. Have the memory of a goldfish.”
Assistant coach Jim Hiller also rejoined the Islanders after testing
positive and missing three games. Associate coach Lane Lambert
remains in COVID-19 protocol.
Palmieri's jinx
Kyle Palmieri had what would have been his 200th career goal
disallowed at 8:57 of the first period when the Capitals successfully
challenged Zach Parise had interfered with Capitals goalie Ilya
Samsonov.
Trotz said, by the Islanders’ counting, that’s the seventh goal this season
Palmieri has had waved off.
“Hockey gods are funny,” Cizikas said. “He’s going to get rewarded one
way or another.”
WASHINGTON — Center Jean-Gabriel Pageau returned to the
Islanders’ lineup after missing the previous three games while in COVID-
19 protocol.
But the Islanders still had to play one skater short Tuesday night against
the Capitals at Capital One Arena with center Brock Nelson and
defenseman Zdeno Chara both very late scratches with a non-COVID-19
illness.
It was another unexpected twist in an odd season that will end on Friday
with the Islanders missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Defenseman Robin Salo was brought up from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate
on emergency recall and was inserted in Chara’s place, paired with Noah
Dobson.
But, earlier in the day, the Islanders returned center Otto Koivula to
Bridgeport from emergency recall after he had an assist in three games
filling in for Pageau. Anthony Beauvillier (upper body) missed his fourth
straight game.
“I was surprised,” Pageau said of his bout with COVID-19. “I had my
parents in town and I wasn’t feeling great. So I tested at home and came
back positive. I’m glad that it’s over and the whole family is healthy and
safe.”
Assistant coach Jim Hiller also rejoined the Islanders after testing
positive and missing three games. Associate coach Lane Lambert
remains in COVID-19 protocol.
Trotz backs Chara
Coach Barry Trotz believes Chara, named on Monday as the Islanders’
nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance,
dedication and sportsmanship, should win the award. The Professional
Hockey Writers’ Association votes among the nominees from each of the
32 teams.
Chara, 45, is in his 24th NHL season.
“A man that loves the game,” Trotz said. “At 45, he plays it like he’s 25.
He doesn’t take a practice off. He doesn’t take a game off. He’s totally
invested in every aspect of the game. He’s a good teacher to the rest of
the league on the pride a player takes in being a good pro.
“He gets my vote for that, for sure. This is something that would be well
deserved and be smart by the league.”
Isles files
Anthony Beauvillier (upper body) missed his fourth game and remains
day-to-day . . . Defenseman Sebastian Aho, 26, on Chara: “He’s been in
the league longer than I’ve been alive, pretty much.”
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242891 New York Islanders
Worn-out Islanders begin to dissect what went wrong, while Barry Trotz
readies for a rare ‘mental break from the game’
Kevin Kurz
7-8 minutes 27/04/2022
WASHINGTON — There’s no denying that the Islanders, owners of the
most frantic, jam-packed post-All-Star-break schedule in the NHL, are
worn out. That certainly played a large role in their five-game losing
streak, which was halted Tuesday night with a 4-1 win over the Capitals.
And though the season not going as anticipated has been a weight on
the players involved, it’s also been a burden for coach Barry Trotz.
Speaking after the morning skate Tuesday, Trotz, in his standard,
measured way, expressed a calm exasperation at the way this strange,
disjointed and ultimately dismaying season has developed.
“It is feeling really strange. There’s no question,” he said of the Islanders’
regular-season finale approaching Friday — without a playoff game to
follow.
“It wasn’t an easy year for everybody — players, coaches, management,
fans probably. Everybody,” Trotz said. “But there was no script for it. It
was seat-of-your-pants almost on a nightly basis. That was a little more
difficult. Obviously, we didn’t have the season that we envisioned or
anybody envisioned.”
This will be the first time Trotz can take an early summer respite since
2014, his final season in Nashville. In his first three seasons with the
Islanders, they advanced to at least the second round, including back-to-
back appearances in the semifinals the past two years. In Washington
from 2014-15 through 2018-19, Trotz took the Capitals past the first
round in each of his four seasons, culminating, of course, with a Stanley
Cup championship.
Trotz acknowledged that it will be nice to recharge his proverbial
batteries, but he also indicated that he has a fair amount on his plate in
his personal life, without getting into too much detail. The coach lost his
mother in January.
“Some things I need to take care of — family-wise and also just
personally,” he said. “I’m going to take a chance to try to recharge. It’s
going to be difficult. I’ve got a pretty busy summer in terms of just stuff
that needs to get done. But I’ll use it as a mental break from the game.
“I’ll just have to make the best of a situation that I’m not really used to,
and come back with hopefully renewed energy and get us back to where
we feel we can be.”
The Islanders have already started publicly dissecting what has gone
wrong this season. The circumstances have been rehashed multiple
times — the opening monthlong road trip, adjusting to a new home
arena, the COVID-19 outbreaks, the season starting and restarting
several times, and even the tragic deaths of franchise icons Clark Gillies
and Mike Bossy.
But it can’t all be chalked up to that. After all, many NHL teams had to
deal with multiple cancellations and COVID-19 outbreaks. After Sunday’s
5-2 home loss to Carolina, forward Matt Martin offered up one issue that
he identified.
“In this league, you’re not going to have your best every single night of
the week,” he said. “I don’t think we did enough this season (when) we
didn’t have our best game. We didn’t just keep it simple and find a way.
We kind of got away from what we do best, and that’s (win) the games
that kind of got ugly. You look back earlier in the year and we were going
on a slide, we just never really got off that train.”
When that theory was relayed to Trotz, he didn’t necessarily disagree. He
also pointed to the fact that last season was abbreviated compared with
the full slate this season, and perhaps the Islanders’ style of play is more
difficult to execute over a longer period and with so many games jammed
into the calendar.
In hindsight, Trotz might have handled the Islanders’ long breaks a bit
differently. From Dec. 20 to Jan. 12, for example, they played just two
games.
“The 56-game schedule (last season), we probably played 48 playoff
(like) games, hard. Eighty-two was a little tougher for us to play that hard,
grinding style,” the coach said. “And we didn’t have much of a break. And
if I could review a few things with some of these breaks … we’ve had like
five mini-training camps. Some of those we probably didn’t need because
there was still that mental grind of preparing. We had like a 10-day
training camp (Jan. 3-12). Looking back, maybe we should have (taken)
five days off. Sometimes, you try to push too hard, and you get less
done.”
But doing less is essentially what they’ve been doing for the past three
months. The Islanders have had team days off after every game, and you
can count on one hand how many full practices they’ve had since the All-
Star break.
That, of course, gives them a chance to rest and recover, but it can also
lead to losing the kinds of details necessary to win consistently.
“You can definitely see execution-wise sometimes you’re maybe not as
sharp,” Noah Dobson said. “Especially on the power play, if you don’t get
any touches in the practices and you go a couple games without a power
play, and then you get one, it’s like kind of feels like you’re a little rusty.”
Ryan Pulock said: “Obviously, it’s tough. I don’t know if there’s a right
answer for it. Some guys might like the rest more than others, some guys
might want more practice. You’ve just got to find a way to keep yourself
fresh at this point in the season.”
The Islanders’ lack of detail seemed to show up most of all against the
league’s better teams. Against the 16 teams in playoff position, the
Islanders are 10-25-3. They are 26-9-7 against non-playoff teams.
“Where we failed was against the better teams, where we didn’t
accumulate enough points,” Trotz said. ”That’s where, to me, our biggest
failure was.
“We’ve lost points when some of our plays have been more catastrophic
or uncharacteristic of us. And a lot of it is just individual decisions. It
could be guys trying to do too much, guys not aware or being a little too
loose. It’s a number of things. We just weren’t good enough against the
playoff teams.”
Still, the Islanders notched one of their more rewarding wins of the
season Tuesday night. Despite being down Zdeno Chara and Brock
Nelson due to non-COVID-19 illnesses, forcing them to dress just 17
skaters, they beat a Capitals team that is trying to avoid playing Florida in
the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs next week. Power-play goals
by Dobson and Pulock, and a highlight reel short-handed score from
Casey Cizikas in which he flipped the puck home with his butt planted
firmly on the ice, gave the Islanders some relief from their losing spell.
Though Trotz and the players have endured a season they’d like to
forget, there are still moments that remind them of what they can be. A
satisfying win over the Capitals under difficult circumstances was one of
them.
“We’re all tired,” Trotz said. “Our team is tired. We’re all sick. We’re on
fumes. The schedule has chewed us up, and the guys are battling.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242892 New York Islanders
Rapid Reaction: Islanders Snap 5-Game Skid, Defeat Caps 4-1 - New
York Islanders Hockey Now
Published 7 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Stefen Rosner
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
On Tuesday night, the New York Islanders snapped their five-game skid
as they defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1. The Islanders are now 36-
34-10.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Washington Capitals took a 1-0 lead at 10:24 of the first period as
Connor Sheary deflected a Marcus Johansson one-timer from the slot for
his 19th of the season. Johansson and Nick Jensen with the assists.
The New York Islanders tied the contest at one as Ryan Puck blasted his
fifth goal of the season past Ilya Samsonov at 16:18 of the first period.
Kieffer Bellows and Kyle Palmieri were credited with the assists.
Noah Dobson gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 2:56 to go in the third
period. His power-play goal beat Samsonov low glove side for his 13th of
the season. Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal were credited with the
assist.
Casey Cizikas gave the Islanders a 3-1 lead at 8:42 of the third period as
he somehow was able to beat Samsonov from his bum for his 10th of the
season. The goal was unassisted.
The New York Islanders took a 4-1 lead as Anders Lee rifled his 27th of
the season past Samsonov’s glove for his 27th goal of the season at
15:17 of the third period. The goal was unassisted.
Pulock & Bellows Extend Point Streak
One play, the New York Islanders saw defenseman Ryan Pulock and
Kieffer Bellows extend their point streaks to three games.
With under four minutes to play in the first period, Pulock scored on the
power play as he beat Capitals netminder Ilya Samsonov blocker side
through a screen.
With the goal, Pulock now has two straight games with a goal both
coming on the power play, with an assist back on Saturday against the
Buffalo Sabres.
Kieffer Bellows had probably his easiest assist at the NHL level, as he
dished the puck off to Pulock at the point. That assist gave him points in
three straight with two assists and a goal.
Cizikas Scores Ridiculous Goals
The New York Islanders entered the third period tied with the Washington
Capitals but came away with a 3-1 win. The insurance marker came off
the stick of Casey Cizikas, who scored a beauty of a goal at 8:42 of the
third period while shorthanded.
Due to a strong forecheck, Cizikas pressured Washington Capitals
netminder Ilya Samsonov behind his own net, which forced a turnover.
Cizikas stayed on the puck and from his bum dished the puck on the
backend towards the goal, which somehow got passed Samsonov.
It was a gorgeous goal and a key goal by Casey Cizikas, who got
rewarded for a strong play.
Missing Three Skaters
For the fourth straight game, the New York Islanders were without
forward Anthony Beauvillier due to an upper-body injury. But added to
the unable-to-play list was forward Brock Nelson and defenseman Zdeno
Chara, who both missed the contest due to non-COVID illnesses.
Nelson & Chara Miss Game Thursday, Non-COVID Illness
There was no update on their status following the game.
NOTES:
After missing three straight games, forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau was
activated off the NHL’s COVID-19 list. He was back in the lineup.
Forward Otto Koivula was sent back to Bridgeport (AHL).
Forward Anthony Beauvillier (upper-body, day-to-day) missed his fourth
straight contest.
Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin did not play after suffering
an injury on Sunday.
NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242893 New York Islanders
Nelson & Chara Miss Game Thursday, Non-COVID Illness - New York
Islanders Hockey Now
Published 10 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Stefen Rosner
2-3 minutes 27/04/2022
On Tuesday night, the New York Islanders welcomed Jean-Gabriel
Pageau back into the lineup as he was activated off the COVID-19 list.
But when there’s a positive, there has always been a negative for the
New York Islanders this season.
Prior to the contest against the Washington Capitals, the New York
Islanders announced that forward Brock Nelson and defenseman Zdeno
Chara would not play due to a non-COVID illness.
The Islanders had been dealing with COVID-19 as mentioned above, so
the fact that this is not a COVID illness means that both players have the
ability to return to the lineup before the season ends.
Over the last week or so, the stomach bug has made its way around the
New York Islanders locker room.
It started with goaltender Semyon Varlamov missing a few games, along
with Grant Hutton. Could this be related?
Regardless, both players were out of the lineup, and although the New
York Islanders are not playing for much, both players have things to play
for.
The Islanders were also without forward Anthony Beauvillier for the
fourth-straight game as he is dealing with an upper-body injury and is
considered day-to-day.
Brock Nelson currently has 36 goals on the season (a career-high), and
reaching the 30-goal mark became a bit tougher. If he is ready to play
Thursday, he will have Tuesday to reach the mark.
For Zdeno Chara, this is likely his last week in the National Hockey
League.
The 45-year-old defenseman broke the record this season for most
games played by a defenseman in NHL history, passing Chris Chelios to
sit alone with 1,652nd NHL games played back on Feb. 24 against the
San Jose Sharks.
Hopefully, for Chara’s sake, he is able to get back in the lineup before the
season ends on Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242894 New York Islanders
Defense Not Enough in Full Season, The Rise & Need For Offense -
New York Islanders Hockey Now
Published 15 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Stefen Rosner
7-9 minutes 26/04/2022
The New York Islanders enter their last three regular-season games
riding a five-game losing streak. Over those five games, the Islanders
have been outshot 171-136 and outscored 23-12. They have allowed 4.6
goals per game, scoring just 2.4.
The Islanders have played a lot of hockey in very few days, with the five-
game losing streak coming over a span of eight days. Not to mention,
four of the five previous opponents are playoff-bound, with each having
over 100 points.
The battle against teams with 100 points continues on Tuesday night, as
the Washington Capitals, the eighth seed and the Islanders opponent for
the next two contests, sit with an even 100 points. No eighth seed has
ever had 100 points to finish a season, per Islanders statistician Eric
Hornick.
Three To Go, Gm 80: Lines, Previews & How to Watch vs. Capitals
The Islanders sit with 80 points.
If you look at the teams above the New York Islanders in the Eastern
Conference, there’s another thing in common besides reaching the 100-
point plateau.
The Islanders have averaged 2.73 goals per game, ranking 25th out of
32 teams.
Now, it’s no secret that the New York Islanders have succeeded over the
last few seasons due to their defensive system. Even in a year in which
everything has gone south, the Islanders have allowed the eighth-fewest
goals against in the NHL at 2.83.
That does not mean the Islanders defense is eighth-best.
But the problem is that five of the eight teams above have a lower goals-
against per game than the Islanders.
So what does this mean?
It means that reliance on defense alone is not enough to survive an 82-
game regular season.
Over the previous two seasons, the Islanders have allowed the second-
fewest goals (315) and second-fewest goals-against per game (2.54) in
the NHL. The Islanders, over that span, had scored the 10th fewest goals
in the NHL (341) and the 11th fewest goals-for per game (2.75).
And the previous two seasons, the Islanders have found ways to make
the postseason, with external factors also playing a part.
Following the 2019-20 season, the Islanders finished 7th out of 12
postseason teams due to point percentage (.588) and the postseason
expansion due to COVID-19. They had a record of 35-23-10 (68 GP),
with 2.73 goals per game (10th fewest) and 2.79 goals-against per game
(9th fewest).
In 2020-21, which was just the 2021 season, given the season starting in
January, the Islanders finished in the final playoff spot in the Mass Mutual
East Division, with the league reconfiguring their divisions due to COVID,
as each team only played inside their division.
The Islanders were 32-17-7 (56 GP) with a 2.71 goals per game (11th
fewest) and 2.23 goals against per game (2nd fewest).
It’s fair to say the New York Islanders defense has not been as elite as it
previously has been under Barry Trotz. The loss of Nick Leddy and the
inability to bring in someone of his skill set have played a factor. Zdeno
Chara struggled early on, which led to the separation of one of the elite
shutdown defensive pairings in the NHL in Adam Pelech and Ryan
Pulock.
And then Ryan Pulock fell victim to a lower-body injury. Although Noah
Dobson stepped up and evolved as an NHL defenseman with more
minutes and an increase in his role, Pulock’s loss still was a vital reason
this season is ending on Friday.
Andy Greene has shown his age, and when the Islanders started to turn
things around in March, Scott Mayfield fell victim to injury.
While the defense struggled, particularly against the tougher opponents,
the lack of a potent offense made it challenging to win games and win
close games. The Islanders are 8-9-0 in one-goal games.
And the increased reliance on the system, when the system was missing
a rather critical asset, made it impossible to have continued success
unless the offense stepped it up–which they did not.
That’s not to blame Barry Trotz, as his offense is not highly touted. Given
the need for production, the constant shake-up of his lines and especially
his young players like Wahlstrom has been a concern.
There are weapons, as we have seen with the career year by Brock
Nelson and a strong season by Anders Lee, and of course, having
Mathew Barzal on the roster. But with the inconsistencies of many
forwards, Trotz decided to shake up lines, and with the starts and stops
this season provided, a streaky offense––let’s call it as it is––never got
hot until it was too late in the season.
The defensive system works once postseason play begins. Still, given
the regular-season game being an offensive one, general manager Lou
Lamoriello needs to focus on improving that part of the Islanders game.
That’s not a secret.
It was evident throughout the last two playoff runs. Still, general manager
Lou Lamoriello believed that his team would be back in the postseason
with his defense, goaltending, and the pieces he brought in on offense.
The game plan did not work for a majority of reasons, largely due to
lackluster performances by many players this season, particularly on the
offense. Yes, COVID-19, injuries, and the abundance of games in the
short number of days played a part.
Those are not excuses, just merely facts.
The Islanders leading point-getter this season through 79 games played
is Brock Nelson, who has 58 points in 70 games due to injury and
COVID-19. He sits 82nd in the NHL in points. The next highest point-
getter on the Islanders is Mathew Barzal, who has 54 points in 70 games
and ranks 100th in the NHL.
Lamoriello, who made no moves at the trade deadline, stated that he
believed in the core of his team and that the rest of the season would be
used to evaluate the offense.
And while some players, like Kyle Palmieri, like Jean-Gabriel Pageau,
and Zach Parise, have produced more in the second half than they did in
the first, the need for an elite forward is not just a want.
It’s a need if the New York Islanders want to be able to compete with the
offensive teams that prowl the Metropolitan Division. But what also is a
necessity is secondary support, depth support as one player may help
add a few more goals to the total, but it’s a team game where each line
needs to find ways to be successful.
Making a tweak on the back end to provide more stability will be needed
as well, but the focal point needs to be on the offensive side of the puck
to give the New York Islanders a chance to compete in what is an
offensive-based regular season, especially in a powerhouse division like
the Metropolitan.
NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242895 New York Islanders
Three To Go, Gm 80: Lines, Previews & How to Watch vs. Capitals -
New York Islanders Hockey Now
Published 17 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Stefen Rosner
3-4 minutes 26/04/2022
The New York Islanders (35-34-10) take on the Washington Capitals (
44-23-12) Tuesday night, the first of a home-and-home. Puck drop is
slated for 7 PM ET at Capital One Arena.
The Islanders have three games remaining in the regular season and are
currently riding a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
The New York Islanders held an optional morning skate on Tuesday.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who had missed the last three games due to being
in COVID-19 protocol, was back on the ice. Ilya Sorokin was in the
starter’s crease and was the first goaltender off the ice and will make his
51st start of the season.
Anthony Beauvillier (upper-body, day to day) was not on the ice as he is
likely to miss his fourth-straight contest.
Following the skate, the Islanders announced that Otto Koivula, who was
emergency recalled back on Thursday prior to the contest against the
New York Rangers, was sent back to Bridgeport (AHL).
Prior to the game, defenseman Robin Salo was recalled from Bridgeport
(AHL). That likely means that a defenseman is unable to play.
For the Washington Capitals, head coach Peter Laviolette announced
that Alex Ovechkin would be a game-time decision after leaving
Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs after being
tripped by Leafs’ netminder Erik Kallgren and falling awkwardly into the
boards.
It is likely, with the playoffs coming up, that Ovechkin will not play.
Ilya Samsonov was the first netminder off the ice at Washington Capitals
morning skate as he will start against the Islanders.
ISLANDERS GAME NOTES
Tonight, the New York Islanders visit the Washington Capitals in the third
of four matchups between the two clubs this season.
The last time these teams met was March 15, in Washington, when Noah
Dobson and Brock Nelson each recorded multi-point games to help the
Islanders collect a point in the shootout.
This evening’s matchup begins the Islanders’ fourth home-and-home of
the season.
They are 5-1-0 in home-and-home matchups so far this year. Tonight is
their final road game of the 2021-22 regular season.
BETTING CORNER
The New York Islanders are the road underdogs at +165 (-155 reverse
puck line) against the Washington Capitals, who come in at -195 (+135
on puck line).
The over for the contest is set at 6, with the over at +100 and the under
at -120.
NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242896 New York Islanders
Islanders Daily: Masterton Nominees, Lehner to Have Surgery & More -
New York Islanders Hockey Now
Published 18 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Stefen Rosner
6-7 minutes 26/04/2022
It’s the last week of the NHL regular season, with the New York Islanders
playing three games in four days. On Monday, the nominations were
announced for the Masterton trophy, as the Islanders nominated Zdeno
Chara. This past weekend, the New York Islanders hosted their alumni
for a special charity game on Saturday followed by a fun day at UBS
Arena.
These stories and more in today’s daily links!
Perseverance. Sportsmanship. Dedication. The player that best
exemplifies those character traits is awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy at
the end of the NHL season. The nominations for all 32 National Hockey
League teams are in, all well-deserving of votes. For the New York
Islanders, Zdeno Chara has received the nomination, along with two
former Islanders. (NYI Hockey Now)
Under the leadership of majority owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin,
the New York Islanders have made more of an effort to bring alumni
around. This past weekend, the New York Islanders held their ‘Alumni
Weekend’, which featured an alumni duel with the New York Rangers,
raising $25,000 for the Northwell Health Foundation on Saturday,
followed by a fun day at UBS Arena on Sunday. (NYI Hockey Now)
It was a miserable hockey Sunday for Pittsburgh Penguins and fans. Not
only did the Penguins no-show against arch-rival Philadelphia Flyers in a
game that could have given them complete control of third place in the
Metro Division, but fans were subjected to another misdirected TNT
broadcast. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)
Most Philly sports fans were probably watching the 76ers or the Phillies
on Monday night. Only the diehards were viewing the Philadelphia
Flyers, whose season lost its meaning months ago. Here’s what most of
you missed: The Flyers’ attempt at their second three-game winning
streak of the season fell short at the United Center. They allowed two
goals in the first 6:15 and never recovered, falling to the Chicago
Blackhawks, 3-1. (Philadelphia Hockey Now)
It’s been a long, strange few years for the Boston Bruins organization,
and for the NHL as well as the entire league has persevered through
challenges and obstacles simply to bring hockey back to a sense of
normalcy.Nobody could have guessed that Boston Bruins Jake DeBrusk
would still be with the B’s on the cusp of the playoffs after his trade
request surfaced back in December, and certainly, nobody could have
predicted he would be the B’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy given to
a player that “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance,
sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” (Boston Hockey Now)
With the Florida Panthers in Boston preparing to take on the Bruins
tonight and the team enjoying their best season in franchise history, you
can expect to see one of the biggest goals in franchise history shown on
the broadcast. On the eve of that goal’s 26th birthday to boot. (Florida
Hockey Now)
Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price has been named a nominee for
the 2022 Bill Masterton Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually to the
NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance,
sportsmanship and dedication.” Price made his way back this season
after offseason hip surgery and after checking himself into the NHL
Player Assistance program for substance use. (Montreal Hockey Now)
After suffering an upper-body injury on Sunday, Washington Capitals
captain Alex Ovechkin was on the ice and front and center for the annual
team photo at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Monday. He is considered
day-to-day. (Washington Hockey Now)
Jared Bednar usually doesn’t spare the rod, at least when it comes to
criticizing his team’s work ethic. If it’s not there, he says it. And so, he
said it after Sunday’s miserable 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the team’s
fourth straight overall. With one week to go in the regular season, this
does not sound like a coach of a Western Conference-leading team.
(Colorado Hockey Now)
The reports were a little premature on this one, but they eventually
proved to be accurate. Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner
will miss the remainder of the regular season and will undergo shoulder
surgery. This news was officially announced Monday by the Golden
Knights themselves after multiple reports came out on Friday. (Vegas
Hockey Now)
Thomas Bordeleau’s capacity for the spectacular is obvious. From the
shootout winner, snapping the San Jose Sharks’ 11-game losing streak
to the Vegas Golden Knight to an innocent-looking neutral zone entry,
Bordeleau is a threat to conjure up magic at any moment. (San Jose
Hockey Now)
It’s a three-step process for the Vancouver Canucks. Beat the Seattle
Kraken and have the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Dallas Stars in
regulation on Tuesday night. Next, beat the Los Angeles Kings on
Thursday night, after having the Vegas Golden Knights lose in regulation
to the Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars lose in regulation to the
Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday. (Vancouver Hockey Now)
Calgary Flames defenceman Chris Tanev reminds me of one of his
former teammates — former Flames captain Mark Giordano. Their
games may be slightly different. Giordano was more offensively gifted.
Tanev is one of the most stable defensive anchors you could conjure on
the blueline. But both thrive on hard work and determination. And both
seemed to get better with age. Now, both can say they have been
Calgary Flames nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
(Calgary Hockey Now)
NYI Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242897 New York Rangers
Rangers lose to Metropolitan Division winner Hurricanes
New York Daily News
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
Vincent Trochek had a goal and an assist, rookie Pyotr Kochetkov
stopped 31 shots and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Rangers 4-3
Tuesday night to clinch the Metropolitan Division title.
Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Jordan Martinook also scored for
Carolina, and Brady Skjei had two assists. The Hurricanes, who won
their second straight division title after winning the realigned Central
Division in last year’s shortened season, set franchise records with 53
wins and 114 points, topping marks set in 2005-06.
Kochetkov, making his second career start and third straight appearance,
had 11 saves in the first period, 11 in the second and nine in the third to
improve to 3-0-0.
Mika Zibanejadis upended by Nino Niederreiter in Rangers' loss to
Hurricanes on Tuesday night at Garden.
Chris Kreider scored his 52nd goal for the Rangers, who have lost two
straight and three of seven and are assured of finishing second in the
Metropolitan. Jacob Trouba and Alexis Lafrenière also scored, and Igor
Shesterkin finished with 31 saves.
Aho pounced on a loose puck and fired a shot past Shesterkin for his
team-leading 37th of the season 32 seconds into the third to push
Carolina’s lead to 4-1.
Trouba pulled the Rangers back within two as he took a pass from
K’Andre Miller and fired a shot from the right point past Kochetkov for his
career-high 11th with 6:48 left.
New York pulled Shesterkin for an extra skater with about 2 1/2 minutes
remaining, and Lafrenière scored on a one-timer from the right side with
1:02 left to get the Rangers within one. It was his 18th.
After a scoreless first period, the Hurricanes took control with three goals
in the second.
The Rangers had three power plays in a 7:09 stretch from late in the first
period to early in the second. They managed four shots on goal on the
advantages but couldn’t break through against the league’s top penalty-
killing unit.
Trochek then gave the Hurricanes the lead as he beat Shesterkin with a
slap shot from the left circle off a pass fromSkjei — one of six former
Rangers on the Carolina roster — at 7:05 of the middle period. It was his
21st of the season.
Martinook made it 2-0 with 6:12 remaining in the second as he tipped a
shot by Derek Stepan, another former Ranger, from the right circle past
Shesterkin. It was Martinook’s fifth.
Kreider pulled the Rangers back within one as he took a pass from Frank
Vatrano after a steal and put a backhander past Kochetkov with 3:02 left.
It tied Adam Graves (1993-94) for the second-most goals in a single
season in franchise history, just two behind the record set by Jaromir
Jagr in 2005-06.
Teravainen restored Carolina’s two-goal as he skated in the left circle
and beat Shesterkin for is 21st with 1:41 to go in the period.
The Hurricanes outshot the Rangers 14-11 in the first period with both
goalies making several nice stops.
MCDONALD WINNER
Kreider was announced as the Rangers’ winner of the 2022 Steven
McDonald “Extra Effort” Award. The award, named for the former NYPD
detective shot and injured on the job in 1986, is given annually to a
Rangers player selected in fan voting who “goes above and beyond the
call of duty.” McDonald’s widow Patti and son Connor — an NYPD
sergeant— were in attendance to present the award.
MILESTONES
Kreider’s goal was the 229th of his career, breaking a tie with Bill Cook
for 10th place in franchise history. ... Aho’s goal gave him 400 career
points. ... Teravainen got his 100th goal with the Hurricanes. ... Carolina
F Max Domi played in his 500th career game.
SHORT-HANDED
The Rangers were two men down in the third period after announcing
forward Artemi Panarin (upper body injury) and Andrew Copp (lower
body injury) would not return to the game.
New York Daily News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242898 New York Rangers
Rangers fans vote Chris Kreider Extra Effort award winner
Mollie Walker
3-4 minutes 27/04/2022
Chris Kreider’s list of accolades this season continues to grow.
Before the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday night at
Madison Square Garden, Kreider was announced as the Steven
McDonald Extra Effort Award winner for this season.
The fan-voted honor is awarded annually to the Ranger who “goes above
and beyond the call of duty.”
“I think to say that it was an honor is an understatement,” said Kreider,
who scored his 52nd goal of the season and is two away from tying the
franchise record for goals in a single season. set by Jaromir Jagr in
2005-06. “[Winning the] McDonald is probably the greatest honor in my
hockey career. Knowing what the award stands for, what Steven stood
for, what the family represents, how important they are to the team.
Talked to [Conor McDonald] a decent amount, they’re a part of the
Rangers family, always will be.
“The guys understand that. It was surprising, and an enormous,
enormous honor.”
It was surprising only to Kreider, who has strung together the best
season of his career and still manages to be the most selfless Ranger.
True to his nature, Kreider, once again, declined to reflect on his scoring
surge this season.
“I don’t know, it’s a hard thing to reflect on after that game,” he said.
“Sorry, not much for you right now after a loss like that. Kind of a tough
pill to swallow.”
In addition to tying Adam Graves for the second-most goals in a single
season in franchise history, Kreider recorded his career-high 25th assist
on Alexis Lafreniere’s 4-3 score late in the third period. His 52 goals are
the third most in the NHL, behind only the Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews
(60) and the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl (55).
The second-period goal also moved Kreider past Bill Cook for sole
possession of 10th place on the Rangers all-time goals list with 229.
Last week, Kreider was named the Rangers’ Masterton Trophy nominee.
As voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the
Masterton is given to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of
perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Jacob Trouba established a new career-high with his 11th goal of the
season in the third period. That also tied him with Adam Fox for the most
tallies by a Rangers defenseman this year.
Goalie Igor Shesterkin got the starting nod, meaning backup Alex
Georgiev likely will play against the Canadiens on Wednesday in the
second night of the back-to-back.
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242899 New York Rangers
Rangers get injury scares as Hurricanes clinch Metro division
Mollie Walker
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
The Rangers’ hopes for first place in the Metropolitan Division were
crushed by their loss to Carolina on Tuesday night, but that seemed
insignificant in comparison to the concern for players’ health.
Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp went to the locker room roughly
halfway through the second period and stayed there for the remainder of
the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Hurricanes — now division champions —
who came to Madison Square Garden and roughed up the home team,
which has to settle for second place.
The Rangers said Panarin suffered an upper-body injury, while Copp left
with a lower-body injury, but it sounded as if they were only held out over
an abundance of caution.
“They told me between periods, ‘Do you want them back?’ And I said no,
I need them back next week,” said Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant,
who added that the two forwards should be fine. “I hate to see it, but I’d
[rather] be cautious than not have them when the games really matter.”
Copp was skating in his first game back after missing the Rangers’ game
Saturday at Boston due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. It is unclear
if the trade-deadline acquisition aggravated the same injury. But with the
way the game was going, the Rangers kept Copp out as a precaution the
moment his injury flared up.
The same went for Panarin, who has played in every game since Jan. 10
and was due for a breather.
Gallant was adamant after practice Monday that having his team 100
percent healthy for the postseason was more important than winning a
couple of games. If that’s the case, the Rangers should not be dressing
their full lineup in the second night of the back-to-back against the
Canadiens on Wednesday or in the final matchup of the regular season
against the Capitals on Friday.
And it sounded as if that is Gallant’s plan. Now that first place is off the
table, Gallant admitted his mindset has changed.
It’s simply not worth getting the four players who have a shot at it into all
82 games. It’s not worth allowing Panarin to chase 100 points. It’s not
worth it to see whether Chris Kreider can break the franchise record for
goals in a single season or if Mika Zibanejad can reach 30 goals.
None of it would be worth it if the Rangers end up shorthanded in any
capacity come Game 1 of Round 1 of the playoffs, which will be against
either the Penguins or Capitals.
New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) skates the puck
Artemi Panarin did not take a shift in the third period due to what the
Rangers called an ‘upper-body injury.’
Despite the defeat and additional injury scares, the Rangers got Filip
Chytil back in the lineup after the Czech center also missed the game
against the Bruins with an upper-body injury.
On the other hand, Kaapo Kakko remained sidelined with an undisclosed
lower-body injury. The Finnish winger did participate in practice on
Monday, but he evidently needed another game to recuperate. Given
how the last three months have shaken out for Kakko, the Rangers will
not rush him back.
“You can’t really worry about [getting hurt] in the middle of the game,”
said Jacob Trouba, who pulled the Rangers within two at 13:12 of the
third period. “I haven’t talked to them yet but we’ll go and check on them,
see how everybody’s doing. You’ve got to worry about playing the game
when the game is going on.”
Carolina broke through with three goals in the second period from
Vincent Trocheck, Jordan Martinook and Teuvo Teravainen. Kreider got
the Rangers on the board at 16:56 to break it up, taking a one-handed
pass from Frank Vatrano and finishing the breakaway for his 52nd goal of
the season.
Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho scored 32 seconds into the final frame
to put the game out of reach. Trouba and Lafreniere scored 5:46 apart to
pull the Rangers within one with just over a minute left in regulation, but it
was too late.
“It’s tough to make the playoffs in this league,” Trouba said when asked
how much pride the Rangers take in finishing second. “I’ve been around
long enough now [to know] it’s not a given to make the playoffs or play in
those important games. It’s definitely something to be proud of.”
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242900 New York Rangers
Rangers impressed by Gerard Gallant even if Jack Adams Award doesn't
come
Mollie Walker
3-4 minutes 27/04/2022
The Rangers’ turnaround from a team that had gone four straight
seasons without a playoff berth to handily punching their ticket to the
Stanley Cup tournament in their first season under Gerard Gallant has
thrust the head coach into the conversation for the Jack Adams Award.
A lot of the Rangers’ success this season has been credited to
otherworldly goaltending, however, so the poll from the National Hockey
League Broadcasters Association for the coach of the year may not sway
in Gallant’s favor.
Still, Gallant doesn’t need an award to validate what he has done for the
Rangers in the last 10 months.
“I think he’s just been consistent,” defenseman K’Andre Miller said of
Gallant. “Coming in each day, holding us to a certain standard of trying to
get better each day and tightening up those things that we need to
improve on, to be that team that can win. He’s been really solid for us.
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant speaks with the media before the game
against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on April 26,
2022.
“I think everyone in that locker room believes that he’s a coach that holds
us to a certain standard and guys have a lot of respect for that.”
Gallant hasn’t even finished his first season in New York, but he has
already padded his résumé. He became the second head coach in
Rangers history to win 50 games and the 15th to make the playoffs in his
first season with the club.
Aside from the statistics and accomplishments, Gallant has helped foster
the start of a new culture for the Rangers. A culture that encourages a
short-term memory from game-to-game and allows players to compete
without anything hanging over their heads. Gallant’s easygoing and old-
school approach has paved the way for players such as Chris Kreider to
do what makes them successful without thinking too much about it.
“The biggest thing about Turk, I think he just doesn’t restrict your game,”
Frank Vatrano said. “He kind of lets you go out there and play. If you’re
an offensive guy, he wants you to make plays. But within that structure,
he also wants you to play smart. He holds you accountable if you make
some mistakes, but he doesn’t restrict the way you play. He wants the
offensive guys to make the plays and it’s great to have a coach like that.
“If you mess up, you know you messed up, but you’re going to have that
confidence to go out there and still make plays.”
Goalie Igor Shesterkin got the starting nod Tuesday night against the
Hurricanes.
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242901 New York Rangers
Frank Vatrano has been ultimate complement to Rangers first line
Mollie Walker
4-5 minutes 27/04/2022
No hockey game is complete without the whooshing sounds of skates
carving up ice, the clacking of stick-on-stick contact and the scattered
clusters of fans yelling, “SHOOT!”
That last part is something Rangers fans don’t have to worry about when
it comes to the team’s top line.
There are a lot of reasons why the Rangers’ first unit of Chris Kreider,
Mika Zibanejad and Frank Vatrano has worked since Vatrano was
acquired in the days leading up to the March 21 trade deadline. The most
notable one is that Vatrano is a pure shooter, which is the ultimate
complement to Zibanejad’s playmaking ability and Kreider’s net-front
presence.
“My goal here was just to come here, play hockey and help this team
win,” Vatrano said after practice Monday before the Rangers faced the
Hurricanes on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. “That’s what
I’ve been trying to do every single night. Bring my intensity and energy. I
was fortunate enough to play with some great players. This whole team,
there’s great players throughout the lineup.
Rangers
Frank Vatrano
“To be playing with Kreids and Mika, it’s obviously great, but just came
here to help this team win hockey games and that’s what I’ve been trying
to do since I’ve been here.”
Vatrano brings a shoot-first mentality to a duo that has gotten in trouble
at times for making one too many passes. The Rangers have long had
an issue of looking for the pretty pass instead of putting the puck on net,
but that shortcoming has significantly improved since president and
general manager Chris Drury brought in a couple of north-south players:
Vatrano and Andrew Copp.
After lining up next to Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome in his first four
games as a Ranger, Vatrano has appeared on the right wing of the top
line in the last 16 contests. Entering the game Tuesday, Kreider,
Zibanejad and Vatrano had outscored opponents by a cool 10-5 at 5-on-
5 over 169:45, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Vatrano had seven goals and four assists in his first 19 games with the
Rangers, but the 28-year-old has simply made the top line a more
complete force.
“They play a fast game and a simple game,” Vatrano said of his
linemates. “I think that’s how I play. I think that’s why it’s worked out. You
can’t change the way you play, if you’re playing in the top spot. If you’re
up and down the lineup, you just got to bring that game you bring every
single night — regardless of who you’re playing with.”
Coming from the Panthers, for whom he primarily had a bottom-six role,
Vatrano has had to adjust to skating alongside two top forwards. The
pending unrestricted free agent, however, has focused on staying true to
his game.
NHL
Frank Vatrano
Asked if he thinks any differently when playing with Kreider, who entered
Tuesday with 51 goals, three shy of tying the Rangers’ single-season
goals record, and Zibanejad, Vatrano noted that if he did, it wouldn’t be
beneficial for his game.
“Obviously Kreids is a special player, and so is Mika,” he said. “You can’t
change the way you play. Obviously Kreids has [51] goals, Mika has
almost 30. Whoever is open gets the puck. Obviously, me and Kreids are
shooters, so we’re trying to get open for Mika. Nothing changes, just if
the guy is open make the play and play simple hockey.”
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242902 New York Rangers
Rangers vs. Hurricanes odds, prediction: Trust Carolina's explosive
offense
Staff Report
Action Network
5-6 minutes 26/04/2022
The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will continue their battle
for the Metropolitan Division on Tuesday night. Oddsmakers have made
the Rangers -120 favorites for the encounter, with the Hurricanes coming
back as +100 underdogs. If Carolina defeats the Rangers, the Canes will
clinch the division and ensure themselves home-ice advantage in the first
two rounds of the postseason.
When these two teams met at MSG two weeks ago, it was Carolina that
closed as the slight -120 favorite, but the Hurricanes had Frederik
Andersen starting in goal for that game. Andersen has since been
injured, so it will either be Antti Raanta or rookie Pyotr Kochetkov in net
for the Canes on Tuesday night.
Carolina has gone 7-3 in its last 10 games and is averaging nearly 23
more shot attempts and five more high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5
compared to its opponents. Only the Bruins boast a better expected
goals rate than the Hurricanes over that span.
New players only, 21+. NY, NJ, MI, AZ, VA only. In order to participate in
this promotion, the player needs to make a first deposit (of at least $10).
Full T&C apply.
New York’s 5-on-5 numbers over its last 10 games are decent, but the
Rangers have played a very defensive style at even strength as the
season’s gone on. Rather than try to outscore teams, the Blueshirts have
opted for a more pragmatic approach, relying on defensive structure to
keep games tight and then betting on their high-skill players to be the
difference in close contests.
New York ranks 26th in the NHL in creating high-danger scoring chances
at 5-on-5 over its last 10 games, but the Rangers are still creating more
than they’re conceding, which is a testament to just how much they’ve
tightened up in their own zone.
That said, the Hurricanes should provide a much stiffer test than what the
Rangers have been seeing over the past month or so. Since the Trade
Deadline, the Rangers have gone 11-4-1, but only five of those contests
have featured playoff-bound opponents. In those games, the Rangers
have skated to a 3-2 record, with all three of the wins coming against the
Penguins, who were playing without Sidney Crosby on one occasion and
without Evgeni Malkin in another.
Additionally, the way the Rangers have been playing puts a lot of
pressure on the goaltender and the power play to prove to be the
difference in these coin flips. And while Igor Shesterkin — should he start
— will easily be the A-side in this goaltending matchup, the Rangers No.
3 ranked power play could find it tough sledding against the league’s best
penalty kill.
With the special teams battle basically a wash, bettors can put more
emphasis on 5-on-5 play and in that regard, Carolina should stand out.
The Canes have skated to the fifth-best expected goals rate on the
season and only Florida has created more high-danger scoring chances
than Carolina at 5-on-5 this season. The Rangers defense may be a
strength, but they’re going up against one of the league’s deepest attacks
on Tuesday night.
Betting against Igor Shesterkin is nobody’s idea of a fun time and he
could very well prove to be the difference in a tight contest, but getting
Carolina as an underdog in a matchup that should suit them is worth the
risk.
The Bet: Carolina Hurricanes -105 or better
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242903 New York Rangers
Rangers must prioritize health with first-place lost, NHL playoffs looming
Larry Brooks
5-6 minutes 26/04/2022
The Rangers have gone game-to-game all season long. That approach,
fostered by head coach Gerard Gallant and embraced by the team, has
generated one of the most pleasantly surprising seasons in franchise
history.
There are two games to go, a playoff spot was long ago clinched and it
was not until a 4-3 Garden loss to Metropolitan Division-clinching
Carolina on Tuesday night that the Blueshirts were eliminated from the
first-place chase.
So, it is second place for the Rangers and a first-round matchup against
either the Penguins or Capital that will begin with home-ice advantage
early next week. This final week and these final two games should be
about one thing and one thing only: preparing and protecting the
Blueshirts for next week. It must be about minimizing risk and not
maximizing victories.
If that hadn’t been the contingency plan before this defeat, it sure should
be after the franchise’s playoff fate flashed before its very eyes when
both Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp left the match midway through the
second period and did not return.
Gallant later clarified that both all but certainly would have returned had
this been next week, the coach stating that he was being “cautious.”
When asked if he would take that approach for the final two contests,
against Montreal on Wednesday and Washington on Friday, Gallant
answered in the affirmative. There was no other answer.
The Rangers have had a handful of extra players on the roster since the
trade deadline. They also can recall four players from the AHL Wolf
Pack, who did not make the playoffs and whose season has ended. It is
time for general manager Chris Drury to implement these recalls and fit
as many of them and the spares into the lineup so that the vets who have
grinded through the first 80 games get some R&R.
In other sports, that would not even be a discussion. It would be
automatic. To their detriment, our other major professional sports
leagues have been infected by load-management. The NHL is still too
macho-culture for that. If you ask out, you are probably on your way out
for good. It is a badge of honor to play in all 82 games. In 2013-14, Dan
Girardi was rested for Game 82 in Montreal after having played the first
81. He was seething.
Rangers
Mike Zibanejad
In addition, there is an intriguing scenario in play for the finale Friday
night. It is possible that a Rangers victory would mean a first-round
matchup against the Penguins while a defeat would mean a series
against the Capitals.
I get it. You can call me an alarmist. You can call me obsessed and over-
protective. You can call me anything you want. But if I were running the
Rangers, there is not a chance I’d send my marquee guys into that fray.
I’d dress the equivalent of an exhibition-game roster for this one and I
would not think twice about it.
I recognize that you cannot bubble-wrap players. But I am sorry (no, I’m
not), I simply do not trust that Tom Wilson and his teammates will play
with honorable intentions on Friday night. I do not trust the Washington
operation, which has historically enabled the recidivist headhunter. Legal
restraints prohibit me from accusing the winger of purposefully and
knowingly injuring opponents, but I have sure never seen him play with a
conscience. Almost a full year later, this thing has a chance to come full
circle. The last thing the Rangers need is to get enmeshed in a scene
that produces injuries or suspensions.
Rangers
The Rangers lost to the Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
I suppose there is another side to this, that the Rangers might be
perceived as having turtled, which might become a theme during a
hypothetical playoff matchup against Washington. I imagine that, in the
macho corners of hockey’s collective mind, the Rangers might take that
into consideration even though they should know that while sticks and
headshots can break their bones and brains, words can never harm
them.
Here’s what I would say: Discretion is the better part of valor.
Again, the only consideration from now through Friday should be how
this week will impact next week. The Rangers have played well enough,
consistently enough, deep enough into the season to have long since
established a foundation for the playoffs. It no longer is about game-to-
game.
At this moment, it is about Game 1.
New York Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242904 New York Rangers
Rangers' coach Gerard Gallant getting secretive about injuries
By Colin Stephenson
Updated April 26, 2022 11:33 PM
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant has begun gearing up for playoff mode
with the media. In his pregame briefing Tuesday before the Blueshirts
played the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden, Gallant
declined to reveal which of his three injured forwards — who all practiced
on Monday — would be returning to the lineup Tuesday.
“They’re all game-time decisions,’’ Gallant teased reporters. “I might as
well get used to telling you nothing.’’
It turned out Andrew Copp and Filip Chytil, who both left Thursday’s win
over the Islanders in the third period and then missed Saturday’s 3-1 loss
to the Bruins in Boston, were back in, but Kaapo Kakko, out since
suffering an apparent knee injury against Detroit on April 16, was not.
Kakko missed his fourth straight game.
All three players had practiced Monday, though Kakko did not participate
in the five-on-five scrimmaging.
Copp ended up leaving Tuesday’s game in the second period with a
lower-body injury, but Gallant wouldn’t say if it was the same injury. He
said it wasn't serious.
Showing some fight
The game got a little chippy in the second period. Barclay Goodrow
fought Carolina’s Ian Cole in the second period, and after ex-Ranger
Brady Skjei drilled his old teammate Mika Zibanejad into the boards
behind the Carolina net in the final seconds of the period, Nino
Niederreiter followed up by grabbing Zibanejad and trying to spin him
down to the ice.
Adam Fox confronted Niederreiter and both players got roughing
penalties with 4.1 seconds left in the period. After the period was over,
Rangers enforcer Ryan Reaves went over to the Hurricanes bench and
said something.
“I mean, the division title was on the line, I guess,’’ Rangers forward
Chris Kreider said. “I don’t think it was overly chippy.”
I think we’re a couple games away from the playoffs. It’s two very
competitive teams. You know, there was a lot was riding on this game.
So I mean, that’s what the playoffs are going to be like.’’
Blue notes
With Chytil and Copp returning, Julien Gauthier and Greg McKegg, who
stepped in for them on Saturday, were scratched, along with forward
Jonny Brodzinski and Ds Libor Hajek and Justin Braun. Braun, who was
acquired at the deadline from Philadelphia, has played in seven of 17
games since joining the team … Before the game, the family of the late
police officer Steven McDonald presented the Steven McDonald “Extra
Effort’’ Award to forward Chris Kreider, the player voted by the fans as
having gone above and beyond.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242905 New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin, Andrew Copp injured in Rangers' loss to Hurricanes
By Colin Stephenson
Updated April 26, 2022 11:16 PM
After the Rangers clinched a playoff spot on April 9, coach Gerard
Gallant opted to play the rest of the schedule straight up, rather than start
resting his team’s stars. Gallant wanted to keep everyone sharp, and
playing their best, and get them ready for Game 1 of the playoffs, and
there was a battle for first place in the Metropolitan Division to consider,
as well.
But that’s over now, after the Rangers lost, 4-3, Tuesday, to the Carolina
Hurricanes in Madison Square Garden. With the victory, Carolina
clinched first in the division.
But the Rangers left the game with bigger concerns than the standings,
after they finished the game without their leading scorer, Artemi Panarin,
and his linemate, Andrew Copp, who both left during the second period
with injuries.
Gallant afterward said the injuries were not serious, and that both players
could have re-entered the game. He kept them out because of an
abundance of caution, he said.
“I think if it was next week, one of those [playoff] games, both of them
would have been back,’’ he said. “I'd sooner be cautious than not have
them when the games really matter. [The training staff] told me between
periods, ‘Do you want [Copp] back? Do you need him back? And I said,
‘No, I need him back next week.’’’
Gallant admitted that now that first place is off the table, he will proceed
with caution for the final two games of the regular season. The Rangers
play Wednesday at home against the Montreal Canadiens and finish
Friday at home against Washington. That game against Washington
could be a playoff preview, as the Rangers, who are locked into second
place in the division, will play the third-place finisher, which will be either
Washington or Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh (101 points) currently holds third place, with a one-point lead
over Washington. But the Capitals have two games remaining and the
Penguins have one.
The Rangers needed to win Tuesday to keep alive any chance of winning
the division, but after a scoreless first period they lost Panarin (to an
upper-body injury) and Copp (lower body) early in the second period, and
were two men short the rest of the game.
Copp had just returned to the lineup after leaving the 6-3 win over the
Islanders last Thursday late in the third period and then missing
Saturday’s 3-1 loss in Boston. Gallant would not say if the injury that took
Copp out Tuesday was the same one that took him out last Thursday.
Carolina opened the scoring at 7:05 of the second period, on a goal by
Vincent Trochek that came after Miller had lost his stick when his
teammate, Ryan Lindgren, fell down and accidentally yanked the stick
out of Miller’s hands. Jordan Martinook deflected in Derek Stepan’s shot
at 13:48 of the period to make it 2-0.
Chris Kreider’s 52nd goal of the season, at 16:56, cut it to 2-1, but Teuvo
Teravainen’s goal made it 3-1 at 18:19 and Sebastian Aho scored a four-
on-four goal 32 seconds into the third period to make it 4-1.
The Rangers made a fight of it late, as Jacob Trouba scored at 13:12 of
the third to make it 4-2, and then, with goalie Igor Shesterkin pulled for an
extra attacker, Alexis Lafreniere scored with 1:02 remaining to make it 4-
3.
Kreider, who is three goals away from breaking the franchise record of 54
held by Jaromir Jagr, was asked if he is concerned about the potential for
injury with the playoffs so close. He is one of four Rangers who have a
chance to play in all 82 games this season, and he didn’t sound like a
man who wanted a night off.
“I mean, that's a question for coaches [and] management,’’ Kreider
said. “I'm just a player. I’m a professional hockey player. If they tell me to
play, I play.’’
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242906 New York Rangers
New York can become Rangers Town again with a deep playoff run
By Neil Best
[email protected]@sportswatch
Updated April 26, 2022 10:18 PM
The Rangers were having a heck of a millennium for a while there —
playoffs almost every year, including a Stanley Cup Final, an iconic star
in Henrik Lundqvist and a party-like-it’s-1994 vibe at the Garden.
Then came “The Letter” in February 2018, in which the Blueshirts
announced a rebuild, and New York sports marched on without them.
There were Jacob deGrom Cy Youngs and Pete Alonso home runs and
big-name Nets additions and two Islanders Cup semifinals and Julius
Randle “M-V-P” chants.
No, really. There used to be Julius Randle “M-V-P” chants. That
happened.
Now here we are in late April 2022, and as dawn broke on Tuesday, this
was a Rangers town again, and could be for the next two months.
Do not bother saying “nobody cares about hockey, Boomer.” Many of us
do, and more of us should, given the state of metropolitan-area sports
and what the Rangers have a chance to do.
(Yes, even Islanders fans should care, if I may be so bold, given what
deep local playoff runs do for hockey’s visibility around here.)
The Rangers are good, they are exciting, they have star power, and they
have as much of a chance as any of the eight Eastern Conference
entries to advance to the Final.
And regardless of the outcome of their pennant race with the Hurricanes
— including their loss to Carolina, 4-3, Tuesday night — it is likely that
come next week they will do something that has not happened in more
than 10 months: a New York-area NHL, NBA, MLB or NFL team winning
a playoff game.
Not a series. A game. Just. One. Game. Ten months, nine teams, no
wins.
The last time it happened was on June 23, 2021, when the Islanders’
Anthony Beauvillier scored in overtime to beat the Lightning in Game 6 of
the NHL semifinals — in an arena that no longer is in the NHL.
That was a great moment at Nassau Coliseum, and it has been followed
by . . . nothing.
The Yankees lost a wild-card game to the Red Sox, which seemed like a
crushing defeat until what happened on Monday night.
After surviving the play-in tournament, the Nets lost to the Celtics, 116-
112, at Barclays Center to complete a first-round Boston sweep and a
Nets season that ranks among the most spectacular flops in the history
of New York sports.
Other disappointing teams over the decades — including this season’s
Islanders, by the way — can get on with their lives now. The Nets were
worse than all of them.
But while co-general managers Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant meet with
their assistants, Joe Tsai and Sean Marks, to assess what went wrong,
the Rangers are here to provide some non-baseball sports
entertainment.
Can they win it all? Sure. Will they? Probably not, given the randomness
of the NHL playoffs.
But it would be a shock if they went down as meekly as the Nets did.
The Rangers are strong in goal, their top six forwards are as dynamic as
they come, and Jericho’s own Adam Fox is the reigning Norris Trophy
winner on defense.
If Artemi Panarin were a basketball player, he’d be . . . Kyrie Irving,
minus the sideshow.
So, Rangers fans, buckle up for what could be a fun ride. As for everyone
else, consider hopping aboard the bandwagon for a spell.
New York’s playoff calendar is clear: Come May, it belongs to the
Rangers.
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242907 New York Rangers
Frank Vatrano making the most of likely short stay with Rangers
By Colin Stephenson
April 26, 2022 3:05 PM
From the moment Rangers coach Gerard Gallant put Frank Vatrano
together with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, the newcomer has been
a perfect fit, and looked like the piece that had been missing from the top
line ever since Pavel Buchnevich was traded away last summer.
“Well, he can shoot the puck, I knew that,’’ Gallant said Monday, when
asked what he knew about Vatrano before the Rangers acquired him
from the Florida Panthers on March 16 for a fourth-round draft pick. “He's
fitting in good with those guys, and he's playing good hockey, so there
was no surprise. The guy's played in the league . . . We’ve got pro
scouts, they do their jobs. And what they told us he was, that's what he
is. And that's what we expected from him.’’
Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at
Madison Square Garden, Vatrano had scored seven goals and 11 points
in 19 games since being acquired by the Rangers, and six goals and four
assists in the 15 games he played with Kreider and Zibanejad.
But as great as Vatrano seems to be working out on the Rangers’ top
line, his time on that line — and on the team — is likely fleeting. The 28-
year-old, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native will be an
unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s highly unlikely the Blueshirts
will be able to fit him in under their salary cap next season.
Vatrano, currently carrying a $2.533 million cap hit, will be one of seven
UFAs the Rangers will have this summer, a group including Ryan
Strome, fellow trade acquisitions Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte and
defenseman Justin Braun, and gritty bottom-six forwards Kevin Rooney
and Greg McKegg. When the contract extensions signed by Zibanejad
and Adam Fox kick in next season, the Rangers will have roughly $67.3
million committed to 16 players, leaving them around $15.2 million in cap
space to re-sign their UFAs, plus restricted free agents Kaapo Kakko,
Sammy Blais, a backup goalie (Alexandar Georgiev is also an RFA) and
a depth defenseman.
Choices are going to have to be made, as there won’t be enough cap
space to bring everyone back. And that makes it all the more important
for Vatrano to make the best of the present, and the upcoming playoff
run.
“My goal here was just don't come here play hockey, help this team win,’’
Vatrano said when asked about his mindset in joining the Rangers. “And
that's what I've been trying to do every single night, just bring my
intensity and energy. I was fortunate enough to play with some great
players — this whole team has great players throughout the lineup —
and now that I play with Kreids and Mika, It's obviously great. But like I
said, [I’ve] just come here to help this team win hockey games.’’
He's done that already. The Rangers were 13-5-1 since Vatrano joined
the team, and 11-3-1 since Gallant put him on the top line. His addition,
along with Copp, who came over from Winnipeg at the March 21 trade
deadline, has solidified the Rangers’ top two lines heading into the
postseason. Copp has served as the right wing on the second line, with
Artemi Panarin and Strome.
For Vatrano, whose last goal, April 16, vs. Detroit, was the 100th of his
career, his fit with Zibanejad and Kreider has been seamless. He said he
hasn’t had to adjust his game in any way to play with his linemates, even
though he fancies himself a shooter, and his linemate Kreider had scored
a career-high 51 goals before Tuesday.
“They play a fast game, and a simple game,’’ Vatrano said of Kreider and
Zibanejad. “I think that's how I play, and I think that's why it's worked out.
And like I said all the time, you can't change the way you play if you're
playing the top spot [or] dropping down the lineup. You’ve got to bring
that game you bring every single night, regardless of where you're
playing.’’
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242908 New York Rangers
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin for Hart? How his season stacks up
historically: ‘He’s definitely in the conversation’
Arthur Staple
9-11 minutes 26/04/2022
The chatter was far louder six weeks ago, when Igor Shesterkin was
sporting a .942 save percentage, a number that no one’s posted for a full
season as a No. 1 goalie since Jacques Plante 50-plus years ago.
Shesterkin hit a very minor rut after that, but he has elevated his game
once again of late. He’s running away with the Vezina Trophy, far
outpacing the rest of the league’s goalies in every key category. With one
or two games left in his season and NHL Award ballots already sitting in
voters’ inboxes, it’s time to tackle the bigger question:
Can Igor Shesterkin win the Hart Trophy?
There have been only three goalies to win it in the modern era. A
teammate of one of those prior winners says Shesterkin definitely should
have a shot.
“For what he’s doing at that position, with a team that wasn’t expected to
be where they are, he’s definitely in the conversation,” Matthew Barnaby
says.
Barnaby played seven seasons in Buffalo with Dominik Hasek, who won
the Hart in back-to-back seasons, 1996-97 and 1997-98. The Sabres
back then were not nearly as well-rounded as the Rangers are now,
which heightened Hasek’s candidacy. He was the main reason, maybe
the only reason, the Sabres made the playoffs in those two years.
“All consideration to (Martin) Brodeur and (Patrick) Roy, the teams they
played on were way better than us,” Barnaby says. “The years I played
with Dom, no one comes close to him as the best of all time. It’s crazy
what the Rangers players must feel, knowing the chances they can take
when they’re down. I played on those teams where you’re nervous,
where there’s doubt. It’s completely different.
“We’d come in after the second period, down 2-1, Dom would stand up
and say, ‘Go score a goal, two goals. Take chances. They aren’t scoring
any more.’ The guys would look around and be like, ‘Are you kidding?’
We were getting free rein to do what we wanted.”
That confidence to cover up mistakes or gambles is something the
Rangers have talked about often with Shesterkin this season. “Having
that confidence back there, it gives us the confidence to keep doing what
we’re doing,” K’Andre Miller says.
Beyond that, how does Shesterkin’s 2021-22 season measure up to the
past goalies who won the Hart?
Let’s break down each winner’s season by the numbers.
Igor Shesterkin, 2021-22
Expected goal differential (via Clear Sight Analytics)
Igor Shesterkin 38.32
Juuse Saros 27.02
Goals saved above average (via Hockey-Reference)
Igor Shesterkin 45.30
Ilya Sorokin 29.46
Goals saved above average (via Evolving-Hockey)
Igor Shesterkin 42.93
Ilya Sorokin 28.78
Goals saved above expectation (via Evolving-Hockey)
Igor Shesterkin 38.21
Frederik Andersen 28.47
Save percentage
Igor Shesterkin .936
Ilya Sorokin .926
League average .903
Carey Price, 2014-15
GSAA (Hockey-Reference)
Carey Price 36.70
Devan Dubnyk 23.70
GSAA (Evolving-Hockey)
Carey Price 35.84
Cory Schneider 22.01
GSAx (Evolving-Hockey)
Carey Price 38.88
Ondrej Pavelec 20.01
Save percentage
Carey Price .933
Devan Dubnyk .929
League average .911
Price was the dominant goalie in a season of dominant goalies in 2014-
15. Devan Dubnyk, who was traded from the Coyotes to the Wild in
January of that season, finished fourth in the Hart voting after going on
an incredible run with Minnesota. That was also the season of the
Hamburglar, aka Andrew Hammond, who had an even bigger heater with
the Senators over the final three months of 2014-15 to get Ottawa into
the playoffs.
Thirteen starting goalies had save percentages over .920 that season.
This season, there will be six. Price posted a .942 even-strength save
percentage, seventh-best for a full season since the NHL began tracking
saves by strength in 1997-98.
Price certainly benefited from being in one of the major Canadian hockey
markets in running away with the Hart voting, getting 139 of 157 first-
place votes. Alex Ovechkin and John Tavares finished distant second
and third, with Ovechkin the lone 50-goal scorer that season and Tavares
finishing second in league scoring with just 86 points (Jamie Benn was
first, with 87 for the non-playoff Stars).
The .911 league average save percentage from 2014-15 stands out. This
season, it’s .903, which means Shesterkin is 33 points above the league
average. Price was 22 points up and won in a landslide.
The Canadiens were the second-best team in the NHL that year, just
three points back of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers. When it
came to team success in the playoffs, Price couldn’t carry the Canadiens
far enough; they were beaten in the conference semifinals by the
Lightning.
Jose Theodore, 2001-02
GSAA (Hockey Reference)
Jose Theodore 45.91
Patrick Roy 28.27
Save percentage
Jose Theodore .931
Patrick Roy .925
League average .905
Now we’re back before the days of Evolving-Hockey and most of the
other public-data sites, so we need to rely on more conventional
viewpoints. Theodore was in his second season as the Canadiens’ No. 1
goalie, and Montreal had missed the playoffs the previous three seasons
when he burst onto the scene, in a manner of speaking, and carried a
very underwhelming team to the final playoff spot.
Theodore did stand out with that 45.91 GSAA — a number even higher
than Shesterkin’s in that category. Even with a pedestrian record (30-24-
10) in 64 starts, he was clearly the best goalie in the league that season,
and he became just the second goalie since 1974 to post a .930 save
percentage as a No. 1. Hasek had done it three times, but no one else
had since Bernie Parent for the Flyers in 1973-74.
This was another goalie-heavy Hart-voting season. Patrick Roy finished
third and Sean Burke fourth after leading the Coyotes to their best record
in franchise history. The Red Wings ran away with the Presidents’ Trophy
and were the eventual champions but barely got anyone a Hart vote.
Theodore finished in a tie with Jarome Iginla, who won the scoring crown,
and Theodore got the Hart by virtue of more first-place votes (26 to 23).
Like Price’s Canadiens, Theodore’s Canadiens were bounced in the
conference semifinals.
Dominik Hasek, 1997-98
GSAA (Hockey-Reference)
Dominik Hasek 54.49
Tom Barrasso 23.89
Save percentage
Dominik Hasek .932
Tom Barrasso .922
League average .904
Dominik Hasek, 1996-97
GSAA (Hockey-Reference)
Dominik Hasek 54.41
Martin Brodeur 35.58
Save percentage
Dominik Hasek .930
Jeff Hackett .927
League average .902
Shesterkin is having a unicorn season. He’ll be just the third goalie in
league history with at least 3,000 minutes played and a .936 save
percentage or better. Tim Thomas posted a .938 in 2010-11, and Hasek
posted a .937 in 1998-99 — a year he didn’t win the Hart.
Hasek was the original unicorn. He impacted games like no other goalie
before him and probably since. His GSAA numbers, even if we can’t
exactly verify them now, are absurd.
“This wasn’t an era when everyone blocked shots or guys threw pucks on
net from everywhere,” Barnaby says. “These were high-danger shots he
was stopping, and he’d still post a .937. We never really talked about (the
Hart); we just knew he was the best goalie that ever lived. You could see
it in guys’ eyes when they were trying to score on him.”
Hasek had been close to a Hart before, finishing second to Sergei
Fedorov in 1993-94 (Hasek’s first of five seasons with a .930 or better)
and then third in the shortened 1994-95 season before a down 1995-96.
Hasek roared back the next two seasons, playing in 139 of the Sabres’
162 games and never slowing down. Even at that, his save percentage
each of his two Hart Trophy-winning seasons was 28 points above the
league average, not that close to Shesterkin’s margin.
Shesterkin will end up with 53 or 54 games played this season, which
could hurt him in voters’ eyes. None of the four prior Hart Trophies were
awarded to goalies who played less than 66 games. The workload isn’t
so much a factor of the player as it is the times, though. Goalie rest is a
much bigger part of the modern goaltending equation.
Hasek was hurt in the opening round of the 1997 playoffs, and the
Sabres were ousted in the second round. With a healthy Hasek, they
made the Eastern Conference final in 1998, losing to the Caps. They
finally made the Cup final in 1999, where they lost to the Stars.
“I’d say that was probably the most disappointing thing: I never felt we
could win a Cup with the team we had,” Barnaby says. “When we lost to
Wash in the conference final, it didn’t matter that much. We were gonna
play Detroit and get spanked anyway. That was the most disappointing
knowing you have the best player in the most important position and
because of financial constraints with our owner, we never added. We
never gave ourselves a chance.
“You see with Shesterkin and what the Rangers did at the deadline, I feel
like they know. When you have that goalie, you have to capitalize. They
are that close. When you have him playing like he is, the time to take
advantage is now. Even if he doesn’t win the Hart, they’ve got a real
chance at a Cup. That’s all we ever wanted back then.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242909 Ottawa Senators
GARRIOCH: Batherson nets OT winner against Devils, giving Senators
four straight wins
"Batherson scored the winner in spectacular fashion as he did a toe drag
and then fired it home for his 17th of the season."
Bruce Garrioch
Senators 5, Devils 4 (OT)
The Ottawa Senators let the New Jersey Devils up off the mat Tuesday
night.
Then, the Senators delivered the knockout punch in the nick of time.
Drake Batherson scored his second of the game at 3:16 for his first
career overtime winner to extend the Senators’ winning streak to four
games for the first time this season as the club scored a 5-4 win over the
New Jersey Devils in front of 13,101 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Batherson scored this one in spectacular fashion as he did a toe drag
and then fired it home for his 17th of the season.
Captain Brady Tkachuk did his part with three assists while Tim Stuetzle
scored twice and had two assists. Thomas Chabot also chipped in while
goaltender Anton Forsberg faced 40-plus shots for the 11th time this
season .
“I had a couple of good scoring chances early and I just felt like the puck
was coming to me,” said Batherson. “I just felt good tonight. I think our
whole line did and our legs were there all night.
“We were creating all night and it was to get the win, especially four in a
row.”
Coach D.J. Smith wasn’t thrilled with the defensive play against the
Habs, but he wasn’t about to complain about the 6-4 win Saturday,
either.
The Senators can’t change what happened in the first 79 games of the
year because that’s in the rearview mirror, but starting this final stretch
against the Devils before closing out the season Friday, they can finish
on a strong note.
Ottawa has its own issues with injuries, but the Devils came into this one
shorthanded and goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood was making his first
start since mid-January. He was sidelined with a heel injury and wanted
to get in a couple of games before the season ends.
“It was a wild one,” said coach D.J. Smith. “Both teams gave up a lot of
chances and I just thought we gave up too many odd-man rushes in the
third period. It was a late-season game and you’ve got teams that are
looking to get to the end and not checking as hard as they usually would.
“That’s what happens, you end up in a 5-4 game.”
The Senators went back to Forsberg in this one. He’ll play two of the
club’s last three games and is coming off a 44-save performance against
the Habs. He came into this game with a team-leading 20 wins in 42
starts with a .917 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average.
This was his 19th start in the club’s last 23 games.
Devils forward Yegor Sharangovich erased the Senators’ two-goal, third-
period lead when he beat Forsberg five-hole at 10:15 to tie it up 4-4.
Stuetzle scored on a beautiful a shorthanded effort on a breakaway 6:34
into third to give the club a 4-2 lead. The Devils refused to go away as
Pavel Zacha struck 55 seconds later and Ottawa led 4-3.
The Senators looked like they were in control in this one, but the Devils
struck with 5.2 seconds left on the clock to cut Ottawa’s lead to 3-2 after
40 minutes.
Nolan Foote’s second of the game gave the Devils some life and made
this one interesting heading into the final frame.
Stuetzle’s 21st of the season restored a two-goal lead with 3:19 left in the
second. He scored the club’s second of the night with the man advantage
by picking up a rebound and beating Blackwood stick side.
Foote pulled the Devils to within a goal at 8:52 of the second with his first
of the night. He took a pass and showed a lot of poise as he beat
Forsberg high to cut the Senators’ lead to 2-1.
After striking late in the first, the Senators got the second started off on
the right note. Tkachuk, on his knees behind the net, threw the puck out
front to Batherson, and he moved the puck to his forehand and beat
Blackwood glove side.
That was a nice way for Batherson to celebrate his 24th birthday
Wednesday and came only 11 seconds into the period to give the club a
2-0 lead.
“It was nice to score right off the bat and get some momentum,”
Batherson told TSN after the second period.
This one didn’t have nearly the kind of intensity we saw Saturday. That
was to be expected, but the Senators wanted to be better defensively
and though that wasn’t always the case, they were up 1-0 after the first
period.
A perfect three-way passing play set Chabot up for his seventh of the
season with only 16.9 seconds left in the frame. He was parked on the
doorstep and redirected a pass from Tkachuk by Blackwood stick side.
That was Chabot’s first power-play goal of the season and only the third
of his career, but the timing was perfect.
“We want to finish the season the way we want to play,” Chabot told TSN
after the first period. “The summer’s going to be long, and we went
through a lot of stuff, but we want to finish on a high note.”
The Senators will host the Florida Panthers for the final home game
Thursday and then face the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday to close out the
campaign.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242910 Ottawa Senators
SNAPSHOTS: Plenty of questions surround Matt Murray's future with the
Senators
"Murray has struggled when he has played and the injuries have made
him difficult to rely on. He will finish with a 5-12-2 record in 20
appearances."
Bruce Garrioch
Matt Murray has run out of race track.
When the Ottawa Senators gather on the weekend to head their separate
ways for the summer, there will be more questions than answers
surrounding the future of the veteran goaltender in the organization.
Coach D.J. Smith confirmed Tuesday that 27-year-old Murray, who
suffered a head/neck injury March 4 against the Arizona Coyotes, won’t
suit up against the Florida Panthers on Thursday or Philadelphia Flyers
on Friday to end the season.
That means Murray will have missed the final 30 games of the year and
with two years left on his contract you have to wonder what the future
holds for him or if he’ll even be at the club’s training camp in September.
“We thought maybe he could get in at the end and it’s just not going to
happen,” Smith said before facing the New Jersey Devils. “It’s
unfortunate. You want to have a healthy team and to have all the options
available to you as a coach.
“It’s been unfortunate with all the injuries. Let’s just get them all out now
and be heathy when the year starts next year.”
Murray has struggled when he has played and the injuries have made
him difficult to rely on. He will finish with a 5-12-2 record in 20
appearances with a .906 save percentage and a 3.05 goals-against
average.
He spent part of the season with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.
“The big thing for Murray was him getting back up, getting his confidence
back and getting going,” Smith said. “It gets derailed with another injury.
The key was to get him building confidence towards next year and
unfortunately he’s not going to be able to play.
“Training in the summer and exhibition games aren’t the same.”
OFF THE GLASS
Smith didn’t love the way the Senators played defensively in a 6-4 win
over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, but he was glad the fans
enjoyed it. He told a funny story about running into a happy fan at an ice
cream shop in Carp the day after the win. “I didn’t think we played great,
but we played good enough to win and we scored six goals,” Smith said.
“We just didn’t play enough defence from a coach’s point of view. I was
at the creamery in Carp and a guy came up to me, gave me the knuckles
and said, ‘What a game!’ Fans love to see 10 goals and fights. It’s great
to hear from the fans, but as a coach you know that’s not lasting if you’re
going to give up that many chances.” … Senators president of business
operations Anthony Leblanc and Mark Goudie, president of the Ottawa
Sports and Entertainment Group, are waiting for word from the IIHF and
Hockey Canada to learn if the city will host the 2023 world junior
championship. The city is believed to be among the three finalists and
there’s talk of a final decision next week. With the junior tourney set to
get underway in December, there’s no time to waste to put ticket
packages on sale. It’s believed the Halifax/Moncton bid is the leading
competitor because of the rich history of junior hockey in both places.
Ottawa’s bid is the only one of the five that would be held in one city and
you have to think there’d be zero issue with selling ticket packages.
THIS ‘N’ THAT
Smith made one change Tuesday. Veteran D Nikita Zaitsev, who was out
with a non-COVID related illness against the Habs, suited up with New
Jersey in town. That meant D Michael Del Zotto was a healthy scratch.
… Lindy Ruff had a good chuckle when he was asked by TSN’s Claire
Hanna before the game if the Devils’ coach was aware Andrew (The
Hamburglar) Hammond gets free MacDonald’s in Ottawa. “I wasn’t
aware, but if he does, I’m going with him,” Ruff said with a smile.
Hammond was dressed as the backup to MacKenzie Blackwood for this
one. … Winger Connor Brown missed his second straight game Tuesday
and it sounds doubtful that he’ll suit up for Team Canada at next month’s
IIHF world championship in Helsinki. He had been invited and had
accepted, but it doesn’t appear he’ll be healthy enough to play. You have
to wonder if that means LW Alex Formenton may have a chance to suit
up for Canada. He’s on the radar screen.
THE LAST WORDS
Captain Brady Tkachuk was invited to suit up for Team USA in Finland,
but it doesn’t sound like he’ll attend.
He said he wanted to speak with general manager Pierre Dorion at his
exit meeting before making a final determination. But Smith noted
Tuesday that Tkachuk has been nursing a hand injury and he noted he
did have some injuries that needed to be discussed.
The injury is part of the reason Tkachuk hasn’t dropped the gloves as
much this year, but it’s also because players around the league have
come to the realization that he’s a formidable opponent.
“Earlier (in the season), he put a couple guys away and people realized it
wasn’t a free fight,” Smith said. “Then he hurt his hand and he wasn’t
able to fight. I think you’ve seen more guys pawing on him knowing he
can’t fight.
“His last fight he fought with a glove on. I don’t think when the season
starts next year you’ll see guys pushing and shoving him around when
you know how tough he is. But we’re not looking to him to do a whole lot
of fighting.”
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242911 Ottawa Senators
GAME NIGHT: New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators
Bruce Garrioch
Files: The Ottawa Senators are looking to collect their four consecutive
win when they play host to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.
NEW JERSEY DEVILS 27-44-8 at OTTAWA SENATORS 31-41-7
Tonight: 7 p.m, Canadian Tire Centre
TV: TSN5
Radio: TSN 1200-AM, Unique 94.5-FM
WHY WATCH?
Senators will try to extend winning streak
Coming off a 6-4 win over the Habs on Saturday, the Senators will try to
win four straight for the first time this season. The club has won three in a
row only twice this year so it would be nice for the Senators to keep
rolling in the final home stand of the campaign. The Senators have a 8-4-
1 record this month and would like to finish out the year on a high note.
POINTS LEADERS
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
GP G A PT PLUS/MINUS
Jesper Bratt 73 25 45 70 +1
Nico Hischier 69 21 38 59 -1
Jack Hughes 49 26 30 56 -16
OTTAWA SENATORS
GP G A PT PLUS/MINUS
Brady Tkachuk 76 29 33 62 -5
Josh Norris 64 34 19 53 -8
Tim Stuetzle 76 20 33 53 -25
SPECIAL TEAMS
NJD PP 15.9% (28th); PK 80.4% (15th)
OTT PP 18.9% (22nd); PK 80.5% (13th)
THREE THINGS ABOUT THE DEVILS
Expect to see goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood make the start against
the Senators. He hasn’t suited up since Jan. 19 after a heel injury wasn’t
getting better. He told reporters Monday he’s “at a good place with the
foot and it will continue to get better and better.” Blackwood has a 2-1-1
lifetime record against Ottawa with a .898 save-percentage and a 2.64
goals-against average.
The status of defenceman P.K. Subban and centre Nico Hischier won’t
be determined until Tuesday. Neither was on the ice before the club left
New Jersey on Monday and both have non-COVID related illness.
Hischier has been a point-a-game player vs. Ottawa with five goals and
11 points in 11 games. Subban has seven goals and 26 points in 35
games against the Senators.
The Devils are coming off a 3-0 loss Sunday to Detroit and registered
only 17 shots. The club was forced to play with 11 forwards and seven
defencemen because of a flu that’s going through the team. Former 67’s
blueliner Kevin Bahl is with the Devils from the AHL’s Utica Comets. He
has one goal and four points in 14 games with the Devils.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242912 Philadelphia Flyers
Examining the Flyers’ odds of landing the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft
lottery
Ginaa Han
Monday's loss to the Blackhawks means the Flyers will likely finish no
better than with the fifth-fewest points in the NHL. The Flyers currently
have a 9.5% chance at landing the No. 1 pick.
While the Flyers’ regulation-loss total increased by one to 44 with
Monday’s defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks, the team’s chances of
landing the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft lottery on May 10 — for the
moment at least — increased a percentage point to 9.5% per Tankathon.
As of Tuesday morning, they have a 9.8% chance of getting the No. 2
pick, and a 19.3% chance of landing one of the top two picks in July’s
draft.
The Flyers (25-44-11, 61 points) are last in the Metropolitan Division, one
point behind the New Jersey Devils, and have the fourth fewest points in
the entire league. At present, the Flyers could land either the first or
second pick via the lottery, or they would pick fourth (their current spot),
fifth (if one team below them in the standings won one of the two draws)
or sixth (if a team below them in the standings won both draws) if they
did not.
Now four points behind 27th-place Chicago with just two games
remaining, the Flyers are all but locked into finishing with either the
league’s third-, fourth- or fifth-worst record. The Flyers could still fall
below the Seattle Kraken (58 points with two games in hand) and finish
with the third-fewest points which would give them an 11.5% chance at
the No. 1 overall pick. If they finished sixth, the worst-case scenario, they
would have a 7.5% chance.
Each season, the 16 teams who don’t qualify for playoffs are entered into
the NHL draft lottery for the top few picks. Teams with the worst record
have a better chance of getting the first pick. Beginning this season, the
lottery will be comprised of two draws (one for the No. 1 pick, one for the
No. 2 pick) compared to three in the past. Teams also can now only
move up 10 spots from where they finished in the standings, so if teams
No. 12-16 are picked, they will get the spot 10 places above their original
location and the team with the worst record (Montreal or Arizona) will
keep the No. 1 overall pick.
NHL draft lottery odds entering Tuesday's games. Flyers currently with
the fourth-fewest points in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/qXxT8GPCwr
— Gus Elvin (@gpelvin) April 26, 2022
After the first two picks are drawn, the 14 teams not selected in the
lottery will be assigned the remaining draft selections, in inverse order of
regular-season points. With this year’s system, the Flyers could fall only
as far as No. 8 — if they win their final two games and the Blackhawks
lose their final two games.
Center Shane Wright, who currently plays for the Kingston Frontenacs of
the Ontario Hockey League, is considered to be the consensus No. 1
pick. The Burlington, Ontario native is averaging 1.5 points per game for
the Frontenacs, and captained Team Canada to gold at the 2021 U18
World Championship. According to NHL.com’s scouting database, the
next four best North American skaters are Logan Cooley (center, U.S.
national team development program), Matthew Savoie (center, Winnipeg
Ice, WHL), Conor Geekie (center, Winnipeg Ice, WHL) and Pavel
Mintyukov (defenseman, Saginaw Spirit, OHL). The top-three ranked
European skaters by NHL.com are Joakim Kemell (right wing, JYP
Jyväskylä, Finland’s Liiga), Juraj Slafkovsky (left wing, TPS, Finland’s
Liiga) and Danila Yurov (right wing, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Russia’s
KHL).
The Flyers have a pick in every round of the 2022 draft except the
second round. They traded the second-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes
in the Shayne Gostisbehere trade.
The 2022 NHL Scouting Combine will be held from May 29-June 4 in
Buffalo. The draft will follow, with the first round on July 7 at the Bell
Centre in Montreal and rounds 2-7 on July 8.
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242913 Philadelphia Flyers
DeBrincat, Lankinen help Blackhawks top Flyers 3-1
By ASSOCIATED PRESS |PUBLISHED: April 26, 2022 at 4:54 a.m. |
UPDATED: April 26, 2022 at 4:55 a.m.
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks wanted to give their fans
something to cheer about at the end of a long season.
Alex DeBrincat delivered.
DeBrincat scored his 41st goal in the third period and Kevin Lankinen
made 33 saves, helping the Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1
on Monday night in a matchup of disappointing teams.
“The guys, they battled, they worked,” interim coach Derek King said.
“Lanks played well. We did some good things.”
Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist as Chicago (27-42-11) won for
just the fifth time in its last 20 games. Erik Gustafsson also scored
against one of his former teams, and Dominik Kubalik picked up an assist
in his 200th NHL game.
King talked to his team at the morning skate about making the most of its
last three games, including two at home. The Blackhawks improved to
13-21-6 at the United Center this season.
“Finish right at home. Get the fans out of their seats,” King said.
Philadelphia lost for the 12th time in its last 16 games. Kevin Hayes
scored for the Flyers (25-44-11), and Felix Sandstrom made 30 stops in
his fourth NHL start.
“We weren’t good enough with the puck tonight versus a team that
transitions really well,” interim Flyers coach Mike Yeo said. “They came
in off the rush and it gave them a lot of opportunities.”
Chicago was clinging to a 2-1 lead when DeBrincat converted a one-
timer off a cross-ice pass from Patrick Kane at 7:45.
DeBrincat matched his career high for goals, set during the 2018-19
season. It was Kane’s 66th assist, equaling his career best from 2018-19.
Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe was sent off for tripping with 1:23
left, and Philadelphia’s Bobby Brink shot the puck off the inside of the
right post. It nearly went off Lankinen and in, but defenseman Riley
Stillman swept it off the line.
The Flyers went 0 for 4 on the power play, continuing their season-long
special teams issues, and the Blackhawks went 0 for 5 with the man
advantage.
“We want to end the season strong here, end on a good note, and I think
we played a really solid game tonight,” Lankinen said. “So that was fun.”
Back at home after a sluggish three-game trip, Chicago put together a
fast start behind Toews.
The veteran center set up a trailing Gustafsson for a wrist shot from the
high slot that made it 1-0 at 1:44. It was Gustafsson’s first goal since Jan.
28 and his third of the season.
Toews was sent off for slashing at 4:08, but he got out of the box, got a
nice stretch pass from Sam Lafferty and beat Sandstrom for his 12th goal
in 69 games this season. The captain missed all of last year with what he
described as chronic immune response syndrome.
The Flyers then got one back when Hayes finished a 2-on-1 with Scott
Laughton for his 10th goal at 8:03. Laughton got loose for a breakaway
with about two minutes left in the first, but he was denied by Lankinen.
“I thought we had a lot of looks,” Hayes said. “Shows we need to respond
better. At any moment we could have tied it up.”
WORTH NOTING
The Flyers had won six in a row against the Blackhawks. It was their first
loss to Chicago since Nov. 1, 2017.
HONORED
Hayes was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy by the Philadelphia
chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and Blackhawks
forward Dylan Strome was nominated by the Chicago chapter. The
Masterton award is presented to the player who best exemplifies the
qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
THAT’S A WRAP
Blackhawks coach Derek King said defenseman Connor Murphy
(concussion protocol) and forwards Kirby Dach (right shoulder sprain)
and MacKenzie Entwistle (right shoulder) aren’t expected to play in the
team’s final two games of the season. Murphy and Dach skated with the
team on Monday morning.
UP NEXT
Flyers: At Winnipeg on Wednesday night, and then home for their season
finale Friday night against Ottawa.
Blackhawks: Host Vegas on Wednesday night, and then visit Buffalo on
Friday night.
Delaware County Times LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242914 Philadelphia Flyers
More lottery chatter as Flyers lose to Blackhawks, fail to win 3 straight
again
BY JORDAN HALL
A rare spurt of consecutive wins came to an end Monday night for the
Flyers as they lost to the Blackhawks, 3-1, at United Center in Chicago.
Both clubs came into the matchup playing out the string on their 2021-22
campaigns.
Kevin Hayes, who in the morning was announced as the Flyers'
Masterton Trophy nominee, scored his team's lone goal.
With a 4-1 victory Sunday over the Penguins, the Flyers (25-44-11) had
just won back-to-back games for the first time since March 5-8. They'll
finish the season with only one winning streak greater than two games.
They pulled off three straight wins from Dec. 10-14.
The Flyers split with the Blackhawks (27-42-11) in their two-game
regular-season series (1-1-0).
• Joel Farabee angered Sam Lafferty in the final minute with a
crosscheck on the Chicago forward as both raced for the puck. After
Lafferty slammed into the boards, he put Farabee in a headlock.
Farabee was penalized for the crosscheck and Lafferty was whistled for
roughing.
The play probably won't warrant any kind of suspension for Farabee, but
you never know. Maybe a fine at the worst.
• With two games left, the Flyers' chances of finishing in the bottom three
of the NHL standings are still pretty decent. That, of course, would only
help the team's 2022 NHL draft lottery odds.
The Flyers, 29th in the league's 32-team standings, are three points
ahead of the expansion Kraken, but Seattle has two games in hand with
four remaining. Three of those four matchups are against non-playoff
clubs.
The Blackhawks' victory pushed them four points up on the Flyers. The
Devils are one point up on the Flyers with three games to go.
More: When the Flyers will learn spot of their 2022 1st-round pick
• The Flyers' kids — Morgan Frost, Noah Cates and Owen Tippett —
were quieted after combining for three goals and three assists in the
Flyers' upset of Pittsburgh.
Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny registered assists on Hayes' first-
period goal. Laughton made a nice no-look pass on a 2-on-1.
On a third-period rush, Hayes couldn't handle a pass and Chicago
quickly countered. As a result, Alex DeBrincat was left open for a one-
timer and his 41st goal to pin the Flyers in the 3-1 hole they couldn't
overcome.
Flyers fail to win 3rd straight in loss to Blackhawks
• The Flyers' power play entered at an NHL-worst 12.3 percent. It
finished 0 for 4 on the night and is 9 for 109 (8.3 percent) since the start
of February.
At the end of a first-period man advantage, a Bobby Brink turnover went
the other way and Jonathan Toews jumped out of the penalty box for a
breakaway goal to extend the Blackhawks' lead to 2-0.
Erik Gustafsson, a one-and-done defenseman with the Flyers last
season, staked Chicago to a 1-0 advantage only 1:44 minutes into the
game.
On the other side of their special teams, the Flyers went 5 for 5 on the
penalty kill and had some decent looks for a potential shorthanded goal
in the third period.
• Making his fourth career start, Felix Sandstrom recorded 30 saves on
33 shots.
In the final six minutes of the first period, Sandstrom made a pair of
superb sprawling saves to keep the Flyers down only 2-1. The first came
on Philipp Kurashev and the second on Dominik Kubalik.
All in all, the 25-year-old Swede has handled himself pretty well. Despite
being without an NHL win, he has put up a .914 save percentage in his
four outings.
Chicago netminder Kevin Lankinen stopped 33 of the Flyers' 34 shots.
• In Game 81 of 82, the Flyers visit the Jets on Wednesday (7:30 p.m.
ET/NBCSP).
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242915 Pittsburgh Penguins
Sputtering Penguins suffer rare home loss to Oilers, lose Jason Zucker to
injury
SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, April 26, 2022 9:46 p.m.
The Penguins’ 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena on
Tuesday was rare.
As in, “Sidney Crosby’s rookie season” rare.
That’s how long it has been since the Oilers claimed a regulation win in
Pittsburgh. On Jan. 10, 2006, they triumphed, 3-1, against an 18-year-old
Crosby and company at the Mellon Arena.
Little of that contest was even remotely as noteworthy as what happened
afterward.
Former coach Michel Therrien launched into an infamous rant in which
he shredded his team as being “soft.”
It would be far too hyperbolic to use that term on the current edition of the
Penguins. At the same time, it’s hard to suggest they are instilling much
confidence as of late as they are 2-3-0 in their past five games.
With one game remaining in the regular season, they could use a win for
reasons far more profound than how it could benefit them in the
standings.
Confidence.
“We’ve got to find it, I think,” Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson
said. “We’re not happy losing. It’s as plain as that. We’ve got to dig in
here the last game and find that confidence. Play towards it and work for
each other. We’re not happy with losing at all.”
One development that no one will be thrilled with was the premature
departure of oft-injured Penguins forward Jason Zucker, who left the
contest at 17:36 of the first period due to an undisclosed ailment.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan did not provide an update on his status
following the game.
Various maladies have limited Zucker to only 41 games this season.
There has been no shortage of maladies within the Penguins’ collective
play as of late.
“Obviously, we’ve got to make something happen because the playoffs
are right around the corner,” forward Kasperi Kapanen said. “We’ve got
to perform then. We can’t be making these kind of mistakes and allowing
ourselves to be trailing the game a lot.
“It’s something that we’ve got to clean up. How to do it? I’m not sure, but
we’ve just got to figure it out.”
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard opened the scoring 12:47 into
regulation.
After Oilers forward Evander Kane won a puck battle on the Penguins’
right boards against Pettersson and Jeff Carter, forward Connor McDavid
claimed possession on the half wall and fed a pass to Bouchard above
the left circle. With ample time to settle the puck and set up a shot,
Bouchard chucked a wrister off the near post and past goaltender Casey
DeSmith’s glove for his 12th goal of the season. McDavid and Kane
collected assists.
A would-be goal by Bouchard at 1:58 of the second period was nullified
by a coach’s challenge issued by the Penguins who claimed the play was
offside. A brief review confirmed those suspicions of Penguins video
coaches Andy Saucier and Madison Nikkel.
Penguins forward Jeff Carter got his team on the scoreboard at 5:23 of
the second period. Just as a power-play opportunity was set to expire,
defenseman Mike Matheson boomed a one-timer from center point of the
offensive zone. The puck was wide to the left of the cage and clunked off
the end boards. Carter was able to corral the rebound and lifted a
forehand shot from left of the crease over sprawling goaltender Mike
Smith for his 19th goal. Matheson and Kapanen had assists.
Any momentum gained by the Penguins was snuffed out 25 seconds
later when Kane scored his 22th goal.
Gaining the offensive zone on the left wing, McDavid zipped past passive
resistance by Penguins forward Brock McGinn and from the half wall, he
centered a backhand pass to the left circle for linemate Kailer Yamamoto.
Surrounded by three Penguins, Yamamoto offloaded a backhand pass to
the left circle for Kane, who fired a forehand shot on the near side past
the glove of an outstretched DeSmith. Yamamoto and McDavid netted
assists.
The Penguins’ typically sturdy penalty kill was diced up in the third
period. First, Oilers forward Zach Hyman collected his 26th goal on the
man advantage at the 4:08 mark.
After a pass by McDavid from the Penguins’ right corner missed the
mark, Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins corralled it in the high slot
and snapped off a wrister that DeSmith stopped with his left leg. Hyman
established superior position on defensemen Kris Letang and Chad
Ruhwedel then swept the rebound past a sprawling DeSmith. Assists
went to Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid.
McDavid scored his 44th goal on a power-play opportunity at 9:13 of the
third.
Taking a pass above the Penguins’ right circle, McDavid circumnavigated
his way around the offensive zone, avoiding the likes of Penguins
forwards Evan Rodrigues and Carter and working his way to the goal line
on the left wing. From a paper-thin angle, he was able to roof a dazzling
wrist shot over DeSmith’s right shoulder on the near side and into the
cage. Forward Leon Draisaitl and defenseman Tyson Barrie tallied
assists.
A would-be empty net goal by ex-Penguins forward Derrick Brassard was
wiped out by another successful coach’s challenge for offsides from the
Penguins at the 17:43 mark.
But even that brief triumph was erased when Oilers forward Zack
Kassian scored his sixth goal on an empty net at the 18:26 mark.
Defensemen Brett Kulak and Cody Ceci collected assists.
DeSmith made 37 saves on 41 as his record fell to 10-6-5.
The Penguins insist their confidence hasn’t fallen, even in the absence of
satisfactory outcomes.
“It’s hard to feel good about your game unless you get results,” Penguins
coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’ve been sporadic with it lately. I still
believe we have what it takes. We’ve shown an ability to be a really good
hockey team and that’s what we’ve got to capture. We’ll fight every day
to make sure we do that.”
Their last chance to do that will come on the last day of their regular
season schedule, a home contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on
Friday.
“We know we’re a good team,” Kapanen said. “Good teams have bad
games. Today was one of those. It’s not an excuse. We’ve still got one
more game. We’ve got to play well there and get some confidence there.
We know we’re a good group and hopefully, we can go far this year.”
Notes:
• Before Tuesday, the Penguins were 7-0-2 at home against the Oilers
dating back to that infamous loss in 2006.
• Therrien’s comments after that game:
• Before Tuesday, six players – all in the Eastern Conference – led the
NHL in scoring in games against the Penguins this season with six points
each.
McDavid passed them all with a second-consecutive four-point effort:
• In the Oilers’ 5-2 home win on Dec. 1, McDavid had a goal and three
assists.
• The Penguins issued two coach’s challenges in the same game for the
first time in franchise history.
• The Penguins remain perfect on coach’s challenges this season (7 for
7).
• Penguins forward Bryan Rust’s season-worst scoreless streak was
extended to eight games.
• The Penguins scratched forward Brian Boyle (healthy), defenseman
Mark Friedman (healthy) and goaltender Tristan Jarry (right foot).
• The 40-year-old Smith made 33 saves on 34 shots and became the
second 40-something goaltender to defeat the Penguins this season. The
Sabres’ Craig Anderson, also 40, made 23 saves on 26 shots in
regulation and overtime in a 4-3 home shootout win on March 23.
Before this season, the last goaltender over the age of 40 to play the
Penguins was a 41-year-old Martin Brodeur, who directed the New
Jersey Devils to a 2-1 home win on Dec. 13, 2013. Brodeur made 19
saves on 20 shots in that victory.
• For the Oilers, Tuesday’s victory secured a first-round series - and
home-ice advantage - against the Los Angeles Kings.
• Bouchard has three points (two goals, one assist) in three career
games against the Penguins.
• Bouchard appeared in his 100th career game.
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1242916 Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen returns to lineup
SETH RORABAUGH | Tuesday, April 26, 2022 8:49 p.m.
Forward Kasperi Kapanen returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for
Tuesday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints
Arena.
He was a healthy scratch during Sunday’s 4-1 road loss to the rival
Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.
By any measure, Kapanen’s season has been underwhelming. Before
Tuesday’s game, he had appeared in 77 games and scored only 31
points (11 goals, 20 assists) while averaging 14 minutes, 46 seconds of
ice time.
In contrast, he posted 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) while clocking an
average of 15:32 of ice time over 40 games last season.
Entering Tuesday’s game, Kapanen had gone 12 games without a goal.
Despite that futility, Sullivan professed confidence Kapanen was capable
of a greater contribution.
“I just think sometimes players go through ups and downs through the
course of their career. They go through ups and downs through the
course of their season,” Sullivan said after Tuesday’s morning skate.
“What I will tell you is we believe (Kapanen) is a very capable player and
has the ability to be a difference-maker for us. He’s shown that in some
of his time here. We’re hopeful that’s what we’re going to get moving
forward. (Kapanen) is a real good player. I know he cares a lot. I know
it’s not from a lack of effort, (caring) or (trying) on his part. This guy is a
good teammate, he’s a good player.
“We’re trying to find a way help him capture his best game. He has the
capability of being a difference-maker for us. We’re hopeful that we can
help him capture his best game.”
Kapanen opened Tuesday’s game on the Penguins’ third line with Jeff
Carter at center and Jason Zucker on the left wing.
As for Sunday’s scratch, the indignity of that station was amplified by the
presence of Kapanen’s father, former NHL forward Sami Kapanen, who
trekked from Finland to watch the game.
“Those are the hardest decisions as a coach that you have to make,”
Sullivan said to media in Philadelphia after Sunday’s game. “When we’ve
got a healthy group of players, we have lineup decisions that are very
difficult. These guys all want to play, and (Kapanen) is no different.
Those are not easy decisions. But they’re part of what we sign up for.”
What to look for with the Lindsay Award
Ballots for NHL awards voted on by members of the Professional Hockey
Writers Association (PHWA) were distributed Monday. All votes must be
filed by May 2 to be considered.
Members of the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA)
vote on one award, the Ted Lindsay Award which, as stated, goes to
“most outstanding player.”
On Tuesday, Penguins forward Bryan Rust was asked what he considers
when voting for that honor.
“Obviously, you look at the guys that are at the top of the league
offensively and the top couple of goalies,” Rust said. “For me, I like to
look at guys who play well or are hard to play against all over the ice.
They also put up a bunch of points, but they don’t let in a lot of goals,
either. They’re always playing in the offensive zone, they’re always a
plus, kind of things like that.”
PHWA members vote on the Hart Memorial Trophy, the league’s MVP
award. The criteria for that honor is slightly different as it is stated to
recognize “the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.”
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1242917 Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins to start goaltender Casey DeSmith against Oilers
Seth Rorabaugh
The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to start goaltender Casey
DeSmith in Tuesday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers.
In 24 games this season, DeSmith has a 10-5-5 record, a 2.72 goals-
against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts.
Aside from the Penguins, the Oilers are the only NHL franchise DeSmith
never has faced in his career.
Notes:
• The Penguins’ lines and pairs during Tuesday’s morning skate were:
59 Jake Guentzel – 87 Sidney Crosby – 17 Bryan Rust
23 Brock McGinn – 71 Evgeni Malkin – 67 Rickard Rakell
16 Jason Zucker – 77 Jeff Carter – 42 Kasperi Kapanen
43 Danton Heinen – 53 Teddy Blueger – 9 Evan Rodrigues
8 Brian Dumoulin – 58 Kris Letang
5 Mike Matheson – 2 Chad Ruhwedel
28 Marcus Pettersson – 6 John Marino
• The top power-play unit included Crosby, Guentzel, Letang, Malkin and
Rust. The second power-play unit involved Carter, Kapanen, Matheson,
Rakell and Zucker.
• The Oilers are expected to start goaltender Mike Smith. In 27 games
this season, Smith has a 15-9-2 record, a 2.88 GAA, a .913 save
percentage and two shutouts.
In 20 career games against the Penguins, Smith has a 9-10-0 record, a
2.75 GAA, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts.
• Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard is slated to play in his 100th career
game.
The Oilers have not had a regulation win in Pittsburgh since Penguins
forward Sidney Crosby’s rookie season when they claimed a 3-1 victory
at the Mellon Arena on Jan. 10, 2006.
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1242918 Pittsburgh Penguins
Tim Benz: NHL playoff expansion ideas are unnecessary, reward
mediocrity
TIM BENZ | Tuesday, April 26, 2022 6:25 a.m.
There has been a lot of talk this year about the NHL expanding its
postseason format so that it becomes akin to what we see in the NBA.
A “play-in” type of model that allows for the ninth and 10th seeds in each
conference to play their way into the traditional quarterfinal bracket, by
pitting the survivor of the two teams against the loser of a No. 7 vs No.8
showdown.
Not identical to what we saw in the coronavirus bubble of 2020. But not
entirely dissimilar. Some want the 7-10 play-in idea to become single
elimination after the regular season ends. Others want the idea to
become a best-of-three series.
I just want the idea to die a quick death, regardless of form.
The NHL doesn’t need expanded playoffs. Yeah, I get it. More revenue.
More tension. More postseason excitement. Sure.
But when does the quality of postseason teams matter? And at what
point does playing a full 82-game schedule become anything more than
pure folly? I mean, isn’t that a long enough swath of time to determine
the top eight seeds for postseason play?
Cutting postseason eligibility at eight teams per conference makes
sense. You need eight teams for a three-round, quarterfinal format in
each conference. Ten teams becomes arbitrary and silly.
I don’t see grinding through 82 games to determine 12 worthy playoff
teams (six from each conference), and eight additional semi-worthy
teams (four from each conference) as a particularly worthwhile endeavor.
This season’s standings are a perfect example of the random nature of
when such an idea would look good and when it wouldn’t.
In the Western Conference, the current wild card qualifiers as the
seventh and eighth teams are the Nashville Predators (94 points) and the
Dallas Stars (93 points). The teams that, as of Tuesday morning, would
be left out in ninth and tenth place are the Vegas Golden Knights (90
points) and the Vancouver Canucks (87 points).
So, from that standpoint, I get it. That makes some semblance of sense.
The bottom four teams are fairly close in point totals.
But in the East, the Penguins (101 points) and the Washington Capitals
(100 points) currently hold the seventh and eighth highest totals. So
they’d have to play their way in against the New York Islanders and
Columbus Blue Jackets. They have a meager 80 and 79 points,
respectively.
That hardly seems fair to me. Nor does it make the regular season
worthy. At all.
All this effort to restructure in the name of creating games to reward
mediocrity? No thanks. Count me out.
Then again, if Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell
all leave via free agency before next year, a ninth or tenth slot in the
2023 play-in round may be the only way into the postseason for the
Penguins anyway.
In this week’s hockey podcast with Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio
Network, he and I discuss the ideas to tweak the NHL playoff format. We
also talk about the Penguins’ place in this year’s bracket. And we dive
into Tuesday’s game between the Pens and Edmonton Oilers.
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1242919 Pittsburgh Penguins
Connor McDavid leads Oilers in rout of struggling Penguins
Matt Vensel
Tuesday was supposed to be the latest round of the Crosby-McDavid
rivalry.
But it turned out to be another battle between the Penguins and
themselves.
The Penguins handed Connor McDavid and the high-octane Edmonton
Oilers too many odd-man rushes. They coughed up another goal
seconds after scoring a big one for themselves. They gave up two power-
play tallies. And they looked alarmingly uninspired after falling behind by
a pair of goals at PPG Paints Arena.
And so, in the penultimate game of the regular season, they fell, 5-1, to
the Oilers. The outcome would have looked even worse if not for a pair of
successful coach’s challenges. It was their second straight loss and 11th
in the last 17 games.
The Penguins have one regulation win over a playoff team the last six
weeks.
“Obviously, we’d like to feel better about our game. It’s hard to feel good
about your game unless you’re getting results. And we’ve been sporadic
with them lately,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “But I still believe in this
group. I believe we have what it takes. We’ve shown an ability to be a
really good hockey team.
“That’s what we’ve got to capture. We’ll fight every day to make sure we
do.”
The last time they suffered a regulation loss at home to the Oilers was
way back in 2006, during Crosby’s rookie year. That game was played at
the old Civic Arena. After that loss, then-coach Michel Therrien had one
of his famous blowups.
Sullivan stewed similarly as the mistakes piled up throughout Tuesday’s
loss.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard got the only goal in the first period.
Edmonton easily could have had a couple more. The Penguins allowed a
2-on-1 less than 15 seconds into the game and Evander Kane later
barged in on a breakaway.
The Oilers had nine odd-man rushes in the game, including five in the
first, per Sportlogiq. The Penguins, built on speed, didn’t break free for a
single one.
Jeff Carter tied it up, 1-1, just after a second-period power play ended.
Unfortunately, they offered little resistance as Kane scored off the rush
25 seconds later.
Lapses like that after they score a goal have plagued the Penguins for
weeks.
“We’ve got to make something happen because playoffs are right around
the corner,” Kasperi Kapanen said. “We can’t be making these kinds of
mistakes and allowing ourselves to be trailing in the game a lot. It’s
something we’ve just got to clean up. How to do it? I’m not sure. We’ve
just got to figure it out.”
That was just one of a number of ways in which the Penguins couldn’t
get out of their own way. Jake Guentzel watched a would-be breakaway
roll off his blade. Marcus Pettersson somehow checked Rickard Rakell to
end a Penguins odd-man rush. And they couldn’t capitalize on Mike
Smith’s excursions from his crease.
Zach Hyman added to Edmonton’s lead a few minutes into the third when
he buried a rebound on the power play. Casey DeSmith let that leak out
and Hyman beat two Penguins to the loose puck before stashing it under
the goalie’s left pad.
That sucked the life out of the Penguins, who hardly threatened in the
third.
It certainly didn’t help that Jason Zucker had already left yet another
game with a lower-body injury, forcing Sullivan to roll makeshift lines the
last 43 minutes.
Still, it was a stunning lack of urgency with the postseason just a week
away.
“You’ve got to play hard. Play for each other. Play with some
enthusiasm,” Pettersson said. “It’s not going to come by itself. So we’ve
got to find it here.”
The Oilers made it 4-1 with another on the man advantage. McDavid, still
the NHL’s most breathtaking player with the puck on this stick, skated
untouched through the Penguins zone, then beat DeSmith from the
acutest of angles. Tuesday was just the third time this season the
Penguins allowed multiple power-play goals.
DeSmith cooled off Tuesday after stopping 102 of 106 shots in his first
three starts following the injury to Tristan Jarry. He finished the night with
37 saves.
Down at the other end, Smith drew gasps from the crowd late in the
game when took aim at an empty net. But the skittering shot missed by
merely a foot.
Zack Kassian would eventually score an empty-netter to make it a 5-1
final.
McDavid picked up his third assist on that goal, giving him a four-point
night.
Prior to this season, Sidney Crosby and the Penguins had dominated his
Oilers. But McDavid was a force Dec. 1 as the Oilers easily dispatched
them up in Edmonton. He was again the best player on the ice Tuesday
as the Oilers raced away with the game. Crosby, meanwhile, saw his
three-game scoring streak snapped.
The Washington Capitals on Tuesday dropped their game, too, so the
Penguins are still one point ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division
standings. They will face the Florida Panthers or New York Rangers in
the first round of the playoffs.
However, their recent performance suggests either matchup would end
swiftly.
Sullivan acknowledged that the confidence of the Penguins is waning
and said his players have to “develop” resilience to overcome deficits like
the one they fell into Tuesday. That’s the type of comment you often hear
from a head coach in November or December, not when his team is a
week away from the postseason.
But he expressed belief, at least publicly, that the Penguins will turn it
around.
“We’ve got a wealth of experience inside that locker room,” the Cup-
winning coach said. “We’ve got to draw on that experience right now
more than ever.”
The Penguins will host the Columbus Blue Jackets in Friday’s season
finale.
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1242920 Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins significantly shake up lines with just two games left in the
regular season
Mike DeFabo
The Penguins significantly shook up their line combinations ahead of the
penultimate game of the regular season.
All four lines saw at least one change. Here’s the complete look at how
the Penguins started against the Edmonton Oilers:
Guentzel – Crosby – Rust
McGinn – Malkin – Rakell
Zucker – Carter – Kapanen
Heinen – Blueger – Rodrigues
“Unfortunately, we haven't had a full complement of players very often
this year,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “It's been difficult for us to get any
sort of extended looks at a full healthy lineup.
“Ultimately, we hope we fall on some lines that meet the criteria that
we're trying to solve. If that's the case, then you may see a lot of
consistency in lines. If it's not, then we may we may tinker with some of
the lines to try to create the balance and things of that nature that give us
the best chance to win.”
In the top six, Bryan Rust was reunited with Sidney Crosby and Jake
Guentzel. At times this year, that trio has been dominant. One could
argue that the best Crosby line features Rust.
However, in an attempt to create scoring balance throughout the lineup,
the Penguins experimented with deadline addition Rickard Rakell on the
top line and Rust in a second-line role over the last couple games. While
Rakell has shown some chemistry alongside Crosby, Rust’s production
has dipped. Over the last seven games, most of those without Crosby,
Rust has been held off the stat sheet entirely.
“Hockey is a funny game,” said Rust, who enters Tuesday with 24 goals
in 58 games. “There was a stretch when I came back from injuries and
had a gajillion points. It’s kind of gone the other way as of recently.”
“These next two games, for me personally, confidence-wise are going to
be big,” Rust continued. “Not so much trying to get on the scoresheet, but
just playing well.”
The other big move in the top six is the promotion of McGinn. While he
played a handful of games alongside Malkin earlier, McGinn has mostly
been deployed in a checking-line role, typically alongside Teddy Blueger.
Even though the center changes, Sullivan is looking for McGinn to bring
some of those same attributes to the top six.
“He's a very conscientious player defensively,” Sullivan said. “That's what
he brings to whatever line we choose to put him on.”
Kapanen back in, Boyle out
Kasperi Kapanen rejoined the lineup on Tuesday after spending
Sunday’s game in Philadelphia in the press box as a healthy scratch.
This year has been a challenging one for Kapanen. After joining the
Penguins last year, the speedy Finish forward showed real chemistry
alongside Malkin, proving especially dangerous off the rush.
Entering training camp, Sullivan talked about how he hoped Kapanen
could take another step forward to establish himself as an “elite”
offensive weapon. However, the opposite has happened.
Kapanen has regressed, scoring just 11 goals through his first 77 games.
He’s been moved up and down the lineup and twice into press box. Over
his last 16 games, Kapanen has just one goal and two assists.
“Sometimes players go through ups and downs through the course of
their career,” Sullivan said. “They go through ups and downs over the
course of their season. We believe [Kapanen] is a very capable player
and has the ability to be a difference-maker for us.”
The Penguins have been hurting for depth scoring from their middle six.
While Kapanen has underwhelmed this year, he’s still one of the big x-
factors on the club and one of the few players on the back half of the
roster with the offensive upside to make an impact when it matters.
“I know he cares a lot,” Sullivan said. “I know it's not from a lack of effort,
care or try on his part. This guy is a good teammate. He's a good player.
We're trying to find a way to help him capture his best game.”
Based on the morning skate with Kapanen back in, Brian Boyle will be
the odd-man out. This will be the second time in three games that he’s a
healthy scratch.
Rodrigues on Blueger line
The line changes have also cast Evan Rodrigues in a bit of a different
role.
At times this year, Rodrigues has stepped up onto a scoring line, either
as a winger in the top six or even as the center on one of the top lines.
But now, he’ll skate alongside Blueger on a line that will be deployed in
mostly defense-first situations.
“We can utilize him in so many different areas,” Sullivan said. “He can kill
penalties for us. He can take face offs. He can play on the power play.
We can move him up and down the lineup.
“He has the offensive instincts to play in the top six. He has a pretty good
defensive conscience and can play on a checking line. His versatility is
one of his biggest strengths. That was that was one of the reasons why
that we signed him.”
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1242921 Pittsburgh Penguins
Ron Cook: Penguins vs. Oilers is well worth the price of admission
Ron Cook
You have heard of sporting events that are absolutely worth the price of a
ticket, no matter the cost?
I think Steelers-Ravens. That will happen again next season. Steelers
against Tom Brady. That also will happen one more time at Heinz Field.
Pirates-Yankees at PNC Park in July because, well, the Yankees are the
Yankees. Pirates-Angels because of Shohei Ohtani. That series can’t get
on the schedule soon enough.
One more game comes to mind.
Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers will be at PPG
Paints Arena on Tuesday night to play the Penguins. It is the first time
they will play here since November 2019.
Make sure you watch it even if you can’t get into the Uptown rink.
You will not be disappointed.
McDavid — the fastest skater of all time, at least with the puck on his
stick -- leads the NHL with 118 points. Draisaitl — an amazing goal-
scorer who has averaged .624 goals per game the past four seasons —
is second in goals with 55.
The two are significant parts of a historic NHL season.
McDavid is closing in on his fourth Art Ross Trophy in six years as the
league’s leading point-scorer. No player has had that kind of enduring
dominance since the Penguins’ Jaromir Jagr won four consecutive
scoring titles from 1997-2001. McDavid should finish with the second-
highest point total since the 2005-06 season.
Draisaitl has hit 50 goals for the second time in the past four seasons.
Only Toronto’s Auston Matthews and Washington’s incomparable Alex
Ovechkin can match him as a pure goal-scorer.
Do you realize this has been the best season for goal-scorers since
1995-96 when Mario Lemieux had 69 goals, Jagr had 62 and six other
players had at least 50?
Matthews has 58 goals with two games left and has a chance to become
the NHL’s first 60-goal man since Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos a
decade ago. He should be the overwhelming choice to win the Hart
Trophy as NHL MVP. He has averaged .633 goals per game in the past
six seasons.
Draisaitl has his 55 goals. The New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider has 51
in a career year. Ovechkin has 50, the ninth 50-goal season of his
spectacular career. Nine other players have at least 40 goals, including
McDavid (43) and the Penguins’ Jake Guentzel (40).
There hasn’t been four 50-goal scorers since the 2005-06 season. This is
just the second time there are four since 1996-97.
Know this:
There will be amazing talent at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night.
It’s always great fun when Sidney Crosby and McDavid get on the same
ice.
You know the anticipated storyline, among the NHL’s best every season:
One of the five best players of all time in Crosby against the best overall
player in the game today in McDavid.
Crosby and the Penguins have dominated the matchup, going 6-1-1 in
the eight games Crosby has played against McDavid. The Oilers won the
earlier game this season between the teams, 5-2, in December.
Crosby has not had his better games against Edmonton, although he did
win the one in October 2018 with an overtime goal, his second goal of
the night. In his other seven games against the Oilers with McDavid in
the lineup, he had three assists. He missed the game against the Oilers
at Rogers Place in Edmonton in December 2019 because of a core-
muscle injury.
McDavid has much better numbers against the Penguins: four goals and
10 assists in nine games. He had a goal and three assists and was a
plus-5 in the Oilers’ win in December on a night when Crosby had just
one assist and was a minus-4.
Draisaitl also has played well against the Penguins. He has six goals in
11 games against them.
The one area where McDavid and Draisaitl can’t come close to matching
Crosby — it’s a big one -- is in postseason success. The two have been
in the NHL together since the 2015-16 season. Edmonton has won just
one playoffs series with them. The Oilers missed the postseason in three
of their first six seasons, although they have qualified this spring.
You might have heard Crosby and his Penguins have won three Stanley
Cups.
Is it just me or does that seem worth pointing out?
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1242922 Pittsburgh Penguins
Yohe’s 10 observations: Slow, stale Penguins look like a dead team
walking
By Josh Yohe
Once upon a time, it was the Penguins who were young, bursting with
talent, full of energy and putting on a show in road arenas.
The remaining players from the Penguins’ Cup teams must have felt like
they were in a time machine watching themselves play. But Marty McFly
and Doc Brown weren’t at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.
Arguably the best player in the world was, though. And what a show he
put on. Connor McDavid lit up the Penguins for four points in a
commanding 5-1 Oilers victory.
Edmonton, after a shaky patch midway through the season, is entering
the postseason on a roll and looks like a threat in the Western
Conference.
Then, there are the Penguins.
Mike Sullivan’s team looked utterly inept for a second straight game.
Jeff Carter scored the Penguins’ only goal; even though they trailed only
2-1 through two periods, they were never in the game. The Oilers outshot
them 42-34 and outplayed them.
Really, it was never a game. The Penguins faithful at PPG Paints Arena
booed the home team for the first time all season late in the third period.
“Obviously, we’d like to feel better about our game,” Sullivan said. “It’s
hard to do that if you don’t get results. We’ve been sporadic with them
lately.”
There were two primary stories Tuesday: McDavid’s brilliance and what
appeared to be relative indifference from the Penguins. Two days after
being soundly beaten by the lowly Flyers, their biggest rival, the
Penguins put up even less of a fight against the Oilers.
It would have required some kind of a fight to slow down McDavid, the
league’s leading scorer. He finished with a goal and three assists, good
for his second four-point game against the Penguins this season. He now
leads the NHL with 122 points and exceeded 120 points for the first time
in his career while sharing the ice with Sidney Crosby.
Crosby’s career high for points in a season is 120.
Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Zack Kassian also
scored for the Oilers, who will play the Los Angeles Kings in the first
round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Penguins won’t know until Friday night if their first-round opponent
will be the New York Rangers or Florida Panthers.
If they don’t start playing considerably better, it won’t matter.
Ten postgame observations
• McDavid is arguably the best player in the world. Oh, I know how good
Auston Matthews is. I’m aware he scored his 60th goal of the season for
the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, and I’m sure he’s going to win the Hart
Trophy. Good for him. He’s great.
But there’s only one McDavid, and he’s without question the greatest
player in the game. You know it when you see him play in person. He’s
different. In some ways, he’s different from anyone who has played the
game. He was in full flight against the Penguins, who had no answers for
his brilliance.
McDavid isn’t just arguably the fastest player in the history of the sport, of
course. He also possesses Crosby-like vision, and there’s nothing too
shabby about scoring 44 goals.
He punctuated the evening with a brilliant goal, beating Casey DeSmith
to the short side.
There's going bar down & then there's WHATEVER THIS IS?!
#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/XdITZ1YWWb
— x-Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 27, 2022
The Penguins essentially were spectators to the McDavid show all
evening. It was a spectacular performance. The Penguins couldn’t keep
up with him — they weren’t even close. McDavid is an astounding player,
and I have no doubt some of the spectators Tuesday — we’ve been
blessed with witnessing Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni
Malkin over the years — had some serious appreciation for what they
were watching. McDavid is one of the great talents in the history of the
sport, and it was showtime early and often against the Penguins.
A wonderful new era of superstars has arrived, and it’s a great thing for
the NHL. But he’s the head of the class. He’s the guy.
• The Penguins either don’t care right now or have gotten old before our
eyes.
If you’re a Penguins fan, you had better hope they just don’t care right
now. Because if this is them caring, the playoffs are going to be ugly. And
the visit to the postseason will be brief.
I don’t know this group not to care. Thus, I have to wonder whether the
Penguins have simply hit a wall. They suddenly look old.
They are 14-14-3 in their past 31 games. They look like they’re fading
down the stretch while so many of the mighty Eastern Conference teams
— and the Oilers, for that matter — appear to be gearing up for the
stretch run.
• It’s easy to say the Penguins play with no edge and look lifeless, like
they don’t really care. If you didn’t know any better, then sure, you’d think
that while watching them.
But is it that simple? Does a group that has always cared so much
suddenly stop caring? I don’t think that’s the case. However, it’s easy to
appear that way when you aren’t as good as the opposition. That’s all
Tuesday’s game was. The Oilers played at a considerably higher level all
night.
It looked like teams playing two different games. I’ve not seen the
Penguins outclassed to this extent all season, except for the two losses
to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
• The only drama came late in the third period when goaltender Mike
Smith nearly scored a goal with DeSmith pulled. Kris Letang sent a bad
dump directly to Smith, who is one of the game’s great puckhandlers.
MIIIIIIIIIKE.
so. close. 🤏🤏🤏#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/FeoaYTgbTQ
— x-Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 27, 2022
Smith was so sure he had scored that he started to skate toward the
Oilers’ net to celebrate. Alas, he missed by mere inches. It looked good
the entire way but took an unkind turn to the right.
his reaction. pic.twitter.com/V028GZasMJ
— x-Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 27, 2022
I’ve never seen a goalie score in person, so I was kind of hoping it would
go in. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, so were many of the Penguins
fans who remained.
• It’s hard to judge DeSmith’s performance. On the surface, it wasn’t
great.
But the Penguins were so outclassed that the goaltending performance
wasn’t all that relevant. I’m sure DeSmith will get one more start Friday
against Columbus. He should be feeling good about himself.
At least McDavid doesn’t play for the Panthers or the Rangers.
• The MVP for the Penguins on Tuesday was Andy Saucier, who twice
had Oilers goals overturned because they were offside.
So, it wasn’t a great night for the linesmen. (Calling offside infractions
has to be the hardest thing in sports. I don’t blame them for screwing it
up regularly.)
But give Saucier credit. He’s 6-for-6 this season when it comes to
challenges. The guy is automatic.
• The Penguins have always based their game on speed. Being the
faster team is a big deal to them.
Well, they aren’t one of the fastest teams in the NHL anymore, and they
aren’t close to the Oilers in that department. Kasperi Kapanen bristled at
that notion, saying “one guy is the fastest” and suggesting the Penguins
have seen faster teams even if McDavid is the game’s fastest player.
Whatever the case may be, the Penguins looked disturbingly slow
Tuesday. They aren’t big. They aren’t physical. They aren’t executing
that well. And they aren’t all that fast anymore.
Not a great combination.
• How many players are struggling? Too many to count. But here’s a
quick rundown: Marcus Pettersson had another bad night, and I’m not
sure he should be in the lineup. John Marino was on for multiple goals
against, and his game appears to be regressing. Chad Ruhwedel, of all
people, had a horrible turnover that led to a goal. Brock McGinn had a
bad game and isn’t good right now. Teddy Blueger has been a shadow of
himself since breaking his jaw. Evan Rodrigues has disappeared.
Kapanen continues to be a mess. Jason Zucker got hurt again, leaving
with a lower-body injury.
How can you win a playoff series with this many players struggling?
• The Islanders beat the Capitals, so we won’t know the Penguins’ playoff
opponent until Friday night around 9:45 p.m. It will be the Rangers or the
Panthers. If the Penguins beat the Blue Jackets on Friday, they’ll play the
Rangers in the first round unless Washington wins its final two games
against the Islanders and Rangers. It’s anyone’s guess.
• The Penguins haven’t felt this stale and lifeless since the end of the
2014-15 season. That one ended in a first-round loss to the Rangers.
This team is reeling. I’m not sure it can recover. The stench of decay is
everywhere.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242923 Pittsburgh Penguins
PHN Penguins Postgame: The Pens are Lost, Outlook Bleak After 5-1
Loss
PHN Staff
The Pittsburgh Penguins are lost. The swagger and confidence are past
tense and head coach Mike Sullivan said his team needs to build
preparation and readiness. Kasperi Kapanen, Marcus Pettersson, and
Rickard Rakell couldn’t avoid it when asked after the Penguins 5-1 loss
to the Edmonton Oilers.
In addition to lengthy comments about the team leaning on experience,
finding confidence and resilience, Sullivan also used the kiss of death.
“I still believe in this team,” he said.
The addition of the word “still” made it much worse.
Sidney Crosby had five shots in his head-to-head matchup with Connor
McDavid but McDavid had four points (1-3-4). Jeff Carter scored the
Penguins’ only goal.
“Obviously we’ve got to make something happen because the playoffs
are right around the corner and we’ve got to perform. We can’t be making
these kinds of mistakes and allowing ourselves to kind of be trailing in the
game a lot,” Kapanen said. “So it’s something we just got to clean up.
How to do it, I’m not sure, but we just got to figure it out.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins were in the game but couldn’t beat Edmonton
goalie Mike Smith on a late second-period power play, despite a handful
of rebound chances. Those were the Penguins’ last great chances.
They went quietly in the third period, and a competitive 2-1 deficit
became a 5-1 walk.
“I thought we had a couple of good chances tonight, but as a team, we
probably got a little frustrated when the bounces didn’t go our way. That’s
just something we have to work through, especially with this last game.
We’ve got to keep our heads up no matter what happens in the game
and just keep grinding away because we know we’re good players. You
know, we have a good team. So I think at this point, we’ve just got to fight
through whatever adversity that we have in the games and keep moving
forward.”
Readers can read the full postgame analysis and longer answer from
head coach Mike Sullivan which touched on building readiness and
preparation, as well as finding resilience. The PHN+ postgame with blunt
analysis is available here. New subscribers can save $10 here.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242924 Pittsburgh Penguins
Problems Mount as Playoffs Near; Penguins Crash in 5-1 Loss to
McDavid, Oilers
By Dan Kingerski
The Pittsburgh Penguins struggles against good teams and similar
problems giving up goals immediately after scoring were on full display
on Tuesday. Less than 30 seconds after Jeff Carter tied the game in the
second period, the Penguins relinquished the lead and were never again
even. Connor McDavid had four points, including a deal-clinching goal in
the third period, as Edmonton was too much for the Penguins, 4-1 at
PPG Paints Arena.
If they haven’t yet, the warning bells in the Penguins’ room should be
going off. In their last 11 games against playoff teams dating to mid-
March, the Penguins have just three wins. The Penguins have only four
wins in their last five games.
The Penguins only saving grace, the New York Islanders were headed to
victory over the Washington Capitals, which preserved the Penguins one-
point lead for third place, though Washington retains one game in hand.
Wayne Gretzky-Mario Lemieux. Jaromir Jagr-Eric Lindros. Sidney
Crosby-Connor McDavid. Hockey fans don’t often get to watch
generational talents face-off, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have not
hosted the Edmonton Oilers since Nov. 2, 2019. Sidney Crosby is one of
the game’s all-time greats, and Connor McDavid will likely finish his
career in the same pantheon.
OK, maybe Lindros belongs in that sentence, maybe not. For a time, he
certainly did. Don’t get hung up on that.
Before the game on Tuesday, head coach Mike Sullivan also expressed
his appreciation of the event.
“We’re privileged here in Pittsburgh because we’ve been able to watch
Crosby and Malkin and Letang and these guys for a long time and see
what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished. And McDavid and
Draisaitl are the next generation,” Sullivan said.
The first period wasn’t heavy on the matchup. Crosby didn’t have any
shots. McDavid had only one shot, but did get an assist.
The Penguins third defensive pairing and Jeff Carter’s line did get
hemmed in by McDavid’s line later in the first period. The Penguins could
not gain possession after a couple of wall battles, and defenseman Evan
Bouchard (12) beat goalie Casey DeSmith on the glove side with a 30-
foot wrister from behind the dot.
Bouchard scored again early in the second period, but Penguins replay
savant Andy Saucier noted a skate blade was offside but about an inch,
and the goal was overturned.
The Penguins nearly scored a power-play goal midway through the
period. Instead, the tally was even strength as Jeff Carter (19) pounded
in a rebound off the back wall a moment after a Penguins power play
expired. It was Carter’s 23rd goal in 37 career games against Edmonton.
However…
As it has happened several times in the recent weeks…
The Pittsburgh Penguins gave it back…
Gave it right back.
Just 25 seconds after Jeff Carter celebrated a tie game and before PA
announcer Ryan Mill, who has good taste in sports coats, could
announce the goal, Edmonton reclaimed the lead.
The Edmonton Oilers never relinquished it. Or, the Penguins never tied it.
McDavid went wide on defenseman John Marino. Danton Heinen, Brock
McGinn, and Brian Dumoulin converged on Kailer Yamamoto in the slot,
but no one took away his stick or space. Yamamoto’s quick backhand
pass set up Evander Kane (22) for an easy backside goal.
Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson took a tripping penalty early in the
third that seemed to seal the Penguins fate. Edmonton had significant
momentum and the Penguins didn’t challenge.
Bryan Rust earned a hooking call in the middle of the period. Connor
McDavid (44) snapped a power-play goal, and the PPG crowd began to
filter home.
Zack Kassian scored the empty netter (after Derrick Brassard’s EN goal
was overturned for offside).
Casey DeSmith left a few crumbs on the table but was otherwise solid.
He stopped 37 of 41 before being pulled for the extra attacker. Edmonton
goalie Mike Smith nearly scored an empty-net goal but the puck took a
late bounce just wide. He stopped 31 of 32 shots.
Smith won his 10th in a row, which tied Grant Fuhr for an Oilers record.
Penguins winger Jason Zucker left the game in the first period. Sullivan
did not have an update, other than being evaluated for a lower-body
injury.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242925 Pittsburgh Penguins
Penguins Game 81 Preview: Sullivan Puts Lines in a Blender, Crosby v.
McDavid
By Dan Kingerski
But once a year, hockey fans in Pittsburgh are treated to the Connor
McDavid show. Of course, Penguins fans get 41 homes games a year
with one of the greatest of all time, Sidney Crosby. The second fiddles
aren’t too bad either, as Leon Draisaitl and Evgeni Malkin are involved.
The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday night at
PPG Paints Arena in a battle of historically talented franchises.
The puck drops just after 7 p.m.
The Penguins are just one point ahead of the Washington Capitals for
third place in the Metro and Washington has one game in hand. The
Penguins trail the Boston Bruins by two points in a possible battle for the
top wild card.
On Saturday, the Penguins crushed the hapless Detroit Red Wings 7-2
but faceplanted against the equally hapless Philadelphia Flyers on
Sunday, 4-1.
“We weren’t good enough to win,” was about all head coach Mike
Sullivan could muster about his team’s disinterested loss.
Tuesday morning, head coach Mike Sullivan put his lines in a blender,
and none of the four lines are intact. A week after Sullivan said Bryan
Rust helped keep Evgeni Malkin on track, Rust will return to the top line
with Sidney Crosby.
Rickard Rakell, who had three points on Saturday, will play with Malkin,
and those are just the start of the changes.
The Edmonton Oilers have dominated the second half of the season.
They’re 24-11-3 (7th, NHL) since Feb. 1 and 8-2-1 (5th, NHL) since April
1. In a display of offense not seen since the early days of Crosby-Malkin,
McDavid and Draisaitl have soared past 100 points. McDavid has 43
goals and 118 points, while Draisaitl has 55 goals and 108 points.
Draisaitl also broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for power-play goals.
Draisaitl has 24, breaking Gretzky’s mark of 20.
It should be a lot of fun.
“The transition game becomes that much more important. Our transition
has to be quick and efficient. We have to make good decisions with puck
not to feed their transition,” Sullivan said.
Casey DeSmith will likely start for the Penguins.
Expected Pittsburgh Penguins Lines:
LW C RW
Jake Guentzel Sidney Crosby Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn Evgeni Malkin Rickard Rakell
Jason Zucker Jeff Carter Kasperi Kapanen
Danton Heinen Teddy Blueger Evan Rodrigues
LD RD
Brian Dumoulin Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson John Marino
Mike Matheson Chad Ruhwedel
Goalie
Casey DeSmith
Louis Domingue
Expected Oilers Lines per PuckPedia.com:
Kane-McDavid-Yamamoto
McLeod-Draisaitl-Hyman
Foegele–Nugent-Hopkins–Ryan
Brassard-Shore-Kassian
Defence:
Keith-Bouchard
Kulak-Barrie
Russel-Ceci
Goalie:
Mike Smith (expected)
Pittsburgh Penguins Game Notes
*It’s the first meeting between the teams in Pittsburgh since Nov. 2, 2019.
*The Penguins have points in 19 of their last 20 games against the Oilers
(15-1-4) dating back to December 5, 2007, with the lone regulation loss
coming earlier this season.
*Rickard Rakell has 24 points (11-13-24) in 28 games against Edmonton
in his career. Both of his two career hat tricks were against the Oilers
(Feb. 25, 2018, and Mar. 30, 2019.
*Despite only playing in 39 games this season, Evgeni Malkin sits one
goal shy of hitting the 20-goal plateau for the 13th time in his career.
*It’s the ninth head-to-head matchup of Crosby and McDavid. Although
McDavid has the edge in points (14-5), Crosby and the Penguins are 7-1-
0, dating back to their first head-to-head matchup on Nov. 8, 2016.
*In 36 career games versus the Oilers, Carter has recorded 36 points
(22-14-36).
*Edmonton has the fourth-ranked power play (25.7%) but the 18th-
ranked PK (79.2%). The Penguins PK remains second (85.7%), but the
power play has fallen to 18th (20.7%).
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The “Bet Against Dan and Make Money” pick on Sunday was perfect if
you bet against me. The picks today are all about offense. McDavid
against the Penguins defense and Casey DeSmith…I’m going to take a
big flyer on McDavid.
First, Jeff Carter has 22 goals in 36 career games against Edmonton.
We’re taking Big Jeff to knock one home (+240).
We also like the draw after 60 minutes. If the game is close, neither team
will risk a point–that’s the problem with an out-of-conference game at the
end of the season. If the game hits OT, that pays (+350).
But, the Oilers are a big payday to win (+140). So, I’m taking the Oilers in
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Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242926 Pittsburgh Penguins
Dan’s Daily: Penguins Questions, Biden Goof Cracks up Lightning
By Dan Kingerski
There are two games left in this long, grueling, COVID-challenged, topsy-
turvy NHL season. If the players aren’t worn out, this scribe is tired
enough for both of us. The players will get a few days of rest before the
postseason begins, but there are real questions about the state of the
Pittsburgh Penguins. After multiple false starts and reports, Vegas
Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner finally had knee surgery and is done
for the year. Eight Eastern teams reached 100 points to make history.
And Joe Biden’s unintentional way with words cracked up the Tampa Bay
Lightning.
You’re free to speak on your own platforms, but let’s avoid a political
debate here. This was a funny moment–it cracked me up and was too
good not to share.
Joe Biden calls NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman “Gary Batman” and one
of the players on the Lightning standing behind him starts cracking up.
pic.twitter.com/KHUZrs8Mux
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 25, 2022
I just can’t see Bill Daly in the Robin suit? Maybe Gary will find his Jason
Todd.
Now to hockey and the Penguins’ direct playoff competitors:
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Questions. I have a few questions about the
Penguins, including whether uncertainty over the core players’ future is
part of the problem. Also, some serious criticism of the TNT broadcast.
Pittsburgh Penguins blog.
Washington: Alex Ovechkin is out day-to-day for the Washington
Capitals.
Florida: The NHL suspended Ryan Lomberg and fined Andrew Brunette.
It all stemmed from a fight with Tampa Bay’s Erik Cernak. Video and full
story: Florida Panthers news.
NHL News & National Hockey Now:
NHL.com: Eight Eastern teams crossed the 100-point mark for the first
time. It’s a top-heavy conference.
Vegas Hockey Now: After rebuking multiple reports of serious injury and
being done for the season, Robin Lehner is having surgery. The second
time was the charm for ESPN– Vegas Golden Knights update.
Sportsnet: Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations Brian
Burke has a distinguished career, and he doesn’t mind sharing some
stories. The latest “Hey Burkie” talks about the runup to firing Mike
Keenan.
Philly: The Flyers lost, and that’s…the good news? Philadelphia Flyers
draft odds improve.
NYI: It was alumni weekend. You may cringe, but Bryan Trottier was an
Islander with four Stanley Cups before joining the Penguins fraternity.
After losing Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies this season, the alumni group is
more important than ever for the New York Islanders.
Montreal: Some NHL trade rumor analysis. Pierre-Luc Dubois could be
on the market, and Montreal will be an oft-mentioned team. However,
Marco D’Amico writes, stay away, Habs. Montreal Canadiens trade
rumors.
Vancouver: But I’m not dead yet! The Vancouver Canucks have no
margin for error, but here’s how they can still squeeeeeek into the
playoffs. Vancouver Canucks playoff scenario.
The Hockey News: I missed this. And I have a few words that come to
mind that I won’t print. The ticket prices are INSANE for the Arizona
Coyotes.
Seriously, sell the team to Rachel Phelps and be done with it.
Colorado: The Penguins aren’t the only team stumbling down the stretch.
The powerful Colorado Avalanche are struggling to bring their best game
in the final week. Head coach Jared Bednar says they are self-inflicted
wounds by the Colorado Avalanche.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242927 San Jose Sharks
After emotional win vs. Golden Knights, Sharks falter in final home game
Curtis Pashelka
SAN JOSE – The Sharks enjoyed their most memorable win of the
season over the weekend, rallying in the final minutes in a playoff-type
atmosphere to help hand the rival Vegas Golden Knights a loss that
further dimmed their already slim playoff hopes.
The trick for the Sharks will be to try and replicate that kind of emotion in
their mostly meaningless final two games.
Tuesday, the Sharks created enough chances to win in their final home
game of the season. But as has been the case throughout much of the
year, couldn’t find the extra goal they needed in what became a 5-2 loss
to the Anaheim Ducks before an announced crowd of 13,378 at SAP
Center.
Brent Burns and Scott Reedy both scored and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen
finished with 25 saves as San Jose, which fell behind by three goals
early in the second period, finished the year with a record of 18-18-5 at
home
“We played pretty well,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “We don’t
have anything to show for it and it’s sort of (the) story of our year maybe.”
The Sharks end the season with road games against Edmonton and
Seattle on Thursday and Friday, respectively. The Oilers are locked into
second place in the Pacific Division and the expansion Kraken will finish
eighth and last.
“I know it doesn’t really mean anything, technically, but we have a lot to
play for still and a lot of pride in that room,” Sharks winger Matt Nieto
said.
The Sharks, prior to Tuesday, were 3-2-1 in their last six games,
including a dramatic 5-4 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights on
Sunday.
San Jose erased a 4-2 Vegas lead in the final three minutes of regulation
time, with Timo Meier scoring with 0.9 seconds left in the third period to
send the game into overtime. In the shootout, rookie center Thomas
Bordeleau was the only player for either team to score as the Sharks
snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Golden Knights.
Vegas lost 3-2 in a shootout to Dallas on Tuesday to fall four points
behind the Stars with two games to play. The Golden Knights must win
their final two games and hope Dallas loses its final two in regulation,
“Sunday was awesome,” Sharks winger Rudolfs Balcers said. “It was a
big game for (Vegas) and obviously, we wanted to come out and kind of
mess it up for them. So it was a fun game.
“Today it was a frustrating one. We played pretty well and ended up
losing on a couple of mistakes there. But we’ve got two more games left
to finish off strong. We’ve got to go there and be motivated and just play
hard.”
Kahkonen has split time in the Sharks’ net with James Reimer in recent
weeks as Boughner has mostly gone back and forth this month between
his two goalies.
It’s an arrangement that’s worked out well for Kahkonen, as he’s had
some time to absorb the Sharks’ system and get to know his teammates
as he works with goalie coach Evgeni Nabokov.
“For now, it’s been good,” Kahkonen said Tuesday morning. “We play so
many games in such a short period of time, so it almost feels like you are
the starter even though you play every other night.”
Kahkonen, though, is entering the stage of his pro career where he feels
he’s capable of being a No. 1 NHL goalie.
As a fourth-round draft choice by the Minnesota Wild in 2014, Kahkonen
spent most of the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 seasons with the team’s AHL
affiliate in Iowa. He then backed up Cam Talbot with the big club the past
1½ seasons, going 31-17-4 with a .907 save percentage.
The next step for Kahkonen is to be a No. 1 with the Sharks, or at least a
1A or 1B in conjunction with Reimer or Adin Hill, who are both under
contract for next season. Kahkonen is a pending restricted free agent.
Kahkonen entered Tuesday with a 2-4-1 record and a .920 save
percentage in nine games with the Sharks.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Kahkonen said about being a No. 1. “That’s the goal
and that’s what I want to want to accomplish here in the near future.”
Kahkonen, 25, has a busy summer ahead of him if he wants to be in a
position to play 50-to-55 games next season. The most games he’s
played in any of the last four years since he came to North America was
39 with Iowa in 2018-19.
“It’s the first full, real NHL season for me,” said Kahkonen, adding that
he’ll adjust his offseason training regimen to get ready for a possibly
heavier workload.
“It’s not that I haven’t worked hard, but maybe work on different things
instead of something I’ve worked in the past. Not thinking about it too
much, but, obviously, there are always things that you can get better at.”
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242928 San Jose Sharks
Sharks’ Karlsson not expected back this season, ending another
frustrating year
Curtis Pashelka
SAN JOSE – Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson’s season appears to be
over, bringing to an end another frustrating year for himself and the team.
Karlsson, 31, will miss his seventh straight game Tuesday when the
Sharks play the Anaheim Ducks in their final game of the season at SAP
Center, and coach Bob Boughner isn’t holding out much hope that the
two-time Norris Trophy winner will be able to play in San Jose’s final two
games later this week.
Karlsson has dealt with an unspecified lower-body injury for at least two
weeks and has not played since April 14 when the Sharks lost in a
shootout to the Chicago Blackhawks, a game that officially eliminated
San Jose from playoff contention.
Karlsson returned to San Jose after the Chicago game for further
evaluation, as he missed the final two dates of that five-game road trip.
The Sharks’ 82-game schedule wraps up with road games with the
Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken on Thursday and Friday,
respectively.
“He’s not skating. So, that doesn’t point to a real positive sign that he’s
going to be dressing for the last couple of games,” Boughner said of
Karlsson on Tuesday morning, “He hasn’t been on the ice in a week.”
If Karlsson is done, he’ll have finished with 10 goals and 35 points in 50
games, an improvement over the 22 points he had in 52 games last
season. The Sharks in both years dressed a handful of less-experienced
players, likely affecting Karlsson’s offensive output.
Still, this marks the sixth straight year that Karlsson hasn’t been able to
play a full schedule and the third straight season that the Sharks have
missed the NHL playoffs. Karlsson is finishing the third year of an eight-
year, $92 million deal he was given by the Sharks in June 2019.
Karlsson missed six games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 11 for COVID-19-related
reasons, then missed 15 games from late January 22 to March 6, as he
had surgery to repair a small tear in his left forearm.
Karlsson’s six-plus week absence earlier this year had a devastating
effect on the Sharks’ offense and their playoff aspirations.
In that time, the Sharks went 3-7-5 and averaged an NHL-worst 2.00
goals per game. By the time Karlsson returned for the March 10 game in
Los Angeles, the Sharks in 15 games had fallen from a .524 points
percentage to .491.
The Sharks, prior to Tuesday, were 3-2-1 in their last six games,
including a dramatic 5-4 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights on
Sunday.
San Jose erased a 4-2 Vegas lead in the final three minutes of regulation
time, with Timo Meier scoring with 0.9 seconds left in the third period to
send the game into overtime. In the shootout, rookie center Thomas
Bordeleau was the only player for either team to score as the Sharks
snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Golden Knights.
LEONARD UPDATE: Boughner said forward John Leonard, bothered by
a deep bone bruise in his leg since he blocked a shot in an April 5 game
with Edmonton, is also unlikely to play in either of the Sharks’ final two
games. Boughner said Leonard skated Monday but was still unable to
put much weight on his leg.
MEGNA’S STATUS: Sharks defenseman Jaycob Megna was happy to
hear the vote of confidence that Boughner gave him after the Sharks’
victory over the Golden Knights.
Asked if the Sharks should re-sign Megna, a pending unrestricted free
agent, Boughner gave a full-throated endorsement saying, “he’s come up
and he looks like he’s played in this league for 10 years, and that’s not
just because of tonight’s game. He has just been a rock for us back
there.
“People don’t know how hard he’s fought through injuries, playing hurt,
playing injured almost for the whole second half of the season. For me, a
guy that absolutely 1,000%, he needs to be back here and he needs to
be part of this.”
Prior to Tuesday, Megna had averaged 19:02 of ice time in 41 games
with the Sharks this season. He had played 43 NHL games from 2016 to
2019 with the Ducks.
“I’ve made no secret that I’d like to come back here,” Megna said
Tuesday. “To hear it from a guy that I work with every day and he’s in the
room and on the ice, it means a lot to have the trust of your teammates
and your coaches. It’s definitely nice to hear.”
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242929 San Jose Sharks
Bordeleau developing quickly but has plenty to learn
Sheng Peng
Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports
California's Sharks coverage for the 2021-22 season. You can read more
of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose
Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
Thomas Bordeleau’s capacity for the spectacular is obvious.
From the shootout winner, snapping the San Jose Sharks’ 11-game
losing streak to the Vegas Golden Knights…
…to an innocent-looking neutral zone entry, Bordeleau is a threat to
conjure up magic at any moment.
But let’s be real too: A couple HIGHLIGHT in all caps plays does not a
playoff-caliber center make. That’s the standard, right?
That’s where the San Jose Sharks want to get back to next year?
So let’s focus on one particular play, part of a larger sequence where
Bordeleau and his linemates Noah Gregor and Rudolfs Balcers were
pinned in their zone by the Golden Knights for almost a minute.
I spoke with an NHL scout — a different scout than the one who called
Bordeleau’s second NHL game “average overall” — who pointed out
probably the rookie’s biggest mistake in this sequence:
Bordeleau (23) makes a blind backhand rim, presumably for Balcers (92),
that’s easily picked off by William Karlsson (71).
Read full article on San Jose Hockey Now
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242930 San Jose Sharks
Meet the Sharks’ unofficial team barber: ‘He’s honestly like one of the
boys’
Corey Masisak
There were significant restrictions and protocols for NHL players to follow
last season as the league tried to play through a pandemic.
For part of the season, players were not allowed to leave the team hotel
during road trips unless it was to go to practice or the arena. Regular
testing, social distancing when possible, meals in the hotel or delivered to
them. It was far from what everyone considered “normal” before COVID-
19.
There were certain things that players just couldn’t do. One such thing
that was taken for granted before March 2020?
Getting a haircut.
Midway through the 2020-21 season, some of the Sharks noticed they
were starting to look pretty shaggy. Restrictions were loosened a bit and
there was a way for the players, with some protocols to follow, to get a
fresh cut. First, they needed a barber to test negative for COVID-19.
Then, they had to find a place outdoors to get together, with everyone
wearing masks.
Logan Couture offered to host everyone at his place who wanted a cut.
Timo Meier knew just the guy.
Enter Cameron Tooyserkani, who is now known as the unofficial team
barber for the Sharks.
“Timo texted me on my birthday,” Tooyserkani said. “He was like, ‘Happy
Birthday. Quick question — me and the boys all need haircuts. We can’t
get cut by anyone who hasn’t been tested for COVID. Could you get
tested and come cut all the boys’ hair at Couture’s house?’ I was like
man, this is the best birthday gift ever.”
Accounts of that day varied, but the most popular answer was that nine
Sharks players got their cut by Tooyserkani at Couture’s house. He had
cut hair for a few Sharks players before that, but that was a good day for
securing future business.
“I said he could do it at my house, because no one had a haircut in like
four months,” Couture said. “We got him set up, and I think he cut nine
guys’ hair that day. I think from there, even more guys built a relationship
with him. And guys have kept going to him since. The guys enjoy it.”
Tooyserkani grew up in Saratoga, Calif. His family has had Sharks
season tickets his entire life. His dad got them when the team first moved
from the Cow Palace to San Jose.
He was cutting hair in his parents’ basement when a message from a
hairstylist in Sweden changed everything.
“She was like, ‘I’ve been following you for a while. I love your work.
Would it be all right if I sent you one of my clients? He’s moving to San
Jose to play for the Sharks. Would you mind taking him?” Tooyserkani
said. “Being a lifelong Sharks fan, I was obviously super, super excited
about it.
The client was Marcus Sorensen, who became his first regular from the
team before he started to really grow his hair longer. Sorensen and Julius
Bergman of the Barracuda came to his parents’ house in 2016. That was
the year Meier joined the team, and he’s been the longest-running
patron.
Meier and Nikolay Goldobin went together the first time. Then
Tooyserkani received a hard lesson about the business of pro sports
shortly after.
“Goldobin came through with Timo and he was like over-the-top excited
about his cut. Like, he loved it,” Tooyserkani said. “And he was like, ‘I’m
going to come back every few weeks. I love this.’ And of course, I was
excited. Then, the next day I’m in line at Safeway and I get a text from a
buddy that I’m in a group chat with that is like, ‘Dude, I’m so sorry.’ Then
there’s an article in the group chat that says Goldobin had been traded to
Vancouver. It was literally the next day. That was pretty brutal.”
Tooyserkani picked up other Sharks clients over the past few years. He
also cuts hair for some 49ers, most regularly or notably Mike
McGlinchey, players from the Earthquakes and a few local basketball
players and coaches as well. He has had a similar setup with the 49ers
to the day at Couture’s house, where he and a former co-worker at
Paradox Barbers went to the team’s hotel during training camp and
“chopped up a bunch of guys.”
Now he does most of his work from his loft in Santa Clara. It’s become a
place that some Sharks players just enjoy hanging out at, a more private
version of a local barbershop.
“He’s a great guy,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “When we go
over there, we’re usually there for quite a while because we like to chit
chat and get a good haircut. Sometimes he’ll throw on a movie. It was
‘Tropic Thunder’ the last time I was there. It’s always pretty fun. He keeps
it entertaining.”
Added Couture: “We talk about tons of shit. Just a normal thing during a
haircut. It’s nice. He does it inside his apartment, so you’re not out in
public. It’s more of a private thing. We talk a lot about the Sharks. He’s
been a Sharks fan for life. He’s a little bit younger than me, so he grew
up basically remembering the same things because I experienced him
and he watched them, so it’s cool to just go and talk about old games.”
A brief and haphazardly conducted poll of players who visit Tooyserkani
these days earned Ferraro the designation of best hair on the team.
“I like when Mario does that,” Noah Gregor said when shown the
Instagram post above. “His hair is getting a little longer now. I liked that
one. He kind of looked like a younger (Patrick) Mahomes there.”
“That looks great. That guy looks mint,” Ferraro said when shown the
same photo. “Great, great job there. Looks unreal. That was the first time
for me. He gave me a nice cut. I had a nice mohawk going. I’m pretty
careless with my hair, so I was thankful for last year during the COVID
season. It was necessary.”
What is the expert’s opinion?
“For hair that cooperates the best with me, I’d say Matt Nieto,”
Tooyserkani said. “For favorite style, it would probably be Mario. The
thing with Mario is sometimes he comes to me like every other cut. He’ll
go to someone else back home or just have one of his family members
do it and he’ll text me and be like, ‘Bro, Cam I got messed up.’ I’m here to
pick up the pieces sometimes. But Mario has great hair.”
Gregor keeps his hair shorter now, but he also let it ride for a while during
the season and had some flow going.
“That was after I had the long hair,” Gregor said. “That was just
something fun after the season was over. I don’t know if I can go back to
that one. That’s probably the best cut he’s ever done but I don’t get it too
often. That was probably a one-time thing.
“I think we all know who takes care of the boys. If you see someone
looking a little … their hair is out of place, you might say, ‘Better send
Cam a text so he can take care of you.’ ”
It’s been a beneficial situation for Tooyserkani’s business, but there’s
more to it than just some new, albeit high-profile, customers. Several
Sharks players said their friendship with their barber extends beyond the
chair in Santa Clara. Some of them have met up with him for drinks after
games or on off days.
“It’s a notorious thing that people think the Canadians are just super nice,
genuine, down to earth people. It’s been like that almost all the way
through with all of the Sharks guys,” Tooyserkani said. “I’ve cut hair for
some of the 49ers, some of the Earthquakes. You’d be surprised at some
of the egos. Some of them have been very, very cool as well. But others
can be standoffish or not very open or don’t want to talk at all while
they’re getting cut. Which is fine. But every single one of the Sharks
players, I mean, I think of them as friends at this point. I hope they do as
well. A lot of them have met my girlfriend and I’ve met their girlfriends
and wives.
“It is pretty cool. You do hear some inside scoops from time to time. A lot
of the guys, I mean, other than their wives or girlfriends or buddies from
back home or guys on the team, they don’t have a lot of people to just
talk about things with here. When one of them is in the chair, we get the
conversation flowing and it can lead to some pretty cool discussions. It’s
pretty sweet.”
Tooyserkani is an avid golfer, and getting to tee it up with some Sharks
players is on his to-do list.
“(Couture) scares me a little bit with some of the scores he says he’s
getting,” he said. “They all have pretty crazy schedules. I saw that, I think
it was (Couture), Noah Gregor and Mike McGlinchey all went for a round
of golf. It’s pretty cool to see your clients from different sports playing golf
together.”
Jake Middleton was the latest client to get traded, and Tooyserkani has
lost a couple others since last season like Martin Jones and Ryan
Donato. But given that Anthony Beauvillier of the Islanders stopped by for
a fresh cut when his team was in town in late February, the word might
be getting out about his work.
“He’s a perfectionist for sure,” Nieto said. “He takes his time. When you
go to see him, you’re mostly just talking and chatting so the time goes by
pretty fast. He’s really good at what he does.
“He’s honestly like one of the boys. I think if you put him in the locker
room, he’d fit right in. He’s a cool guy.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242931 San Jose Sharks
Sharks Will Finish Below .500 This Year, Lose 5-2 | San Jose Hockey
Now
By Sheng Peng
The San Jose Sharks welcome the Anaheim Ducks into SAP Center for
the last home game of the year. Brent Burns and Scott Reedy scored,
but Anaheim topped San Jose 5-2 in the race for lottery balls. With the
loss and just two games left, the Sharks have no chance to finish at .500
this season.
Period 1
Meloche starts off the game doing a nice job taking out Lundestrom in
the corner. Best of what he can do defensively, rangy. Then Gregor with
soft, perfect lead pass that Balcers smashes off the crossbar.
2 in: Bordeleau does well to get a shot off there, Shattenkirk draped over
him, on partial break.
Zegras goal: What a perfectly-placed shot. Got stuck top of the net, wow.
We couldn’t even tell that he scored, nobody could except for Zegras.
Feels like the Bordeleau line has had a good chance on every shift so far
tonight
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 27, 2022
7 in: Bordeleau forces a center ice turnover, sets up Gregor for the one-
timer.
Terry goal (?): San Jose Sharks get a reprieve with no goal call, they
haven’t play badly, but almost down 2-0. Maybe Bonino tied up Terry’s
stick last second to force a kick.
Sorry watching Vegas-Dallas — what a pass by Mark Stone to William
Karlsson with a minute left in regulation.
Sharks 8-2 Slot Shots at ES per SPORTLOGiQ, 5-2 High-Danger at 5v5
per Natural Stat Trick. One of those periods.
Period 2
2 in: Comotis just overpowers Merkley up high to win the puck.
Comtois goal: Ugliness all around. PP seconds dying, do not like Meier
agitating for offense, stationary stand-up against the wall. Shattenkirk
blows by him, and maybe San Jose Sharks could’ve had numbers, Hertl
might’ve caught trailer Shattenkirk, but Merkley tries to play the pass
high, leaving Comtois low uncovered.
Milano goal: Kahkonen looks surprised by backhand. It’s a good shot, but
he’s gotta have that.
9 in: Great individual play by Chmelevski. Keeps it from Ducks, tight rope
up high, then circling back, hits Balcers open in slot for a dangerous
deflection.
That's first power play point of Bordeleau's career
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 27, 2022
Also for Burns, double-digit goals. It would’ve been his first time in an 82-
game season since 2009-10 that he hadn’t scored 10-plus.
Jaycob Megna doing his best imitation of Brent Burns there, nice shot-
pass
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 27, 2022
Also on the Reedy goal: Chmelevski first on forecheck against an, uh,
perhaps checked out Shattenkirk. Sasha got in front of him with complete
ease. But credit where credit is due, first in, deserves an assist. Good
hands by Reedy on the deflection.
Kind of a reversal of the first, Ducks were better at 5-on-5, but it’s the
Sharks who got more on the scoreboard. San Jose still down a goal.
Period 3
Sparse #SJSharks crowd still knows when to cheer for a big #VegasBorn
loss pic.twitter.com/0Q3zA4XNOi
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 27, 2022
2 in: I like Chmelevski moving puck forward there, as opposed to Meier.
But then Sasha gets knocked down by Drysdale high — maybe just off
balance?
Wish Nieto had some finish: His line — and Nieto has been a big part of
it with his speed and tenacity — has created a lot tonight. But a big goal
eludes them.
Two posts on same shift: Gadjovich then Burns. Then Gadj steps up on
Hunter Drew, who had blasted Gregor. Drew’s first NHL game, good
scrap.
8 in: Nifty Bordeleau one-touch pass to Gregor.
Mahura goal: Mahura beats Bonino up the ice, Couture probably got to
do a better job of watching the center lane too. Maybe wanted a save
from Kahkonen there too.
Welcome to your new home for San Jose Sharks breaking news,
analysis and opinion. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and don't
forget to subscribe to SJHN+ for all of our members-only content from
Sheng Peng and the National Hockey Now network plus an ad-free
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San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242932 San Jose Sharks
Slow the Bordeleau Hype, What Might Barabanov's Contract Ask Be? |
San Jose Hockey Now
By Sheng Peng
Check out my “Sharks Pregame Live” hit!
.@Sheng_Peng breaks down the terms of Barabanov's possible contract
with the Sharks pic.twitter.com/bRZGQtgjLX
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) April 27, 2022
Sheng Peng: With Tomas Hertl re-signed, it looks like Alexander
Barabanov is the San Jose Sharks’ big unrestricted free agent this off-
season.
But that might not last long: I’m told that the Sharks and Barabanov’s
camp will be meeting soon, maybe as soon as this week.
The 27-year-old has been a revelation since the Sharks acquired him last
Trade Deadline, he has 46 points in 76 games as a Shark.
But what complicates his contract negotiations is that he’s played under
100 NHL games. Most of his pro experience has been in the KHL. So
he’s still seen as having something to prove in the NHL.
I’m hearing his contract ask might come in at two years, $2 to $3 million
annual average or maybe three years, about $3.5 million AAV. Maybe
lower.
We’ll have a better idea after the Sharks and Barabanov’s camp talk.
Speaking of another forward that should figure big time in the San Jose
Sharks’ future, let’s talk about Thomas Bordeleau.
Bordeleau has been a highlight machine since his NHL debut last week
But let’s slow the hype train for the 20-year-old. Let’s not expect too
much from him too soon.
The truth is, there are a lot of details to winning hockey. Small plays, not
the highlight ones.
I talked to different NHL scouts, one who watched the Columbus game
where Bordeleau hit Balcers with that incredible pass, another who
watched the Vegas shootout win. Both called Bordeleau performances in
those games, besides the highlights, “average.”
That’s not an attack on Bordeleau: He’s been amazing. He’s a 20-year-
old right out of college who’s hanging, in an elevated role, against the
best hockey players in the world. The San Jose Sharks couldn’t ask for
anything more from their 2020 second-round pick’s NHL debut.
But let’s also not put the cart before the horse. He still has a lot to learn
before he’s a reliable part on a winning team. And that’s OK.
Welcome to your new home for San Jose Sharks breaking news,
analysis and opinion. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and don't
forget to subscribe to SJHN+ for all of our members-only content from
Sheng Peng and the National Hockey Now network plus an ad-free
browsing experience.
San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242933 San Jose Sharks
Preview/Lines #80: Burns Named Sharks’ Masterton Nominee | San Jose
Hockey Now
By Sheng Peng
The San Jose chapter of the PHWA has selected Brent Burns as our
2022 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee.
The Masterton Trophy is awarded to the player who, according to the
NHL, “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and
dedication to ice hockey. It is named after Bill Masterton, the only player
in NHL history to die as a direct result of injuries suffered during a game.”
Each PHWA chapter in every NHL city nominates a candidate – here’s all
32. The winner of the Masterton Trophy, as voted on by the PHWA, will
be announced between Games 3 & 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
This is the unedited text of what I wrote in support of Brent Burns:
In every way, Brent Burns exemplifies the “perseverance, sportsmanship,
and dedication to ice hockey” that represents the Masterton Trophy.
Burns, in his age-36 season, is on pace this season to play over 2,120
minutes, which would put him in the top-five of most-played defensemen
for 36-plus blueliners since the NHL started officially tracking ice time in
1998-99.
The top-five, by the way, consists of Ray Bourque (twice), Nicklas
Lidstrom, Al MacInnis, and Scott Niedermayer. So that’s hallowed
company Burns is set to join.
Burns’s commitment to being in the best possible shape is legendary,
and one of reasons why former Sharks GM Doug Wilson was
comfortable giving the then 31-year-old Burns an eight-year maximum
contract in Nov. 2016.
Since then, Brent Burns has won the 2017 Norris Trophy, was a finalist
for the 2019 Norris, and has led the Sharks in ice time in every season,
including this year, of his maximum deal.
“The one thing I love about Burns is that he comes to the rink every day,
ready to attack the day, and he approaches games like that, practices
like that, workouts like that. It’s a great example for young guys that are
coming into the league. Just a guy that loves the game,” Sharks head
coach and long-time NHL’er Bob Boughner said. “You talk about
dedication. That’s the one word that stands out for me. He dedicates
himself on and off the ice to be a good pro.
“He’s one of the hardest-working guys I’ve ever dealt with.”
San Jose Sharks (32-35-12)
Projected lines for the #SJSharks in their last home game of the season.
Gajovich in for Weatherby
Big Kahk in net. pic.twitter.com/7G58WMbV8y
— The Content Boyz (@LockedOnSharks) April 26, 2022
No surprise, Boughner says Karlsson’s season is likely over, noting he’s
not even skating yet
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 26, 2022
John Leonard likely done for the season as well. Got to be frustrating for
a young guy who has a lot to prove, and wants to prove it. Boughner
says Leonard tried to take the ice yday in a tracksuit: "It's still not to the
point where he could put a ton of pressure on that leg."
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 26, 2022
Anaheim Ducks (30-36-14)
The Ducks begin life without Ryan Getzlaf, who played his last NHL
game on Sunday. The long-time San Jose Sharks rival ends his NHL
career, all with the Ducks, with 1,019 points and a 2007 Stanley Cup ring.
Getzlaf did not travel with the team to San Jose.
It's Shark Night in SJ! https://t.co/fyFBt295PE
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 26, 2022
Where to Watch
Puck drop between the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks is at
7:30 PM PT at SAP Center. Watch it live on NBC Sports California.
Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.
San Jose Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242934 Seattle Kraken
Kraken finish first season series winless against Vancouver
Staff
VANCOUVER, B.C. — There’s still hope this Pacific Northwest
showdown between the Kraken and Vancouver Canucks will eventually
blossom into one of the league’s bigger rivalries.
But before that can happen, the Kraken will actually need to beat their
cross-border opponent, something that won’t happen this season after a
5-2 loss to the Canucks on Tuesday night at Rogers Arena. This fourth
installment of what’s been a one-sided beatdown thus far saw the
Canucks score twice on their first four shots before the game was four
minutes old, then add a third goal to dig a first intermission hole the
Kraken couldn’t climb out of.
“It was very uncharacteristic of us,” Kraken forward Jared McCann said
of the slow start in which his team was being outshot 12-1 by the time the
third goal went in. “Obviously, they’re a good team and we’ve been plying
pretty well as of late. We’re just going to try to move past this one.”
And move past the start to a rivalry that’s been less Sharks vs. Jets and
more Sharks vs. Baby Seals. In winning all four games between them,
the Canucks outscored the Kraken 19-8.
McCann and his teammates managed to make a game of this one in the
second period, courtesy of a pair of 5-on-3 power-play advantages only
minutes apart. Kraken coach Dave Hakstol went with a five-forward
power play unit and told his team to press for as many scoring chances
as possible.
They certainly did that, finally scoring on the second of the two-man
advantages just as one of the penalties was expiring. McCann started off
a nice three-way passing play that saw Matty Beniers feed the puck to
Jordan Eberle for a one-timer past goalie Spencer Martin to get the
Kraken on the board at 4:49 of the middle frame.
Then, before the period was half done, Morgan Geekie went top shelf on
Martin to narrow the lead to just a goal. The Canucks had learned right at
the period’s outset that they’d been eliminated from playoff contention
courtesy of a Dallas shootout win over Vegas and their focus seemed to
drop off accordingly.
They took a slew of minor penalties — five in a row and seven of eight at
one point — after their third goal and allowed the Kraken to regain
momentum. From the time of the third Vancouver goal to Geekie scoring,
the Kraken outshot the Canucks 19-1 overall and 16-2 in the middle
period.
But they couldn’t get any more past Martin, who stopped 30 of 32 shots
in the game. McCann had a team-high six of those shots, five of them on
the power play.
“Obviously, he made some good saves,” McCann said of Martin, a recent
AHL callup on an emergency basis with regular netminders Jaroslav
Halak and Thatcher Demko both injured. “He’s a good goalie. I just tried
to get the puck through as much as possible. Sometimes it goes in and
sometimes it doesn’t.”
The Canucks restored the multi-goal lead late in the third period when
Kraken goalie Joey Daccord misplayed a Matthew Highmore shot and
had the puck bounce behind him where Luke Schenn slammed it home
with 6:50 to go. Then, Quinn Hughes finished things on a 3-on-1 rush
minutes later to close out the scoring.
The Kraken had started their own AHL netminder in Daccord as a reward
of sorts for his strong season with their Charlotte, North Carolina affiliate
— which has a playoff round bye. The idea was also to give Daccord
some playing time ahead of his upcoming playoffs and he sure got some
work early as the Canucks came at the Kraken in waves.
A Carson Soucy turnover in the neutral zone led to a 3-on-1 break that
Sheldon Dries finished with a short side wrist shot. Less than a minute
later, J.T. Miller took a drop pass in the high slot and buried a slap shot
behind Daccord.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson then rifled home a slap shot through traffic on the
power play to make it a 3-0 game.
But after the rocky start, Daccord held firm from there and gave the
Kraken a chance to get back in it.
“I thought the team in the second period really came out ready to go,”
Daccord said. “We got a lot of power plays but we earned those power
plays, you know what I mean?”
Hakstol was pleased his squad shook off the uncharacteristic “sleepy
start” to their game.
“After the start that we had, sometimes you wonder if we can get going
— get the legs going — but we did,” he said. “And by far, we had enough
chances to get back even.”
Hakstol had been asked before the game about what it will take to get
this rivalry going a bit more intensely.
“Rivalries start in the playoffs,” he said. “That’s really the bottom line. I
mean, they can start over the regular season but we’re so new into it.
Ultimately, over time when you get into some heated battles in the
regular season leading into playoff time. That’s ultimately what decides
rivalries.”
That’s got a lot of truth to it. But to get to the playoffs, the Kraken first
must win more regular season games — especially in their own division.
And some in the Pacific Northwest would be a good place to start.
Seattle Times LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242935 Seattle Kraken
The top moments of the Kraken’s inaugural season
Staff
VANCOUVER, B.C. — For better or worse, with much of it being the
latter, the Kraken are about to finish making memories from their debut
NHL season.
Yes, they’ve produced mostly dismal results expected from a typical
expansion squad. No, they were not expected to. It has nothing to do
with unrealistic expectations after the Vegas Golden Knights made the
Stanley Cup Final their expansion season. It has everything to do with
the Kraken themselves expecting closer to a .500 season given the
advantageous rules they had in picking players compared with expansion
teams of yesteryear.
Anyhow, the first season is nearly over, and it should not surprise that
many of the on-ice highlights have come the past six weeks, when they
finally began playing at the .500 pace initially expected.
Beniers lives up to the hype
And within that stretch, rookie forward Matty Beniers notching points in
his first five NHL games rates as the most defining individual
achievement. Beniers is supposed to be a huge part of that future, and
his five points in five games weren’t exactly collected the easy way with
secondary assists.
No, three of the points came off goals scored in very different ways: One
off a rebound, another off an instinctive redirection of a shot from the
point and finally a third off a pinpoint wrist shot that picked the corner
against one of the league’s better netminders in Marc-Andre Fleury.
Beniers technically fell a game shy of the NHL record for points in
consecutive games by a first-year player on an expansion team. In
reality, there was nothing “first year” or “expansion” about the two record
holders in front of him or the team they played for.
Back in 1979-80, the major professional World Hockey Association —
packed with former NHL All-Stars — ceased operation after seven years
of being a thorn in the NHL’s side. It was all about money; the WHA
throwing it around the way the Kraken players sometimes turn the puck
over and the NHL clinging to it in a death grip. There was nothing minor
league about the WHA. It’s just where good players that wanted to be
paid and didn’t mind being blacklisted by the NHL wound up going.
So when the WHA ran out of money, its four best franchises —
Edmonton, Hartford, Quebec and Winnipeg — joined the NHL. There
was an expansion draft held to fortify the four teams’ rosters, but many of
the same players already with those franchises stayed on in making the
NHL jump.
In Edmonton’s case, Wayne Gretzky had played with both the Oilers and
the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA the season before the merger. His
winger, a guy named Brett Callighen, had played three seasons with the
Oilers.
So when they recorded points in their first six games of the 1979-80
season, they set the standard for first-year NHL players on expansion
teams that Beniers just nearly eclipsed.
But Gretzky’s and Callighen’s “first” NHL season was nothing like a 19-
year-old Beniers leaping to the NHL straight out of the University of
Michigan. And his points streak came with the Kraken, a team that,
favorable rules notwithstanding, was indeed built in traditional expansion
team style with zero player holdovers from previous seasons.
McCann exceeds expectations
Next on the individual achievement list would be Jared McCann scoring
26 goals and earning a five-year, $25 million contract extension.
Entering the season, there were all kinds of thoughts about players who
might top the 20-goal mark. McCann was never foremost in those, and
yet here he is leading the team. He had 21 of those goals by Feb. 21, so
the pace has slowed. But it doesn’t take away from what he’s done.
An impressive stretch
As for excellent team stretches, it’s tough to beat what the Kraken did in
defeating the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes in
consecutive November contests and then beating the Florida Panthers
on the road a few nights later.
Back then, the Kraken were still clinging to hope of getting back into the
playoff discussion. So those games mattered more than anything done
once the postseason was rendered an impossible dream.
Top plays
On individual “plays of the year” a handful come to mind. Who can forget
Brandon Tanev racing the length of the ice with Rasmus Dahlen draped
all over him to score a short-handed goal in Buffalo?
Tanev had also scored a pretty goal in Columbus during the season’s
opening week, blowing past a defender and putting several dekes on the
goalie before scoring. He was shaping up to be a Kraken success story,
going from bottom-six forward to most popular player in a two-month
span before a knee injury ended his campaign.
The next most outstanding play was probably Alex Wennberg faking a
shot, racing around defender Jake McCabe and deking out the goalie in
Chicago three weeks ago for an eventual game-winning goal.
Also up there was Daniel Sprong’s effort in Los Angeles a month back,
picking up a puck in the neutral zone and outracing flat-footed defenders
down the right side to score.
For the defensive play of the season, Adam Larsson has been solid all
the way through and saved a couple of pucks from crossing the goal line.
But a leg save in February off Johnny Gaudreau firing toward what
appeared to be an open net in Calgary rates as his best.
Most memorable victory?
As far as top victories, there was the aforementioned win over Florida in
November and again in Seattle in February when the Panthers had
established themselves as a serious Stanley Cup threat. There was also
the team’s first shutout in a 3-0 victory at the New York Islanders in
February. And last week’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, who,
despite missing several top players, are still a perennial threat on any
night.
All told, I’d go with a 6-1 victory over the Kings in Los Angeles a month
ago, which was just an all-around team effort with actual execution in all
aspects of the game — especially goal-scoring.
The ability of the Kraken to beat good teams provides some optimism. So
does the arrival of Beniers as a much-needed offensive reinforcement.
The Kraken just need to get started on their season highlights a whole lot
quicker next October.
Seattle Times LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242936 Seattle Kraken
Canucks beat Seattle Kraken, will miss playoffs 2nd straight year
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Quinn Hughes had a goal and
two assists to set a franchise record for points by a Vancouver
defenseman, and the Canucks beat the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Tuesday
night, but were eliminated from playoff contention.
Canucks 5, Seattle Kraken 2: Box Score
Dallas ensured Vancouver would miss the playoffs for a second year in a
row with a 3-2 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a goal and an assist for Vancouver, while
Sheldon Dries, J.T. Miller and Luke Schenn all scored and Conor
Garland contributed three assists. The Canucks were playing without all-
star goalie Thatcher Demko, whom coach Bruce Boudreau said had a
“little bit of an ouch.” Spencer Martin stopped 31 shots for his second
NHL win.
Jordan Eberle and Connor Geekie scored for the Kraken in a penalty-
filled second period. Joey Daccord made 22 saves for Seattle, who lost
their third straight.
we're *geeking* out over this goal, tbh pic.twitter.com/7Q7txuJdTU
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) April 27, 2022
Hughes capped his milestone night with a goal with four minutes left in
the third. Garland sliced a pass across the slot to Hughes who tapped it
in for his eighth goal of the season and his 66th point.
Hughes has 64 points, passing a mark set by Doug Lidster in 1986-87.
Hughes on Saturday set a franchise record for assists by a defenseman
with 56.
A lucky bounce helped the Canucks put away their fourth goal of the
night.
Daccord stopped a shot in tight from Matthew Highmore, but saw the
puck bounce off his stick and up over his head, landing in the crease
behind him. Schenn knocked it in over the goal line 13:08 into the third to
make it 4-2.
Vancouver took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission but struggled to
protect the lead. The home side was outshot 26-14 across the second
and third periods.
Penalties dismantled the Canucks’ game in the second. Vancouver was
called for five separate infractions and had to weather three minutes and
42 seconds of five-on-three play.
The Kraken cut the deficit to a single goal 9:12 into the second. Riley
Sheahan dished a puck to Geekie from along the end boards and the
forward sent a shot up and over Martin’s glove to make it 3-2.
Seattle got on the board with a power-play tally 4:59 into the period after
Brad Richardson was called for tripping.
Eberle sent a shot into the top corner from in tight for his 20th goal in a
Kraken jersey.
Vancouver was 1 for 3 with the man advantage Tuesday and Seattle
went 1 for 8.
Ekman-Larsson gave the Canucks a 3-0 advantage with a power-play
goal midway through the first after Carson Soucy was called for cross-
checking.
NOTES
Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn missed the game and is listed as day-
to-day with an upper-body injury. … Kraken right-winger Daniel Sprong
played his 200th NHL regular-season game. … The Canucks, playing
their first game in Vancouver since the death of Guy Lafleur on Friday,
played a video tribute for the hockey legend.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Host Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Canucks: Host Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
MYNORTHWEST.COM LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242937 St Louis Blues
Blues rally falls short, point streak ends in Colorado
Jim Thomas
DENVER – First things first. It was one heck of a late-season run by the
Blues.
A franchise-record 16-game point streak (14-02) that dated all the way
back to the end of March.
Plus a 10-game road point streak (9-0-1) that stretched back nearly a
week earlier into March, one that included seven consecutive road
victories – tied for the longest in the NHL this season.
Colorado, once again the best in the West during the regular season, put
an end to all that with a 5-3 win Tuesday at Ball Arena.
But for the Blues and their fans it was fun while it lasted. A lot of fun.
“It was great,” coach Craig Berube said. “The guys played tremendous
hockey in that span, did a lot of good things. We were solid in all areas of
the game I thought, from the goaltender out. Special teams were good –
power play was producing and the penalty kill was excellent.
“And we scored enough goals to win – most games. We have the ability
to score goals. And it was a great run.”
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Until Tuesday, that is. Minus David Perron, Brayden Schenn and Robert
Bortuzzo in the lineup due to injuries, the Blues played the Avalanche
evenly in the first period, unraveled in the second period, and then made
things very interesting in the third thanks to a couple of late goals by
Ryan O’Reilly.
“We were close here tonight,” Berube said. “Didn’t have a very good
second period. We didn’t move our feet (in the second). We just let them
possess the puck and make plays. We were kind of standing around and
watching too much.
“You don’t get in the offensive zone and you’re just kind of on your heels
for the period.”
The middle period looked very reminiscent of the first-round playoff
series with Colorado last season, in which the Blues were swept 4 games
to 0, and outscored 20-7.
Two of the Avalanche’s three second-period goals came from distance
with traffic in front of the net, and two came from members of a D-corps
that leads the NHL with 63 goals by defensemen.
Trailing 3-1 entering the third period after a power play goal by Brandon
Saad late in the second, the worst possible thing happened to begin the
final 20 minutes. Colorado, playing without Gabriel Landeskog (knee)
and Mikko Rantanen (non-COVID illness), scored just nine seconds in to
take a 4-1 lead.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a killer for us,” said defenseman Torey Krug, back in
the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury.
It was a disaster on several fronts. The Avs won the faceoff to open the
period, with the puck heading down towards the St. Louis goal. After a
poor clearing attempt by Jordan Binnington, Valeri Nichuskin beat Nick
Leddy for the puck behind the St. Louis goal, and then dished to Artturi
Lehkonen – who got in front of Saad, net front – for the goal.
“It can’t happen,” said Berube with a mixture of exasperation and disgust.
“It was deflating,” said O’Reilly. “But I thought we did a good job of just
kind of keeping going, sticking with it. And we did have a chance to tie it
up there at the end.”
The Blues managed to make a game of it when O’Reilly scored his 18th
and 19th goals of the season in a 64-second span with 4:15 and then
3:11 to play.
“Honestly, one was just lucky,” O’Reilly said, with his typical modesty.
“And the other one, ‘Buch’ (Pavel Buchnevich) made an unbelievable
play to me. . . .I thought I had plenty of shots, didn’t shoot the puck very
well at all. I had the game on my stick there a couple times.”
On a night when Robert Thomas’ point streak ended at 17 games and
Vladimir Tarasenko’s ended at 10, O’Reilly said goodbye to a goal-
scoring drought that had gone 10 games.
But it was a case of too little, too late. Even so, the late rally once again
showed the team’s tenacity, which could come in handy next week when
the postseason begins against Minnesota.
“At some point in the playoffs we’re gonna be down a couple goals late,”
Krug said. “Resiliency and competitiveness by the group is important. It
gives us confidence moving forward that we can score and get ourselves
back in a game.”
The Blues missed out on a chance to take over second place in the
Central Division, because Minnesota was upset by Arizona 5-3 at home,
certainly an unexpected result given how well the Wild have been playing
down the stretch.
“I didn’t know (Minnesota lost),” Krug said. “I was just trying to focus on
ourselves. We’re confident no matter what happens here moving
forward.”
The Blues are 49-21-11 for 109 points with just Friday’s regular-season
finale against the Vegas Golden Knights remaining at Enterprise Center.
Minnesota, 51-22-7 – also for 109 points – has two games left. The Wild
play Thursday against Calgary and Friday against Colorado, with both
games at home.
“We want to get the home ice advantage, obviously, but more importantly
we want to win a hockey game (against Vegas) and win a hockey game
the right way,” O’Reilly said. “That’ll be our focus.”
Of immediate concern to Berube was a mounting injury list. Defenseman
Marco Scandella didn’t play the last 11 minutes-plus of Tuesday’s game
with a lower-body injury.
Because of the absence of Schenn and Perron, the Blues played with
fewer than 12 forwards for the 15th time this season. The Blues have
done well when playing short on forwards, going 8-4-3 under those
circumstances, but it’s something Berube would like to avoid.
When asked if holding players out was precautionary with the playoffs
just around the corner. Or if the injuries were a concern, Berube said:
“Both. Both.”
But Berube expects Perron, Schenn and Bortuzzo to play against Vegas.
He said Scandella probably won’t be available.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242938 St Louis Blues
Blues notebook: This time, Walker intent on sticking around
Jim Thomas
DENVER — Nathan Walker has achieved some elusive, yet hard-earned
staying power with the Blues.
Tuesday’s game with the Colorado Avalanche marked his 20th
consecutive game since his latest callup from the American Hockey
League on March 22. Twenty games in a row may not seem like much
for some.
But for Walker, who turned 28 in February, it’s a bit of a toehold. After all,
he had played in only 25 NHL games prior to this season. What’s been
the difference between this and all those other callups that ended with
him being sent back to the minors?
“I think consistency,” said the Australian. “I think on different occasions
I’d get called up, play a couple good games here and there and then kind
of lose that ‘jam,’ if you will. I think I’ve been able to be a little more
consistent this year and kind of bring it each game. And I think that’s
been helping me a lot this year.”
Entering Tuesday’s game, Walker had eight goals and four assists in 28
total games for the season with the Blues. Remember that hat trick on
Dec. 9 against Detroit?
That was the first game of the first of three callups for him this season
from the Springfield Thunderbirds.
For Walker, that consistency has been a product of a better mindset this
time around.
“Not saying I didn’t care or anything when I got called up last time, but I
think just being a little more experienced in that department,” he said. “I
think it definitely helps.”
As a result, it looks like Walker will see playoff action next week for the
Blues against Minnesota as part of the team’s fourth line. NHL
postseason hockey won’t be a first for Walker — just a second.
He played in one postseason game with the Washington Capitals during
the 2017-18 season, and had an assist.
“It’s gonna be exciting,” Walker said. “You play hockey to win, and you
don’t win by not playing in the playoffs. So it’s gonna be really exciting for
sure.”
Most of the Blues’ fourth-liners are sparse on NHL experience. But coach
Craig Berube doesn’t sound concerned come playoff time.
“Those guys that don’t have a lot of experience — you talk like (Logan)
Brown, Walker, (Alexei) Toropchenko — I get it,” Berube said. “But it’s
just their hard work and relentlessness out there that’s gonna make them
good players for us.”
Besides, come playoff time the oldest player on the Blues’ roster — 36-
year-old Tyler Bozak — could be centering the fourth line. Bozak
centered the third line on Tuesday, with Brayden Schenn out for the third
game in a row with an upper-body injury.
Krug in, Bortuzzo out
After missing three games with an upper-body injury, Torey Krug
returned to action Tuesday against the Avalanche. But the Blues still
didn’t have their top six defensemen back in action, because Robert
Bortuzzo sat out the game with what looks like a minor leg injury.
“He’s OK,” Berube said of Bortuzzo after the morning skate. “We’ll keep
him out tonight though.”
Bortuzzo crashed into the boards Sunday at Anaheim and was limping
after that contest. He participated in Tuesday’s morning skate and took
part in line rushes, paired with Krug.
Perron a late scratch
It’s always something. Forward David Perron was a late scratch, out with
a lower-body injury according to the team. Perron took part in the
morning skate, including duty on the power play and took line rushes with
the Ryan O’Reilly line.
But so close to the playoffs, the Blues are taking no chances, so Perron
was held out against the Avs. In his place, Jordan Kyrou moved up to the
O’Reilly line. The Blues are carrying only one extra forward, so with
Perron and Schenn out — both 20-plus goal scorers — they were down
to only 11 healthy forwards.
As a result, they played with fewer than 12 forwards for the 15th time this
season. They dressed an extra defenseman with both Niko Mikkola and
Calle Rosen seeing action.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242939 St Louis Blues
Blues Game Day: Krug in, but Schenn, Bortuzzo out
Jim Thomas
DENVER – After missing three games with an upper-body injury, Torey
Krug is back in action Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
But the Blues still won’t have their top six defensemen back in action,
because Robert Bortuzzo is sitting out tonight’s game with what looks like
a minor leg injury.
“He’s OK,” coach Craig Berube said of Bortuzzo. “We’ll keep him out
tonight though.”
In addition, forward Brayden Schenn will miss his third consecutive game
with an upper-body injury. Schenn took part in the Blues’ morning skate
at Ball Arena but did not take part in line rushes or participate on the
power play.
Tyler Bozak will take Schenn’s spot for the second game in a row,
centering the third line flanked by wingers Ivan Barbashev and Jordan
Kyrou. Berube said Schenn will play in Friday’s regular-season finale
against the Vegas Golden Knights at Enterprise Center.
Bortuzzo crashed into the boards Sunday at Anaheim and was limping
after that contest. He participated in Tuesday’s morning skate and took
part in line rushes, paired with Krug. But Berube said he will go with
either Calle Rosen or Niko Mikkola against the Avalanche instead of
Bortuzzo.
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At this point, it’s all about making sure players are playoff ready.
Been a while
In a scheduling quirk caused by the addition of an eighth team to the
Central Division (Arizona), the Blues are playing Colorado only three
times this season. Tonight marks Game 3.
The first two contests were played way back in October. After several
days of practice in Vail, Colo., the Blues opened the regular season Oct.
16 with a 5-3 win at Colorado.
The Blues took leads of 3-0 and 4-1 before the Avs made things
interesting. A disallowed Colorado goal would’ve tied the game 4-4 with
2:49 left before an empty-net goal by Ryan O’Reilly with 20 seconds left
sealed the deal.
David Perron scored twice. Schenn fought Nazem Kadri 40 seconds in –
it was payback for a Kadri shot to the head of Justin Faulk in Game 2 of
the playoffs last season – ending Faulk’s season.
The Avs were minus Nathan MacKinnon (COVID) and Gabriel
Landeskog (suspension).
Twelve days later, the teams met in St. Louis with the Avs winning 4-3,
snapping the Blues’ season-opening five-game winning streak. This time
Faulk fought Kadri just 47 seconds in, also getting a two-minute instigator
penalty and a 10-minute misconduct along with the five minutes for
fighting. So he spent 17 minutes in the box in the first period.
There was also a wild scrum near the end of the second period in that
Oct. 28 game, with Jordan Binnington getting a 10-minute misconduct
(served by Bortuzzo) for swinging his goalie stick at Kadri. All told, the
Avalanche had a 7:06 advantage in power play time in the game.
O’Reilly missed the game on the COVID list.
This time around
The Avalanche will be missing Landeskog (knee) and Mikko Rantanen
(non-COVID illness) for tonight’s game. Colorado has lost four straight,
but when asked how much stock he put in that streak, Berube replied:
“None. Zero.”
“They’re always tough. Especially at home,” Berube said. “They’ve got
some great players over there. We gotta be ready to go.”
Beyond what the Avalanche can do up front, they are the NHL’s most
dangerous offensive squad on the blueline. They have a league-best 61
goals by defensemen, led by Norris Trophy candidate Cale Makar’s 27
goals.
“Where they really expose you a lot of times is coming out of their zone,”
Berube said. “They’re so quick getting off their check and they get up the
ice, leave you behind, create odd-man rushes.
“So it’s important, you gotta be physical on ‘em as much as you can.
They’re not easy to hit, but as much as you can get a piece of ‘em, slow
‘em down a little bit. Stay above ‘em as much as you can. Because
otherwise you just get left behind.”
It’s probably too late in the regular season for this to be any kind of
measuring stick for the Blues. They know better based on last year, when
they beat the Avalanche in successive games late in the season – 5-3
and 4-1. But then three weeks later were swept by the Avalanche in the
first round of the playoffs. The Blues were outscored 20-7 in those four
playoff defeats.
“It’s gonna be a good test obviously for our group,” Colton Parayko said.
“But I think at this point of the season everybody wants to worry about
how they’re playing. They’re own team. You can’t really worry about
other teams at this point. You just want to make sure going into the
playoffs you’re feeling your best and playing your best.”
Binnington in goal
Binnington is scheduled to start Tuesday, in what figures to be his last
chance to impress Berube before the playoffs. He enters the contest
riding a season-long five-game winning streak, but allowed three third-
period goals in his last outing – a 5-4 overtime win Saturday at Arizona.
Over his career, Binnington has played Colorado more than any other
club. He’s 7-7-0, with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .897 save
percentage against them.
Blues’ projected lineup
Forwards
Saad-O’Reilly-Perron
Buchnevich-Thomas-Tarasenko
Barbashev-Bozak-Kyrou
Toropchenko-Brown-Walker
Defensemen
Scandella-Parayko
Leddy-Faulk
Krug-Rosen/Mikkola
Goalie
Binnington
Power play lineup
PP1: Krug-Perron-Kyrou-O’Reilly-Saad
PP2: Faulk-Thomas-Tarasenko-Buchnevich-Barbashev
Blue notes
• By defeating Anaheim 6-3 Sunday, the Blues completed the season 1-
1-1 against the Ducks. They currently have sub-.500 records against only
four teams: Carolina (0-2-0), Pittsburgh (0-1-1), New Jersey (0-1-0) and
Winnipeg (1-2-1). The Blues are 1-1-0 against Colorado, so a regulation
loss could make it five teams.
• A victory Tuesday will make this the fourth team in Blues history to win
50 games in the regular season. The 2013-14 team won 52 games; the
2014-15 team and 1999-2000 squad both won 51 games.
• In Vladimir Tarasenko (34 goals) and Pavel Buchnevich (30), the Blues
have two 30-goal scorers in the same season for the first time since Brad
Boyes (33) and David Backes (31) in 2008-09.
• Tonight will be Faulk’s 200th game with the Blues.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242940 St Louis Blues
Gordo on the NHL: Underachieving Golden Knights reach brink of
elimination
Jeff Gordon
So this is it for the Vegas Golden Knights.
After losing a point to the also-ran San Jose Sharks in their last game –
by allowing the game-tying goal in the final second, then losing in the
shootout – the Golden Knights have their backs to the wall.
They are three points back of the Dallas Stars and four points behind the
Nashville Predators for the two Western Conference wild card slots.
All three teams have three games to play. Tonight the Golden Knights
visit Dallas, so they could fall five points back of the Stars if they lose in
regulation time.
Vegas can't let that happen.
“It's not going to be easy here these last three games,” Golden Knights
winger Max Pacioretty said. “We've got to play to the very end and give
ourselves a chance.”
This is not what the Golden Knights envisioned while circumventing the
salary cap to build a $100 million roster.
Goaltending is just one of the team’s many issues. The Golden Knights
had to turn to journeyman Logan Thompson with Robin Lehner battling
shoulder and knee injuries. Vegas finally shut down Lehner for the
season so he could undergo shoulder surgery.
Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer is doing his best to talk up
Thompson.
“He's not a young goalie,” DeBoer said. “He's not a 20-year-old. He's 25.
He's won the best goaltender in the American League. So he's been in
situations like this where you lose and you've got to bounce back the next
night. I'm not worried about him.”
Mind you, this is the team that just gave away destined Hall of Famer
Marc-Andre Fleury, who has helped the Minnesota Wild sustain their
remarkable winning clip heading into the playoffs.
Vegas is back to almost full strength up front with Pacioretty and Mark
Stone back from the injured list. But $10 million center Jack Eichel has
produced well below expectations.
The Golden Knights tried to offload winger Evgenii Dadonov at the NHL
Trade deadline to create salary cap space, but the team discovered he
had no-trade protection.
So winger Reilly Smith must be kept in long-term injured reserve storage.
Former Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo has enjoyed a solid season, but
he hasn’t exactly galvanized the Vegas defense. In other words, he has
been no Justin Faulk since leaving the Blues.
It goes without saying that DeBoer will get fired if he can’t rally his team
into the bracket and make noise in the postseason. Personnel changes
are inevitable too, given the team’s salary cap predicament.
Smith and Mattias Janmark figure to leave as unrestricted free agents
and the Golden Knights will likely try to move Dadonov again.
CANUCKS STAYED ALIVE
The Vancouver Canucks still had mathematical life in the wild card race
entering Game 80. That’s astounding, given how dead that team was (6-
14-2!) before hiring Bruce Boudreau as coach.
“Bruce gave us a new life when he got here, a new jump and fresh start,”
Canucks forward J.T. Miller said. “And ever since then, I think we took
our opportunity and decided to run with it. I'm really proud of our guys in
here. It takes a lot of care and a lot of want. And it's really easy to roll
over when you're 8-15, or whatever we were back then, and just write
this season off as a regroup-type of year. We've really done almost
everything we can to this point to show that we could compete against
the best teams in the league. It's really exciting moving forward no matter
what happens.”
That success inspired the new management team to hold off making
seismic changes. Offseason moves are coming to create more salary
cap flexibility, but Jim Rutherford and Co. must feel good about this
team’s potential to reach the playoffs last season.
The Canucks have been playing at a 105-point clip under Boudreau.
AROUND THE RINKS
The Minnesota Wild have apparently picked Fleury to lead them into the
playoffs. He will get his third consecutive start Tuesday night. Given Cam
Talbot’s play against the Blues this year and Fleury’s Cup pedigree, this
is not a shock.
This is NOT the time to suffer goaltending injuries, but the Carolina
Hurricanes lost both Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta as the season
wound down. But it appears both players could be ready for the playoffs.
If ever team needed to embark on a dramatic rebuild, it’s the Sharks. But
that team’s ownership doesn’t want to tank multiple seasons to make that
happen, which is why Tomas Hertl got an eight-year, $65 million contract.
So the team’s next general manager will face a daunting challenge. The
defensive trio of Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson will
count $26.5 million against the cap through 2025. Vlasic becomes a free
agent that earn, Burns is done in 2026 and Karlsson’s deal runs through
2027.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin dodged a serious injury with an
awkward fall. Will he be back for the playoffs? “I want to say I hope so
but again, I don't know,” Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. “It depends
on how things progress with him. So it's day-to-day right now.”
This is why teams rest their star players once their playoff fate is
determined.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242941 Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning’s White House visit ‘a long time in the making’
Eduardo A. Encina
WASHINGTON D.C. — The Lightning waited a long time to visit the
White House, but maybe the timing for their trip, coming on Monday’s
final off day of the regular season, was perfect.
With the postseason starting May 2, their trip to D.C. — which has long
been a traditional perk for championship-winning sports teams — was a
reminder of what it took to claim back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The pandemic kept the Lightning from the White House after their bubble
victory in 2020, and two trips to to face the Capitals this season yielded
no visit. Monday’s ceremony came together quickly, and the team flew up
following Sunday’s win at the Panthers.
“It was a long time in the making,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos
said. “We weren’t sure if we were going to get this opportunity. But it was
certainly worth the wait. That was one of the highlights of a lot of our
lives, not just our hockey careers, to get with the president.
“It was a tremendous honor for a lot of us and an unforgettable
experience.”
Lightning forward Pat Maroon, who has been on the past three Stanley
Cup-winning teams, hadn’t been to the White House until Monday, and
said his mission was to coax President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill
Biden, who are Flyers fans, onto the Tampa Bay bandwagon.
Biden, who hosted the Bucs at the White House last July, recognized
Tampa Bay’s recent pro sports success.
“It’s a pretty good time to be a sports fan in Tampa,” Biden said. “I don’t
know what the hell you have in the water down there.”
During the outdoor ceremony on the South Lawn, Biden applauded the
Lightning for their back-to-back titles as well as the organization’s
community involvement. Biden also noted that the Lightning made
Amalie Arena available for COVID vaccinations last season; Jill Biden, in
fact, visited the arena to promote getting vaccinated.
“Thank you all for the great work you’re doing in the community,
congratulations again for all the great work you’ve done on the ice,”
Biden said. “And I want to wish you good luck for the upcoming playoffs.
Who knows, as I said, you may be here next year if you’re willing to come
back.”
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik invited Biden to Tampa to watch a game from
his suite — and to attend the team’s next boat parade.
“We have a ‘no talking’ rule in our suite,” Vinik said. “When the puck’s in
play, nobody’s allowed to talk. I’ll make an exception for you.”
The Lightning's Ryan McDonagh looks back at President Joe Biden as
he speaks during Monday's ceremony.
The team presented Biden with a blue Lightning jersey with a No. 46 on
the back — Biden is the 46th president — and an engraved silver hockey
stick.
Biden also shared a light-hearted moment with Stamkos, 32, about how
long he’s been in the league.
“Steve, 14 seasons?” Biden said. “You’re getting old, man. I don’t know.
I’ve got to get some advice from Steve about this.”
Stamkos deferred to defenseman Ryan McDonagh, one of the five
American-born Lightning players, to speak on behalf of the players. And
and much as his words focused on winning two Cups — and the
challenges and sacrifices involved through daily COVID testing and strict
protocols, and players fighting through injuries — he also looked ahead
to the playoffs.
“In a week from now, we get to start another journey and hopefully chase
down a third Stanley Cup,” McDonagh said. “Although we know the
difficulties ahead of us, we feel we have a great group intact that’s going
to battle hard for each other and leave it all on the ice. The quest for a
third Cup is not out of reach. We’ll do whatever we can, Bolt Nation.”
Inside the White House, the Lightning received treatment befitting
champions, with tours of the West Wing, Red Room and Blue Room.
They met Secret Service members and White House staff from Tampa.
And even through it wasn’t on the team’s itinerary, the Lightning received
a surprise tour of the Oval Office from Biden.
President Joe Biden smiles as Lightning owner Jeff Vinik speaks during
Monday's ceremony.
“Originally we weren’t told we were going to see it,” McDonagh said. “Mr.
President invited us there at the end of the ceremony. There’s much
history and tradition coming from there. To get to see that first-hand is
pretty unique. ... You wish you could spend more than one day to try to
take it all in.”
Not only was coach Jon Cooper, a former lawyer, impressed with Biden’s
sports knowledge, he was fascinated by the president’s law background.
“I know the President must do this all the time, but for us, he was so
generous,” Cooper said. “Being in the position he’s in as the leader of the
free world and all that stuff, he has an amazing ability to wipe that
persona aside and just be a human being, like he was one of our
teammates. I kind of wanted to get greedy and kind of sit down with him
in a bar and listen to the story of his life.”
The Lightning used the event to show off their flashy championship rings,
and Biden was among those impressed by the bling.
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos shows off his two Stanley Cup rings.
“I don’t think I’ve ever worn both of these on one hand together,” Cooper
said. “But these are fascinating, wonderful rings and when you see them
on, including the President, they want to take a look.”
It was still a reunion of sorts. While every current Lightning player on the
past two title teams was present, a few former Cup champions also
attended. Mathieu Joseph flew in from Ottawa, and retired players
Braydon Coburn and Curtis McElhinney were there.
Bucs Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, now a member of the Lightning front
office, returned to the White House for the first time since he won a
college football national championship with Florida State. The Bucs’ 2002
Super Bowl-winning team didn’t go to the White House because of the
war in Iraq. And a lockout canceled the season following the Lightning’s
first title in 2003-04, meaning no White House trip.
Local dignitaries attending included Tampa mayor Jane Castor, her
predecessor Bob Buckhorn and former St. Petersburg mayor Rick
Kriseman. WWE wrestler turned local philanthropist Titus O’Neil took
selfies with the Stanley Cup before the ceremony. NHL commissioner
Gary Bettman and U.S. Representative Kathy Castor also were in
attendance.
Now for the Lightning, the time for looking back is done.
“These are little, I guess, bread crumbs that come along with winning a
Stanley Cup,” McDonagh said. “The good thing with our group is the
hunger’s still there. We don’t need any kind of extra motivation, but
certainly this does heighten the excitement, for sure, going into the last
week of the regular season and before the start of the playoffs.”
Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242942 Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews hits another milestone, going from hero to 60
Leafs star is the first player to score 60 goals in a season since 2011-12.
By Mark Zwolinski Sports Reporter
Auston Matthews authored a night to remember Tuesday, part of a
season that will be tough to forget.
The Maple Leafs’ super sniper ended his longest goal-scoring drought of
the season by scoring Nos. 59 and 60 in a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red
Wings at Scotiabank Arena. Matthews opened the scoring in the second
period, then closed it on a power play in the third to become the first NHL
player to score 60 in a season since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12.
“It was pretty special, honestly,” Matthews said after a water dousing
from his teammates. That followed a two-minute ovation after he scored
the milestone goal at the 5:49 mark of the third. Fans also chanted “MVP”
and “Aus-ton Matth-hews.”
“The receptions from my teammates, from the fans, it kinda sends chills
down your bones,” Matthews said.
The 60th goal was typically Matthews — a wicked snap shot to the top
corner from the high slot. It came after he curled at the blue line, barely
keeping the puck in the zone, and found a seam in the middle of the ice.
“I was nervous about it a bit,” Matthews said. “I got the puck, I had some
room there, and I just shot it.”
Matthews, who had gone five games and 16 days without a goal,
appears set to win his second consecutive Rocket Richard Trophy as the
NHL’s leading goal scorer, with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl five goals
back. He is also one of the favourites for the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
“Lots of goal are going in this season and lots of players are having great
seasons,” Leafs captain John Tavares said. “I know I’m being biased, but
(the Hart Trophy race is) not even close. The consistency he has, the
way he does things sometimes, you just shake your head. The fact he
did 50 goals in 50 games, I still can’t get my head around that.”
There was an unmistakable feeling in the arena Tuesday that the Leafs
scoring hero was going to make Tuesday another night to remember. He
became just the third NHL player in the 21st century to reach 60, joining
Alex Ovechkin and Stamkos.
Matthews’ 59th goal was also his 44th goal at even strength, 11 more
than his closest rival. He is just the fourth player to score 43 or more
even-strength goals since 1995-96. Stamkos, Ovechkin, and Pavel Bure
are the others. And his 60 goals have come in 73 games.
“The hardest thing in our game seems to be scoring at even strength,”
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said, “and (Matthews) seems to be doing it at
a level no one else can.”
While Keefe was praising Matthews, the Siri function on a phone piped in
with “I thought so,” drawing a laugh from the coach and the media.
“I agree,” Keefe said, smiling.
Home ice
With the win, Toronto locked up second place in its division, and will have
home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Their first round opponent
likely will be the two time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay
Lightning. The series could open Monday — the Scotiabank Arena
availability for the Leafs next week is Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and
Sunday.
Career year
Jack Campbell kicked out all 20 shots he faced, and was called on to
make several terrific stops. Toronto outshot Detroit 36-20, with Campbell
recording his fifth shutout of the season, a career high.
Bunting skates
Michael Bunting hit the ice for the morning skate Tuesday, which was a
good sign after he apparently hurt his right foot Sunday in Washington.
“It’s a very positive step,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said about Bunting,
whose prognosis was for a longer layoff after the game Sunday. “He’s
not going to play this week … We’ll re-evaluate him (for the playoffs) but
things are looking positive.”
Alex Kerfoot took Bunting’s spot on the top line with Matthews and Mitch
Marner.
Injury news
Jake Muzzin returned to the roster after missing the last six games with
an undisclosed injury. Muzzin has two quality scoring chances in the first
period, and was solid defensively … Rasmus Sandin, who has been out
since March 19 with a knee injury, also participated in the morning skate.
He might play Friday against Boston in the Leafs’ final game of the
regular season … Ondrej Kaše, out since March 19 with a concussion,
and goalie Petr Mrázek also worked out Tuesday but neither has a
definitive timeline for a return. Kaše was named Toronto’s nominee for
the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded the NHL play who
best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.
Toronto Star LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242943 Toronto Maple Leafs
Muzzin back for Leafs as Toronto takes on Detroit Red Wings tonight
Auston Matthews goes for 60 goals, Mitch Marner goes for 100 points
and Toronto looks to clinch home-ice advantage for the first round.
By Kevin McGran
Defenceman Jake Muzzin will be back in the lineup tonight against the
Detroit Red Wings as Auston Matthews goes for 60 goals, Mitch Marner
goes for 100 points and the Maple Leafs look to clinch home-ice
advantage for the first round.
The Leafs need a single point against Detroit to clinch second in the
Atlantic Division, likely against Tampa but a possibility exists that it could
be against Boston.
“It’s an 82-game season. This is Game 81,” said Leafs coach Sheldon
Keefe. “We have an opportunity to ensure that we start the playoffs here
in this building. So let’s take care of that.”
Matthews has 58 goals, but has not scored in his last five games he
played. Marner has 97 points.
It was a morning filled with roster intrigue as the Leafs try to get back to
healthy for the playoffs.
With Muzzin in, Justin Holl will be scratched.
Forward Nick Robertson was recalled on an emergency basis from the
Marlies, while defenceman Carl Dahlstrom was returned to the Marlies.
Kyle Clifford and Wayne Simmonds will be scratched as well.
Jack Campbell will get the start against Detroit, and if he wants it, will
also play Friday against Boston.
News from the Maple Leafs medical room is positive.
Rasmus Sandin (knee) seems ready to return to the lineup, but would
require more roster movement to allow him to do so. He’ll probably play
the Leafs final regular-season game against Boston, on Friday.
“He’s got some some appointments today to get through. And if that goes
well, I think we’ll see him join our team for practice and then take it from
there,” said Keefe.
Michael Bunting (lower body) skated on his own prior to the morning
skate, raising hope he’ll be ready for the playoffs.
“Obviously skated today, so it’s a very positive sign,” said Keefe. “He’s
not going to play this week We’ll reevaluate them from there. But things
are looking positive.”
Ondrej Kaše (head) skated in a grey jersey, meaning that he’ll be
scratched, but also that he’s been cleared for contact.
“Kaše continues to be day-to-day,” said Keefe. “Today was an important
step for him, being on the ice with a full team, and players moving
around, the puck flying around. But there’s no timeline on him.”
Petr Mrázek (groin) also was on the ice, trending for a return for the
goalie at some point in the playoffs.
“He’s working his way back,” said Keefe. “I don’t have much of an update
in terms of where he’s at but he’s progressing well.”
Leafs lines from the morning skate
Kerfoot-Matthews-Marner
Mikheyev-Tavares-Robertson
Nylander-Kampf-Engvall
Abruzzese-Blackwell-Spezza
Extra: Simmonds, Clifford, Kaše (injured)
Rielly-Lyubushkin
Muzzin-Brodie
Giordano-Liljegren
Sandin-Holl
Campbell (starter)
Källgren
Toronto Star LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242944 Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthews scores his 60th, Maple Leafs clinch home ice with shutout win
against Red Wings
Terry Koshan
Sixty goals. Unbeleafable.
Auston Matthews, you’ve made history.
The Maple Leafs superstar became the first National Hockey League
player in 10 years to score 60 goals in a season, hitting the mark with a
typically terrific shot.
Matthews’ milestone goal came at 5:49 of the third period against the
Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.
After cradling the puck along the blue line, Matthews skated into the slot
and fired a shot over the left shoulder of Detroit goalie Alex Nedeljkovic
on a Toronto power play.
The Leafs beat the Wings 3-0, clinching home-ice advantage for the first
round of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was Toronto’s 30th home
victory of the season, setting a franchise record.
The Leafs will finish the regular season at home on Friday against the
Boston Bruins.
“It was pretty special, honestly,” Matthews said of the goal and the
moments that followed.
“The reception from my teammates, the crowd, everything. It just sends
chills down your bones. Kind of hard to put into words, you know?
“It was a really good stepping stone for us, to clinch home ice. We’re
working toward something bigger. The job’s not done, the work’s not
finished.”
Matthews, who earlier broke Rick Vaive’s record for most goals in a
Leafs season, is the first player to score 60 since Steven Stamkos of the
Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011-12.
The only other active player to score 60 is the Washington Capitals’ Alex
Ovechkin, who had 65 in 2007-08.
Matthews also is the first player born in the United States to score 60
goals in a season.
Fans, numbering 18,107, immediately stood as one for a standing
ovation. Chants of “MVP! MVP!” grew louder. And there were some hats
thrown on the ice, though it was Matthews’ second goal of the night.
“It’s unique, it’s rare, I’m just really happy for him,” Leafs coach Sheldon
Keefe said. “You know the abilities he has, but he works extremely hard
at his game, he works extremely hard off the ice.
“He takes his craft very seriously. To see him at the top of his game and
reaching these milestones, it’s outstanding.
“I could tell he was really happy, and I just loved how our fans took care
of him tonight. The fans were outstanding in recognition of his
accomplishments. It was a good night.”
And it was only right that a player of Matthews’ value, one who should be
the favourite for the Hart Trophy, scored the decisive goals on a night the
Leafs clinched home ice.
“That’s the thing — those are important goals,” Keefe said. “It’s fitting that
he is the guy who scores the goal that ends up being the game winner,
allows us to settle in and relax with our game and then puts the game
away in the end.”
Matthews’ teammates had their fingers crossed that Matthews would hit
the milestone.
“Pretty unreal,” captain John Tavares said. “A tremendous amount of
love from the fans and a great way to do it, a beautiful goal, pretty text
book Auston Matthews snapper. We’re extremely proud of him.”
And this from linemate Mitch Marner: “It has been a lot of fun with him.
We always try to push each other. We want to be the best we can be for
each other and for the team.”
Jack Campbell made 20 saves for his fifth shutout of the season.
Tavares gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead at 4:03 of the third when he tapped in
a William Nylander pass.
Matthews broke a Leafs record with the shot on goal that resulted in his
59th goal.
Heading into the game, Matthews needed six shots on goal to break the
team mark held by Darryl Sittler for one season.
Sittler had 346 shots in 1975-76, a record that fell when Matthews went
to his backhand to beat Nedeljkovic at 15:48 of the second period.
That was Matthews’ sixth shot on goal of the game. His first goal came
off a fine feed from Jason Spezza, who passed to Matthews in front of
the net. Matthews made a quick move and slipped the puck past
Nedeljkovic.
Defenceman Jake Muzzin was back in the Leafs lineup after missing the
past six games with an undisclosed injury.
Since returning on April 5 from his second concussion this season,
Muzzin had played in just four games.
The pairs were Morgan Rielly-Ilya Lyubushkin; Muzzin-TJ Brodie and
Mark Giordano-Timothy Liljegren, which could be how Keefe starts the
playoffs.
Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242945 Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs captain Tavares: Matthews' ability to regain possession of
the puck 'uncanny'
Author of the article: Terry Koshan
The art of the steal is just as impressive.
As much as John Tavares is awed by Auston Matthews’ ability to score
goals, the Maple Leafs captain continues to be impressed by Matthews’
defensive talents and skill at taking the puck from opponents.
“I’ve always marvelled, even in his first couple years in the league — his
ability to strip pucks is uncanny,” Tavares said. “It’s a talent that you can’t
really teach. The instincts to execute that and turn it into offence so
quickly … he’s always reading the play from the right side of it
defensively, then his ability to strip guys and use his body to take pucks
away and transition to offence is pretty remarkable.”
Matthews consistently passes the eye test when it comes to getting the
puck back, and the numbers back it up.
Prior to games on Tuesday, Matthews led National Hockey League
forwards with 89 takeaways. Only one player — defenceman Alex
Pietrangelo of the Vegas Golden Knights with 90 — had more.
Second among forwards was Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers
with 72, two more than teammate Leon Draisaitl and the Leafs’ Mitch
Marner.
“Everyone has seen the continued evolution and the physical nature of
his game,” Tavares said of Matthews. “Just like it is for him in getting his
shot off and using his release and how elite that is, it’s the same sort of
thing with stripping a guy and knowing when the puck is going to be
exposed, when he’s most vulnerable, and how to disguise it because
guys know it’s coming.”
As for Matthews’ knack for putting the puck in the net? The Leafs don’t
take it for granted.
“When we talk amongst ourselves in the group, we know we have a
pretty special player that we’re playing with,” Tavares said. “We shake
our heads sometimes on the bench when you see some of those go in
and how he’s doing it. It’s fun for the group to see him do what he has
been doing and make some history with some of the milestones he has
hit.”
REST VS. WORK
Tavares had an honest answer about not playing in Washington against
the Capitals on Sunday.
Did he appreciate getting a night off for load management purposes?
“Yes and no,” Tavares said. “As a competitor, you want to play. I try to
take a lot of pride in the 82-game grind but waking up (Tuesday), having
a couple of days off the ice, physically you feel a little better.
“It’s a balance, so there’s definitely good things to it. You want to be out
there competing, but you take advantage of the opportunity and it made a
lot of sense when (Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe) approached me about it.”
Naturally, Tavares was stoked to watch his teammates rally in the third
period against the Caps, erasing a two-goal deficit in the final eight
minutes and eventually winning 4-3 in a shootout.
“It was fantastic,” Tavares said. “Whatever happens, whatever the
circumstances are, there is a lot of belief in the group.
“It was a tough trip, so it was a big two points and there was great morale
afterward.”
BUNTING BOUNCE
Michael Bunting skated on Tuesday morning, an indication that the injury
he suffered against Florida on Saturday is not serious.
Bunting didn’t play against the Detroit Red Wings and won’t be in the
lineup against the Boston Bruins on Friday in the regular-season finale,
though Keefe sounded optimistic.
“He’s not going to play this week, and we’ll reevaluate him from there, but
things are looking positive,” Keefe said.
Despite his late-season absence, Bunting seemed to be in a good
position to finish atop NHL rookies in scoring.
Through games on Monday, Bunting’s 63 points had him with a four-point
lead over Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks, who was second with 59.
Detroit’s Lucas Raymond was third with 56.
LOOSE LEAFS
Of the Leafs’ other injured players, defenceman Rasmus Sandin, who
has been out since March 19 with a knee injury, is the closest to being
able to return. The expectation is that Sandin will join the Leafs for
practice this week. Winger Ondrej Kase (concussion) took part in the
morning skate, but there is no timeline for his return. Goalie Petr Mrazek
(groin) has been skating and is progressing well, but there is no target
date for his return either … Keefe on his players’ individual
accomplishments, specifically those who have set personal highs in
points: “The playoffs are going to start, everybody’s going to go back to
zero. You want your players feeling good and feeling confident and to
that end, we’ve had guys having career years offensively and
defensively, whatever it might be. Our guys have lots of reasons to be to
be positive going into the playoffs.” … The Leafs have won the previous
two meetings against the Bruins in 2021-22 and have outscored Boston
11-6 … Just two teams — the Arizona Coyotes and the Vancouver
Canucks — were not beaten by the Leafs this season. Neither club will
be in the playoffs … Defenceman Carl Dahlstrom was returned to the
Toronto Marlies.
Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242946 Toronto Maple Leafs
TRAIKOS: The reason why Moritz Seider is the overwhelming favourite
to win the Calder Trophy
Michael Traikos
TORONTO — When evaluating the Calder Trophy-worthy season of
Michael Bunting, one of the main criticisms working against the Toronto
Maple Leafs rookie is that he plays on a line with two of the best forwards
in the NHL.
For Detroit Red Wings defenceman Moritz Seider, the opposite is true.
Seider does not play alongside a player of Auston Matthews’ or Mitch
Marner’s calibre. But on most nights, he’s the one matching up against
them. Considering his age — the 21-year-old Seider is six years younger
than Bunting — that might be even more impressive.
“It’s actually pretty remarkable the season he’s had given the fact that
he’s had to go up against the other teams’ best on a nightly basis,” said
Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill. “Two games ago, it was (Sidney)
Crosby. It was (Florida’s Aleksander) Barkov before that. (Tampa Bay’s
Nikita) Kucherov before that. Tonight, it’s (Torontos’ Auston) Matthews.”
Trying to shut down the league’s best might explain why Seider, who
leads rookie defencemen with 49 points in 80 games, is a minus-10 this
season. It also might also explain why he looks like he’s aged six years in
the past six months.
“It’s exciting,” said Seider, before adding, “It’s exhausting. But you always
like playing against the best guys in the league … Making them
uncomfortable gives you a good feeling about your game.”
Drafted sixth overall in 2019, Detroit has been patiently doing everything
possible to make sure Seider’s transition to the NHL was as comfortable
as possible. The German native spent one full season in the Red Wings’
AHL affiliate, with the team avoiding the temptation to call him up, before
loaning him to Rogle BK Angelholm of the Swedish Hockey League last
year, where he was named the top defenceman — albeit in a more
sheltered role than he’s had in his first season in Detroit.
“I was just coming into the league, just trying how to play professional
hockey,” Seider said of his time in Sweden. “It was just seven
defencemen playing some minutes.”
This year, the training wheels finally came off. Seider is logging more
than 23 minutes a night, the most among rookies, while playing on the
top unit of the power play and penalty kill. And though he ranks in the
top-20 among defencemen in scoring, it’s the finer points of his game
that have impressed his peers.
“He’s just really solid, all around,” Matthews said of Seider. “He makes a
really good first pass, which maybe is not appreciated as much, but I find
he just makes really good passes that lead the rushes.”
Seider could probably have even more points if he wanted. But even
though he plays on a team that has been out of the playoff picture for
quite some time, he’s made a conscious of managing the puck to
become a better all-around defenceman.
“I think he’s gotten better at knowing when to try to make a play and
when to live another day,” said Blashill. “Make a play might be jumping
into the rush at the right time. Make a play might be beating a guy when
he’s got him on the ropes. When to live another day is coming out of our
end, just making a tape to tape pass to the winger that’s open rather than
toe-dragging and beat somebody. All those types of things. Knowing
when to jump in the rush, I think he’s gotten better in those areas.”
He’s also gotten better at using his size. The 6-foot-4 and 197-pound
Seider is will never be confused with Chris Pronger or even Niklas
Kronwall. But as many opponents have realized the hard way, he’s also
not afraid to throw his body around.
“I just try to protect myself,” said Seider, who leads the Red Wings with
146 hits. “It’s not like I’m looking to take someone down.”
Tell that to New York’s Chris Kreider, who was famously “Mo’d over”
when trying to catch Seider with a hit, only to end up flat on his back.
“He’s a young player and at times young players can be targets, so
you’re hoping to potentially intimidate him,” said Blashill. “I would guess
that across the league (players have learned) you’re not going to
intimidate Mo Seider.”
Add it up and it’s no wonder that Seider is considered the overwhelming
favourite for the Calder Trophy. Not that Seider cares about individual
achievements.
“It’s definitely an honour, but I don’t even think about that at all,” he said.
“You want to win a Stanley Cup.”
With Lucas Raymond ranking third in rookie scoring, William Wallinder
named the Swedish league’s best U-20 player, and last year’s sixth-
overall pick Simon Edvinsson in the pipeline, it might be long before
Detroit can start to think that way again. They just need to keep drafting
and developing, while also hoping that the championship windows of
Tampa Bay, Toronto and Florida eventually start closing.
“You’ve got to be realistic and honest. We’re far away from that, but we
are adding pieces every single year,” said Seider. “I think we took big
strides. I mean, we were competing for a wild card spot for half of the
season and then after the All-Star break we just couldn’t find a way to
compete. But I think we surprised a lot of people.”
Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242947 Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs' Matthews wants to hit 60 goals, but 'not the end of the
world' if it doesn't happen
Terry Koshan
Auston Matthews would love to get a couple of shots to drop in the Maple
Leafs’ last two games of the regular season.
If that happens, the Leafs superstar will be the first National Hockey
League to score 60 goals in 10 years.
“It would mean a lot,” Matthews said after the Leafs’ morning skate at
Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. “I’ve had some really good opportunities
of late but the puck hasn’t gone in. As long as I’m getting those
opportunities, I know they’ll fall.
“It’s also not the end of the world (if it doesn’t happen). There’s more to
this season than accomplishing that, but there’s nothing in this season
that I care about (more than winning).”
The previous time there was a 60-goal scorer in the NHL was in 2011-12,
when Steven Stamkos finished with 60 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In three games this season against the Detroit Red Wings — the Leafs’
opponent on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena — Matthews has just
one goal.
Matthews had gone five games without a goal, his longest drought of
2021-22. In two games since returning from an undisclosed minor injury,
Matthews has 11 shots on goal.
Linemate Mitch Marner needs three points to reach 100 for the first time
in his NHL career.
Matthews has 58 goals in 72 games. He has a three-goal lead over Leon
Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
The Leafs require one point to clinch second place in the Atlantic Division
and home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
They finish the regular season at home on Friday against the Boston
Bruins.
“No doubt we want to see it,” Leafs captain John Tavares said of
Matthews’ hunt for 60 goals. “He’s in that position because of the way he
has approached it and the way he continues to work at his game, his
consistency and the diligence that he puts in.”
Winger Michael Bunting, who departed the game in Florida on Saturday
and then missed the game in Washington, was on the ice before the
morning skate. Bunting fell awkwardly behind the Panthers net and was
favouring his right leg as he left that night.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said the situation was positive for Bunting,
but added that the 26-year-old won’t play in the final two games.
Defenceman Jake Muzzin will be back in the Leafs lineup after missing
the past six games with an undisclosed injury.
Since returning on April 5 from his second concussion this season,
Muzzin has played in just four games.
“Very significant,” Keefe said of Muzzin’s participation against the Wings.
“He needs to get the game reps, both to get himself up to speed and then
gain the confidence that he’s ready to go (for the playoffs).”
Defenceman Rasmus Sandin (knee) and winger Ondrej Kase
(concussion) took part in the morning skate. Sandin is expected to join
the Leafs for full practices later this week, but there remains no timeline
for Kase’s return.
Goalie Petr Mrazek (groin) also has been skating, but is not thought to be
close to returning.
Jack Campbell will start in goal for the Leafs. Whether he starts in the
finale remains to be determined, Keefe said.
Nick Robertson was recalled from the Toronto Marlies on an emergency
basis and will skate on the second line. Robertson has seven goals in his
past nine games with the farm club.
Defenceman Carl Dahlstrom was returned to the Marlies.
The projected Leafs lineup:
FORWARDS
LW-C-RW
Alex Kerfoot-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner
Ilya Mikheyev-John Tavares-Nick Robertson
William Nylander-David Kampf-Pierre Engvall
Nick Abruzzese-Colin Blackwell-Jason Spezza
DEFENCE
Morgan Rielly-Ilya Lyubushkin
Jake Muzzin-TJ Brodie
Mark Giordano-Timothy Liljegren
GOALIES
Jack Campbell
Erik Kallgren
Toronto Sun LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242948 Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs report cards: Auston Matthews hits 60 goals as Toronto
secures home-ice advantage
Joshua Kloke
Ahead of this season, there was no doubt Auston Matthews would
eventually become a great Maple Leaf. But with every passing game this
season as Matthews broke record after record, the argument that he is
the single greatest Leaf of all time in just his sixth season gained more
and more weight.
And on Tuesday night in a dominating 3-0 win over the Detroit Red
Wings, that argument became as strong as ever.
Matthews cemented his place in NHL history once again when he scored
his 59th and 60th goals in his 73rd game. He becomes the first player
since Steven Stamkos in 2011-12 to score 60 goals and just the 21st
player in league history to notch 60 in a season.
“It was pretty special,” said Matthews of scoring his 60th goal. “Just the
reception from my teammates, the crowd, everything. It just kind of sends
chills down your bones.”
The win also secured home-ice advantage in the first round of the
playoffs for the Leafs, though their opponent remains to be seen.
Matthews, unsurprisingly, didn’t want to rest on his laurels for too long.
“The job’s not done,” he said postgame.
Sheldon Keefe on Auston Matthews: "The hardest thing to do in our
game is score goals at even strength. It's the hardest thing to do in the
game. And he does that on a level that nobody seems to be able to do it."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) April 27, 2022
First star
Auston Matthews
Yeah, I think it’s safe to say hitting 60 mattered to Matthews:
Matthews with 6 shot attempts, 0.37 ixG (per MoneyPuck) in the first.
You think he wants to hit 60 tonight?
— Josh Simpson (@joshsimpson77) April 26, 2022
Matthews did Matthews things from puck drop, buzzing around the goal
with the puck and getting into all the right spots off of it. He consistently
gathered speed with the puck through the neutral zone. He kept hunting
for his 59th goal, and made no mistake from in tight:
AUSTON MATTHEWS
ONE AWAY! 59TH OF THE SEASON! pic.twitter.com/YjHHIuPvEz
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
Matthews told Sportsnet’s Shawn McKenzie that he told his teammates
before the game he was “shooting it tonight” and he did just that, with
seven shots on goal in the game. As the Red Wings stopped putting up
much of a fight, Matthews’ 60th goal felt inevitable. And midway through
the third period, Matthews scored a vintage Matthews goal for his 60th of
the season. “MVP” chants followed afterward.
AUSTON MATTHEWS
60 GOALS!!!! MVP!!!! pic.twitter.com/FU4PnFXxOa
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
We’ve used a ton of space here in Toronto to laud Matthews’ season,
and with good reason. It’s been completely enthralling watching a player
as dominant and talented as him make his mark on the game night after
night.
My dad used to go on and on about what a difference it made in the
Greater Toronto Area growing up and watching Darryl Sittler. It’s wild for
me to think that my young son could have that same kind of opportunity
with Matthews. Players like him don’t come around very often.
“Special, unique, rare” were the words Sheldon Keefe used postgame to
describe Matthews, which was apt.
Second star
Jack Campbell
Campbell was locked in from the first period with a succession of quick
saves.
His name is Jack Campbell pic.twitter.com/Onm3BlNLdi
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 26, 2022
Campbell only had to face 20 shots on goal, but he turned each and
every one of them away. He was composed, tracked the puck well and
made smart decisions with the puck when playing it to teammates
afterward.
Matthews will rightly get all the attention after this game, but it’s important
to note how well Campbell played in his fifth shutout of the season. As I
wrote after Saturday’s loss against the Florida Panthers, that Campbell is
coming into form at the right time and shaking off a midseason slumber
could really help the Leafs come playoff time.
Third star
William Nylander
This was an optimal game for Nylander to be effective. Yes, he seemed
to slow up on his checks more often than not, but he was still pesky with
his stick at times. Hey, as I wrote two nights ago, we’re all tired!
But if you’re Nylander, you probably don’t need to always expend a ton of
energy during the 81st game of the season if you can make passes like
this, which probably got him the third star on its own:
Tavares taps it in. 2-0 Leafs #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/SVn4yHBP0E
— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) April 27, 2022
I liked how well Nylander cut through traffic and got into the middle of the
ice. He logged two assists and was creative more often than not.
Player reports
A
John Tavares
I thought Tavares controlled the puck really well and worked to hold off
defenders. His third-period goal was crucial, even if the play was all the
work of Nylander’s wizardry and Tavares was left alone in front of the
goal for what was essentially a tap-in. He won 62 percent of his faceoffs,
which helped the Leafs throughout the game.
A-
Alex Kerfoot
I thought Kerfoot’s speed made him effective on the penalty kill. But
perhaps not as effective as his shot-blocking ability. This undoubtedly
stung, but it also earned a few pats on the back from his teammates:
Kerfoot blocks a shot with his heel pic.twitter.com/VDEzwiA0mz
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
B+
Mark Giordano
Giordano’s smart breakout pass from deep in his own zone sprung Ilya
Mikheyev for a short breakaway. Not all of his passes were on point,
including a questionable one through the middle of the ice in his own
zone early in the second period, but those were rare. He continually read
the play well, blocked shots when he needed to and made some smart
pinches to help keep the puck in the offensive zone.
Mitch Marner
Marner made a daring deke with speed around Red Wings defenceman
Jake Walman on his first shift that nearly led to a scoring chance. You
knew he was feeling it after that play. I liked how often he wanted to both
strip pucks and send pucks into the middle of the ice. As much as
Matthews wanted to hit 60 goals, it was increasingly clear Marner
desperately wanted to get closer to 100 points against the Red Wings.
Whether he logs three points in the final game of the season against the
Boston Bruins remains to be seen, but if Marner and Matthews manage
to maintain this synergy in the playoffs …
Matthews and Marner are on the same wavelength at all times
pic.twitter.com/TD2qjUopOV
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 26, 2022
Colin Blackwell
Blackwell made a few quick passes and important touches from difficult
areas, including ahead of the Leafs’ first goal. He logged the secondary
assist on that goal.
Jason Spezza
I’ve liked Spezza’s game as of late. He can still dictate the tempo of play
well when he needs to, as evidenced by his primary assist on the Leafs’
first goal, a smart pass from close to the Red Wings goal.
David Kämpf
Kampf did well to dig the puck out of the corners repeatedly to try and set
up his teammates. I’m continually impressed by how he can force
opposition defenders to make an unadvisable play just by forcing them to
inopportune areas. Kampf won 53 percent of his faceoffs.
Jake Muzzin
Muzzin seemed to anticipate where the puck was going to be more often
than not. That anticipation helped draw a first-period penalty:
Muzzin draws a tripping call #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/Hgg1tiQq0x
— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) April 26, 2022
I don’t think he showed much rust after not having played since April 14.
His 84 percent five-on-five expected goals, tops among all Leafs
defencemen, spoke to that.
Timothy Liljegren
Liljegren looked calm as he made smart passes out of his own zone and
blocked shots when need be.
Liljegren with a nice block on Gagner pic.twitter.com/ezO1gw6gTj
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
He continually made dynamic, heads-up plays from his own zone and the
neutral zone, all but solidifying his place in Keefe’s playoffs lineup.
T.J. Brodie
Brodie was excellent defensively, constantly neutralizing Red Wings.
Brodie logged a team-high 21:32 TOI.
B
Ilya Mikheyev
Mikheyev got his looks early on and made a nifty play to try and score on
a backhand.
Mikheyev took off but lost the handle pic.twitter.com/aryf9vLXwM
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 26, 2022
He’s taken over his shifts time after time over this last stretch. Perhaps
that’s the next step in his evolution as a player. Against the Red Wings,
he was consistently elusive with the puck.
C+
Ilya Lyubushkin
I didn’t mind Lyubushkin’s defensive game against the Red Wings. He
did well to force turnovers below the goal. And hey, with his assist,
Lyubushkin logged another point! He’s got points in back-to-back games!
Morgan Rielly
Fatigue seemed to have caught up with Rielly a bit. His passes weren’t
as sharp or well-placed early on. Rielly did end up logging a secondary
assist on Matthews’ second goal, but beyond that, he didn’t look to have
all that influential a game.
Nick Robertson
Robertson kept his head on a swivel and constantly tried to press Red
Wings defencemen in their own zone. His energy against a bad Red
Wings team means he didn’t look out of place at the NHL level.
Robertson's release is going to be a weapon on this team
pic.twitter.com/I1adxDL7VJ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 26, 2022
Nick Abruzzese
Abruzzese looks to be controlling the puck a little more effectively and
understanding when to get rid of it and when not to. Not necessarily his
best game as a Leaf, but he was more noticeable than he has been.
C
Pierre Engvall
Engvall wasn’t as noticeable against the Red Wings as he has been as of
late. He had a breakaway in the third period but couldn’t convert.
Game Score
Game Score is a metric developed by The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn to
quickly measure a player’s performance in a single game.
Final grade: A
This result never really felt in doubt for the Leafs, who controlled the
game from the start. The Leafs outshot the Red Wings 36 to 20 and had
an astounding 74 percent of the five-on-five expected goals. A rout.
On one hand, this game felt meaningless, with one playoff-bound team
facing another whose season was over long ago. Given how little the
Red Wings could muster against the Leafs, it was the kind of game that
would serve as a strong argument toward shortening the regular season.
On the other hand, eliminating these kinds of games late in the season
would eliminate moments like this:
Group hug for Auston Matthews pic.twitter.com/qrGXp4gUNR
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
Kyle Dubas was all of us watching Matthews score his 60th
pic.twitter.com/Fe6sv7Meng
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
huge smile from Keefe pic.twitter.com/2ahpTjbjgX
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 27, 2022
Where do the Leafs go from here?
The Leafs will have two days off between games for the first time in over
two weeks. They’ll finish the regular season on Friday at home against
the Boston Bruins. I wonder if Rasmus Sandin makes his comeback from
injury and plays in his first game since March 19. Keefe will ultimately
want one last look at a few different lines and pairs ahead of the start of
the playoffs early next week.
One late question that might verge on nitpicking: Now that Matthews has
hit 60 goals, should he be kept out of the lineup on Friday to prevent
injury?
Tweets of the night
Not a tweet from Tuesday night, but a classic of the genre that deserves
an encore:
Auston Matthews is now on pace for 60 goals in 79 games.
I say he does it.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) January 13, 2022
(Stats via Natural Stat Trick)
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242949 Toronto Maple Leafs
Here are TSN and Sportsnet’s playoff plans for Leafs radio voices Joe
Bowen and Jim Ralph
Sean Fitz-Gerald
Hours before the Maple Leafs stepped onto the ice in Sunrise, Fla., to
face the Panthers on Saturday, a Twitter user asked radio play-by-play
voice Joe Bowen a question about the weather. It was still chilly back in
Ontario, they said, and they wondered it was like in the Sunshine State.
Bowen responded: “No idea.”
The veteran announcer was also in Ontario. Bowen and long-time colour
analyst Jim Ralph have been calling Leafs road games from a sound
booth in Toronto for two seasons, staying home while the team is away,
and describing the game to listeners from a television feed.
That will not change when the playoffs begin next week. In separate
statements to The Athletic, both Sportsnet and TSN — which share the
radio broadcast rights — confirmed they will not alter plans for the
postseason.
In an email, a spokesperson from TSN wrote: “Our radio plans for the
playoffs are consistent with our radio broadcasts over the last two years.”
“There is no change to the way we plan to deliver radio broadcasts to
audiences during the playoffs as it will remain consistent with how games
have been called during the regular season and playoffs for the past two
seasons,” wrote a spokesperson for Sportsnet.
A spokesperson for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment said those
decisions rest with the radio stations, and that “we support them in that
process.”
It is not clear if the travel restriction will remain in place if the Leafs win
their first-round series, which is something the franchise has not
accomplished since 2004.
“After 40 years of doing Toronto Maple Leaf hockey games, if they finally
get to the big prize, it’s going to be very disappointing if we’re stuck in a
studio back at home when the trophy is paraded out,” Bowen said on
Monday. “But we will do the best that we can under the circumstances.”
Bowen and Ralph signed five-year deals with TSN and Sportsnet in
2018, and those deals will continue through next season. Under terms of
the agreement, the pair alternates between Sportsnet 590 The FAN and
TSN 1050 through the regular season and playoffs.
When the Leafs head out on the road, the broadcasters head over to
Channel Nine Court or One Mount Pleasant Road, the respective
headquarters of TSN and Sportsnet, to call the games. It is an imperfect
system, as illustrated again when the Leafs were in Florida.
There was a technical problem with the Canadian production truck. For
several minutes during the first period in Florida, viewers of Hockey Night
in Canada were provided the Florida coverage of the game, while the
Canadian feed was being restored.
Bowen and Ralph briefly had access to only one camera angle, and that
camera was positioned too far from the ice to see the action clearly. At
one point, their feed switched to a soccer game, which they relayed to
their listening audience.
A survey of Canadian NHL teams suggests most radio crews still cover
games from the road. Ottawa and Edmonton both reported having radio
crews on the road, while Montreal reported two — one for the French-
speaking audience and another for an English audience.
The Flames said they did not have a radio crew on the road, while the
Canucks said the television and radio coverage on the road was
intermittent. (The Winnipeg Jets were the only team not to respond in
time for publication.)
As sports slowly returned following the outbreak of the pandemic two
years ago, many broadcasters found themselves working from home by
necessity. For weeks, even the hosts of “SportsCentre,” the flagship
news program at TSN, ended up giving viewers an inadvertent tours of
their living spaces.
With border closures and associated travel restrictions, the challenge
was more acute for play-by-play broadcasters. Citing health concerns
around COVID-19, Sportsnet started the 2020 baseball season with its
crew working remotely.
This year, with the border re-opened and restrictions eased, the company
has still opted to keep radio play-by-play voice Ben Wagner at home. He
works in Rogers Centre when the Blue Jays are at home, but he works
from Sportsnet’s downtown Toronto headquarters when they are on the
road.
“I think that you’re really at a disadvantage if you’re not with the ballclub,
so I’m really disappointed that we’re not traveling at the start of the
season,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press published
earlier this month. “I hope that’s open to further consideration as the
season continues.
“Hopefully with the expectations and the level of excitement around this
team, that is something that is consistently reevaluated.”
In a recent interview, Nelson Millman, a former program director at The
Fan, said working remotely off a television screen makes life more
difficult for a broadcaster. They are dependent on the view provided to
them by the television feed and might not have the clearest perspective
to relay to their audience.
“I think you miss a certain amount of the nuance of the game — and
again, no disrespect intended to the broadcaster,” he said. “I just don’t
think you can fully encompass the scope of the game if you’re not in the
park.”
Bowen and Ralph have been working together for two decades and, for a
long time, they traveled with the Leafs on the team charter. It streamlined
planning and travel, if not entirely reducing costs for TSN 1050 and The
Fan 590, who footed the bill to send them on the road.
That dynamic changed before the 2015-16 season, when Leafs general
manager Lou Lamoriello kicked the radio crew off the charter. Under the
franchise’s new guiding principle, the charter was an extension of the
dressing room, reserved only for players and personnel.
Initially, the removal meant Bowen and Ralph would be calling road
games from Toronto. The decision was changed following a wave of
complaints from longtime listeners.
After two seasons of working from home, many listeners might not be
aware Bowen and Ralph are not on the road with the team, except for
when the television feed fails.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242950 Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs end-of-season prospect report: Topi Niemela’s possible
Marlies future and more
Joshua Kloke
With many regular seasons across the hockey world having come to a
close recently, it’s time to look at how a variety of Maple Leafs prospects
fared across North America and Europe in 2021-22.
Even though Topi Niemela’s season ended with a first-round playoff loss,
that shouldn’t diminish just how much growth the Leafs’ top prospect
arguably showed in his third Liiga season. The 2020 third-round pick
learned to be calmer with the puck and didn’t make unnecessary plays as
he might have in his first two Liiga seasons. His 32 points in 48 games
was tops among all defencemen aged 20 or younger and was eighth
among all defencemen in the league.
“I was more ready to play against men,” he said.
Niemela missed two months with an upper-body injury, which he
admitted hurt his season.
“I was in a good flow,” he said. “But, it’s part of the game.”
He understands he needs to add more power to his skating and his shot
next season. But even after re-signing with Karpat on a one-year contract
in December, where he ends up playing next season might still be up in
the air.
Niemela said he re-upped with Karpat because he wasn’t sure if he was
ready to move to North American hockey. And while there was concern
over whether Niemela would want to head straight to the NHL and avoid
playing in the AHL, he wants to make it clear that’s not the case.
“Of course I’m open to playing with the Marlies,” said Niemela. “If I come
to North America, I need to go to the Marlies before I’m ready to play with
the Maple Leafs. The rinks are smaller, the hockey is much faster than
Finland. I need to get experience in smaller rinks.”
Niemela said he doesn’t think he’ll be playing at the upcoming world
championships, which will be hosted in Finland. If an invite to Leafs
training camp comes, he said he’d gladly accept it.
Members of the Leafs development staff visited Niemela in Finland
recently. Some of the elements of Niemela’s game the Leafs want him to
focus on are becoming more mobile along the blue line and, when he has
the puck, getting his shot off quicker and becoming a constant threat in
the offensive zone.
On Monday, the Marlies announced they’d signed 2022 Hobey Baker
Award winner Dryden McKay to a two-year AHL contract. The 24-year-
old goalie posted a .931 save percentage in 43 games with Minnesota
State this season as he finished his college career. McKay is currently
serving a six-month suspension after testing positive for a banned
substance. An investigation found that McKay unknowingly ingested the
substance, ostarine (enobosarm), from a contaminated supplement.
McKay will be eligible to voluntarily enter Leafs facilities on August 25
and eventually play for the Marlies on October 11.
When that happens, he’ll join a logjam of goalies that includes Joseph
Woll, Keith Petruzzelli and possibly Erik Källgren.
Yet his coach at Minnesota State University, Mike Hastings, believes
McKay could separate himself from the pack with his technique and
mentality.
Remember this save if Minnesota State retakes the lead over Michigan.
Dryden McKay (NCAA FA) absolutely robs Kent Johnson (#CBJ) to
preserve the tie at 2-2. pic.twitter.com/sEtrc8UPQP
— J.D. Burke (@JDylanBurke) October 16, 2021
“In today’s age of big goaltenders, you see guys that get out and take
angles away,” said Hastings. “Dryden is technically sound and does not
overcomplicate the position. He’s good at rebound control. And he has a
unique demeanour. He looks to the next one and he doesn’t worry about
what just happened. Having that in your locker room, and then in
between periods in games has a calming influence on your team.”
Hastings praised McKay’s accountability both within the season and then
after he was handed the six-month ban. That forward-thinking attitude
could then help him as he looks forward to joining the Marlies.
“He answered that well and now he’s going to have to answer questions
moving forward,” said Hastings. “And I don’t think that will be something
he runs from.”
Now that the Marlies regular season is all but finished, what should we
make of Josh Ho-Sang’s first full season in the Leafs organization?
There were some calls for Ho-Sang to sign an NHL contract and move to
the Leafs earlier in the season, when he was scoring more frequently.
But my sense is the plan was always to give him the full season in the
AHL to focus on rounding out the defensive side of his game. There’s
never been any doubting his ability to create offence as he builds speed
through the neutral zone. And his 15 points in his first 16 AHL games
certainly made you wonder what he might be capable of on the Leafs’
second power-play unit.
But his production cooled in the second half of the season. In the end, it
was consistency that the Leafs wanted from Ho-Sang, and the best
course of action was to leave him on the other side of their practice
facility in Etobicoke.
“Any time you have consistency for a player to be in one place, you find
room for growth,” said Marlies head coach Greg Moore. “He has done a
great job at building a process for himself here and taking advantage of
the resources. He’s a very, very smart person. Probably the person, I
know for myself, I’ve spent the most time with and meetings and
watching film and just talking the game of hockey. I’ve learned a lot from
him. Being here all year and him being willing to work at his game and do
the things we’re asking, he’s definitely found space for improvement
throughout the season. He should feel really proud of the work he’s put
in.”
If the Marlies want to make any noise in the playoffs, they’ll need
constant production from Ho-Sang. I think at the very least he’ll be back
at Leafs training camp come the fall.
Speaking of highly-touted offensive players, Nick Robertson looks to
have shaken off another injury. After suffering a non-displaced fracture of
his right fibula in his second AHL game this season that kept him out of
the lineup for 11 weeks, he’s been on an offensive tear. He returned to
the Marlies after a six-game call-up with the Leafs and has 18 points in
his last 15 games.
On balance, it’s still been a successful season for Robertson. There was
some frustration in his words over his lack of NHL opportunities during a
February interview, but that opportunity came not long afterward. That he
recovered from his injury is perhaps the most important element of his
season.
And that Moore is seeing different parts of his game emerging, including
his efforts as the first player in on the Marlies forecheck, speaks to his
continued growth.
“When he’s the closest player to the puck when the opponent has the
puck, his puck pressure and his relentlessness to get on a guy to take
away that time and space (makes) everybody else’s job behind him
easier,” said Moore. “When you take away more time on a puck carrier,
the brain has less time to process the game, they’re going to make a
more predictable play or a worse play. So then everybody else behind
(Robertson) just has an easier read.
Whether Robertson can maintain that approach in the NHL remains to be
seen. The Leafs development staff wants him to learn that the game can
come to him, and that he doesn’t necessarily need to play every shift like
it’s his last. How he looks in Leafs training camp in the fall will be one of
the most prominent storylines on this team. He may end up challenging
for a lineup spot.
Since signing a three-year entry-level contract in February and arriving in
Toronto in March, 2020 fifth-round draft pick Dmitry Ovchinnikov has
been in and out of the Marlies lineup, logging seven games played. The
winger has scored two goals. He spent the majority of the season in and
out of Novosibirsk Sibir’s lineup in the KHL.
What does he have to do to get into a playoff lineup should the Marlies
indeed qualify for the postseason?
“I don’t think much more than what he’s already doing,” said Moore.
Ovchinnikov’s command of the English language is still a work in
progress, but Moore noted how quickly the native of Chita, Russia has
been able to grasp the team’s systems and structure. That’s helped his
adaptation process.
Further to that is how he hasn’t backed off from his hard-charging
approach when driving to the net on North American rinks for the first
time. The 5-foot-11, 163-pound forward showed a sense of
competitiveness along the walls and is constantly looking to win puck
battles and then transition the puck to dangerous areas of the ice.
“Obviously he’s an undersized player, but there’s no fear in him,” said
Moore.
Dmitry Ovchinnikov scores his first career AHL goal
pic.twitter.com/U5JVpnX7s6
— Kevin Papetti (@KPapetti) March 31, 2022
There’s no shortage of Marlies wingers looking to earn their spot in a
playoff lineup. But if Moore needs scoring punch midway through the
series, I could see the 19-year-old getting a look on the third line.
One of the more entertaining Marlies to watch in the second half of the
season has been forward Bobby McMann, who signed a one-year AHL
contract extension in February. In April 2020, the Marlies signed four free
agents in the span of two days. Three of those players have spent the
majority of this season with the Newfoundland Growlers, but McMann
has emerged above the pack. His 23 goals aren’t just tied for the Marlies
lead, they’re also fifth among all AHL rookies, behind top draft picks like
Alexander Holtz and Jack Quinn.
Yes, McMann is 25 and has more experience than the aforementioned
players, but his energy in difficult areas of the ice still stands out. He’s
been a pleasant surprise, logging time on both the power play and
penalty kill.
“You could argue he might be one of our most valuable players on the
team,” said Moore. “Just his ability and his power and strength to
transport the game from the top of the circles, set up the O-zone, grab
depth, forecheck and hit as F1 and then with his scoring touch around
the net. He’s really starting to round out his game.”
Bobby McMann makes a great play to steal the puck, shield off the
opposing player and send Jack Kopacka in all alone to make it 4-1
#Marlies. pic.twitter.com/8RfJ08dczN
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) February 17, 2022
I’d bet he gets a lengthy look at Leafs training camp and should take on a
more meaningful leadership role with the Marlies next season.
Filip Kral remains one of my favourite Leafs prospects. The 21-year-old
coachable defenceman needs to improve his speed and may not be
capable of high-end offence, but he consistently does a lot of the little
things right including puck retrievals at both ends of the ice. He’s clearly
earned the trust of the Marlies coaching staff, having played more games
than any defenceman outside of Joey Duszak.
But trust, of all things, is something Kral has had to focus in on this
season. He adheres to the Marlies’ structure well, but he’s tried to trust
himself more on the ice and make the plays he knows he’s capable of
making instead of just falling back on what the team’s structure demands
of him.
“I always have this in my head, in my mind,” said Kral.
Even though the 2018 fifth-round pick has made serious strides in his
physical play, physicality is what Marlies management would like to see
more of. The Leafs organization eventually wants him to become the type
of player who can outmuscle forwards in front of the net and in the
corners. In his first full professional season in North America, Kral has
tried to model his game after Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin. But he
also finds himself being drawn more and more to the play of Morgan
Rielly.
“(Rielly) sees everything. When he’s on the ice, he’s in the offensive zone
and within two seconds, he’s back in the defensive zone,” said Kral.
Not far behind Kral in terms of games played by a Marlies defenceman is
Kristians Rubins. It’s easy to forget that Rubins is just 23. He’s already in
his fourth year in the Leafs organization and this season, he made his
NHL debut, logging three games.
The strides he’s made in his game this season might be difficult to spot,
sure. But the improvement he’s made in his penalty killing could help him
in the long run. He looks to have improved his anticipation of the game
as well, and is playing with more aggression in the neutral zone.
“I’m satisfied with my game, but I’m probably my biggest critic. So it’s
never really good enough,” said Rubins. “But I do feel like I’m playing a
lot better than I did last season.”
Rubins feels surer in his game this season.
“The more I play, the more confident I seem to get that I can play at the
NHL level,” said Rubins.
Like Kral, Rubins believes he’s become a lot more of a physical player
this season.
“That sets a standard, if I play heavy for the guys,” said Rubins.
Rubins knows he needs to improve his skating and his puck touches.
He’s never going to be an offensive dynamo. But at 6-foot-5 and 227
pounds, he has NHL-ready size. If both Mark Giordano and Ilya
Lyubushkin don’t return next season, I could see Rubins challenging for
the seventh defenceman spot in the Leafs lineup.
Pontus Holmberg has looked like a very capable AHL player through his
first three Marlies games this season. His speed is a big factor in his
game and he’s constantly on the move, reads plays well and is always
quick to engage the opposition both physically and with his stick in tight
areas. The 2018 sixth-round pick has two goals and three points in those
three games after a very successful season with the Vaxjo Lakers in the
SHL, where he posted 41 points in 46 games. I think he should be a
fixture in the Marlies playoff lineup.
What are the Leafs getting in forward Max Ellis, who signed a two-year
future entry-level deal earlier this month?
The 5-foot-9, 164-pound winger spent the last three seasons at the
University of Notre Dame. This season was his best showing, as he put
up 16 goals and 28 points in 39 games, both tops on the team.
Max Ellis is undersized at 5'9" and 165 pounds but he has some finishing
ability and a willingness to battle around the front of the net where he
does his best work. He broke out for 16 goals in 39 games with Notre
Dame this season. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/mbSOwLOagJ
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) April 8, 2022
His size will be a talking point as he begins his professional career on a
PTO with the Marlies for the remainder of the season, but Notre Dame
assistant coach Paul Pooley said his slight frame wasn’t an issue for the
coaching staff.
“His speed got him in and out of traffic and it helped him make the ice
big,” said Pooley. “He was really good on the penalty kill, because we
made a decision to use guys who were fast up front. And he was one of
our best penalty killers. He had good instincts, a good stick and could
anticipate the puck. So the size factor really wasn’t a thing for us.”
Ellis suffered through a second-half slump this season, where he battled
an ankle injury and wasn’t getting much luck with his chances. But
Pooley still believes he could become a strong professional player
because of his speed and how that helps him at both ends of the ice.
“He’s got NHL feet,” said Pooley.
Defenceman William Villeneuve continued to take steps forward in his
development this season. The 2020 fourth-round pick was drafted as an
offence-first blueliner out of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL. But
this season, he continued to round out his game.
“He’s put a lot of emphasis on defending better,” said Sea Dogs assistant
coach Stefan Legein of Villeneuve’s season. “He’s not the biggest or
meanest kid, so he’s learning how to defend with his skill set. He uses his
skating well to shut plays down.”
His point production didn’t come this season the way it did in his draft
year, when he led his team with 58 points in 64 games. And while plus-
minus is hardly an all-encompassing statistic, his plus-55 still speaks to a
player who generally made positive impacts on the ice this season. He
was second among all QMJHL players in plus-minus. Legein estimated
he’s averaged 24 minutes a game this season.
There’s still more evolution needed in his game. He’s not going to be the
same offensive defenceman he is now when he eventually moves to
Marlies. Mastering the ability to make smart, clean breakout passes out
of the defensive zone and shutting down opposition forwards with his
stick will be a continued focus.
#LeafsForever prospect William Villeneuve with his third primary assist of
the game, this one a rocket of a stretch pass to hit a streaking forward,
who makes the highlight reel finish. He's up to 45 points in 50
games.pic.twitter.com/TtCpFlnBG3
— Mr. Knies Guy (@brigstew86) March 31, 2022
While his awareness with the puck has improved, when he exits the
defensive zone he can get caught being too aggressive. When plays
break down, Villeneuve is not always in the best position to defend in
transition. There still needs to be a balance in his play so that he’s not
sacrificing his defensive play for his offensive inclinations.
Regardless of what happens in the QMJHL playoffs for the Sea Dogs,
Villeneuve will still have the opportunity to play in the spotlight when the
team hosts the Memorial Cup in June.
It was a trying, injury-filled season for Braeden Kressler, the 5-foot-9,
175-pound forward who impressed at last summer’s development camp
and signed a three-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent.
Kressler is an energetic player who plays the game with an intensity that
the Leafs don’t have much of in their prospect pool.
First, Kressler was wearing skates that weren’t optimal for his foot type.
No custom mold was fitting him and he sustained a foot injury because of
it. He credits Leafs head equipment manager Bobby Hastings for finding
him the right type of skate.
Then came a torn UCL in his left arm sustained in a game. He returned
to the bench during the game and even after scoring a goal, wondered
out loud if his arm was broken. He continued to play in the game.
Throughout these injuries, Kressler learned to prioritize his health.
“I tried to push through things. That’s just the person I am,” said Kressler.
“But I’ve learned, with the amount of support I have in Toronto, that’s just
not the way to go.”
The message he got from the Leafs management multiple times, which
ended up allowing him to take his foot off the gas, was simple: do
whatever was necessary in the short term to get back to health.
“There was no pressure from them (to return to the ice),” said Kressler.
The Leafs director of high performance, Rich Rotenberg, designed plans
for him to rehabilitate his arm injury, including specific exercises for him
to do to maintain his flexibility.
Kressler said his injury is now fully healed and his shot is better than
ever. He ended the season with 16 points in 28 games for the Flint
Firebirds and was named an alternate captain. Kressler has a chance to
make an impact in the Firebirds’ first-round OHL playoff series against
the Owen Sound Attack, before likely returning to the OHL next season.
“You’ve got to see the positives in everything,” said Kressler.
#LeafsForever prospect Braeden Kressler dangles through traffic and is
rewarded with an assist for his efforts: pic.twitter.com/50VzYrEIjb
— Josh Simpson (@joshsimpson77) November 21, 2021
After starting his career at St. Cloud State by winning NCHC Rookie of
the Year with 24 points in 37 games, what did Veeti Miettinen take away
from the slumps he had in his second college season?
“Maybe I had too many expectations for myself,” said Miettinen, a sixth-
round pick in 2020. “From the start of the season, I was probably gripping
my stick too hard when I couldn’t score. But I learned to play for the
team, and that it’s not all about scoring every game.”
There were times early in the season when Miettinen looked too one-
dimensional. He’d only want to drive the net with too many possessions,
and opposition teams quickly learned how to defend against him. Over
the course of the season, Miettinen learned to avoid trying to make the
perfect play with every shift and not, in his estimation, get “cute” with the
puck. He scored 10 goals and 23 points in 37 games.
“You’ve just got to hit the net,” said Miettinen.
#LeafsForever prospect Veeti Miettinen with the snipe on the powerplay.
It's his 8th goal of the year.pic.twitter.com/YxCB8RuECI
— Mr. Knies Guy (@brigstew86) January 30, 2022
The Leafs development staff wanted to see him become more active in
the play and move off the puck to find open ice more and more.
“That’s always been my problem: I’m always thinking too much,” said
Miettinen. “And when I’m thinking like that, I’m not doing.”
Could we be on the verge of seeing Ryan Tverberg becoming a
consistent, high-end penalty killer?
That was the inference from his coaches at his exit meeting after the wiry
5-foot-11 forward’s second year at the University of Connecticut.
“They think I can read the play well and see where the play is going,”
said Tverberg, a seventh-round pick in 2020. “Not that I’m trying to create
offence on the penalty kill, but when there’s chances, I’m pretty good at
jumping up for those plays. I’ve gotten better at being in lanes, blocking
shots, and it’s something that I can progress at.”
In a way, Tverberg’s evolution is similar to the way Mitch Marner, himself
a smallish but determined skater, has become one of the Leafs’ better
penalty killers. Tverberg is capable of scoring: his 14 goals in 36 games
were tops among his team. But there could be different layers to his
game still to come. Tverberg has focused in on the way Marner has killed
penalties this season.
“He’s very calm and in the right spot at all times, and he has good stick
detail. It’s those little things that are important on the penalty kill,” said
Tverberg.
This season, his decision-making improved. Drafted as a speedy,
creative goal scorer, Tverberg struggled to find his footing in his first
college season. But after his second season, Tverberg learned to trust
himself more by making creative plays with the puck instead of getting rid
of the puck under pressure.
“A big part of my game is just driving the net, playing heavy and hard, but
I’m trying to adapt more of my game to slow it down if I can,” said
Tverberg.
Ryan Tverberg adds on another for the Huskies.
I guess this is what they mean when they say "don't give up on the play"
WOW!!! pic.twitter.com/uFTN3SQfLo
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) February 6, 2022
Finally, let’s take a moment to send continued positivity and hopes for
good health Rodion Amirov‘s way. He’s been active on Instagram as of
late, posting photos and videos of himself as he undergoes
chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. His smile is a
constant.
That sort of optimism from a 20-year-old who has been dealt a terribly
unfortunate health concern is something I know I can learn from. Rooting
for you, Rodion.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242951 Vegas Golden Knights
3 takeaways from Knights’ loss: Playoff hopes on life support
By Ben Gotz
Las Vegas Review-Journal
April 26, 2022 - 8:31 PM
Updated April 26, 2022 - 10:01 PM
DALLAS — Jack Eichel, Zach Whitecloud and Michael Amadio skated to
the crease to console Logan Thompson. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo
put an arm around the goaltender as they skated toward the corner exit
of the ice.
The Golden Knights, down to their third-string rookie goaltender, battled
to the end in their quest to fan their flickering playoff hopes Tuesday
against the Dallas Stars. The effort was there. But their dreams, while not
dead, are slipping more and more out of reach.
The Knights are inches away from missing the NHL playoffs after a 3-2
shootout loss to the Stars in front of an announced crowd of 18,532 at
American Airlines Center. The result clinched postseason berths for Los
Angeles and Nashville, leaving one vacancy in the Western Conference.
The Stars have a four-point lead for the final wild-card spot with two
games remaining. The Knights need to go 2-0-0 and hope Dallas goes 0-
2-0 at home against Arizona and Anaheim to avoid missing the playoffs
for the first time.
“Tough pill to swallow,” captain Mark Stone said. “Unfortunately, we’re
going to need a lot of help.”
It was the second straight game the Knights came out with a strong
performance and left one point short.
The Knights led 4-2 in the third period Sunday against San Jose before
giving up two empty-net goals in the final 2:06 of regulation and losing in
a shootout. On Tuesday, they took the lead twice but couldn’t hold on.
Left wing William Carrier gave the Knights a 1-0 lead with 49 seconds left
in the first period for his career-high ninth goal and 20th point. Left wing
Jason Robertson answered in the second for the Stars.
The Knights grabbed the lead again when center Chandler Stephenson
extended his goal streak to four games with a power-play tally four
seconds before the second intermission.
Left wing Max Pacioretty and center Jack Eichel worked to keep the puck
alive in the final seconds of the period. Stone then deflected a feed from
Eichel on net, and Stephenson cleaned up the loose puck. It was Stone’s
first point in seven games after coming off long-term injured reserve April
12 with a back injury.
“Our guys left everything on the ice,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve
got a lot of guys playing banged up.”
The second lead didn’t hold, either. Robertson scored again 3:13 into the
third period to tie the game again. The teams then played tense,
agonizing hockey for the remainder of regulation, the five minutes of
overtime and six rounds of a shootout.
Thompson and goaltender Jake Oettinger each stopped the first six
shooters they faced. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the 13th skater to go,
finally drew first blood with a backhand move.
Center William Karlsson couldn’t answer for the Knights. His attempt
bounced off Oettinger’s right pad and harmlessly away from the crease.
With that, the Knights will be eliminated from the playoff race if they don’t
win either of their final two games in Chicago on Wednesday and St.
Louis on Friday. The Stars need one point from their final two games to
clinch.
“We still have a slim opportunity,”Stone said. “We just got to get ready,
win tomorrow and hope like hell Anaheim and (Arizona) can do us a
favor.”
Here’s three takeaways from the loss:
1. Thompson takes tough-luck loss
Thompson drew a crowd after the game because he gave the Knights
everything he had.
The 25-year-old made 28 saves in his 15th NHL start and ninth on the
road. Several were impressive, like when he stopped center Roope Hintz
twice on a two-on-one in the second period and denied Hintz again on a
breakaway in overtime.
Thompson then made six consecutive stops to begin his second shootout
but didn’t get any support from teammates. He has saved eight of 10
shootout attempts in the past two games and is 0-2. The Knights’
shooters are 0-for-10.
“He did everything he could do for us tonight,” DeBoer said. “Even
outside the shootout, I thought in the game he was excellent.”
2. Robertson shines
Dallas has a special player in Robertson.
The second-year forward’s two goals made him the 14th player in the
NHL to hit 40 this season. Robertson is the fourth player in Stars history
to hit that mark, behind Mike Modano, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.
The 22-year-old’s line with Hintz and right wing Joe Pavelski accounts for
104 of Dallas’ 226 goals (46 percent).
“He’s a scorer,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “He finds areas.
That’s what goal scorers do.”
3. Playing short
The Knights weren’t officially a man short for Tuesday’s game, but they
were in practice.
Right wing Keegan Kolesar’s lower-body injury left the team with 18
healthy skaters: 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Defenseman Dylan
Coghlan dressed for the first time since April 6 but did not get a shift.
Carrier and right wing Michael Amadio rotated centers throughout the
game instead. Stephenson was on the ice with them for Carrier’s goal.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242952 Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights report: Russian prospect signs 2-year contract
By David Schoen
Las Vegas Review-Journal
April 26, 2022 - 12:44 PM
Updated April 26, 2022 - 9:09 PM
Golden Knights vs. Stars
Stars win 3-2, SO
RJ’s three stars
3. Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger — He stopped 33 of 35 shots and
came up with two key saves in the third period, then turned away all
seven attempts in the shootout to earn his 29th victory.
2. Knights forward Chandler Stephenson — He was a factor on both
goals, including a power-play tally in the final seconds of the second
period that put the Knights ahead. Stephenson has four goals in the past
four games.
1. Stars forward Jason Robertson — The second-year standout scored
two goals in regulation, including No. 40 to tie the score in the third
period. He is the fourth player in Dallas Stars history to hit that milestone.
Key play
Oettinger’s third-period save on William Karlsson.
The Knights pushed hard for the go-ahead goal and had a handful of
chances that the Stars goalie denied. The best might have come with
about eight minutes remaining in regulation.
Karlsson controlled the puck high in the defensive zone after
defenseman Alex Pietrangelo blocked a shot and the Stars were caught
up ice. That led to an odd-man rush with Evgenii Dadonov and only Stars
defenseman Ryan Suter back.
Dadonov saucered a perfect pass over Suter’s stick, but Oettinger was
able to slide across his crease and get a piece of Karlsson’s one-timer to
keep the score tied.
Key stat
0:00 — Dylan Coghlan’s ice time. The Knights were short a forward, but
shortened the bench and never used the defenseman.
Russian prospect signs
Forward Ivan Morozov signed a two-year, entry-level contract beginning
with the 2022-23 season.
He also signed a professional tryout agreement with the Silver Knights
and will join the American Hockey League team for the remainder of the
season.
Morozov, 21, appeared in 105 Kontinental Hockey League games over
five seasons, finishing with 23 goals and 49 points along with 42 penalty
minutes.
Last season, Morozov emerged as a top prospect in the Knights’ system
after he posted 13 goals and 31 points in 55 games with SKA St.
Petersburg and also represented Russia at the 2021 world
championship.
But Morozov did not sign an extension with the KHL club and made it
clear he intended to play next season in North America. As a result, his
playing time suffered, and he was traded to HC Sochi in December. In 22
games combined, Morozov posted 11 points (five goals, six assists).
Morozov was a second-round pick by the Knights in 2018 and is
projected to be a middle-six forward.
Kolesar out
Winger Keegan Kolesar did not travel with the Knights and is week to
week with a lower-body injury, coach Pete DeBoer said.
Kolesar was hurt late in the second period of Sunday’s shootout loss to
San Jose and did not return.
In 77 games, Kolesar posted career highs in goals (seven), assists (17)
and points (24). He ranks seventh in the NHL in hits and leads the
Knights with 68 penalty minutes, but also drew a team-high 22 penalties.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242953 Vegas Golden Knights
Window narrows with Vegas’ 3-2 shootout loss to Stars
By Danny Webster (contact)
Published Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | 8:36 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | 10:30 p.m.
The Golden Knights’ season may have ended because of a skills
competition.
Mathematically, Vegas is still alive despite going 0-for-7 in a shootout
and losing 3-2 to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on
Tuesday with two games remaining.
But the Golden Knights (42-31-7) couldn’t afford anything less than two
points against the Stars, the team they’re chasing for the second wild
card in the West, and now sit four points behind Dallas.
The Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings both clinched playoff
spots with Vegas’ loss, meaning the only way the Golden Knights can
make a fifth straight playoff appearance is by winning their final two
games and hoping Dallas loses to Arizona and Anaheim in regulation.
Vegas and Dallas both play at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
“Tough pill to swallow. Unfortunately, we’re going to need a lot of help
here and we’re going to have to take care of business tomorrow and
Friday,” said captain Mark Stone.
The easy thing to do is look back at the Golden Knig
hts’ body of work over the last month and a half and pinpoint the missed
opportunities. Whether it’s losing all five games during an East Coast
road trip in March, or the recent losses to Vancouver in overtime and
New Jersey eight days ago.
But should Vegas be eliminated from playoff contention in less than 24
hours, it's the last two games that should be talked about — earning only
two out of a possible four points and both losses coming in shootouts.
Despite any belief the 5-4 shootout loss to San Jose on Sunday shouldn’t
have happened, the Golden Knights went a combined 0-for-10 during
these last two shootouts, and are 4-for-18 dating back to their last four.
Those conversions all came during one game.
“We’ve got to win. It’s not perfect, back-to-back. We emptied the tank
tonight,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We don’t have a choice. We’ve got to
find a way to re-energize and get ready and win a game tomorrow.”
This isn’t to imply the Golden Knights will miss the playoffs because they
failed to score one-on-one against the opposing goalie. They still blew a
two-goal lead with two minutes remaining Sunday, and took a 2-1 lead
into the third before faltering Tuesday in a game they needed to win in
regulation.
William Carrier and Chandler Stephenson scored late goals in the first
and second periods, respectively, but second-year Stars forward Jason
Robertson scored his 39th and 40th goals this season to offset the Vegas
leads.
Robertson tied it 2-2 at 3:13 of the third period.
“He’s a scorer. He finds areas,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “It’s
what goal-scorers do.”
In his first start since the announcement that Robin Lehner was
undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, Logan Thompson made 28
saves to give the Golden Knights a chance at the end.
His biggest save, arguably of his career, came in overtime when Dallas
forward Roope Hintz skated down the left side on a breakaway.
Thompson robbed Hintz’s wrist shot with the glove.
After Thompson stopped the first six shootout attempts his way, Dallas
defenseman Miro Heiskanen broke the tie with the only goal in the
shootout. William Karlsson’s attempt to prolong it was stopped by Jake
Oettinger, the Stars’ rookie goalie who made 33 saves.
“He was great. He did everything he could for us tonight,” DeBoer said of
Thompson. “Even outside of the shootout, I thought in the game he was
excellent.”
Despite Thompson’s best efforts — and they will need to be had again
Wednesday night in Chicago — the Golden Knights are on their last legs.
Once the puck drops at United Center, they’ll only be able to focus on
what they can control in front of them.
At the same time, they’ll be rooting for the Coyotes, a chore not taken up
by many outside of Glendale, Ariz., this season.
Then they’ll do it all over again Friday should it get that far.
“Unfortunately, we’ll know if that last game means anything Thursday
night,” Stone said. “We’re professionals. We’ve got to be ready for
tomorrow because we’re still fighting. You just never know in this league.
Crazier things can happen.”
LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242954 Vegas Golden Knights
Here’s what the Golden Knights need to make playoffs
By Danny Webster (contact)
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | 2 a.m.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Hope, in reality, is
the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.”
There may not be a better way to describe the Golden Knights’
diminishing playoff hopes.
Vegas entered the final week of the regular season already needing to
run the table in hopes of clinching a playoff spot. But thanks to their
blown two-goal lead late in the third period Sunday against San Jose, the
Golden Knights are in do-or-die territory and need help along the way.
“You hope that it doesn’t cost us a playoff spot. If it does, that’s a tough
one to sleep on all summer," coach Pete DeBoer said. "I’m going to look
at the glass half-full here. We found a way to get a point, and hopefully
that point we got is the difference of us making it or not.”
The Golden Knights close the season with three road games in four
nights, starting Tuesday in a pivotal matchup against one of the teams
they’re chasing in the wild-card race, the Dallas Stars (5:30 p.m. PST,
ATTSN-RM).
Dallas holds a three-point lead on Vegas for the second wild card spot in
the West. For the Golden Knights to maximize their postseason lifeline,
they must defeat the Stars in regulation.
“There’s no time to sulk,” forward Max Pacioretty said on Sunday. “We
have a game against a team that we’re chasing in two days. If we win
that game, anything can happen.”
Here’s a look at the playoff picture for the last three spots in the Western
Conference.
The Stars losing to Edmonton and Calgary last week kept the door open
for the Golden Knights, and that’s why not getting the second point on
Sunday hurts them.
Had Vegas won Sunday, a regulation win in Dallas would’ve given the
Golden Knights the tiebreaker over the Stars via regulation wins (33-30).
The best the Golden Knights can do Tuesday is win in regulation and
climb within a point, but the Stars finish the season at home against the
Coyotes on Wednesday night and the Ducks on Friday. Arizona is tied for
last in the NHL with 51 points, and Anaheim has lost eight of its last 10.
Vegas plays Chicago and St. Louis at the same time as Dallas’ games.
Talk about drama.
Passing the Predators is still a possibility.
Nashville plays its home finale Tuesday against the Flames, who have
already wrapped up the Pacific Division, and follow that with a back-to-
back in Colorado and Arizona.
Those games against the West’s top two teams aren’t automatic losses
for Nashville. Both have nothing to play for, but the Flames and
Avalanche would ideally want to build momentum heading into the
postseason.
The Colorado game is a question mark with the Avalanche on a four-
game losing streak entering Tuesday’s game against the Blues.
Nashville would clinch with a regulation win in any of these last three
games.
The best path for Vegas is if the Predators lose in regulation to the
Flames and Avalanche, and then lose in any fashion to the Coyotes.
Nashville can win one, but it would need to be in extra time.
It’s a small chance, but the Golden Knights could still pass their I-15
rivals in the division race and get a first-round matchup with the Oilers.
In order for that to happen, the Kings would need to lose both of their
games in regulation — in Seattle, and the next night in Vancouver — with
Vegas needing to win out in any fashion.
If the Kings secure one point, they will fly to Edmonton for Game 1.
Scoreboard aficionados believed Vegas’ best path to the playoffs was
always Los Angeles, despite the Kings’ easy schedule down the stretch,
but they responded with four straight wins entering the final week.
LAS VEGAS SUN LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242955 Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights’ second straight shootout loss pushes Vegas to brink of
elimination
By Jesse Granger
For the second straight game, Logan Thompson played his heart out and
stood tall in a shootout, only to end the game hunched over on the ice in
crushing disappointment.
The rookie netminder made six consecutive saves in the shootout before
he was bested by Miro Heiskanen in the seventh round. On the other
end, Golden Knights shooters went 0-for-7.
The Golden Knights weren’t officially eliminated Tuesday night in Dallas,
but Vegas’ playoff hopes are hanging by the slimmest of threads after the
3-2 shootout loss to the Stars.
“It’s tough,” captain Mark Stone said after the game. “You lose two
shootouts in the last two games — games you probably think you should
win. It’s a tough pill to swallow. Unfortunately, we’re going to need a lot of
help here, and we’re going to have to take care of business tomorrow
and on Friday.”
Vegas’ loss clinched playoff berths for Los Angeles and Nashville,
leaving only one wild-card spot remaining in the Western Conference.
For the Golden Knights to sneak in, they’ll need to win their final two
games (Wednesday in Chicago and Friday in St. Louis) and the Stars will
need to lose their final two games (Wednesday versus Arizona and
Friday versus Anaheim) in regulation. Even getting to overtime in either
game would clinch the playoffs for the Stars and end Vegas’ season.
“We’ve still got a pulse,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’re not eliminated.
I’m proud of our group; I thought we came and played a hell of a road
game.”
Vegas held leads on two occasions Tuesday night in Dallas but couldn’t
fend off forward Jason Robertson, who scored both of the Stars’ goals.
Finishing scoring chances has been a problem the entire season and
beyond for the Golden Knights, and it once again plagued them Tuesday.
Not only did they fail to capitalize on several grade-A chances, but they
also have gone a combined 0-for-10 in the shootout over their past two
games.
“We had some chances to win the game that we just didn’t finish on,”
DeBoer said. “It wasn’t for a lack of effort. I thought our guys left
everything on the ice tonight.”
Thompson’s play in net was a bright spot. He stopped 27 of the 29 shots
he faced, including a key glove save on a breakaway chance for Roope
Hintz in overtime.
“He was great,” DeBoer said of Thompson. “He did everything he could
for us tonight.”
Thompson was exceptional in the shootout, remaining calm on his edges
and waiting out the Dallas shooters round after round. It was only the
second shootout of his young NHL career, and Thompson has now
stopped eight of the 10 shootout attempts he’s faced but lost both.
“He’s been a warrior for us,” Stone said. “Put into a tough situation: a
first-year goalie with three starts before he was pushed into being our
starting goalie for the toughest stretch of the season. All the props to him.
He gave us a chance to win every night. It looks like he’s got a bright
future ahead of him.”
The Golden Knights must quickly shift their focus, as they fly to Chicago
for a game Wednesday night against the Blackhawks.
“We’ve gotta win,” DeBoer said. “It’s not perfect with a back-to-back, and
we emptied the tank tonight, but we don’t have a choice. We have to find
a way to re-energize here, get ready and win a game tomorrow.”
The Golden Knights are 4-0-0 at United Center in their organization’s
history, but they’ll also need to keep an eye on the Stars’ game against
Arizona, needing a Coyotes win in regulation to extend Vegas’ season
another night.
“We have to be ready for tomorrow because we’re still fighting,” Stone
said. “You just never know in this league; crazy things can happen.
“It’s tough, but it’s still an NHL hockey game, and like I said, we still have
a slim opportunity. If we lose tomorrow, it’s all over.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242956 Vegas Golden Knights
Explaining a bizarre week in Vegas that ended with Robin Lehner’s
season-ending surgery
By Jesse Granger
Robin Lehner fought through multiple injuries to help the Golden Knights
this season, right down to Sunday’s home finale. Lehner didn’t play on
Sunday, but just dressing as the backup goalie against San Jose allowed
the Golden Knights to ice their best possible lineup as they battled for
their playoff lives.
His presence at the end of the Vegas bench capped a bizarre week as
speculation swirled about Lehner’s health and the Golden Knights roster.
According to multiple sources, Lehner informed the team last Thursday
that he had decided to have season-ending surgery on his shoulder. As
reports of Lehner’s decision emerged Friday, coach Peter DeBoer and
the Golden Knights said that Lehner was, in fact, expected to be in the
lineup on Sunday. Lehner didn’t skate on Saturday or during Sunday’s
morning skate ahead of the home finale, a crushing 5-4 shootout loss.
On Monday, the team announced that Lehner’s season is over.
Why the four-day delay? The answer appears to be some complicated
cap gymnastics.
Vegas currently has a total salary cap hit of $92 million, more than $10
million over the league’s limit. The Golden Knights are only cap-
compliant because they have a large amount of money on long-term
injured reserve, as they have had for the majority of the season. Entering
Sunday, Vegas had $2 million in cap space and was set to activate
William Carrier from LTIR. His $1.4 million cap hit left the club with only
$600,000 to use.
When Lehner declared his decision to have surgery, the front office faced
a potential problem: After activating Carrier, they wouldn’t have enough
cap space to call up a second goalie from the AHL. The NHL has a roster
emergency exemption recall rule that allows clubs to recall a goalie
without it counting against the cap. Under normal circumstances, that’s
likely what would have happened Sunday.
But because the Golden Knights are so far over the cap and have been
managing their LTIR all season, the timing of this specific transaction
could have drawn red flags at the league office.
Simply put, a team with available cap space is not allowed to activate a
player with that cap space (essentially creating their own emergency)
and then immediately turn around and use an emergency exemption.
There isn’t a ruling on this hyper-specific scenario written in the NHL’s
collective bargaining agreement, but after speaking with several league
sources with salary cap expertise and knowledge of the process, this is
clearly the most likely reason the Golden Knights waited until Monday to
announce Lehner’s season-ending surgery.
The team subsequently used an emergency exemption to recall Jiri
Patera from the AHL Henderson Silver Knights.
“We were hopeful that rest and rehab would allow him to complete the
season,” the Golden Knights said in a statement on Monday. “At times
rest and rehab were effective, but ultimately Robin, in consultation with
team medical staff, determined that this is the best course of action.”
Serving as Thompson’s backup, Lehner would have entered Sunday’s
game if needed. After all, he had played with the injury up until that point.
What added to the peculiarity of the situation was DeBoer referring to
Lehner being healthy on several occasions.
Following Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Washington, in which Lehner was
pulled after allowing one goal on 13 shots in the first period, DeBoer
described Lehner as, “healthy, he’s fresh, he’s got a lot of energy.” That
period was Lehner’s last game action of the season. On Friday, DeBoer
said Lehner missed practice as a maintenance day and that he expected
Lehner to practice on Saturday and to dress for Sunday’s game.
“What I said was, nobody’s 100 percent healthy,” DeBoer said Friday.
“What I said, and I clarified, in my conversations with Robin and
everyone involved, there has been nothing physically that would keep
him from performing and going out there and performing for us. There
have been no red flags that way. Nobody’s healthy 82 games in.
Everybody needs something. That’s why, at the end of the season, you
get the laundry list of things that everyone’s dealing with. But as far as
my knowledge goes, and that’s personal conversations with the player,
there has not been a play issue. I’m not a doctor. You either can play or
you can’t play.”
DeBoer was put in a tough spot answering those questions, and he’s
correct that being injured or healthy isn’t black and white, especially in
the NHL. But that still doesn’t explain why a coach would insist his
starting goalie, who struggled down the stretch, is doing so through no
fault of injury.
Lehner suffered a shoulder injury in Calgary on Feb. 9 that held him out
for 20 days, then a leg injury on March 8 that forced him out of action for
nearly a month. He remained in the lineup after that, posting a 4-4-1
record in his final nine games with a .907 save percentage, looking
visibly hampered at times.
DeBoer laid much of the blame for an April 18 loss to New Jersey, in
which Lehner gave up two soft goals, at Lehner’s feet, saying, “This time
of year, you’re looking for your guy to be better than the guy at the other
end, and that wasn’t the case tonight.” DeBoer went on to say Thompson
has been the one goalie “that has been there and given us what he
could.”
“The announcement speaks for itself,” DeBoer said Tuesday morning in
Dallas when asked about Lehner’s season-ending surgery. “I’m
concerned about the guys that are here, battling with us tonight.”
One of those players is Mark Stone, who has also struggled since
returning from his lengthy absence, with zero points in six games. But
when asked about Stone on Friday, DeBoer said, “There’s not much not
to like. He’s our captain. We’ve seen a lot of guys, with what we’ve gone
through, battle with coming back after long absences and it’s not easy,
particularly this time of year. The league’s moving at 100 miles per hour,
and Mark has missed significant time. I think if you would ask him, he’s
not yet 100 percent. But Mark Stone, even at less than 100 percent, and
not up to game speed because of the time missed, is still a very valuable
guy.”
That’s a stark difference in tone when discussing Stone vs. Lehner.
Heading into Tuesday night’s games, the Golden Knights still had a shot
— albeit slim — at qualifying for the postseason. Whether they make it or
not, this could be an interesting offseason in the desert.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242957 Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights Season Ticket Prices For 2022-23: Email Us Your
Thoughts On Prices And Value
April 26, 2022
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Here are the Vegas Golden Knights’ full season ticket prices for 2022-23:
According to Team Marketing report, which tracks fans’ costs to attend
major league games, the Golden Knights’ average ticket price is the fifth
highest in the 32-team National Hockey League at $124.09 a ticket.
The VGK season tickets went up 5.2 percent for the 2022-23 season.
These prices are for 41 regular season games and four preseason
games.
Besides these prices for next season, season ticket holders are pay a
“Knight’s Salute Donation” of $200, a $30 service fee per order and a $3
per ticket per game T-Mobile Arena facility improvement fee.
LVSportsBiz.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242958 Vegas Golden Knights
Improbable But Not Impossible: Updated Golden Knights Playoff Odds
Published 5 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Owen Krepps
The Vegas Golden Knights were dealt a brutal blow to their Stanley Cup
Playoff hopes Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars. However, they can
still technically make the playoffs. It would take a miracle but the Golden
Knights would have to win out their remaining schedule and have the
Stars lose both of their final two games in regulation.
The Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, and Nashville Predators all
clinched playoff spots Tuesday.
The only reason the Stars have not clinched like the Predators, who also
have 95 points is because the Golden Knights have the tiebreaker over
the Stars with three more regulation wins. If the Stars lose their
remaining two games in regulation and the Golden Knights win both of
their games, the Golden Knights will take over the Stars’ spot even
though they would be tied at 95 points.
Whoever the first Wild Card team is will play the Calgary Flames. The
Golden Knights can only make the playoffs in the second Wild Card spot
and will play the Colorado Avalanche if they do make it in.
Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242959 Vegas Golden Knights
It’s Over: Golden Knights Lose To Stars in Shootout, Playoff Hopes Gone
Published 6 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Owen Krepps
The Dallas Stars (45-30-5, 95 points) have put the Vegas Golden Knights
(42-31-7, 91 points) hopes to bed as they defeated the VGK in the
shootout 3-2. The Golden Knights are now four points back of the Stars
for the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Since the Golden Knights got a point for forcing overtime, technically
speaking they could still make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, this
would require the Golden Knights to win out and the Dallas Stars to lose
both of their two remaining games against the Anaheim Ducks and
Arizona Coyotes in regulation.
Stay tuned for the postgame report where we will take one final look at
the playoff odds for the Golden Knights. The Nashville Predators and
Edmonton Oilers both collected points Tuesday night as well.
Both Robin Lehner and Keegan Kolesar missed the game with injuries.
Lehner is to have season-ending shoulder surgery and Kolesar is out
week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The Golden Knights went with 11
forwards and 7 defensemen Tuesday night as a result. But Dylan
Coghlan did not play shift.
From the start of the game, the Stars and Golden Knights competed in a
tight-checking playoff-style game. There were little whistles, and when
they came, both teams exhaled sighs of relief.
The Golden Knights started the game off on the wrong foot as Nicolas
Roy hooked Joe Pavelski. The Stars were unable to score on their
powerplay but controlled pressure in the early stages of the first period.
Offense from the Golden Knights came from the reunited line of Mark
Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Chandler Stephenson, who lugged a lot of ice
time Tuesday night. The Stars were led by their superstar line of
Pavelski, Roope Hintz, and Jason Robertson.
Both goaltenders in Logan Thompson and Jake Oettinger had to be on
their game Tuesday night.
The Golden Knights got the hugely-important first goal of the game late in
the first period. This snaps their six-game streak of allowing the first goal.
William Carrier scored his second goal in as many games since returning
from injury.
His ninth goal of the season came off an attempting centering pass to
Stephenson that hit Luke Glendening and went in.
The chess match resumed in the second with 20 more minutes of nitty-
gritty hockey. Little space was given to either team but the Golden
Knights got a couple of grade-A chances after John Klingberg blew a tire
and Evgenii Dadonov and Jack Eichel went in on the rush.
The Stars were able to tie the game up with their top line once again
finding the scoresheet. Robertson cut into the slot around Brayden
McNabb with a backhand/forehand move and scored.
The line of Hintz, Robertson, and Pavelski attribute for 45% of the Stars’
goals this season. This goal marked Robertson’s 39th goal of the
season.
The Golden Knights took to the powerplay late in the frame with
Glendening going off for a hook. With just two seconds left in the second
period, Stephenson scored the go-ahead goal for the Golden Knights.
The play was a quick passing play by the Golden Knights powerplay and
resulted in Stephenson’s fourth goal in as many games. Stone also was
credited for an assist and finally scored his first point since coming back
from injury.
The Stars came back and tied things in the third period with Robertson
getting another goal. A battle was won in the corner by Pavelski who
passed the puck over to Klingberg. His shot pass was deflected in by
Robertson for his 40th goal.
Shots were 8-1 Stars through the first half of the third period. Radek
Faksa had a trio of chances on Thompson.
Evgenii Dadonov and William Karlsson missed on a 2-on-1 as Oettinger
made a huge sprawling save. Oettinger also made a huge glove save on
a slap shot one-timer from Shea Theodore.
Tied after sixty minutes, the game went to overtime where little to nothing
happened. Only two shots were fired in the five-minute frame and both
came from the Stars. For the second-straight game, the shootout was
required.
After seven rounds of no scoring, Miro Heiskanen finally scored the first
goal of the shootout. Karlsson had a chance to keep the Golden Knights
alive but Oettinger stopped him. The Golden Knights lost the game in the
shootout 3-2 and dropped another important point in the standings.
The Golden Knights play the Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night on
the road at 5:30 pm.
Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242960 Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights Gameday 80: THIS IS IT! Lines, Notes vs Stars
Published 15 hours ago on April 26, 2022
By Owen Krepps
The Vegas Golden Knights (42-31-6, 90 points) will play their most
important game of the season Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars
(44-30-5, 93 points). With just three games remaining on the season, the
Golden Knight’s only hope of making it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs is to
snag one of the two Wild Card spots in the Western Conference. The
Stars currently have the second WC spot.
A huge blow came to the Golden Knight’s playoff chances Sunday when
they lost in the shootout to the San Jose Sharks. With this extra point lost
to the Sharks, the Golden Knights need to not only win out the remainder
of their schedule but get help from other teams in the league. If the
Golden Knights lose this game they will be all-but mathematically
eliminated from the playoffs.
“We obviously know what is at stake here. But in a lot of ways, we have
to approach this just like every other game. If you let that get in your
head too much you start gripping the stick a little too tight and I think it is
necessary to have a good balance,” said Golden Knights defenseman
Alec Martinez.
No relevant games were on Monday night so here is an updated look at
the VGK’s playoff odds.
The Golden Knights will be without both Robin Lehner and Keegan
Kolesar for the remainder of the regular season. Lehner will undergo
shoulder surgery and see his season come to an end. Jiri Patera has
been called up under roster emergency exemption as the Golden Knights
have just $615,000 in cap space and are not
Kolesar is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Dylan
Coghlan will suit up Tuesday as a seventh defenseman.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Leave Everything On The Ice
It should go without saying at this point but again, this is the most
important game of the season for the Golden Knights. It is do-or-die time
and if they lose this game their season is practically over.
“It’s a big game, it’s a playoff game so everyone is excited and a little bit
nervous, I think we are going to show up and play hard,” said Golden
Knights forward Will Carrier.
60 Minute Game
Yes, the Golden Knights need to play a cliche ‘sixty-minute game’ and
play to the final whistle. But they need to play exactly sixty minutes, no
overtime as it would give the Stars another point in the standings.
“It’s going to be a tight game out there. No one is going to give an inch,
so I think you’re just battling for these little plays, those puck battles, and
once you are out there it is a lot different game,” said Carrier.
Super Stars
The Dallas Stars have an absolute powerhouse line this season of Joe
Pavelski, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz who currently attribute for
45% of the Stars’ goals scored. Shutting them down will be huge for the
Golden Knight’s defense. Especially Pavelski, a former Shark who loves
to score big goals.
Vegas Hockey Now LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242961 Washington Capitals
Ilya Samsonov’s misadventures continue as the Caps miss a golden
opportunity
By Samantha Pell
Today at 10:19 p.m. EDT|Updated today at 11:02 p.m. EDT
Ilya Samsonov’s season has featured plenty of mistakes, including
frustrating errors in crucial moments. The goaltender’s latest mishap was
especially costly in the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 loss to the New York
Islanders on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena.
With Washington down 2-1 midway through the third period, Samsonov
botched a handoff behind the net with defenseman Dmitry Orlov as the
Islanders’ Casey Cizikas loomed. In a flash, the game turned fully in
favor of the visitors. Cizikas took control of the puck, tumbled onto his
backside and beat Samsonov with a backhander for a shorthanded goal.
Samsonov, who spun around while trying to get back into the net,
couldn’t get into position in time to stop him. Anders Lee scored a much
more conventional goal with less than five minutes left to all but secure
the Islanders’ win, and Samsonov finished with 22 saves.
“For me, it probably should’ve just been a clean break — a clean entry
exiting the net — and it wasn’t,” Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette said of
Samsonov’s miscue. “He came around the other side. I think he got hung
up on the net.”
The loss was particularly disappointing for Washington, which was
without captain Alex Ovechkin because of an upper-body injury. The
Capitals (44-24-12, 100 points) remain in the Eastern Conference’s
second wild-card spot with two games left.
A victory would have let the Capitals leapfrog the Pittsburgh Penguins
(45-25-11, 101 points), who lost to Edmonton on Tuesday, for third place
in the Metropolitan Division. The Capitals still have a game in hand on
the Penguins and can guarantee they’ll avoid a wild-card berth — and a
first-round matchup with the Atlantic Division champion Florida Panthers
— by winning their final two games. Moving into third in the Metro would
secure a playoff matchup with the second-place New York Rangers.
“We can’t play like we did tonight going into the playoffs. ... This isn’t who
we are,” Laviolette said. “... It’s one night, it was lousy, and so that’s that.”
Regardless of their playoff opponent, the health of the Capitals’ captain is
the team’s focus moving forward. Ovechkin, 36, suffered an upper-body
injury in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto and is listed as day-to-
day. He missed a game because of injury for just the 25th time in his 17-
year NHL career.
It’s unclear whether Ovechkin will be available for the final two regular
season games — Thursday at the Islanders and Friday at the Rangers.
Washington is in line to play its first postseason game Monday or
Tuesday, and Ovechkin has never missed a playoff matchup.
“I feel pretty good,” he told NBC Sports Washington before the game.
“We’ll see [if I’ll be ready for the playoffs]. I’m not going to say yes or no,
but right now we just make a decision to not play [Tuesday] and we’ll see
what’s going to happen next game.”
Washington’s other major concern heading into the postseason:
goaltending.
Laviolette has not named a starter for Game 1, with Samsonov and Vitek
Vanecek still vying for that role. Samsonov, whose goals against average
fell to 3.02, did himself no favors Tuesday. His save percentage is .896.
Vanecek checks in at 2.60 and .910. Neither has shown much
consistency, and neither has ever won a playoff game.
The Islanders, who won’t make the postseason, prevailed despite playing
a skater short after defenseman Zdeno Chara and forward Brock Nelson
were late scratches because of a non-covid illness. Ilya Sorokin made 32
saves.
Conor Sheary gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead with a deflection of Marcus
Johansson’s point shot at 10:24 of the first period. It was his 19th goal.
The Islanders tied it at 16:18 on Ryan Pulock’s power-play tally from the
point. A chaotic sequence preceded the goal, with center Evgeny
Kuznetsov and Samsonov losing their sticks in the same minute.
Defenseman Noah Dobson gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 2:56 of the
third when his long-range shot on the power play caromed off
defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk’s leg and eluded Samsonov, who had
no chance to make the save.
“Just one of those nights [when the puck] was just kind of bouncing
everywhere,” forward Tom Wilson said. “Guys were out of sync a little bit,
couldn’t get much going. Kind of an ugly game, but sometimes you got to
find a way to turn it around when it isn’t going your way. But we just didn’t
really have that.”
Here’s what else to know about Tuesday’s loss:
Challenge accepted
The Islanders appeared to grab a 1-0 lead when Kyle Palmieri danced
around defenseman Nick Jensen and beat Samsonov, but Washington
successfully challenged for goaltender interference. Zach Parise had
bumped Samsonov in front, preventing him from having a chance to
make the save.
McMichael’s shot
With Ovechkin out, Connor McMichael moved back into the lineup after
sitting out the previous seven games. The rookie’s game looked strong a
few weeks ago, but Washington opted to sit the 21-year-old in favor of its
trade deadline additions, Johansson and Johan Larsson.
McMichael skated on the top line in Ovechkin’s place and ended up with
10:58 of ice time.
The Capitals held a pregame ceremony to honor Ovechkin for passing
Jaromir Jagr for third on the NHL’s all-time goals list last month. Among
those who appeared in video messages congratulating Ovechkin for his
historic season were his parents, wife and two kids. All are currently in
his native Russia.
Ovechkin was presented with a painting featuring himself and the three
players he passed on the list this season: Marcel Dionne (731 goals),
Brett Hull (741) and Jagr (766). Ovechkin stands at 780, behind only
Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894).
“It’s a pretty cool moment for me, for the organization, for the fans, for my
family,” Ovechkin told NBC Sports Washington before the ceremony.
Washington Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242962 Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin is hurt, but you just know he’ll be back for the playoffs
By Barry Svrluga
Columnist
Today at 9:37 p.m. EDT|Updated today at 10:25 p.m. EDT
The last time the fans at Capital One Arena saw Alex Ovechkin during
what has been a historic 2021-22 regular season, his No. 8 sweater was
on a rack somewhere, replaced by a sleek gray suit and a blue tie. He
was on the ice in dress shoes rather than skates, his grin wide through
his beard.
He has 780 goals, which are third most in NHL history, and it feels as
though he has as many tribute videos. Tuesday’s included messages not
only from the men he passed this year — Marcel Dionne, Brett Hull,
Jaromir Jagr — but also from his parents and his wife and kids back
home in Russia.
The Ovi ovation was lovely and deserved, but it certainly wasn’t the news
of the day. After Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders, there are
two games left. The Stanley Cup playoffs — gosh, even the phrase
brings tingles to the spine — begin next week. And the 36-year-old
Ovechkin is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
That’s hockey jargon for “He messed up his shoulder when he crashed
into the boards, but he’ll be back when it’s prudent.”
His availability for the playoffs?
“I want to say I hope so,” Coach Peter Laviolette said Tuesday morning.
Peter, with all due respect, you don’t hope so. You know so.
Here’s the most pertinent point about next week: Since his postseason
debut in 2008, Ovechkin’s Capitals have played 141 playoff games.
Ovechkin has laced up the skates 141 times.
Day-to-day? Sure, yeah, fine. Whether the opponent for Game 1 is the
Florida Panthers or the New York Rangers, when the puck drops to open
the playoffs, Ovechkin will be in uniform, ready to throw his body around,
a heat-seeking missile for the back of the net. There’s no evidence to
suggest otherwise, and that in itself is remarkable.
Step away from hockey for a moment. Think about the mainstay, star
athletes who have come and gone here since Ovechkin first arrived 17
years ago. Ryan Zimmerman was and forever will be Mr. National, but
his career was interrupted and altered by — you name it, pick an injury
— the shoulder that forced him from third base to first or the foot that
kept him out of the lineup or the hip that nagged him eternally. Robert
Griffin III was a lightning bolt — until the turf at FedEx Field grabbed him,
shredding his knee, and he was never the same. Stephen Strasburg is a
World Series MVP who has been lost to Tommy John surgery and then
to the more daunting thoracic outlet syndrome. When he will pitch again,
we have no idea.
Keep going. In John Wall’s final three years in Washington, he played 73
games. The Wizards just finished a season in which Bradley Beal played
just 40 times. Elena Delle Donne won the WNBA’s MVP award and led
the Mystics to the title in 2019 — and played just three games in the
following two seasons.
No Washington star is impervious to calamity — except Ovechkin.
“Honestly, his style of play, you’re going to get injured,” forever running
mate Nicklas Backstrom said.
That is both completely logical and demonstrably false.
There are some old statistics here that bear updating, because as
Ovechkin creeps closer to 40, the numbers cause more jaws to hit more
floors. Since his rookie year of 2005-06, the Capitals have played 1,460
regular season and playoff games. Ovechkin has appeared in 1,415 of
them. That’s a cool 96.9 percent show-up rate. Maybe there aren’t
participation medals. But there should be some kind of award for a
graying father of two who grabs his lunch pail that frequently.
Not only has no player appeared in more games over that span than
Ovechkin, but no one is within 25 games of him. It’s to the point in which
21-year-old Connor McMichael — who took Ovechkin’s spot in the lineup
Tuesday night but was 4 when Ovechkin played his first NHL game —
knows the drill.
“You always hear, ‘Russian machine never breaks,’ ” McMichael said
Tuesday. You know why you always hear it? Because ever since
Ovechkin used that phrase in 2006, it has continued to be true. He
missed 10 games in 2009-10 (several with a shoulder injury) and 11
games in the bumpy 2020-21 season, some because of violating the
NHL’s coronavirus rules and others with nagging injuries. His games
missed in his other years: one, zero, zero, three, three, four, zero, four,
one, three, zero, zero, one, one and now three this year — the first two
because he was in the NHL’s coronavirus protocols.
So for something like the 10th consecutive season, the question: How in
the world does he keep doing this?
“Sometimes there’s got to be a little bit of luck to it,” Laviolette said. “But
he’s a really strong guy. He’s just physically well put-together. I can’t
explain [it].”
It just keeps happening. The attitude around the Capitals, even as
Laviolette tried to add a bit of mystery about the playoffs, is that Ovi is
Ovi, and so when the puck drops, he’ll be there.
“I just think mentally, he’s so strong,” Backstrom said. “He plays through
everything. It’s just the way he is as a guy. He doesn’t miss games. And
it doesn’t matter how hurt he is. He’s one of those guys you can always
count on.”
A marvel, then. But here’s the thing, too: There’s going to be one of these
crashes into the boards, one of these slow-to-get-up-from hits, that
matters. That’s only logical. Even if Ovechkin doesn’t play in the Capitals’
remaining two games — Thursday at the Islanders and Friday at the
Rangers — he just became the oldest player to score 50 goals in a
season. There’s a reason no one has done that at 37: Physical skills
erode, and even staying on the ice becomes hard. That’s true for
Backstrom, who at 34 is nursing his way through this season with a hip
problem that could be an issue for the rest of his career.
But Ovechkin doesn’t much get along with logic. In Game 5 of the 2017
first-round series against Toronto, Ovechkin went down in a heap in the
first period. He put no weight on his left leg as he went to the dressing
room. His game seemed over, the rest of the playoffs in doubt.
But when the gate swung open and the Caps took the ice for the second
period, there he was, charging ahead.
“He’s a replace-the-parts-and-keep-going kind of guy,” former Caps
defenseman Nate Schmidt said that night.
The parts, they’re still producing. He didn’t play Tuesday night. Don’t
worry.
“He’s durable,” Laviolette said. “He hates not playing the game. He hates
being out, so he’s going to want to be back as soon as possible — and
we’re going to make sure that he’s in a good spot to do that.”
You know when would be a good spot? Next week, when the playoffs
begin. That’s no longer a time for tribute videos. It’s a time to enhance
legacies. Alex Ovechkin is aware of all of that. There’s zero chance he
doesn’t show up — full force.
Washington Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242963 Washington Capitals
Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk on Alex Ovechkin breaking his age-old
record
By Scott Allen
Today at 10:21 a.m. EDT
Johnny Bucyk retired in 1978 as the Boston Bruins’ all-time leader in
goals, assists, points and games. The Hockey Hall of Fame inductee also
had the distinction of being the oldest NHL player to score at least 50
goals in a season, after notching 51 as a 35-year-old in 1970-71, until 36-
year-old Capitals captain and fellow left winger Alex Ovechkin surpassed
him last week.
“Congratulations to him for doing it, but people didn’t talk about that
record too often,” Bucyk, who will turn 87 in May, said in a telephone
interview. “I was just happy that I was able to do it. He’s done it, so now I
don’t have to worry about it anymore. Records are made to be broken.”
While Ovechkin, who left Sunday’s game with an upper-body injury and
is considered day-to-day, has scored at least 50 goals in a season a
record-tying nine times, the 1970-71 season was the only time Bucyk
eclipsed the mark. The man nicknamed “Chief,” a consistent 20- to 30-
goal scorer for most of his 21 seasons with the Bruins, scored a then-
career-high 31 goals during the 1969-70 season, which culminated in
Boston’s first Stanley Cup since 1941.
Despite arriving at training camp a week late in 1970 with 25 stitches in
his knee as the result of an August boating mishap, Bucyk opened the
season on fire. He scored 10 goals in the Bruins’ first 13 games,
established a career high by early February and finished the season with
51.
“I found myself in front of the net all the time,” Bucyk said when asked to
explain his scoring outburst. “My teammates really helped me a lot. I
wasn’t trying to get 50 goals, I was just in that position. We moved the
puck around so well, and bingo, those things happen. It’s nice for it to
happen once a lifetime.”
Bucyk said it was especially nice to record his 50th goal at Detroit in an
11-4 rout of the Red Wings, the team that traded him in 1957 to the
Bruins for Terry Sawchuk. Bucyk is going on 65 years with the Bruins’
organization, having served as a broadcaster, traveling secretary and
ambassador since retiring as a player, and he considers the trade the
best thing that happened to him in his hockey career.
The last time Bucyk recalls his status as the NHL’s oldest 50-goal scorer
being referenced so often was in 1996, when the New York Rangers’
Mark Messier made a bid to become the second 35-year-old in the club
before finishing the season with 47. Bucyk, who still holds the Bruins’
record for goals, isn’t bothered that Ovechkin has since knocked him
from the top of the list.
“He’s a great player, and he’s a lot of fun to watch,” Bucyk said as he
prepared to watch the Bruins host the Rangers at TD Garden. “He’s got
one heck of a shot, and he’s very strong. … When Washington comes
here, I watch him more than anyone else. I met him once and had him
sign a poster for me.”
Ovechkin is 115 goals shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career record of
894. Bucyk, who scored 193 of his 556 career goals after turning 36,
likes Ovechkin’s chances of catching the Great One, if he can stay
healthy.
“He’s very strong, but injuries could be a factor,” Bucyk said. “Myself, I
never missed too many games. I was also very strong and heavy boned.”
Washington Post LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242964 Washington Capitals
Disastrous 3rd period dooms Ovechkin-less Caps
BY J.J. REGAN
With Alex Ovechkin out, the Capitals gave up three goals in the third
period as a 1-0 lead devolved into a 4-1 loss against the New York
Islanders on Tuesday.
Here are some observations from the game.
No Ovechkin
On the night picked out to celebrate Ovechkin for all his
accomplishments this season, the Great 8 did not play due to the upper-
body injury he suffered Sunday in a game against the Toronto Maple
Leafs. Ovechkin was present for his pregame ceremony, but he was on
the ice in a suit rather than in his jersey and pads.
During the pregame show, Ovechkin was interviewed by NBC Sports
Washington's Al Koken and was asked about whether he would be ready
for the playoffs.
"I feel pretty good," Ovechkin said. "We'll see. I'm not gonna say yes or
no but right now we just make a decision to not play and we'll see what's
gonna happen next game."
An early wakeup call
Washington did not get off to a good start in this game at all and it looked
like that was going to cost them on the scoreboard. Kyle Palmieri pulled a
filthy deke on Nick Jensen that left Jensen sliding on the ice. Palmieri
then took it on net for the goal, but goalie Ilya Samsonov immediately
protested. Zach Parise had parked right next to Samsonov which did not
allow Samsnoov to slide over to his right to defend the net. Head coach
Peter Laviolette challenged the goal for goalie interference and won that
challenge.
The Caps looked like a different team after the goal was overturned and
scored soon after as Conor Sheary deflected in a shot to beat goalie Ilya
Sorokin.
Coming up short
Ovechkin's absence was obviously noticeable and in no aspect of the
game was that more clear than on the power play. Washington went 0-
for-4 on the night and gave up a key shorthanded goal in the third.
Samsonov stopped the puck behind the net for a handoff to Dmitry Orlov,
but Casey Cizikas was there to pressure him and steal away the puck as
Orlov tried to wheel around the net. Cizikas fell over onto the ice, but
manage to chip the puck from his backside into the net before Samsonov
could scramble back into the net.
Samsonov was there, but in his desperation overcommitted on the slide
back into the crease drawing him back out of position and allowing the
puck to get past him.
Samsonov gets the start
After two decent starts for Vitek Vanecek, it was Samsonov's turn to
audition for the team's starting role in the playoffs. He made 22 saves on
26 shots and put together a decent two periods. In the third, things got
away from him.
The first two goals that beat Samsonov were from distance. Ryan Pulock
scored in the first period taking advantage of a screen. Noah Dobson
then put New York up 2-1 in the third period when he fired the puck wide
of the net, but it deflected off of defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk and
into the net. Later in the third, there was the botched handoff with Orlov
to make it 3-1. Anders Lee then made it 4-1 with a quick shot with less
than five minutes remaining.
The last two games of the regular season are a back-to-back against the
Islanders on Thursday and against the New York Rangers on Friday,
both on the road. That likely means Samsonov will get one more start to
impress Laviolette heading into the postseason.
Standings update
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Edmonton Oilers keeping Pittsburgh
ahead by Washington by only a single point. The Caps still have a game
in hand so they could still pass Pittsburgh for third place and a first round
matchup with the New York Rangers. For now, Washington remains in
the second wild card which would lock them into a series with the Florida
Panthers.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242965 Washington Capitals
Caps playoff opponents narrowed down to Panthers or Rangers
BY J.J. REGAN
With their loss to the New York Islanders Tuesday, the Capitals flubbed
an opportunity to move one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins into
third place in the Metropolitan Division. Results around the league also
locked in a few teams and narrowed down the possible first-round
opponents for Washington down to two possible teams.
The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 to win the
Metro and lock up the top spot in the division. The Boston Bruins also
won 4-2 over the Florida Panthers securing the top wild-card spot. With
those two results, Washington can now play only the Rangers or
Panthers in the first round of the playoffs with the Hurricanes no longer a
possibility. If the Caps are able to pass Pittsburgh and take third place,
they will play New York. If they remain in the second wild card, they will
play Florida.
The good news for Washington is that the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 5-1 to
the Edmonton Oilers keeping their lead over the Caps down to just one
point. Washington also has a game in hand.
The Penguins will host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday in their final
game of the season. Washington plays on Long Island Thursday in a
rematch against the Islanders and then will play the Rangers at Madison
Square Garden on Friday.
In terms of tie-breakers, Pittsburgh leads in regulation wins 36-35 and in
regulation and overtime wins 42-39 so the Caps need to pass the
Penguins as tying them likely will not be good enough to pass them.
A win for the Caps On Thursday then will go a long way toward
Washington claiming third in the division and a potentially better first-
round matchup. To do that, however, they will have to beat the same
Islanders team that defeated them on Tuesday.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242966 Washington Capitals
Caps lose precious chance to move up East standings
BY ANDREW GILLIS
Peter Laviolette didn’t mince words. There was no need.
The Capitals lost 4-1 to the Islanders on Tuesday at Capital One Arena,
but the bench boss didn’t elaborate much on the previous 60 minutes of
hockey. From start to finish, it wasn’t a good night for the Capitals.
"From the beginning,” Laviolette said when asked where the night went
wrong. “It wasn't good."
After a late blown lead Sunday against the Leafs in which the Capitals
squandered a point in the final minutes, they blew another opportunity to
move up in the standings Tuesday against the non-playoff Islanders.
Now, the Capitals’ potential playoff opponents are down to the Rangers
and the Panthers. But whoever the opponent is, a performance like
Tuesday won’t cut it.
"We can't play like we did tonight going into the playoffs,” Laviolette said.
“If we play like this in the playoffs…This isn't who we are. This isn't our
M.O. It's one night, it was lousy and so that's that."
The Capitals appeared to shake their sluggish start in the opening
minutes, as a disallowed goal for the Islanders gave the Capitals a bit of
a jump. Conor Sheary scored the opening goal a few minutes later.
But then the Islanders scored four straight, as the Capitals couldn’t get
much of anything to go their way for the final 50 or so minutes.
“Pucks were bouncing a lot,” Tom Wilson said. “Nothing really that clean
out there. Just one of those nights it was just kind of bouncing
everywhere. Guys were out of sync a little bit, couldn’t get much going.
Kind of an ugly game but sometimes you gotta find a way to turn it
around when it isn’t going your way. But we just didn’t really have that
tonight.”
The team was absent Alex Ovechkin, who is day-to-day with an upper-
body injury. But with just two games left in the season, and perhaps two
wins necessary to move out of the second wild card spot and avoid the
top-seeded Panthers and the Atlantic Division altogether, the time for
performances like Tuesday has shrunk to nothing.
“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Conor Sheary said. “Just learn to move past it.
I think come playoff time there are going to be points where you lose
games, tough ones. We just got to move on. We still have an opportunity
to move up in the standings, and we have two games left. Our focus is
the next game against the Islanders.”
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242967 Washington Capitals
Matthews scores 60th goal, joins Ovechkin on prestigious list
BY BIJAN TODD
In a year where Alex Ovechkin seemed to set record after record like
clockwork, another tenacious goal scorer has joined him in the NHL
history books. Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored twice in the Maple
Leafs’ 3-0 win over Detroit on Tuesday, eclipsing the 60-goal plateau in
the process.
Per ESPN Stats and Info, Matthews became just the third player this
century to score 60 goals in a season, joining Ovechkin and Tampa
Bay’s Steven Stamkos. Matthews is the first U.S.-born player to score 60
in a season.
Auston Matthews becomes the 3rd player in the last 25 years to reach 60
goals in a season, joining Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos.
Matthews is the 1st U.S.-born player to reach that milestone.
pic.twitter.com/ImI76plpfp— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April
27, 2022
Ovechkin scored 65 back in the 2007-08 season, which still stands as the
highest goal-scoring campaign since Mario Lemieux scored 69 in the
1995-96 season. Stamkos scored exactly 60 in 2011-12.
Tuesday’s shutout over the Red Wings was Toronto’s penultimate game
of the season, so unless Matthews provides a masterful five-goal
performance on Friday against the Bruins, Ovi’s record will stand.
Matthews joins an elite list, still, becoming just the 21st player ever to
score 60 in a year.
Ovechkin was just 22 years old when he scored 65 during that MVP
season in 2007-08. Stamkos was even younger, eclipsing the mark
during his age-21 season. Matthews turned 24 back in September.
Matthews’ 60 strikes on the year pace the NHL and lead Washington’s
captain by 10, as Ovechkin just tied the all-time record with his ninth 50-
goal season last week in Las Vegas. The Capitals have two games
remaining before on a postseason adventure. Their opponent has yet to
be determined, but it will either be Florida or the New York Rangers.
Toronto has also clinched a playoff spot.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242968 Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin’s injury brings the Capitals a feeling of déjà vu
By Tarik El-Bashir
Apr 26, 2022
The Russian Machine may never break, but it sounds like he might be
out of service for a little bit.
Alex Ovechkin was absent from the morning skate on Tuesday after
suffering an upper-body injury in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Toronto,
raising questions about the Caps captain’s health — and availability —
going forward.
Washington has not disclosed the nature or severity of the injury, but
Ovechkin rolled his left shoulder as he made his way to the locker room
immediately after going hard into the corner boards vs. the Maple Leafs.
On Monday, Ovechkin joined his teammates for the annual team photo
and was clearly favoring his left arm.
“Alex is day-to-day,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’re going to
evaluate it and do the best thing for Alex.”
Asked if he expected Ovechkin to be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs,
which begin early next week, Laviolette, who is typically very measured
with his words, gave an ominous answer.
“I want to say I hope so but I don’t know,” he said. “It depends on how
things progress with him.”
Ovechkin has missed 44 games in his 17-year career but only 24 due to
injury, which is an amazing feat given how hard he’s defended and the
number of punishing hits he’s dished out. The Caps are 12-11-1 all-time
in the games he’s been sidelined due to injury.
“There’s got to be a little bit of luck to it,” Laviolette said, asked about
Ovechkin’s legendary durability. “But he’s a really strong guy. Like he’s
just physically well put together. I can’t explain it.
“He’s durable,” the coach continued. “He hates not playing the game. He
hates being out, so he’s going to want to be back as soon as possible
and we’re going to make sure that he’s in a good spot to do that.”
Added Nicklas Backstrom: “Honestly, with his style of play, you’re going
to get injured. But mentally he’s so strong. He plays through everything.”
The timing of Ovechkin’s injury is eerily reminiscent of the way last
season ended, with Ovechkin sitting out seven of eight games down the
stretch because of a lower-body injury. He returned for the regular-
season finale and suited up for playoffs but was not 100 percent,
finishing with two goals and two assists in a five-game, first-round loss to
Boston.
Are the Caps now facing a similarly sticky situation? Perhaps.
Through 77 games, Ovechkin is having his most productive campaign in
a dozen years, amassing 50 goals and 90 points. (He missed a pair of
contests due to COVID-19 and pandemic-related restrictions.)
His offensive metrics are just as dominant. In fact, the 36-year-old leads
the team in most categories, per Sportlogiq’s data.
Then there’s stuff that can’t be measured, like his leadership and the
bench- and crowd-igniting hits.
“He’s always around,” Backstrom said of Ovechkin’s absence Tuesday.
“He’s always playing. It’s different.
“He’s a big part of our team, so it’s a tough loss if he’s not playing. At the
same time, it gives opportunities to others to step up.”
One of them is rookie Connor McMichael, who is expected to slot into
Ovechkin’s place on the first line against the Islanders on Tuesday.
Laviolette said he opted to reinsert McMichael, who had not played since
April 10, to avoid disputing the other three lines.
“First of all, Connor played really well, (but) I’m not going to take any of
the centermen out of the middle of the ice right now,” Laviolette said.
“Connor’s played a lot of left wing this year. The lines have been really
good for 10 games now and they’ve been fairly consistent now that we’ve
had a healthy lineup. And we’ve been able to generate, produce, win
hockey games and find success.
“It’s a great opportunity for Connor, and it disrupts everything else the
least.”
McMichael, who has nine goals and nine assists in 66 games, said he’s
excited about making his return alongside Kuznetsov and Wilson.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me to prove myself going into the playoffs and
kind of prove to the coaches that when guys do get hurt that I am ready
to fill that void,” he said.
As for Ovechkin’s status, McMichael sounded optimistic.
“You always hear, ‘Russian Machine never breaks,’” McMichael said, “so
you know Ovi will be OK. He’s a warrior. He’s been out before and he
seems to always come back. So we’re looking forward to having him
back, whenever that is.”
If the Caps are going to have a long stay in the postseason, though,
they’d better hope it’s sooner than later.
“There’s always concern,” Laviolette said. “This popped up at the end of
last year; we ended up dinging up some guys right at the end of the
season. You want to go in as healthy as you can and put your best foot
forward with a healthy lineup. It was a little bit tough with some of the
things that happened, but that happens. Hopefully, Alex returns to the
lineup soon and everybody else can stay the course, get through these
(final) games and move on to the playoffs.”
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242969 Winnipeg Jets
Perfetti’s missed opportunity
Mike McIntyre
8-10 minutes 4/26/2022
There’s just one little problem: Perfetti’s recovery is ramping up just in
time for his schedule to go dark.
"Yeah, I’m in a tough spot when it comes to that," he admitted following
the practice at Canada Life Centre, in which he joined the main group for
the first since February while clad in a yellow non-contact sweater.
The Jets have missed the playoffs, their season comes to an end
Sunday. Perfetti won’t be full healed by then. And he’s ineligible for go
down and skate for the Manitoba Moose in the post-season due to a
technicality that prevented him from being assigned to the AHL club last
month in time to make the "clear day" roster because he was on long-
term injured reserve in the NHL and didn’t have enough pro games
accrued (unlike Kristian Reichel, who was in an identical position but was
able to be sent down).
"It would have been amazing to go there and join that team for that run,
but obviously that didn’t work out," said Perfetti. "Anytime you can get
any playoff experience it’s massive. Especially in the AHL on a team
that’s going to go far on a big run. That experience is really important for
players and if I was able to get that at a young age that would have been
beneficial for me. But obviously the rules prevent that. There’s nothing I
can do about that. Just have to ride with the punches and go with it."
So, even as he gets closer to being game-ready, there likely won’t be any
action for quite some time. Barring an invite to the World Championships
next month in Finland, the next potential target becomes the re-
scheduled World Juniors which Perfetti was a part of last December
before COVID-19 shut the whole tournament down.
"We’ll probably make the decision with what’s best for the player. He’s
missed a lot of hockey, and we’d probably like to get him in a competitive
environment sooner rather than later," interim coach Dave Lowry said of
Perfetti, who would have normally "aged out" of eligibility by now, but can
play due to being included on the original 2021 roster.
Perfetti began the year by making the Jets out of training camp, was re-
assigned to the Moose after a handful of games, then got another call-up
after Christmas and really started coming into his own. Prior to taking a
big hit from Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak during a Feb. 17 game against
Seattle, he was playing on a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and leading
scorer Kyle Connor. He’d put up six points over a 10-game stretch after
just a single point in his first eight NHL games.
"There’s never a good time to get injured. And I kind of felt like I was
finally getting — it’s going to take a long time to get fully comfortable —
but it’s getting more comfortable every game. Playing with those guys
was a lot of fun," said Perfetti, a natural centre who had shifted to the
right wing.
"We started to put up some numbers and find a groove offensively. We
were playing well, so it was frustrating obviously going out. But I kind of
just proved to myself that I can play with guys of that calibre and can
make plays with them. Obviously there’s lots to work on, tons of room for
improvement, and everyone’s like that, especially me as a young guy
coming up. Playing with those two guys you learn lots. Just kind of
proved to myself that it’s going to be a long road ahead, but I can stay
with those guys and play with them at that calibre of hockey."
While rehabilitating the original shoulder injury, Perfetti suffered a second
ailment that essentially cost him the rest of the season. He began skating
on his own a couple of weeks ago, joined the Jets for their season-
ending four-game road trip through the Eastern Conference before
getting his first team practice in Tuesday.
"Obviously getting back on the ice is huge for not just the progression but
for my mental state. Being eight weeks off the ice or whatever it was, it
was pretty hard. It felt like it was eight months," he said.
Perfetti, the 10th-overall pick from 2020, has 41 (15 goals, 26 assists)
points in 49 AHL games. That’s even more impressive considering he
would normally have been ineligible to play in the AHL due to being too
young if not for COVID-19 shutting down the Ontario Hockey League last
season.
There’s no question he is a major part of Winnipeg’s future.
"I think the biggest thing for progression is that he’s an extremely
intelligent player and he can make plays. He’s not afraid to get inside.
And that’s only going to help him down the road," said Lowry, who isn’t
sure whether a return to centre is in the cards at some point for Perfetti.
"I think there’s going to be flexibility," he said. "Let’s remember one thing.
Centre is a hard position to play in the National Hockey League.
Especially for a lot of young guys. Sometimes it’s better to learn the
game on the wing. The responsibility is not quite the same in the D zone.
And it’s not quite as heavy."
Regardless of where he plays — or when — Perfetti plans to be ready.
"I think my mind right now is to get as healthy as I can as fast as
possible, for the summer. This is going to be a big summer for me," he
said. "Off the ice, on the ice, it’s four months where I can get stronger,
get faster, do what I need to do to make sure that when I come back next
September I’m in the best shape and my health is in the best spot."
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.27.2022
1242970 Winnipeg Jets
‘It was kind of embarrassing’
Mike McIntyre
8-10 minutes 4/26/2022
Instead, the 26-year-old defenceman stepped into his answer like a
blistering one-timer from the point.
"Let’s be honest, it was kind of embarrassing what we did this year,"
Pionk said Tuesday following his team’s practice at Canada Life Centre.
"We had a really good roster and totally underachieved."
There may be three games left in the regular season, including a
Wednesday night visit from the Philadelphia Flyers. But the autopsy of
the 2021-22 campaign is already underway. And Pionk stood over the
patient on the gurney, scalpel in hand, and started cutting deep.
“Let’s be honest, it was kind of embarrassing what we did this year.” –
Neal Pionk
"Disappointing, underachieving, I don’t know if it was one specific area. It
was almost every area," Pionk continued. "It starts by looking in the
mirror, too. I look at myself, I look at my game as disappointing and
underachieving like I just said. If everyone goes into the summer with that
mindset, a little self-evaluation, looking in the mirror, and bringing a better
attitude and a better mindset to training camp next year, we’ll start on a
better foot."
Winnipeg (36-32-11) will miss the playoffs for the seventh time in 11
seasons since since the NHL returned to town. Considering the lofty
expectations before the year began, this is certainly the most
disappointing of them all.
Pionk said it’s going to leave a mark.
"When I look in the mirror, I’m embarrassed," said Pionk, whose up-and-
down year included getting suspended two games for kneeing Toronto’s
Rasmus Sandin and then suffering a concussion after being kneed in the
head by Jason Spezza during the same early December game. His play
took a notable dip following his return, with his trademark tenacity and
aggression replaced by a more hesitant, cautious player.
Interim coach Dave Lowry appreciated the honestly and candour from
one of the core members of his club.
"Well I think that is one player taking ownership in our season," Lowry
said. "We’re not going to run and hide from this. We know that we’re
going to have to be better. The biggest thing is it has to start within, and it
has to start with self-reflection and individuals taking ownership of where
we are."
Big decisions will have to be made this summer on where the Jets go
from here. Do they consider blowing it up as part of a major rebuild, or go
with making more minor adjustments with the hopes there is still enough
good pieces here to contend? In some ways, the situation isn’t unlike
what the Calgary Flames went through last year, when they fell far short
of expectations despite a solid roster on paper, fired their coach mid-
season, brought in Darryl Sutter and now, with mostly the same group
intact, are among the NHL’s powerhouses.
"The big thing is you look at their top players and how they came back,"
said Lowry.
"They’ve got two guys on their top line with 100 points. They’ve got
potentially three 40-goal scorers. You look at their play without the puck
and the improvements they’ve made in their game. And that is something
where I’ve played under Darryl, I’ve worked under Darryl, I know that that
is one of his demands.
"Sometimes it takes time to get everything in place. They seem to be
working, they seem to understand there’s a certain way to play. You’re
still going to get your points, you’re still going to score your goals, but
there’s a certain way to play to win hockey games," added Lowry.
The Jets have shown glimpses of that this year, including Sunday’s
impressive 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche that snapped a four-
game losing streak. But inconsistency has been a major issue.
"We have a heck of a roster. We have world-class players," Pionk said.
"Come in with a different mindset, a better attitude, and get started off on
the right foot. You lose the first three games of the year, it puts you in a
hole right away and then you’re kind of chasing the rest of the time. You
lose your confidence right off the start, too. We get off to a good start
next year, I think we can go pretty far."
You lose the first three games of the year, it puts you in a hole right away
and then you’re kind of chasing the rest of the time." – Neal Pionk
Pionk had a bit of his snarl back the other night after taking a heavy hit
from Avalanche forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel which left him bleeding from
a cut on his nose.
"I didn’t know my nose could get any bigger," he joked.
Lowry suggested that was the turning point in the game, with Pionk and
several of his teammates suddenly playing angry.
"There’s times we could have used more of that," Pionk admitted. "It’s
tough during the dog days, when you’re playing 17 games in a month or
18 games in a month but, at the same time, that’s not really an excuse
because other teams are doing the same thing. They’re playing a lot of
games in a few days so, if we can find that competitive edge, I think it will
help us for the next year and years to come."
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 04.27.2022
1242971 Winnipeg Jets
Jets' Perfetti gearing up for... summer?
Paul Friesen
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) pressures Winnipeg Jets
center Cole Perfetti (91) during the first period at Enterprise Center in St.
Louis on Jan. 29, 2022.
If you want a straight-line example of a star prospect making it to the
NHL, don’t trot out 2020 first-round draft pick Cole Perfetti.
The Winnipeg Jets’ 20-year-old, already with an unusual season as a
rookie pro under his belt, is ending his second one in an even stranger
position.
Perfetti returned from the injury list to practice with his teammates on
Tuesday, and will do so again on Wednesday and the day after that.
But his injury won’t allow him to suit up over the last three games, while
the convoluted rules governing NHL-AHL transactions prevented him
from being placed on the Manitoba Moose playoff roster.
So Perfetti, limited to 18 games with the Jets and 17 with the Moose this
season, is ramping back up for, essentially, nothing.
“Yeah, I’m in a tough spot,” Perfetti said. “Obviously, I missed the
deadline to go to the Moose, which is tough. That would have been a
great team to go on a long run (with)… my mind right now is to get as
healthy as I can as fast as possible, for the summer. This is going to be a
big summer for me.”
Perfetti says he hurt his shoulder back in mid-February, then aggravated
what he calls an “older thing” while rehabbing.
Just like that, all the momentum he’d created on a line with Pierre-Luc
Dubois and Kyle Connor vanished.
More than eight weeks later, the time off shows.
“It felt like it was eight months,” Perfetti said. “I’ve been doing as much as
I can in the gym, cardio wise, but there’s nothing like skating. Nothing
emulates it like that. It’s been tough. The last couple of days I’ve been
exhausted. The lungs are hurting a little bit… it’ll take a couple days, a
couple weeks maybe, and then it should be back to normal.”
Just in time for… the golf course?
Perfetti made the most of his pandemic-cancelled, 19-year-old junior
season, taking advantage of the rules allowing him to stay in the AHL,
where he put up 26 points in 32 games.
He added some icing to that pro cake with appearances for Canada at
the World Juniors, collecting a silver medal, and the men’s Worlds, where
he won a gold.
He looked to be adding another sparkling World Junior chapter to his
resume this season when he posted six points in two games, only to see
the event called off and rescheduled for August.
The Jets will have to weigh the risks and benefits of having their top
forward prospect give that another go, coming off two injuries, one that’s
old and recurring.
“I’m not too sure what’s going to happen with that,” Perfetti said.
“Obviously I’m going to have a say, but there’s going to be a lot from the
Jets as an organization, what they think is best for me.
“Like I said in the past, playing for Team Canada is pretty special. So if
that’s the case that’d be awesome. If not, I’ve got my mind set on
September.”
That’ll be a decision for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, although head coach
Dave Lowry may have provided a clue.
“He’s missed a lot of hockey, and we’d probably like to get him in a
competitive environment sooner rather than later,” Lowry said.
Players who don’t make the playoffs always say it’s a long summer, and
it’ll seem even longer for Perfetti if he doesn’t play in the World Juniors:
his last game was Feb. 17.
But while his career momentum was scuttled, he’ll pack something
valuable to take into the summer.
Confidence.
“Playing with those guys was a lot of fun,” Perfetti said. “We started to put
up some numbers and find a groove offensively. We were playing well,
so it was frustrating, obviously, going out. But I proved to myself that I
can play with guys of that caliber and can make plays with them.”
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.27.2022
1242972 Winnipeg Jets
Pionk hits nail on head, calls Winnipeg Jets’ season ‘embarrassing’
Paul Friesen
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Winnipeg Jets defenceman Neal Pionk (4) tries to ride Boston Bruins
right wing David Pastrnak (88) off the puck during the first period at TD
Garden in Boston on Jan. 22, 2022.
It’s not yet awards season in the NHL, but Winnipeg Jets defenceman
Neal Pionk has already won one.
Pionk on Tuesday came up with the best word to describe the Jets
season.
Since this once highly-touted bunch had the Stanley Cup Playoff door
officially slammed in its collective faces last week, several players have
tried to describe the carnage.
“Disappointing,” “frustrating” and “wasted” come to mind, but none of
them completely encapsulate this team’s predicament.
Disappointing might well describe the weather, and to say the Jets
season has been frustrating is like saying Winnipeg needs some road
work.
A “wasted year,” as goalie Connor Hellebuyck described it the other day,
is getting closer, but you could say that about any season that doesn’t
end in a championship.
Pionk came along after practice on Tuesday and nailed it cleanly, like a
perfectly-timed, open-ice hit.
“Let’s be honest, it was kind of embarrassing what we did this year,” he
said. “We had a really good roster and totally underachieved.”
“Embarrassing” really says it all, doesn’t it?
You don’t hear athletes use that term a lot. After all, who likes to admit
that’s how they’re feeling?
But it encapsulates this Jets mess to a tee, from the expectations they
rightfully carried into the season to the very public crash-and-burn in
which they all-too-often looked like they just didn’t have enough want-to,
heart, character – take your pick of words, there – to do what it takes to
win.
Embarrassment implies they knew better, and that everyone else knows
they did. It suggests there’s not a reasonable excuse to lean on, no
outside factors to point a finger at.
No, Pionk suggests the only thing to point to is the person you see on the
wall, first thing every morning.
“It starts by looking in the mirror,” he said. “I look at myself, I look at my
game as disappointing and underachieving… we have a heck of a roster.
We have world-class players. Come in with a different mindset, a better
attitude, and get started off on the right foot.”
Starting this season with three straight losses was certainly the wrong
foot. Pionk says the Jets immediately had their confidence carved, and
wound up chasing.
Asked what he meant by needing a “better attitude,” he said the Jets
need to have more of an edge.
“When I say different mindset, what I mean is we have to have a chip on
our shoulder, in a sense. If we come into training camp next year with a
chip on our shoulder, to not go through what we did this year, we’ll be
better off.”
That immediately raises a question: why couldn’t they make that attitude
adjustment halfway through the year?
You know, get a little angry, acquire a chip or two and stop
underachieving.
“There are a lot of things going on during the year that makes it hard to
wipe the slate clean,” Pionk said. “I think you can do that in the summer
and mentally reset with three or four months of not playing games and
then come back next year fully recharged.”
Head coach Dave Lowry seemed almost heartened to hear Pionk’s blunt
evaluation.
“That is one player taking ownership in our season,” he said. “I told you
the other day, we’re not going to run and hide from this. The biggest thing
is it has to start within, and it has to start with self-reflection and
individuals taking ownership of where we are.
“And every guy is going to have different words. I use disappointment…
frustration. There’s going to be different adjectives used to describe what
went on this year.”
Some aren’t fit for print in a family newspaper.
Pionk went on to say the Jets’ underachievement wasn’t limited to one
area or one position.
But he didn’t exclude the guy sitting in his own chair.
Yeah, he’s been hampered by a couple of injuries, including a
concussion.
There was also the two-game suspension for a knee-on-knee hit back in
December that caused him to play tentatively when he returned.
“You have to go out there cautious,” he said. “You got suspended, the
league noticed it and you can’t do it again. You still have to play
competitive and play hard, but you have to learn from it and not cross
that line.”
But none of that prevented Pionk from some harsh self-evaluation.
He actually summed up his own play using the same term he’d used
earlier to describe his team’s season.
“When I look in the mirror, I’m embarrassed,” he said. “That’s where it
starts for me. If everyone goes into the summer and does that self-
evaluation and we all come back, it’ll be a lot better.”
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 04.27.2022
1242973 Vancouver Canucks
Canucks 5, Kraken 2: Victory overshadowed by emotional loss of playoff
pursuit
Ben Kuzma
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Vancouver Canucks' Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23) and Seattle Kraken's
Yanni Gourde (37) get into a scuffle after the whistle during the second
period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 26,
2022.
Must win here and must lose in regulation there.
That was the tricky daily-double ticket the Vancouver Canucks hoped to
punch Tuesday to prolong their magical mystery tour and qualify for the
Stanley Cup playoffs.
They had to beat the upset-minded Seattle Kraken at Rogers Arena and
have the Dallas Stars lose in regulation to the visiting Golden Knights.
The Stars needed a single point to get to 94 points — one more than the
Canucks could collect with three-straight wins to close out the regular
season — and at 8:10 p.m. Pacific, that Vancouver ticket was ripped to
shreds.
The Stars rallied to get to overtime and won 3-2 in a shootout. Somebody
must have seen the result on a tablet at the bench. The Canucks went
from a 3-0 domination to being outshot 16-2 in the second period where
they took five penalties, to finally claiming a 5-2 win — knowing they
were mathematically eliminated from playing in May.
It was understandable.
The odds were heavily stacked against Bruce Boudreau’s bunch since he
took over the bench Dec. 6 with the club in an 8-15-2 free-fall. Playing
meaningful games in late April should be saluted. And a 31-15-5 run to
come this close to the playoffs will take some time to sink in.
Right now, there’s too much hurt, but there is promise.
“We pushed to win from Day 1, and if there’s anything I like about it, it’s
to change the culture in that winning is the only thing that matters,”
stressed Boudreau. “That’s something I preached every day since the
day I got here and hopefully it sunk in. There were games where we
weren’t good, but we still won.
“We can fix the problems as long as we keep winning. The guys now,
they hate to lose and you can see it on their faces. They expect to win
and that’s what you want. That’s what you’re here for. I hope that’s what
we’ve established.
“We want to win our last three games and take some solace from that,
but I never want it to happen again. I love working with young guys
because they’re way more responsive than older guys, who are more set
in their ways, and you have to massage them a bit.”
Here’s what we learned as Sheldon Dries, J.T, Miller, Oliver Ekman-
Larsson, Luke Schenn and Quinn Hughes scored for the Canucks while
Jordan Eberle and Morgan Geekie replied for the Kraken:
Seattle Kraken’s Karson Kuhlman (25) takes a shot on goal while being
checked by Vancouver Canucks’ Elias Pettersson (40) during the second
period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 26,
2022.
GARLAND’S SPIN TO WIN
The prevailing wisdom is small players are in big trouble as the post-
season nears.
Games to determine playoff seeding — and send others to the golf
course — are played at a greater level of physicality. Time and space are
at a premium and the diminutive can be crushed like a beer can.
Not Garland.
The winger has 14 points (4-10) in his last 10 games — including three
assists Tuesday and being foiled on two breakaways — and they came
by doing what he does best to avoid being stapled or dropped by a giant
defender. He has the speed, the spin and the smarts to make something
happen — especially from behind the net — and that bodes well for next
season.
“Spins are unique,” Garland after the morning skate. “It’s a good way to
protect yourself and that’s how small guys survive. There’s nothing
unique about not getting crushed.”
On Tuesday, it was Garland’s ability to dish that helped the Canucks
score three first-period goals. He slipped a sweet backhand feed to Miller
and set up Ekman-Larsson at the point.
Garland, 26, has four more years at a palatable annual salary-cap hit of
US$4.95 million. He has 18 goals and should be capable of at least 25,
but a 19-game goal drought in the second half didn’t help.
That’s where the new hockey operations department has to make a
decision. He has the speed they’re looking for but must decide whether
$6 million in total salary in 2023-24 and 2024-25 are worth the
commitment.
“I’m effective on the forecheck and bring energy and try to play a hard
style — no matter what the game entails — and I like to play behind the
net,” said Garland.
Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes (43) and Seattle Kraken’s Karson
Kuhlman (25) vie for the puck as linesman Bryan Pancich tries to get out
of the way during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver,
on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
ALL HAIL HUGHES RECORD
Hughes is wired to win and become a more complete player.
As much as there’s a level of satisfaction in eclipsing two franchise
records for single-season excellence by defencemen — the assist mark
of 55 set by Dennis Kearns in 1976-77 and the points standard of 63
established by Doug Lidster in 1986-87 — his team-first mentality has
reduced his plus-minus from minus-24 last season to a pleasing plus-8.
Hughes passed Lidster’s recored in the first period when he threaded a
pass to Garland to start the scoring sequence on Miller’s career-high 31st
goal. It was fitting. It’s the sublime skating to escape trouble and those
laser-like passes on the tape that have triggered the transition. He added
a second assist on Schenn’s goal and then scored off a Garland feed.
For the record, Hughes wasn’t really thinking about the record at start of
this season.
“When I hit the 50-point mark, I thought I could probably do this, but
honestly, we were so close and pushing so hard for the playoffs, that was
the dominant thing on my mind,” said Hughes. “That was the main thing,
but I knew to get there, I’d have to play good hockey and the two were
connected.
“It (record) hasn’t really sunk in. I’m definitely humbled, but in my crazy
mind, I have more goals I want to do and just keep going. The big thing is
learning and the last 40 games have been the best of my career by a
landslide with my overall game. I’m doing a better job at controlling shifts
and I’m more satisfied with my plus-minus and overall game than the
points.”
As for the disappointment of what transpired in Dallas, it was a challenge
to press on knowing what it meant when it became clear the playoff
chase was over. It had to have an effect.
“It did for me and you try not to think about it, but you’re looking at the
board and the message was to finish strong,” said Hughes. We’ve got to
be proud of ourselves for the way we pushed the last 4 1/2 months and
we can carry this into next year.
“Our culture has improved and guys really want to win. Everyone can see
it.”
Lidster was teaching at a hockey academy in Plymouth, Mich. and was
so impressed by Hughes, that he used videos of his exploits to pass
along to young players.
“There was a play in his first NHL year and he was quarterbacking the
power play,” recalled Lidster. “He made the pass from the left side to the
right flank, and while that guy was shooting, I stopped the clip because
Hughes was turning his head to see what his possible options were if he
gets the puck back.
“He’s thinking a step or two ahead of everybody.”
Vancouver Canucks goalie Spencer Martin, bottom centre, watches the
puck after stopping Seattle Kraken’s Alex Wennberg (21) as Jordan
Eberle (7) corrals the puck while Vancouver’s Tyler Myers (57) and Oliver
Ekman-Larsson (23) defend during the second period of an NHL hockey
game in Vancouver, on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
MARTIN HAS HIS MOMENTS
Spencer Martin didn’t see a shot in the opening seven minutes, but when
he was finally faced with making significant saves, he came through with
Thatcher Demko on the sidelines with an injury.
Just ask Jared McCann.
The former Canucks forward, who leads Seattle with 26 goals, had six
shots and 12 attempts and Martin got the best of him at even strength
and the power play. It started on the first of two 5-on-3 advantages and
carried over to the second with two more stops.
“I was one of the only guys that didn’t know the out-of-town score
(Dallas) until after the game and that put a little damper on it,” said
Martin, who made 30 saves. “For me, it was just exciting to show I can
play at this level and that was great. I had some tiny cramps, but I was
fine.
“Every time I get a chance to practise or play, I want to show I can help
these guys next year, so I’m not taking anything for granted. These
games are really important for my confidence and for playing in the
playoffs with Abby.”
Added Boudreau: “He was great. His effort on the first 5-on-3 was
outstanding. He wants to prove he’s an every-day NHLer and he hasn’t
disproved it — I can tell you that.”
OVERTIME — Travis Dermott got sick Tuesday morning and Brad Hunt
felt sick before the game but played through it. Will Lockwood has an
upper-body injury.
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242974 Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks officially eliminated from playoff contention
Mike Raptis
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes (43) and Seattle Kraken's Karson
Kuhlman (25) vie for the puck as linesman Bryan Pancich tries to get out
of the way during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver,
on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
After making an inspired run to come close to the playoff bar, the
Vancouver Canucks ultimately fell short on Tuesday night after the Dallas
Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in a shootout.
The Stars’ win means that the Canucks can only reach 93 points if they
win their two remaining games, while Dallas now has 95 points.
Vancouver defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-2 on Tuesday night at Rogers
Arena. The Stars’ win sent the Nashville Predators and the Los Angeles
Kings to the playoffs as well. The Golden Knights still have a slim
chance.
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242975 Vancouver Canucks
Canucks: Thatcher Demko sidelined by injury, Spencer Martin gets
crease call
Ben Kuzma
Publishing date:Apr 26, 2022
Spencer Martin has had three smart starts this NHL season, including
Jan. 21 at Rogers Arena where he made 32 saves in a 2-1 loss to
Florida.
Bruce Boudreau called it “a little bit of an ouch” on Tuesday morning.
It was a complimentary way for the Vancouver Canucks coach to frame a
day-to-day injury to the heavily taxed Thatcher Demko — who has
obviously been playing through some level of discomfort — because the
bench boss knows how hard his starter practises and plays.
The bigger picture is one of physical and mental strain on the workhorse,
who has logged a career-high 64 appearances this season, to keep his
club in the NHL playoff conversation.
And that can invite stiffness, soreness or a strain on a stopper who has
exhibited quick post-to-post movements and crazy scrambles in crease
scrums to corral loose pucks.
It has led to Demko posting a personal-best 2.72 goals against average
at the NHL level this season and match a career .915 save percentage
established last season. And in eclipsing the 30-win plateau with 33
victories — all while looking somewhat fatigued in his last seven starts in
which he went 4-2-1 — he made a statement of drive and durability.
In Demko’s absence, Spencer Martin got the call to face the Seattle
Kraken on Tuesday at Rogers Arena, while Arturs Silovs was summoned
from the AHL affiliate on an emergency basis.
As for the 26-year-old Demko, let’s put it this way: Luke Schenn is a
deserving nomination for the Masterton Trophy by the manner in which
the veteran defenceman has met the award criteria of perseverance,
sportsmanship and dedication. Demko was second in voting by the local
chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. He could also be
named the club’s most valuable player.
However, his season could be done with just three games left and playoff
hopes hanging by a thread.
“He’s being evaluated,” said Boudreau, who saw in January what Martin
could do with Demko and Jaroslav Halak in COVID-19 protocol.
Martin, 26, signed a two-year, $US1.525 million extension earlier this
month, and went 1-0-2 with a 1.59 GAA and a .985 save percentage. He
could play in the final three regular-season games, depending on the
Canucks’ playoff fate and Demko’s health.
“His three games were amazing and he held us in every game against
good competition (Florida, Edmonton and Winnipeg) and we feel very
confident with him in the net,” said Boudreau. “Hopefully, he feels
comfortable coming back and wanting to show that he’s ready to play in
the NHL next season.
“It (January) was a small sample size, but the more games he gets here,
it all adds up. And if he can keep the same numbers, that’s pretty good.”
Three months ago, Martin was just elated to get another chance with an
organization after logging three games with Colorado in 2016-17. He was
a 2013 third-round pick of the Avalanche and brought into Abbotsford as
the fifth organization stopper, but he was far down the pecking order.
It took a month before he even got an AHL start this season and he has
responded with a 19-4-2 record, 2.43 GAA and .914 save percentage.
“You never know and you don’t take it for granted,” Martin told Postmedia
News. “I got a chance when I was really young to play some games. I’m
just balancing the excitement with the business of playing well.”
Boudreau has made it a mission to get to know both the player and the
person on his roster since taking over the bench on Dec. 6. However,
goalies are cut from a different cloth and they can be quirky and very set
in their practice habits and game preparation.
As for Martin, it’s a different approach for the coach.
“Goalies are real different,” chuckled Boudreau. “I haven’t got to know
him as well as if he was here for a long time, but I’ve talked to him. I
leave most of that up to the goalie coach (Ian Clark) and he takes what I
say and does more communication with him (Martin) than I would.”
OVERTIME: Boudreau said unrestricted free agent Halak (hand) is
“probably not” an option this week because he hasn’t been on the ice for
a week. He added that winger Tanner Pearson (wrist) is “not necessarily”
done for the season and gets another X-ray on Thursday to determine
his playing status if the club is still alive. Boudreau didn’t think Bo Horvat
has progressed far enough from a lower-leg hairline fracture to be a
roster consideration, especially after not skating for two weeks.
Defenceman Tucker Poolman (migraine headaches) has been placed on
long-term injury reserve.
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242976 Vancouver Canucks
The Armies: Canucks skate into the Spencer Martin era
By Wyatt Arndt
Much like that scene in “Titanic” when the band members wore their best
suits as they played away to their doom, the Canucks donned their nicest
jerseys as their season slipped away.
With their slim chances at the playoffs officially crushed thousands of
miles away by the glove of Jake Oettinger halfway through the second
period, the Canucks had nothing left to play for other than pride.
And maybe some personal bests in an NHL season where it feels like
everyone is setting career highs.
In fact, if you didn’t set a career high this season, I really have to
question how committed you are to your NHL career.
JT Miller’s quest for 100 points inched one point closer, finishing the
game at 97.
Quinn Hughes punted Doug Lidster out of the record book with a three-
point night, smashing it like he had just finished reading The Armies.
Conor Garland threw in three assists just for the hell of it.
Luke Schenn challenged Tyler Myers for the right to become the net-front
presence on PP2.
And Spencer Martin had the kind of game you love your backup to have,
this time at a very affordable price unlike years past.
All in all, it was, as they say, a tidy piece of business, as the Canucks
secured a 5-2 win over the visiting Kraken.
Not a great season, but a fun one, is probably the best way to summarize
the Canucks’ campaign.
Now as usual, we will save the end-of-season talk for the last game of
the season. We’ll have hors d’oeuvres and room-temperature tap water
on hand, and hey, maybe we’ll hand out some awards.
But until then, as always, let’s make some GIF money first.
Best now I know I’m in first class
I feel like the Canucks deciding out of nowhere to use their skate jersey
for their last two home games is either the “dangle some keys to distract
from the lack of playoffs” or a solid indication that the Skate jersey is
coming back into rotation next season.
For what it’s worth, I have heard three distinct rumbles from three distinct
places that have winked and nodded at me that the Skate jersey is
indeed joining the cast and crew of the Canucks next season. One
person even smirked while winking, which is as close as it gets to
confirmation from deep sources.
As for the game itself, it started as so many of them do, with an odd-man
rush for the opposing team:
Luckily, it’s the Kraken, so they biffed it, but Pete Carroll assures me this
was the right play to call.
Elias Pettersson and his BFF Brock Boeser hooked up to get a nice shot
on net:
At this point, their home planet needed them, and Boeser and Pettersson
disappeared from the game, never to be seen again.
Best Dries and gravy
Sheldon Dries, the Abbotsford Canuck goal-scorer supreme, potted the
first goal for the Canucks when he had a kind of two-on-one with Myers:
My favorite part is the swagger of Dries to waltz in and not even think
pass, you know he’s bottom shelf where Jordie Benn keeps the beard
conditioner.
I also like to think that he recognizes it’s Net Front Specialist Myers
skating with him, and if he passes that puck over to him, he’s stepping
right into chaos.
One of three things happens if he passes to CG57 there:
The pass gets blocked, but the puck somehow still gets to Myers, who
then goes bar down. Twice. Like, the puck goes bar, goes ice, then goes
bar, then ice again.
The pass gets through but Myers shoots the puck around the boards,
and it ends up getting past Martin.
Myers pulls off his costume to reveal that he’s been a broom this entire
time.
I’ve watched this goal on loop for about 60 seconds while trying to tap
into the chaos of Myers and you know what, it gets better each time.
Hughes drop kicked Lidster out of the record book like a young Maven
with his assist on Miller’s goal:
Sometimes, you break down goals and go over what led to the puck
going in the net, and sometimes it’s something as simple as “JT Miller
shot the puck towards the net.”
Garland set the goal up with a nice drive to the net where about three
Kraken players decide he’s the imminent threat, leaving Miller all alone in
the slot so that he could put the puck on net in a gentle fashion.
To be fair, this is the most excited he’s looked since he found out his
midterm was cancelled.
Best Drance attack
The Seattle Kraken record their first shot on goal against Spencer Martin
at 8:25 of the first period.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) April 27, 2022
Seattle did not look like a very good club through one period. Anytime
people start comparing you to Arizona, it’s not a good look.
“Like Arizona, but not playing out of an improv theater for the next
several seasons.”
After seeing Miller score by simply shooting the puck on net, Oliver
Ekman-Larsson decided to give it a go:
Much like the Miller goal, Garland threw a nice bit of backhand sauce to
the middle of the ice, and then a couple of Kraken players pretended they
were going to block the shot, but we all know they weren’t REALLY trying
to block the shot.
See? The Coyotes comparisons, man. Just brutal.
Best equalizer
Luckily for Seattle, the referees had their sliders ramped all the way up
after the first period, as they began calling everything against Vancouver.
Up first is Schenn getting penalized for being too strong and too good at
his job:
The official penalty was interference, and I feel it was mostly called
because Jordan Eberle did a really good “wtf is going on here” hand
gesture.
The problem got demonstrably worse when OEL got called for the illegal
use of a wooden object:
But you know what? Martin handled his business. He handled it easily.
He handled it so easily that he didn’t even sweat it when his team let him
have the full Thatcher Demko experience by giving up a breakaway:
This was a fantastic game for Martin and remains one of the best stories
of the season for the Canucks, not only in terms of finding a suitable
backup for next season, but for the fact Martin fought his way back into
the NHL.
It’s like a moral victory except it doesn’t feel like pain.
The Canucks, never one to sit back and let their goalie have an easy
night, immediately went down two men again.
First up is what scientists call the Tyler Myers Sequence, in which he
feels slighted by an opponent, so he hunts them down and breaks his
stick on them:
This was then followed up by Brad Richardson getting called for the
illegal activities with the wooden stick:
All of which led to Martin absolutely spitting in the face of Demko by
making multiple saves without his stick:
You can make one save without your stick Demko? Martin can make
three.
Gauntlet, thrown.
Alas, the Kraken finally broke through the Martin wall when the natural
chaos of a five-on-three worked its way to Seattle’s advantage:
Martin saves that without a stick. I’m just saying.
At this point, the referees handed out a penalty to Miller for simply being
Miller, and to be fair, nobody really argued it:
You’d think he got an unsportsmanlike penalty for swearing, but this guy
drops the loudest f-bombs in the league, so it must have been a strongly
worded insult about the officials’ Settlers of Catan strategies.
“You look like you lean heavily on brick and wood. Idiot. Everyone knows
wheat and ore are the true end-game resources.”
Though I like the idea of a saddened Boeser passing an iPad along the
bench with the out-of-town scoreboard, it’s most likely the fact Vancouver
was killing penalties for half of the period that caused the team to lag.
Seattle would indeed take advantage in the shift of momentum when an
innocent-looking dump-in led to a quick strike from Morgan Geekie:
Best about that…
First off, Hughes is lucky that stick didn’t hit a Seattle Kraken player in
the face, otherwise he gets a penalty there:
As it stands, the Canucks finally got a power play.
OK, Miller got called once again for existing, so there goes that power
play.
And there goes Schenn for, again, illegal use of a wooden object:
You might be asking yourself why are there so many highlights of
penalties from this game, and I am right there with you.
I often wonder if J-Pats giggles when he finds the perfect stat bomb to
drop, or merely fist pumps silently.
Martin is taking nothing for granted, he is out here to show he wants that
backup job next season:
Once every 45 games, Schenn busts out a first-round draft-pick goal, and
it’s downright adorable:
Not only does Schenn dangle into the zone, but he then skates hard to
the net to deposit the Matty Two Shoes Highmore shot into the back of
the net.
Then he acts like he scores goals like this every game and simply turns
around and gives a gentle hug to Highmore as if to say sorry about
having to tap in your goal.
That’s just good Rocket League etiquette right there.
Then Brad Richardson spams the chat with “What a save!” and it all falls
apart.
Best finishing touches
OK, before we get to the highlight of the Hughes goal, we need to go on
a Garland journey.
He had three assists Tuesday, and once again had a very good game.
He had a really strong season under the ultimate Hype Man Travis
Green, but it feels like he hasn’t quite found himself under Bruce
Boudreau.
But again, he was very solid Tuesday night, even if his tributes to Tyler
Motte bordered on unreasonable.
In the first period, he attempts to score a breakaway at Pavel Bure
speeds, and it goes pretty much how I would imagine it goes for anyone
other than Bure or Nate MacKinnon:
One second you have dreams of glory, the next you’ve just begun the
first part of your deke and you’re already in the end boards.
Later in the second period, Alex Chiasson sends over the lumpy gritty
backhand sauce that he does a fantastic job of batting down, but you
can’t leg kick in a Skate jersey and score, everyone knows this:
Eventually, he just realizes his best bet is to just shoot:
And that brings us to the Hughes goal.
He has two options:
Be like Dries and use your natural machismo to score the goal?
Or pass the puck over to someone else to do the dirty work:
Full credit to Chiasson for skating hard to join the rush so we could see
what it would have looked like if Wayne Gretzky had passed to Larry
Murphy instead of Mario Lemieux.
Best sad trombone
How about we keep it to a thank you, Jim?
Best shine check
Not sure if this has been pointed out yet, but both goaltenders for the
#Canucks will presumably be wearing very white/blue/green equipment
on black skate jersey night.
Martin has skyrocketed up to the top five backup goalie masks of all time
in Vancouver.
Best Chiasson waterfalls
You can straight-up see Chiasson searching for another option with the
puck before just giving in and going crest, then just sort of walking away
like the sad Hulk.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242977 Websites
Igor Shesterkin? Juuse Saros? Ilya Sorokin? Who is actually most
deserving of this year’s Vezina Trophy?
Shayna Goldman
12-15 minutes 26/04/2022
The Vezina Trophy is awarded to the goaltender voted by general
managers as “the best at this position.”
How should best be defined?
With a handful of NHL awards, the definition and interpretation varies by
voter. That can be true for the trophy that deals with goaltending, one of
the trickiest positions to analyze.
“Best” can be translated a couple of ways. It can be which goaltender
collects the most wins, despite that being a collective team-driven
number. Whether a team reaches the playoffs can be another
consideration, though one player typically can only drag their team so far.
Save percentage and goals-against average are other common ways.
More innovative thinkers may consider how goalies respond to their
workloads. And some voters might want to see who is the most valuable
to their team, overall.
The problem is, traditional metrics are only so telling about a goalie’s
actual performance and lack context, yet those tend to heavily weigh into
the conversation. Advanced data does help clear up some of those gaps,
but there really is no single way to perfectly assess this area of play at
this time.
That’s why, like with most awards, narratives can fuel the discussion.
Sometimes, it’s just deemed a certain player’s “year” — actual results be
damned. It can be the biggest hurdle working against a player who has
earned the honors.
So, which players have earned legitimate consideration as the best in
goal this season?
Starting at the very surface level, there’s wins. Sergei Bobrovsky leads
with 39 in a bounce-back season behind a Panthers team that’s one of
the best in the Eastern Conference. Juuse Saros, in 13 more games
played, is at 38 wins. Jacob Markstrom and Andrei Vasilevskiy trail with
37, while Igor Shesterkin and Darcy Kuemper are behind that pair at 36.
This helps start to build the field of goalies who will likely be in the mix,
but it doesn’t complete it either because wins shouldn’t be the end-all-be-
all.
Among starters in the league — and that’s a definition we can keep loose
for now, as a goaltender who plays at least 42 games which is a very
narrow margin for “majority” in a full season — Shesterkin’s saved the
highest percentage of shots he’s faced at 93.6.
His neighbor on Long Island, Ilya Sorokin, is next up with a .926 save
percentage. Frederik Andersen, Markstrom, and Kuemper file in behind
at .922. Ville Husso, who is closer to a 1A, follows closely (.921 save
percentage).
Many sticking with this traditional path would then look to goals-against
average, despite its flaws, and see Shesterkin’s leading the way (2.03),
with Andersen (2.17) and Markstrom (2.21) rounding out the top three.
For some, Vezina “analysis” stops here.
That is selling goaltenders short because there are additional ways to
more accurately estimate their impact.
A key consideration should be the workload these goaltenders face and
how they handle it. Starting with shot volume, Saros, Thatcher Demko,
Sorokin, Shesterkin, and Kuemper see a higher rate of unblocked shots
against than some of their peers around the league who rate highly in
save percentage.
Among starters, Markstrom faces the lowest rate of 38 unblocked shot
attempts against per 60. It helps to play behind a Flames team that’s so
defensively sound. Andersen and Bobrovsky are on the lower end, as
well.
Goalies obviously can’t control how the team in front of them plays; they
can only manage the workload they face. But having stronger numbers
behind tougher shot rates against counts for something.
One way to account for that is comparing actual save percentages to
expectations to see how much better or worse a goalie plays compared
to the average goaltender in their situations; that’s how delta save
percentages are derived. So, despite Markstrom not being as busy as
others, he’s still performing above average relative to what he faces.
This measure raises the stock of other starters including Shesterkin,
Andersen, Sorokin, and Husso given how much better than average they
perform.
There’s something to be said about a goaltender who consistently faces
upwards of 30 shots a game, on average, and stops a high percentage of
them. But shots aren’t created equally, and that should be considered as
well. A goalie with the support of their defense to limit puck movement
and stay out of the danger areas doesn’t face the same challenges of
playing behind a team that bleeds chances.
Expected goals help account for that shot quality, including factors shot
as shot type, distance, and angle, along with whether a chance was a
rebound or second effort opportunity.
Shesterkin leads the league with 38.2 goals saved above expected via
Evolving-Hockey, even after a dip in play last month. He’s ahead of the
next best, Andersen, by over nine goals. That doesn’t just stack up well
to this year’s goalies, but to all in the “data era” since 2007-08. It’s the
sixth best in the league behind Henrik Lundqvist in 2009-10 (GSAx of
53), 2011-12 (43.6), and 2008-09 (41.1), along with Bobrovsky in his
Vezina-winning 2016-17 season (45.1) and Carey Price in his 2014-15
(38.9).
There are quite a few goaltenders saving more than expected, and those
towards the top of the charts likely should find their names in the Vezina
conversation. It could be as simple as going 1-2-3 in GSAx for some
voters. But there’s more information to help build the case for the best
savers in the league.
The gap between one and two in the league deepens further with private
data that features pre-shot movement, which helps account for defensive
efforts in front of the blue paint.
According to Sportlogiq, Shesterkin’s stopped 40.8 goals above expected
in all situations. The next best in the league is Sorokin (18.9), followed by
Saros (18.2), and Tristan Jarry (18.1). Andersen slides to fourth, at 16.7
goals saved above expected.
To equal the playing field, seeing as each goalie has played a different
number of games, it helps to account for the differences in minutes
played since GSAx is a counting stat that accumulates through each
game played. Shesterkin, however, has played fewer games than some
of the other contenders. It only helps solidify his place at the top, with a
league-leading in goals saved above expected per 60.
Eight of the top 10 in GSAx (via Evolving-Hockey) keep their standing at
the top of the league. Saros, who has earned his saves in far more
games played, slides out of the top 10. As does Connor Hellebuyck.
With Saros and Hellebuyck and their usage in mind, playing time is a
consideration for another reason.
A case against Shesterkin is the fact that he’s only started 51 games this
season, or under 65 percent of the Rangers’ tilts. It’s not a matter of
splitting the workload like it is for Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles. Rather,
his season is more condensed because of time missed with injury. That
may hurt Andersen, too, and Sorokin (both below 64 percent).
For Sorokin, the fact that the Islanders are out of playoff contention
obviously plays into his standing for the Vezina too — but it certainly isn’t
for a lack of trying on his end. There’s a difference between behind
outstanding on a legitimate bottom-feeder and just playing on a team that
falls short of the playoffs, despite their goalie’s efforts. The latter applies
to him, and shouldn’t hold him out of this race.
There’s a difference between their usage and the likes of Husso’s, with
37 starts in what’s been closer to a shared crease.
But to compare, there’s Vasilevskiy and Markstrom having played over
77 percent of their teams’ starts on the high end, and Saros all the up at
83.5 percent.
The last two years are tricky to compare, so is 2012-13, because they
weren’t complete 82-games seasons. But last year’s winner, Marc-André
Fleury ended with 36 starts, 64 percent of the Golden Knights’ 56 games.
Vasilevskiy in 2018-19, was in the starter’s net for 53 of 82 games, so
was Tim Thomas back in 2008-09. In fact, Thomas won the award twice
while playing below 70 percent of his teams’ games.
In today’s NHL, there’s more of an effort to split the workload instead of
riding a goalie into the ground before the playoffs even start (although
most teams stick with one netminder in the postseason, anyway). But as
Saros shows, the league hasn’t completely done away a bonafide starter
shouldering a tremendous workload.
The rest of the winners in the data era, did see at least 70 percent of their
teams’ starts. Price, Braden Holtby, and Ryan Miller were all over 80
percent. Martin Brodeur in 2007-08 played almost 94 percent —
although, that does make some of his numbers a bit more suspect seeing
as his GSAx (again, a counting stat that accumulates with games played)
was eighth among “starters” that year. Then again, it’s likely particularly
tough to uphold such a high level across that many games.
As the viz shows, goalies who lead starters in save percentage often end
up with a trophy at the end of the year for their play. It hasn’t always been
a slam dunk for the GSAx leader, however. Pekka Rinne was fifth in
2017-18, when the award arguably would have been better represented
by John Gibson.
Goals saved above expected helps quantify value. For traditionalists,
wins are often used to show value. Wins, however, can also be indicative
of team strength, along with goaltending. That’s why it helps to look at
quality starts and stolen wins instead or in addition to, using Alan Wells’
method, which built off the work of Rob Vollman and Nick Mercadante.
Essentially, a quality start measures a game in which a goalie gave their
team a shot by saving more goals than expected. As data compiled by
Prashanth Iyer shows (prior to Sunday’s matchups), Markstrom,
Hellebuyck, and Shesterkin lead the league with 38 quality starts.
Vasilesvkiy ranks next with 36 while Saros is trails by one more.
This hurts a player like Demko, who a month ago, seemed primed for
legitimate consideration. In April, he’s only had three quality starts of out
nine. That’s dragged down his season-long GSAx, too.
A steal is a bit more impactful; these have to be wins, unlike quality
starts. It’s when a goaltender’s GSAx exceeds a team’s final goal
differential in a game, minus goals scored into an empty net late in the
game (so if a team leads 2-1, but scores an empty netter to make it 3-1,
the goal differential stays plus-1).
No one’s stolen more wins for their team than Saros in Nashville with a
league-leading 11; it’s a major reason why they’re in playoff contention.
Shesterkin has 10, while Colorado’s starter has earned nine. These
netminders both play behind teams in the bottom 10 in the league in five-
on-five expected goal generation and bottom-half in their scoring rate;
their goaltenders, at times, have to be perfect to keep the margins slim
when they don’t have that offensive support.
Again, playing time should factor in here. That’s why it helps to look at
quality start and steal percentage. Goaltenders who play more games
obviously have a better chance to rack up steals and quality starts — and
those that do should be commended. As should those who make the
most of the time they are in net.
Viz by Prashanth Iyer
Saros, Andersen, and Kuemper still rate well, but Shesterkin jumps out
once more. Seventy-six percent of his starts have been quality, while 20
percent of his wins were steals. That isn’t just Vezina-caliber, but worthy
of legitimate Hart consideration as well. The next best is Sorokin’s in
quality starts (65 percent) and Kuemper in steals (18 percent).
That makes the ballot even more interesting because Sorokin legitimately
has a case to make the top-five goaltenders despite his team’s play
around him. Andersen, too, and accounting for ice time only solidifies
both of their standings. But Kuemper and Markstrom have earned nods
for putting up such strong results and playing as frequently as they did. A
case could be made for Saros to finish top five if the idea is to emphasize
the most valuable goalies to their teams.
But whether for the best goaltender or the most valuable, there’s one
clear winner in Shesterkin, whose elite play should earn him at least one
trophy at season’s end.
Data collected prior to Monday night’s matchups, via Prashanth Iyer,
Evolving-Hockey, HockeyViz, and Sportlogiq. This story relies on shot-
based metrics; here are primers (part 1, part 2) on these numbers.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
1242978 Websites
NHL playoff WATCH: Ranking the most likely matchups, from 1-8
Sean Gentille
12-16 minutes 26/04/2022
Credit the Vegas Golden Knights. They sacrificed themselves for the
greater good.
That’s what the last couple of weeks of the NHL playoff chase have been
about, right? Tracking that mess, and watching the expectations go from
“Yep, they’ll be fully operational any day now,” to “Hmm, wait a minute,”
to “Whoops, they’re done unless something ridiculous happens and also
a quarter-step from full-on dysfunction.”
In any case, bless them. They provided drama where otherwise there
would’ve been none. Alas, it’s time to focus on the teams that have kept
it together long enough to actually qualify for the playoffs.
These are our eight most likely matchups headed into Tuesday’s game,
based on Dom Luszczyszyn’s projections and ranked according to my
(much more scientific) Spice Factor. It’s time to get excited about this
stuff.
1. Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues
Likelihood: 100 percent
Spice factor: 9 (🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: 3-0 Blues | 16-12 Blues
Pros: Each season, the division-centric playoff format gives us a first-
round matchup (or two, or three) that we don’t deserve. That’s the
optimist’s view, at least. Have the conference’s second- and third-best
point-getters earned the privilege to wait a little bit before running into
each other? Yeah. Yeah, of course they have. It’s patently unfair that
only one of these teams is actually going to, y’know, advance. And
please — please — do not take this as an overall endorsement of the
format. It made sense to try way back when, and it hasn’t been a full-on
negative — those Penguins–Capitals matchups alone might’ve been
worth it — but it’s time to either simplify (standard 1-8 seeding) or get
creative (play-in tournament between the 7-10 seeds). You can’t conjure
rivalries, nor can you devalue the regular season any more than it
already has been. We’ve all been sleepwalking for the last couple of
weeks. Enough is enough.
That being said, there are babies mixed in with this bathwater. It’s OK to
have high expectations for Wild-Blues. Two top-five scoring teams —
with zero regulation losses between them in their last 20 — is a tasty first
course. We’re getting star power on both sides; Kirill Kaprizov vs.
Vladimir Tarasenko is fun for a lot of reasons. We’re getting depth; 14
players in this series will have 20 goals or more, and that’s not including
Matt Boldy (15 in 44 games). We’re getting an interesting set of regular-
season results; the teams’ two April games both went to overtime.
Minnesota’s storylines alone — adding Marc-Andre Fleury at midseason,
making their last, best run before the cap situation gets ugly — are
fascinating enough on their own.
Cons: For all those goals, neither team plays particularly high-event
hockey. Minnesota is 17th in shot attempts per game, and the Blues are
one spot behind. There’s slog potential if the goals don’t come early. Also
— and I’m going to get killed for this because I get killed for it every
Friday morning — it’s fair to worry about the Blues’ offensive production
in a playoff atmosphere. A lot of their success is predicated on a 26.5-
percent power play. That’s fine; score goals however you can. They’re
not a bad five-on-five team, either; a goals-for rate of nearly 55 percent,
over the course of a full season, counts for a whole lot. Some teams
finish better than others. But if they hit a cold shooting streak — their
expected goals rate is more than seven points below their actual rate —
and if officials swallow their whistles, some of those goals are going to
dry up, and the series is going to be shorter than any unaffiliated party
would prefer. It’s not something I necessarily believe will happen — it’s
just a concern.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Likelihood: 96 percent
Spice factor: 8 (🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season: Tied 2-2 | 16-12 Lightning
Pros: Either outcome would be seismic in its own way. If the Leafs lose,
that’d mean the Leafs lost. If the Leafs win, that’d mean the Leafs won.
That’s a big enough deal, regardless of the side of the fence you’re sitting
on. Personally, I simultaneously exist in two spheres; I’m repulsed by the
amount of attention that’s paid to that team, and I can’t get enough of it.
Am I a hater? Yes. Am I also a greedy little freak, obsessively tracking
other folks’ obsession? Also yes. The sheer tonnage of attention paid to
the Leafs, and the sheer tonnage of attention paid to the attention, makes
them one of the most compelling stories in the sport. I wish it weren’t
true, but it is.
It’s also true regardless of who they’re playing; a first-round matchup
against a bunch of guys in gray jerseys would carry the weight of the
world. The Lightning are about as far from gray jerseys as you can get.
They’ve got their own stakes — a third straight Stanley Cup would be the
greatest achievement of the cap era, full stop. A couple of weeks ago,
their gas light came on. All of a sudden, they’re back to stomping other
contenders. The deadline moves — Nick Paul has five points in his last
five games — are starting to bear fruit. And they’re going to start their run
at history against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This feels fool-proof. Auston
Matthews vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy? Yep. That’ll be fine.
Cons: The last two games between them — a 6-2 Toronto win on April 4
and an 8-1 Tampa win on April 21 — weren’t any good. The stakes are
high, and the outcome will be important, but the games themselves might
be a bit of a concern.
3. Florida Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Likelihood: 73 percent
Spice factor: 7 (🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: 2-1 Panthers | Goals: 11-10 Panthers
Pros: If this goes down, it’ll be fun because of how unexpected it seemed
a few weeks back. Thanks to a few separate mini-skids by Pittsburgh —
hello, regulation loss to the Flyers — we’ve got a real shot at a fun one.
The stakes are probably a little higher for the Penguins than people
realize; those are the breaks when Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Bryan
Rust are a couple of months away from unrestricted free agency. Every
season, we wonder if this will be the last run for that group. This time, it
might be true.
Uneven as the Penguins’ season has been, drawing them still seems
less than ideal for the Panthers; Pittsburgh, at its top end, is still an elite
team. If they come close to hitting that benchmark in this series, it’ll be an
unfair, early, very serious test for the best team in the conference. It’ll
also present an opportunity; great as the Panthers have been — and
offensively, they’re a wagon by any possible metric, outscoring the
second-place team in the league by as much as the second-place team
outscores the seventh-place team — they still haven’t won a playoff
series since 1996. That first-round series against Tampa last year, fun as
it was for the rest of us, was still a six-game loss. Knocking off the
Penguins — even a few years past their peak — would count for
something.
Also, it’d be Claude Giroux vs. Pittsburgh in the postseason. That tends
to work out, in one way or another.
Cons: It’s a boring answer, but the Penguins’ goaltending situation could
make this a dud. Florida is going to get either a rusty Tristan Jarry or
backup Casey DeSmith. That fact carries with it short-series potential.
4. Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins
Likelihood: 80 percent
Spice factor: 7 (🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: 3-0 Hurricanes | Goals: 16-1 Hurricanes
Pros: On paper, the potential is clear. Both teams are puck-possession
behemoths — Carolina is second in shot-attempt share, and Boston is
fourth. Only three teams allow fewer goals per game than the Bruins, and
the Hurricanes are one of them. The Bruins are first league-wide in
expected goals share; the Hurricanes are fourth. Something would have
to give, and it’d be fun to see what it is.
Also, the stakes are growing in Carolina. They get a mulligan for last
season; most teams that faced the Lightning should. But the path is as
clear for them as it’ll get. The Lightning are on the other side of the
bracket. They’re the best team in their division. They shouldn’t just beat
the Bruins; they should be able to make the Eastern Conference final.
Anything less — especially if recent optimism about starting goalie
Freddie Andersen’s potential return is warranted — should be a
disappointment.
Cons: That isn’t a typo. Carolina outscored Boston 16-1 in three games
this season.
5. New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
Likelihood: 65 percent
Spice factor: 6 (🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: Tied 1-1 | Goals: 6-5 Capitals
Pros: This would be the sixth playoff series between them since the start
of the Alex Ovechkin era and first since 2015; Washington won the first
two (2009 and 2011), and the Rangers won the last three (2012, 2013,
2015). I was around for a couple of those series, and they were generally
fun. There’s something to be said for that.
There’s also the matter of l’affair Tom Wilson et Artemi Panarin, which
occurred way back in May 2021. It seems like old news, yes, but it’s also
the sort of thing that bubbles up down the line. Do the players care? Who
knows — but if this series actually goes down, prepare to hear a whole
bunch about it. Every playoff run for Ovechkin is important. So it goes
when you’re the best goal-scorer of all time. We should enjoy his game
while we can.
The most intriguing thing about this one, though — and that’s true of any
series that’d involve the Rangers — is Igor Shesterkin. March was meh
for the soon-to-be Vezina winner (.916 save percentage), but that
coincided with a series of depth additions at forward that have helped the
Rangers turn into a 5-on-5 team that’s capable of helping Shesterkin out,
from time to time. If that combo holds, they’re going to be scary.
Cons: I can’t shake the “been there, done that” vibe between these
teams … which is stupid because the only Ranger holdover from 2015 is
50-Goal Scorer Chris Kreider™️. I’d blame it on the Caps’ general blah-
ness over the course of the season … but they’re 7-1-2 in their last 10
games, with five wins over playoff teams and an overall goal edge of 45-
31. The big issue is Shesterkin vs. Vitek Vanecek. I am, let’s say, less
than confident in that matchup holding up enough to make this one
particularly fun.
6. Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Likelihood: 99 percent
Spice factor: 6 (🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: 3-1 Oilers | Goals: 13-12 Oilers
Pros: We get to watch Connor McDavid and Leon Drasaitl, yet again, try
to drag their team out of the first round. If that doesn’t happen against a
team with heavy “happy to be here” energy, things are going to get
deeply ugly, and deeply strange. The schadenfreude potential on this
one is through the roof, even though the Kings could be a tougher out
than anticipated. Imagine Phillip Danault limiting McDavid and the Oilers’
bottom three lines going dark. It’s not impossible.
Cons: It’s also not likely. The Kings would probably need to go up 2-1 in
the series or thereabouts before things got suitably tense.
7. Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators
Likelihood: 49 percent
Spice factor: 4 (🌶🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: 2-1 Predators | Goals: Tied 12-12
Pros: The Avs have lost four straight for the first time since the second
round of last season’s playoffs. Is that an ominous fact? Maybe, maybe
not. Is it funny? Of course. It’s tough to worry about Colorado all that
much; they’ve got next to nothing to play for, plus Gabriel Landeskog and
Devon Toews are a) hurt and b) set to return for the playoffs. Still, they’ve
got some outstanding questions and choke jobs on their resumes.
Plus, the Preds are pesky. They’re 11th in the NHL in goals, and Juuse
Saros — provided he doesn’t collapse from overwork in the next week —
is an elite goaltender. That counts for something.
Cons: Let’s turn things over to Darryl Sutter.
"It's going to be a waste of eight days."
8. Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars
Likelihood: 55 percent
Spice factor: 3 (🌶🌶🌶)
Season series: 2-1 Flames | Goals: 11-9 Flames
Pros: The Flames are going to be a trendy Stanley Cup pick for good
reason; the biggest issue they have is spotty offensive production from
Mikael Backlund. There aren’t many warts beyond that. As far as the
Stars go, I can’t confidently say that they’re good . They have great
pieces — Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski do most of
Dallas’ offensive work themselves, and Miro Heiskanen is a no-doubt
elite No. 1 defenseman — and not much else, which makes them a
hilarious watch.
Cons: The Stars also have a goals-for percentage that’s just a tick above
the Senators and have lost 30 games in regulation. This series should be
short. It’s No. 8 for a reason.
The Athletic LOADED: 04.27.2022
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You know Jarome Iginla. Now meet the next generation of Iginlas making
their mark
Ryan S. Clark
18-23 minutes 26/04/2022
After spending months away from her family playing hockey at a
boarding school, Jade Iginla returned for winter break only to decide she
wanted to play even more hockey.
This is how seriously she takes everything in life. Especially hockey.
Jade was home with her family in Boston when she found out there was
a chance to play in a game and stay sharp over break. The only
problem? There was a snowstorm bad enough for her dad to consider
whether it was worth braving the elements to get there. Or that’s how it
was until Kara Iginla told her husband, “We’re from Canada!”
“I was late. We always find a way to leave late,” Jade recalled. “We had
to stop and he did not have any gas.”
Her dad stopped at a gas station, and then this happened:
Jarome was pumping gas when a reporter approached him and asked if
she could interview him about the snowstorm. He agreed because he did
not want to be rude to a reporter who was also out in the storm doing her
job. Of course, the clip of Iginla as an “area man” appearing on a local
Boston television station went viral. Jarome admitted that he never
thought it would receive that much attention. He’d initially hoped to find
the clip somewhere and send it to a few friends.
“(The reporter) tried and she asked me my name,” Jarome recalled. “She
asked, ‘Can you say your name?’ I said, ‘Jarome Iginla,’ and she was
like, ‘Yeah, OK.’ She did not even want to try it and attempt it! I turned
into the area man or whatever it was. I would never expect her or anyone
else to recognize me by any means.”
These days, Jarome is more likely to be recognized by parents than
players. But he isn’t bothered about that. He and Kara have long been at
the stage of parenthood in which they want the attention to be on their
kids.
Now, their children are starting to find their place in the world. Jade, 17,
will play college hockey next season for the Brown University women’s
hockey program. Tij, 15, will play next season for the Seattle
Thunderbirds after being the franchise’s first-round pick in the WHL
Bantam Draft. And the youngest, Joe, 13, looks to follow the same
course as his older brother.
They are deeply aware of their famous last name and the expectations
that come with being the children of a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee. But
the thing to understand about Jade, Tij and Joe is that they are their own
people — which is exactly how Jarome and Kara raised them.
And furthermore? They wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I think I approach it like I am my own person,” Tij said. “I want to be like
him, obviously. I take pride in that. But, (at) the same time, I am obviously
not the same person and I want to be as good as I can be.”
Jarome and Kara Iginla’s life together began in St. Albert, Alberta. They
were Grade 7 students who met in French class and dated for two weeks
before dating for longer in Grade 8. Jarome joked that they would have
the odd argument that caused them to “break up but not for long.” They
still remained close and never went too long without talking to one
another.
“Some people meet the right one later, and I met the right one early,”
Jarome said.
They always wanted to have children, and they knew early on that they
wanted their children to be active in sports. But they were also open to
the possibility that their kids could be interested in anything but. Either
way, they wanted to ensure their kids could feel passionate about
whatever they chose to pursue while also feeling supported.
All three Iginla kids turned out to love sports. Hockey became their
collective passion because the game has remained a constant in their
lives.
“Jarome built an ice rink in our backyard when they were 1, 3 and 5,”
Kara said. “Our youngest was on rollerblades in our house at 1. The
oldest two were in skating lessons before they turned three. I think I
visited every single park in Calgary. They were very active. The Iginla
family is engaged and athletic. Our kids were like little muscle people.”
The eldest Iginla child was given the name Jade because there was just
something about it Jarome and Kara really liked. It could also be because
Jarome enjoyed knowing there would be another “J. Iginla” in their family.
Jade played ringette growing up and was later a figure skater before
choosing hockey. She has fond memories of figure skating and always
believed she was “great” at it only to recently learn the opposite was true.
Her transition to hockey started by watching Tij play. Her love for the
game became evident after her freshman year of high school. She was
playing softball when she sustained an elbow injury that kept her
sidelined for 14 months. At first, she was only supposed to be out for six
months. But there was a problem with her recovery, which led to a
second surgery that put Jade on the shelf.
While sidelined from softball, Jade did 14 months of skating and non-
contact drills. She then left Boston, where the Iginlas were living at the
time, to play at the famed Shattuck-St. Mary’s Boarding School in
Faribault, Minn. Shattuck played a role in the development of future NHL
All-Stars such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Zach Parise and
Jonathan Toews, among others. It has also played a crucial role in
developing a number of elite women’s hockey players such as Brianna
Decker and Amanda Kessel, along with twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-
Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando.
Jade scored 15 goals and had 30 points in 39 games in her lone season
at Shattuck. Initially, the Iginlas were living in Boston while Jade attended
Shattuck. But they moved to Kelowna, B.C., where the family now lives.
Jade made the move north, too, playing her senior year at RINK Hockey
Academy, where she scored 18 goals and 28 points in 22 games. She
also had four goals and 11 points in five playoff games before
graduating.
“I think I always wanted to play college hockey and being in
Massachusetts, there were so many universities around,” Jade said,
referencing when the family lived in Boston during and after her dad’s
time with the Bruins. “I thought, ‘It does seem accessible.’ There are
scouts in high school rinks at almost every game. … It was about looking
for a school that has a strong hockey program. In Brown’s case, it is
building. I wanted strong academics and I feel like I like my Brown
coaches a lot.”
Brown coach Melanie Ruzzi took over the program last June, and
immediately started building her recruiting class after signing her
contract. Ruzzi was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Providence
College, when she first saw Jade play.
“She’s a young woman who works very hard, ” Ruzzi said. “She has been
through different injuries and setbacks. She started to stand out. She has
a powerful stride, and my goodness can she shoot the puck and be an
elite goal scorer at the Division I level. She is not a huge person but plays
with swagger in her game. She has a high hockey IQ and can do things
other kids cannot do.”
Please Melanie, share with the class.
“The way the puck comes off her stick when she shoots it,” Ruzzi
continued. “She has an incredible release. She can feel it. I was on the
ice with her last week in Kelowna for a camp because you never stop
looking for players. It’s that power piece, that technical piece and that
part of the game she is building. She can partner that skill set with her
hockey IQ and get it in the right spots on the ice. There are other young
players who can shoot the puck, but they don’t do it in a game because
they cannot find themselves in the right spots.”
Ruzzi also noted that Jade could be part of Hockey Canada’s roster for
the IIHF U-18 Women’s World Championships in June. She was named
to the U-18 World Junior Championship roster, but the tournament was
eventually cancelled.
“I worry she is going to be Jarome’s daughter in the eyes of other
people,” Ruzzi said. “But she is her own person. She is comfortable in
her own skin. Hopefully, she is named to the next world championship
team and people see she is someone coming from a great hockey family.
That she is a great hockey player and someone who is going to make a
name for herself.”
Naming their second-born child Tij was not the original plan. Jarome
wanted to name him Tracy. He liked the name because of two-time Grey
Cup champion quarterback and Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee
Tracy Ham. Jarome grew up going to Edmonton games with his
grandfather where they watched Ham. He lost that battle, so they named
their son Tij after Jarome’s paternal grandfather in Nigeria.
Tij said it was easy to gravitate toward hockey because he has always
wanted to be like his dad. Clearly, he knew his dad played in the NHL.
He just did not realize his father’s place in the sport until after his career
ended. It made Tij wish he were a little bit older so he could have
appreciated it more. But what he did watch allowed him to understand
that he can be like his father but still be his own person.
Back in December, the Thunderbirds drafted Tij with the ninth pick in the
bantam draft. He had an assist in four games before returning to
Kelowna. He also plays for RINK Academy on the U18 team. Tij, a
forward, finished the regular season with 26 goals and 48 points in 32
games; he had three points in as many postseason games.
“I feel like the only pressure is really the pressure you put on yourself,” he
said. “You cannot let external pressure have a big impact on you. You
can have the right mindset and let the internal pressures be what pushes
you. I think my upbringing and being around people and my dad having a
lot of experience with that, he has shared things with me that worked for
him. It allowed him to be as good as he was. It’s the people around me
who have helped.”
Thunderbirds assistant general manager Jared Crooks said Tij first
appeared on the franchise’s radar when he was playing in Boston.
Normally, a player on the East Coast like Tij would have been eligible to
play in the QMJHL. But Crooks said there is a clause in place that made
Tij eligible to play in the WHL because his father also played in the WHL
with the Kamloops Blazers. When the Iginlas moved to Kelowna, the
Thunderbirds got a chance to see Tij on a more frequent basis against
players his age they had scouted for more than a year.
“One of the things that jumped off the page for me when I saw him play
was the puck skills and the ability to play in tight spaces, get shots off
and make plays,” Crooks said. “I saw a skill set that I see at our level and
thought it would translate incredibly well.”
Crooks said maturity will play a crucial role in Tij’s development. The
Thunderbirds like having 16-year-old players on their roster. It gives them
a chance to learn from older players who have been in their situation
while playing against more physically mature talent. Crooks said part of
the Thunderbirds’ development strategy with high picks like Tij is to see
how they handle a challenge.
“Not all of them are going to be what they want with their physical
maturity,” Crooks said. “But you can tell that if he wants to be here, he
will want to make it work. To fit in with our team and our organization, we
want guys who are banging down the door to be in Seattle and force their
way into our line. Even at 16, we know Tij is as driven as the rest of our
guys.”
Another item that made Tij going to the Thunderbirds interesting was his
dad’s relationship with the Blazers. It’s not enough that Jarome was one
of the best players in Blazers history. He’s part of the Blazers’ ownership
group, which also features Shane Doan, Mark Recchi, Darryl Sydor and
Dallas Stars owner Tom Gaglardi. So it is possible that Jarome could
have wanted Tij to become a Blazer too. Crooks said Thunderbirds
director of player personnel Cal Filson had conversations with the Iginlas
and wanted to make sure they were OK with Tij coming to Seattle. The
Iginlas gave their blessing.
“He’s like a lot of the young kids that come in that they are pretty quiet
and want to get their legs under them,” Crooks said. “But there is a quiet
confidence and we love that. We don’t want young guys to hide and
survive. He fits right in. We did not get too long with him and we would
have loved to have him train with us during the playoffs but he is a little
injured right now, so that is unfortunate. I know our guys have said good
things about him. Our players are excited to have him.”
The third Iginla child got the name Joe because that was his father’s
childhood nickname. Jarome said they chose to give their children
“simpler first names” because he could remember the times when
“saying Iginla seemed like a mouthful for others.” But while they kept
Joe’s first name simple, Jarome and Kara gave him the same middle
names as his father: Elvis Adekunle Junior.
Kara described their youngest as an extremely smart kid with a big brain
and someone who is always happy. In terms of hockey, Joe ended the
regular season with 19 goals and 35 points in 30 games. He played this
past season for RINK Academy’s U-15 team, where the head coach was,
well, his dad.
“I love watching when Joe scores because I have never seen such pure
joy,” Kara said. “Our other kids are more serious. But they love hockey.
It’s just that Joe has this joy and it cracks me up to see how happy it
makes him when he scores.”
Experiences like watching Joe score mean even more for Jarome and
Kara these days. Their household dynamic is about to change with Jade
and Tij leaving later this year, and Joe being the last child left at home.
Jade going to Shattuck was a slight prelude of the future. But they admit
this will be different now with Joe being the only kid still with mom and
dad before he too eventually sets off on his own path.
Kara said she isn’t worried. Jade’s time away came during the early
stages of the pandemic so they know she will be OK. Kara sees this as a
chance for their children to go chase their dream.
“They are supposed to grow up and leave. But it is harder on Jarome,”
she said. “Our kids call me cold! But I know it will be harder for him. But
you do what is good for them.”
Jarome’s career meant the Iginla family has lived in Calgary, Pittsburgh,
Boston, Denver and Los Angeles. The plan had always been to make
sure all three children played hockey no matter where they were living.
The Iginlas were living in Denver in 2017 but decided to return to Boston.
Jarome said they loved living in Denver. But they knew they had to move
because of hockey.
Living and playing in Denver meant their family would spend more time
apart than together because they would always be on flights. So they
decided to move and sought a bit of input from their children. They
moved back to Boston before Jarome and Kara thought about where
they wanted to make their forever home. Moving back to Canada was
something they wanted. But the goal was to also be in a place that
allowed their children to advance their aspirations.
“It is a little bit quieter for us having been just retired,” said Jarome, who
retired after the 2016-17 season. “You go to rinks now and it’s not as
many people that recognize you for sure. They want to talk hockey —
and being in Canada, a lot of people want to talk hockey. It’s quieter and
the focus is on them. We are hockey parents and sports parents and that
was part of our decision.”
Both Jade and Tij have the stories that one would expect given their
father. Jade has had moments when people recognize her last name, do
a double take and inevitably ask if she is related to you-know-who. But
the moments that matter most are the ones they have spent together
away from the NHL.
“He’s just my dad,” Jade said. “That’s what I see first.”
Talking about their children makes Jarome and Kara reminisce. It starts
with building them an outdoor rink. They would split into teams. Usually,
Jarome would play with Joe as his teammate because he was the
youngest. Those games were fun because it was a battle to see who
would win. Jarome admits he would manipulate the games when Joe
was due for a win against his siblings.
But there is a bittersweet chapter to those family games: The moment
when Jade and Tij started beating their dad for real.
“It has happened. Tij has passed me,” Jarome said. “Jade and I have not
played as much one-on-one this year. That would be a good battle. She
is in better shape than me now. It was probably last year, I think, when it
happened. We were on the outdoor rink in the backyard. I am battling as
hard as I can. Joe got so mad at me and said, ‘Are you going to let them
beat us?!’ I told him, ‘I’m trying!’ The whole last year was a crapshoot for
who would win. Joe would get so mad. I am trying my butt off and Joe
would go in and say I’m terrible, but I was trying my hardest.”
Tij said learning about hockey from his dad has been important. But the
lessons that have meant the most are the ones about how to be a better
person. Jarome has told his children to treat others how they want to be
treated, to put themselves in another person’s shoes and to try to help
people as much as they can.
Perhaps this is why Jarome was humbled when he was told what Tij had
said about the life lessons he’d learned. Hearing that made Jarome
proud that the lessons he and Kara continue to teach their children are
making an impact. All they have wanted is to be the guides to help their
children find what makes them happy. Jarome said the biggest lesson he
has wanted to teach is what it means to be a good teammate.
His point: A hockey team has more than 20 people. Not players —
people. Individuals with different personalities who come from different
backgrounds. The way to make that all work is by being a good
teammate who wants to make life better for those around them. But it is
also about how they make others within the team, such as the athletic
training staff and coaches, feel the same way.
“That is what makes the game great and what makes life great,” Jarome
said. “It’s not all the same views and upbringings. It is being able to see
the best in each other and treat each other how you want to be treated. I
am thrilled our kids are really enjoying it. It’s a great lesson to learn along
the way.”
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ESPN / NHL playoff watch standings update - X factors, predictions for
Dallas Stars-Vegas Golden Knights
Staff Report
ESPN staff
There are 13 games on the NHL schedule Tuesday night, including five
being waged between teams that are currently in playoff position. But
perhaps the most consequential matchup of the bunch features the
Dallas Stars hosting the Vegas Golden Knights (8:30 ET, streaming live
on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers).
The Knights are chasing the Stars and the Nashville Predators in the
Western wild-card race. Heading into Tuesday's action, the Predators
hold the first wild card (94 points, 35 regulation wins), and the Stars hold
the second (93 points, 30 regulation wins). The Knights are at 90 points
and 33 regulation wins, so a loss in regulation tonight would be
devastating to their postseason chances.
To help get you ready for the game, we gathered our panel to break
down X factors for the matchup, along with their predictions on how it will
play out:
Which player will be the biggest X factor in deciding this game?
Victoria Matiash, NHL analyst: If ice-cold Jack Eichel brings his best self
to the American Airlines Center and scores one, if not a pair, Vegas
should fly out a single point behind the second wild-card team in the
West. Especially if the forward pairing of Max Pacioretty and Chandler
Stephenson contribute as has been that duo's recent habit. Otherwise, I
don't adore the Golden Knights' chances.
Arda Ocal, NHL host: Logan Thompson is my pick, because it will take a
great effort from any Vegas goalie to get it done in this crucial game.
Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Dallas' X factor will be veteran center Joe
Pavelski. The Stars sit in the lower half of the league in scoring,
averaging fewer than three goals per game. When it's a team-wide battle
for goals, your superstars have to be just that when big moments arrive.
In this career year of his, all eyes will be on Pavelski to deliver.
Vegas' X factor is Thompson. With how the Golden Knights' best players
have performed in front of him lately -- looking at you, Alex Pietrangelo,
Jack Eichel and others -- Vegas' fate will hinge on how well Thompson
can perform.
Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: For the Stars, it's Jason Robertson. The
22-year-old winger has earned quiet but steady MVP buzz as an
energizing force in the Dallas lineup. The Stars are 32-11-4 when he
scores at least a point. His line with Pavelski and Roope Hintz is one of
the best in the NHL and arguably the best thing about the Stars this
season. He has 38 goals. What a way to break 40 this would be for
Robertson.
For the Golden Knights, it's Pacioretty. He has points in three straight
games and has devoured the Stars in his time with the Knights: nine
points in six games, with eight coming at even strength. He has five goals
against Dallas with Vegas. There might be more vital players on the ice
for the Knights, but Pacioretty could be a game-breaker.
What's your final-score prediction?
Matiash: 4-2 Vegas. The more desperate team prolongs the fight on this
night.
Ocal: 3-1 Vegas. Agreed that it needs this one more, and will come out
on fire.
Shilton: Knowing Vegas, it'll be a high-scoring night. Knowing Dallas, it'll
be more of a slugfest for offense. Let's meet in the middle: 4-3 Stars.
Wyshynski: Vegas wins this game 3-1. Dallas defeats Arizona and
Anaheim in its last two games, and the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville
Predators both earn enough points to keep the Golden Knights out of the
playoffs.
The Knights' failure to qualify won't be because they couldn't beat Dallas.
It'll be because they took one point out of two home games against the
New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks, which was inexcusable --
especially considering what happened with the latter.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how devastating would it be for Vegas to miss the
playoffs?
Matiash: 8.5. The organization can cite injuries as somewhat of an
excuse. Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone (still not right), Alec Martinez, Reilly
Smith (still out), Robin Lehner and others have lost significant time to
different physical issues. But every team has to deal with injuries to
prominent players. And this club was considered a playoff shoo-in ahead
of the season, if not a top Stanley Cup contender -- and that's even
before it traded for Eichel. So yeah, quite devastating.
Ocal: 11. The optics would certainly be rough, given all the moves
they've been making. It was bad enough that people have been citing the
Knights' and Sabres' respective records since Eichel suited up for his
new team. Vegas went all-in this season; a bust would hurt badly.
Shilton: 10. Vegas swung for the fences in trading for Eichel.
Management has stacked this roster with talent. They've finessed every
inch of fine print to circumvent salary-cap constraints. To have all that
effort and excellence add up to ... nothing? Disastrous.
Wyshynski: 7. I'm a little lower on the panic scale for the Knights due to
some mitigating circumstances -- although many of them were of their
own creation. They were slammed by injuries at the wrong time, although
their cap mismanagement only exacerbated their problems when they
had to sit some players to create room for others. They didn't have a full
season of Eichel. Their goaltending went from second in the NHL with
Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner to 21st in the NHL with Lehner
limited to 44 games, and then missing the final games of the season
because of shoulder surgery and a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Fleury went 8-1-0 following his trade to the Minnesota Wild at
the deadline.
I think anything higher than a 7 means wholesale changes: firing GM
Kelly McCrimmon or trading a chunk of the roster for Carey Price, as was
suggested here. I think a 7 means that they don't do anything more
dramatic than firing coach Pete DeBoer, which would still be dramatic,
but not as seismic a change as others might be expecting. This is still a
championship-caliber team that just needs some recalibrating in the
offseason.
And now, let's check in on all the playoff races -- along with the teams
jockeying for position in the 2022 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via FiveThirtyEight. Tragic numbers are
courtesy of Damian Echevarrieta of the NHL.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today's games
Last night's scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. WC1 Boston Bruins
M2 New York Rangers vs. M3 Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
C1 Colorado Avalanche vs. WC2 Dallas Stars
C2 Minnesota Wild vs. C3 St. Louis Blues
P1 Calgary Flames vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
Today's games
Note: All times Eastern. All out-of-market games available to stream live
on ESPN+.
Florida Panthers at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers, 7 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
New York Islanders at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
Calgary Flames at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.
Arizona Coyotes at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars, 8:30 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Colorado Avalanche, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Seattle Kraken at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.
Last night's scoreboard
Watch In the Crease on ESPN+ for highlights from every game.
Chicago Blackhawks 3, Philadelphia Flyers 1
Expanded standings
Note: x = clinched playoff spot; y = clinched division title; z = clinched
best conference record; e = eliminated
Atlantic Division
z - Florida Panthers
Points: 120
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 3
Next game: @ BOS (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Toronto Maple Leafs
Points: 111
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. DET (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Tampa Bay Lightning
Points: 106
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. CBJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Boston Bruins
Points: 103
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. FLA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
e - Buffalo Sabres
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Detroit Red Wings
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ TOR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Ottawa Senators
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. NJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Montreal Canadiens
Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Metropolitan Division
x - Carolina Hurricanes
Points: 112
Regulation wins: 45
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 2
Next game: @ NYR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - New York Rangers
Points: 108
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. CAR (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Pittsburgh Penguins
Points: 101
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. EDM (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Washington Capitals
Points: 100
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. NYI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
e - New York Islanders
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ WSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Columbus Blue Jackets
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ TB (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - New Jersey Devils
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ OTT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Philadelphia Flyers
Points: 61
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ WPG (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Central Division
z - Colorado Avalanche
Points: 116
Regulation wins: 45
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. STL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Minnesota Wild
Points: 109
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. ARI (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - St. Louis Blues
Points: 109
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 2
Next game: @ COL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Nashville Predators
Points: 94
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. CGY (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 98%
Tragic number: N/A
Dallas Stars
Points: 93
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. VGK (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 91%
Tragic number: N/A
e - Winnipeg Jets
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. PHI (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Chicago Blackhawks
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: vs. VGK (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Arizona Coyotes
Points: 51
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ MIN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
y - Calgary Flames
Points: 108
Regulation wins: 44
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 3
Next game: @ NSH (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
x - Edmonton Oilers
Points: 98
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 3
Next game: @ PIT (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A
Los Angeles Kings
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 2
Next game: @ SEA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: >99%
Tragic number: N/A
Vegas Golden Knights
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: @ DAL (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 12%
Tragic number: 4
Vancouver Canucks
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. SEA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: <1%
Tragic number: 1
e - San Jose Sharks
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Next game: vs. ANA (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Anaheim Ducks
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 2
Next game: @ SJ (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
e - Seattle Kraken
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Next game: @ VAN (Tuesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order at the top of the first
round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1
selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it
wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1
pick. Full details on the process can be found here. The 2022 draft lottery
will be held on May 10.
1. Montreal Canadiens
Points: 51
Regulation wins: 14
2. Arizona Coyotes
Points: 51
Regulation wins: 16
3. Seattle Kraken
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 22
4. Philadelphia Flyers
Points: 61
Regulation wins: 20
5. New Jersey Devils
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 19
6. Chicago Blackhawks
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 16
7. Ottawa Senators
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 25
8. Detroit Red Wings
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 20
9. Buffalo Sabres
Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
10. Anaheim Ducks
Points: 74
Regulation wins: 21
11. San Jose Sharks
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
12. Columbus Blue Jackets
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
13. New York Islanders
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 32
14. Winnipeg Jets
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 29
15. Vancouver Canucks
Points: 87
Regulation wins: 31
16. Vegas Golden Knights
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Notes on conditionally traded picks impacting the top 16:
Columbus will receive Chicago's first-round pick if Chicago does not
win either of the two draws in the 2022 draft lottery. Otherwise, the pick
defers to 2023.
Buffalo will receive Vegas' first-round pick if it is outside the top 10
selections. Otherwise, the pick defers to 2023.
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Sportsnet.ca / With historic 60th goal, Matthews takes throne as top
sniper in today's NHL
Sonny Sachdeva@sachdevasonny
April 26, 2022, 9:54 PM
TORONTO — Alex Ovechkin. Steven Stamkos. Auston Matthews.
The list of players who’ve clawed their way to the 60-goal summit over
the past two decades is brief as it is telling. Names that carry weight.
Names that made history. Names signifying talent that promised
greatness from the start.
The Rocket Richard Trophy and the ever-growing reel of gorgeous
snipes did much of the heavy lifting, but Tuesday night at Scotiabank
Arena, Toronto Maple Leafs centreman Auston Matthews earned his
place on that list and sealed his ascent as he tucked in his 60th goal of
the 2021-22 campaign — a milestone no player in the NHL has touched
in 10 years, a peak that’s been reached only twice in the past 20.
It’s the highest sum Matthews has ever collected, sure. The most any
player in the Maple Leafs’ 105-year history has ever put up, incredibly.
But it’s also something more — it’s a torch being passed. It’s a throne
being relinquished. Ovechkin remains perhaps the greatest pure goal-
scorer to ever touch NHL ice. But there should be no question now, if
there was before Tuesday, about where No. 34 ranks among his
generation of goal-scorers, where he ranks among the best in the NHL
right at this moment.
With his 60th, Matthews set the transfer in motion. From The Great Eight,
to Papi: the crown of Top Sniper in today’s NHL.
It took a two-goal night from the Maple Leafs’ star pivot to seal that
ascent, Matthews potting No. 59 late in the second period against the
Detroit Red Wings, corralling a Jason Spezza dish from behind the net
and sweeping it forehand-to-backhand to slip it into the cage. Chants of
‘MVP! MVP!’ erupted from the crowd as he skated back to the bench.
The historic milestone marker came a period later, as the Maple Leafs
circled like sharks on the power play. After the Red Wings did everything
they could to occupy any lane that led to No. 34, Matthews picked up the
puck along the right wall with a determined look about him, deciding to
make the magic happen himself. He took off, curling at the blue line,
setting course for the net as the seas parted, and walked right down main
street before unleashing that wicked wrist shot from the slot.
No. 60, with authority. And with more ‘MVP!’ chants raining down as blue
jerseys swarmed him, for good measure.
Matthews reacts to reaching 60-goal mark: 'Just sends chills down
through your bones'
“It was pretty special, honestly,” Matthews said of the atmosphere that
enveloped him in that moment. “Just the reception from my teammates,
the crowd, everything. It just kind of sends chills down your bones. It’s
kind of hard to put into words.”
There was no containing the Scotiabank Arena crowd from there. A few
minutes passed before the game could be resumed, so boisterous was
the ovation from the Maple Leafs faithful. When it did, every blue and
white dash up the ice brought another roar from the crowd, the clock
eventually ticking down to seal the 3-0 Maple Leafs win.
Off the ice and out of his gear after the final buzzer sounded, that navy
blue Maple Leafs ballcap back on his head, Matthews took a moment to
reflect on the path that brought him here. And, more specifically, the
people who did — dad Brian and mom Ema.
“You know, it’s hard not to think about a little bit of childhood memories,
just all the sacrifices they made for me, and just the constant support and
love from them,” he said. “I haven’t been able to speak to them yet, but I
know I’ll talk to them when I get home. They mean a lot to me, and
obviously I wouldn’t be here without them.”
For his new family, the one he shares a locker room with, the one that
gathered around him on the ice to cherish a bit of history made on
Tuesday night, the moment was no less meaningful.
“It’s special. It’s unique. It’s rare,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said of his
star sniper after the game. “I’m just really happy for him. He works
extremely hard — I know the abilities that he has, but he works extremely
hard at his game, he works extremely hard off the ice. He takes his craft
very seriously. So, to see him at the top of his game, and reaching these
milestones, it’s outstanding.”
The grins that spread across the bench as Matthews dropped to one
knee for his customary fist-pump celly told the story of how the rest of the
squad felt about it.
“The guys were really excited,” continued Keefe. “The guys feel so happy
for him, because he’s our leader. He does so many other things, and you
want to see him get rewarded. And the guys also feel a part of it, as they
should. … He gives so much to his game and to our team. It’s great for
him to have that moment.”
Though the third-year Maple Leafs bench boss seems a fresh face
among the coaching ranks, he logged enough time as a pro in his own
playing days to appreciate the kind of talent Toronto has in Matthews.
And the names Keefe lined up alongside during his own tenure as an
NHLer, the standard he has to compare No. 34 with, were a long way
from nobodies.
“I played with Vinny Lecavalier in Tampa. Marty St. Louis, Brad Richards,
guys like that. Coaching a guy like Auston, he’s pretty special and unique
in the way that he scores goals,” Keefe said. “The hardest thing to do in
our league is to score goals at even-strength. That’s the hardest thing to
do in the game. And he does that on a level that, it seems nobody’s able
to do it anywhere near the same level.
“You know, that’s special.”
Where it goes from here for Matthews is anyone’s guess. Ovechkin took
that 60-goal thread and kept pulling, spinning it into seven more Rocket
Richard campaigns, six more 50-goal masterpieces. Stamkos’s
unspooled more haphazardly, the next decade of his career passing
without either.
But the pair are bound by that bit of hockey history, by their membership
in that extra-exclusive club. And regardless of what happens next,
Matthews is a part of that too.
“It’s humbling,” the young Leaf said of becoming the third piece of that
historic trio. “It’s a big honour just to be in the same breath as those two
guys, and what they’ve been able to accomplish in their careers. You
know, I’m still striving to kind of be on that level. So, there’s a lot of work
to be done.”
Indeed, the true test looms just over the horizon. Because there’s
another thing that connects Ovechkin and Stamkos and their careers
post-60-snipes, something that allowed their personal accomplishments
to be celebrated without caveats — both went on to cement their legacies
with championship rings.
For Matthews and his Leafs, that’s the next summit. Performances like
Tuesday night’s — which clinched home ice for Toronto’s next post-
season test — hint at the potential to perhaps get there, or at least to
make a real go of it. But Leafs Nation has one more week to practise
patience before those questions can truly be answered.
For now, all eyes turn to Friday night’s tilt with the Boston Bruins. One
last chance to hone skills and prepare bodies, one last game to close out
a historic season, to celebrate what 2021-22 brought, before it’s
crumpled up so the real story can be written.
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Sportsnet.ca / In Crosby's barn, Oilers' McDavid sends loud message to
Hart voters
Mark Spector@sportsnetspec
April 26, 2022, 11:54 PM
PITTSBURGH — The torch was officially passed from one generational
player to the next, while second place was clinched and the Art Ross
Trophy signed, sealed, and scheduled for a Saturday delivery.
On a fabulous four-point night, Connor McDavid waltzed into Sidney
Crosby’s barn and gave the hockey world a virtuoso performance. It
ended as a 5-1 Edmonton Oilers win at Pittsburgh on Tuesday, a tidy bit
of business that wrapped up the Oilers' season in a nice, tight bow with
two games to play — now meaningless ones.
“A quiet four-point night? A loud four-point night? I don’t know. It’s just
normal, right?” marvelled Zach Hyman, who wasn’t sure that McDavid
authored more scoring chances on this night than any other in recent
weeks, though more lit the lamp than usual.
“He makes so many plays on the ice that don’t result in goals. He
probably could have had a couple more points,” Hyman said. “He’s such
a dynamic player. He’s the best player in the world. That’s what you
expect. That’s what you get. I’m glad he’s with us. I’m glad I’m here.”
On the same night Auston Matthews sewed up the Rocket Richard by
scoring No. 60, McDavid moved seven points ahead of second-place
Jonathan Huberdeau in the points race with 122 points. With Huberdeau
closing in, and McDavid’s childhood hero Crosby on the opposing bench,
the Oilers captain pitched a thriller in Pittsburgh, bringing the home crowd
out of their seats throughout the night.
“That’s what the best players in the world do. They rise to those
occasions,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft. “What he’s doing here with
this season … there’s almost a consensus that it is just McDavid being
McDavid. That’s what he does. But he’s at a career high, he’s driving our
team and he’s playing the game the right way. He’s driven to win.”
There have only been two 125-point seasons since the turn of the
century (Joe Thornton and Nikita Kucherov). If McDavid can get there,
he’s just throw more sand in the gears for the Hart Trophy voters.
As for his ongoing competition with Crosby, well, other than the Stanley
Cup count there isn’t much left to be contested, head to head. In nine
career meetings it’s 5-13-18 for McDavid, and 2-3-5 for Sid, who had to
settle for a front-row seat — but zero points — Tuesday.
“For everybody in that generation, Sid was the guy that most kids looked
up to. I’m sure that adds an extra layer for (McDavid),” said Hyman, who
added an important goal early in the third that broke open a 2-1 game.
But it was McDavid’s game that had this barn buzzing, as Edmonton won
in regulation here for the first time since the doors opened. He has 12
points in Edmonton’s last four games, carrying his club to second place
in the Pacific and home-ice advantage in Round 1 against the Los
Angeles Kings.
“Towards the end of the season, things get harder, and it’s harder to
score. He’s making it easier,” said Hyman. “He’s stepping up and being a
huge difference maker for us. We had a stretch there where things
weren’t going well. We needed to turn it around quick. He’s a big reason
why we were able to.”
Mike Smith won his 10th straight start, the longest such winning skein in
the NHL this season and leaving him tied for the Oilers record with Grant
Fuhr (1985-86). Smith is en fuego at precisely the right time, stopping 33
pucks Tuesday as he stakes his claim to be Woodcroft’s Game 1 starter.
Also, with the score 4-1 and the Pittsburgh net empty, Smith rifled a 190-
foot shot and missed the goal by a foot. It would have been icing on a
well-baked cake here in Pittsburgh, where the Oilers thoroughly
outplayed a Pittsburgh team that dearly needed these points.
“I was on my toes on the bench to see if it was going in. If there’s
anybody that can do it, it would be him,” Woodcroft said.
This young first-time head coach is leading a team into the playoffs that
has the third best winning percentage in the NHL since March 1. That’s
two full months of elite hockey, and a confidence that was on display
here.
“That performance you saw tonight against a really good hockey team,”
began Woodcroft, “was four lines contributing for all 60 (minutes), a
goaltender that was on his game, special teams were firing … It was a
complete 60 for us versus a team that had something to play for.”
It’s home now for a couple of tune-ups against San Jose on Thursday
and the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
Then a third straight playoff appearance for a team that has never been
more confident.
This could be fun.
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Sportsnet.ca / Thrilling Flames-Predators tilt whets appetite for playoff
series
Eric Francis@EricFrancis
April 27, 2022, 1:19 AM
NASHVILLE -- What started with a fight between two former carpool pals
ended with an overtime winner that saw the Calgary Flames beat their
former backup goalie.
In between was a three-hour melodrama that included another
heavyweight scrap, more hits than a Nashville concert series, several
lead changes and a game-tying goal with 0.1 seconds left in regulation.
As Matthew Tkachuk walked off the ice for a post-game interview
Tuesday, the first thing out of his mouth was, “what happened?”
Hours after the game Flames and Nashville Predators fans were
wondering the same thing, as one of the most incredible regular-season
scripts was flipped endlessly in a 5-4 win for the Flames that easily could
have passed as a playoff tilt.
“I’ve got to say, I’ve played over 1,000 games now and that’s probably
(one of the) top five games I’ve been a part of, with the goals, the hits,
the fights, the emotion, the crowd,” said Milan Lucic of a game filled with
more drama, twists and violence than anything at Dutton Ranch.
“It was a great game to be a part of. I think everybody who was here, and
watched on TV, got their money’s worth.”
Told there were 74 hits in the game, Tkachuk interjected with a grin, “in
the first period?”
It was indeed that opening frame that set the tone with former Predators
teammates Erik Gudbranson and Tanner Jeannot squaring off for a
heavyweight tilt borne out of an exchange of big hits on one another.
Earlier in the day, when no one could have guessed how raucous things
would get, there was Gudbranson speaking glowingly about the
youngster who “was his ride for two weeks,” after he was traded to
Nashville last season.
Both teams rode the emotion of that battle with a litany of post-whistle
scrums that saw Tkachuk and Matt Duchene exchange some nasty
stickwork while lining up for a draw, followed by a big-boy tilt between
Lucic and Mark Borowiecki.
The tone setting didn’t stop there, nor did the plot twists in a game that
saw the Predators clinging to a 4-3 lead when their starting netminder
and MVP, Juuse Saros, came up lame and needed help onto the bench
and down the tunnel with a left leg ailment of some sort with 6:32 left.
Potentially devastating far beyond Tuesday's drama.
Enter David Rittich, who was a member of the Flames until last season’s
trade deadline.
With just 0.1 seconds remaining, and Flames netminder Dan Vladar
pulled for an extra attacker, the very first shot on Rittich was a stuff-job
by Tkachuk from the side that slid under his pads as the horn sounded.
The Flames, and their fan base, exploded in celebration, not knowing if
indeed it would count.
“I couldn’t hear, so I didn’t know if it was in or not,” said Tkachuk, whose
41st was confirmed by video review.
“It was just, ‘what else? What else can happen?”
Wild sequence sees Flames' Tkachuk send it to overtime with 0.1 on the
clock
Lucic intervened with a grin.
“How much more can we get entertained?”
Plenty more.
Two minutes into overtime, Elias Lindholm silenced a Bridgestone Arena
crowd we should all hope will witness a rematch in the opening round.
A Dallas shootout win over Vegas 15 minutes later confirmed the Preds
had clinched a playoff spot. Nashville is now tied with the Stars at 95
points apiece with two games remaining.
Regardless of who wins that battle to play Calgary, the Flames left
Nashville owning the night.
“I think there were a lot more plays that were bigger than (his goal), and
Looch was just saying that in there, it didn’t mean as much as it does
when it comes to points, but when it comes to the team sticking up for
one another and battling for each other that game did so much for us,”
said Tkachuk, whose club got its second two-goal game from a surging
Dillon Dube.
“Those fights, the goaltending. That game felt like a four-overtime playoff
game. That was as good of an atmosphere as I’ve seen in the NHL by a
mile, including playoffs.”
There was no update on Saros' status after the game.
The result is a testament to just how well this team has bought into the
importance of finishing strong, even though there’s nothing on the line
standings-wise for the Pacific Division champs.
“Darryl (Sutter) has been on us about being in playoff mode for the last
10, 15 games and I think that’s what makes him a really good coach and
why we’ve had so much success as a team,” said Lucic.
“He prepares us and gets us ready and fired up for every game no matter
what.
“I just think we showed a lot of character sticking up for each other and
four ourselves and I said it even after the Saturday night game that this
game wasn’t going to be one where you’re going through the motions
because they’re playing to clinch a playoff spot and it’s a possible first
round matchup. If we play them, or don’t play them, whoever we play, it
was definitely a playoff-type game.”
This, remember, is the same building in which Tkachuk scored his
between-the-legger, one-timer at the buzzer in overtime a few years
back, making this place memorable for more than just Tootsie’s.
Yet, all he wanted to do was talk about the process, as opposed to the
result, singling out Lucic and Gudbranson for handily winning their
respective fights.
“What they did there was huge for our team,” he said.
“What this game did for us to bring us together this time of the year… this
game did so much more for us than people would probably expect.
“It’s definitely feeling good.
“That game prepared us for what this next little bit is going to be like.”
Asked if he could handle a seven-game series with the Preds, Tkachuk
smiled: "Get the ice packs ready."
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Sportsnet.ca / As playoff hopes vanish, Canucks' Hughes shatters long-
standing record
Iain MacIntyre@imacSportsnet
April 27, 2022, 2:08 AM
VANCOUVER – Quinn Hughes didn’t get what he wanted Tuesday night,
but still got something he deserved.
The 22-year-old defenceman smashed a franchise scoring record that
had stood for 35 years, but his accomplishment in the Vancouver
Canucks’ 5-2 win against the Seattle Kraken was hollowed by the
elimination of his team from the playoff race when the Dallas Stars beat
the Vegas Golden Knights in a Texas shootout hours earlier.
With two games remaining in their National Hockey League season, the
Canucks are six points behind the Stars and won’t be able to catch them
for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Years from now, Hughes will appreciate eclipsing Doug Lidster’s record
of 63 points in a single season for the Canucks. Then again, maybe he
won’t, because coach Bruce Boudreau said last weekend that Hughes
will break the record another five times before he’s finished playing.
But on Tuesday, mostly what he felt was disappointment, despite a three-
point game that lifted him to 66 points, with games remaining Thursday
against the Los Angeles Kings and Friday against the Edmonton Oilers.
“I'm definitely humbled right now,” Hughes said of the record after the
Canucks failed for the sixth time in seven seasons to qualify for the
Stanley Cup tournament, despite going 31-15-9 since Boudreau took
over the team on Dec. 5 “In my crazy mind, I have more goals that I want
to do and I've just got to keep going. It's unfortunate that we miss the
playoffs with Dallas winning. We pushed hard and I think we can go into
next year and have a similar record and just go from there.
“It's definitely disappointing. But in saying that, I mean, we've got to be a
little proud of ourselves the way we pushed the last four and a half
months. And I think, for myself, I really do think that we can carry this into
next year. I think our culture has really improved and guys really want to
win and I think everyone can see it.”
Hughes moved past Lidster with the second assist on J.T. Miller’s goal
just 3:34 into Tuesday’s game. He later assisted on defence partner Luke
Schenn’s tap-in and ended the night by scoring on a beautiful feed from
Conor Garland, who set up three goals and was the best Canuck.
Since returning April 9 from bronchitis, which forced him to miss two
games and not more only because of the Canucks’ desperate playoff
push, Hughes has three goals and 10 assists in eight games.
“I feel like my last 40 games have been the best in my career by a lot --
by a landslide,” Hughes said. “Just my overall game, not the points.
There's still defencemen in the league that are better than me, and I want
to be right up there with them. That's what I'm pushing for.”
It took the five-foot-10 defenceman from Michigan, via Toronto, just three
seasons to beat a record that had stood since 1987. But really, what took
him so long?
Hughes might have challenged Lidster’s mark had his rookie campaign
two years ago not been halted at 69 games by the debut of COVID-19.
Including the 17 playoff games Hughes logged that summer in the
Edmonton bubble, he amassed 69 points in 85 games as a freshmen
straight out of the University of Michigan.
That’s how good he was. How good he is.
In Saturday’s loss to the Calgary Flames, Hughes surpassed Dennis
Kearns’ 1977 record of 55 assists in a season by a Vancouver blue-liner.
Boudreau said in January that Hughes was the best he has ever coached
at his position, although the Canucks’ boss was a little more measured
earlier this month when he reiterated that the agile defenceman is as
good as any passer he has coached.
But Hughes was minus-24 last year during the pandemic season, and
that old-school statistic scalded the new-age player who vowed to be
better defensively this season. He told Sportsnet in November that he
wouldn’t care if had zero points, as long as he didn’t get scored on.
He is plus-eight this year, and a lot of more advanced statistics validate
the uptick in Hughes’ two-way game. Hughes’ goals-against-per-60-
minutes has shrunk to 2.18 this season at five-on-five -- more than a
puck better than his 3.27 mark last year.
Hughes also has a bigger role, killing penalties and defending leads.
“It sounds crazy, but I think I'm more satisfied about the plus/minus and
my overall game than I am the points, honest to God,” he said. “The
points are nice, but it was just such a hard year last year . . . being dash-
24 -- and I took it personal. So this year, that's what I'm most happy
about, to be honest.”
Hughes said players became aware after the first period that Dallas,
which needed to lose in regulation for the Canucks to stay in the playoff
race, had forced its game against Vegas into overtime.
About the only Canuck who was unaware was goalie Spencer Martin,
called up from the minors to replace injured starter Thatcher Demko.
Boudreau said after the morning skate that Demko has an “ouch” and
that he is out day-to-day.
But the final three days of Vancouver’s season may belong to Martin,
who was the organization’s fifth-string goalie when he joined the Canucks
last summer. The 26-year-old played his way into the starter’s role in the
American Hockey League with Abbotsford, and earlier this month signed
a two-year, one-way contract with the Canucks. He is expected to be
Demko’s backup next season.
“My goal is to be full-time (in the NHL) and obviously I'm not full-time right
now,” Martin said after making 30 saves, a pile of them during Seattle’s
eight power plays. “So just every chance that I get to play or practise with
these guys, I'm trying to show that I can hang around and help them next
year and going forward. I'm not taking anything for granted.”
After this season, none of the Canucks can afford to do that.
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Sportsnet.ca / After spirited playoff chase, the value of belief is part of the
Canucks' culture
Iain MacIntyre@imacSportsnet
April 25, 2022, 8:49 PM
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks’ playoff chase, already a
minor miracle, was literally down to its final second on Sunday. So to
have another 60 minutes to play for on Tuesday feels like a massive,
unexpected bonus.
Much has gone into the Canucks’ playoff dream overcoming common
sense and surviving until the final week of a National Hockey League
season. Some of it is inexplicable. But in the matter of Canucks versus
Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, and especially San Jose Sharks versus
Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, the evidence is pretty clear: divine
intervention.
How else to explain the Golden Knights, who would have eliminated the
Canucks from the Western Conference wild-card race by beating San
Jose Sunday at home, blowing the lead in the final second in regulation
time, then losing in a shootout?
“You guys don't know me that well but, listen... I believe in things that
happen,” Vancouver coach Bruce Boudreau said Monday after the
Canucks practised at Rogers Arena for another last chance. “Like, I
believed when I was 38 years old, playing in Fort Wayne (in the IHL), that
I still had a chance at making the NHL. I always found that if you stop
believing, then it never happens. But if you believe in it hard enough,
then maybe some dreams do come true.
“If all the favourites won, boy, the betting world would really take a hit,
right?”
With Vegas leading 4-3 and needing a win to move four points clear of
Vancouver and within two of the Dallas Stars, Knights defenceman
Brayden McNabb tried to clear the puck high up the sideboards in the
final seconds. Standing at the blue line was six-foot-five Sharks
defenceman Brent Burns, who used most of his height to knock the puck
down before launching a desperate, wayward slapshot that bounced
perfectly off the end boards for Timo Meier to score the tying goal with
0.9 seconds remaining.
But not getting nearly as much attention was the far less explicable
winning goal in the shootout, which denied Vegas a victory and means
the Canucks can survive again Tuesday if they beat the Kraken and the
Golden Knights win in regulation in Dallas.
Both Vancouver and Vegas are trying to catch the Stars.
San Jose’s shootout winner was scored by 20-year-old, second-round
pick, Thomas Bordeleau, who was still playing college hockey for
Michigan when April began. Bordeleau is the grandson of former Canuck
Paulin Bordeleau, who began his NHL career with three seasons in
Vancouver in the 1970s after leaving junior hockey in Toronto, where his
Marlboros teammate was Bruce Boudreau.
Boudreau said he remembers Paulin scoring on a last-minute penalty
shot to beat Peterborough in Game 7 of the 1973 Ontario Hockey
League final, which allowed the Marlies to advance and win the Memorial
Cup.
“Crazy things can happen in sport,” Boudreau said. “I've seen it a lot of
times in the last day of the year, where the underdog has beaten a team
that just has to win the game. And they're heavily favored and they don't
win. If you give up hope, then you're done. You always have to believe
that there's a chance. And if we win tomorrow, you never know. You
never quit until it's done.”
The Canucks haven’t quit. But, let’s be clear, they’re done.
Not only do they have to beat the Kraken while the Knights win in
regulation against the Stars, the Canucks would also need to end their
season by sweeping back-to-back games against the playoff-bound Los
Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers, while Dallas and Vegas go a
combined 0-4 the rest of the week. And one of the Stars’ opponents are
the Arizona Coyotes.
But here they are, at least, at Game 80 and still playing for something.
That was unfathomable at Game 22, when the Canucks were 6-14-2, or
after Game 25 when Boudreau was hired to replace Travis Green, and
president Jim Rutherford was hired to replace fired general manager Jim
Benning.
The Canucks are 30-15-9 since then and, even dimmed by going 0-2-1 in
their last three games, have played at a 105-point clip under Boudreau.
“When we first started talking about how we're going to turn things
around back in December, you look at the big picture, it... was
overwhelming,” defenceman Luke Schenn told reporters after he was
nominated Monday for the Bill Masterton Trophy. “Like Bruce said earlier,
you focus on the game at hand, and the one day, and then you win the
week and kind of go from there. The smaller goals are a little bit more
realistic, and then the bigger picture starts to be a little more clear.
“But here we are in the last few days of the season and, like you said,
we're hanging on. That's all you can ask for at this time — is to continue
to play meaningful games.”
Forward J.T. Miller said: “Bruce gave us a new life when he got here, a
new jump and fresh start. And ever since then, I think we took our
opportunity and decided to run with it. I'm really proud of our guys in
here. It takes a lot of care and a lot of want. And it's really easy to roll
over when you're 8-15, or whatever we were back then, and just write
this season off as a regroup-type of year. We've really done almost
everything we can to this point to show that we could compete against
the best teams in the league. It's really exciting moving forward no matter
what happens.”
Miller said players still have something to prove.
“I always think of that Jim Valvano quote: never give in, never give up
type of thing,” Boudreau said. “I think that comes from (me) being in the
minors for so long and never knowing if you're going to get a job the next
year, whether it's playing or coaching. But you just keep striving for it. I
hope they've gotten that message this year, that it's a never-give-up
situation. Winning is a culture that you bring, and I'm hoping if there's
anything that I'm bringing to the team it's that winning is the only
important thing.”
Right next to believing.
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TSN.CA / Matthews aims for milestone, momentum ahead of playoffs
Mark Masters
What would 60 goals mean to Auston Matthews?
"It'd mean a lot, but it's also not the end of the world either," the Leafs
centre said. "There's more to this season than accomplishing that."
Matthews has been held without a goal in two games since returning
from an undisclosed injury. Overall, he's gone five games without
scoring, which is his longest drought of the season. He's been stuck at 58
goals since potting a pair against the Montreal Canadiens on April 9.
"I imagine he'll be going tonight, and we'll hope that one falls for him,"
said coach Sheldon Keefe. "But as long as his legs are moving and he's
working on both sides of the puck and he's generating chances, I think
that's all he's looking for. He has enough confidence in himself that goals
will come."
Matthews fired 11 shots on net over the weekend and picked up two
assists during Sunday's win in Washington.
"I've had some really good opportunities of late," he said. "As long as I'm
getting those opportunities, I know they'll fall."
The chances didn't fall in last year's playoffs when Matthews scored just
once in seven games against the Montreal Canadiens. The pressure will
be immense when the postseason opens next week, and the Leafs want
Matthews going in feeling as good as possible.
"He's a guy that's used to scoring and it feels good when you're scoring,"
acknowledged Keefe.
Only two players – Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and Washington's Alex
Ovechkin – have scored 60 goals in a season during the salary-cap era.
When Matthews scored his 50th goal on March 31, he was mobbed by
teammates in the dressing room afterwards. The group is eager to
celebrate another milestone moment.
"We obviously want to see it," said captain John Tavares, "but we want to
keep going with the same approach and let that take care of itself. I
mean, what's his goals per game? Odds are pretty good. So, we just
want to keep playing the same way and have the same focus and I know
he does too."
Matthews, who is averaging 0.81 goals per game this season, almost
always seems to have a healthy swagger. How does he stay in the
moment?
"Just living," he said before pausing for a moment. "I'm not sure I can
really explain it. It's just living ... There's only so much we can control. All
we have is today and all we have right now is a game tonight against the
Red Wings."
The opposition is well aware that Matthews seems to have a sense for
the occasion.
"I don't know if it's through added strength, through added confidence,
but he's just been able to really take over games," said Detroit coach Jeff
Blashill, "you feel like he brings it to a whole other level."
'No doubt we want to see it': Leafs pushing for Matthews to hit 60 goal
plateau
Having yet to score a goal since his return from a three-game absence,
Auston Matthews sits at 58 goals on the season. The Leafs' superstar
says hitting the 60-goal mark would mean a lot, but is also focused on
team goals. Wanting to see the milestone, captain John Tavares says he
hasn't spoken to Matthews much about the chase, but would love to see
him get it.
Top-line winger Michael Bunting, who got hurt in Saturday's game in
Florida and missed Sunday's tilt in Washington, hit the ice ahead of the
main group on Tuesday.
"It's a very positive sign," Keefe said. "He's not going to play his week
and then we'll re-evaluate him from there, but things are looking positive."
Alex Kerfoot slotted in beside Matthews and Mitch Marner at the morning
skate.
What's it like facing Matthews?
"It's exciting," said Wings defenceman Moritz Seider. "It's exhausting, but
you always like playing against the best guys in the league and that's
what I look forward to."
Seider, 21, has been getting the tough matchups basically all season.
Playing a full 82-game schedule for the first time has been an
adjustment, but Seider hasn't shied away from the challenge. Oftentimes,
bigger and older players will look to target rookies, but Seider hasn't
wilted.
"You're not intimidating Moritz Seider," said Blashill.
The coach points out that the sixth-overall pick from the 2019 draft has
already refined the art of the reverse hit.
"Like, you can go try and hit him hard and every once in a while, you
might get the best of him, but most of the time he's getting the best of you
and he's not going to back down either way," Blashill said.
Detroit is winless in three games against the Leafs this season, but
Seider is plus-one with five assists against Toronto.
"He's just really solid," observed Matthews. "Really good poise with the
puck. A really good first pass [which] is maybe not as appreciated as
much, but I find he makes really good passes coming out of the D-zone.
He's always leading the rush and has been really solid on both sides of
the ice for them. He's always a challenge to go against. He's big [6-foot-
4, 197 pounds]. He's strong and he's got a long reach. He's a solid all-
around player."
That's why Seider has emerged as a favourite to win the Calder Trophy.
"Very complete player," said Keefe. "Some players come in and have
one or two things that really carry them, but then they have a lot of things
that need a lot of work and that's why it takes some time, and you have to
protect them. He seems to be a very well-rounded, very mature guy for
his age and that's why he's able to take on so much. There's not a lot
missing from his game."
Seider confirmed that he'll play for Germany at the World Championship
following the NHL season.
'It's exciting, it's exhausting': Calder favourite Seider ready for challenge
of stopping Matthews
Calder favourite Moritz Seider says it is exciting to go up against the
leagues best players, but admits that facing Auston Matthews can be
exhausting trying to prevent the Leafs' sniper from shooting. The Red
Wings defenceman also isn't letting the rookie of the year talk distract
him, as he says he is just happy to be playing in the NHL.
After missing seven of eight games, including six straight, with an
undisclosed injury, Jake Muzzin is ready to return.
"Very significant," said Keefe of the development. "He needs to get the
game reps to get himself up to speed and then just to gain the
confidence that he's ready to go."
Muzzin has only played four games since suffering a concussion, his
second of the season, on Feb. 21. He was paired with T.J. Brodie at the
morning skate.
Justin Holl projects to be a healthy scratch.
Muzzin draws back in; Bunting out for at least a week
After missing the last six games due to an undisclosed injusy, Jake
Muzzin will return to the Leafs lineup tonight against the Red Wings, with
hopes he can get up to speed before the playoffs. Michael Bunting
skated on his own, and will be out for the rest of the week.
Rasmus Sandin, who has been out since March 19 with a knee injury,
took part in Toronto's morning skate. Could he play on Friday?
"I think we'll see Rasmus," Keefe said. "He's got some appointments
today to get through and if that goes well, I think you'll see him with our
team for practice and then we'll take it from there. He hasn't had a full
team practice yet."
Toronto wraps up the regular season on Friday against the Boston
Bruins.
Ondrej Kase, who has been sidelined with a concussion since March 19,
also took part in Tuesday's skate.
"Today is an important step for him just being on the ice with a full team
and that many players moving around and the puck flying around," Keefe
said. "But there's no timeline on him. We're not working towards any
target date or anything like that right now."
The winger has been plagued by concussions throughout his career and
was limited to just three games last season. On Monday, Kase was
named Toronto's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which
is awarded annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities
of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
"When he's played and when he's practised, he gives you nothing but
everything he has and you can't help but appreciate that," said Keefe.
"The fact that he's willing to come back, he's willing to push ... speaks to
the fact that he loves his team and loves his teammates."
'He gives you everything he has': Kase's perseverance inspires Leafs
The Toronto chapter of the Pro Hockey Writers Association voted winger
Ondrej Kase the Leafs nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The 26-year-old from Czechia was limited to three games last season
due to concussions. This season, he got his career back on track playing
50 games with Toronto and emerging as a reliable contributor. Kase is
currently sidelined by another concussion, but is working hard to get back
in time for the playoffs.
After sitting out Sunday's game for load management, Tavares will be
back in the lineup on Tuesday. Did he appreciate the chance to catch his
breath?
"Yes and no," the 31-year-old centre said. "As a competitor you want to
play. I try to take a lot of pride in the 82-game grind but, you know ...
having a couple days off the ice, physically, you feel a little better and
now trying to get the feel for the game back. It's a balance. There's
definitely good things to it … You take advantage of the opportunity, and
it made a lot of sense when Keefer approached me about it."
Sunday was only the second game Tavares has missed this season.
Nick Robertson was called up from the American Hockey League and will
slot in beside Ilya Mikheyev and Tavares on second line against Detroit.
He also took reps with the second power-play unit at the morning skate.
Since last playing for the Leafs on March 25, Robertson has 12 goals
and seven assists in 17 games with the Toronto Marlies.
Leafs Ice Chips: Robertson slots in beside well-rested Tavares
As Michael Bunting remains out due to injury, Alex Kerfoot will play
alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on the top line, while Nick
Robertson draws into the lineup, and will play on a line with John
Tavares and Ilya Mikheyev. TSN's Mark Masters has more.
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