sport-scan daily brief

Transcription

SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF
NHL 2/8/2012
Anaheim Ducks
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Taking one for the team often leaves a mark
Did Ducks' Parros turn down shootout try?
Boston Bruins
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Bruins prepare for Sabres
Slumping Hamill fails to stick
Change good for Krejci
Dunkin’ offers a ‘date’ with Bruins star Tyler Seguin
Buffalo Sabres
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Patrick to fill in against Bruins if Ruff can't coach
Sabres' Regier remains upbeat despite latest injury
Patrick comfortable with Sabres' coaching duties, expects
Ruff to return
Sabres' Ruff misses practice with broken ribs; Regier says
coach is 'day-to-day'
Rochester Americans to stick to reshuffled line
Return of injured Lindy Ruff still uncertain
Calgary Flames
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Flames' Brodie not taking NHL job for granted
Game Day: Calgary at San Jose
Nolan retires after 18 NHL seasons
Jackman unsure where helmet hit came from
Can't rely on Kiprusoff forever
Carolina Hurricanes
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Stewart clears waivers, will stay with Canes
Stewart remains with Hurricanes
Dallas Stars
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Detroit Red Wings
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Chicago Blackhawks
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Blackhawks Game Day: Seeking slump-buster vs. Avs
Brunette a game-time call for Blackhawks
New Hawks center bouncing around
Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 2: Hawks lose sixth straight
Shaw stays useful by doing the little things
Coach Q still trying to find niche for Brendan Morrison
Blackhawks’ woes continue with sixth straight loss
Brunette a game-time decision, Emery to start
Rocky Road... Again
Costly turnovers doom Blackhawks in sixth-straight loss
Colorado Avalanche
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Colorado Avalanche's Tyson Barrie surrounded by biggest
fans for NHL debut
Two goals from David Jones help Avs defeat Blackhawks 52
Avs break 5-game losing streak with 5-2 win over Chicago
Columbus Blue Jackets
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Blue Jackets 3, Wild 1: Jilted get revenge
Blue Jackets notebook: Jackets owe fans their best effort,
Sanford says
Jackets-Wild summary
Class coach
Season status report
Motivated Blue Jackets defeat Wild
Heika: This just isn't the environment for the Dallas Stars to
go green
Stars-Coyotes, 7:30 p.m.; Phoenix is beating the teams
Dallas can't
Sheldon Souray frustrated with Stars' 'awful, atrocious' effort
Heika: With chance for a statement win, Stars barely make a
peep
Stars shut down by former teammate Mike Smith in 4-1 loss
to Phoenix
Stars' Eric Nystrom hoping to add infusion of energy to Mike
Ribeiro line
Stars send Adam Pardy to AHL affiliate for conditioning
assignment
Former Stars coach Dave Tippett still racking up the wins
Coyotes take bite out of Stars in standings
Could Jimmy Howard return to Red Wings' net by weekend?
Red Wings return for six straight at Joe Louis Arena, where
they haven't lost since Nov. 3
Source: Comerica hockey events would accompany Winter
Classic at Michigan Stadium
Notebook: Road-weary Red Wings are happy to return home
Grinding Red Wings forward Drew Miller contributing
offensively, too
Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium
to be announced on Thursday
Home sweet home for the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings fall to Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 in Arizona
WINTER CLASSIC: It's official, Detroit Red Wings will face
the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2013 at Michigan
Edmonton Oilers
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Eberle setting pace to pass 30-goal barrier
Memo to Oilers: Yes, build through the draft, but stop
bringing in weak veterans
Nugent-Hopkins back in medical room
Edmonton Oilers Jordan Eberle on pace to pass 30-goalsper-season barrier
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins re-injures shoulder that took him out
of lineup in January, will miss seven to 10 days
Renney misses practice
Eberle on a tear
RNH out with sprained shoulder
Gilbert back in lineup
Leafs double up Oilers
Oilers Snapshots: Puck cuts Renney
Lupul has new life
Florida Panthers
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Florida Panthers (24-16-11) at Washington Capitals (27-214), 7 p.m. (ET)
Washington Capitals leapfrog Florida Panthers into first
Recap: Washington vs. Florida
Tomas Vokoun Stops 42 Shots as Capitals Drop Panthers
Back to Ninth with 4-0 Win ... Caps up 3-0 Early in 2nd,
Florida Panthers come up empty in 4-0 loss to Capitals
Los Angeles Kings
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Kings find some offense in 3-1 victory over Lightning
Three is magic number for Kings
Minnesota Wild
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Goalie coach seeking solution to Backstrom's shootout woes
Mikko Koivu won't return tonight
Fans can go Wild with new app
Game recap: Wild at Columbus
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Blue Jackets top Wild 3-1; Richards gets win against former
team
Last-place Blue Jackets throttle Wild
Wild report: Koivu scratched again but might play Thursday
Nate Prosser scores first NHL goal, but Wild lose to lowly
Blue Jackets
Blue Jackets 3, Wild 1: Minnesota falls to NHL's worst team
Montreal Canadiens
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In the Habs' Room: Plekanec line shut down Malkin,
Cunneyworth says
Canadiens beat Penguins in eighth round of shootout
Red Fisher: Habs' win over Penguins is too little, too late
"It's about time," Carey Price says of shootout win
"You’re Max Pacioretty. My son’s just come out of a coma,
can you come and meet him?"
About last night …
Preseason greed hurts Canadiens
Nashville Predators
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Nashville Predators fall to Vancouver Canucks in shootout
Shootout goes six rounds
Predators get to shootout, can't get past Canucks
New York Rangers
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NHL
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New Jersey Devils
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In Clash of Hot Teams, Brodeur Is the Difference
Don’t Tell This Orthodontist He Can’t Play Forever
Devils-Rangers: As they play
Devils' Travis Zajac will have Achilles examined in Winnipeg
on Wednesday
Your Devils comments: Sending Brad Mills to Albany
Pete DeBoer on Devils vs. Rangers: 'Two critical points at
stake'
Devils, Cam Janssen anxious to face Rangers at remodeled
Madison Square Garden
Devils send Brad Mills to Albany (AHL); Ryan Carter, Adam
Larsson still out
Devils' Pete DeBoer won't shake up lines despite Adam
Henrique's return
Devils-Rangers showdown started with early fireworks
Zach Parise breathes sigh of relief as Devils survive his late
turnover in win over Rangers
Martin Brodeur, Devils hold off Rangers, 1-0
Devils notes: Travis Zajac to visit surgeon about Achilles'
tendon
Devils come off the All-Star break gaining playoff momentum
Late goal waved off, so Brodeur post shutout in Devils' win
over Rangers
Martin Brodeur shuts out NY Rangers 1-0 at Madison
Square Garden, curious interference call on Marian Gaborik
Brodeur, Devils blank Rangers
Power outage big concern for Rangers
New York Islanders
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Nabokov Has 45 Saves as Islanders Top Flyers in Shootout
Islanders' Nabokov shuts out Flyers
Nabokov gets shootout shutout over Flyers
Isles give Nielsen 4-year, $11M contract
Martin Brodeur shuts out NY Rangers 1-0 at Madison
Square Garden, curious interference call on Marian Gaborik
Brodeur, red-hot Devils blank Rangers 1-0
Up next: Devils at Rangers
Late goal waved off, so Brodeur post shutout in Devils' win
over Rangers
Brodeur shuts out Rangers
Rangers, Devils fight at first puck drop
Evander Kane fends off his critics
Winter Classic about to go big in Michigan for 2013
Diagnosing sports injuries never an exact science
Kiprusoff is the quiet milestone man
Oilers forward Nugent-Hopkins back on the injured list
Questions surround Evander Kane injury
Crickets so far this NHL trade season
Ottawa Senators
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Futility continues for punchless Senators
Scanlan: Doing the goalie shuffle
No rest for Anderson
Senators remain confident despite losing skid
Cheapseats: Spezza key for Sens
Elliott returns to KO slumping Sens
67's to play two seasons at Scotiabank
Digital Faceoff: Good gig for Auld on bench
Struggling Sens stick with Anderson in net
Philadelphia Flyers
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Briere returning; JVR speaks
Briere improves, JVR still iffy
Flyers lose shootout to lowly Islanders
Flyers Notes: Briere's return brings balance to Flyers' lineup
Flyers lose in shootout to lowly Islanders
Nabokov stones Flyers, Islanders win 1-0 in shootout
Laces can bite, too, Flyers are learning
JVR still recovering but Briere is back
Flyers encouraged despite loss
Briere set to return to a Flyers lineup that sorely needs him
(With Video)
FLYERS: Flyers shut out in shootout loss
Are the Leafs no longer interested in JVR?
Improving JVR finally talks concussion
Flyers vs. Devils, 7 p.m., CSN - Wells Fargo Center
Flyers know they need a strong start tonight
Briere will return tonight vs. Islanders
Jackson's Five: Flyers must avoid slump
Timonen pleased with Flyers' effort in loss
Flyers fall to Isles in SO for third straight loss
Phoenix Coyotes
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Phoenix Coyotes defeat Dallas Stars, continue hot streak
Pittsburgh Penguins
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Canadiens prevail in lengthy shootout win over Penguins
Jeffrey looks to hang at center after the Penguins get healthy
Visiting Penguins fall to Canadiens in shootout
Malkin shooting for much higher profile
Long shot spoils Fleury's night / Canadiens 3, Penguins 2
Penguins fall to Montreal, 3-2, in shootout
San Jose Sharks
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Sharks fact box
Sharks: Even dad wants Joe Thornton to shoot the puck
more
Former Sharks captain Owen Nolan announces his
retirement
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Owen Nolan, a Sharks great, calls it a career
Is it time for the Sharks to retire Nolan's number?
Sharks face daunting schedule over final months
Emotional Nolan hangs up skates
St Louis Blues
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Third Period: Blues 3, Senators 1
Elliott not expecting Halak-style treatment in return
D'Agostini leaves after taking blow to his head
Blues have biggest output since victory on Jan. 21
Tampa Bay Lightning
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Bolts notes: D Oberg's arrival sparks speculation
Stingy Kings defense too much for Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning road trip watch parties
Tampa Bay Lightning calls up D Evan Oberg for 8th time;
brass says no other moves in works
Tampa Bay Lightning loses 3-1 to Los Angeles Kings
Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman in no hurry as
trade deadline nears
Toronto Maple Leafs
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What is Mikhail Grabovski worth?
Jets stifle Leafs' offence in return to MTS Centre
Winnipeg Jets shoot down Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1
Reality check: Tuomo Ruutu and the Maple Leafs trade
rumour of the day
Feschuk: Toronto Maple Leafs’ win over Edmonton Oilers
raises trade questions
Leafs still looking good to crash the playoffs
Jets cool off Leafs
Sundin a great teacher: Antropov
Kane under microscope in Winnipeg
Leafs’ hot streak ends with loss to Jets
Leafs look like real deal in win over Oilers
Leafs goaltender James Reimer credits all-star break for
improved play
Vancouver Canucks
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Byron Bitz a fast fit with Canucks
Canucks work overtime - again - to down Predators
Canucks Game Day: Sedins split, likely to start Predators
game on different lines
Ten active former Canucks that could still help the team
Van Provies nightly awards: Canucks vs. Predators
Canucks beat Nashville in yet another shootout
Luongo shows his good, bad and lucky sides in gamewinning performance
Game Day: Canucks vs. Predators
Canucks update: Vigneault implodes, splits Sedins, puts Bitz
with Henrik
Gallagher: Kudos to Vigneault for giving Sedins the day off
Canucks hat trick: Where are the Sedins, where is the power
in their play, where has Jannik Hansen gone?
After failing to catch on with Canucks, Owen Nolan to retire
as a San Jose Shark?
Henrik Sedin points finger at Canucks forechecking
Vigneault: Sedins have “been a little off” for a month,
ponders brief split
Washington Capitals
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Dale Hunter: Capitals’ matchup with Florida ‘like a playoff
game’
Open thread: Capitals vs. Panthers
Brooks Laich feels good after skate, may play against
Panthers
Brooks Laich taking part in Capitals’ morning skate
Caution for Capitals: “Bubble teams” usually don’t go far in
the playoffs
Capitals vs. Panthers: Alex Ovechkin’s two goals help vault
Washington past Florida, 4-0 and into first place
Tomas Vokoun makes 42 saves, shuts out Panthers in
Capitals’ 4-0 win
Timeline: Concussion sidelines Caps’ Nicklas Backstrom
Laich: ‘We’ll see’ about playing vs. Panthers
Vokoun solid against former club
Capitals crush Panthers, move back into first in Southeast
Websites
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ESPN / Owen Nolan goes home to say goodbye
ESPN / Daily Debate: Decision time for Oilers, Bolts
FOXSports.com / Hat trick comes at perfect time for St.
Louis
NBCSports.com / Ralph Nader asks Gary Bettman to ban
fighting in the NHL
NBCSports.com / Winnipeg activates Kane from IR, will face
Toronto tonight
NBCSports.com / No charges for Sharks fan that knocked a
16-year-old brain tumor patient unconscious
CNN/Sports Illustrated / CNN/Sports Illustrated / VIEW
FROM THE ICE Red Wings need answers in net
CNN/Sports Illustrated / INSIDE THE NHL
Sportsnet.ca / Gardiner gets second wind
USA TODAY / NBC's Super Bowl feed sets online record for
live sports
Winnipeg Jets
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Jets lead Leafs 2-1 after two periods
Jetcetera: Jets logo seems to be everywhere
Little's luck all Jets need
Highlight Reel
Kane needs to avoid smoke, start creating fire on ice
Outdoor game a possibility
Jets, Leafs tied 1-1 after first period
All eyes on Kane
Jets Snapshots: Tight checking recipe for win
Jets Kane played concussed
SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129
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Anaheim Ducks
Taking one for the team often leaves a mark
By JEFF MILLER
ANAHEIM – Having spent most of his existence in hockey, Bruce Boudreau
knows when he's seeing genuine effort on the ice.
He also knows when he's seeing effort that's as phony as Bobby Clarke's
front teeth.
It all comes from experience.
His own genuine experience of being phony.
"I was really good at pretending I was blocking shots but then just getting
out of the way," Boudreau says, smiling. "That's why I know when players
are doing that (now)...because I was the pro at it."
Like seemingly all NHL teams these days, Boudreau's Ducks are
emphasizing blocked shots. The theory is simple: Why not have multiple
players acting as goalie when the opponent still has only one net at which
to shoot?
Entering Tuesday, Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin was 12th in
the league with 116 blocks. Teammate Toni Lydman was 20th with 107.
As basic as the theory is behind blocking shots, just as basic is the risk.
Yes, players can leave an impression sacrificing their bodies for team. But
they also can have an impression left on them — often a purple and puffy
one.
Hockey pucks are made of rubber that's as forgiving as a softball is "soft."
"It's like a stinger," Lydman says. "It kind of almost goes numb for a second
and then it starts to be really painful. It depends on where you get hit, too. If
you get hit right on the bone, it's like your whole leg is out of the play for 30
seconds, then the feeling starts to come back."
And that feeling is not a pleasant one. To experience the sensation for
yourself, try slamming your car door on your shin.
Or, for the true NHL encounter, stick one of your body parts inside a
whirling fan. We'd suggest your lips.
Lydman has been hit in the face several times in his career, including once
when he was on his knees in front of the net and caught an opponent's onetimer in the cheek. That blow required stitches inside and outside his
mouth, along with stitches in the muscle.
He also was struck by the deflected shot of Zdeno Chara, who is 6-foot-9
and, for five consecutive seasons, has won the hardest shot event during
All-Star weekend. Chara's winning entry this year: 108.8 mph, the heaviest
shot in the history of the competition.
A puck traveling at 108.8 mph can do a lot of good things. None of them,
however, involves teeth.
"Without the visor, my face would have been a mess that time for sure,"
Lydman says. "That kind of saved my beautiful frame."
Beauchemin can still feel the spot on the inside of his knee where he was
struck blocking a shot against Ottawa on Jan. 21. That was 21/2 weeks
ago.
Even dressed in armor that could discourage a bullet, hockey players are
vulnerable because every inch of flesh can't be protected. There are
patches of exposed human underneath those uniforms, around the knees
and ankles and, mostly, above the waist.
In October, San Jose's Dan Boyle wound up and fired a blast that smashed
into Beauchemin's visor, leaving one of his eyes blood-stained. The
defenseman, for an anxious moment, remained down on the ice thinking he
might be blind.
On Tuesday, the Ducks played host to a bunch of students at Honda Center
for an educational field trip. The event included a skills competition during
which captain Ryan Getzlaf unleashed a slap shot that registered at 102
mph.
Now get this: In an attempt to become a bigger obstacle, Lydman said shot
blockers will, just as the shooter is winding up, stride even closer to their
opponent. Personally, at the moment, we would be in full retreat. Probably
all the way to the parking lot.
Shot blocking simply is the most dangerous act in a sport as dangerous as
any.
Devante Smith-Pelly suffered a broken foot blocking a shot in world juniors.
George Parros was injured twice this season when struck by shots in
practice. Jason Blake and Matt Beleskey were left smarting after being hit
against Phoenix last month.
Accidents are one thing. But it's something else completely when players
willingly offer up with flesh and bone.
"Those guys who go down to block Chara's shot ... Getzlaf was 102 out
there today," Boudreau says, shaking his head. "That's 'ouch,' you know?
I'm glad I was sort of chicken when it came to that."
After a slight pause, he adds, "Hey, at least I'm honest."
The Ducks coach is that, even if his commitment to blocking shots as a
player wasn't.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Did Ducks' Parros turn down shootout try?
RANDY YOUNGMAN
ANAHEIM – There should be an investigation. We could call it "Skategate."
Why didn't the Ducks' most accurate shooter participate in the team's 3-2
shootout victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night at Honda
Center?
Article Tab: image1-Did Ducks' Parros turn down shootout try?
No, we're not talking about Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf or
Bobby Ryan. They all got their chances in the NHL's crowd-pleasing,
shooter-vs.-goalie tie-breaker won by the Ducks when fourth-line winger
Niklas Hagman beat Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff in the decisive eighth
round.
We're talking about the guy who two days earlier won the shooting accuracy
contest in the Ducks' annual skills competition — defending his title from the
previous year, by the way — by knocking down all four Styrofoam targets in
the four corners of the net with consecutive slap shots.
Why didn't he get his turn to collect the puck at center ice, take off in the
attacking zone and go one-on-one against Kiprusoff with the crowd on its
feet screaming?
Obviously, we're talking about George Parros.
OK, it's not so obvious.
And, as it turns out, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau did offer Parros, the
Ducks' top enforcer, the opportunity to showcase his recently validated
marksmanship as the shootout threatened to last until after midnight —
after Saku Koivu, Perry, Selanne, Getzlaf, Ryan, Jason Blake and Cam
Fowler had taken turns and the score was still tied.
"I told him (Parros) he was up next, and he said, 'No way!' " Boudreau said
afterward, laughing. "He didn't wanna go."
So much for "Skategate."
Too bad Parros didn't want to show off. Can you imagine the crowd reaction
if he had skated in on Kiprusoff and ...
Never mind. Just had the image of Parros losing an edge and falling facefirst, onto his famous moustache, into the net.
"We need to get him out there (in the shootout) some time," Selanne said,
also laughing. "We really do."
But probably not when the Ducks need every point, as they attempt to make
an improbable run to the playoffs.
"I think you can tell when a guy wants to block it and when he doesn't want
to block it," Beauchemin says. "It's pretty obvious."
Playoffs? Thanks to a 10-2-2 surge, the Ducks have reduced their distance
to the eighth and final playoff spot in the West to 10 points (as of Monday),
from a season-worst depth of 20 points.
It certainly is to the Ducks coach who, while noting the improved, safer
equipment players wear these days, also says, "It takes courage."
But the playoffs are still a longshot, especially with four teams to climb over
to get there.
Much less protected and wholly more vulnerable, baseball players will
contort their bodies violently to avoid encountering 100-mph projectiles.
When they fail, it's not unusual for the testosterone to run so hot that the
benches empty.
What no one seems to dispute is that we'll know how realistic their chances
are after a two-week, eight-game trip that begins after tonight's home game
against Carolina.
Meanwhile, many hockey players will go out of their way to absorb 100 mph
in places where nature never intended 100 mph to arrive.
"It's going to be a monumental test for us," said Ryan, who contributed his
20th goal and a shootout goal in Monday's victory. "We have to approach
every game where anything but two points is unacceptable."
"That trip is going to be do or die," Selanne said of a road swing that begins
at Detroit (20-2-1 at home) on Friday and includes back-to-back games
against Minnesota and Pittsburgh next week. "We just have to keep
pushing and keep believing and remind each other that it's like Game 7 (of
a playoff series) every game."
No word yet on whether Zach Hamill has been claimed. The deadline is
noon today.
The Ducks are 6-11-6 away from Honda Center this season. No team in the
NHL has won fewer road games.
UPDATE: Chara was given the day off. Hamill has cleared waivers.
Tim Thomas
Zdeno Chara is not present. All other defensemen are practicing.
Boston Globe LOADED: 02.07.2012
Nice officiating: Can't decide if officiating is worse in the NHL or NBA this
season.
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In the second period, Flames center Blair Jones received a four-minute
major for high-sticking after a two-handed baseball swing that bloodied
Selanne's face. If that's not a suspendable offense, nothing is.
Slumping Hamill fails to stick
In the third period, Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa received a game
misconduct and a five-minute major for head-butting Calgary winger Tim
Jackman when Sbisa's open-ice check resulted in their bumping heads.
"Two heads accidentally colliding; that's what I saw," Boudreau said,
pointing out that the two referees didn't call a penalty until after conferring
with the linesmen. (A day later, the NHL rescinded the game misconduct
against Sbisa.)
Earlier, Calgary's Scott Hannan was belatedly whistled for interference only
after holding up Getzlaf for so long that the crowd booed loudly.
When I asked Boudreau if he wished NHL coaches could ask for video
review, a la the NFL, he said, "You're asking the right guy, because I've
been a proponent of coaches' challenges forever. But I guess people
smarter than me have said it's not a good idea."
Chasing Shanny: Selanne (655 career goals) is one goal from tying retired
Red Wings star Brendan Shanahan for 12th on the NHL's all-time goalscoring list.
Does that mean Shanahan, now the NHL's czar of discipline, will suspend
Selanne when he gets passed?
It was obviously a facetious question, but Selanne wouldn't bite.
Boston Bruins
By Steve Conroy
WILMINGTON — Zach Hamill cleared waivers yesterday at noon and was
assigned to Providence.
When the fourth-year pro and former first-round draft pick was first
promoted to the NHL team this season from the AHL club, it appeared as
though the forward may have finally turned a corner. For the first time in his
pro career, he was playing as a winger and seemed to be adapting well to
the shift from center.
But after picking up a pair of assists and being a plus-4 in his first three
games with the Bruins, Hamill’s play slipped. In his last 13 games, he went
pointless and was a minus-1.
“I just think he needs to get stronger,” coach Claude Julien said. “He’s a guy
that’s capable of making plays and he’s a smart individual. He came up and
had a really good, strong showing. But it’s about maintaining that level of
play and sometimes it drops, and sometimes it drops because they don’t
play much or they become healthy scratches.
Orange County Register: LOADED: 02.08.2012
“You have to send them back to find their game again. But I really liked a lot
of what he did. He sees the ice well, he understands our system very well,
he’s a smart player. The one thing he needs to keep working on is his
strength and keeping his level of play the way it was when he first came
up.”
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Horton off skates
"He's actually a good friend of mine; he had a great career. And I've got to
stay out of trouble," Selanne said jokingly.
Boston Bruins
Bruins prepare for Sabres
Fluto Shinzawa
WILMINGTON — Good morning from Ristuccia Arena, where the Bruins
have started practice in preparation for tomorrow’s game against Buffalo.
David Krejci, dropped to the third line against Washington, remains with
Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron today.
After skating on his own Sunday for the first time since suffering a
concussion Jan. 22 against the Flyers in Philadelphia, Nathan Horton did
not take the ice yesterday at Ristuccia Arena. Given the nebulous nature of
recovery periods for concussions, Julien didn’t give any kind of update or
say that Horton had a setback.
“When you see him on the ice with us, he’s moving in the right direction,”
Julien said. “I can’t give you an update every day on this because it could
be long, it could be short. When you see him on the ice with us, it’s going to
be a real good sign. So we’ll leave it at that.” . . .
In his first game back with the B’s since a Jan. 17 demotion to Providence,
winger Jordan Caron didn’t score Sunday in Washington but he had four
shots on net and was a visible presence in the win against the Capitals.
“I don’t think there’s necessarily any messages,” Claude Julien said after
practice when asked if he wanted to send a message to Krejci. “We expect
our players to come out and be the best they can every night. That’s
something I think they owe to the organization, especially based on their
contracts. That’s what we expect from them no matter where they are.”
“He was a little more involved,” Julien said. “That’s what we asked him to do
and he went to Providence and found that part of his game.” . . .
The lineup:
On to Buffalo
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
The B’s tonight take on a Buffalo Sabres team that is 3-0-1 in their last four
games, but is still on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference
playoff picture.
Milan Lucic-Chris Kelly-Rich Peverley
Benoit Pouliot-David Krejci-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Steven Kampfer-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Joe Corvo
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
Julien gave defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara the day off from
practice.
“The one thing we’re well aware of is we haven’t fared well against teams
that are out of the playoffs right now,” said Julien. “The challenges are
playing better against those types of teams.” . . .
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff suffered three broken ribs in a practice collision
Monday with defenseman Jordan Leopold. Ruff missed practice yesterday
in Buffalo and would be replaced tonight behind the bench by assistant
James Patrick if he’s unable to be at the game.
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611182
Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
Change good for Krejci
Dunkin’ offers a ‘date’ with Bruins star Tyler Seguin
By Steve Conroy
By Ira Kantor
WILMINGTON — When the Bruins hit the ice for practice yesterday at
Ristuccia Arena, David Krejci found himself in the gray jersey of the third
line, skating with Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Caron, the same players he
centered in the team’s 4-1 win over the Capitals on Sunday.
Bruins right winger Tyler Seguin will continue to run on Dunkin’ after
renewing his sponsorship deal with the Canton-based coffee and
doughnuts retailer, Dunkin’ Donuts announced today.
It is an unusual spot for a player who is used to skating among the top six
forwards and very often as the No. 1 center. But after steaming into the AllStar break on a hot streak in which he notched points in 15-of-17 games,
Krejci started the post-break portion of the schedule decidedly cooler. After
recording an assist in the first game back against Ottawa, Krejci went
pointless in a pair of losses to Carolina and Pittsburgh in which the B’s highpowered offense — of which Krejci is a large part — scored just one goal in
six periods.
Thus, the change.
“It doesn’t mean I’m not going to change them (again), but I think it’s
keeping everybody on their toes,” coach Claude Julien said. “I think
everyone responded well. We played a good team game. We knew what
their coach (Dale Hunter) was going to try to do, so we tweaked our lines a
little bit and tried to counter that the best way we could and it worked out.”
Seguin, 20, will serve as a brand spokesman through September of this
year, the company said.
“Dunkin’ Donuts fueled me through last year’s season, and I’m thrilled that
we’ll continue to work together in 2012,” Seguin said in a statement. “I
particularly enjoyed the community involvement through my work with
Dunkin’ Donuts last year and look forward to meeting even more Bruins and
Dunkin’ fans through the partnership.”
To celebrate the renewed partnership and Valentine’s Day, Dunkin’ Donuts
will host a Romance/Bromance meet and greet lunch with the Stanley Cupwinning star next Monday. Fans can enter for a chance to win by clicking on
the “Tyler Seguin Sweeps” tab on the company’s Facebook page through
Feb. 9.
Was there a message behind the switch?
Six lucky winners will get to have lunch with Seguin for themselves and a
friend, a $19 Dunkin’ Donuts card and Boston Bruins gear. The
sweepstakes are open to Bay State and New Hampshire residents 18 and
older.
“I don’t think there are necessarily any messages more than (that) we
expect our players to come and be the best they can be every night,” Julien
said. “That’s something I think they owe to the organization, especially
based on their contracts. And that’s what we expect from them no matter
where they are. The message should be the same whether he plays with
his normal (linemates) or he plays with other players.”
As part of the renewed agreement, Seguin will appear in radio ads to help
promote such campaigns as “What Are You Drinkin’?” and “Caught Cold,”
the company’s iced coffee marketing campaign. Seguin will also be
featured in Dunkin’ social media campaigns this year, conducting Facebook
chats with fans, and promoting both the local Boston-area Twitter handle,
@DunkinBoston, and the company’s Turbo Shot coffee.
Krejci, who signed a three-year, $15.75 million extension earlier this
season, has certainly suffered through worse blips in his career, and the
production he provides when he gets through it is usually worth the wait.
This year, he started the season with just one point in the first eight games
and then had a five-game drought in November. But Krejci had his game
cranked up before the break, and he didn’t think a few days off had cut off
his own personal momentum.
“I can think something and other people can think something else. I came
back against Ottawa and I thought everything was fine. Then we lost the
next couple of games. I got changed to another line and that’s how it is,”
said Krejci, who had not been able to create the same kind of chemistry on
the top line with Rich Peverley taking the place of injured Nathan Horton
(concussion).
“I can think about it (all) I want, whether it’s wrong or right, but I’m on the
line I’m on right now and I like my linemates. They’re good players and (if
not) they wouldn’t be in this league. And they’re good guys. We get along
off the ice, too. I just have to find my game again. I think I’m playing the way
I want to, but the puck just has to go in the net more often for me, just like it
did before the All-Star Game.”
Krejci said he hit a low point in the game against Pittsburgh on Saturday,
when the team had gone five periods without a goal.
“A couple of games ago, I had one of the worst feelings I had in hockey,”
Krejci said. “But I’m a professional and I’m here to help the team to win. The
situation is where I am right now, so whatever. It’s my job to go out there
and prove people wrong. I wouldn’t make a big deal of it. It’s just a couple of
games. Before that, I had points in (15 out of 17) games and no one talked
to me from the media. You know, whatever.”
The good news is that the switch seemed to do both the team and Krejci
some good.
“They were good,” said Julien of the Krejci-Pouliot-Caron line. “I didn’t mind
them at all and they did the job. I thought David was good himself. It’s just
about getting everybody going again, and sometimes those changes are
not bad things.”
611183
Buffalo Sabres
Patrick to fill in against Bruins if Ruff can't coach
By John Vogl
James Patrick feels completely comfortable running the Sabres. The
Buffalo assistant coach, in his sixth season on the bench, is in charge of
nearly all the team's optional practices. There have been a lot, so assuming
control while coach Lindy Ruff takes a breather is nothing new.
There's a chance those head coaching stints could escalate to regularseason games. Ruff was too sore to coach Tuesday, one day after breaking
three ribs during a practice collision. General Manager Darcy Regier said
Ruff is "day to day" and could miss tonight's game against Boston in First
Niagara Center.
"I'm hoping and expecting to see him here," said Patrick, who would take
over if Ruff is unable to attend. "We're going to prepare the team like
normal. It's going to be the same routine. ... We're going to do everything
we can to get ready to win a game. That's our focus.
"If he isn't behind the bench, we're confident we can handle it."
Ruff, hired in 1997, has missed just one game in his 15 years. He skipped a
5-0 loss in Atlanta on March 20, 2006, when his daughter Madeleine had
medical problems.
Even if he does come to tonight's game, there's a chance he'll coach from
the press box. The broken ribs limit his mobility and could prohibit him from
avoiding a puck shot into the bench. He may swap jobs with Teppo
Numminen, with the upstairs assistant heading down to the bench and Ruff
wearing a headset away from the ice.
"We'll see how he feels in the morning, and he'll make a determination from
there," Regier said. "He is in a lot of pain."
Patrick ran Tuesday's practice with help from fellow assistants Kevyn
Adams, Numminen and goalie coach Jim Corsi. Ruff talked to them on a
conference call before the skate, and the coaches were scheduled to visit
with the bench boss at his home later in the day.
"Obviously, he wasn't on the ice and we missed having him here, but it
wasn't too different outside of that," Patrick said. "It's killing him because he
is the pulse and heartbeat of the team. He's our leader. He's in a lot of pain,
but he feels sick that he can't be here.
"I've known him for 25 years. He's as tough as any player I played with, and
to see him on the ice, I thought he was kidding for about the first five, seven
seconds, and then when he wasn't getting up I was like, 'Holy smokes,
that's got to be painful because he's as tough as there is.'
"I felt sick that he's hurting that bad. You guys know how tough he is. He'll
be back here as soon as he can."
*The Sabres will host the Bruins without leading goal-scorer Thomas
Vanek. The left winger, who has an upper-body injury, skated on his own
Tuesday but won't be ready to play until the weekend, at the earliest.
"There's a possibility that he'll skate [this] morning, but he won't play,"
Regier said. "Looking down the road, hopefully it's just a few days away."
Forward Colin Stuart, who suffered a knee injury Dec. 17 in his second
appearance of the season, practiced with the Sabres for the first time. The
Rochester Americans' captain expects to return to a game within a week.
"I don't foresee it being too much longer," Stuart said. "It's been a long
process with the rehab and just trying to stay positive about things. I'm just
really excited to be back out on the ice. I had a blast out there. It's nice to
be out there with other guys and not just talking to myself out there."
The Bruins still lead the Northeast Division and are second in the Eastern
Conference. Lately, though, they've lacked the dominance shown during a
24-4-1 run from November to mid-January. They are 5-5-1 in the last 11
games, with two of the victories coming via shootouts.
They beat Washington, 4-1, Sunday.
"We took another step in the right direction," forward Milan Lucic told
Boston reporters.
"Building our consistency in our game right now is the biggest step in
getting back where we want to be."
Ruff, long known to bellow instructions, spoke quietly during his phone
calls, Patrick and Regier said. Captain Jason Pominville couldn't imagine
Ruff not screaming at the players.
"Sometimes yelling at guys is a way to get us going," Pominville said. "That
will be missed."
Buffalo News LOADED: 02.07.2012
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Buffalo Sabres
"I have a fairly lengthy history in the game, and you take a certain comfort
that this is a very unusual year, and they don't come around very often,"
Regier said. "Not unlike the winter in Buffalo this year. I think that that
awareness allows you to kind of keep your head down, you keep moving,
you have confidence in the staff, in the players. You recognize that if you
stay with it things will turn."
With just 30 games to go and the trade deadline only 19 days away, the
amount of time Regier can stick with that confidence is dwindling. The
Sabres are at 11 points out of a playoff spot. They have just 50 points with
60 still available. The average number of points needed to earn the eighth
spot in the Eastern Conference the last six seasons is 92, so the Sabres
need a points percentage of .700 the rest of the year just to have a chance.
Only the New York Rangers, at .710 entering Tuesday night's game against
New Jersey, have played above .667.
"That presents a tall order, and we're all aware of that," Regier said. "I still
believe it. You have to move one game at a time. It's difficult to do great
things if you don't have the circumstances with which to do them in, and
we're situated there. Nobody wanted to be here where we are. It is where
we are, and it provides an opportunity, and you have to play to that
opportunity. You have to go for it."
Regier's thoughts with the annual swap meet approaching include the
number of points his team needs this season, but he seems to be looking
toward the future, too.
"Although that's part of it, the focus is wider and broader than that," Regier
said. "I think it's the play of the team. It's kind of a sense of reading where
things are, including points."
At the moment, the team is feeling good about itself. The Sabres are 3-0-1
in their last four games, tying their season high with points in four straight.
"We're playing well against some teams that are ahead of us, some teams
that are really good in the league. That's a good feeling," forward Cody
McCormick said. "Things are in a positive mood in here."
Forward Ville Leino has noticed. His first season in Buffalo has featured
team and personal struggles, but the atmosphere is lighter without the
losses piling up.
"Overall, guys are having a lot more fun out there," Leino said. "Sometimes
it seems like, especially around here, I've noticed it gets a little serious. You
forget to have fun, and you forget all those things you play hockey for. You
get a lot more out of yourself if you're enjoying what you do."
The Sabres' season ceased being enjoyable when they played Boston on
Nov. 12, a 6-2 loss that featured ... well, odds are extremely good fans
know exactly what it featured. Ryan Miller, Milan Lucic, etc. The rematch in
Buffalo was intense, and the Sabres expect the same tonight with the
Bruins in town.
"They're a team that we want to beat," McCormick said. "We need the
points more than they, and we've just got to show it on the ice."
611185
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres' Regier remains upbeat despite latest injury
Patrick comfortable with Sabres' coaching duties, expects Ruff to return
By John Vogl
John Vogl
Darcy Regier has been in hockey since 1974. He's been with teams from
Canada to Texas, Phoenix to Hartford.
As the Buffalo Sabres' general manager stood at the lectern Tuesday
discussing -- of all things -- the day-to-day status of his broken-ribbed
coach, Regier smiled and said, no, he's never seen anything like this.
The Sabres' season of expectations has turned into a year of forgettable
moments. The latest has coach Lindy Ruff possibly missing only the second
game of his 15-year tenure when Boston visits First Niagara Center tonight.
With the Sabres well on their way to missing the playoffs, Regier found a
moment to brush away the darkness and profess faith that things will get
better in Sabreland.
The Sabres have held a lot of optional practices this season, and assistant
coach James Patrick has run nearly every one of them, if not all. So when
Lindy Ruff missed today's full practice because of broken ribs, Patrick felt
right at home taking over for the head coach.
"Obviously, he wasn’t on the ice and we missed having him here, but it
wasn’t too different outside of that," said Patrick, in his sixth season as
Ruff's assistant.
General Manager Darcy Regier said Ruff is day-to-day and may be back for
Wednesday's game against Boston. Patrick fully expects it. Ruff hasn't
missed a game since March 20, 2006, a 5-0 loss in Atlanta while he was
attending to a medical matter regarding his daughter, Madeleine.
"I’m hoping and expecting to see him here tomorrow," Patrick said. "I don’t
know if it’ll be in the morning or later on.
In the previous five games, the Amerks had scored just eight goals. Over
the previous 10 games, they had scored just 20.
"We’re going to prepare the team like normal. It’s going to be the same
routine. We’re going to meet with Lindy today and go over preparation for
tomorrow. We’re going to do everything we can to get ready to win a game
tomorrow. That’s our focus. If he isn’t behind the bench, we’re confident we
can handle it."
That type of production simply puts too much pressure on the goaltending
and team defense to be close to perfect, something that realistically isn't
possible.
The Sabres will host the Bruins without Thomas Vanek. The team's leading
scorer, out with an upper-body injury, skated on his own but won't be back
until the weekend, at the earliest.
"It’s a huge game. That’s our focus," Patrick said. "It’s a game that we’ve
got to get ready to win. We’ve got to do all we can to prepare. They’ve been
probably the toughest or the best team in the East, them and the Rangers
all year.
"We feel we competed with the Rangers and we had chances to win that
game. We beat New Jersey in a shootout a week ago, probably the other
team that’s been as hot as any team over the last month, and we know
Boston is going to be a big challenge, but we feel we can beat any team in
league."
611186
Buffalo Sabres
Sabres' Ruff misses practice with broken ribs; Regier says coach is 'day-today'
For one night anyway, the switch worked. Szczechura scored three goals
and the line produced four as the Amerks rallied from a 4-2 third-period
deficit to defeat the Crunch 5-4 in overtime.
"It's good to get a little switch-up sometimes," Szczechura said.
Since recovering from off-season knee surgery and returning to the ice in
November, Szczechura has been productive; he just hadn't been scoring
goals.
He has definitely demonstrated a pass-first, shoot-later mentality, with just
six, along with 14 assists, in his first 27 games with the Amerks. Moving him
to the wing forced a change in his approach, Rolston believes.
"Earlier in the season he was distributing more, but being on the wing he
was probably in more of a shooting mode," Rolston said.
The line played well. Varone sees the ice well and Foligno has been an
imposing force along the wall and in the corners. Foligno has vaulted to the
team lead in scoring with 12-16-28 in 45 games, and Varone is second with
7-20-27 in 47 games.
Szczechura is closing in on the lead, which is where he was expected to be
as one of the prime free-agent acquisitions last summer. He has 9-15-24 in
28 games.
Rolston hopes the line can continue to produce today.
John Vogl
The Amerks play a critical 11 a.m. game against the Toronto Marlies at
Ricoh Coliseum.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who broke his ribs during an on-ice practice fall
Monday, was not healthy enough to return to First Niagara Center today.
General Manager Darcy Regier said the coach is "day-to-day" and may
return for Wednesday's home game against Boston.
"I did speak with him this morning," Regier said. "He is in a lot of pain. He
said he got about four hours sleep last night. He was, when I came in this
morning, on a conference call with the coaches going over practice."
Assistant coach James Patrick has taken over the daily duties from Ruff.
If Ruff does return for the game against Boston, it's possible he could coach
from upstairs. Assistant Teppo Numminen, who is normally up in the press
box and communicates with a headset, would likely come down to the
bench.
"We’ll see how he feels in the morning," Regier said, "and he’ll make a
determination from there."
It's a school-day special, so kids will fill the building.
The Marlies lead the North Division with 55 points. The Amerks are second
at 51.
The division winners receive an automatic Top-3 seed for the playoffs.
The other five playoff berths are determined by overall conference standing.
The Amerks enter today ninth.
"We're hanging around there, we're right in the mix, and we're starting to
get healthy so we're in a good position to make a run," Szczechura said.
"This is the time of year where teams make a push. You make a playoff
push or you start getting ready for the summer."
Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 02.07.2012
611188
Buffalo Sabres
611187
Buffalo Sabres
Return of injured Lindy Ruff still uncertain
Rochester Americans to stick to reshuffled line
JOHN WAWROW
Kevin Oklobzija
BUFFALO — Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff is still in severe pain, and it's
unclear when he'll be able to resume coaching a day after breaking three
ribs during an on-ice collision with defenseman Jordan Leopold.
The matchup: Amerks at Toronto Marlies.
General manager Darcy Regier on Tuesday officially listed Ruff as day to
day, but said it's unclear when the coach will be able to run practice or
return behind the bench. Ruff stayed at home on Tuesday, after getting
about four hours of sleep, Regier said after having a conversation with the
coach.
Time/place: 11 a.m. today/Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.
Amerk update: RW Corey Tropp (concussion) and LW Michael Ryan
(unspecified head/neck ailment) are expected to play.
Radio: WBER-FM (90.5).
Since the Rochester Americans don't score many goals, coach Ron Rolston
is often forced to experiment with line combinations.
Like on Saturday in Syracuse, when he moved center Paul Szczechura to
the wing and put him on a line with center Phil Varone and left winger
Marcus Foligno.
"Based on this morning, it's certainly very painful. He was in a lot of pain,"
Regier said. "He's in a good mood, as good as he can be. But he's talking
pretty quietly for obvious reasons."
Regier said he's leaving it up to Ruff as to whether he'll be able to coach the
Sabres home game against Boston today. And even if he is able to make it
to the arena, Regier expressed concern of having Ruff behind the bench
because the rib injury limits his movement and makes him susceptible to
being struck by an errant puck.
Playfair banished the youngster to the press box for one game as a healthy
scratch.
Assistant coach James Patrick ran practice on Tuesday after Ruff outlined a
plan during a telephone conference call with his coaching staff. Patrick
would take over as interim coach during Ruff's absence.
“I had coaches who had been hard on me before,” Brodie said of his time
working for Playfair. “It’s not anything personal. It’s just the way they coach
and the way they get their point across. Once you figure out the message
that they’re trying to send, it makes it a lot easier. You just have to know
that it’s not that he doesn’t like you or anything. “
The 51-year-old Ruff was hurt late in practice on Monday, when Leopold
lost his footing and slid, head-first into the back of the coach's skates. Ruff
was looking the other way, and fell backward before landing on the ice on
his right side with a heavy thud.
Ruff's injury is the latest to hit a team that's been banged-up for much of
this season. Captain Jason Pominville is the only player not to have missed
a game this year. In his 14th season with the Sabres, Ruff is the team's
winningest and longest-serving coach.
Democrat and Chronicle LOADED: 02.07.2012
611189
Calgary Flames
At the beginning of this season, Brodie failed to impress in training camp
and went back to Abbotsford for more development. He played 12 games
for the Heat before receiving the call from Calgary on Nov. 9.
In 39 games with the Flames, Brodie has collected two goals and 11 points.
Defensively, he sits at minus-1.
“He’s really smart guy,” said his blue-line partner, Cory Sarich.”He skates
well. In today’s game, that’s an absolute asset.
“He seems confident with the puck. He’s not afraid to make plays. That’s a
great thing to have when you’re young. That’s kind of the way you need to
approach the game. You need to go out there and try to make a difference.
Flames' Brodie not taking NHL job for granted
“He’s not just trying to survive games without making mistakes.”
By Vicki Hall,
Just last week. Brodie’s dad Jay took a break from his two full-time jobs
(farmer and compression operator for Union Gas) to drive his son’s truck to
Calgary from Abbotsford.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — In spite of his lengthy stay in the bigs, T.J. Brodie is
not about to declare his occupation as full-time player in the National
Hockey League.
Not when a trip back to the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Heat is
only a phone call away.
“It’s nice to be up here,” Brodie said softly in a quiet moment on the road
with the Calgary Flames. “Obviously, it’s still important that I play well every
day and come to work every day. Even though I’ve been here three or four
months, know I can still be sent down at any time.
But Brodie realizes he can’t assume there won’t be a return trip through the
Rocky Mountains on Highway 1.
“Each game, I get a little bit more comfortable,” he said. “Each game, I learn
something new to help me out. I’m just trying to improve and get better
each day, and with that comes confidence.
“You know what you can do out there. You know your limits.”
Calgary Herald: LOADED: 02.07.2012
611190
Calgary Flames
“I guess that’s a good thing to keep me going. I know I have to come out
and play good every night.”
Game Day: Calgary at San Jose
Rookie defencemen generally don’t play well every night in the NHL.
Growing pains — and embarrassing moments — just come with the job,
especially for offensive-minded blue-liners.
By Vicki Hall,
The smooth-skating Brodie is one of them.
“He has come a long way,” head coach Brent Sutter said in advance of
Wednesday night’s clash with the San Jose Sharks. “When we first brought
him up, he was obviously really excited. And yet he was a rookie. Raw.
“He was very exuberant when he first came in. A lot of excitement and that
kind of stuff. I think that works for a period of time. But then after a while
you have to play against some top-end players, and you have to make
some adjustments in your game.”
Those adjustments include the installation of an internal traffic light. Green
is go. Red is stop. Amber is caution.
Calgary Flames (24-22-7) at San Jose Sharks (29-15-6)
8 p.m. HP Pavilion (SN960 Radio, TSN)
Flames player to watch
RW Jarome Iginla: The captain turned things up in Anaheim and very nearly
carried the Flames to their first win in the Happiest Place on Earth since
2004. He’ll need to be just as good tonight for Calgary to escape the Shark
Tank with two points.
Flames
And sometimes, life in the NHL is more like driving in rush hour than
cruising in the middle of the night.
The Lines
“On every rush, you don’t just take off with the puck,” Sutter said. “You
might be able to do that against certain players. But against certain players,
you can’t.
M. Cammalleri B. Jones K. Kolanos
“The one thing we’ve never done as coaching staff — and I wouldn’t want
us to do — is to hold him back. He’s got to continue to let the offensive side
of his game grow.”
As a second-year pro, Brodie, 21, has a much better handle on creating
that fine balance.
A. Tanguay O. Jokinen J. Iginla
L. Bouma M. Backlund B. Comeau
T. Jackman M. Stajan T. Kostopoulos
The Pairings
C. Butler J. Bouwmeester
S. Hannan M. Giordano
A fourth-round entry draft pick of the Flames in 2008, Brodie shocked
onlookers in his first professional training camp by cracking the 2010-11
opening-day roster. He played in three games for Calgary before former
general manager Darryl Sutter sent him to Abbotsford for seasoning under
former Heat head coach Jim Playfair.
By January, acting general manager Jay Feaster publicly chastised the
youngster for not respecting the level of play in the AHL. To that end,
T.J. Brodie C. Sarich
A. Babchuk
The Goalies
M.Kiprusoff
L.Irving
The Injuries
LW Curtis Glencross (knee), RW David Moss (foot), D Derek Smith (ankle),
RW Lee Stempniak (ankle)
Sharks player to watch
C Logan Couture
Sophomore jinx? Forget it with this kid. Riding a six-game point streak. Four
goals and five assists during that span. Owner of a new car for surviving the
indignity of being picked last in the NHL all-star draft.
He’s the last member of the defunct Quebec Nordiques to call it quits and
retires as a Shark, the team he played with for eight seasons.
Along the way, Nolan also suited up for the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto
Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes.
“To be a power forward, to me, is much like being a running back in the
NFL,” said San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson. “You hand out
a lot of punishment. You take a lot of punishment. But to have the ability as
long as he played, at the level (he did) and accomplish what he’s done,
comes from the fortitude within you.
“To accomplish that in this game in something special.”
In his prime, to watch six-foot-one, 205-pound Nolan was something
special. So strong. So intimating. So very offensively gifted.
Sharks
The Lines
A.Desjardins J.Thornton J.Pavelski
P.Marleau L.Couture R.Clowe
*J.McGinn M.Handzus T.Mitchell
B.Winchester J.McCarthy B.Ferriero
The Pairings
D. Boyle M. Vlasic
D. Murray B. Burns
C. White J. Braun
The Goalies
Through exactly 1,200 NHL games, the Belfast, Northern Ireland native
collected 422 goals and 463 assists for 885 points and 1,793 penalty
minutes.
“A fierce competitor,” marvelled Flames defenceman Cory Sarich. “He
would drop his mitts with anybody. A great shot. Solid. A tough, tough
winger. Playing against this guy, he was one of those guys who you knew
was going to cause you fits. You just never knew.
“He could run you over. He had to the skills to go around you. . . . He
created his own room out there.”
Raised in Thorold, Ont., Nolan won gold for Canada at the 2002 Winter
Games in Salt Lake City. His Olympic teammate Jarome Iginla attended the
retirement news conference. Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson
called in to thank Nolan for his service to his country.
T. Greiss
Former Shark Bryan Marchment also phoned in to congratulate his old
partner in crime. He mentioned Nolan’s love of completion in everything
from cards, to ping-pong to video games.
The Injuries
Sarich can relate.
D Jason Demers (lower-body), C Tommy Wingels (upper-body), RW Martin
Havlat (hamstring)
“He’s intense in everything he does, “ Sarich said. “We used to play this
computer game on the bus called Age of Empires. Owen being Irish, his
little green men used to march around the screen all the time. He would be
in such a hurry to get the game going — get to the battles. I constantly
remember that.
A. Niemi
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Calgary Flames
“He was always nagging us to pick things up.”
Nolan retires after 18 NHL seasons
Once he got the word “retirement” out of his mouth Tuesday, Nolan kept it
together for the rest of his announcement.
He closed his remarks with a special message to the next generation.
By Vicki Hall,
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Owen Nolan approached the podium on Tuesday
with a pile of napkins in hand, just in case.
“This is not a good start,” he said, taking his seat and carefully tucking the
makeshift tissues under his speaking notes.
“I just want to finish by saying something to all the younger players in the
league today,” he said. “Twelve hundred games may seem like a lot, but it
goes by awfully fast.
“So enjoy every minute of it.”
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Calgary Flames
Thus began a news conference where a man who defined the words gruff
and tough publicly conceded the end of his hockey career.
The news hardly comes as a surprise to the outside world. After all, Nolan
hasn’t played a regular-season NHL game for almost two years. He played
the 2010-11 season in Switzerland before attending Vancouver Canucks
training camp last September on a professional tryout agreement.
Jackman unsure where helmet hit came from
Randy Sportak,
He failed to make the cut.
“Today I’m announcing my retirement,” Nolan, 39, said — his voice cracking
as he digested the words coming out of his mouth at the HP Pavilion. “I
guess I’ve known this day was here for a while.
SAN JOSE — Tim Jackman was so caught off-guard by the hit from Luca
Sbisa in Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks he figured somebody
else made contact with him.
“When your body won’t do what your mind and heart are willing to do, it’s
time to move on.”
No matter how much it hurts.
Jackman was bearing down on Sbisa while carrying the puck early in the
third period, when the Ducks defenceman stepped up to make a check and
instead of body contact, Sbisa’s helmet caught Jackman flush in the jaw
and sent the Flames winger to the ice.
The prototypical power forward, Nolan made a point of inflicting hurt
through an 18-year NHL career that started in Quebec City in 1990-91 and
ended with the Minnesota Wild in 2009-10.
“After I got hit, I was wondering where it came from, who came and hit me
like that,” Jackman said Tuesday. “I thought somebody came out of
nowhere and got me.”
Sbisa was handed a major penalty for head butting and given a game
misconduct by on-ice officials, but the game misconduct was rescinded by
the NHL.
Jackman didn’t return to the game, but Flames head coach Brent Sutter
said he shortened the bench because the Ducks used three lines the rest of
the game.
outings last week before summoning him back to the big club and then
sending Henrik Karlsson to the AHL Abbotsford Heat for a two-week
conditioning stint to give him the best chance to rebound from the knee
injury which sidelined him for two months.
“I haven’t seen (a replay), but I don’t think he was trying to take my head
off,” Jackman said of Ducks young defenceman Sbisa.
“I think it’s a smart move to send me down to get some games,” Irving said
after a Tuesday practice. “I definitely felt I was a little rusty the first game
with the Heat, and in the second game, I felt able to pick up where I left off.
It was nice to go down there and get some confidence, and the idea is to
bring that to the table here.”
Jackman, who skated during an optional practice Tuesday, said he could
have played.
Amidst all the injuries this season, the Flames have resisted the urge to
mortgage the future to add a veteran.
“I was fine. I knew where I was, knew my name and what day it was,”
Jackman said.
This season, they’ve gotten a read on the likes of defencemen Joe Piskula
and Clay Wilson, as well as forwards such as Paul Byron, Roman Horak
and Krys Kolanos. Blueliner Brian Connelly is likely next to get a look,
ICE CHIPS
According the the Elias Sports Bureau, the Flames’ 14-game losing skid in
Anaheim is the second longest current run in the league. The Dallas Stars
have won 15 straight home games against the Minnesota Wild ... The
Sharks have loaned No.-3 goalie Antero Niittymaki to the AHL Syracuse
Crunch, farm team of the Anaheim Ducks ... Flames goalie Miikka
Kiprsusoff will record the 300th victory of his career with his next win. It
could be fitting if he did it against the Sharks, who drafted him into the
league and traded him to the Flames in November 2003.
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.07.2012
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Calgary Flames
That kind of thinking is what the Flames need to do before starting the next
phase of the rebuilding program Jay Feaster has implemented.
Already, the Flames have discovered rookie defenceman T.J. Brodie has a
bright future.
The team will use Kiprusoff as much as possible while the playoffs are in
sight, but Irving has earned a shot to show what he can do.
“Leland is pushing to be one of two goalies in the National Hockey League,
for us or for some other team if it doesn’t work here,” Sutter added. “He
wants it. He’s gone through a growing period, and experiencing that,
mentally, is going to be good for him.”
Calgary Sun: LOADED: 02.07.2012
Can't rely on Kiprusoff forever
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By RANDY SPORTAK ,
Stewart clears waivers, will stay with Canes
Leland Irving’s next action with the Calgary Flames is first and foremost
about the club’s quest to make the NHL playoffs.
By Chip Alexander -
The Flames have to expect to win games, even when they have a backup
goalie between the pipes and not standout Miikka Kiprusoff.
However, the next time Irving, the 2006 first-round draft choice, goes
between the pipes for the Flames, it will be a major test of his bounce-back
abilities.
Irving’s last NHL outing was the infamous 9-0 loss to the Boston Bruins
back on Jan. 5, during which the rookie goalkeeper surrendered six goals in
26 minutes before being hooked.
Irving is expected to be in goal Thursday night when the Flames face the
Phoenix Coyotes, although head coach Brent Sutter said he hadn’t decided
whether the netminder will see action against the Coyotes or Wednesday
against the San Jose Sharks (8 p.m., TSN/Sportsnet 960). Regardless,
Irving must prove he’s put that disappointment behind him.
“(That 9-0 loss is) one of those things that happens. You hope it never
happens again, but chances are, in this game, it’s going to happen again,”
said Irving, who could hardly be solely to blame for that loss in Beantown.
“You just regroup, keep working hard and try and have a better outcome the
next time you have a chance.”
Irving’s case is a perfect example of how the Flames must approach this
season with their prospects.
As much as making the playoffs and hoping they can drum up a Cinderella
run by getting to the NHL’s second season is the goal, the Flames also
must look to the future. That includes using this season, as much as
possible, to see what the youngsters in the system — be them currently
with the Flames or in the minors — can accomplish at the NHL ranks.
Irving, who has a 1-1-2 record along with a 3.67 goals-against average and
a .908 save percentage in four NHL appearances, is one of those players.
The Flames must discover whether Irving, who is slated to be a restricted
free agent with arbitration rights this summer, is part of the long-term
solution to getting this team back to the league’s upper-echelon.
Even though he hasn’t played an NHL game in more than a month, the
Flames did the right thing by sending Irving to the minors for a couple of
Carolina Hurricanes
Anthony Stewart (13) and the Carolina Hurricanes face off against the New
York Islanders in an NHL game played between the Carolina Hurricanes
and the New York Islanders at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
Canes forward Anthony Stewart has cleared waivers and will remain with
the team, general manager Jim Rutherford said today.
The Canes on Monday placed Stewart on waivers. NHL teams had until
noon today to claim him.
Stewart was signed to a free-agent contract in July by Carolina after the
Winnipeg Jets did not make him a qualifying offer. The two-year deal pays
him $800,000 this season and $1 million next season.
In 50 games for the Canes, mostly as a fourth-liner, Stewart has six goals
and seven assist. Stewart's plus-4 rating is the best on the team.
News Observer LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Carolina Hurricanes
Stewart remains with Hurricanes
Chip Alexander
Anthony Stewart is still a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Canes on Monday placed the forward on waivers and there was
speculation another NHL team might have interest in him. But Stewart was
not claimed on waivers by the noon Tuesday deadline.
General manager Jim Rutherford said Stewart will remain with the team,
and he is expected to play tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
Stewart was signed to a free-agent contract in July by Carolina. The twoyear deal pays him $800,000 this season and $1 million next season.
In 50 games for the Canes, mostly as a fourth-liner, Stewart has six goals
and seven assists.
News Observer LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Chicago Blackhawks
New Hawks center bouncing around
Chicago Blackhawks
By Brian Hamilton,
Blackhawks Game Day: Seeking slump-buster vs. Avs
By Brian Hamilton
DENVER -- At least one inevitable conclusion to draw even before the
Chicago Blackhawks and Avalanche meet Tuesday night: One team will
out-desperate the other.
The Hawks are mired in a five-game losing streak. The Avalanche are on a
season-high five-game winless drought. Someone is bound to be slightly
less miserable by the end of things, and the Hawks need that someone to
be them in order to keep afloat in the treacherous Western Conference.
"From our side, for sure," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said before the
game, when asked if it was a desperation night.
"They're a dangerous team, they're coming off a tough loss even though
they played pretty well the other day against Vancouver. They've played
well against us. They've got a lot of skill and they've got some quickness to
their team as well. So it's going to be a tough test for us. Let's make sure
we place an emphasis on our positioning and that we're patient in our
game."
Ray Emery started in goal for the Hawks. Andrew Brunette returned to the
lineup after a one-game absence with an upper-body injury. Bryan Bickell,
John Scott and Sami Lepisto were the healthy scratches for the Hawks.
Chicago Tribune LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Chicago Blackhawks
Brunette a game-time call for Blackhawks
By Brian Hamilton
DENVER — Brendan Morrison was traded to the Blackhawks, and then he
started moving. In a week's worth of games, the veteran center has
bounced from second line to fourth line and then up to the third line, and
where he stops nobody knows.
"At some point, it'd be nice to get some regular linemates, but you have to
figure out where you fit in," Morrison said.
"Really, I just need to play a bit. I haven't played a whole lot, even before I
got dealt here. … You get in a little better game shape, then hopefully that'll
help things."
The ever-fluid lineups of Hawks coach Joel Quenneville will keep him on his
skate edges, meanwhile. Morrison has no points in three games, deeming
his first few outings "average," and he said teammates had prepared him
for some "mix and match" under his new coach.
Continuing with the Tuesday night game against the Avalanche, it will be up
to Morrison to get as comfortable as he can with whoever he can for
however long they are matched up.
"It's not a huge issue," Morrison said. "In Calgary I moved around as well.
You have to be able to adapt and play with different guys and at times play
a little different style."
Bruno back: After initially dire forecasts about an upper-body injury
sustained in Edmonton, Andrew Brunette quickly resurfaced in the Hawks'
lineup Tuesday after missing just one game.
"It was a little frustrating, but starting to feel better every day," Brunette said
before the game. "That's the important thing — it got better real quick."
One-timers: Defenseman Steve Montador suffered an upper-body injury
against the Avalanche and will be reevaluated Wednesday, Quenneville
said. … Even though the natural byproduct of good play would be seizing
the No. 1 goalie gig, Ray Emery predictably downplayed that idea before
his start Tuesday. "That's all I think you can ever look as far as — the next
game," Emery said. "Like I said from the start, I'm happy to get in the net
and have the opportunity and want to win when I get in there." … Healthy
scratches for the Hawks were Bryan Bickell, John Scott and Sami Lepisto.
DENVER -- With typical hockey-injury vagueness, Andrew Brunette
categorized his recent affliction as part of the "bumps and bruises" all
players endure during a season.
611199
His healing prowess? Apparently no codes to decipher there. The Chicago
Blackhawks veteran could play Tuesday against the Avalanche after initial,
dire forecasts following an upper-body injury against Edmonton last week.
Avalanche 5, Blackhawks 2: Hawks lose sixth straight
"He said he felt pretty good there, so we'll make a decision after warmup
tonight," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said after the morning skate at the
Pepsi Center. "Could play."
By ADAM L. JAHNS
Brunette was working on front-of-the-net deflections at the end of the
morning workout and seemed optimistic in the dressing room, which in a
tea-leaf-reading sense bodes well.
"It was a little frustrating, but starting to feel better every day here," Brunette
said of the injury.
"Again, something we all go through, and it's getting better. That's the
important thing – it got better real quick and hoping to play either tonight or
further down the stretch here."
Ray Emery gets the start in goal as the Hawks attempt to halt a five-game
losing streak.
"I just want to win tonight" Emery said, when asked if he could seize the
starting gig for the stretch run. "That's all I think you can ever look as far as
-- the next game. More often than not, that'll put you in a good spot. Like I
said from the start, I'm happy to get in the net and have the opportunity and
want to win when I get in there."
Chicago Blackhawks
DENVER — There wasn’t anything new for Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith,
Ray Emery and coach Joel Quenneville to add to the Blackhawks’ list of
woes when they met the media Tuesday after another ugly loss.
They keep losing for the same reasons, and it’s beyond the point of simple
frustration. The once-confident Hawks, who were perched atop the league
just a few weeks ago, don’t look too confident anymore.
“We have to find a way to win a game to get some confidence back in
ourselves and our game,” Quenneville said after the Hawks dropped their
sixth game in a row when the Colorado Avalanche raced past them for a 52 victory at the Pepsi Center.
It’s the Hawks’ longest losing streak since they dropped seven in a row in
January 2008.
Gabriel Landeskog scored the game-winner from the top of the left circle 38
seconds into the third period, and David Jones had two goals for the
Avalanche, which ended its own five-game losing streak.
Plenty of attention was given to Emery, who has the chance to seize the
Hawks’ No. 1 job in goal for the final stretch with Corey Crawford in another
funk.
Emery rescued the Hawks in the first two periods despite allowing two
goals. But in the third, Emery (24 saves) allowed goals to Landeskog and
Jones on shots he knows he should’ve stopped to keep it a 2-2 game.
Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook had goals for the Hawks, who failed to
muster a shot during three power-play opportunities.
“I wanted to stop both those last ones, but guys make good shots,” Emery
said. “It’s kind of a tossup if a guy makes a really good shot; that’s how it
goes.”
The Hawks need to see better play in front of whoever is in goal — Emery
or Crawford. Their goals-against average is among the league’s worst
because they haven’t checked well, haven’t eliminated second chances and
have turned the puck over, leading to odd-man rushes for opponents.
Against the speedy Avalanche, Emery had to deal with numerous
breakouts.
“Sometimes we got caught with two guys going to the same guy in the
offensive zone,’’ Toews said. ‘‘Chip it out, and there you go: We have an
odd-man rush coming back our way. We had a couple of turnovers there,
too, when we were changing and our [defensemen] are expecting us to get
it deep, and when you don’t do that, that’s what happens. It could’ve been
worse.”
Bruno is better
There were concerns that Andrew Brunette might miss several games with
an upper-body injury suffered against the Edmonton Oilers last week. But
Brunette, 38, continues to show why he’s one of the most durable players in
the NHL.
It turned out his injury wasn’t serious after getting closely examined by team
doctors in Chicago after the first leg of the Hawks’ nine-game road trip. He
returned to the Hawks’ lineup Tuesday after only missing the game Friday
against the Calgary Flames.
“It was just some bumps and bruises you go through the whole season,
some wear and tear that kept me out,” said Brunette, who only has missed
four games since the 2001-02 season. “It was a little frustrating, but I’m
starting to feel better every day here.”
Slap shots
Defenseman Nick Leddy, 20, played in his 100th career game.
◆ The Avalanche is still without standout forward Matt Duchene, who
suffered a left knee injury Dec. 29 against the Phoenix Coyotes. He remains
on injured reserve.
Chicago Sun Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Chicago Blackhawks
The nine-game road trip only gets worse, too.
Coach Q still trying to find niche for Brendan Morrison
The Hawks, who lost defenseman Steve Montador to an upper-body injury
in the second period, have been outscored 19-9 in the first four games of
the trip with tough defensive teams in the San Jose Sharks, Phoenix
Coyotes, Nashville Predators and New York Rangers next on the schedule.
By Adam L. Jahns
“We’re past the point where we have to start getting a win,” Keith said. “It
seems like any little mistake is costing us right now.
‘‘That’s kind of the way it goes when you’re on a losing streak. You’re not
getting the bounces. You look at [Kyle Quincey’s] empty-net goal. They
throw it off the boards, it ricochets off the penalty box and then it goes in the
net.”
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Chicago Blackhawks
Shaw stays useful by doing the little things
DENVER — Blackhawks center Brendan Morrison was warned by his new
teammates.
“With [coach] Joel [Quenneville] here, the guys said you have to be ready to
mix and match and have to be prepared to play with different guys,”
Morrison said. “That’s fine. You have to kind of do that wherever you are in
your career.”
After making his Hawks debut on a line with Patrick Sharp and Marian
Hossa, Morrison, 36, was moved to the fourth line Friday against the
Calgary Flames, and that’s where he started Tuesday against the Colorado
Avalanche. Quenneville said he’s still trying to find where Morrison works
best, although he always alters lines.
By Adam L. Jahns
Morrison, who was acquired during the All-Star break from the Flames for
defenseman Brian Connelly in a trade that quickly came together,
considered his first three games as a Hawk as “average.” He’s still trying to
reach a point where he can contribute consistently after missing time to
rehab his knee in Calgary.
DENVER — Seeing that he’s still with the Blackhawks and in the lineup
over more seasoned players and not in Rockford, Andrew Shaw figures
he’s doing something right despite the decreased frequency of headlinegrabbing plays.
“For me, it’s just getting my game back as far as playing,” Morrison said.
“That’s a big thing. I haven’t played a whole lot. Even before the break, I
missed six games. I don’t want to use it as an excuse, but that’s kind of a
reality of it. It’s just being more comfortable on the ice.”
“Obviously, you knew it was going to come to a stop,” Shaw, 20, said. “You
can’t come into the league and score every game.”
Morrison, though, has no problems handling the point on the power play.
The point men have switched often this season because of injuries and the
Hawks’ inability to consistently set up the power play and get shots through.
Coach Joel Quenneville, though, still thinks Shaw is doing a lot of the little
things — finishing checks, being aggressive on the forecheck and creating
traffic in front of opposing goalies — that others such as winger Bryan
Bickell, a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche, aren’t
doing enough of.
“[Shaw] certainly had a great start up here,” Quenneville said. “Over time,
consistency is something you look for. I still think he does some things in
the game that you appreciate. He keeps himself in the play and around the
puck. He’s pretty handy with it, as well. He’s not at that same pace, but he’s
certainly been useful in ways.”
“It’s been a couple of years, but my whole time in Vancouver, seven to eight
years, I was on the point,” Morrison said. “In Washington, I played a little bit
on the point. I’m comfortable back there. I’m fine.”
It has been trying for Morrison to find a role on the Hawks and regain his
own stride at a time when the whole team is struggling.
“I’ve been around long enough to not put too much on yourself,” he said.
“But, yeah, you want to do well.”
Shaw said he’s more mindful of the length of his shifts, which is something
Quenneville wants him to pay attention to as the season plays out.
611202
“I try to watch who I’m out against,” Shaw said. “We’re trying to match lines.
If it’s not the line we’re playing against, then get off as fast possible and just
chip it in instead of going for that extra little forecheck.”
Blackhawks’ woes continue with sixth straight loss
Chicago Blackhawks
By Tim Sassone
DENVER – Ray Emery will get the start and forward Andrew Brunette is a
game-time decision when the Chicago Blackhawks face the Colorado
Avalanche at the Pepsi Center tonight.
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has a bigger problem than
finding a trade partner.
Brunette did not play against Calgary on Friday after playing just the first
period vs. Edmonton last Thursday night. While it looked like Brunette’s
upper-body injury was serious at the onset, Brunette said he’s felt better
with each passing day.
Bowman’s hockey team is fading so fast in the Western Conference that a
trade before the Feb. 27 deadline might not make that big of a difference
now.
Tim Sassone on McNeil and Spie
You can only replace so many guys this time of year, and right now the
Hawks have a roster full of dead weight.
The Hawks can talk for days about the need to be better defensively, like
they did all weekend, but when the bright lights go on it’s more of the same
old you know what.
The Hawks didn’t exactly tighten things up defensively in a 5-2 loss to
Colorado on Tuesday night, their sixth straight and eighth in a row on the
road.
There were so many bad decisions and careless giveaways, resulting in
one odd-man rush after another for the Avs, that the Hawks were lucky they
weren’t blown out of the Pepsi Center like they were in Edmonton.
“It’s just the little bumps and bruises you go through during the whole
season, the wear and tear that kept me out,” Brunette said. “It’s something
we all go through and it’s getting better. That’s the important thing. It got
better real quick. I’m hoping to play tonight or further down the stretch
here.”
It will be Emery’s second consecutive start for the Blackhawks, who are
looking to snap an 0-4-1 skid.
“I just want to win tonight; that’s all you can ever do is look as far as the
next game. More often than not that will put you in a good spot,” said
Emery, who enters tonight’s game with an 11-4-2 mark. “I want to win when
I get in there. It’s just one game at a time.”
The Blackhawks will face a Colorado team that’s looking to snap an 0-4-1
streak of its own.
Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 02.08.2012
“We’re trying to fix the problem,” Jonathan Toews told reporters. “No one is
running from it. We can’t hide from these problems.”
611204
Goalie Ray Emery was fine, but most everything else around him was a
disaster.
Rocky Road... Again
The Hawks are only 3 points out of seventh place in the West with five
games still left in this road trip. Is it possible the Hawks could be fighting to
even have a playoff spot by the time they get home?
CHRIS BODEN
“We’ve got to find a way to win a game now, to get some form of confidence
back in ourselves and our team game,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
Turnovers by Toews, Duncan Keith and Viktor Stalberg led directly to
Colorado’s first 3 goals.
It was 2-2 going to the third period when Stalberg’s turnover at the Colorado
blue line led to a 2-on-1 the other way and Gabriel Landeskog’s goal at the
38-second mark.
Quenneville wasn’t happy with Stalberg trying to carry the puck into the
zone.
“We’re tied going to the third period and we give up a goal right off the bat
on something we just talked about,” Quenneville said. “It’s disappointing.
The first shift of the period, let’s get it behind them and make them work
down low in their end and keep ourselves behind the puck.”
The Avs’ fourth goal by David Jones came after an ill-advised pinch by
defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson led to yet another 2-on-1 against Emery.
“I don’t really know what to say at this point,” Toews said. “It (stinks). It’s not
like we’re enjoying this.”
After a scoreless first period, Brent Seabrook put the Hawks ahead with a
goal 31 second into the second, but the turnovers by Toews and Keith a
short time later led to goals by Peter Mueller and Jones 35 seconds apart.
The Hawks went 0-for-3 on the power play and are 0-for-10 on the road trip.
“We lost a lot of momentum on it,” Quenneville said. “It wasn’t good at all.”
Defenseman Steve Montador left the loss with an upper-body injury and will
be re-evaluated Wednesday.
Chicago Blackhawks
A slump is one thing. Not executing the steps needed to snap out of it - and
repeating the same errors - starts to create something more than a
frightening coincidence.
Turnovers, poor puck management and being caught out of position
defensively have been what's burned the Blackhawks during this losing
streak. Yet, despite focusing on it since last week's embarrassment in
Edmonton, it's really gotten no better.
There was a slight step forward in Calgary, but a huge step back in Denver.
The Avalanche is a team that hadn't been scoring goals - but they found a
way against the Hawks. They would have scored even more if not for Ray
Emery, who probably should've had the David Jones goal that made it 4-2.
Still, he more than did his part.
The offense has averaged two goals during this slide, and Tuesday night,
the power play was helping the Avs more than it helped themselves, with at
least three or four short-handed odd-man rushes.
Instead of narrowing down the problems that have been the root of these
difficult times, they seem, instead, to be growing. And it's the first time this
group is going through anything close to this since the core accomplished
so much.
The longer this goes, it's getting to the point where the doubts and
questions about the team outside the locker room may start to be matched
within those walls.
611205
Chicago Blackhawks
Daily Herald Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
611203
Chicago Blackhawks
Costly turnovers doom Blackhawks in sixth-straight loss
Brunette a game-time decision, Emery to start
TRACEY MYERS
TRACEY MYERS
DENVER – The Blackhawks’ locker room was silent once again late
Tuesday night. It was another game with the same issues: Mistakes led to
odd-man rushes and too many opposing goals. The power play was futile.
And it led to the same outcome they’ve now had for six consecutive games.
David Jones scored two goals as the Avalanche scored three unanswered
in the third period to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 on Tuesday. The
Blackhawks are now 0-5-1 in their last six. And they also lost defenseman
Steve Montador to an upper-body injury in the second period. Coach Joel
Quenneville said they’ll know more on Montador’s status on Wednesday.
While the Blackhawks are still sixth in the Western Conference with 65
points, the gap between them and their Central Division foes is growing.
Idle Detroit has 72 points. St. Louis is in fourth in the West with 69. Fifthplace Nashville, which gained another point Tuesday night, also has 69.
But the Blackhawks aren’t worried about other teams. They have enough
issues of their own. Turnovers led to Avalanche goals, they gave up too
many odd-man rushes and their power play was helpless in trying to even
the score.
“We look at the last three games: we’re tied going in the third in Edmonton,
late in the second in Calgary and today tied going into the third and we give
up a goal right off the bat. It’s something we just talked about,” Quenneville
said. “It’s disappointing, especially with this team off the rush.”
"I'll try to view it like any other game," he said. "But I know it's not. It's one
I'll always remember probably."
Footnotes. To make room for Barrie, the Avalanche scratched Ryan Wilson
from the lineup. Matt Hunwick and Kevin Porter were the team's other
healthy scratches against the Blackhawks. ... Veteran defenseman Shane
O'Brien, a potential unrestricted free agent this summer, doesn't want to
speculate about his future with the Avs. His name could be tossed around
in trade talks before the NHL's Feb. 27 trade deadline, but "I'm only going to
talk about the game," O'Brien said Tuesday. O'Brien was a healthy scratch
for a game last week, but he has been in the lineup the past two games and
said he's getting his play back in gear. "My game wasn't where it needed to
be. It's a long season and it's tough to be at your best every night, but
you're a pro and you've got to try to do that," he said. "Right now I'm just
trying to work as hard as I can, keep my legs going and keep my energy up.
Hopefully, I can get back to where I was playing a month ago or so."
Denver Post: LOADED: 02.08.2012
611207
Colorado Avalanche
Duncan Keith said “it’s a tight game and all of a sudden some plays happen
in the third where it’s in the back of our net. It seems like any little mistake is
costing us right now, and that’s the way it goes on a losing streak.”
Two goals from David Jones help Avs defeat Blackhawks 5-2
Ray Emery stopped 24 of 28 in his second consecutive start, but pointed to
what he didn’t thwart.
By Adrian Dater
“I want to stop both of those last ones,” he said. “I judge myself on wins and
losses. We needed a win and we didn’t get it. No, I’m not satisfied (with my
game).”
Turnovers led to the Avs’ first two goals, which they scored within 35
seconds of each other in the second period. Patrick Kane’s goal tied it 6:14
into the second period. But once the third started, the trouble escalated.
Gabriel Ladeskog scored just 38 seconds into the frame and the
Blackhawks wouldn’t score again.
The opportunities were there, as the Blackhawks had two power plays in
the third period. But as in their previous three games, it yielded nothing. The
Blackhawks are now 0-for-10 on the man advantage over their last four
games.
“We had some chances before the power play, but we lost a lot of
momentum tonight (on it),” Quenneville said. “It was not good at all.”
This road trip only gets tougher, with San Jose and Phoenix – winner of
three straight – looming. The Blackhawks are well aware of their problems.
Fixing them is the tougher part.
“I don’t really know what to say at this point. It sucks. It’s not like we’re
enjoying this,” Jonathan Toews said. “We’re trying to fix the problem. No
one’s running away from it. We’re looking at each other in the eye and
we’re expecting every guy to be better and pick up the slack, and that’s
what we’ve got to do. We have to face these problems as a team, not as
separate individuals.”
611206
Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche's Tyson Barrie surrounded by biggest fans for NHL
debut
Adrian Dater
Tyson Barrie made his NHL debut Tuesday night, with plenty of family
members and friends at the Pepsi Center.
Avalanche media relations official Brendan McNicholas spent plenty of time
in the morning writing out passes for them — including Barrie's father, Len,
a former NHL player and co- owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"It's exciting for me, but I know it's exciting for them too," said Barrie, who
was recalled by the Avs from Lake Erie on Sunday.
Barrie said he would do what he always does on game day before playing:
get a bite to eat after practice, then take a nap.
It was the type of game that, if things had gone like they have of late, the
Avalanche would have found a way to lose. Instead, the Avs just plain
outskated the Chicago Blackhawks and won going away Tuesday night at
the Pepsi Center.
A tie game in the third period turned into a solid 5-2 triumph for the Avs in
an arena filled with numerous Blackhawks fans who might have raided
Stubhub.com to fill the lower bowl.
Gabriel Landeskog blasted a short-side slap shot past Chicago goalie Ray
Emery to break a 2-2 tie early in the third period and David Jones beat
Emery with another short-side wrister to the top shelf to give goalie JeanSebastien Giguere an insurance goal.
The win broke a five-game
losing streak and got the Avs back into the conversation again in the race
for the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference.
"I think we played a really solid game," said Jones, whose two goals were
his third in two games, following a one-game benching. "We got out in the
transition game and were moving our legs well all night. It's a win we
needed."
Jones, who has shown good chemistry with Paul Stastny as his center
before, was put back on a line with him and the results were immediate.
Jones scored early in the second period to break a 1-1 tie, but Chicago's
Patrick Kane beat Giguere on the backhand to knot the score after two
periods.
Despite Chicago having two power plays in the third — while the Avs got
none all night — Colorado took it to the Blackhawks, outskating them badly
at times. The Avs caught the Chicago defense flat-footed and got odd-man
breakaways that finally did them in.
"We definitely skated well," Avs coach Joe Sacco said. "Just standing on
the bench, it's tough just to keep up with the pace of watching a game like
that. But we made some big plays there in the third and it was nice to see
us get rewarded. We've played like that lately, but hadn't gotten
rewarded."
Landeskog, who was terrific along with linemate Ryan O'Reilly (one assist),
burst down the left side for his game-winner after taking a nice crossing
pass from Stastny.
"We'd been finding some ways to lose games lately, but you have to just
keep battling and trying to play the same way," Landeskog said. "We've had
a lot of games where we've outshot teams and gotten some chances, so it
was nice to get some pucks to go in the net tonight."
Avs winger Peter Mueller scored another goal, which got his team on the
board in the second. "That's a really talented team, but I think we showed
when we play our game we have some talent too," Mueller said. "We
played a great third period in all areas I thought. They had a couple of PPs,
but we didn't give them a whole lot. It's nice to put that losing streak to bed."
Denver Post: LOADED: 02.08.2012
611208
Colorado Avalanche
Interim coach Todd Richards coached the Wild for two seasons before his
firing last off-season. He knew just about every player on the opposing
bench, and -- though he tried to downplay it -- it was an important game for
him.
“We’re not stupid,” Blue Jackets winger Colton Gillies said. “We could tell
how much this meant to coach. We all wanted to get this one for him.”
Avs break 5-game losing streak with 5-2 win over Chicago
Gillies made it known on his first day with the Blue Jackets that he was
looking forward to tonight. Gillies, a first-round pick by Minnesota in 2007,
was waived by the Wild and claimed by the Blue Jackets in mid-January.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I was expecting more (chirping), to be honest,” Gillies said. “I was ready for
it, too. I had a line ready to go for just about every guy over there.”
DENVER • Gabriel Landeskog broke a tie 38 seconds into the third period
and David Jones added two goals, helping the Avalanche snap a five-game
skid with a 5-2 win over the struggling Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
Peter Mueller and Jones scored 35 seconds apart in the second period to
send the Avalanche to their third win in four games against Chicago this
season.
Kyle Quincey tacked on an empty-net goal with just more than two minutes
remaining.
Brent Seabrook and Patrick Kane had goals for the Blackhawks, who
dropped their eighth straight on the road. They haven’t won away from
United Center since Dec. 14 at Minnesota. Chicago is 0-3-1 on its ninegame trip.
Landeskog’s goal came on a slap shot from the top of the circle after a feed
from Paul Stastny.
“It felt great,” said Landeskog, who recently participated in the All-Star skills
competition. “We knew if we stuck with it, we would start getting the
bounces. That’s what we did tonight.”
Jean-Sebastien Giguere was solid all night in net, turning back shot after
shot from a relentless Blackhawks attack, including one from point-blank
range by Dave Bolland that hit Giguere squarely in the chest.
Brought in this season to be the backup, Giguere has recently been getting
a majority of the starts. The veteran is among the league leaders in goalsagainst average and save percentage.
Clinging to a one-goal lead midway through the final period, the Avalanche
dodged several dicey situations, including two penalties they were able to
kill off.
Jones’ second goal of the game alleviated some of the pressure. Stastny
dug out a loose puck along the boards and shoveled a lead pass to Jones,
who sent it over Ray Emery.
The win was No. 100 for Avalanche coach Joe Sacco. He is 100-99-20 in
his career with Colorado.
Colorado Springs Gazette: LOADED: 02.08.2012
611209
Blue Jackets 3, Wild 1: Jilted get revenge
By Aaron Portzline
Game No. 53
For the next two months -- especially after the NHL trade deadline comes
and goes later this month -- the Blue Jackets will search high and low for
motivation, for any morsel that can give them the extra juice to compete.
There's personal pride, of course, which should always be worth something.
There's the spoiler's role, which some embrace and some reject. But on a
nightly basis, the Blue Jackets coaches will look for a way to up the ante
heading into each game.
Last night was easy. A 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild, before 11,239 in
Nationwide Arena, was as thorough a victory the Jackets have had all
season.
Colton Gillies did not try to hide his feelings: Ever since the Blue Jackets
claimed him on waivers from the Minnesota Wild last month, he’d looked
forward to last night’s game against his former club.
Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards, fired by the Wild last summer,
wasn’t quite so obvious. He said all the right things, but the players knew
better.
“We’re not stupid,” Gillies said. “We could tell how much this meant to
Coach. We all wanted to get this one for him.”
Too bad the Blue Jackets couldn’t have conjured up motivation like this
earlier in the season.
The Blue Jackets, playing at home for the first time in nearly three weeks,
cruised to a drama-free 3-1 win over the Wild before 11,239 in Nationwide
Arena, earning back-to-back wins for only the second time this season, the
first since Nov. 19-21.
David Savard, Antoine Vermette and Jeff Carter scored for the Blue
Jackets, and Curtis Sanford had 28 saves. Savard’s goal was the first of his
NHL career, and he also had an assist.
Gillies, a former first-round draft pick of the Wild, sounded almost
disappointed that there wasn’t more chirping between him and his former
teammates.
“I was expecting more, to be honest,” he said. “I was ready for it, too. I had
a line ready to go for just about every guy over there.”
Richards, who coached the Wild for two seasons, said he spent the
afternoon slightly off-kilter.
“My message to the players after the game was that I’ll sleep pretty good
tonight and enjoy this one,” Richards said. “I told the coaches … I was a
little bit anxious, and it was all day, too, leading up to the game.”
The Blue Jackets put his mind at ease early with a very good first period.
Derek Dorsett set the tone with a thunderous check on Minnesota’s Nate
Prosser, then had a decisive win in a fight with Prosser, who swallowed at
least five rights.
The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead at 8:59 of the first during a delayed
penalty. Savard, playing in his 18th NHL game, sent in a low, hard shot
from the blue line. It cleared a forest of trees and was not seen by Wild
goaltender Niklas Backstrom.
If not for Backstrom, the Blue Jackets would have led 3-0 or 4-0 by the
15:00 mark of the first.
The Wild, though, pulled even at 18:39 on Prosser’s first NHL goal, scored
— much like Savard’s — through a heavy screen.
“We played such a good first period,” Richards said. “To come out of it 1-1
(instead of leading) … as a coach you’re concerned about that.
“We aren’t perfect. We make our mistakes. But the hard work usually
makes up for those mistakes, and we’ve got players now who are
committed to having each other’s back.”
The Jackets took the lead for good at 15:31 of the second when Vermette
scored on a back-hand slider from down low just eight seconds into a power
play.
The lead was pushed to 3-1 when Carter pounced on a rebound left in front
by Backstrom at 5:38 of the third.
“We had a lot of energy because it was Minnesota and we wanted to win it
for Coach,” winger R.J. Umberger said. “That helped.
“But what we’ve done is wipe the slate clean and try to be the best team we
can be the rest of the way. It’s about pride. Pride in your job, and pride in
the sweater you’re wearing. We played like that tonight.”
Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 02.07.2012
611210
“It was nice to get the first one, finally,” he said. “So hopefully there are
many more to come.”
Weber suspended
Blue Jackets prospect and Miami University standout Will Weber will serve
a one-game suspension against Alabama-Huntsville on Friday and could
face further discipline for a rare fight in a college game.
Blue Jackets notebook: Jackets owe fans their best effort, Sanford says
Weber fought with Chris Brown of Michigan near the end of the Wolverines’
3-0 win on Saturday. Weber, a senior defenseman, was the Blue Jackets’
second-round pick in the 2007 draft.
Staff
Slap shots
season.
him.
By Shawn Mitchell
A 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild last night put the last-place Blue Jackets
11 points behind 14th-place Edmonton in the Western Conference.
The Blue Jackets stumbled into play-out-the-string territory long ago, but
goaltender Curtis Sanford said they can’t quit during the final two months of
the season.
They owe the beleaguered fan base an honest effort, Sanford said.
“The big thing that we have to realize is that a lot of people in Columbus
and throughout Ohio pay a lot of money to watch us play,” Sanford said.
“We have to put forth the effort that we owe them. We have to take pride in
ourselves and our jersey, but we have to show pride to our fans that have
been loyal to us, not only this year but through a lot of years.”
Sanford said there is a more selfish, yet very basic reason to keep caring.
“At the end of the day, it feels good to win, to come into the dressing room
after you worked hard and earned a win for your team,” he said.
Blue Jackets center Mark Letestu had the pin removed from his fractured
right hand and is on track to return to the lineup next week. Defenseman
Brett Lebda, meanwhile, had a pin inserted in his right thumb and is likely to
miss at least two weeks … Blue Jackets rookie Ryan Johansen was a
healthy scratch for the third straight game. … Minnesota took eight
penalties. Wild defenseman Nick Schultz was whistled for four minors:
hooking (twice), interference and delay of game.
611211
Jackets-Wild summary
Staff
season.
him.
Sanford saved 28 of 29 shots and helped the Blue Jackets win consecutive
games for just the second time this season.
FIRST PERIOD: Scoring — 1, Columbus, Savard 1 (Prospal, Clitsome),
8:59. 2, Minnesota, Prosser 1 (Falk, McMillan), 18:39. Penalties — Schultz,
Min (interference), 5:16; Prosser, Min, major (fighting), 7:10; Dorsett, Clm,
major (fighting), 7:10.
The Blue Jackets were desperate for a winning streak earlier in the season
when it might have made a difference, but the chance to put together a nice
run during a stretch heavy on home games (seven of the next 10) still has
meaning.
SECOND: Scoring — 3, Columbus, Vermette 7 (Nash, Tyutin), 15:31 (pp).
Penalties — Dorsett, Clm (goaltender interference), 1:55; Clutterbuck, Min
(charging), 8:31; Savard, Clm (high-sticking), 12:46; Schultz, Min (hooking),
15:23.
“It’s always nice when you win,” said Sanford, who is flirting with .500 after
improving to 10-12-4 playing for a team that is 15-32-6. “It doesn’t matter
where you are in the standings.”
THIRD: Scoring — 4, Columbus, Carter 12 (Gillies, Savard), 5:38. Penalties
— Zanon, Min (hooking), :46; Schultz, Min (hooking), 10:01; Schultz, Min
(delay of game), 16:36; Zidlicky, Min (holding stick), 19:39.
Career night
Shots on goal: Minnesota 7-13-9—29. Columbus 14-9-14—37. Power
plays: Minnesota 0 of 2; Columbus 1 of 7. Goalies: Minnesota, Backstrom
14-13-5 (37 shots-34 saves). Columbus, Sanford 10-12-4 (29-28). A:
11,237. T: 2:18.
Defenseman David Savard scored his first career goal in the first period
with a blast from the blue line and later added an assist on a goal by Jeff
Carter that gave the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead in the third.
It was the first multipoint game of Savard’s 18-game NHL career.
611212
Class coach
29: When defenseman David Savard scored the first NHL goal of his career
in the first period last night, he became the 29th Blue Jackets player to
score this season, setting a team record.
Staff
611214
Motivated Blue Jackets defeat Wild
season.
him.
Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards said he would be a little more
nervous than usual coaching against Minnesota last night after the Wild
fired him after last season, but he holds no grudges against his former
employer. “I’ve got a lot of respect for a lot of people on the other side,” said
Richards, who then praised his replacement, Mike Yeo. “He’s pulling a lot of
the right strings over there.”
Staff
season.
him.
By Aaron Portzline
611213
Colton Gillies did not try to hide his feelings: Ever since the Blue Jackets
claimed him on waivers from the Minnesota Wild last month, he’d looked
forward to last night’s game against his former club.
Season status report
Staff
Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards, fired by the Wild last summer,
wasn’t quite so obvious. He said all the right things, but the players knew
better.
“We’re not stupid,” Gillies said. “We could tell how much this meant to
Coach. We all wanted to get this one for him.”
Too bad the Blue Jackets couldn’t have conjured up motivation like this
earlier in the season.
season.
David Savard, Antoine Vermette and Jeff Carter scored for the Blue
Jackets, and Curtis Sanford had 28 saves. Savard’s goal was the first of his
NHL career, and he also had an assist.
him.
Gillies, a former first-round draft pick of the Wild, sounded almost
disappointed that there wasn’t more chirping between him and his former
teammates.
The Blue Jackets, playing at home for the first time in nearly three weeks,
cruised to a drama-free 3-1 win over the Wild before 11,239 in Nationwide
Arena, earning back-to-back wins for only the second time this season, the
first since Nov.19-21.
“I was expecting more, to be honest,” he said. “I was ready for it, too. I had
a line ready to go for just about every guy over there.”
Richards, who coached the Wild for two seasons, said he spent the
afternoon slightly off-kilter.
“My message to the players after the game was that I’ll sleep pretty good
tonight and enjoy this one,” Richards said. “I told the coaches … I was a
little bit anxious, and it was all day, too, leading up to the game.”
The Blue Jackets put his mind at ease early with a very good first period.
Derek Dorsett set the tone with a thunderous check on Minnesota’s Nate
Prosser, then had a decisive win in a fight with Prosser, who swallowed at
least five rights.
The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead at 8:59 of the first during a delayed
penalty. Savard, playing in his 18th NHL game, sent in a low, hard shot
from the blue line. It cleared a forest of trees and was not seen by Wild
goaltender Niklas Backstrom.
If not for Backstrom, the Blue Jackets would have led 3-0 or 4-0 by the
15:00 mark of the first.
The Wild, though, pulled even at 18:39 on Prosser’s first NHL goal, scored
— much like Savard’s — through a heavy screen.
“We played such a good first period,” Richards said. “To come out of it 1-1
(instead of leading) … as a coach you’re concerned about that.
“We aren’t perfect. We make our mistakes. But the hard work usually
makes up for those mistakes, and we’ve got players now who are
committed to having each other’s back.”
The Jackets took the lead for good at 15:31 of the second when Vermette
scored on a back-hand slider from down low just eight seconds into a power
play.
The lead was pushed to 3-1 when Carter pounced on a rebound left in front
by Backstrom at 5:38 of the third.
“We had a lot of energy because it was Minnesota and we wanted to win it
for Coach,” winger R.J. Umberger said. “That helped.
“But what we’ve done is wipe the slate clean and try to be the best team we
can be the rest of the way. It’s about pride. Pride in your job, and pride in
the sweater you’re wearing. We played like that tonight.”
611215
Dallas Stars
Heika: This just isn't the environment for the Dallas Stars to go green
MIKE HEIKA
Each week, Mike Heika answers readers' questions in his Inside the Stars
newsletter. This week, he addressed a common question about uniforms.
One of the most consistently asked questions fans have for the newsletter
is when will the Stars either get an alternate sweater or completely new
uniforms?
Well, it’s a tricky question.
Because the NHL has scheduling needs to both manufacture and market
new uniforms, the Stars almost assuredly won’t have one for next season.
I’m told that if Tom Gaglardi really wanted to call in a favor as a new owner,
he could probably squeeze in an alternate sweater, but the word out of the
Stars camp is that they haven’t really taken the first step in the process.
That means a new uniform or alternate sweater won’t come until the 201314 season at the earliest.
Now, that could actually be a good thing for Stars fans. Because the
organization is serious about doing this the right way, you can probably be
pretty sure they won’t repeat the mistakes made when they designed the
"Mooterus" sweaters. Also good news for fans is the organization knows
very well that fans want more green in the uniform, and they might even
consider going to a greener scheme in the regular uniforms and not just the
alternate.
through the internet and focus groups, or maybe even allow fans to submit
models.
The one thing I think is silly in releasing a uniform is all of the cloak and
dagger stuff in keeping it secret. That last for a day or a week or even a
month. The uniform itself lasts for a lot longer. I would rather see open
debate on these things than just a surprise release. It seems if you want the
fans to be happy, you need to at least let them see it before you start rolling
the presses (or sewing machines?). Maybe that’s something that has been
learned from the past.
Dallas Morning News LOADED: 02.08.2012
611216
Dallas Stars
Stars-Coyotes, 7:30 p.m.; Phoenix is beating the teams Dallas can't
MIKE HEIKA
If the Stars needed a wakeup call when it comes to the Phoenix Coyotes,
all they had to do was watch the last two games this team has played.
Phoenix on Monday beat Detroit 3-1. On Saturday, the Coyotes beat San
Jose, 5-3. Yep, the same San Jose team that drilled the Stars on Thursday.
Now, the Stars get the advantage of having the Coyotes fly East after a
game in Glendale last night and having to play on the second of back-toback nights, but Dallas has not taken advantage of similar situations. The
Stars are 3-4-1 when playing a team that played the night before.
But if ever there was a time to take advantage, this is probably it.
I'm not sure if Mike Smith will play in goal tonight, but the former Stars
backup has played back-to-back this season, and former Stars coach Dave
Tippett sure sounds like he would like to play the rangy backstop again.
"The psyche moving ahead is to continue to play well," Tippett told
reporters after the Detroit game. "Smitty has been very strong in goal for us.
I thought we competed very hard in front of him. We talked about it after the
San Jose game. We've to get on a string here. We've got to put some wins
together. Another big challenge in Dallas, but to win these two games at
home before we leave on the road is a positive step. We have to use that
momentum to our advantage."
Smith is 3-0-3 in his career against the Stars with a 2.10 GAA and .923
save percentage. But it's not like Jason Labarbera is chopped liver, with a
6-4-1 record, a 2.56 GAA and .911 save percentage.
Smith pitched a shutout the last time these two teams met Nov. 26 in
Glendale, winning 3-0. To be fair to the Stars, that was the game Kari
Lehtonen blew out his groin five minutes into the first period, and Dallas
seemed out of sorts after that.
Dallas is 2-1-0 against the Coyotes this season, with the two victories
coming in shootouts against Smith in October.
The Coyotes are getting strong two-way play from their centers, and that's
been the key to wins over San Jose and Detroit. The lines for tonight could
look like this:
Ray Whitney-Martin Hanzal-Radim Vrbata
Lauri Korpikoski-Boyd Gordon-Shane Doan
Raffi Torres-Daymond Langkow-Mikkel Boedker
Taylor Pyatt-Kyle Chipchura-Gilbert Brule
Keith Yandle-Adrian Aucoin
I’m on the record as liking the current look. It’s simple and easily identified,
it looks good either on a player or on a fan, and I think it actually has a lot of
class to it. Many of you think it’s boring or too close to a basketball style
uniform, but the RBK Edge sweater with the shirt-tail look causes all sorts of
problems with striping. I’m not a huge fan of straight stripes at the bottom of
the sweater or side panel striping.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Rostislav Klesla
While it’s almost impossible to get a team to allow the fans complete say in
matters like this, it would be nice for the Stars to either seek feedback
Hanzal has formed good chemistry with Whitney and Vrbata. Whitney, 39,
leads the Coyotes in scoring with 47 points (16G, 31A) in 53 games. Vrbata
has 24 goals among 43 points.
Michal Roszival-Derek Morris
Gordon was signed as a free agent in the summer to take the place of the
departed Vernon Fiddler, and had a short-handed goal on Monday against
Detroit.
Statistically, the Coyotes' big claim to fame this season is they are the least
penalized team in the league at 7.8 minutes per game. They are third in
times short-handed at 155 and their 26 power play goals allowed ranks
sixth.
On the other side, they don't really draw that many penalties, either. They
rank 29th in power plays at 159 and last in power play goals at 19. They
succeed on the power play at a 12.6 percent rate, which is 29th in the
league.
Their other numbers are slightly better than the Stars in most categories.
They rank 17th in scoring at 2.58 goals per game (Dallas is 16th at 2.59).
They rank 11th in goals against at 2.58 (Dallas is 17th at 2.78). They rank
17th in shots per game at 29.4 (Dallas is 23rd at 28.1) and 24th in shots
against at 31.3 (Dallas is 27th at 31.5)
Check out the Arizona Republic coverage here.
- Lehtonen was hit in the facemask with a very hard Adrian Aucoin shot. He
shook it off and continued playing after he got a different mask.
- Stats were actually pretty favorable for the Stars. Dallas had a 29-24 edge
in shots on goal (Alex Goligoski with six), a 26-17 edge in hits (Eric Nystrom
with six) and the faceoffs were 24-24 (Steve Ott at 7-1).
- Phoenix winger Radim Vrbata now has 25 goals. That ranks eighth in the
NHL.
- Dallas is now 3-5-1 when the other team plays the night before. That
includes a 2-1 shootout win against Minnesota on Saturday when the Wild
played in Colorado the night before. That Stars were actually disappointed
with that game, as well as this one.
- Phoenix goalie and former Stars goalie Mike Smith is now 4-0-3 against
his former team.
Here is the SB Nation Fansite Five for Howling.
- Stars have scored two or fewer goals in nine of the last 10 games (a 6-2
win at Anaheim is the exception). Stars have scored 18 total goals in last 10
games.
7:30 p.m. today. TV: FSSW. Radio: KTCK-AM (1310)
- The crowd was announced at 11.162.
Key matchup: Loui Eriksson vs. Mike Smith
- Brenden Morrow still is out with neck and back pain. he is not expected to
go with the Stars on their two-game trip to Columbus and Buffalo. Toby
Petersen returned from missing four games with healthy scratches and
played 5:58. Mark Fistric and Jake Dowell were healthy scratches.
Here is the Coyotes website.
The two were standouts on the 2005-06 Iowa Stars and probably know
each other’s moves pretty well. The Coyotes played Detroit on Monday, but
Smith played both ends of Phoenix’s last back-to-back and could be in goal.
Dallas winger Eriksson, meanwhile, has no points since the All-Star break
but had 13 points (4G, 9A) in 11 games in January.
- Dallas had 7:04 in power play time, but did not score with the man
advantage. The Stars put nine shots on goal on the power play.
Key stat: 4-3-1
And here are some quotes:
That’s Phoenix’s record when playing on the second of back-to-back nights.
Dallas is 3-4-1 when playing an opponent who has played the night before.
"We weren't very good again. Even with a real good goalie performance, we
got outworked by a team that played last night."
Injuries
"If you put up 45 shots and lose 2-1 against an outstanding goaltender,
you've got to live with that. But if you get outplayed and outworked and your
goaltender stands on his head to keep it close...I've got a big problem with
that."
Phoenix: D David Schlemko (foot) is out.
Dallas: LW Brenden Morrow (neck/back/shoulder) is out.
Notable
Kari Lehtonen is expected to start in goal. He is 4-1-3 in his career against
Phoenix with a 1.91 GAA and .939 save percentage. … The Stars on
Monday assigned D Adam Pardy to the Texas Stars for a two-game
conditioning assignment. … The Stars appear to be putting Adam Burish on
the checking line with Vernon Fiddler and Radek Dvorak . … Brenden
Morrow will not play in the next three games, coach Glen Gulutzan said,
and is day-to-day after that. … Phoenix is the least-penalized team in the
NHL at 7.8 minutes per game. Dallas ranks 26th at 13.1 minutes per game.
… Dallas’ Jamie Benn has two goals and two assists and is plus-3 in the
three games since the All-Star break.
611217
Dallas Stars
``We haven't played well since the break. We've to get going. Record aside,
whatever it was, three wins in the last four or two of the last three, we need
to be better. That's not asking too much, that's reality."
-Stars coach Glen Gulutzan
"Awful. Atrocious. We've gotten by on a real good goaltender in our last
three or four games, and it's just not good enough. We can talk about it, try
to figure it out, point the finger, but as a whole, we've really been letting
each other down the last three or four games, especially with how important
this stretch of games is and what it means."
-Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray
"Our game plan was to play hard, play physical against that team because
they played last night.. We didn;t do a good job of that. They played a
simple game. It was right there for us, but it comes right back to the work
ethic."
Sheldon Souray frustrated with Stars' 'awful, atrocious' effort
-Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas
MIKE HEIKA
"That's three games we've played how we want to play or how we have to
play. We've got a lot of people really committed to doing things that make
you win hockey games. We had two good games against San Jose and
Detroit. We come in here on a back-to-back, I give our guys a lot of credit.
They competed hard. They did a lot of little things right that make you win
games."
This one stings the Stars.
- Phoenix played on Monday in Glendale, beat Detroit, flew Monday night
and then came into AAC and simply outworked Dallas. This gives the
Coyotes three wins (San Jose, Detroit, Dallas) in four nights and pushes
them ahead of the Stars in the standings. Phoenix is now 25-21-8 (58
points), while Dallas is 27-22-2 (56 points). Dallas can make up that
difference with its two games in hand, but it also could have made a big
statement and pushed the Coyotes down the ladder.
- Stars fall to 11th place. Colorado (beats Chicago 5-2) and Phoenix move
ahead and Minnesota still stays in eighth place.
- Kari Lehtonen was fantastic, and kept the Stars in the game. He might
have finished with four goals allowed on 24 shots, but he was much better
than that. It's a shame.
-Phoenix coach Dave Tippett
"When you play back-to-back, you want to play smart. You don't want to
waste energy too much. You don't want to create turnovers, you want to
play smart in the offensive zone and make less mistakes than them so you
don't waste energy. I think that's the key to it."
-Phoenix forward Radim Vrbata
611218
Dallas Stars
Heika: With chance for a statement win, Stars barely make a peep
Associated Press
MIKE HEIKA
Glen Gulutzan was offering praise to the Phoenix Coyotes after the Stars
were handed a 4-1 loss on Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, but
he might have issued one of the most damning statements of the year
about his own team at the same time.
Talking about a 2-1 lead the Coyotes acquired late in the second period,
Gulutzan said: “That’s all they need. They know who they are.”
That begs the question whether the Stars know who they are.
“We do and we don’t, at times,” Gulutzan said of a team that is 2-2 since
the All-Star break. “We haven’t played well since the break. Record aside,
we need to be better. That’s not asking too much, that’s reality.”
We talk all the time in sports about “statement games,” but the statement is
almost always in the positive. The Stars on Tuesday might have had the
rare statement game in the negative.
Radim Vrbata scored his 25th goal, former Dallas backup Mike Smith made
28 saves and the Phoenix Coyotes improved their playoff positioning with a
4-1 victory over the Stars on Tuesday night.
Vrbata gave Phoenix a 2-1 lead at 14:30 of the second period when he
tapped Rostislav Klesla's centering pass by Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.
Keith Yandle , Raffi Torres and Derek Morris also scored for the Coyotes,
who have won three straight and four of five — including Monday night's 3-1
home victory over Western Conference-leading Detroit.
Phoenix, playing its third game in four nights, improved to 58 points, good
for an eighth-place conference tie with Minnesota. The Wild lost at
Columbus 3-1 earlier Tuesday night.
The Coyotes and Stars began the night tied for ninth in the conference.
Michael Ryder scored for the Stars, who had been off since Saturday
night's 2-1 shootout win over Minnesota.
Playing a team that was tied in the standings with Dallas, a team that
played Monday night in Arizona and traveled in, a team that had won just
one of its last nine road games, the Stars should have come out on fire.
They should have jumped on the Coyotes early, put the game away quickly,
and not only convinced themselves that they were going to make the
playoffs, but convinced the visitors that they were not.
Yandle got the Coyotes on the board first when his shot from the point slid
past a screened Lehtonen at 4:43 of the opening period for his seventh goal
of the season.
That didn’t happen, obviously.
Ryder notched his 19th on a wrister from the right circle at 2:34 of the
second to tie it at 1.
Instead, Dallas played a cautious game, relied too heavily on goalie Kari
Lehtonen once again, and simply played the kind of quiet game the
Coyotes and former Stars coach Dave Tippett love. Ten different Coyotes
scored, Mike Smith had 28 saves, and Phoenix used balance and poise to
complete a run in which it beat San Jose, Detroit and Dallas in four nights.
“That’s the key to our team,” Tippett said of the balance. “That’s who we
are.”
Ironic choice of wording, eh?
So, now the Coyotes are 25-21-8 (58 points) and two points ahead of the
Stars in the standings. Dallas, meanwhile, slips to 27-23-2 (56 points). The
Stars still have played two fewer games, so it’s not quite time to panic yet,
but the problem isn’t so much the math of it all, it’s the psychology.
“The compete level, I don’t think was there tonight,” said defenseman
Stephane Robidas. “They’re the team that should have been tired, and they
played a simple effective game. That should be a good lesson for us. We
have to make sure we compete every night.”
Yandle went to the locker room in the third with an apparent lower-body
injury and did not return.
Lehtonen made the save of the night 18 seconds after Ryder's goal,
denying Ray Whitney from close range with a sprawling glove stop.
Dallas generated four shots during a 4-minute power play midway through
the second period while Phoenix's Mikkel Boedker was serving a doubleminor for high-sticking, but Smith had little trouble stopping all four.
The Stars started the night 23rd in the NHL on the power play, while
Phoenix was 29th.
Lehtonen was struck in the mask by a shot from Phoenix's Adrian Aucoin
just more than 2 minutes into the final period. Lehtonen was stunned for a
few seconds, but stayed in the game.
Torres scored his ninth of the season from the left circle at 5:41 of the third
period. Morris' first at 16:09 provided the Coyotes with a three-goal pad.
NOTES: Dallas LW Brenden Morrow (upper-body injuries) missed his ninth
game this season and the team captain is expected to sit out at least two
more. ... The Coyotes are without D David Schlemko (foot). ... Ryder scored
his first goal at home since Jan. 3. ... Dallas won two of the first three
meetings with Phoenix this season, both in shootouts.
Of course, that lesson was supposed to be delivered in the previous two
days when the Stars talked about how they should have been better on
Saturday in a an uneven shootout win against Minnesota, about how this
team has to use these games to get momentum going for a run at the top
eight in the West, about how the Stars are finally healthy and well-rested.
We all know that Dallas is 0-8-1 when they are playing on the second night
of back-to-back games. It’s a problem for this team that has been widely
publicized. But did you know that the Stars are now 3-5-1 when the other
team has played the night before. And that includes the shootout win over
Minnesota, which had to travel in from Colorado before Saturday’s game.
Stars' Eric Nystrom hoping to add infusion of energy to Mike Ribeiro line
That is alarming on a ton of levels, but mostly because the Stars knew they
should have had the killer instinct both Saturday and Tuesday, and simply
couldn’t find it. And that makes you wonder if they just don’t have it.
Bottom line, this wasn’t a pre-test, this wasn’t a scrimmage, this was the
game where the Stars needed the points, needed to build confidence,
needed to make a statement.
The problem now is, maybe they did.
611219
Dallas Stars
Stars shut down by former teammate Mike Smith in 4-1 loss to Phoenix
611220
Dallas Stars
MIKE HEIKA
Eric Nystrom was trying to fight for a spot on the Houston Aeros in October,
so he knows a thing or two about hard work.
The Stars winger said that's what he has to bring to the Mike Ribeiro line
while captain Brenden Morrow is sidelined by neck, back and shoulder pain
for at least four games.
"You always say that you can't change your game, but I definitely think
that's true with me," Nystrom said of his promotion. "Ribs plays a different
game, but I still think I can help him by playing my game and bringing
energy to the line."
Nystrom hit the jackpot this season when the Stars acquired him from the
Minnesota Wild for future considerations. The 28-year-old former first-round
draft pick had slipped between the cracks in the Wild organization and had
been sent to the minors before the season started. So when the Stars
needed to acquire a player to push themselves above the NHL's salary
floor, Nystrom was the perfect fit.
He jumped onto a line with Vernon Fiddler and Radek Dvorak, and he now
sits tied for third on the Stars with 15 goals. Part of the reason is that he
and his third-line partners all think the game the same way. So, how do you
adjust to playing on a line that's more loopy than straight line?
"I'll still play in a straight line, that's just what I do," Nystrom said. "But Ribs
is such a good playmaker that you go to the net as much as you can and
you're always ready for a pass, because you never know where it might be
coming from."
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said he likes what Nystrom brings.
"He's a worker, and I think that can help Ribs there," Gulutzan said. "With
our captain being out, we've got to have other guys step in and do things."
of the season.
Yandle left in the third with an apparent lower-body injury.
second to tie it at 1-1.
Torres scored his ninth goal of the season from the left circle at 5:41 of the
third period. Morris' first at 16:09 gave the Coyotes a three-goal pad.
611221
Star-Telegram LOADED: 02.08.2012
Dallas Stars
611224
Detroit Red Wings
Stars send Adam Pardy to AHL affiliate for conditioning assignment
Could Jimmy Howard return to Red Wings' net by weekend?
MIKE HEIKA
By Helene St. James
Stars defenseman Adam Pardy was assigned Monday to the Texas Stars
for a two-game conditioning assignment. He last played Jan. 10 and has
played 22 games this season.
Pardy, 27, has one assist and 15 shots on goal.
The Stars on Tuesday returned Toby Petersen to the lineup after he sat out
for four straight games. Jake Dowell and Mark Fistric were healthy
scratches.
611222
Dallas Stars
The Red Wings arrived home Tuesday from Phoenix, ready to make a few
doctor's appointments.
Goalie Jimmy Howard will visit a hand specialist today, general manager
Ken Holland said. Howard suffered a small fracture to his right index finger
Thursday at Vancouver when he was hit by a puck, but the injury never was
considered serious, and Holland didn't rule out Howard returning by Friday
(vs. Ducks) or Sunday (vs. Flyers).
"If the doctor tells him today he can practice, and he can get his equipment
worked out, we think he'll be ready to play very soon," Holland said.
Former Stars coach Dave Tippett still racking up the wins
Forward Danny Cleary is expected to consult with doctors soon. He has
fluid in his left knee, to the point he can barely walk, although skating hasn't
been as much of an issue.
MIKE HEIKA
"He could get it drained in the morning and still play at night," Holland said.
"It's been an ongoing issue. I don't think there's any timetable.
Former Stars coach Dave Tippett ranks second among active NHL coaches
in career wins at 388. Detroit's Mike Babcock has 408.
Tippett has never had a losing season in the NHL. His teams in Phoenix are
58-23-27 in one-goal games.
"The plan basically is to see how he feels tomorrow. It's up to him when he
finally gets to a point where he's frustrated. At some point in time, we have
to find a way for him to have a cortisone shot."
Cleary estimated he might miss a week, but it's hard to pin down. Much of it
depends on how a player reacts to a cortisone shot. Forward Tomas
Holmstrom had one right before the All-Star break and, even after five days,
needed to sit out a game for the swelling to subside.
Coyotes take bite out of Stars in standings
SIGNS OF POWER-PLAY LIFE: The Wings scored 10 seconds into their
third power play in Monday night's 3-1 loss to the Coyotes, after switching
personnel to have the first unit consist of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk
and Johan Franzen up front and Nicklas Lidstrom and Jiri Hudler on the
points.
Staff
A power play in the third period didn't yield a conversion, but the Wings
threatened to score most of the stretch, so at least it wore down Phoenix's
penalty killers.
611223
Dallas Stars
DALLAS -- Radim Vrbata scored his 25th goal, former Dallas backup Mike
Smith made 28 saves and the Phoenix Coyotes improved their playoff
positioning with a 4-1 victory over the Stars on Tuesday night.
tapped Rostislav Klesla's centering pass by Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.
"I thought that we made some plays, especially on that power play in the
third," Niklas Kronwall said.
"I thought we had a few really good chances, and we got the puck to the net
a few times. We almost had it in."
Contact Helene St. James
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.08.2012
Keith Yandle, Raffi Torres and Derek Morris also scored for the Coyotes,
who have won three straight and four of five -- including Monday night's 3-1
for an eighth-place conference tie with Minnesota.
611225
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings return for six straight at Joe Louis Arena, where they haven't
lost since Nov. 3
By Helene St. James
Only 28 of the 82 games remain, and 17 are at home, where, dating to
when the season was only a month old, the Wings have rolled up the
welcome mat on every visitor.
Detroit Free Press LOADED: 02.08.2012
The Red Wings haven't lost at Joe Louis Arena in three months, but then
again, they barely have been home the past two.
They host the Edmonton Oilers tonight having finished a 31-game stretch
Monday at Phoenix that featured a wearisome 21 games on the road. Now
come six straight games at the Joe, where the Wings haven't lost since
Nov. 3. That sounded as nice to the players after the 3-1 loss to the
Coyotes as finally getting to see their loved ones regularly.
"We're comfortable at home, that's for sure," forward Johan Franzen said,
after first stating how much he missed his family. "We like to play in front of
our own fans. Hopefully, we can keep that good trend going and have a
good run here."
The Wings have won 17 straight home games, the fourth-longest streak in
NHL history. They are three shy of the record, shared by the 1929-30
Boston Bruins and 1976-76 Philadelphia Flyers. To get the record, they
must beat the Oilers tonight, the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, the Flyers
on Sunday night and the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.
611226
Detroit Red Wings
Source: Comerica hockey events would accompany Winter Classic at
Michigan Stadium
By Gregg Krupaand Ted Kulfan
Detroit— NHL officials are preparing to announce as early as Thursday the
2013 Winter Classic will be played between the Maple Leafs and Red
Wings at Michigan Stadium on New Year's Day, when it almost certainly will
shatter the record for attendance at an NHL game.
The event and location appeared Tuesday to depend on approval of the
Board of Regents of the University of Michigan.
But the Wings will have to resume defending their home territory without
goaltender Jimmy Howard, who has played the entire 17-game streak but
will miss tonight's game because of a fractured right index finger.
University officials announced a special meeting of the regents is scheduled
for 10 a.m. today for the specific purpose of considering the use of the
stadium for the Winter Classic.
Joey MacDonald, a minor leaguer until last weekend, had solid back-toback performances against the Coyotes and Oilers, and is playing with the
loose confidence that instills the same in teammates.
If the regents consent, sources told The Detroit News the old-timers games
between the two Original Six franchises, rivals since 1926 from cities only
240 miles apart, would be played at Comerica Park. Featuring great players
in the NHL from the middle of the last century through the early 2000s, the
game would be a considerable draw.
But it hasn't just been the goaltending that has carried the Wings past the
likes of Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, Dallas and Los Angeles. The other
overriding common denominator has been imposing starts, forcing
opponents to play to the Wings' tempo. It has been a strength all season,
one that has led the Wings to wonder why they've been unable to follow
through with the same on the road. But never mind that for a stretch; right
now, it's about keeping it up at home.
"Most of the games, we've been able to come out with a lot more energy
and just outwork the other team," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "And
the nights that we haven't had a good start, we've somehow been able to
find a way. It's good to get home, get a little refreshed, and take advantage
of our home ice."
Getting the matchups they want helps, although the Wings take a lot of
pride in being able to use any line against anyone. What really makes a
difference in whether the Wings win or lose is how much attention they pay
to details.
"You've still got to play," coach Mike Babcock said. "That's our whole key.
We've got to play and play at a high level. We've got to get recharged and
get some home cooking and get playing and get everybody skating again.
We haven't really practiced in a while."
Half of Tuesday was spent traveling, considered a better option than redeyeing it home Monday night. That strategy worked last month when the
Wings flew home the day after winning at Phoenix, then dusted off the Blue
Jackets.
Tonight is the first game at home since Jan. 23, and even for a team that
often has a heavy contingent cheering in the stands on the road, coming
home to a partisan crowd helps.
"Nice to be home, play in front of our fans," center Pavel Datsyuk said. "Our
fans, they help us really good."
The Wings have emerged from the past two months with a 10-10-1 road
record; not bad, given the exhaustive and jam-packed schedule. As a
result, they sit in an enviable position: They have played more road games
than anyone else in the NHL, and at least a handful more than Central
Division chasers Nashville, St. Louis and Chicago. Only one long trip
remains -- to California in March. Otherwise, the road games are what one
player termed, as far as the travel involved, "a cakewalk" -- in-and-out trips
to Chicago, Columbus, Philadelphia, Nashville, New York, Columbus again
and St. Louis.
"I think we've done a tremendous job of staying afloat," general manager
Ken Holland said. "We've got a great schedule the rest of the stretch. Now,
we can't fall asleep -- we've got to take advantage of being at home. If we
do that, we'll be in great shape."
The Great Lakes Invitational also would be played at Comerica Park. It
would be the first time the college tournament is played outdoors.
A game between the Plymouth Whalers and the Windsor Spitfires of the
Ontario Hockey League also is a possibility for the baseball stadium.
If the regents do not approve, the Winter Classic would be played in
Comerica Park along with all the other events, the sources said.
Red Wings officials had sought to host a Winter Classic ever since
appearing in the Jan. 1, 2009, event against the Blackhawks at Wrigley
Field.
Mike and Marian Ilitch, owners of the Red Wings, might have preferred to
have the game in Comerica Park.
But the allure of a 110,000-plus attendance at an NHL game and the
increased revenue were both enormously attractive to the league, which
controls where the game is played.
In fact, of the three largest attendances at hockey games, two belong to the
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and one to the International
Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The next three largest were for NHL games.
The current record for attendance at a hockey game is the 104,173 certified
to have attended the CCHA game between the Wolverines and Spartans on
Dec. 11, 2010 at Michigan Stadium. The announced attendance was
113,411.
The current record for attendance at an NHL game is the 71,217 that
watched the Penguins play the Sabres in the 2008 Winter Classic at Ralph
Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Record crowd anticipated
If the 2013 Winter Classic is played in Michigan Stadium, it is highly likely
the NHL will set the league's attendance record, and that they will try to
assure the game set the record for any game.
For more than a month, speculation has been rampant around the NHL the
Red Wings and Maple Leafs would play in the Winter Classic at Michigan
Stadium, securing considerable revenue for the league as well as the
record crowd.
The official capacity at Michigan Stadium is 109,901.
A tentative agreement was reported last month. But officials at Michigan
and the NHL said no such agreement was in place, even Tuesday.
While few officials or spokesmen commented publicly, clearly it has taken
some time for officials to work out the arrangements. Michigan Stadium is a
massive facility that is normally closed between the last regular-season
football game and Michigan's spring game.
57,167 Canadiens vs. Oilers, Nov. 22, 2003, Commonwealth Stadium,
Edmonton, Alberta
A few weeks ago, university officials suggested it would take some time to
establish what logistics, in terms of staffing and infrastructure, would be
necessary to stage a Winter Classic, along with approval of the regents.
Detroit News LOADED: 02.08.2012
611227
The university has no liquor license to serve beer, a staple at all NHL
contests. While obtaining a special license for the one-time event might not
be difficult, such assurances probably would have to be obtained before
announcing any arrangements.
Notebook: Road-weary Red Wings are happy to return home
As for security, at Michigan games, almost all of it is provided by the
campus police.
In the meantime, officials and spokesmen for the NHL, Red Wings, Maple
Leafs and the university largely have deferred comment while the league
and the university worked to make it happen.
Despite the involvement of the university and the franchises, the scheduling
and staging of the Winter Classic is entirely the responsibility of the NHL.
When asked if the regent's meeting today means their approval would bring
the Winter Classic to Michigan Stadium, Frank Brown, a spokesman for the
NHL, said, "It would not be appropriate to comment."
[email protected]
Detroit Red Wings
By Ted Kulfan
Detroit — Johan Franzen pretty much echoed what everyone around was
thinking after Monday's loss in Phoenix.
The game capped a long road stretch since early December.
"I miss my family," Franzen said. "It's going to be nice to spend time at
home."
The Red Wings have plenty of home time beginning tonight against the
Oilers. They are home for 18 of their final 28 games.
A spokesman for the Michigan athletic department also declined comment.
And, they return to Joe Louis Arena having won 17 consecutive.
"We won't comment publicly on a proposal before it has been brought
before the Board of Regents and approved," Michigan spokesman David
Ablauf said. "That is a policy that our athletic department has for all action
items that go to them for a vote."
"We're comfortable at home and we're enjoying playing in front of our fans,"
Franzen said. "Hopefully we can keep it going and have a good run here."
The University of Michigan News Service issued a statement Tuesday
announcing the special meeting and one-item agenda.
Rivalry renewed
So, everything sets up nicely for an outstanding finish heading into the
playoffs.
"The schedule has been pretty tough, I'm sure most teams would say the
same thing for (the last two months)," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said.
"We would have liked to have come out with two points (Monday).
The rivalry between8 the Red Wings and Maple Leafs will be a significant
attraction for the events, along with the desire of players and coaches in the
NHL, AHL and at the colleges to play outdoors, a setting that rekindles
thoughts of earlier days — in both lives and the history of hockey — when it
was routine to play on outdoor rinks
"At the same time, it's good to come home and get a little refreshed and try
to take advantage of home ice."
The Red Wings and Maple Leafs franchises first played in the 1926-27
season. They have met 23 times in the Stanley Cup playoffs, five times in
the Finals.
The Red Wings won all 10 games at Joe Louis Arena and finished the
overall stretch 20-10-1.
Even over the past 14 seasons, with the teams in different conferences and
considerably fewer games between the rivals, fans in both cities have
carried on, marking the contests on their pocket schedules, buying tickets
early each season, and preparing to wear their respective colors as they sit
elbow-to-elbow, watching the game.
From Dec. 2 in Buffalo to Monday in Phoenix, Detroit played 21 of 31
games on the road. They were 10-10-1 during that span.
"That's a great stretch for us," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "Now
we have to get recharged, get some home cooking and get playing. We
have to get everyone skating again. We haven't practiced in a while."
Babcock wasn't buying into the fact the Red Wings have an advantage the
rest of the season because of the schedule.
For Red Wings fans, the rivalry with the Maple Leafs competes with that
against the Canadiens for the all-time rivalry against another Original Six
franchise.
"You still have to play," Babcock said. "We have to get playing at a high
level."
The Leafs used the game in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Jan. 7 to
celebrate the rivalry, posting video and photographs of old games and
players, including a number who have played for both teams, on the screen
on the massive scoreboard over center ice. Fans of both teams competed
to out-chant each other, spurring on both teams.
The team landed mid-afternoon Tuesday, not leaving time for Jimmy
Howard (broken right index finger) and Danny Cleary (knee) to see doctors.
Filling 'em up
Howard missed two games, and likely will miss at least another week.
A look at hockey attendance records:
Cleary needs to have fluid drained from his knee. He likely will miss a week.
Overall
"I'm hoping it eventually gets better (but) it hasn't gotten any better," Cleary
said.
104,173Michigan State at Michigan, Dec. 11, 2010, Michigan Stadium
77,803 U.S. vs. Germany, 2010 IIHF World Championships, May 7, 2010,
Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen,Germany
74,554 Michigan at Michigan State, Oct. 6, 2001, Spartan Stadium
NHL
Injury update
General manager Ken Holland said Howard is expected to meet with a
specialist today.
Cleary played in his 800th career game Monday.
"Once you kind of find your niche, and you become an everyday player, you
really don't look too far ahead," Cleary said.
Ice chips
71,127 Penguins vs. Sabres, Jan. 1, 2008, Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard
Park, N.Y.
Babcock wouldn't name a starter for tonight's game, but after a second
consecutive good performance, it's likely goaltender Joey MacDonald will
start.
68,111 Capitals vs. Penguins, Jan. 1, 2011, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh
… Brad Stuart (flu) is expected to return tonight.
Oilers at Red Wings
Faceoff: 7:30 tonight, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
TV/radio: FSD+/1270
Outlook: The Oilers beat the Red Wings, 5-4 in a shootout last weekend. …
No. 1 overall pick C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) will miss the game for
the Oilers.
Detroit News LOADED: 02.08.2012
611228
Detroit Red Wings
Grinding Red Wings forward Drew Miller contributing offensively, too
Ansar Khan
DETROIT – Next season's Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings
and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium will be officially announced
on Thursday, an NHL source told MLive.com.
News conferences have been scheduled for Michigan Stadium, which will
host the game in front of an anticipated NHL-record crowd of more than
110,000, and Comerica Park, which will host several events leading up to
the Classic, including AHL, OHL and college games.
MLive.com reported on Jan. 18 that the event was finalized but could not be
announced until the Red Wings returned from their four-game post-All Star
break road trip.
Wednesday's special meeting of the University of Michigan's Board of
Regents is expected to be a formality. The Board will approve Michigan
Stadium's rental for the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2013.
The NHL attendance record is 71,217, set at the 2008 Winter Classic at
Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, in a game between the Sabres and
Pittsburgh Penguins.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Drew Miller always thought he had some offensive
upside. He just needed the right opportunity.
Michigan Stadium hosted “The Big Chill at the Big House,'' a college game
between Michigan and Michigan State that drew an announced crowd of
113,411 on Dec. 11, 2010.
He has gotten it this year, meshing well on the third line with Darren Helm
and Danny Cleary.
The Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 in the 2009 Winter
Classic at Wrigley Field before 40,818.
Miller had goals in three consecutive games, prior to facing Phoenix on
Monday, and has equaled his career high of 10 (2009-10 and '10-11).
To appease Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch, a second rink will be constructed
at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
"He's doing a good job of letting me and Danny do all the work," Helm said,
jokingly. "He's just sitting in the good spots. That's what good goal-scorers
do, they find a way to get in that spot and get open, and the puck comes to
them.
Comerica will host an AHL game between the Grand Rapids Griffins and
Toronto Marlies, the minor league affiliates of the Red Wings and Maple
Leafs.
"Hopefully that continues. I have no problem grinding out in the corner,
neither does Danny, if Millsie's going to be there scoring. It's a line where all
of us don't mind doing that if we get success like that."
The baseball park also will host the Great Lakes Invitational, which will
include Michigan, Michigan State and two other schools, and a pair of OHL
games, involving the Saginaw Spirit, Plymouth Whalers, Windsor Spitfires
and another team.
Is Miller close to shedding his grinder label and becoming a sniper?
In addition, Comerica will host high school and youth games, and possibly
the Red Wings-Maple Leafs alumni game.
"No. We're going to keep him grinding," Helm said. "He'll need 20 or 30 to
get out of that status.
Michigan Live LOADED: 02.08.2012
"We don't need his head that big, he's already chirping and talking enough,
even though he only has 10."
Said Miller: "You always want to score more points and play more and
establish yourself as a player in this league and that's something I thought I
could do. From here, it's keep moving forward."
Miller credited his linemates.
"I think our line's been playing well offensively and defensively," Miller said.
"I think we complement each other well and get a little more chemistry
every game we play together."
Helm believes his line can contribute offensively on a consistent basis, but
its primary objective is to be strong without the puck.
611230
Detroit Red Wings
Home sweet home for the Detroit Red Wings
By Chuck Pleiness
DETROIT – The Wings have to pack their bags for an extended length of
time just one more time this regular season.
And that’s a good thing with how well they’ve been playing at home.
"We're three guys that are pretty good defensive players," Helm said. "We
seem to be clicking and getting offense. But, defensively, we'd like to see
the puck go in less when we're on the ice."
After completing their four-game road trip Monday night in Phoenix, the
Wings have just one more trip out west – March 13-17 – before the end of
the season.
Helm said Miller is only the second-most talkative player on that line.
"Nobody talks more than Danny," Helm said. "Millsie just talks about
nonsense. He's just always talking, we can't get him to quiet down. And
when he scores it just magnifies."
“I miss my family, so it’s going to be really nice to spend some time at
home,” said Johan Franzen, as Detroit prepares to play the next six games
at home beginning tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. “We’re confident at
home, that’s for sure. We like playing in front of our fans. Hopefully we can
keep that good trend going and have a good run here.”
Michigan Live LOADED: 02.08.2012
The Wings play 18 of their final 28 games on home ice.
611229
“The schedule has been pretty tough,” Niklas Kronwall said. “I’m sure most
teams would say the same thing for the last month and a half or so.
Obviously, we would have liked to come out with two points (Monday), that
way the road trip would have been a lot better. At the same time it’s good to
come home and get a little refreshed, try to take advantage of our home
ice.”
Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings-Maple Leafs Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium to be
announced on Thursday
Ansar Khan
The Wings have struggled on the road all season, but wrapped up this fourgame trip 2-1-1 to improve to 15-15-1 on the road.
“Returning home is something we’re looking forward to and yet we still
know we have games every other night, so there’s no time to really relax,”
Kronwall said. “We just have to take it easy for night and get back on it
when we get home.”
This was a night of milestones in a game between teams that met in the
playoffs the two previous seasons.
After playing the Oilers tonight, the Wings host Anaheim (Friday),
Philadelphia (Sunday) and Dallas (Tuesday).
Coyotes left wing Ray Whitney played his 1,200th NHL game, Red Wings
right wing Danny Cleary notched No. 800 despite a sore left knee and
defenseman Adrian Aucoin played his 200th with the Coyotes.
“Now we have to get re-charged, get some home cooking and get playing
and get everyone skating again,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “You
still have to play, we have to get playing and get playing at a high level.”
The Wings have won a franchise-record 17 straight at home and are just
three wins away from tying the 1929-30 Boston Bruins and 1975-76
Philadelphia Flyers for the longest in NHL history.
“Most of the (home) games we’ve been able to come out with a lot more
energy and just outwork the other team most of the nights,” Kronwall said.
“The nights we haven’t had a good start we’ve somehow been able to find a
way.”
“They definitely do play well (at home),” Edmonton forward Ryan NugentHopkins said. “You have to weather the first 10 minutes and play your game
after that. We want to go after them. We know they travelled from Phoenix
(Tuesday) and that’s not an easy schedule for them.
The round numbers aside, the Coyotes needed to find a way to get some
points.
Phoenix entered 11th in the Western Conference, but just four points out of
the last playoff spot. At the end of a season-long six-game homestand, the
Coyotes were hoping to gain a little momentum against a team they've
struggled with.
Detroit swept Phoenix out of the playoffs last season and had won the three
previous meetings this season, including a shootout the last time in the
desert on Jan. 19. Of course, not many teams have been able to beat the
Red Wings this season; they entered with 72 points, one ahead of the New
York Rangers for best in the NHL.
The Coyotes played like a team fighting for points early on, getting some
good stops from Smith and some good chances on offense.
We have to go after them. We can’t play a different game than we played
them in Edmonton. We have to realize it’s a 200-by-85 rink no matter where
we’re playing.”
Gordon scored a short-handed goal midway through the first period, using
what seemed like a half-dozen dekes on a breakaway to beat goalie Joey
MacDonald to the glove side.
Ins and outsThere were no updates on injures to Danny Cleary (knee),
Pavel Datsyuk (wrist) and Jimmy Howard (finger).
Phoenix kept up the pressure in the second, setting up consecutive power
plays midway through. The Coyotes scored quickly in the second against
the worn-down Red Wings when Whitney sent a shot through traffic that
Hanzal redirected through his legs and MacDonald's.
Cleary has been playing with a sore knee that may require a cortisone shot
to fix that would sideline him for a week.
“I’m hoping that eventually it will get better,” Cleary said. “It just hasn’t
gotten any better.”
Datsyuk took just one faceoff in Monday’s 3-1 loss to Phoenix.
“It’s nothing major, we just decided that for the next few games he won’t
take any faceoffs,” Babcock said.
Howard was expected to have his broken finger looked at when the Wings
returned home but did not on Tuesday.
Babcock would not commit to a starting goalie for tonight against the Oilers.
Joey MacDonald started Monday after coming on in relief of Ty Conklin on
Saturday in Edmonton.
“After two periods we had given up 14 shots and I thought Mac gave us a
chance, yet we didn’t score enough goals for him,” Babcock said after the
game.
Also, Wings defenseman Brad Stuart missed Monday’s game with the flu. It
was the first game he has missed all season.
Detroit got a chance at consecutive power plays — well, a few seconds
apart — later in the period when Phoenix defenseman Rostislav Klesla
swatted a puck over the glass from his own end. Franzen turned it into a
goal, jamming in a shot from the edge of the crease after a pass from
Henrik Zetterberg behind the goal.
The Red Wings tried to swarm the Coyotes in the third period, spending
large chunks of time in Phoenix's end. Smith came up with some big saves
and got a break midway through when he was sprawled on the ice and
Pavel Datsyuk missed the net.
Smith also withstood a power play late and came up with a few more stops
before Hanzal sealed the victory.
Notes: Red Wings D Brad Stuart didn't play because of the flu. ... Phoenix
plays 28 of its final 29 games against the Western Conference. ... Rock star
Alice Cooper, a Valley resident, attended the game.
Macomb Daily LOADED: 02.08.2012
611232
Detroit Red Wings
611231
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings fall to Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 in Arizona
(AP)
WINTER CLASSIC: It's official, Detroit Red Wings will face the Toronto
Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2013 at Michigan Stadium
By Chuck Pleiness
DETROIT – The long awaited official announcement of where next year’s
Winter Classic will be will finally come Thursday.
Mike Smith stopped 30 shots, Martin Hanzal scored twice and the Phoenix
Coyotes ended a seven-game losing streak to Detroit with a 3-1 win over
the Red Wings on Monday night.
The Macomb Daily has learned that two news conferences will be held one at Michigan Stadium and the other at Comerica Park - to announce that
Detroit Red Wings will meet the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 1, 2013.
Boyd Gordon had a short-handed goal in the first period and Hanzal scored
on a power play in the second for Phoenix. Detroit picked up the pressure in
the third, but Smith made some difficult saves and Hanzal scored his eighth
of the season into an empty net in the closing seconds to give the Coyotes
consecutive wins over San Jose and Detroit, two of the Western
Conference's best teams.
The Macomb Daily reported in mid-January that a deal had been finalized,
but could not be announced until the Wings returned home from their fourgame road trip after the All-Star break.
Johan Franzen scored his 20th goal for the Red Wings, who lost for the
third time in 12 games.
Detroit plays its next six games at home, where it has won 17 straight.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the University of Michigan’s
Board of Regents is scheduled to meet Wednesday to approve the rental of
Michigan Stadium. That’s expected to be a mere formality.
Michigan Stadium, which has a football capacity listed of 109,901, was the
site of the Big Chill at The Big House between the Wolverines and Michigan
State Spartans in front of a record crowd of 113,411 on Dec. 11, 2010.
The first Winter Classic was played at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium and
drew an NHL attendance record of 71,217 for the game between the
Sabres and Penguins.
He heads into tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with six goals
in the last four games and with 29 games still to be played, the sophomore
is poised to become the club’s third 30-goal scorer in nine seasons.
Comerica Park will host an American Hockey League game between the
Grand Rapids Griffins and Toronto Marlies, the minor league affiliates of the
Wings and Leafs.
Dustin Penner scored 32 in 2009-10 while Ryan Smyth banked 31 in 200607 and 36 the season before that. Prior to that, Mike Comrie fashioned a
33-goal campaign in 2001-02.
It will also be the site of the Great Lakes Invitational, along with two Ontario
Hockey League games and numerous high school and youth games.
“Ebs has the touch right now. He finds those spots in front of the net where
he can really get open, and pucks are just finding him,” said linemate Taylor
Hall. “That’s one of the parts of his game I’d really like to take from him. He
has great timing around the net.”
Michigan and Michigan State will be two of the GLI teams. Three OHL
teams – the Plymouth Whalers, Saginaw Spirit and Windsor Spitfires –
have already been confirmed.
Comerica could also host the alumni game between the Wings and Leafs.
It’ll be a second Winter Classic the Wings will have participated in. They
played the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in 2009. The Wings won
the game 6-4.
“Anytime you get a chance to play outdoors, I think it’s a great thing,” Wings
coach Mike Babcock said earlier this season. “If we could do it in Michigan,
it would be great for our fans and great for our franchise, great for our
trademark, so a real good thing.”
Sidelined for four games with a knee injury, Eberle returned to the lineup
just in time to make his first appearance in the NHL all-star game. He hasn’t
looked back since he returned from Ottawa.
“With goal scoring, a lot of it is confidence,” Eberle said. “When you’re
playing well and the puck is going in, that’s big.”
Gagner, who slid in between Eberle and Hall a week ago, responded with
11 points in two games and picked up an assist on Eberle’s game-opening
goal against Toronto.
They have been the only forwards contributing of late.
“It would be really cool (at the Big House), for sure, get the home crowd,
too,” Tomas Holmstrom said earlier this season. “It would be awesome to
do it one more time, for sure.
With the exception of Eric Belanger’s second goal of the season on Jan. 31
and Shawn Horcoff’s 10th goal against Vancouver on Jan. 24, the Oilers
goals have all been scored by Hall, Eberle, Gagner and the defencemen.
“It was a great experience in Chicago,” Holmstrom added. “To celebrate
New Year’s and the family was there in Chicago. It was the perfect day for
it, too. It was fun the day before, the families were there. We skated
outside. It was really good. And we came up with a win, too. But it was a
great experience, something you’ll remember the rest of your life.”
Cam Barker, Ryan Whitney and Jeff Petry are the blue-liners who have
chipped in over the last six games.
Holmstrom is one of 11 current Red Wings that took part in 2009 game at
Wrigley Stadium.
Backup goalie Ty Conklin has played in three different outdoor games for
three different teams.
Conklin played in the Heritage Classic in 2003 with Edmonton. It was the
first regular season outdoor game in NHL history. He followed that with
starts between the pipes for Pittsburgh in the 2008 Winter Classic and then
was the Wings’ netminder in 2009.
“It would be a lot of fun to be able to play in one,” Jimmy Howard said.
“Growing up, you skate on lakes and outdoor rinks, to be able to play an
actual game (outdoors) would be a lot of fun.”
The Flyers hosted the New York Rangers at this season’s game at Citizens
Bank Park in Philadelphia.
In 2011, the Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field in
Pittsburgh.
In 2010, the Bruins hosted the Flyers at Fenway Park in Boston.
This will also be the first Winter Classic that has a team from Canada
participating. Canada has hosted two Heritage Classics (2003 and 2011).
611233
Edmonton Oilers
Eberle setting pace to pass 30-goal barrier
Now the Oilers will again be without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, another of their
offensive sparkplugs. He sprained his left shoulder in the third period of
Monday’s game. It was just his second game back in the lineup after
missing 13 games with a separation in the same shoulder. Nugent-Hopkins
returned for Saturday’s showdown with the Detroit Red Wings in Rexall
Place and capped his comeback with the deciding goal in a 5-4 shootout
victory.
The teams meet again tonight in Detroit where the Red Wings have a
commanding 20-2-1 record.
“For sure we want to be the line that’s relied on, everyone does, but we
were on for that fifth goal against (in the Toronto game) and that was the
killer. That was a tough one to take,” said Hall. “As much as we are
producing offensively, the defensive side of the puck has to be just as good
if not better for us to win games.
“If we’re going to play 18, 20 minutes a night, we can’t be on for goals
against every night.”
Horcoff (-19), Belanger (-13) and Ales Hemsky (-15) are all struggling at
both ends of the ice. Eberle, who wasn’t on the ice for any of the Toronto
goals on Monday, leads the team with a plus minus rating of four.
“You have to be sound defensively,” said the team’s leading scorer. “That’s
how you get on the ice; that’s how you earn your ice time. If the coach can
trust you, put you out in those key situations, the offence will come after
that. That’s definitely step one.”
Edmonton Journal: LOADED: 02.07.2012
611234
Edmonton Oilers
Memo to Oilers: Yes, build through the draft, but stop bringing in weak
veterans
By Joanne Ireland,
Staff
detroit - While thunder-stealer Sam Gagner was banking points at a recordsetting pace, Jordan Eberle was doing some nifty work of his own for the
Edmonton Oilers.
He still is actually.
Eberle scored twice in Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs,
upping his goal tally to 24.
Hockey News columnist says Gagner’s record “should never have
happened,” as one assist was improperly awarded to himPosted on Feb 6,
2012
A crabby Oilers fan loses patience . . .
Today, with the Oilers losing badly in Toronto, with veteran defencemen
giving away the game with their egregious lapses, and with another injury to
another Oilers star — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins once again (out a week-to-10
days this time) — my patience with this Oilers rebuild is slipping away.
No patience for: Ryan Whitney’s terrible struggle with foot and ankles
injuries.
Balancing out these intemperate feelings is the belief that patience truly is a
necessity when building an NHL team. Today, then, I give you a list of
everything I am able to maintain patience for, while venting about all
matters regarding the Oilers that I can no longer tolerate . . .
Patience for: Taylor Hall’s kamikaze attacks ending up in goals and scoring
chances.
Patience for: Veteran winger Ryan Smyth in a slump.
No patience for: Ryan Smyth dogging it as he glides to the bench on line
change, a chronic and unacceptable problem on the Oilers.
Patience for: Oilers GM Steve Tambellini rebuilding through the draft.
No patience for: Steve Tambellini failing to identify quality, undervalued
NHLers in trades, and instead bringing in under-performing veterans for too
much money, or on too lengthy a contract, or both.
No patience for: Taylor Hall’s kamikaze attacks ending up with him
hammered to the ice or into the boards with a check.
I understand it’s not entirely rational to admire Hall’s reckless attacking
when it works, and be down on it when it ends with him betting pulverized,
but that is something for Taylor Hall to complain about on his own list about
the irrational opinions of fans.
611235
Edmonton Oilers
Patience for: TSN announcer Ray Ferraro making a snotty off-the-air
comment about Dion Phaneuf.
Nugent-Hopkins back in medical room
No patience for: Sportsnet announcer Louie DeBrusk hardly ever naming
which Oiler made what mistake on goals against. Ferraro does it without
being harsh, why can’t DeBrusk?
By Joanne Ireland,
Patience for: Budding defenceman Theo Peckham being out of position
because he’s trying to pulverize an opponent with a hit.
No patience for: Peckham being out of position because he’s making more
poor reads of the play than ever.
DETROIT - After returning for just two games, Edmonton Oilers rookie
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is back on the shelf with a sprained left shoulder.
He will be out seven to 10 days.
Patience for: Shawn Horcoff, for taking on all the toughest competition, year
after year, and holding his head above water in his own zone.
It is the same shoulder that Nugent-Hopkins first injured on Jan. 2 when he
fell into the boards in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
No patience for: Shawn Horcoff, for the deterioration in his offensive game.
“It’s the same area, same shoulder, but a new thing on top,” NugentHopkins said on Tuesday. “Compared to the first one, it’s not even close …
so hopefully I can get back sooner, rather than later.”
Patience for: Hot shot attacker Ales Hemsky struggling to score in his
comeback from shoulder injuries.
No patience for: Ales Hemsky dogging it on the backcheck during power
plays.
Patience for: Fans who thought defenceman Tom Gilbert wasn’t up to snuff,
even as he played well last year.
No patience for: Fans who still think Tom Gilbert isn’t up to snuff, even as
he continues to play well this year.
Patience for: The notion that veteran d-man Corey Potter was a good
signing and is a decent player. He’s been adequate at even strength, great
on the power play.
No patience for: The notion that veteran d-man Cam Barker was a good
signing and is a decent player. Where is the evidence? He’s not been
adequate at any facet of his play so far.
Patience for: Winger Ryan Jones and his robust, effective grinding game.
No patience for: Any “advanced” stats analysis that unfairly and
inaccurately suggested Jones shouldn’t have been signed over the summer
and still suggests he’s not much of a player.
Patience for: Coach Tom Renney and his calm demeanor on the bench.
Better than watching Pat Quinn’s head come close to exploding.
No patience for: The over-use of Nikolai Khabibulin and of Eric Belanger at
even strength.
Patience for: The Oilers development of Colt Teubert in the AHL.
No patience for: The Oilers development of Teubert in the NHL.
Patience for: Teemu Hartikainen, Anton Lander, Magnus Paajarvi,
No patience for: Cam Barker, Eric Belanger.
Patience for: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to develop as a solid two-way centre.
No patience for: RNH as another in a long line of oft-injured Oilers. What is
up with that?
Patience for: Sam Gagner, when he’s skating fast with the puck.
No patience for: Sam Gagner, when he’s skating slow with the puck.
Patience for: Ryan Whitney’s terrible struggle with foot and ankles injuries.
Nugent-Hopkins missed 13 games with a separated shoulder, returning to
the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. He played 20
minutes, scored in the shootout, and was back on the ice Monday in
Toronto.
Hit by the Maple Leafs’ Mike Brown in the third period, he again made his
way to the medical room. Magnus Paajarvi has been recalled from the
Oklahoma City Barons and will join the team in Detroit for tonight’s game
against the Red Wings.
“We were both going for the puck and just collided. We hit shoulder on
shoulder,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “I could feel it as soon we hit. My shoulder
just kind of dropped.
“I wasn’t too happy yesterday, but I’m just going to try and stay positive
through it all.”
Nugent-Hopkins, a Calder Trophy contender with 35 points in 40 games, is
going to start losing ground to the Adam Henrique in the rookie scoring
race. After missing eight games with a groin injury, Henrique is back in the
New Jersey Devils lineup and went into Tuesday’s game just one point in
arrears.
“In the end, it’s an injury, whether it’s the same or not the same, we’re all
looking for a healthy Nuge,” said associate coach Ralph Krueger. “It’s
important that we’re patient with this injury and really, really make sure that
when he comes back into the lineup, he’s physically 100 per cent.
“He’s a player who brings us a dimension we don’t have: his play on the
power play off the half wall, his deception and his commitment to defence.
He’s so smart without the puck … It’s disappointing.”
Head coach Tom Renney, hit in the head with a puck in Monday’s morning
skate, was still not on the ice with the team Tuesday.
“He was a part of our team meeting at the hotel, but it’s important for him to
get some good rest,” said Krueger. “We just need to take it a day at a time.”
Dubnyk buckles down
After the Maple Leafs scored five goals on 21 shots, Devan Dubnyk
wondered if he’d see the end of Monday’s game from the net or from the
bench.
He did finish the game, turning away the nine shots he faced in the third.
The Maple Leafs’ final goal sailed into an empty-net.
“I was pretty frustrated after the fifth goal, but there’s nothing you can do at
the point,” Dubnyk said. “I’m just glad they left me in. I really don’t like
coming out, and it was still a two-goal hockey game so it was crucial not to
let another one in.
“That’s just part of the development,” he continued. “You have to buckle
down if you’re going to become a starting goaltender. You’re going to go
through these situations, and sometimes, you’re going to win games like
that. What I need to do then, in that situation, is keep them off the board in
the third.”
Petry gets thumbs up
Defenceman Jeff Petry played a team high 22:59 against the Toronto Maple
Leafs and was plus-1 in a 6-3 loss. Game by game, he has been solidifying
his role on the blue-line.
“He began the year in the American league, he wasn’t even one of seven
defencemen, yet we find it difficult to imagine not having him in the lineup
now,” said Krueger.
His playing partner, Ladislav Smid, said the smooth-skating Petry is playing
with a lot of confidence right now.
missing 13 games with a separation in the same shoulder. Nugent-Hopkins
returned for Saturday’s showdown with the Detroit Red Wings in Rexall
Place and capped his comeback with the deciding goal in a 5-4 shootout
victory.
The teams meet again tonight in Detroit where the Red Wings have a
commanding 20-2-1 record.
“For sure we want to be the line that’s relied on, everyone does, but we
were on for that fifth goal against (in the Toronto game) and that was the
killer. That was a tough one to take,” said Hall. “As much as we are
producing offensively, the defensive side of the puck has to be just as good
if not better for us to win games.
“If we’re going to play 18, 20 minutes a night, we can’t be on for goals
against every night.”
Horcoff (-19), Belanger (-13) and Ales Hemsky (-15) are all struggling at
both ends of the ice. Eberle, who wasn’t on the ice for any of the Toronto
goals on Monday, leads the team with a plus minus rating of four.
“He’s good defensively,” said Smid, “but he’s got that offensive upside.
Hopefully he can keep it going.”
“You have to be sound defensively,” said the team’s leading scorer. “That’s
how you get on the ice; that’s how you earn your ice time. If the coach can
trust you, put you out in those key situations, the offence will come after
that. That’s definitely step one.”
611236
611237
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers Jordan Eberle on pace to pass 30-goals-per-season
barrier
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins re-injures shoulder that took him out of lineup in
January, will miss seven to 10 days
By Joanne Ireland
By Edmonton Journal
DETROIT — While thunder-stealer Sam Gagner was banking points at a
record-setting pace, Jordan Eberle was doing some nifty work of his own for
the Edmonton Oilers.
DETROIT — After returning for just two games, Edmonton Oilers rookie
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is back on the shelf with a sprained left shoulder.
He still is actually.
Eberle scored twice in Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs,
upping his goal tally to 24.
He heads into tonight’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with six goals
in the last four games and with 29 games still to be played, the sophomore
is poised to become the club’s third 30-goal scorer in nine seasons.
He will be out seven to 10 days.
It is the same shoulder that Nugent-Hopkins first injured on Jan. 2 when he
fell into the boards in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“It’s the same area, same shoulder, but a new thing on top,” NugentHopkins said on Tuesday. “Compared to the first one, it’s not even close …
so hopefully I can get back sooner, rather than later.”
Dustin Penner scored 32 in 2009-10 while Ryan Smyth banked 31 in 200607 and 36 the season before that. Prior to that, Mike Comrie fashioned a
33-goal campaign in 2001-02.
Nugent-Hopkins missed 13 games with a separated shoulder, returning to
the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. He played 20
minutes, scored in the shootout, and was back on the ice Monday in
Toronto.
“Ebs has the touch right now. He finds those spots in front of the net where
he can really get open, and pucks are just finding him,” said linemate Taylor
Hall. “That’s one of the parts of his game I’d really like to take from him. He
has great timing around the net.”
Hit by the Maple Leafs’ Mike Brown in the third period, he again made his
way to the medical room. Magnus Paajarvi has been recalled from the
Oklahoma City Barons and will join the team in Detroit for tonight’s game
against the Red Wings.
Sidelined for four games with a knee injury, Eberle returned to the lineup
just in time to make his first appearance in the NHL all-star game. He hasn’t
looked back since he returned from Ottawa.
“We were both going for the puck and just collided. We hit shoulder on
shoulder,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “I could feel it as soon we hit. My shoulder
just kind of dropped.
“With goal scoring, a lot of it is confidence,” Eberle said. “When you’re
playing well and the puck is going in, that’s big.”
“I wasn’t too happy yesterday, but I’m just going to try and stay positive
through it all.”
Gagner, who slid in between Eberle and Hall a week ago, responded with
11 points in two games and picked up an assist on Eberle’s game-opening
goal against Toronto.
Nugent-Hopkins, a Calder Trophy contender with 35 points in 40 games, is
going to start losing ground to the Adam Henrique in the rookie scoring
race. After missing eight games with a groin injury, Henrique is back in the
New Jersey Devils lineup and went into Tuesday’s game just one point in
arrears.
They have been the only forwards contributing of late.
With the exception of Eric Belanger’s second goal of the season on Jan. 31
and Shawn Horcoff’s 10th goal against Vancouver on Jan. 24, the Oilers
goals have all been scored by Hall, Eberle, Gagner and the defencemen.
Cam Barker, Ryan Whitney and Jeff Petry are the blue-liners who have
chipped in over the last six games.
Now the Oilers will again be without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, another of their
offensive sparkplugs. He sprained his left shoulder in the third period of
Monday’s game. It was just his second game back in the lineup after
“In the end, it’s an injury, whether it’s the same or not the same, we’re all
looking for a healthy Nuge,” said associate coach Ralph Krueger. “It’s
important that we’re patient with this injury and really, really make sure that
when he comes back into the lineup, he’s physically 100 per cent.
“He’s a player who brings us a dimension we don’t have: his play on the
power play off the half wall, his deception and his commitment to defence.
He’s so smart without the puck … It’s disappointing.”
Head coach Tom Renney, hit in the head with a puck in Monday’s morning
skate, was still not on the ice with the team Tuesday.
Renney was in the corner talking to Ales Hemsky at the time.
“He was a part of our team meeting at the hotel, but it’s important for him to
get some good rest,” said Krueger. “We just need to take it a day at a time.”
“He’s not pleased with the situation,” Krueger said. “We just got the player
healthy and we need the coaching staff healthy as well. But generally, he’s
in good spirits under the circumstances.”
Dubnyk buckles down
Gilbert easing in
After the Maple Leafs scored five goals on 21 shots, Devan Dubnyk
wondered if he’d see the end of Monday’s game from the net or from the
bench.
Tom Gilbert was happy to be back on the ice Monday, playing his first game
in over a month.
He did finish the game, turning away the nine shots he faced in the third.
The Maple Leafs’ final goal sailed into an empty-net.
“I was pretty frustrated after the fifth goal, but there’s nothing you can do at
the point,” Dubnyk said. “I’m just glad they left me in. I really don’t like
coming out, and it was still a two-goal hockey game so it was crucial not to
let another one in.
“That’s just part of the development,” he continued. “You have to buckle
down if you’re going to become a starting goaltender. You’re going to go
through these situations, and sometimes, you’re going to win games like
that. What I need to do then, in that situation, is keep them off the board in
the third.”
Petry gets thumbs up
Defenceman Jeff Petry played a team high 22:59 against the Toronto Maple
Leafs and was plus-1 in a 6-3 loss. Game by game, he has been solidifying
his role on the blue-line.
“He began the year in the American league, he wasn’t even one of seven
defencemen, yet we find it difficult to imagine not having him in the lineup
now,” said Krueger.
His playing partner, Ladislav Smid, said the smooth-skating Petry is playing
with a lot of confidence right now.
The Oilers defenceman made his return to the lineup in the loss to the
Maple Leafs after sitting out due to an ankle injury.
“It was better than I expected,” said Gilbert. “Just the pace of the game,
especially a team like that, which I didn’t know were going to be such a fast
team, there were just a couple of pivots that were a little bit slow.
“But that’s bound to happen. It felt even better in practice (Tuesday) and it
should be even better in the game (Wednesday).”
Gilbert played just under 19 minutes and finished with a minus-two rating.
Prior to the injury, he was averaging nearly 24 minutes per night.
“It was a weird game because there were no penalties, so I think we
(defencemen) were all pretty much even with ice time,” Gilbert said. “It’s just
a matter of getting a rhythm going again and that will come in time.”
Nasty business
The last time out against the Red Wings, things got nasty and Ben Eager
was right in the thick of it.
Heading into the rematch, the Oilers winger is looking forward to getting
back in the mix.
“He’s good defensively,” said Smid, “but he’s got that offensive upside.
Hopefully he can keep it going.”
“It’s always nice when the games are intense,” said Eager. “The last one
had a little bit of a playoff feel to it. We’re both skilled teams and it got
physical as well, which was good to see. We were able to pull out the
shootout victory and we’re hoping to pull out another win (Wednesday).”
Edmonton Sun: LOADED: 02.07.2012
611238
611239
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
Renney misses practice
Eberle on a tear
Staff
By Derek Van Diest
DETROIT — Will Edmonton Oilers head coach Tom Renney have to pass
his own U-test to return to the bench?
Sam Gagner may have gotten all the attention last week, but it’s hard not to
notice the run Jordan Eberle is putting together.
Renney missed practice Tuesday after taking a puck to the head the day
before during the team’s morning skate.
Another two-goal performance Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs
gave the sophomore sensation six goals in a span of just over a week.
“I’m sure there’s a huge campaign going on in there (dressing room) for
that,” smiled Oilers associate coach Ralph Krueger. “But more than
anything, we want him healthy as quickly as possible.”
He has team-leading 24 on the season heading into Wednesday’s game
against the Detroit Red Wings and is on pace to break the 35-goal plateau.
Renney needed more than 10 stitches to sew up the gash towards the back
of his head and was unable to work the bench in the Oilers 6-3 loss to the
Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
It proved to be a tough day for coaches around the NHL as Buffalo Sabres
bench boss, Lindy Ruff, broke three ribs in a collision with defenceman
Jordan Leopold in practice later that day.
Renney did travel with the team to Detroit, but did not head down to the Joe
Louis Arena where the Oilers practiced in preparation for Wednesday’s
encounter against the Red Wings.
“We had a team meeting at the hotel (Tuesday) morning and went over
some video to purge the game from last night, showing more things to learn
from than anything else and Tom was a part of that meeting,” said Oilers
associate coach Ralph Krueger. “It’s important to get him some good rest
today and we’re taking it a day at a time.”
Renney was injured after Ladislav Smid had a pass deflect off his stick,
which launched the puck airborne, striking the head coach in the back of
the head.
“He’s just has a really good feel around the net, and he’s got such good
timing, that whenever he’s around the net there’s never anyone really
around him to try and get the puck off him,” said Oilers winger Taylor Hall. “I
think we can all, as hockey players, learn something from that. He’s got
really good timing and he knows how to get open, he knows how to snake
around and find an opening and the puck always seems to find him.”
It’s one thing to get open, but it’s another altogether to finish around the net.
Eberle has an innate ability to bury his chances.
He doesn’t panic around the net, and if anything, has shown a calmness
with the puck on his stick, which is difficult to teach.
“I think that’s something you’re made with,” Eberle said. “I’ve always been
poised with the puck and never been a guy to panic under pressure.
“Having a knack around the net is something that you gain, you have to go
to the tough areas to score and you have to try and squeeze in around
defencemen, especially when you’re a small guy, and find a way to put the
puck in the net.”
Scoring has always been part of Eberle’s repertoire.
He had over 150 goals in his four years of junior with the Regina Pats, 50 in
his final season there and one memorable marker in a World Junior
semifinal against Russia.
Apart from the ability to create his own chance, Eberle’s aptitude when it
comes to accessing a situation, then finding the best way to get the puck
past the goaltender is superior to anyone else on the squad.
He doesn’t just shoot it and hope it goes in, thinking at the time how he’s
going to celebrate the goal. Eberle stands out from some of those who have
a knack for denting chest protectors.
“In the NHL, everything happens so quickly that it’s tough to find time to
even panic,” Eberle said. “You get into a situation, even like (Monday) night
where I passed to (Jeff) Petry and I know it’s going to come back to me,
and I know where I’m going to put it before I even do it.
“That’s something you definitely learn and you get better at as you get older
and you definitely become a better player.”
A good example of Eberle’s prowess around the net was the tying goal last
Saturday against the Red Wings, where he was able to find the puck in
front. Instead of just firing it on goal, Eberle made a subtle move to his right
and slid it into the net.
On Monday, he played a give-and-go with Petry. Everybody in the building
knew the puck was going to end up in the back of the net. “It was just a
hockey play,” Eberle said. “Hallsy turned back and even before he passed
the puck across to me, I knew I was going to go down to Petey and once I
gave it to him, you just know it’s coming back.
“I think I pride myself on being a good give-and-go player and if you watch
some of the best players in the league, that’s one of their best aspects.
They pass it and then they jump around a guy to get it back. I’ve always
been a guy that plays that way and have always excelled when playing with
players like that.”
611240
Edmonton Oilers
RNH out with sprained shoulder
By Derek Van Diest ,
“It’s disappointing, Nuge was arguably our best defensive player early in the
season and to see him in pain is something we don’t like to experience,”
said Oilers associate coach Ralph Krueger. “I believe that Nuge is a player
who brings us a dimension we don’t have, which is what makes great
players special, he does something nobody else does. Of course you miss
a player like this.”
611241
Edmonton Oilers
Gilbert back in lineup
Derek Van Diest
Tom Gilbert was back in the lineup Monday in the Oilers 6-3 loss to the
Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Oilers defenceman has been out since Jan. 2 after being driven into
the end boards by Chicago Blackhawks winger Daniel Carcillo.
Gilbert injured his ankle and knee on the play and missed 14 games in the
process.
“It’s been a long five weeks,” said Gilbert, prior to the contest. “This has
been the longest five weeks in my career, I think. This is definitely a new
experience for me.
“But I think the best way to ease my way back after an injury is to go out
there and play. That’s the only way you can get comfortable again, get back
into the game, get back into the pace. You know you’re going to be a little
bit slower, the game is going to be a little bit quicker and the more I can not
focus on my ankle and just go out and play, the better it’s going to be.”
Gilbert replaced Andy Sutton on the Oilers blue line, played just under 19
minutes and finished with a minus-two rating.
“Tom Gilbert is definitely a leader with this group, not only defensively, but
throughout the whole team,” said Oilers associate coach Ralph Krueger.
“He’s a very cerebral player who gives us stability and makes a great first
pass out of the zone and can jump up in the play.”
Gilbert was with Cam Barker, who recently returned from an ankle injury
himself.
The comeback was short-lived as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is once again out
of the Edmonton Oilers lineup.
Monday was one of the rare occasions this season where the Oilers have
had their entire complement of defencemen available.
The rookie sensation sprained his left shoulder Monday in Toronto after
being taken into the boards by Maple Leafs winger Mike Brown.
“We’re going to ease Tom back in,” Krueger said. “Coming off his first
lower-body injury, we want to do it smartly. But he’s a great guy to have
back on the team and he gives us more depth as we go forward.”
On Tuesday the Oilers announced Nugent-Hopkins will be out for a week to
10 days.
They have recalled Magnus Paajarvi from Oklahoma City to take his place.
611242
“It can be frustrating, but I’m going to try and stay positive through all of this
right now,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “He (Brown) is obviously a solid guy and
we were both going for the puck and we both collided shoulder on shoulder.
Leafs double up Oilers
“I could feel as soon as I got hit that my shoulder kind of dropped and I
could just kind of feel it.”
Nugent-Hopkins, 18, had just returned to the Oilers lineup, playing his
second game after separating the same shoulder Jan. 2 against the
Chicago Blackhawks when he tripped on his own and stumbled into the
boards.
According to Nugent-Hopkins this latest injury is not related to his last one.
“It’s the same area, it’s the same shoulder, but it’s a new thing on top,” he
said. “Compared to the first one, it’s not even close. That’s a good thing, but
I’m looking to get back sooner than later.”
Nugent-Hopkins currently leads the league’s rookie scoring race with 13
goals and 35 points in 40 games this season.
He’ll be out for the remainder of the team’s current road trip, which pits
them against the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday and the Ottawa Senators
Saturday.
Edmonton Oilers
Derek Van Diest
The Oilers were able to score first, but the Toronto Maple Leafs scored
most in a 6-3 victory Monday night that snapped Edmonton's three-game
winning streak.
Jordan Eberle, with a pair of goals, and Jeff Petry scored for the Oilers,
while Clarke MacArthur, Jake Gardiner, Phil Kessel (2), Tyler Bozak and
Joffrey Lupul countered for the Leafs, who extended their winning streak to
three games.
The Oilers also lost Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who left the game in the third
period after appearing to aggravate his previous shoulder injury.
"We played a high-risk game and we turned the puck over a lot and that
was the big reason why they scored so many goals," said Eberle.
"They had a lot of chances. When you give a team with a lot of speed so
many odd-man rushes, they're going to score a lot of goals."
With head coach Tom Renney sequestered in his hotel room for
precautionary reasons after taking a puck in the head during the morning
skate, associate coach Ralph Krueger took over behind the Edmonton
bench.
Krueger watched the Oilers get off to a quick start as Eberle scored 21
seconds into the game, but the Oilers were unable to build on their
advantage as they began to unravel in their own zone.
"Defensively, it was one of the weaker games that we've played of late,"
Krueger said.
"We made no commitment to the man and gave up way too much space
and time. We really had trouble adjusting to the stretch. They bring the puck
up as fast as anybody, and the speed that goes with those quick transition
plays was excellent, but we didn't adjust to it."
MacArthur tied the game after being left alone in the slot. Gardiner then put
the Maple Leafs ahead when he skated into the middle undetected and
unmolested, and buried a centring pass from Mikhail Grabovski.
Eberle tied the game before the end of the period as he and Jeff Petry
played give-and- go in front of the net.
The Maple Leafs regained the lead in the second period as Nugent-Hopkins
lost track of Kessel, who took a pass from Matthew Lombardi at the lip of
the crease for an easy tap-in.
Bozak then put the Leafs up by a pair as he got a stick on a Cam Barker
clearing attempt in front of the Edmonton net, swatting it past Devan
Dubnyk as the Oilers goaltender was taking his own swipe at it.
Petry pulled one back with a long blast from the point, but another turnover
led to Lupul's goal before the end of the second.
Kessel then added an empty-netter late in the third.
"I think we kind of got caught up in the fact that we've been scoring a lot of
goals lately, and maybe we thought every game was just going to come to
us and we're going to score more goals than the other team," said winger
Taylor Hall, who finished with a pair of assists.
Earlier this year, Taylor Hall was forced out of the lineup when cut by the
skate of Corey Potter following a spill in warm-up. Last season general
manager Steve Tambellini had a pain of glass fall on him while standing on
the Oilers bench in Philadelphia.
HOMECOMING
Ryan Jones was not a Maple Leafs fan growing up in Chatham, Ont.
Regardless, the Oilers winger was excited to be playing close to home
Monday where his friends and family could take in the game.
“I was a Red Wings fan, because I was only an hour from the border,”
Jones said. “But I have a lot of friends who are Leafs fans, that’s for sure.
“But it’s a pretty cool time being here, all the family seems to venture up
and get to check out a game. Any time you play in front of a Canadian
crowd, it’s pretty exciting and we get to do that ever home game.”
Jones didn’t have to pick up a lot of tickets, as most of his friends and family
were able to get their own. He did have a big contingent waiting to see him
after the game, however.
“My cousins is from Milton, John Tonelli, so all the Tonelli family wandered
up from Milton,” Jones said. “So we’ll reminisce about all the times I used to
watch him play and now they get to come see me play. It’s pretty exciting.”
TOP STAR
Oilers centre Sam Gagner was recognized by the NHL for his recent
accomplishments, named the league’s first star of the week Monday.
Gagner had 12 points last week, which included an eight-point game
Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“It’s tough getting eight points in a game,” said Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul.
“There are a lot of guys in this league who don’t touch the puck eight times
in one game.
“Getting eight points is pretty impressive. Obviously a little luck is involved
with that too, but he’s a guy that’s playing with a lot of confidence.”
STREAK SNAPPED
It didn’t take long for the Oilers to snap James Reimer’s shutout string as
Jordan Eberle scored 21 seconds into the contest.
"This game is about preventing goals ... and we didn't do that well enough
tonight."
Regardless, the Maple Leafs goaltender went into the game on a roll,
having posted a pair of consecutive shutouts in his previous two starts.
Reimer made 49 saves on Saturday in a 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators
and turned away 25 shots in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins
previous to that.
611243
Edmonton Oilers
Oilers Snapshots: Puck cuts Renney
“To me the important thing is that we win the game, getting a shutout is just
a cherry on top,” Reimer said. “Sometimes in order to win the game, you
can’t let any goals in.
“I feel good right now, but it doesn’t mean much unless I’m able to follow
through on it and keep winning games. I’m just going to try to keep working
my butt off and keep challenging myself.”
Somewhere along the line the Edmonton Oilers must have upset a witch
doctor.
611244
Edmonton Oilers
On Monday, head coach Tom Renney became the latest victim of the
strange injury curse that has plagued the team in the last couple of years.
Renney took a puck in the head during the morning skate and had to leave
in order to be stitched up. He was not behind the bench later Monday
evening when the Oilers took on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“That’s a good reason why young coaches where helmets, but Tom is going
to be fine,” said Oilers associate coach Ralph Krueger, who took over the
reins Monday. “He’ll have stitches, but he’s a fighter and he’ll be alright.”
Renney was hit when Andy Sutton fired a pass over to Ladislav Smid as the
Oilers coach was talking to Ales Hemsky in the corner.
The puck bounced off Smid’s stick, went up and caught Renney toward the
back of the head.
“I feel terrible about it,” said Smid. “It just went off my stick, up in the air and
hit him right in the head.”
Renney stayed in the hotel for precautionary reasons, while Krueger and
the rest of the coaching staff guided the team against the Maple Leafs.
Lupul has new life
This isn’t the same Joffrey Lupul the Edmonton Oilers had a brief love-hate
relationship with.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ version, is older, more mature and healthier. He’s
also an NHL All-Star, and the type of player expected to develop into,
having been selected seventh overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
“A lot of it is just being healthy,” said Lupul, prior to facing the Oilers
Monday. “I went a couple of years without being 100% healthy. To be back
and to be 100% is a big confidence boost for me and I’m getting the
opportunity to play a big role on this team.”
Lupul, 28, spent a tumultuous year with the Oilers, having been acquired in
the deal that sent Chris Pronger to the Anaheim Ducks following the team’s
Stanley Cup run in 2006.
The Panthers had won their first two games following the All-Star break
before getting slammed Saturday in Tampa. The Lightning rode a hat trick
from Martin St. Louis en route to the decisive 6-3 victory.
Having scored 28 goals the previous season, the Fort Saskatchewan
product was expected to score at a similar rate, but unable to match the
production with his hometown club, finishing with 16 goals and 12 assists.
Former Tampa Bay forward Sean Bergenheim ended with a goal and an
assist for the Panthers, while Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Fleischmann
also lit the lamp. Samuelsson had two goals in last week's win over the
Capitals and has four goals and one assist during a four-game point streak.
The Oilers decided to move Lupul at the end of the season sending him to
Philadelphia in a deal that saw Joni Pitkanen, Geoff Sanderson and a thirdround pick come back the other way.
Lupul eventually returned to Anaheim, where a serious back injury limited
his playing time and jeopardized his career.
From there, he was sent to Toronto, where he’s blossomed into an elite
player, heading into Monday’s game with 20 goals and 54 points in 52
games.
“He’s healthy, but he’s also changed a lot of things,” said Maple Leafs head
coach Ron Wilson. “Young players sometimes don’t take themselves
seriously or take the easy way out in the weight room or in terms of
preparation. But I think he’s matured and he follows a different (training)
regimen all together.
“He works hard and with us he plays left wing and not right. He’s never had
that opportunity before, but he’s embraced it and worked hard at it and has
had some good chemistry with Phil (Kessel), which has helped him out too.”
Kessel and Lupul are tied for the team scoring lead with the Leafs. The two
have become one of the most dangerous duos in the league.
“He’s a guy that is really creative offensively and a guy that you have to get
the puck to as much as possible, because he can do some things that not
many guys in the league can do,” Lupul said. “My job is to try and do what I
can, try and win battles along the boards and get to the front of the net.
That’s where the majority of my success has come, just going to the net
and trying to make plays from there.”
Prior to this season, Lupul’s greatest success had come in the relative
obscurity of Anaheim, where few outside of the arena knew who he was.
Yet despite struggling in his hometown where Oilers fans have been known
to quickly turn on one of their own, Lupul is thriving under the bright
spotlight in Toronto.
“This is the centre of the hockey universe,” he said. “It’s fun. It seems like
every game is a big game, no matter who’s coming to town, there’s always
an interesting story line or something is going on. Then when we go on the
road, there are a lot of Leafs fans, it’s a fun place to play. Every time you
come to the rink there’s something going on and you’re not going to get
bored here, that’s for sure.”
Scott Clemmensen stopped 27-of-32 shots and was pulled briefly in favor of
Brian Foster, who made his NHL debut at the end of the second period.
Foster stopped the only shot he faced before Clemmensen returned for the
start of the final period.
"We had a tough second period to say the least," Panthers head coach
Kevin Dineen said. "We got off to a tough start and I think we were our own
worst enemy so that was certainly the difference."
With both Jose Theodore and Jacob Markstrom dealing with knee injuries,
Clemmensen has started the last five games for the Panthers. Both
Theodore and Markstrom are close to returning, but Foster may be used as
the backup again tonight.
The Capitals have lost three of four and five of their last seven games and
they split a pair of tests this weekend. Washington shut out the Canadiens
in Montreal in Saturday's 3-0 decision, but the Caps were dealt a 4-1 home
loss by Boston on Sunday.
The Bruins scored twice in the first period to take an early 2-0 lead and Tim
Thomas stopped 35-of-36 shots to make the edge hold up.
Marcus Johansson scored the lone goal for the Capitals in the third period
and Tomas Vokoun gave up three goals on 29 shots in the loss.
"We had a lot of chances, but Thomas came up big," said Washington head
coach Dale Hunter. "A goalie as good as Thomas can beat you by himself
some nights."
Alex Ovechkin fired seven shots on net in Sunday's loss, but the Russian
forward has not registered a point in two tilts since serving a three-game
suspension. He has 20 goals and 27 assists in 40 career games against the
Panthers and has one assist in two tests versus Florida this year.
Caps forward Brooks Laich is not expected to play tonight after suffering an
injured left knee against the Bruins. Washington is still without defenseman
Mike Green (sports hernia) and forward Nicklas Backstrom (concussion),
but defenseman Dmitry Orlov is expected to play despite getting hit in the
face with pucks in both games this weekend.
Miami Herald LOADED: 02.08.2012
611246
Florida Panthers
611245
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers (24-16-11) at Washington Capitals (27-21-4), 7 p.m. (ET)
By George Richards
By Sports Network
WASHINGTON -- Capitals coach Dale Hunter said if a regular-season
game should be treated like the postseason, well, Tuesday’s game was the
one to do it.
Another battle for first place in the Southeast Division is on tap tonight, as
the Washington Capitals host the Florida Panthers at the Verizon Center.
Panthers coach Kevin Dineen added that his veteran players “can count,
look at the paper and know what the deal is” when looking at the division
and conference standings.
Florida enters tonight with a one-point lead over the Capitals for the top
spot in the division. The Panthers trailed Washington by one point when the
clubs met last Wednesday and Florida grabbed the division lead with a 4-2
win over the visiting Caps.
Washington has won the last four Southeast titles, while the Panthers have
never won a division crown and haven't even qualified for the playoffs since
2000. Florida has taken two of the first three meetings with the Caps this
season, but Washington has won three in a row and six of the last seven
encounters in D.C.
The Caps have a strong 18-7-1 record on home ice this year, while Florida
is just 11-11-4 as the guest.
One team got the message. It wasn’t the Panthers.
Florida doesn’t have a spot in the playoffs right now after Washington ran
away with a 4-0 victory at Verizon Center. The Capitals took a one-point
lead on the Panthers in the Southeast Division as Florida lost its second in
a row and fell to ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Panthers have been outscored 10-3 in losses at Tampa Bay and
Washington.
“We got beat by the better team,” Dineen said. “They were the better team,
and we need to recognize that, fess up and know our game has to improve
as we move forward. … What are you going to do? I don’t think anyone
feels sorry for us. This is NHL hockey. It’s the best league in the world. You
have to understand that when you get a good tail kicking, you recognize it
and get better for the next one.”
The way the East is looking, the runner-up in the Southeast Division is
probably going to be outside the playoffs. The way the Panthers have
played in their past two games, that doesn’t bode well for Florida’s hope to
end an NHL-record 10 seasons outside the playoffs. Florida is two points
behind Ottawa for the eighth and final postseason spot but has played three
fewer games.
“I can’t see why anyone’s confidence wouldn’t be there,” Kris Versteeg said.
“We were still clawing in this one for a while.”
Washington, which had lost five of seven coming in, took control from the
start, as Mathieu Parreault snapped a shot past Scott Clemmensen 13
seconds into the game. Alex Ovechkin made it 2-0 after scoring on a
breakaway with Marcel Goc in the penalty box midway through the period.
Florida had a number of scoring chances in the first — including John
Madden missing an empty net and Tomas Vokoun stopping Shawn
Matthias on a breakaway. But the Panthers failed to find a way to beat their
former goalie, as Vokoun is now 2-0 against the Panthers since leaving the
team as a free agent in July.
The Capitals made it 3-0 when Jason Chimera tapped a loose puck into the
net early in the second while Florida was on a power play. Ovechkin, who
was suspended for Florida’s 4-2 win in Sunrise last Wednesday, scored
midway through the second to end Washington’s scoring.
The Panthers took 42 shots at Vokoun, who blanked the Cats for the
second time this season.
“It was a big game, and obviously they were ahead of us,” said Vokoun,
who has four shutouts this season and 48 in his career. “It was a very
desperate situation, but we came out great, scored a goal 13 seconds in,
and that was big — especially at home, get the fans going. We have a great
first period. They get a lot of shots, but we were able to score a few goals,
and it’s a little easier to play when you know you’re not so pressed about
making a mistake and you have a few goals in the bank.”
• With the Panthers being delayed coming out of Fort Lauderdale by more
than two hours Monday, it was probably a good idea that Dineen left goalie
Jose Theodore at home.
Theodore, who has been doing on-ice workouts, didn’t have to hang out on
the team charter as it sat near the runway while mechanics and technicians
worked on the plane.
Dineen said Theodore was to skate in South Florida on Tuesday and
should be on the ice Wednesday whether or not the Panthers hold a
practice session. Theodore sustained a minor knee injury after being run
over by teammate Dmitry Kulikov and Montreal’s Mike Blunden on
Dec. 31. Theodore returned to play in two games last month but has been
out since.
The Panthers would like to have Theodore back for this weekend’s back-toback games against the host Devils and Islanders.
“He’s getting close, but if he wasn’t going to play [Tuesday], he was better
off staying at home,” Dineen said. “We had a bit of a tough day, some
technical difficulties with the plane. That happens.”
611247
Florida Panthers
Florida doesn’t have a spot in the playoffs right now after Washington ran
away with a 4-0 victory at Verizon Center. The Capitals took a one-point
lead on the Panthers in the Southeast Division as Florida lost its second in
a row and fell to ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Washington.
“We got beat by the better team,” Dineen said. “They were the better team,
and we need to recognize that, fess up and know our game has to improve
as we move forward. … What are you going to do? I don’t think anyone
feels sorry for us. This is NHL hockey. It’s the best league in the world. You
have to understand that when you get a good tail kicking, you recognize it
and get better for the next one.”
The way the East is looking, the runner-up in the Southeast Division is
probably going to be outside the playoffs. The way the Panthers have
played in their past two games, that doesn’t bode well for Florida’s hope to
end an NHL-record 10 seasons outside the playoffs. Florida is two points
behind Ottawa for the eighth and final postseason spot but has played three
fewer games.
“I can’t see why anyone’s confidence wouldn’t be there,” Kris Versteeg said.
“We were still clawing in this one for a while.”
start, as Mathieu Parreault snapped a shot past Scott Clemmensen 13
seconds into the game. Alex Ovechkin made it 2-0 after scoring on a
Florida had a number of scoring chances in the first — including John
former goalie, as Vokoun is now 2-0 against the Panthers since leaving the
net early in the second while Florida was on a power play. Ovechkin, who
was suspended for Florida’s 4-2 win in Sunrise last Wednesday, scored
midway through the second to end Washington’s scoring.
The Panthers took 42 shots at Vokoun, who blanked the Cats for the
“It was a big game, and obviously they were ahead of us,” said Vokoun,
who has four shutouts this season and 48 in his career. “It was a very
desperate situation, but we came out great, scored a goal 13 seconds in,
and that was big — especially at home, get the fans going. We have a great
first period. They get a lot of shots, but we were able to score a few goals,
and it’s a little easier to play when you know you’re not so pressed about
making a mistake and you have a few goals in the bank.”
• With the Panthers being delayed coming out of Fort Lauderdale by more
than two hours Monday, it was probably a good idea that Dineen left goalie
Jose Theodore at home.
Theodore, who has been doing on-ice workouts, didn’t have to hang out on
practice session. Theodore sustained a minor knee injury after being run
over by teammate Dmitry Kulikov and Montreal’s Mike Blunden on
Dec. 31. Theodore returned to play in two games last month but has been
out since.
The Panthers would like to have Theodore back for this weekend’s back-toback games against the host Devils and Islanders.
By George Richards
“He’s getting close, but if he wasn’t going to play [Tuesday], he was better
off staying at home,” Dineen said. “We had a bit of a tough day, some
technical difficulties with the plane. That happens.”
WASHINGTON -- Capitals coach Dale Hunter said if a regular-season
game should be treated like the postseason, well, Tuesday’s game was the
one to do it.
look at the paper and know what the deal is” when looking at the division
One team got the message. It wasn’t the Panthers.
611248
Florida Panthers
Recap: Washington vs. Florida
By Sports Network
Alex Ovechkin got his first post-suspension points, scoring two goals
Tuesday night to lead the Washington Capitals over the Florida Panthers,
4-0.
Washington moved one point ahead of Florida for first place in the
Southeast Division.
Tomas Vokoun made 42 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and
48th of his career. Mathieu Perreault and Jason Chimera also scored for
the Capitals, who moved to 3-3-2 in their last eight games.
The Panthers beat the Capitals at home last Wednesday, 4-2, to take the
division lead but couldn't solve Vokoun in this one. Scott Clemmensen gave
up four goals on 24 shots and Florida lost for the ninth time in its last 13
games (4-5-4).
Panthers coach Kevin Dineen cautioned against overreacting to the bad
loss.
"This is NHL hockey. It's not saving the world," he said. "When you take a
good tail-kicking, you have to recognize it and accept it and say how can we
be better next game."
Perreault's goal, 13 seconds into the game, rattled through Clemmensen
from the slot after a backhand pass from Jason Chimera on the low right
side.
Ovechkin beat Clemmensen through the legs with a quick shot from the low
left side on a power play, making it 2-0 about halfway through the first
period.
"We got two quick goals on them and they had to play a different game,"
said Caps head coach Dale Hunter. "It ended up being the advantage for
us."
Ovechkin was playing his third game since coming back from a three-game
suspension for leaving his feet during a hit on a Penguins player last month.
He scored for the first time since that January 22 game in Pittsburgh.
Chimera's shorthanded goal came 61 seconds into the middle period after
his initial tip on a pass from John Carlson was stopped by Clemmensen.
Chimera followed up and jammed the puck in with Clemmensen sprawled
on the ice after his save.
Later in the second period, Ovechkin rifled a snap shot from just inside the
blue line that tracked into the top left corner of the net, beating
Clemmensen as he shrugged his right shoulder for the 4-0 lead.
Vokoun had 10 saves in the first period, 17 in the second and made 15
stops in the third for his second shutout in three games. He also blanked
Montreal in a 3-0 win on Saturday. In between, he gave up three goals in a
4-1 loss to the Bruins on Sunday.
"It could have been a lost closer than it was," Washington forward Brooks
Laich said of Tuesday's game, "but [Vokoun] was amazing."
611249
Florida Panthers
on the Panthers in the Southeast Division as Florida lost its second straight
and fell to ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Washington.
“We got beat by the better team,'' Dineen said postgame. “They were the
better team and we need to recognize that, fess up and know our game has
to improve as we move forward. .-.-.
"What are you going to do? I don't think anyone feels sorry for us. This is
NHL hockey. It's the best league in the world. You have to understand that
when you get a good tail kicking, you recognize it and get better for the next
one.''
The way the east is looking, the runner-up in the Southeast Division is
probably going to be outside the playoffs. By the way the Panthers have
played their past two games, that doesn't bode well for Florida's hope to
end a NHL-record 10 seasons outside the playoffs.
Florida is two points back of Ottawa for the eighth and final postseason spot
and have played three fewer games.
“I can't see why anyone's confidence wouldn't be there,'' Kris Versteeg said.
“We were still clawing in this one for a while.''
start as Mathieu Parreault snapped a shot past Scott Clemmensen a mere
13 seconds into the game. Alex Ovechkin made it 2-0 after scoring on a
Florida had a number of scoring chances in the first – including John
former goalie as Vokoun is now 2-0 against the Panthers since leaving the
net early in the second while Florida was on a power play chance.
Ovechkin, who was suspended for Florida's 4-2 win in Sunrise last
Wednesday, scored midway through the second to end Washington's
scoring.
The Panthers took 42 shots at Vokoun as he shutout the Cats for the
“It was a big game and obviously they were ahead of us,'' said Vokoun, who
has four shutouts this season and 48 in his career. “It was a very desperate
situation, but we came out great, scored a goal 13 seconds in and that was
big – especially at home, get the fans going.
"We have a great first period. They get a lot of shots, but we were able to
score a few goals, and it's a little easier to play when you know you're not
so pressed about making a mistake and you have a few goals in the bank.''
() With the Panthers being delayed coming out of Fort Lauderdale by more
than two hours on Monday, it was probably a good idea that Dineen left
goalie Jose Theodore at home.
Theodore, who has been doing on-ice workouts, didn't have to hang out on
Tomas Vokoun Stops 42 Shots as Capitals Drop Panthers Back to Ninth
with 4-0 Win ... Caps up 3-0 Early in 2nd, Win Laugher
practice session.
Staff
Theodore suffered a minor knee injury after being run over by teammate
Dmitry Kulikov and Montreal's Mike Blunden on Dec. 31. Theodore returned
to play in two games last month but has been out since.
WASHINGTON – Capitals coach Dale Hunter said if a regular season game
should be treated like the postseason, well, Tuesday's game was the one to
do it.
look at the paper and know what the deal is'' when looking at the division
One team got the message on Tuesday – and it wasn't the Panthers.
The Panthers would like to have Theodore back for this weekend's back-toback series against the host Devils and Islanders.
“He's getting close, but if he wasn't going to play [Tuesday], he was better
off staying at home,'' Dineen said. “We had a bit of a tough day, some
technical difficulties with the plane. That happens.''
611250
Florida Panthers
Florida don't have a spot in the playoffs right now after Washington ran
away with a 4-0 win at Verizon Center. The Capitals took a one point lead
Florida Panthers come up empty in 4-0 loss to Capitals
Sun Sentinel LOADED: 02.08.2012
By Harvey Fialkov, Sun Sentinel
611251
The resurgent Panthers have waited nearly 11 years to be involved in a
game with such significant playoff ramifications in February.
Kings find some offense in 3-1 victory over Lightning
It took them just 13 seconds to take on their usual second-half role as
patsies to the Southeast Division-leading bully Capitals who got two goals
from their burly superstar Alexander Ovechkin en route to a 4-0 loss
Tuesday night at the Verizon Center.
With their No. 1 goalie Jose Theodore sitting at home in South Florida
rehabbing a lingering minor knee injury, former Panthers goalie Tomas
Vokoun easily bested his understudy of two seasons, Scott Clemmensen,
who for the second game in a row couldn't overcome a shaky start in which
he gave up two goals on the Caps' first three shots.
Panthers coach Kevin Dineen kept the locker room door closed far longer
than usual but the players said his message was mostly a positive one after
switching places with Washington at the top of the division and slipping
from third to ninth place in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference.
Text alerts: Get South Florida sports news on your phone
"We have to up our level, especially tonight,'' said alternate captain Brian
Campbell. "Nobody's going to come in here to help us or change anything;
we've got to get the job done here.''
On the bright side, the scoreless third period prevented the Capitals fans
from getting free wings from Hard Times, given out when Washington
scores five goals.
Also, the Panthers outshot the Caps 42-24, however, they're inexplicably 12-4 when taking 40 or more shots.
"We only gave up 22 shots but 12 to 15 were scoring chances against,
some high-end ones, so you can have 40-whatever shots but the quality of
scoring chances had to be the difference today,'' Dineen said.
Vokoun blanked his former team for the second time in two starts, while
Clemmensen has now given up nine goals in his last two games after
allowing 10 in his previous five.
Expect Theodore, who has played just two of the last 13 games, to pop a
few Advil and play Thursday night against the Kings.
"It's not the end of the world,'' said former Cap Matt Bradley. "They were the
better team tonight. Life goes on. We play them soon and have another
game Thursday night. Learn from it and forget it.''
Thirteen seconds after the opening faceoff, Jason Chimera set up Mathieu
Perreault in the slot where he flicked it in for the fastest goal scored against
the Panthers this season, but three seconds slower than the one put in by
Capitals' Mike Knuble when he was with Boston in 2003.
Marcel Goc was penalized to set up a power-play goal by Ovechkin at 9:21.
Ovechkin, who sat out last week's 4-2 Panthers' victory while serving a
suspension, buried his trademark wrist shot for his ninth power-play goal
and a 2-0 lead after one.
The Caps don't blow leads as their 14-1-1 record with a lead after one and
17-0 when leading after two indicates.
The Panthers lost two in a row in regulation for the first time since 0ct. 1820 (Washington and Buffalo). That slide triggered General Manager Dale
Tallon's dumping of fan favorite David Booth to Vancouver for veterans'
Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm. No doubt the fiery GM will be
searching for reinforcements for the stretch drive.
Los Angeles Kings
Assoicated Press
TAMPA, Fla. — The Kings are nearly unbeatable when scoring at least
three goals. Too bad for them it has happened only 16 times this season.
Kyle Clifford and Dustin Penner had second-period goals to lead the Kings
past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1, Tuesday night.
Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who are 15-0-1 when scoring three
goals or more. Jonathan Quick, who began the game with a 2-0-0 record
and a 0.38 goals-against average in three games against Tampa Bay,
made 24 saves.
"Usually when we do get three we're pretty safe with [Quick] back there,
obviously," Kopitar said. "He kept us in the game in the first period. That's
all you want from your goaltender."
The Kings took a 2-1 lead when Clifford scored on a breakaway off a long
pass by Rob Scuderi at 10 minutes 16 seconds of the second period. The
goal came eight seconds after Clifford finished serving a roughing minor.
"Guys are really bearing down, and as a team we want to score more
goals," Clifford said. "Our goaltenders and our defensive game have really
kept us in most games, and we just want to try to improve on our offensive
game. So we're just trying to bury as many chances as we can."
Penner made it 3-1 from the slot with 2:14 left in the period. Center Mike
Richards assisted on the goal to end a personal point drought at eight
games.
Steven Stamkos got his NHL-leading 35th goal on his 22nd birthday for
Tampa Bay, who are 6-1-1 in its last eight games.
Stamkos tied it, 1-1, from the low slot off a pass from Teddy Purcell during a
two on one at 7:49 of the second. The center has scored at least one goal
against all 29 opposing teams he has faced.
Kopitar put the Kings ahead, 1-0, when he beat Dwayne Roloson on an inclose deflection 2:47 into the game. The Kings have only 24 first-period
goals and have led going into the second period 12 times.
Stamkos had two good scoring opportunities stopped by Quick in the first
period.
Roloson, who lost his starting role this season after leading the Lightning to
the Eastern Conference finals last year, has played in only two of Tampa
Bay's last eight games. He stopped 17 shots.
It was the Kings' first game at Tampa Bay since a 2-1 shootout victory on
Nov. 14, 2009.
LA Times: LOADED: 02.08.2012
611252
Los Angeles Kings
Three is magic number for Kings
By The Associated Press
The Caps added two more goals in the second period, the first coming on a
shorthander off a Chimera rebound at 1:01. Ovechkin later snapped a 45footer past Clemmensen for his 22nd goal.
Dineen called a timeout, possibly to ponder replacing Clemmensen with
rookie Brian Foster or perhaps goalie coach Robb Tallas.
Instead, he didn't make a move, similar to his players in a must-win game.
"I don't think anybody on that side of the ice feels sorry for us,'' Dineen said.
"This is NHL hockey, the best league in the world and understand when you
take a good tail-kicking, recognize it, accept it and say, 'how could we be
better the next time?' ''
TAMPA, Fla. - The Kings are nearly unbeatable when scoring at least three
goals. Too bad for them it has happened only 16 times this season.
Kyle Clifford and Dustin Penner had second-period goals to lead the Kings
past the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who are 15-0-1 when scoring three
goals or more. Jonathan Quick, who entered with a 2-0-0 record and 0.38
goals-against average in three games against Tampa Bay, made 24 saves.
"Usually when we do get three we're pretty safe with (Quick) back there,
obviously," Kopitar said. "He kept us in the game in the first period.
"That's all you want from your goaltender."
After withstanding pressure in the defensive end, the Kings took a 2-1 lead
when Clifford scored on a breakaway off a long pass by Rob Scuderi at
10:16. The goal came 8 seconds after Clifford finished serving a roughing
minor.
"We have to be aware of the guy coming out of the box," Lightning coach
Guy Boucher said. "We didn't make many mistakes, but it almost seemed
that every single one that we made cost us."
Penner made it 3-1 from the slot with 2:14 left in the period.
Steven Stamkos got his NHL-leading 35th goal on his 22nd birthday for the
Lightning, who are 6-1-1 in their past eight games.
Stamkos tied it at 1 from the low slot off a pass from Teddy Purcell during a
2-on-1 at 7:49 of the second. The center now has scored at
After giving up two goals in as many attempts in Saturday's 2-1 shootout
loss at Dallas, Backstrom fell to 15-28 all-time in shootouts with a .563 save
percentage. He has given up 12 goals on 22 shots this season and has a 34 record. Josh Harding is 7-6 all-time with a .690 save percentage. He has
given up three goals on 10 shots this season and is 2-2.
The coaches have debated replacing Backstrom with Harding in shootouts.
Asked if that's risky because it might shake Backstrom's confidence, Mason
said: "If we ever try that, they're going to know before the game happens.
It's not like he would look at the bench and Hards is getting his gear on."
But Mason said the Wild is not at that point.
"We're trying to get him better through practice work, video work and
technique," Mason said of Backstrom. "He gets impatient in shootouts. Let
the shooter make the first move and react to that. We'll just keep working on
it because we need to get some wins in those things."
Koivu back Thursday?
least one goal against all 29 opposing teams he has faced.
Wild captain Mikko Koivu is getting close to a return from a shoulder injury,
but he missed his eighth game in a row in Tuesday's 3-1 loss at Columbus.
Kopitar put the Kings up 1-0 when he beat Dwayne Roloson on an in-close
deflection 2:47 into the game. The Kings have just 24 first-period goals this
season and have led entering the second 12 times.
"He wants to play, but he needs a couple more days," coach Mike Yeo said.
"We're fairly confident that Thursday [against Vancouver] could be a good
target date for us, so we'll keep our fingers crossed."
"Their goaltender stands on his head," Boucher said. "That's the story of
their team. I know they're looking for more scoring, but the reality is they've
been winning their games 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, and they're having a party."
Setoguchi on third line
The Kings were coming off road losses at St. Louis and Carolina in which
they were outscored 3-1.
"Guys are really bearing down, and as a team we want to score more
goals," Clifford said. "Our goaltenders and our defensive game have really
kept us in most games, and we just want to try to improve on our offensive
game. So we're just trying to bury as many chances as we can."
With two goals in 11 games since returning from a knee injury Jan. 4, Devin
Setoguchi was knocked to the third line with Darroll Powe and Erik
Christensen Tuesday. That line went minus-2.
Yeo said Setoguchi is pressing.
"You end up circling, you start to anticipate a little bit too much, and next
thing you know you find yourself behind the play a lot," Yeo said. "You start
moving out into the high slot hoping that somebody's going to find you open
for that one-time opportunity instead of getting to the net where those goals
are going to come from."
Stamkos had a pair of good scoring opportunities stopped by Quick during
the first. Martin St. Louis, who had his nine-game point streak end (six
goals, 16 points), just missed scoring on a late-second backhander.
Gillies thankful
"I thought we had some chances," Stamkos said. "We knew it was going to
be a tight-checking game, and that's what it was."
Colton Gillies was relegated to fourth-line duty this season with the Wild.
Claimed off waivers by Columbus on Jan. 18, the 2007 first-round draft pick
faced the Wild on a line with scorers Jeff Carter and Vaclav Prospal.
Also ...
Kings center Mike Richards stopped a personal eight-game point drought
by assisting on Penner's goal. ... It was the Kings' first game at Tampa Bay
since a 2-1 shootout victory on Nov. 14, 2009. ... Kings defenseman Matt
Greene assisted on Kopitar's goal for his first assist in 29 games. ...
Stamkos got a shaving cream pie in the face from his teammates during the
morning skate. ... Tampa Bay defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron (back)
and right wing Adam Hall (left biceps) were back after missing nine games
and 12 games, respectively.
LA Daily News: LOADED: 02.08.2012
611253
Minnesota Wild
Goalie coach seeking solution to Backstrom's shootout woes
"I'm so thankful for this opportunity to get ice time and play," said Gillies,
who assisted on Carter's third-period goal. "It's just so much more fun when
you get to play and get in a rhythm."
Former Wild coach Todd Richards, now the Blue Jackets interim coach,
coached Gillies for only seven games in Minnesota. But in summer camps,
"you get a good read on their character, and to me, Colton is just that,"
Richards said. "Character kid. He's not perfect, but he works extremely
hard, and usually the work ethic will make up for a lot of the deficiencies."
Etc.
• Wild winger Brad Staubitz and defenseman Mike Lundin were scratched.
Enforcer Matt Kassian re-entered the lineup. Defenseman Clayton Stoner
(lower body) didn't travel.
Star Tribune LOADED: 02.08.2012
611254
Minnesota Wild
MICHAEL RUSSO
Mikko Koivu won't return tonight
COLUMBUS, OHIO - Bob Mason, Niklas Backstrom's goalie coach since
2006, is at a loss as to why the Wild goaltender can be so poised in games,
yet when it comes to shootouts, he's like a fish out of water.
Michael Russo
"We've tried everything," Mason said. "We've done video, verbal scouting
reports, watched video of him. Sometimes too much information is just too
much. Sometimes you're thinking a guy might do something and he
changes the book on you.
Morning from inside Nationwide Arena, where Mike Yeo's Wild visits Todd
Richards' Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at 6 p.m. CT.
"I think it's just reading and reacting, being patient. When he's patient, he's
a little bit tighter in the net, doesn't open up. He practices it a fair amount.
He rehearses it in his mind. His preparation is always good on everything. I
don't know. We really can't put a finger on why his numbers aren't better
than they are."
The game is on FSN PLUS, so go to foxsportsnorth.com to find out where
you can find FSN PLUS.
Niklas Backstrom vs. Curtis Sanford tonight.
No Mikko Koivu tonight. Yeo said he came very close to playing, but this
morning, it was decided "he's not quite ready yet but very, very close. He
wants to play, but he needs a couple more days. We're fairly confident that
Thursday [against Vancouver] could be a good target date for us, so we'll
keep our fingers crossed."
The Wild made adjustments to the power play, with Yeo saying you can
only pass it around the outside so much and sooner or later you've got to
take a shot. Matt Cullen and Marek Zidlicky will be on the No. 1 unit point,
and Jared Spurgeon and Nate Prosser will be on the point on the No. 2 unit.
Devin Setoguchi will be on the third line with Darroll Powe and Erik
Christensen. He's pressing bigtime, Yeo says they need him. He's scored
two goals in 11 games since getting back Jan. 4 -- two goals in his last 14
overall. He's scored 10 goals this season and is a minus-10.
Yeo said he wants Carson McMillan on the second line to give a different
look with Cullen and Cal Clutterbuck, and he wants Setoguchi on the third
line because Christensen can make plays. Also, when a player is
struggling, a lot of times coaches want that player to move to a blue-collar
line to get him working again.
"You need different guys to contribute," Yeo said.
On Setoguchi barely getting scoring chances, not going to the net and
stopping there, Yeo said, "That happens when you're pressing. You end up
circling, you start to anticipate a little bit too much, and next thing you know
you find yourself behind the play a lot. You start moving out into the high
slot hoping that somebody's going to find you open for that one-time
opportunity instead of getting to the net where those goals are going to
come from."
I'll have a lead note in tomorrow's paper on a conversation I had with goalie
coach Bob Mason regarding Backstrom's struggles in the shootout. This
has been a big topic since the Dallas loss and Mason was interesting on
Backstrom's struggles.
Matt Kassian in for Brad Staubitz. Mike Lundin scratched. Clayton Stoner
isn't on the trip.
Tonight will be the first time 2007 first-round pick Colton Gillies faces the
Wild since he was claimed off waivers by Columbus last month.
Gillies will play right wing on a line with Vinny Prospal and Jeff Carter. It'll
be his second game with that line, and remember, Gillies wasn't able to get
off the fourth line this year in Minnesota.
pucks, we’ve got to make it hard for him to move around, we’ve got to get
guys there for second and third opportunities. Two games against them, 76
shots, four goals and he’s been No. 1 star both games. And the team is
really committed to playing in front of him. They don’t make it easy in that
area of the ice, so we have to be doubly committed to get that area to make
it hard."
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Minnesota Wild
Fans can go Wild with new app
JEFF STRICKLER
Minnesota Wild fans who get hungry now have an iPhone app that lets
them order food without leaving their seats at the Xcel Energy Center. And
since your mother told you to always wash your hands before you eat, the
app also will point out the location of the nearest restroom.
The Wild launched a version of the service at the start of the season in
October, but that required users to connect to an in-building Wi-Fi server.
The iPhone update simplifies the procedure and adds new elements.
The food-ordering feature is the first of its kind in the National Hockey
League. Fans place their order via the phone and get a text message when
the food is ready to be picked up, which they do via a "bypass lane" that
circumvents the crowds gathered in front of the concession stands.
The time you save waiting in line can be put to use on some of the other
features, including instant replays that are not shown on the scoreboard or
on TV. The app also offers player and game information involving both the
Wild and their opponents.
"You can download the app from anywhere, but it will work only inside the
Xcel Center," said Alex Carey, spokesperson for AT&T, which installed the
system. The app can be downloaded for free at the iPhone App Store or at
www.itunes.com/appstore.
Richards, who only coached Gillies a handful of games over two years in
Minnesota, said he always got a sense of Gillies' work ethic and character
in summer camps and training camps.
611256
I may have a Gillies' note in tomorrow's paper, although I've got a ton of
Wild notes.
Game recap: Wild at Columbus
Richards, classy as always and a pro to the bitter end in Minnesota in terms
of refusing to throw anybody under the bus, is excited to coach against the
Wild tonight. He did so earlier this year twice as an assistant, but now he's
the interim head coach.
MICHAEL RUSSO
"I got a lot of repsect for a lot of people on the other side," Richards said.
"They're playing well right now. They went through a tough stretch. But a lot
of times when you go through those tough stretches, it makes you better as
a team. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’ll be fun. I’m guessing at the start
they’ll probably be a little more nerves than any other team that we’re
playing."
"It’s a different team. different head coach. I think it’s a similar identity, but
he’s dealing with issues over there that I had to at some point, but always
different situations."
Minnesota Wild
GAME RECAP
STAR TRIBUNE'S THREE STARS
1. David Savard, Columbus: Rookie defenseman had his first NHL goal and
first NHL multi-point game.
2. Derick Brassard, Columbus: Out of the doghouse under Todd Richards,
he had three hits, three takeaways and drew two penalties.
3. Curtis Sanford, Columbus: Goalie made 28 saves.
Speaking of which, I asked about the Marek Zidlicky situation and Zidlicky
publicly complaining about being scratched and Yeo's treatment of him.
Richards didn't want to go there.
By THE NUMBERS
"Just by reading it, Mike’s the head coach," Richards said. "He’s pulling a
lot of strings over there by the way that the team’s playing. It’s a situation
that is interesting to follow on the outside. ... As a coach, you’re always
interested to see how the coach handled it and how it turned out."
-12 Team-worst plus-minus for Devin Setoguchi (minus-2 Tuesday).
4 Minor penalties for Nick Schultz.
611257
Minnesota Wild
He is surprised Zidlicky has no goals.
"Because I know Zid and I know the type of player he is, he’s got a great
shot and great oiffensive instincts, and to have no goals is surprising," he
said.
Blue Jackets top Wild 3-1; Richards gets win against former team
On playing Backstrom tonight: "We have to do a good job in front of him.
We've got to create a lot of traffic, we’ve got to make it hard for him to see
Associated Press
MICHAEL RUSSO
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The game plan for the Columbus Blue Jackets was to
come out strong and get the win for Todd Richards in his first game as
coach against his former team.
It worked.
Rookie defenseman David Savard scored his first career goal and added an
assist to lift the Blue Jackets past the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Tuesday night.
"My message to them (after the game) was I will sleep pretty good tonight
and enjoy this one," said Richards, who is 4-7-1 for Columbus since taking
over for Scott Arniel on Jan. 9.
Richards was 77-71-16 with the Wild from 2009-11 before being fired last
April.
Antoine Vermette added a power-play goal and Jeff Carter scored his
second goal in as many games after missing 10 with a shoulder injury for
Columbus, which has a two-game winning streak for only the second time
this season.
"We wanted to come out with our best effort and get a big win," Carter said.
Curtis Sanford made 28 saves to improve to 10-12-4.
Nate Prosser scored his first career goal for Minnesota, and Niklas
Backstrom made 34 saves.
Wild coach Mike Yeo said the effort wasn't nearly good enough for a team
trying to stay in the playoff race.
COLUMBUS, OHIO - If you want to make people believe you're a playoff
contender rather than a pretender, you can't lose to the Columbus Blue
Jackets.
The Blue Jackets are dead last in the NHL by 11 points! Yet the Wild, after
five good games in a row, took a step back Tuesday night when it got
outworked and outclassed during a 3-1 loss at Nationwide Arena.
Only Niklas Backstrom's 34 saves kept the score from being totally onesided.
"We have to understand that we're playing playoff hockey right now," coach
Mike Yeo said. "And I don't think we played that game like that. You play
playoff hockey, you play like every play is the difference. There was too
much complacency in our game. We need desperation every shift by every
guy."
Since Dec. 13, the Wild and Blue Jackets are the two worst teams in the
NHL. The Wild is 5-13-5 (15 out of a possible 46 points); the Blue Jackets
7-15-2 (16 out of a possible 48).
But the Wild had revived its game since the All-Star break, going 3-1-1 by
getting pucks deep and executing structured forechecks. Against the Blue
Jackets, the Wild did none of that, so it never tired out Columbus, which
continually came with speed.
"We didn't get to the level we were at the last five games," Wild winger Cal
Clutterbuck said.
"The reality is that I don't think we deserved to win the game," he said. "It's
a game of one-on-one battles and they got the better of us — by a large
margin — in that department tonight."
Added Backstrom, "You think you're going in the right direction, and then I
don't know the reason we take one step back."
Columbus played physical from the outset and outshot Minnesota 14-7 in
the first period.
And, of course, it wouldn't be a Wild loss without the power play laying one
giant egg.
After Derek Dorsett had a thunderous check on Prosser behind the Wild
goal, the two fought at 7:10 of the period with Dorsett landing punch after
punch.
David Savard gave Columbus a 1-0 lead on his first NHL goal. Nate
Prosser, one day after signing his first one-way contract and 11 minutes
after getting into his first NHL fight, answered with his first NHL goal.
A bit later in the period, Savard scored with a shot from the point through
traffic past Backstrom at 8:59.
In the second period, the Wild showed flashes until Devin Setoguchi drew a
high-sticking penalty.
"You never know when it's going to happen," said the 21-year-old Savard,
who's played 18 career games. "The first one's done so hopefully there's
more to come."
The nerve of him, because power plays can't be declined. It's one thing
when your power play doesn't score over and over and over again.
Unfazed by the tussle with Dorsett, Prossser sent a one-timer past a
screened Sanford at 18:39 to tie it at 1-1.
In the second period, Sanford kicked away a hard Erik Christensen powerplay shot to keep the game even.
Vermette then made Columbus' next power play count, sliding in a
backhand from the slot for his seventh goal at 15:31 to make it 2-1.
"We made some nice passes, we had good net presence and that turned
out to be a big goal," Vermette said of his first in 11 games.
In the third period, Carter jammed home a rebound for his 12th goal at 5:38
to make it 3-1. Colton Gillies, recently claimed off waivers from Minnesota,
and Savard picked up the assists.
"I'm really happy with the way we finished the game," Richards said. "They
had a couple opportunities, (Sanford) stood strong and we were rewarded
with a goal and carried it home the rest of the way."
NOTES: Wild captain Mikko Koivu missed his eighth straight game due to a
shoulder injury. ... Christensen, acquired from the Rangers last week, made
his Minnesota debut, finishing with 11:21 of ice time and a minus-2 rating.
... Savard became the 29th player to score for Columbus this season, a
league high and a franchise record. ... The Wild's Nick Schultz was whistled
for four minor penalties.
611258
Minnesota Wild
Last-place Blue Jackets throttle Wild
It's another when it consistently -- like every single game -- ruins
momentum. It has reached the point where maybe teams pre-scout the
Wild that way: If the Wild's dominating 5-on-5, take a penalty, watch the
Wild trip all over itself on the power play and you're back in business.
"Nothing. Nothing there," Yeo said of an unsightly power play that he says
must outwork penalty kills because of a lack of skill without Mikko Koivu,
Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Latendresse.
The Blue Jackets' 30th-ranked penalty kill easily doused the Wild. Moments
later, Nick Schultz took one of his four penalties, and the league's 25thranked power play scored the go-ahead goal in seconds (Antoine
Vermette).
"Just in the box too much," Schultz said.
In the third period, no rally would occur after the Wild's third line, most
notably Setoguchi, got caught chasing. Savard threw a puck on net, Justin
Falk and Prosser couldn't clear Colton Gillies and Jeff Carter, and Carter
scored to make it 3-1.
"It's a game of 1-on-1 battles, and they got the better of us by a large
margin in that department," Yeo said.
The loss ended a stretch of 20 of 29 games on the road for the Wild, which
went 7-10-3 in those 20. In the past three, Minnesota went 1-1-1 with three
goals scored. The Wild now returns home, where it will play seven of its
next 10 and 18 of its final 29.
Yeo said the Wild can't just "settle on that fact, because nobody's going to
give us anything. They don't care. We need to make it really hard on
teams."
Added Clutterbuck, "It wasn't good enough tonight. There's only one way to
respond to it."
611259
Minnesota Wild
Wild report: Koivu scratched again but might play Thursday
By Ben Goessling
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Although center Mikko Koivu was unable to make his
return from a left shoulder injury Tuesday night, Wild coach Mike Yeo said
the team is shooting for Thursday's home game against Vancouver as a
better option to put the team captain back on the ice.
Koivu hasn't played since Jan. 14 and was scratched Tuesday after he
talked with the coaching staff and decided he wasn't ready to play. He
skated Tuesday morning, as he did Monday in St. Paul, but wasn't put on a
line for drills during either practice.
"He's not quite ready yet, but he's very, very close," Yeo said. "He wants to
play, but he needs a couple more days. We're fairly confident that Thursday
could be a good target date for us, so we'll keep our fingers crossed."
Setoguchi switches lines
Forward Devin Setoguchi, who has scored just twice since coming back
from a knee injury Jan. 4, got a new pair of linemates Tuesday night when
the Wild put him with Darroll Powe and Erik Christensen, moving Carson
McMillan to Setoguchi's old spot with Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Cullen.
Yeo shied away from calling the Setoguchi-Christensen-Powe combination
the Wild's third line. With Koivu out and Dany Heatley also on a different
line from what he's been on most of the season, Yeo had a point in saying
the Wild don't have a true first, second, third and fourth line at the moment.
But there's little question he made the move to try to coax something
different out of Setoguchi's game.
Setoguchi didn't
take a shot in Thursday's win over Colorado and has been firing many of his
attempts from low-percentage areas rather than getting to the net for a
rebound or a deflection.
"That happens when you're pressing," Yeo said. "You end up circling, you
start to anticipate a little bit too much, and next thing you know you find
yourself behind the play a lot. You start moving out into the high slot hoping
that somebody's going to find you open for that one-time opportunity
instead of getting to the net where those goals are going to come from."
The Setoguchi move was only one of a few changes meant to inject offense
into the lineup; Yeo put Cullen at the point on the first power-play unit with
Marek Zidlicky and used Nate Prosser and Jared Spurgeon on the second
unit. The Wild's 14.7 scoring percentage on the power play is the fifth
lowest in the league.
Stoner stays back
Defenseman Clayton Stoner, who left Thursday's game against Colorado
with a lower-body injury, didn't make the trip to Columbus. Zidlicky played
his second consecutive game, starting over Mike Lundin.
Pioneer Press LOADED: 02.08.2012
611260
Minnesota Wild
The Wild came into the game looking as if they had rediscovered a
blueprint for winning through a 3-1-1 stretch that included seven points
against teams chasing them for the final playoff spot in the Western
Conference. They left it having missed a chance to beat the worst team in
the league, and they reverted to some of the problems they mostly seemed
to have fixed.
Columbus outshot Minnesota 14-7 in the first period, playing with an edge
not typical of a last-place team. The Wild tied the score 1-1 late in the first
period on Nate Prosser's first career goal, but they never were able to
match the Blue Jackets' energy. And their defensemen, hurt by an
ineffective forecheck most of the night, took six of the penalties that gave
Columbus its seven power plays. Nick Schultz took four of those penalties
by himself.
"It's tough to get energized when you've got your momentum going one
way, you turn the puck over and you've got to chase back," forward Cal
Clutterbuck said. "I think we've been feeding off the energy from playing our
game, creating chances, a structured forecheck,
good dumps (of the puck), stuff like that."
The Wild had little of that and spent much of the first and third periods either
trying to clear the puck from their zone or killing penalties. When they did
get a power play, the reconstructed unit did little, managing only three shots
on three power plays.
That's been a problem for the Wild all season, but Prosser scored his goal
in a 5-on-5 situation by doing what coach Mike Yeo has been asking from
the power play. When Justin Falk's pass missed
The Columbus Blue Jackets' Ryan Russell (25) carries the puck up ice
while followed by the Minnesota Wild's Darroll Powe (14) in the first period
at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on February 7, 2012. (Brooke
LaValley/Columbus Dispatch/MCT)
him, he let it come back to him off the boards, took a big windup and rifled a
slap shot through screens from Matt Cullen and Clutterbuck.
It was the type of sequence that should form the backbone of Minnesota's
power play - and it was the type of goal that should be harder to score at
even strength. But when the Wild drew penalties, they still weren't able to
turn them into anything.
"We each have to have that mentality a little bit more - getting pucks to the
middle of the ice," Prosser said. "My shot had eyes. It just got through a
bunch of screens. That's what happens - it's either going to go in the net or
be laying there for a rebound."
Minnesota has scored one goal in each of its past three games, and while
that was good enough to win against Colorado and send Saturday's game
against Dallas to overtime, it's not going to be enough to win on a regular
basis.
And after losing to the worst team in the league, the Wild now get to try to
put things back together against the one with the second-best mark in the
Western Conference. Vancouver comes to Xcel Energy Center on
Thursday night, kicking off a run of 18 home games in the final 29 contests
of the season.
That won't come with any assurance of victory, though. Just as there's no
guarantee when the Wild come into a game against a last-place team,
seemingly full of momentum.
"There was too much complacency in our game," Yeo said. "We need
desperation every shift, by every guy, and they had more than us tonight."
Nate Prosser scores first NHL goal, but Wild lose to lowly Blue Jackets
611261
Minnesota Wild
By Ben Goessling
Blue Jackets 3, Wild 1: Minnesota falls to NHL's worst team
COLUMBUS, Ohio - If, at the end of the season, the Wild are preparing for
their first playoff series since 2007-08, this one won't matter so much. It will
just be one data point in a set of 82, another moving average on the chart of
a team whose stock seems prone to big swings.
But if they're sitting at home in April? Oh, how Tuesday night's 3-1 loss to
the Columbus Blue Jackets will hurt.
Ben Goessling
RECAP: The Wild were outshot 14-7 in the first period, and though they
ended the period tied after Nate Prosser's first career goal, they couldn't
make anything of a 13-9 shot advantage and two power-play chances in the
second period. The result was a loss to the NHL's worst team Tuesday
night in Columbus.
Minnesota had just three shots on three power-play attempts and gave up a
power play goal of its own in the second period. The Wild took four
penalties in the third period, and the game went out of reach when Jeff
Carter banged home a loose puck with 14:22 to go.
MEANING: At the end of a 13-game stretch in which they played away from
the Xcel Energy Center 10 times, the Wild saved one of their worst road
efforts for last.
ETC.: Colton Gillies, who was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jackets on
Jan. 14, had an assist on Columbus' third goal. He has three points in nine
games with the Blue Jackets, after posting two in 37 with the Wild.
It appears that the Canadiens' plan is to keep Leblanc in Montreal for the
remainder of the season, but the Kirkland native said he isn’t taking
anything for granted.
“This is my second time up and my job is to play defensively and see what
happens from there,” said Leblanc. “It was nice to get the goal but we were
also on the ice for a goal.”
The win gave the Canadiens a modest two-game win streak and they made
a little bit of a move in the Eastern Conference standings. They slipped into
13th place. They are 10 points behind eighth-place Ottawa and they have
two games in hand on the Senators.
Montreal Gazette LOADED: 02.07.2012
611263
Montreal Canadiens
611262
Montreal Canadiens
In the Habs' Room: Plekanec line shut down Malkin, Cunneyworth says
By Pat Hickey,
MONTREAL - Tomas Plekanec scored the winning goal in the shootout, but
that wasn't his most important contribution to the Canadiens’ 3-2 win over
the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night.
Plekanec and his linemates, Travis Moen and Mathieu Darche, were
charged with checking the Evgeni Malkin line and they threw a blanket over
the National Hockey League’s scoring leader.
“That was a difficult assignment for them, particularly for Moen who was
coming back, but they did a good job and they created some chances of
their own,” said coach Randy Cunneyworth.
“It hasn’t been just one game for Tomas, he’s played well the last couple of
games,” added Cunneyworth.
Malkin did have an assist for his 62nd point of the season but the
Canadiens limited him to one shot on goal. He had two other shots blocked
and another shot went wide of the mark.
Canadiens beat Penguins in eighth round of shootout
By Pat Hickey,
The skinny: Tomas Plekanec scored in the eighth round of the shootout to
give the Canadiens a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night
at the Bell Centre. Lars Eller and Louis Leblanc scored the Canadiens goals
while Pascal Dupuis and James Neal scored for the Penguins.
Louis, Louis: Rookie Leblanc snapped a 0-0 deadlock when he scored at
11:21 of the second period. Leblanc gloved a pass from Andrei Kostitsyn
and found a hole between Marc-Andre Fleury’s glove and the near post. It
was the third goal of the season for the 2009 first-round draft choice.
Get the puck to the net: That’s what Eller did and he was rewarded when
his harmless-looking shot from the point found the far post against Fleury to
give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead at 3:00 of the third period.
P.K. to the rescue: Defenceman P.K. Subban showed his skills as a
goaltender while killing a penalty in the second period. Carey Price went out
of his net to clear a puck and fell as he scrambled back to the crease but
Subban was in front of the net to block a shot from Evgeni Malkin. The
Canadiens came close to scoring when Alexei Emelin took the loose puck
and found Tomas Plekanec coming out of the penalty box. Fleury made the
save on the breakaway.
“That’s my job,” said Plekanec, who routinely draws the tough defensive
assignments while also contributing to the No. 1 penalty-killing unit in the
NHL. He led all players with six shots but noted: “I think four of them came
on the PK.”
Malkin gets a helper: The Canadiens did a good job of limiting Malkin’s
chances but the NHL’s leading scorer picked up an assist when Neal tied
the game at 2-2 with his 28th goal of the season at 7:32 of the third period.
It was only the second win in nine shootout games for the Canadiens and it
took eight rounds to reach a decision. Rene Bourque and Latrs Eller also
scored in the shootout for the Canadiens while Malkin and Chris Kunitz
replied for the Penguins.
Caught short: Pascal Dupuis scored a shorthanded goal as the Canadiens’
power play continued to struggle, going 0-for-3. The penalty killers were
superb as usual with the Penguins going 0-for-3 when they had the
advantage.
“There are two things which lead to success in the shootouts,” said
Cunneyworth. “You have to score some goals and you need the goalie to
make some stops and we had that tonight.”
Moen returns: The tipoff came Monday when the Canadiens returned Aaron
Palushaj to Hamilton. While Travis Moen was wearing a no-contact jersey
during the morning skate, he returned to the Canadiens lineup after missing
five games with an upper-body injury.
Malkin scored the most entertaining goal in the shootout when he beat
Price with a spin. The goalie got a piece of it but not enough.
Plekanec was more straight-forward with his game winner.
“Every time I’m in that situation, I have a plan on what I want to do but I
usually change it,” said Plekanec. “Tonight, I was going for the glove side
and I stayed with it and I scored with a shot off the post."
It wasn’t the only Canadiens goal that went off the post. Eller gave the
Canadiens a 2-1 lead early in the third period when he surprised MarcAndré Fleury with a harmless-looking shot from the point.
Strong comeback for White: Ryan White, who has been out all season
following surgery for a sports hernia, was sent to Hamilton on a conditioning
assignment and he made a statement in his first game with the Bulldogs.
He scored both goals in a 4-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage Tuesday in
a rare morning game attended by school children.
What’s next: The Canadiens will be looking for the their third consecutive
win Thursday when they travel to New York to face the Islanders. Then it’s
on to Toronto for a Saturday night clash with the Maple Leafs.
“Goalies like to cheat a little bit in that situation,” Eller said. “I saw him move
over to take the short side away and I tried to get it to the far post. It hit the
post and went in.”
611264
Montreal Canadiens
It was a good night for the Canadiens’ youngsters as rookie Louis Leblanc
opened the scoring. Cunneyworth has said that he wants to give Leblanc a
chance to play more and be more creative. Leblanc was on the ice for a
season-high 15:16 and he managed four shots on goal.
Red Fisher: Habs' win over Penguins is too little, too late
By Red Fisher,
MONTREAL - The Pittsburgh Penguins merit admiration from all of us for
what they bring to the ice despite the adversity they have faced most of the
season and the last half of 2010-11.
MONTREAL - “All I saw were black pants,” Canadiens goaltender Carey
Price said following his team’s 3-2 eight-round shootout win Tuesday at the
Bell Centre. “He stuck his butt in my face and I didn’t see much after that.”
How, for example, is a team supposed to remain among the NHL’s best
without the world’s best player?
The impolite opponent was Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, who
pulled from Lars Eller’s fancy playbook an electrifying spinarama move the
Canadiens centreman had used to score in a game last month.
You know all about Sidney Crosby playing in only eight games during the
past 12-plus months. Or Jordan Staal missing the past 15 games because
of a knee injury
No. Crosby. No Staal. So while the No. 5 ranked Penguins came into the
Bell 15 points ahead of the Canadiens, it’s no great surprise they left with
the sting of a 3-2 shootout loss to the Canadiens that went to eight rounds
before Tomas Plekanec got the winner.
“It’s all about pride,” Randy Cunneyworth was to mention after the game.
“Teams always want to beat the best teams, and the Penguins are one of
the best.”
You should know there was little to choose between the teams on this night.
The same can be said about Carey Price and Marc-André Fleury –
particularly in the first period when the Penguins outshot the Canadiens 1110.
It’s a period, by the way, which is unlikely to be retained among their
treasured memories by either team. From the Canadiens’ standpoint, they
were at their best in containing Evgeni Malkin, who wasn’t even allowed a
shot in the first 20 minutes and only one in the entire game.
But Price made four saves in the shootout while allowing two goals and
benefiting from two struck goal posts to lift the Canadiens over the
Penguins, shrugging a bit of a monkey off his back in the process.
The Habs goalie came into the game with a 1-6 shootout record this
season, having made seven saves on 17 shots for .412 save percentage.
On Tuesday, the Canadiens twice gave away one-goal leads, Pittsburgh
outshooting Montreal 34-30 through 65 minutes before the game went to
the breakaway contest.
Penguins goalie Marc-André Fleury played a strong game for the visitors,
but was beaten by Rene Bourque, Eller and Tomas Plekanec in the
shootout. Price was solved only by Malkin and Chris Kunitz.
“Thank God. It’s about time,” Price said, sighing deeply about the shootout
victory. “Flower (Fleury) was playing well. He made some big saves. But we
pulled out some moves we’ve been using in practice for awhile and they
worked.
“The guys stuck to it even though we gave up a couple leads. We didn’t get
down ourselves. I thought tonight was a real positive.”
On the other hand, the highlight of the second period also involved Malkin
when Price left his net midway through it to clear a puck, only to fall in the
process and provide the NHL’s points leader with an empty net.
The last we’d seen Price in a shootout was in Ottawa on Jan. 28 during
NHL all-star weekend, when he had a microphone in his mask and did CBC
play-by-play as the contest progressed.
Malkin, who has 16 goals on the road, had a sure thing for his 17th until,
that is, P.K. Subban slid along the ice to deflect the puck out of danger.
“I didn’t have somebody else in my head tonight,” he said, laughing. “I had
myself in my head.”
While Price was going about the business of holding off the Penguins, Louis
Leblanc made it look easy beating Fleury with his third goal of the season in
the 12th minute of the period.
What made Tuesday’s game easier than most shootouts, Price suggested,
was the fact that Canadiens were scoring at the other end, a rarity this
season.
It was the start of what was to develop into an entertaining last half of an
important game for both teams. However, what’s truly important for the
Canadiens is that they skated off with two well-earned points while several
others they were chasing – Florida, Ottawa, Tampa the Maple Leafs – were
losing in regulation.
“Our guys were pumping it in the back of the net,” he said. “It started with
Bourque and ended with Pleky. That gives me confidence.”
The Canadiens have made a career of blowing leads in the third period this
season, and Tuesday was no exception. For example, the Penguins got a
shorthanded tying goal from Pascal Dupuis 1:03 into the third period when
a Joe Vitale shot from the corner sliced off his skate beyond a startled
Price.
However, not to worry because fewer than two minutes later, Fleury also
was left startled when he allowed a goal by Lars Eller from a position inside
the blue line and along the boards to Fleury’s right. Furthermore, Eller was
being bothered by a Pittsburgh defender at the time.
Malkin took the Penguins’ second shot. His abrupt stop, followed by a tight
spin and his jamming the puck past a sprawling Price, came dangerously
close to being illegal, his momentum almost stopping completely.
“I’m not going to argue (with the referee),” Price said. “But it’s kind of a grey
area we might have to look at. Either they take away that move or the nomomentum rule, one or the other. It can’t be both.”
The shootout, the goalie said, is a combination of technique and reaction.
You can practice all you like, but you can’t bank on a shooter doing
anything predictable and have to be ready with a Plan B when the skater
moves.
Not to worry, though.
“A lot has to do with timing,” Price said. “Once the player decides to make a
move, it’s reaction.
James Neal got his 28th of the season in the eighth minute, with Malkin
assisting on the play – and from that point onward it came down to a matter
of each team allowing three shots in the overtime and Price bringing it
home in The Gimmick’s marathon.
“At this point in the season, you play like you’ve got nothing to lose. You
just play and let your instincts take over. The two-pad-stack save (on
Pittsburgh’s sixth attempt by Steve Sullivan) is something I don’t normally
do. It’s just pure will to keep the puck out of the net.”
Is this victory likely to put something of a shine on the Canadiens’ hope of
making a bid for the playoffs?
Price had some divine assistance, too, looking up past the rafters when
Pascal Dupuis banked his shootout attempt, the Penguins’ seventh, off a
goal post.
The problem is that even these two welcome points are too little, too late –
unless, that is, you believe in miracles.
“I thanked the big man upstairs for that one,” he said.
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Montreal Canadiens
Earlier, Price had enjoyed the support of his good friend P.K. Subban, the
defenceman making a terrific second-period save on Malkin when the
goalie was caught out of position.
"It's about time," Carey Price says of shootout win
“His five-hole looked pretty big,” Price joked in critique of Subban’s style. “I
tripped on one of our players and (Subban) was the last man standing. I’ll
let him put on the pads and I’ll shoot a couple at his head and see how he
likes it. …
By Dave Stubbs,
“We’ve got to keep it positive. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. We kept
a positive attitude tonight when things got hazy.”
And then Price looked at the inspirational passage on the dressing-room
wall and read it slowly through a grin as though the words were his own:
“Positive attitude is a powerful force that can’t be stopped,” he said to gales
of laughter.
Entirely true, for one night at least.
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Montreal Canadiens
"You’re Max Pacioretty. My son’s just come out of a coma, can you come
and meet him?"
By Dave Stubbs,
MONTREAL - Katia Pacioretty was in the Bell Centre wives’ lounge late
Saturday afternoon, awaiting her husband, Max, following the Canadiens’
loss to the Washington Capitals.
Pacioretty’s goal is to raise $3.5 million to buy a functional magnetic
resonance imaging unit for the Montreal General. The MRI machine will be
used by the hospital’s Traumatic Brain Injury Centre to diagnose
concussions and brain-trauma injuries in those from every walk of life.
Friday’s charity auction at Le Windsor was Pacioretty’s first fundraising
effort, a glittering, high-profile way to lift the curtain. He shared the marquee
with larger-than-life Tretiak, who has been tending to the health and welfare
of needy children in his native Russia for more than 15 years. Much of
Tretiak’s work involves purchasing incubators for prematurely born infants
and bringing North American doctors overseas for specialized surgeries.
From 6 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Pacioretty glided among more than 600 guests
in the magnificent, overflowing hall without a missed step, as silky as the
bow tie that punctuated his black tux.
He had been needlessly nervous, for days, about addressing the large
gathering; he spoke wonderfully, welcoming a friendly throng for an evening
that raised $110,000 for the Pacioretty and Tretiak foundations.
On a list of the most important things in life, the result of a single hockey
game wasn’t right at the top.
Canadiens owner Geoff Molson and chief operating officer Kevin Gilmore
were on hand to lend their support, as were a number of Pacioretty’s
teammates – goalie Peter Budaj, forward Lars Eller and defencemen Hal
Gill, P.K. Subban, Raphael Diaz, Yannick Weber and Chris Campoli.
The previous evening, the young couple had been bathing in a large portion
of the spotlight at a gala downtown auction to benefit Pacioretty’s charitable
foundation and that of Russian goaltending icon Vladislav Tretiak.
Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, with an entrance that would have put a
rock star to shame, also took part, as did fellow Washington forward and
former Canadien Jeff Halpern.
If Katia was still exhausted from the event, she was hiding her fatigue well.
And now she was considering how a teenage boy, a patient at the Montreal
General 11 months ago during her then-fiancé’s hospitalization with a
fractured vertebra and severe concussion, had forever changed the
Paciorettys’ outlook on life.
“It all took more energy than I expected,” Pacioretty admitted. “It was tiring,
but I think I got to meet pretty much every person there. I couldn’t believe
how many said thank you for giving back to the city and helping us out.
Ultimately that’s my goal and I’m glad people realize that.
“He’d been in a coma for three weeks,” Katia said of the teen, who had
been critically injured in a car accident. “His parents believed he wasn’t
going to walk or talk again. And then he woke up. I think it was a miracle.
“Max and I were in a lounge when the boy’s father came in and said,
‘You’re Max Pacioretty. My son’s just come out of a coma, can you come
and meet him?’ ”
Pacioretty quickly returned to his room and gathered up his Canadiens
sweats and a few other team items as gifts. When he arrived at the boy’s
room, he discovered a huge fan, Habs souvenirs everywhere.
“He couldn’t talk, he was connected to the biggest tube,” Katia recalled of
the teen. “He’d just awakened from a coma and now we walk in. Max put all
the stuff on the bed and said, ‘Hey, buddy, I’m Max Pacioretty.’
“The boy opened his eyes and just said, ‘Oh, crap.’ Everyone started crying
– nurses, his parents, us. It was amazing.”
But Pacioretty would truly be stunned eight months later, at the Canadiens’
annual blood-donor clinic at Windsor Station.
“The boy from the hospital came (walking into) the clinic wearing a
Pacioretty jersey,” Max said, picking up the story upon his arrival in the
arena’s wives’ lounge. “I was almost in a fog. I couldn’t believe it. It was
something that people make movies about.”
“I have a lot of good memories from the event,” he added. “Obviously, there
were a lot of people there I look up to, star hockey players who’ll be
remembered forever, so it was an honour for me to be there.”
Of course, Katia was enormously proud of her husband.
“We wanted the auction to go well and make sure everyone was happy,”
she said. “I think Max did a fantastic job. For literally four hours, he walked
around and met every person there.”
Pacioretty’s recovery from critical injury last March to enjoy a career-best
year has been one of the Canadiens’ few uplifting stories this season.
But at day’s end, the player is heartened by something he has experienced
not on the ice, but off.
“I took five minutes in the hospital to see a boy just out of a coma and now
he’s a fan of mine, wearing my jersey,” Pacioretty said. “It’s hard to find
words to say what that means to me. When things get hard in hockey, I just
think about what that boy has gone through.”
To contribute to the Max Pacioretty Foundation, visit mghfoundation.com or
call 514-934-8230. For more on the Vladislav Tretiak Foundation, call 905275-2800.
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Montreal Canadiens
Pacioretty was in the hospital only a few days last March, but his life and
that of Katia were profoundly touched by the people they met and the
remarkable courage they witnessed.
About last night …
“We met so many people,” Katia said. “It’s why Max and I always say you
can’t judge anyone until you know what they’re going through. Seeing those
parents, their son in a coma for weeks ...”
By Mike Boone
She smiled about a 90-year-old woman who was terrified of needles and
would allow an injection only if Max, not yet 23, would hold her hand. He
did.
“The lady’s daughter told me, ‘If you’re not careful, my mother will steal Max
from you,’ ” Katia said, laughing.
“The whole hospital experience was such an eye-opener. It’s made us
appreciate things in ways we can’t explain. We never before took anything
for granted, but this just made it 100 times more so.”
It’s because of all the couple saw in the hospital, and for the care Pacioretty
received, that they are giving back, the popular Canadiens forward having
last autumn launched a foundation that bears his name.
Is there hope?
Nah, there’s no hope.
Your Montreal Canadiens are in 13th place. They’re 10 points out of eighth,
with four teams between them and a playoff spot.
But two wins in a row at the Bell Centre – both the result of hard-working
hockey – are better than the dispiriting losses that landed the team in this
late-season pickle.
“At this point of the season,” Carey Price said, “you just play like you got
nothing to lose.”
And like Dylan wrote, “when you ain’t got nothin’, you got nothin’ to lose.”
But your Canadiens aren’t in the ain’t-got-nothin’ category. The team has
some good young talent, and there are veterans who can help contenders.
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Montreal Canadiens
Preseason greed hurts Canadiens
In which category would you place Tomas Plekanec?
Coming off his best game of 2012 in Sunday’s win over Winnipeg, Plekanec
found himself with new linemates at the opening faceoff against Penguins:
Travis Moen and Mathieu Darche.
By PAT HICKEY,
It was a bit of a pressbox head scratcher, but Randy Cunneyworth’s
strategy revealed itself as the first period unfolded. The coach wanted his
best defensive centre and two disciplined, physical wingers to contain
Pittsburgh’s best line: Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Chris Kunitz.
While the Canadiens are clinging to a slim chance of earning a playoff berth
in the Eastern Conference, there is plenty of work to be done off the ice.
Neal scored the Penguins’ second goal. And Plekanec was minus-2 on the
game.
The ownership group has to make decisions on the futures of general
manager Pierre Gauthier and interim head coach Randy Cunneyworth
beyond this season.
But Pleks played 23:54 (eight seconds more than against the Jets),
matching Malkin’s 23:34. And he held the Pittsburgh superstar to one shot
on goal.
“We played a unit of five against that line,” Mathieu Darche said, alluding to
the Pleks line supported by Josh Gorges and P.K. Subban on the back end.
“With Sid out, Malkin is the best player in the NHL. He likes to cut across
the blueline, and that’s something we tried to take away.”
Mission accomplished. And as an added bonus, P.K. got into Malkin’s grille
and under the Russian’s skin at the end of overtime.
“This is why they can’t trade Plekanec,” Patrick V. Hickey said as we looked
over the stat sheet. “He held Malkin to one shot.”
Plekanec had six shots – a season high – of his own, but four were on the
penalty-kill. He scored the winning goal in the shootout. He has been
excellent against Washington and Pittsburgh, and Pleks’s play has
doubtless caught the attention of the keen-eyed hockey men who fill the pro
scouts’ section of the press gallery at this time of the season.
Maybe Pierre Gauthier is hearing some offers. And maybe packaging
Plekanec with an Andrei Kostitsyn could bring something interesting in
return.
Trade rumours will continue to swirl – the names you hear are Hal Gill,
Travis Moen and Chris Campoli – unless the Canadiens start some sort of
miracle run.
Which is still possible. They need about 41 points in their last 28 regularseason games, and 19-6-3 would do it.
If the Canadiens snatch road wins on the Island Thursday and at the ACC
Saturday night … hey, start printing up those “You Gotta Believe!” teeshirts.
At the risk of bumming out certain segments of the Commentariat, I don’t
believe.
My fondest hope, as a journalist who is way too much of a fan, is to see the
Canadiens play the role of tough-to-beat spoilers and, in the process, learn
who is going to be helpful next season.
Like Louis Leblanc.
The kid should sublet his apartment in Hamilton. The effort we saw against
Pittsburgh – on a high-energy line with Lars Eller and Rene Bourque – led
me to suspect Leblanc has played his last game in the AHL … although he
may go down to bolster the Bulldogs in their playoffs once the Canadiens
are done.
There are deals to be considered between now and the trading deadline.
Amateur scouting might take on a greater importance with the Canadiens
looking at what could be their highest draft pick since they selected Carey
Price fifth overall in 2005.
There will be decisions on unrestricted free agents like Travis Moen and
Andrei Kostitsyn if they survive the trade deadline.
And the Canadiens will have to figure the length and value of the contracts
for unrestricted free agents like Price and defencemen P.K. Subban,
Raphael Diaz and Alexei Emelin.
But there's one other discussion that should be taking place, and that's an
examination of how the franchise approaches training camp and exhibition
games.
Ask the players about this disappointing season and they will talk about
never recovering from a slow start. The Canadiens lost seven of their first
eight games, and you can blame it on a training camp that's more about
corporate greed than preparing a team for high-level competition.
In a policy that predates the current ownership, the Canadiens routinely
schedule five preseason games at home. Throw in some road games and
the Canadiens cram eight or nine exhibition games into less than two
weeks. Before the current season, the Canadiens had three days of
practice to open camp and then played six games in seven nights.
While the Canadiens went into camp with a good idea of who was going to
be on the opening-night roster, there were more than 50 bodies at camp,
and many of them were cannon fodder to help the team get through the
busy preseason schedule.
At a time when the Canadiens should have been working newcomers like
Diaz, Emelin and Erik Cole into the lineup, they were using lineups filled
with American Hockey League and junior players while charging fans
regular-season prices. Season-ticket holders are required to buy all five
exhibition games as part of their package, and somehow the team finds
enough suckers to buy the remaining tickets in what can only be described
as a blatant cash grab.
The Canadiens didn't put an NHL lineup on the ice until the final exhibition
game against Tampa Bay on Oct. 1 in Quebec City. That left the team with
three days to work on bonding and fine-tuning areas like the power play
before opening the regular season in Toronto.
Going forward, the Canadiens should treat training camp as a preparation
for the season and not as a profit centre. The formula is simple: Play fewer
exhibition games, cut the roster down to a manageable number early in the
camp and spend more time practising.
Cunneyworth praised Leblanc‘s skill and work ethic. The kid is not the most
swift-footed or elegant homeboy to ever lace up in Montreal, but Leblanc is
smart and surprisingly tough. He is a battler, and he’s going to help the
Canadiens for a long time.
This will make the coaches' jobs easier, it will leave the players better
prepared, and the fans won't be complaining about one or two fewer
meaningless games, particularly if it means they can save their money for
playoff tickets.
As will Price, Subban, Eller, Emelin … the usual suspects.
What’s important – from now until whenever the Canadiens’ season ends –
is for the young players to learn how to play with pride and professionalism,
regardless of where the team sits in the standings.
611269
The Canadiens must be as they say in baseball, a tough out.
Nashville Predators fall to Vancouver Canucks in shootout
Nashville Predators
And as Yogi Berra famously said, it ain’t over till it’s over.
Josh Cooper
Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne stared down the ice for most of
Tuesday’s game and saw Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo make save after
save.
It forced Rinne to boost his own game in a personal match of “Can you top
this?”
Unfortunately for Rinne and the Predators, Luongo made just enough stops
in Vancouver’s 4-3 shootout win in front of an announced crowd of 16,232
at Bridgestone Arena.
The loss snapped Rinne’s 11-game winning streak and dropped the
Predators (32-17-5) to 2-1-1 since the All-Star break. Nashville still picked
up a point, though, and now has 69 total on the season.
Rinne made 28 saves on 31 shots in regulation and overtime. Luongo made
37 stops on 40 Nashville shots.
“They both battled for pucks and made some great saves,” Predators
Coach Barry Trotz said of the goaltenders, who were both finalists for the
Vezina Trophy last season. “They were both testing each other, and
showing off to each other. Like, ‘I make one, you make one, and go from
there.’ ”
The Predators sent a barrage of shots at Luongo in the first period — 16
total — but he turned away all but one, leaving the Predators frustrated and
down 3-1.
“In the first period, we were all over them, and he only allowed one,”
forward Patric Hornqvist said.
After Luongo let in two goals to tie it just 5:16 into the second, both goalies
settled into a rhythm, matching each other save for save. None might have
been bigger than Luongo’s stop on forward Colin Wilson, however.
Midway through the second period, defenseman Roman Josi passed the
puck to Wilson, who was waiting in the slot. Luongo was scrambling, and
Wilson fired a wrist shot into the open net. Luongo found his footing in time
to get what looked like his glove, pad and toe on the puck. If Wilson had
scored, Nashville would have gotten its first lead of the game at 4-3.
Smithson in: Forward Jerred Smithson was back in the lineup to give the
Predators a boost on faceoffs.
He didn’t disappoint, winning seven of his eight chances.
“I really felt tonight that the draw, starting with the puck, was really
important, especially in our own end,” Trotz said.
Smithson had won 55.6 percent of his faceoffs coming into the game.
Kesler again: The Predators’ old playoff nemesis, Ryan Kesler, picked up
where he left off at Bridgestone Arena by scoring a goal. Including the
postseason, Kesler has nine points in his past four games in Nashville.
Home trip: Former Predator Alex Sulzer is on the best road trip of the
season. The reason? He gets to sleep in his own bed.
Sulzer, who was drafted by the Predators in 2003 and played 53 games
with the team in parts of three NHL seasons, signed with Vancouver during
the summer. The Predators had traded Sulzer to Florida last season to
make room for some of their younger players.
But he still maintains a home in Nashville.
“To come home and not feel like I’m on the road, it makes it a lot easier,”
Sulzer said.
Although he has played just 12 games this season, Sulzer said he has no
regrets about signing with Vancouver.
Tennessean LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Nashville Predators
Predators get to shootout, can't get past Canucks
By David Boclair
Barry Trotz called it a “game changing-type of save” by Roberto Luongo.
Tennessean LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Nashville Predators
Shootout goes six rounds
Josh Cooper
Predators Coach Barry Trotz doesn’t enjoy watching shootouts. He always
looks at the crowd instead.
On Tuesday, he had to stare in the stands for quite a while. The shootout
went to six rounds before the Canucks’ Alex Edler ended it by scoring
between the legs of goaltender Pekka Rinne for a 4-3 Vancouver victory.
Rinne allowed two scores, the other coming to Alex Burrows on a
backhand. Nashville scored once, on a backhand attempt by David
Legwand.
“It’s goalie against a shooter, and we both have a chance,” Rinne said. “I
wasn’t happy with those two goals I gave up.”
The loss dropped the Predators to 3-2 in shootouts this season.
Power outage: It’s not that Nashville’s power play didn’t get a lot of
chances. After all, the Predators fired 11 shots on goal with the man
advantage.
But in a matchup of the NHL’s top two power plays, Vancouver bested the
Predators, going 1-for-1 to Nashville’s 0-for-4. Since the All-Star break, the
Predators have just one power-play goal.
Trotz said Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was the main reason why
the Predators couldn’t slip a power-play goal into the net.
“Your best penalty killer is always your goaltender,” he said.
Actually, when the Vancouver Canucks goalie threw his legs in the air to his
left and stopped a shot by Colin Wilson in the midst of a scrambled play
around the Canucks’ net, he helped guarantee that this contest would be no
different than a lot of others the 2011 Western Conference champions had
played recently.
At that time, roughly 9:30 to play in the second period, the Nashville
Predators already had overcome a two-goal deficit and pulled even. They
were near the end of a power play, and that save in particular kept the
score right where it was and where it stayed all the way through the end of
regulation.
So it was, that a highly anticipated matchup — the Canucks’ first visit to
Bridgestone Arena since last season’s playoffs — turned into just another
game for Vancouver, which had gone to overtime in each of its previous
four games and seven of its previous nine. In a shootout that featured six
skaters aside, the Predators finally fell 4-3 before a disappointed crowd of
16,232.
“I like the character that we showed against a very good team,” Trotz, the
Nashville coach, said. “They’re the [reigning] Western Conference
champions. They’re a good hockey team.
“I thought our second period we were outstanding. We had loads of
chances and — really — that huge, almost game changing-type of save by
Luongo … we’ll take the point. There’s no disgrace in that.”
Sergei Kostitsyn and Mike Fisher got it even when they scored 62 seconds
apart in the second, the latter just 5:16 into the period. That answered a pair
of goals by Vancouver’s Byron Bitz and Daniel Sedin 23 seconds apart in
the closing minutes of the first that made it 3-1.
Neither team scored the rest of the way but Nashville finished with a 40-31
advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in power play opportunities.
“They scored two shifts in a row — that had us hurting,” Nashville right wing
Patric Hornqvist said. “We talked before the second period and said, ‘Keep
going, we’re going good.’ … Then we scored almost two shifts in a row.
“For 60 minutes, I’m pretty sure that we were the better team, but they
battled hard.”
Not only that, but the Canucks, who moved within a point of Detroit for the
top spot in the West, are accustomed to playing more than 60 minutes.
In all, 16 of their 53 contests have gone beyond regulation. Since Jan. 10,
they have won four of six shootouts and have gone 2-0 during the four-onfour overtime period.
David Legwand managed to extend this shootout when, in a do-or-die
situation as Nashville’s third shooter, he beat Luongo with his trademark
move. Fisher, Ryan Ellis and Colin Wilson all came up empty in his wake,
though, and Vancouver’s sixth skater, Alexander Edler, scored the decisive
goal against Pekka Rinne.
“We’re obviously not a team that gives up, and we expected a close game
with these guys,” Vancouver center Ryan Kesler said. “We’ve been in a lot
of overtime games and shootout games lately. So we’re accustomed to this
now and we’re getting on the right end of these, so we must be doing
something right.”
Brodeur against the Rangers since he beat them in a shootout, 1-0, on Jan.
12, 2010.
“It’s always fun to play well against these guys,” Brodeur said.
Brodeur pointed out that the Devils needed a perfect shot to beat Lundqvist.
David Clarkson scored his 21st goal of the season after squirming away
from Ryan Callahan with the Devils on the power play and taking a crisp
pass from Zach Parise, the Devils’ captain.
After the game, Parise seemed happier that he did not fritter away the lead
in the final seconds of the game when he gave away the puck while trying
to fire it into an empty net. The turnover led to a frantic final push by the
Rangers.
“I’ve got to have a little more clock awareness there,” Parise said.
Nashville had won three straight shootouts but had not been in one since
Dec. 30.
Rangers forward Artem Anisimov scored what appeared to be the tying goal
on a rebound with 3.5 seconds left, but Brodeur had been bowled over by
Rangers forward Marian Gaborik just before Anisimov shot the puck.
Gaborik was penalized for goaltender interference.
In five tries at the tiebreaking procedure this season, the Predators have yet
to convert more than once. The difference this time that once was not
enough.
Rangers Coach John Tortorella was irate after the call was made, but he
would not comment on it at his postgame news conference. The Rangers
outshot the Devils in the third period, 15-1.
“It’s a goalie against the shooter and we both have a chance,” Nashville
goalie Pekka Rinne said. “But I wasn’t happy with those two goals I gave
up.”
“We struggled as far as our quickness early on,” Tortorella said, “but then I
thought we got going. I thought we played a pretty good game. We couldn’t
find a way to score.”
Briefly
The Devils were ready to battle from the outset. The game-opening side-byside fights came one week after the Devils beat the Rangers at Prudential
Center. Boulton was not penalized for slashing Rupp early in the second
period that night, but the N.H.L. fined him $2,500 a day later.
• With the loss, Rinne’s franchise-record 11 game win streak came to an
end. He fell to 0-2 for the season against the Canucks and lost for the third
straight time against them in regular-season contests.
“I haven’t been great against them this year, so it was a disappointing loss
again,” he said.
• Kostitsyn’s goal, his ninth in the last 16 games, went in off his right skate
and was made official only after a video review. Trotz said he never
doubted the validity of the play.
“If they had called that back, I probably would’ve had a heart attack right
there,” the coach said.
• Fisher’s goal was his 16th of the season and gave him sole possession of
the team lead.
Nashville City Paper LOADED: 02.08.2012
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New Jersey Devils
Janssen had been a healthy scratch for 9 of the previous 12 games, and his
statistics this season included an assist and 55 penalty minutes in 36
games. Boulton had no goals or assists and 64 penalty minutes in 30
games. Both fights were draws, but the Devils got a jolt.
“They love that kind of stuff, and they support it,” Janssen said of his
teammates.
Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel was penalized for holding Clarkson at 7
minutes 24 seconds of the first period. The Devils needed less than a
minute to score.
Patrik Elias, in the corner to the right of Henrik Lundqvist, tapped a pass to
Parise, just behind the goal line. After breaking free from Callahan in the
slot, Clarkson took the pass from Parise and knocked a shot over
Lundqvist’s left shoulder at 8:14.
“I never picked up the puck until it was too late,” Lundqvist said.
By DAVE CALDWELL
The starting lineups for Tuesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden
included the fourth-line tough guys Cam Janssen and Eric Boulton for the
Devils and Mike Rupp and Brandon Prust for the Rangers, who had 104
career goals and 3,215 penalty minutes among them.
As if choreographed, the four dropped their gloves within two seconds,
Janssen facing Rupp, Boulton taking on Prust. The pairs pounded each
other for a while, clearing the way for the Devils to post a taut 1-0 victory
behind goaltender Martin Brodeur.
The Rangers took the first three shots of the third period and forced DeBoer
to use his timeout. The stoppage gave the Devils a breather, and they
appeared content to sweep rebounds away from Brodeur the rest of the
game.
But the Devils might have won the game at the start, when Janssen and
Boulton challenged the Rangers to fights. First, Janssen said, he made sure
to ask Rupp if his sore thumb was good enough to go. Then they did.
“I believe that’s why the game went the way it did,” Clarkson said.
New York Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
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New Jersey Devils
“Those guys set the tone: we’re here to play tonight,” Devils Coach Pete
DeBoer said of Janssen and Boulton.
Brodeur stopped 30 shots for the 117th shutout of his career, but his first
this season. The Devils (31-19-3) won their fifth straight game, which
included a 4-3 shootout victory over the Rangers on Jan. 31 in Newark. The
Rangers (33-13-5) had won four of their previous five games.
That Brodeur beat the Rangers with Henrik Lundqvist in goal was not
insignificant to Brodeur. He had not beaten Lundqvist in a head-to-head
matchup since Feb. 3, 2011, when Lundqvist was pulled in the second
period of the Devils’ 3-2 victory. The shutout Tuesday was the first for
By BRETT LoGIURATO
DANBURY, Conn. — As a seventh grader, Pete Maro would be teased by
other youngsters while sitting in the stands at his brother’s varsity
basketball games. Maro’s new braces required round-the-clock
complementary headgear.
One day his father, Peter Maro Sr., spoke up. “Peter, why don’t you go get
me a Coke?” he said.
It was code for, “Go out in the parking lot and take care of business.” That
was the start of weekly scuffles that helped him develop the mentality to be
a hockey player who, relatives and teammates say, merely doubles as an
orthodontist.
Maro now runs Blue Wave Orthodontics in Rye, N.Y., and Darien, Conn.
And it seems appropriate that the Federal Hockey League’s Danbury
Whalers still call on him for spot-start duty in anticipation of a testy game.
Maro, 46, has been living his dream since spending long afternoons on
Magee’s Pond in Oradell, N.J. He spent time in college as a Devils workout
goaltender and had stints in the Devils’ and Rangers’ systems. Now he is
the oldest person — by seven years — to play in the two-year-old F.H.L., a
circuit full of castoffs, faded stars and young dreamers looking for a break.
“I want to be like Charles Schulz,” Maro said, referring to the creator of the
“Peanuts” comic strip. “He played hockey until the day before he died.”
said Maro inspired him to “keep plugging away,” even as he commutes
twice a week from the University of Rhode Island.
One thing has not changed, though. When Maro is in net — he dressed as
the Whalers’ backup last month and Esposito said he could have more
opportunities this season — he is still the same boy who scuffled in the
parking lot and skated on Magee’s Pond.
“I’m still playing,” Maro said. “I’m just not getting paid for it. I’m still having
just as much fun as I did back then.”
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New Jersey Devils
Devils-Rangers: As they play
Maro never lost the will to engage in a scrum — as he did in 2007, playing
with the New England Stars in Danbury. And he has never lost the will to
stand in front of a net, even for target practice as he did last summer with
the N.H.L. players Ryan Shannon, Martin St. Louis and Alexei Kovalev.
By Rich Chere
“How he even finds the drive and motivation to even want to still play at the
level we play at, I have no idea,” said Chris Seifert, a Whalers teammate
who has lived with Maro and his family for two and a half years.
NEW YORK -- The Devils looked to extend their post All-Star break winning
streak when they faced the Rangers Tuesday night at the Garden.
Maro, who said he practiced with the Whalers every couple of weeks,
started in goal against the Cape Cod Bluefins on Dec. 4 to defuse a
potentially volatile situation. The night before, the Whalers and the Bluefins
engaged in two bench-clearing brawls. Danbury’s starting goaltender was
suspended, so Coach Phil Esposito called on Maro for his experience in
dealing with tension on the ice.
Martin Brodeur was in goal for the Devils while Henrik Lundqvist started for
the Rangers.
Adam Larsson (bruised lower back) and Ryan Carter (hand) were Devils
scratches. They sent forward Brad Mills back to Albany (AHL) earlier in the
day.
The Rangers were looking for their 100th victory against the Devils.
“I knew Pete had been in that situation more than a few times, and he
doesn’t mind it if it happens,” said Esposito, no relation to the former N.H.L.
star with the same name.
Maro did not expect to play more than a few minutes, but he finished the
game and recorded 28 saves as the Whalers lost, 5-4. Asked what he
remembered of that night, Maro teared up and said he had thought of his
father, who died of pancreatic cancer four years ago.
From his involvement in parking lot fights, Maro never minded a rumble.
Even as a goaltender trying to crack the N.H.L., he looked more like a
defensive enforcer.
He was a 6-foot-1, 210-pound goaltender when the Rangers invited him to
training camp in 1989. After two exhibition games, he was cut to make room
for another rookie, Mike Richter. “Probably the right choice,” Maro said.
He quickly latched on with the Devils, for whom he had served as a workout
goalie during summers home from SUNY in Potsdam and Geneseo. With
the Devils’ American Hockey League affiliate in Utica, N.Y., he served in
much the same role for two years.
THIRD PERIOD
Brodeur made a big save on a Hagelin chance at 1:28.
The Devils called a timeout with 16:24 left.
Rupp hit the post with a backhander at 6:20.
Lundqvist stopped Josefson as he skated in alone at 7:22.
Taormina was shaken up on a hit by Ruslan Fedotenko with 9:17 to go.
Salvador was called for interference on Hagelin at 11:50. Henrique was
tripped as he skated the puck out of his own end, but there was no call.
The Devils dodged a bullet at 13:22 when Dubinsky couldn't get a clean
shot off.
SECOND PERIOD
A long pass from Brodeur led to a scoring chance at 1:03 but Ponikarovsky
chipped the puck wide from the slot.
“He was a good kid,” Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello said in a
phone interview. “It wasn’t a career sort of situation. It was more of an
accommodation for us, and also an enjoyment for him.”
Lundvqist made a stick save on Janssen's quick shot at 2:44. The Rangers'
goalie made a save on Henrique driving to the net through the right circle at
4:29.
Murray Brumwell, the Utica captain, had seen his dream evaporate after
playing in 102 games for the Devils over parts of five seasons. Brumwell
was stuck in the minors, but Maro had a scholarship offer from the
University of Louisville School of Dentistry.
Sykora blocked a shot with 14:01 left before Artem Anisimov's blast went
wide as Brodeur was screened.
Pursue your other dream, Brumwell said, before both slip away.
Lundqvist robbed Clarkson from in front at 9:22 on a scoring chance set up
by a Greene feed. Anton Stralman drew a penalty when he held Clarkson's
stick in front of the net with the rebound in play.
“Unfortunately, there were a couple guys with contracts in front of him,”
Brumwell said of Maro in a phone interview from his home in Montana. “He
was a very good goalie. I don’t know if it was great advice that I gave him or
the token advice, but I looked at the same thing. You can’t play the game
forever.”
Prust dubbed a shot from the left circle with 12:25 remaining.
Marian Gaborik had the Rangers' best scoring chance at 12:30 when he
blocked a Greene shot from the left point. Gaborik had a breakaway, but
Fayne got back to force him to rush shot shot. Brodeur made the stop.
Maro took Brumwell’s advice, but he kept finding places to play hockey:
with the Ice Hawks in Louisville and with the Molson Ice during his
orthodontic training at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
Del Zotto hit Josefson hard in the corner with 5:43 left. Stralman's hit on
Clarkson at the blue line with 4:11 to go seemed to shake up the New
Jersey right winger.
While with the Stars in 2007, Maro found himself in the midst of a brawl that
involved fans. Five people were arrested and three police officers were
injured. Maro, meanwhile, tangled with a 22-year-old who, Maro said, tried
to trip him.
Foster, who had been hit by a shot and was hurting, made a diving attempt
to stop a Carl Hagelin shot, but it was up to Brodeur to hold onto the 1-0
lead with a save just before the buzzer sounded.
Maro’s role has changed over the years. He is now a mentor to dreamers
like Joey Spagnoli, a 22-year-old backup goalie for the Whalers. Spagnoli
The Devils were outshooting the Rangers, 21-15.
End of period: Devils 1, Rangers 0
FIRST PERIOD
The Devils started their fourth line with Jacob Josefson centering for Eric
Boulton and Cam Janssen. Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov were on
defense.
Boulton faced off against Mike Rupp, whom he slashed in their last
meeting. It cost Boulton $2,500 but no time. Rupp started with Brian Boyle
and Brandon Prust. Marc Staal and Stu Bickel were on defense.
But it was Janssen who squared off against Rupp and Boulton who fought
Prust as soon as the puck was dropped on the opening faceoff. There were
no clear winners in either bout at the 0:02 mark.
Brad Mills has been sent to Albany, meaning that Cam Janssen will return
to the lineup when the New Jersey Devils play the New York Rangers
tonight. Janssen will play with Eric Boulton and Jacob Josefson.
Ryan Carter and Adam Larsson are both still out and will not play. NJ.com
user deheinz1 wrote:
I just feel sorry for Jacob Josefson having to play with 2 unskillful players in
Boulton and Janssen. I can understand having one of them in the lineup
both both of them is totally useless. What we have to put Janssen in to fight
Rupp in the first minute and then get maybe 3 other shifts the entire game.
Why not bring back Tedenby and let him play with Josefson, they played
well together last year.
Patrik Elias centered for Zach Parise and Ilya Kovakchuk. Dainius Zubrus
was the second-line between Petr Sykora and David Clarkson. Andy
Greene and Mark Fayne were on defense. Adam Henrique centered the
third line with Alexei Ponikarovsky and Steve Bernier. The defense pairing
was Matt Taormina and Kurtis Foster.
comeonnj732 responded to that comment:
Lundqvist stopped a Clarkson shot at the left post at 3:58.
Are you happy that Janssen is in the lineup tonight, or would you rather see
someone like Tedenby or Zharkov play? Check out tonight's lineup and
comment.
Stu Bickel was sent off for holding Clarkson at the 7:24 mark. Lundqvist
made a blocker save on a chip from Parise, but the Devils captain wound
up getting the puck back for a centering pass that set up a power play goal.
Parise fed Clarkson, whose shot from the left hash marks at 8:14, beat
Lundqvist over his left shoulder. It was Clarkson's 21st goal of the season.
Foster was sent off at 10:35 for holding Brandon Dubinsky. The Rangers
had several chances on the power play, including one from Michael Del
Zotto that Brodeur held onto with 7:30 left.
Disagree, I think that the 3rd and fourth lines will be mixed all night. He will
be paying with others also... and in a game like tonight, they are going to
need those guys in the line up.
Star Ledger LOADED: 02.08.2012
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New Jersey Devils
Pete DeBoer on Devils vs. Rangers: 'Two critical points at stake'
Brodeur made a save on Del Zotto's shot from the right point and robbed
Brian Boyle from the right circle with 2:13 left as the Rangers turned up the
heat. Del Zotto was then set off for holding Steve Bernier at 18:29.
Rich Chere
Sykora hit the left post with six seconds remaining.
The Devils and Rangers are separated by eight points and five spots in the
standings.
The Devils outshot the Rangers, 11-9.
End of period: Devils 1, Rangers 0
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New Jersey Devils
Devils' Travis Zajac will have Achilles examined in Winnipeg on Wednesday
By Rich Chere
So there is some ground to be made up if the Devils hope to catch their
rivals, beginning tonight at the Garden.
"There are obviously two critical points at stake," coach Pete DeBoer said.
"We're still trying to hunt them down in the standings and they're still trying
to build on what's been a fantastic kind of three-quarter mark of the season.
It's great that we're both kind of hitting our stride and we can play at this
point."
Ilya Kovalchuk said: "We can cut the gap a little bit. Its the best way to do it,
when you play against each other. It will be like always — rough, a men's
game, a lot of hitting, a lot of excitement. It will be the first time in the new
Garden, so I'm excited to see what the new changes are there."
The Devils, 4-0 since the All-Star break, are in sixth place with 63 points.
NEW YORK — Devils center Travis Zajac will fly to Winnipeg on
Wednesday to have his sore Achilles tendon examined by his physician.
Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said he doesn't expect Zajac to
require any further medical procedure and said the team should have the
doctor's results by Thursday night.
"All indications are he'll be fine," Lamoriello said.
Zajac has missed the last 14 games after playing in only eight.
Lamoriello said center Ryan Carter, sidelined with a hand injury, has skated
on his own but is not ready to practice.
He also said defenseman Adam Larsson, out with a bruised lower back,
has not yet been on skates so is some time away from returning.
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New Jersey Devils
"We didn't come out of the break with any magic solutions," DeBoer said. "I
didn't come up with a new system or new things to emphasize. I think we
came back and talked as a group that we all needed to raise our level over
the last 34 games coming out of the break, individually and collectively.
That's what it was going to take in order to get in. I think you're seeing some
of that."
This will be the Devils' first visit to the renovated Garden this season.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the changes they made to the visiting locker
room, because it wasn't the best place before," Devils goalie Martin Brodeur
said. "It will be nice to see how they worked it out. It's got to be better. It's
hard to make it worse.
"It will be weird. Sometimes we go there in the preseason. This year we
didn't. We haven't played there (four) months into the season. It's pretty
rare. It's weird the schedule came out like that. We've played them twice
already at home. Usually you get to play (the games) more together or a
little earlier in the season."
Brodeur offered his thoughts on playing in the Garden.
Your Devils comments: Sending Brad Mills to Albany
By NJ.com Staff
"It's always fun. It's a fun building," he said. "We know the rivalry between
the teams. It's fun to see our fans making the trip there, like they do when
we play at the Prudential Center. It's always fun games. A lot of history
between the two teams.
"We're looking forward to the matchup. We played them well when we
came back on them a week ago. Now we're looking forward to playing
maybe a little more solid game.
It will be Brodeur vs. Henrik Lundqvist.
"Lundqvist didn't play the last game. He's probably going to play, not that
Marty (Biron) didn't play really well against us," Brodeur said. "But I think for
us Lundqvist always plays real well. It'll be a big challenge.
"He's playing well. I think it's a combination of having a really good team in
front of him. They don't take too many nights off anymore. Early on in his
career it was a little different. He was playing really well, but sometimes
you're as good as the team in front of you. I think right now he's playing in
front of a really good team and he's playing really well also. That's a pretty
good combination for a hockey team."
Kovalchuk spoke of facing Lundqvist.
"He's so big. He's always in a good position," Kovalchuk said of the
Rangers' goalie. "All five guys try to block shots, so it's not easy to get a
shot through. Then you see him, at 6-2 or 6-3, so big. But we know he's
going to give up the rebounds. We just need to go right in front and get
those dirty goals."
"We play hard and we play physical. It's the same with them, too. It's going
to be a good game and a physical game."
Coach Pete DeBoer said it was time to get Janssen back in.
"We want everything he brings," DeBoer said. "We've been in some
physical games. There were probably a couple of nights here the last few
weeks where we could've used him. In Philly was one example. It's that
time if year. He knows how to walk that line and how to play that role as
good as anybody I've had."
That was the game Ilya Kovalchuk was looking to fight Zac Rinaldo and
wound up knocking down Brayden Schenn with one punch.
"He'll stick up for his teammates and score 50," Janssen said of Kovalchuk.
"Usually goal-scorers like that aren't scary when they drop the gloves, but
with his size and strength he can do some damage on anybody."
Kovalchuk laughed when it was suggested he would have fewer
responsibilities with Janssen in the lineup.
"He deserves to be back," Kovalchuk said. "He practices really hard. He's
one of those guys who brings a lot of energy to the room and a lot of
positive stuff.
It couldn't be a better time for the meeting.
"He and Boults always give me little (fighting) lessons."
"We feel good. I think guys are excited to get back," Brodeur said after
having Monday off. "We had a day off yesterday and we recharged a little
bit. After the break we went go-go-go with hard practices and hard games.
Emotional game, especially against the Rangers and the Flyers. So it was
nice to take a little time off yesterday.
It's been a long wait for Janssen.
"Now we're back at it and it's going to be another tough week. It's a battle
for us. We want to keep what we've achieved so far going. The next stop is
MSG tonight."
*DeBoer spoke of having defenseman Andy Greene back from a fractured
left foot the last three games.
"A big help. Especially with (Henrik) Tallinder going down," the coach said.
"It would be nice to get a healthy defense corps with all of them in, but I
think it was critical that we got him back and playing the way he has in the
last couple games with Tally going down with the injury. Puck skating and
puck moving defensemen are hard to find. When those two guys are out of
our lineup, we struggle moving pucks."
"Yes. The All-Star break and a couple of games after that. It goes by slow
when you're not playing," Janssen said. "Practices are a lot longer and you
don't get too many days off.
"While sitting out, me (Adam Oates) and Dave Barr I worked on a lot of
things I needed to work on. I feel great. I'm ion great shape. My body feels
good. I'm ready to rock."
611279
New Jersey Devils
Devils send Brad Mills to Albany (AHL); Ryan Carter, Adam Larsson still out
By Rich Chere/
611278
New Jersey Devils
Devils, Cam Janssen anxious to face Rangers at remodeled Madison
Square Garden
By Rich Chere
Brad Mills, whose poor clearing attempt led to a third-period goal by the
Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, was sent to Albany (AHL) today.
Mills has no goals and one assist in 10 games for the Devils this season.
He is minus-10.
Since center Ryan Carter did not take part in the morning skate, it appears
Cam Janssen will return to the lineup against the Rangers tonight at the
Garden.
Defenseman Adam Larsson (bruised lower back) also did not skate.
Cam Janssen was asked what he thought the Devils' coaching staff
expected in Tuesday night's game against the Rangers at Madison Square
Garden since both he and fellow tough guy Eric Boulton will be on the
fourth line.
Devils lines:
"They're expecting us to score probably 2-3 goals apiece," Janssen said
with a straight face, while Boulton chuckled in the next locker stall. "We'll go
out there and give it our all. We'll bang. We'll forecheck hard and create
things off the forecheck. Who knows, we might chip one in. We'll do what
we have to do.
Alexei Ponikarovsky-Adam Henrique-Steve Bernier
"First and foremost is getting the puck out of the zone, keeping it in their
end and wearing their D down. Just trying to get zone time. Once you get
zone time it helps our forwards out and it wears on their forwards and their
defense. That's what we want to do and we're pretty good at it."
Andy Greene-Mark Fayne
Bryce Salvador-Anton Volchenkov
With Brad Mills having been sent back to Albany (AHL) and Ryan Carter not
ready to play because of a hand injury, Janssen will return to the Devils'
lineup for the first time since Jan. 19.
The Devils had a 4-1 lead against the Penguins Sunday when Mills was
unable to back-hand a puck out of the zone during a Pittsburgh power play.
The Pens wound up scoring to cut the deficit to two goals.
"I'm very, very excited. And what a cool game to come back to. First time
into MSG this year," Janssen said. "They have a fun team, a fun team to
play against. A rough team. The last game we played them it was really
rough, so the rougher the better for guys like me and (Boulton).
Zach Parise-Patrik Elias-Ilya Kovalchuk
Petr Sykora-Dainius Zubrus-David Clarkson
Eric Boulton-Jacob Josefson-Cam Janssen
With Larsson out, the Devils have six defensemen:
Matt Taormina-Kurtis Foster
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New Jersey Devils
Devils' Pete DeBoer won't shake up lines despite Adam Henrique's return
Devils-Rangers showdown started with early fireworks
Dave Hutchinson
Rich Chere
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
NEW YORK — When the starting lineups were announced and the Devils
put their fourth line on the ice with wingers Cam Janssen and Eric Boulton,
it was an indication of what might come.
That’s the old adage the Devils will follow as they work rookie sensation
Adam Henrique back into the lineup after he missed five of eight games,
including three straight, with a groin injury.
Henrique, who skated on the Devils’ top line with Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach
Parise before his injury, returned to action in Sunday’s 5-2 victory over the
Pittsburgh Penghuins and skated on the third line with Alexei Ponikarovsky
and Steve Bernier.
Veteran Patrik Elias has recently replaced Henrique on the Devils’ top line
and the unit is humming.
In two games (Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh) and a third period
(Montreal Canadiens) together, the trio has rung up 15 points (five goals
and 10 assists) and the Devils are in the midst of a four-game winning
streak.
“You don’t want to mess with winning formulas,” said coach Pete DeBoer,
whose Devils (30-19-3) play the Rangers (33-12-5) tonight at Madison
Square Garden.
“We’re going to play it out here and see how it goes. We have to be careful
with (Henrique) minutes-wise.”
Henrique says he couldn’t agree more.
“The guys are playing well right now,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any
reason to change that up.”
Even so, Henrique is a special talent.
He’s a smooth skater with a knack for scoring, and he is equally effective on
even strength, the power play and penalty kill.
Despite being sidelined, Henrique still ranks second among all rookies with
34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) — one point behind the Edmonton Oilers'
Ryan Nugent-Hopkin — and is a serious candidate for the Calder Trophy,
which is given to the NHL’s top rookie.
“Obviously, coming into this season it wasn’t something that was on my
mind,” Henrique said.
“It’s there now because people have been talking about it. I’m pleased with
the way my season has gone so far.”
Tonight, he will try to help beat the Rangers and goalie Henrik Lundqvist,
who sat out a 4-3 shootout loss at the Prudential Center on Jan. 31.
Lundqvist, who notched a 4-1 victory at the Devils on Dec. 20, has won four
straight, including back-to-back shutouts against the Winnipeg Jets (3-0)
and Buffalo Sabres (1-0) and a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia on Sunday.
DeBoer said he’s expecting another chippy, physical game, much like those
against the Flyers and Penguins.
The Rangers started a line that included Mike Rupp and Brandon Prust.
Boulton, of course, was fined $2,500 when he slashed Rupp in the thumb in
their last meeting on Jan. 31 in Newark. But it was Janssen who squared off
against Rupp while Boulton fought Prust as soon as the puck was dropped
on the opening faceoff. There were no clear winners in either bout at the
0:02 mark.
“The last time we both squared off like that I was in St. Louis and I got
kicked out,” Janssen recalled after the Devils' 1-0 victory. “So I didn’t know
what they were going to call with that. They gave us the benefit of the
doubt. They knew we both dropped our gloves at the same time. They kind
of gave us a break there. I appreciate that. They probably could’ve kicked
one of us out.”
It wasn't Rupp who challenged Janssen.
“No, I challenged him," Janssen said. "I said to him, ‘How’s the hand?’ He
said, ‘It feels good.' I said, ‘Want to do it?’ He said yes. Simple as that.
That’s what we do.”
Goalie Martin Brodeur wondered what was going to happen at the start.
“When you see a certain type of player on the ice you always think about it,
but usually it doesn’t happen. Usually guys will talk to each other and the
referee will get in the way," Brodeur said. "It perfect timing, almost like
figure skating. Synchronized fighting. They dropped (their gloves) at the
same time.”
Janssen said he absorbed a punch while looking over to see how Boulton
was doing.
"During the fight I kind of peeked over. I think I ate one when I did that,"
Janssen said. "i wanted to see what was going on over there."
It left the Garden crowd buzzing.
“The crowd was into the game as it was," Zach Parise said. "Not too often
you see two separate fights right at the start of the game. It was a great job
by them.”
There were no rematches in a hard-hitting game.
“It’s a tough job those guys have," Brodeur pointed out. "I think they were
excited to be in the starting lineup. They knew what they had to do and they
did it and did it in good fashion. After that it cleared the air for the rest of the
game and it was just a good hockey game.”
*David Clarkson’s goal was his fourth, matching Petr Sykora for the team
lead. It his career-high 21st of the season.
I asked him if he's scored a bigger goal.
“They (the Rangers) don’t give you a choice but to get involved physically if
you want to compete,” DeBoer said. “It (the rivalry) never gets old. I’m glad
we’re playing them (now).
"I don't know. I don't think so," he answered. "Playing those guys (the
Rangers). Anytime you score against a team like that it's pretty big. It was a
great play by Zach. It was right on my stick. It definitely felt good."
“There’s an internal motivation there already because of the rivalry, the
history of the two teams, divisional rivals, where they sit in the standings.
Not a lot needs to be said.” …
Coach Pete DeBoer said Clarkson rose to the occasion.
NOTES:
Veteran goalie Martin Brodeur (17-12-2, 2.75 GAA), who has won three
straight, will be in net against the Rangers.
Defenseman Adam Larsson (lower back) is out vs. the Rangers and hasn’t
skated in the past few days. Center Ryan Carter (hand) is highly unlikely to
play even though he has been skating.
611281
New Jersey Devils
“That’s his type of game,” DeBoer said. “He’s a big game player. He’s a
playoff type player. He could’ve had a couple tonight.”
Clarkson was modest.
"Just being in the right place at the right time and guys making good plays I
think is the reason they're going in right now," the right winger said.
He has a five-game scoring streak.
He also has a few bruises after a hit at the blue line from Rangers
defenseman Anton Stralman with 4:11 left in the second period.
"I don't think it was dirty. I was just trying to get the puck out and he stepped
up on me," Clarkson said. "It was one of those hits that just jams everything
up. I'll be alright. i didn't think he was going to stand up. Hats off to him.
Hopefully I'll be able to get him back like that one time, but it was a nice hit."
The hit knocked the wind out of Clarkson, as well as leaving him sore.
611283
*Both Zach Parise and Martin Brodeur said the Devils talked before the
game about winning, 1-0.
Martin Brodeur, Devils hold off Rangers, 1-0
"I twisted my ankle. Callahan fell on my leg," he said. "i was able to finish
with no problem. Hopefully it will be okay."
New Jersey Devils
“We said it was probably going to be a dirty 1-0 game we were going to win,
and that’s exactly what happened,” Brodeur said.
Parise said" “We’ve beaten really good teams since the break. We’re
playing well. We’re winning different ways. We talked before the game
about having the mindset to be able to win the game, 1-0, and we did that.
We’d like to generate a little more offense in the third period, but you have
to win games.”
Rich Chere
NEW YORK — Martin Brodeur’s first shutout of the season was a long time
coming, but the Devils’ 39-year-old goaltender couldn’t have picked a better
time.
*There was some controversy about the goalie interference call against
Marian Gaborik with 0:04 remaining in the game. It nullified Artem
Anisimov's tying goal, but some observers felt Devils defenseman Anton
Volchenkov pushed Gaborik into Martin Brodeur.
In the Devils’ first visit to the renovated Madison Square Garden, David
Clarkson extended his scoring streak to five games with his 21st goal and
Brodeur posted his 116th career shutout, 1-0, over the Rangers.
"I saw him (Gaborik) push Marty," Volchenkov said. "Probably a good call."
The Devils have not lost since the All-Star break. They are 5-0, including a
pair of victories over the Rangers in a span of eight days.
The Rangers outshot the Devils, 15-1, in the third period. Brodeur was
under some pressure.
Clarkson has eight points (five goals, three assists) in the five games.
"I didn't feel like that," goalie said. "They shot a couple of pucks from the
corners. Definitely not as bad as 24-1 like in Philly the other day."
611282
New Jersey Devils
Zach Parise breathes sigh of relief as Devils survive his late turnover in win
over Rangers
It was Brodeur’s ninth career shutout against the Rangers.
The Rangers almost scored with 3.5 seconds left but Artem Anisimov’s goal
was disallowed when Marian Gaborik ran into Brodeur. Zach Parise had
turned the puck over in the neutral zone with an empty net.
“You hate losing to the Devils no matter how you lose,” Rangers
defenseman Marc Staal said. “I thought they sat back in the third and we
took over the game and got some opportunities to score. We just couldn’t
get one by (Brodeur).”
At the other end, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist stopped 21 of 22 shots
and that was a power play goal by Clarkson.
Rich Chere
NEW YORK — The empty Rangers net was calling to Devils captain Zach
Parise like a walleye begging to be caught on Minnesota's Lake
Minnetonka.
And Parise took the bait.
With 10 seconds remaining on the Garden clock and the Devils holding
onto a 1-0 lead, Parise's shot from the neutral zone hit Rangers
defenseman Michael Del Zotto in the shin pad. The rest was almost too
painful for Parise to watch.
"That was probably the worst feeling I ever had." Parise said after the
Devils' 1-0 win at Madison Square Garden tonight. "Fortunately, we
escaped. That was a pretty bad feeling. It hit his shin pad and somehow
landed on the guy's stick for a 4-on-1. We dodged one tonight. That was a
bad play be me."
Coach Pete DeBoer said he couldn't blame Parise for taking the shot. He
said it would be different had Parise tried for the empty net from his own
zone.
For a moment it seemed that Artem Anisimov had tied the score when he
put the puck past goalie Martin Brodeur with 0:04 remaining. But Marian
Gaborik was penalized for crashing into Brodeur, the minor for interference
nullifying the tying goal.
"I thought it was the right call," Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. "Marty gets
pushed into the net. Give them credit for getting it right."
Parise breathed a sigh of relief.
"Gaborik went right into him," Parise said. "He made the right call. I think
you have to make that call. I thanked him for bailing me out."
Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel was sent off for holding Clarkson at 7:24 of
the first period. Lundqvist made a blocker save on a chip from Parise, but
the Devils captain wound up getting the puck back for a centering pass.
Parise fed Clarkson, whose shot from the left hash marks at 8:14, beat
Lundqvist over his left shoulder. Clarkson has eight points (five goals, three
assists) in the five games.
“You always get the sense when Marty and Lundqvist play each other that
they want to outdo each other,” Parise said. “Ninety-nine times out of a
hundred it’s a great goaltending battle and it was again.”
Brodeur tipped his cap to Lundqvist, who kept the Rangers in the game
when he stopped Jacob Josefson skating in all alone with 12:38 remaining.
“He’s unbelievable. He didn’t get a shot for like 20 minutes and he gets a
breakaway and it seems like it’s nothing,” Brodeur noted. “He played a
helluva game again. It took a perfect shot to beat him.”
The Rangers outshot the Devils, 15-1, in the third period but couldn’t get the
tying goal. The Devils are now six points behind the Rangers.
“I think we’re trying to shake off people around us more than anything,”
Brodeur said. “Short term we’re looking at people in front of us. I don’t think
we’re looking at the top teams yet. Even though we’re playing well against
them, I don’t think we’re there yet.”
611284
New Jersey Devils
Devils notes: Travis Zajac to visit surgeon about Achilles' tendon
Tom Gulitti
Brodeur said of Parise: "He didn't say, 'Thank you.' He said, 'I'm sorry,' " the
goalie noted.
*Brodeur saud he twisted his ankle when Ryan Callahan landed on him in
the third period. He was able to finish and hopes it will be okay in the
morring.
Devils center Travis Zajac will travel to Winnipeg today to see the surgeon
who repaired his torn left Achilles’ tendon and the team should know more
about his status by Thursday night, general manager Lou Lamoriello said.
Zajac has been shut down since Jan. 10 and has not played since Jan. 2
because of soreness. Lamoriello said Zajacis feeling better and doesn’t
anticipate that he’ll need any further procedures.
"All indications are that he should be fine," Lamoriello said.
The hope is Zajac will be cleared this week to resume exercise.
Fighting start
Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur talked about it as if it might be some kind
of new Olympic sport, calling it, "synchronized fighting."
When the puck was dropped for the opening faceoff Tuesday, four players
dropped their gloves simultaneously. The Devils’ Cam Janssen squared off
with the Rangers’ Mike Rupp, the former Devil and still Janssen’s good
friend. On the other side of the ice, Devils left wing Eric Boulton fought with
Brandon Prust.
The Devils credited Boulton and Janssen with setting the early tone as they
jumped out to a 9-1 shots advantage and grabbed the lead 8:14 into the
game.
"They were fighting for the team and to set a tone and it set the right tone
for this locker room," said David Clarkson, who scored the game’s only
goal. "I believe the game went the way it did because of those two."
being more of an elite team, but it’s going to take a [few] more efforts like
we did [Tuesday] and against Pittsburgh and then more consistency.
“Winning five in a row now, I think we start feeling it, but we’ve just got to
continue it.”
There’s been a lot of talk in recent seasons about Henrik Lundqvist’s career
record against Brodeur, which is now 21-6-5. Brodeur knows it takes almost
a perfect game to beat Lundqvist.
Brodeur did it with a 51-save performance in a 1-0 shootout at the Garden
on Jan. 12, 2010 and was just as good Tuesday night, making 30 saves,
including 15 in the third period.
“He’s unbelievable the saves he made,” Brodeur said of Lundqvist. “He
didn’t get a shot for like 20 minutes and he gets a breakaway and it seems
like it’s nothing. He played a hell of a game. It took a perfect shot to beat
him. We found a way to win [Tuesday], but against a team like that with a
goalie like that, that’s why you have to play well.”
Brodeur had said all season that he has plenty of shutouts and all he cares
about is wins. He admitted Tuesday, though, that the timing was perfect for
him to get his first shutout of the season.
Janssen was playing his first game since Jan. 19. He had been a healthy
scratch for six consecutive games.
“For me it is,” he said. “It’s always fun to play well against these guys. It’s a
big rivalry and shutouts on the road are always a little harder to get. So,
definitely to get my first one – even though I want to win games, it’s always
nice to be able to snap a shutout.”
Briefs
Bergen Record LOADED: 02.08.2012
D Adam Larsson and C Ryan Carter (sore hand) each sat out for the third
consecutive game. Carter has been skating, but Larsson hasn’t been back
on the ice since he was injured Thursday on a hit by Montreal’s P.K.
Subban. …The Devils assigned C Brad Mills to Albany (AHL).
611286
New Jersey Devils
Late goal waved off, so Brodeur post shutout in Devils' win over Rangers
611285
New Jersey Devils
The Record
By ANDREW GROSS
NEW YORK – It was everything to be expected from a vintage RangersDevils game, solid hitting, strong defense, particularly as the Devils
protected a third-period lead, and a great goaltending duel between Martin
Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist.
Plus some last-second controversy.
NEW YORK – Five games in eight days. Five wins, including two over the
team leading the Eastern Conference in points.
That’s quite a week for the Devils, who ran their winning streak to five with a
vintage performance from goaltender Martin Brodeur in a 1-0 victory over
the Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Devils’ season-best winning streak began with a 4-3 shootout win over
the Blueshirts at Prudential Center the previous Tuesday. So, that’s twice
since the All-Star break the Devils have defeated the Rangers and now, all
of a sudden, they’re only six points behind the conference leaders. (Though
the Rangers have two games in hand).
“I think we answered some questions this week,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer
said. “One week doesn’t make a season, but we showed we can play with
anybody.”
That had been a question for the Devils coming out of the break. They were
a combined 1-6-0 against the Rangers, Philadelphia and Boston.
Since the break, though, they’ve defeated the Rangers twice, Philadelphia
once (6-4 on Saturday) and Pittsburgh (5-2 on Sunday) to climb from being
on the verge of falling out of the top eight in the East into fifth place, just two
points behind the fourth-place Flyers.
The Devils are still only six points ahead of ninth-place Florida, though.
That’s more the Devils’ focus right now than trying to catch the Rangers,
who they will face three more times over their final 29 games.
“I think we’re trying to shake off people around us more,” Brodeur said.
“Short term, we’re looking at people [directly] in front of us. I don’t think
we’re looking at the top teams, yet. Even though we’re playing well against
them, I don’t think we’re there, yet. It’s a work in progress and I think guys
are feeling it, but to do it is a different animal. We’re taking strides toward
The Devils extended their winning streak to a season-high five games with
a 1-0 win Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden as their special teams’
play was better. Then, Artem Anisimov’s potential equalizer with 3.5
seconds remaining was waved off when Marian Gaborik was called for
goalie interference.
“I don’t understand,” said Gaborik, believing he was pushed by Devils
defenseman Anton Volchenkov. “It’s frustrating. If I would have run him, I
wouldn’t say a word. I tried to stop, but he just pushes me into Brodeur.”
“They’ve got rules,” Volchenkov countered. “The guy hits the goalie, you get
a penalty. I didn’t really push him; maybe a little bit of a push. But I didn’t
push so hard. It was a good call.”
Brodeur made 30 saves for the Devils (31-19-3) as he notched his first
shutout of the season while extending his NHL career record to 117. The
Eastern Conference-leading Rangers (33-13-5) were blanked for the sixth
time.
“We saw on the video it was kind of obvious,” Brodeur said. “[Gaborik] takes
both of his hands, and he hits my shoulder, kind of pushes me back and
impairs me to make a save.
“I’m sure they probably complained about it, but that’s kind of the nature of
the beast.”
Rangers coach John Tortorella, mindful of the $30,000 fine he incurred for
criticizing the NHL and the officiating at the Winter Classic, would not
comment. But he did call Brodeur “the difference” in the game.
Lundqvist made 21 saves for the Rangers, who had a two-game winning
streak snapped while losing their second to the Devils in eight days despite
outshooting them, 15-1, in the third period as the Devils pulled back.
“You could tell from the first shift that they were sitting back and waiting,”
said Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, adding, “you hate losing to the
Devils no matter how you lose.”
The Devils moved into third place in the Atlantic Division, six points behind
the Rangers.
David Clarkson scored the lone goal at 8:14 of the first period on the Devils’
first power play and, at the time, the Devils held an 8-1 shot advantage.
The Devils went 1-for-4 on the power play and are now 7-for-22 over their
past six games. The Rangers wen0-for-3 and are now in a 1-for-34 funk
over their lpast 13 games even as their penalty kill has gone 35-for-39 over
that same stretch.
“It’s going to be important going down the stretch that we win the special
teams game,” said Lundqvist, who had his streak of consecutive regularseason starts against the Devils snapped at 32 in the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout
loss at Newark New Jersey on Jan. 31. “A lot of times, that’s going to be the
difference. We’ve really got to focus on getting both parts of it going.”
“[The power play] is beginning to show signs but is certainly not good
enough,” said Tortorella after the Rangers generated four shots with the
man advantage.
Meanwhile, Lundqvist had his own views on Gaborik’s penalty.
“It’s a tough call,” Lundqvist said. “I think their guy pushed Gabby into the
net. I think it should have been a goal. If the goalie sells it that good, yeah,
they’re going to call it. There was some contact, but their guy pushed him. A
lot of time, they’ll let it go.”
The Rangers (33-13-5) had the last-second opportunity because Michael
Del Zotto blocked Zach Parise’s shot at an empty net near the Rangers’
blue line. Del Zotto passed ahead to Brad Richards, who found Callahan
streaking into the left offensive zone for the shot that Anisimov tipped in on
Brodeur.
“That’s a tough play as a defenseman,” Marc Staal said of Del Zotto’s block.
“You don’t really know whether to charge at (Parise) because he’s such a
skilled player. (Del Zotto) did a good job waiting him out and didn’t give him
anywhere to go and made the block.”
Henrik Lundqvist (21 saves) lost to a team he has dominated in his career
without even seeing the shot that beat him. Clarkson scored with 11:46
remaining in the first period off Parise’s pass from behind the net that
slipped past Derek Stepan’s stick. The Devils were on that power play
because rookie defenseman Stu Bickel — who Tortorella left in the lineup
despite having Steve Eminger at his disposal, recovered from a separated
shoulder — committed a holding penalty on Clarkson 50 seconds earlier.
The Rangers were disappointed about getting no points, considering Ryan
McDonagh did a terrific job on Ilya Kovalchuk and Dan Girardi was his
steady self. The Blueshirts out-hit the Devils, 52-24, and after a slow start
got strong forechecking from the likes of Callahan, Gaborik, Carl Hagelin,
Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Brandon Dubinsky and John Mitchell.
But none of them could solve Brodeur — not Hagelin when the Devils
goalie swatted away a point-blank wrister with his glove at the end of the
second period; not Gaborik when Brodeur shouldered away a shot with the
clock winding down; and it turns out, not Anisimov, either.
POWERLESS IN DEFEAT
While Lundqvist looked uncharacteristically shaky in the early going, the 39year-old Brodeur revived memories of his prime with back-to-back stops on
Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust at the crease at 18:00 of the first period.
Henrik Lundqvist knows a lot goes into winning or losing a game, but he
also knows what made the difference in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Devils.
“In the end, it just came down to special teams,” said Lundqvist, who was
screened on David Clarkson’s first period power-play goal.
611287
New Jersey Devils
Martin Brodeur shuts out NY Rangers 1-0 at Madison Square Garden,
curious interference call on Marian Gaborik costs Blueshirts
By Pat Leonard
Marian Gaborik tried to give the Rangers the extra push they needed
Tuesday night, but instead, he pushed Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.
At least that’s how the referees saw it, disallowing Artem Anisimov’s goal
with 3.5 seconds remaining after Gaborik crashed into the crease in
desperation with Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov on his back.
The Garden crowd turned from delirious to venomous, with fans littering the
ice in disgust, and the Rangers lost, 1-0, on David Clarkson’s power-play
goal in the first period. It was the Blueshirts’ second loss in eight days to the
Devils (31-19-3), who have won all five of their games since the All-Star
break.
Gaborik, however, disagreed with the goaltender-interference penalty
assessed to him on the Blueshirts’ last gasp. He was ready to play more
hockey.
“I tried to stop, and (Volchenkov) just pushes me into him,” said the
Rangers winger, who redirected Ryan Callahan’s shot into Brodeur’s pads
before falling forward. “If I had run him, I wouldn’t say a word, but I tried to
stop and he pushed me into Brodeur, so we could have been in overtime
right now.”
Volchenkov admitted he pushed Gaborik “a little bit,” but said he was trying
to make a play on Gaborik’s stick and did not push the Ranger hard enough
to cause him to barrel into Brodeur.
“We’ve got rules,” Volchenkov said. “You hit goalie, you get penalty.”
“We saw on the video it’s kind of obvious, he uses both of his hands and
hits my shoulder, kind of pushes me back and impairs (my ability) to make a
save,” said Brodeur, the NHL’s all-time shutout leader (117) who made 30
saves for his first shutout of the season. “I think it was the right call. I’m sure
they’d probably complain about it, but that’s kind of the nature of the beast.”
The Rangers’ woes on the man advantage continued at the Garden as they
put just four shots on goal in six minutes of power-play time. Their 0-for-3
makes them 1-for-34 in their last 12 games, and that one goal was their
last-second overtime goal on the 4-on-3 in Boston, so it’s actually been 13
games since they’ve scored on a 5-on-4 advantage.
“It’s frustrating definitely,” Marian Gaborik said. “We just have to stay with it.
It’s been a long year. Obviously special teams are important to win games.”
The Rangers have a strong penalty kill (3-of-4 Tuesday), but that only goes
so far when the power play isn’t converting. It wasn’t completely off for the
Rangers, either. Derek Stepan’s line generated significant momentum on
the first advantage. Then in the third period, Brad Richards woke up when
John Tortorella abandoned the forward line-two defensemen strategy and
put Richards back at the point.
But the Rangers couldn’t break through.
FIGHT NIGHT
Just two seconds in on the game’s first shift, Brandon Prust and Mike Rupp
simultaneously dropped the gloves. Prust duked it out with the Devils’ Eric
Boulton as Rupp — with a broken left thumb — tussled with Jersey’s Cam
Janssen, who asked Rupp if he would fight with the injury before they
dropped the gloves.
New York Daily News LOADED: 02.08.2012
611288
New Jersey Devils
By LARRY BROOKS
Two hours before they dropped the puck on the latest salvo in the Battle of
the Hudson at the Garden, Martin Brodeur talked about the State(s) of the
Rivalry that has been so compelling for so long.
“It’s us against the top team in the league,” the all-time goaltender told The
Post. “The way I look at it it’s not really the Devils against the Rangers, it’s
the Devils against the best team in the NHL.
“I don’t know if they look at the rivalry exactly the same as we do because
they have their rivalries against the Flyers and the Islanders where they
have targets on their backs, but I know that I always look forward to this and
especially with how well they’ve been playing all year.”
Brodeur and the Devils beat the Rangers 1-0 last night, with Brodeur
recording his 117th career shutout and first of the year by outdueling Henrik
Lundqvist in a memorable battle in which the Devils dominated early and
then withstood a furious onslaught in the third in which the Blueshirts
outshot their rivals 14-1.
It marked the Devils’ second victory in eight days over “the best team in the
NHL” following last Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout triumph at the Rock and fifth
straight overall, a streak also featuring victories over the Flyers and
Penguins.
Indeed, while the Rangers sustained their first regulation defeat in the last
six (4-1-1), the Devils moved into fifth place in the East, only two points
behind the Flyers and just six points behind the Blueshirts, though the
conference leaders hold two games in hand.
“I think right now we’re trying to stave off the people around us,” Brodeur
said. “I don’t think we’re looking at the top yet; we’re not there yet.”
One puck did actually get by Brodeur, an Artem Anisimov rebound of a
Ryan Callahan shot with 3.5 seconds to go, but what for a moment
appeared to be the tying goal was correctly negated because of a
goaltender interference call on Marian Gaborik, who rammed into Brodeur
after being nudged — but not shoved — by Devils defenseman Anton
Volchenkov.
Gaborik protested afterward, saying, “I don’t understand the call ... I tried to
stop and [Volchenkov] pushed me into [Brodeur] ... we should be in
overtime.”
Rangers coach John Tortorella, who was furious on the bench in the play’s
immediate aftermath, refused to comment when asked about it following the
match.
Their 0-for-35 bankruptcy with the man-advantage should have rung alarms
long ago.
With Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, the Rangers’ extra-man outfit
should be frightening. Right now, general manager Glen Sather has to be
looking for a better backline quarterback/shooter before the trade deadline
19 days away.
The Rangers were blanked on three more chances — four shots on Martin
Brodeur — last night. The Devils, no great power-play shakes themselves,
stretched their winning streak to five on Clarkson’s winner in four powerplay tries, including the final one of 3.5 seconds’ duration.
How the Rangers can lead the Eastern Conference without being able to
score a single goal in more than an hour (62:16) of standard 5-on-4 power
play, in more than a month since Jan. 5, is a matter of marvel. It could also
be a matter of past tense if they don’t fix it fast.
“It’s going to be important down the stretch that we win the special teams
game. That’s going to be the difference,” Lundqvist said. “We have to get
both parts of it going because there are going to be a lot of tight games.”
They have scored all of four PPGs of any variety in their past 24 games,
since Dec. 11, on 67 tries.
“It’s beginning to show signs, but certainly not good enough,” Rangers
coach John Tortorella said. “The last couple of games there, I thought we
had some chances.
“But it’s just not getting done.”
If they don’t get it done, it will do them in.
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said Travis Zajac is expected to undergo an
exam today on his Achilles tendon. Lamoriello said he doesn’t expect Zajac
to require further surgery. ... Defenseman Adam Larsson sat out his third
straight with a back bruise and center Brad Mills was returned to Albany.
New York Post LOADED: 02.08.2012
Lundqvist, who allowed only a power-play goal to David Clarkson at 8:14 of
the first, said: “If the goalie sells it, then there’s a good chance they’re going
to call a penalty.”
611290
The Rangers got untracked in the third period, coming in waves after being
stymied for 40 minutes. Brad Richards, who was benched for much of the
third period in Sunday’s victory over the Flyers, was demoted to the fourth
line in the late going, flipping spots with John Mitchell.
Nabokov Has 45 Saves as Islanders Top Flyers in Shootout
Lundqvist, who entered the match a career 21-5-5 head-to-head against
Brodeur, a corresponding 10-16-5 against the King, was resolute in
recording 21 saves. His lone third-period save came on a semi-breakaway
by Jacob Josefson at 7:22 after he beat Dan Girardi wide on the left.
“He’s unbelievable,” Brodeur said of Lundqvist. “He goes without a shot for
20 minutes and then stops a breakaway like it’s nothing.”
Nothing — nothing that counted, that is — got by Brodeur, who will turn 40
on May 6.
Or as Yankees relief pitcher and hockey enthusiast Joba Chamberlain put it
to The Post as he stood outside the Rangers room: “The Ageless Wonder.”
611289
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Evgeni Nabokov made 45 saves and Frans Nielsen and John Tavares
scored on Ilya Bryzgalov in a shootout, helping the Islanders beat the host
Philadelphia Flyers, 1-0, on Tuesday night.
Nabokov was sensational, turning aside every shot he faced — including
two in the shootout. He recorded his 52nd career shutout and second this
season.
“They were all decent and quality shots,” Nabokov said. “Sometimes, you
get a rebound, a weird bounce, and they go in. That is just the way the
game is.”
The last-place Islanders are 6-1-2 in their last nine games and 11-5-2 in
their past 18.
Coming off losses to the Devils and the Rangers, the Flyers hoped to
rebound against a team they used to dominate. But they could not get the
puck past Nabokov.
Nielsen scored on the first shot in the shootout. After Nabokov stopped
Danny Briere, Tavares fired one past Bryzgalov.
By MARK EVERSON
Nabokov registered his 305th win, tying the former Islander Billy Smith for
22nd on the career list.
The main victim of the Rangers’ power play, their own All-Star goaltender,
lodged a more-than-justified complaint.
Nielsen had another reason to celebrate. Before the game, he agreed to a
four-year contract reportedly worth $11 million.
“One goal, and it’s the difference. We did a lot of good things on the power
play and had chances, but in the end, it is the difference,” Henrik Lundqvist
said after the Devils beat the Rangers 1-0 on David Clarkson’s power-play
goal last night at the Garden.
CAPITALS 4, PANTHERS 0 Mathieu Perreault scored with 13 seconds
elapsed, Alex Ovechkin had two goals and host Washington beat Florida to
take over first place in the Southeast Division.
One 4-on-3 power play goal in 13 games is not the stuff that makes
champions, and this chance to run at the Cup doesn’t come very often.
CANADIENS 3, PENGUINS 2 Tomas Plekanec scored on Montreal’s eighth
attempt in the shootout to lead the host Canadiens.
CANUCKS 4, PREDATORS 3 Alex Edler scored in the sixth round of a
shootout, and visiting Vancouver posted its fifth win in six games.
BLUES 3, SENATORS 1 David Perron scored twice as St. Louis handed
host Ottawa its seventh straight loss.
AVALANCHE 5, BLACKHAWKS 2 Gabriel Landeskog broke a tie 38
seconds into the third period and David Jones added two goals, helping
host Colorado snap a five-game skid.
IN OTHER GAMES Kyle Clifford and Dustin Penner had second-period
goals to lead visiting Los Angeles past Tampa Bay, 3-1. ... Radim Vrbata
scored his 25th goal, Mike Smith made 28 saves and Phoenix beat host
Dallas, 4-1. ... The rookie defenseman David Savard scored his first career
goal and added an assist, giving Columbus’s Todd Richards a 3-1 win in his
first game as coach against visiting Minnesota, his former team.
611291
New York Islanders
Islanders' Nabokov shuts out Flyers
By ROB MAADDI
PHILADELPHIA — Evgeni Nabokov faced a barrage of shots from all
angles, stopping everything that came at him.
Nabokov made 45 saves and Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored on
Ilya Bryzgalov in a shootout, helping the Islanders beat the Flyers 1-0 last
night.
two in the shootout. He recorded his 52nd career shutout and second this
season in his return to the NHL after a brief stint in Russia.
“They were all decent and quality shots,” Nabokov said. “Sometimes you
get a rebound, a weird bounce and they go in. That is just the way the
game is.”
their past 18.
Coming off losses to the Devils and the Rangers last weekend, the Flyers
hoped to rebound against a team they used to dominate. But they couldn’t
get one past Nabokov.
Danny Briere, Tavares fired one past Bryzgalov. Nabokov then stuffed
Wayne Simmonds to end it.
“Anytime you get goaltending like that you get a win, and against a good
team,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said.
Nabokov registered his 305th win, tying former Islanders great Billy Smith
for 22nd on the all-time list.
Luckily for the Islanders, this was not just another night for Evgeni Nabokov.
The goaltender was in superb form Tuesday night, stopping all 45 shots he
faced from the energized Flyers through three periods and overtime, then
two more in the shootout to give the Isles two points in a 1-0 victory.
"Anytime you get goaltending like that, you're usually going to win a game,
and we did," Jack Capuano said. "He made some huge saves for us."
In recording his 50th shutout -- and getting the Islanders to .500 and within
nine points of eighth-place Ottawa with four games in hand -- Nabokov was
working with a makeshift defense even before Dylan Reese left the game
with what appears to be a serious left knee injury.
With Travis Hamonic (broken nose/facial laceration) and Milan Jurcina
(lacerated elbow) sidelined, 21-year-old Aaron Ness was up from
Bridgeport to make his NHL debut against the rugged Flyers. That already
meant some juggling among the defensemen and a need to play a simple
game.
They did that, sort of. The Flyers did not get many second-chance
opportunities, but that was mostly because they were pumping so many
good first-chance shots at net. Nabokov made 31 saves during the second
and third periods, with his best a quick-pad stop on Jaromir Jagr with the
teams playing four-on-four late in the second.
"We stuck with the system and the boys were working their butts off," said
Nabokov, who has a 2.21 goals-against average. "We were down to five D
again, and the guys controlled their forwards and our forwards collapsed
when they had to."
The Isles had only 18 shots on Ilya Bryzgalov, including a couple of golden
chances for Josh Bailey in OT, but the shootout was a different story. Frans
Nielsen scored on the first attempt for either side and then Nabokov
stretched his pad to pin Danny Briere's shot to the left post.
John Tavares beat Bryzgalov, and Nabokov coolly turned aside Wayne
Simmonds' try to give the Isles a second win here in less than a month after
not winning here since 2007. This one was far more improbable, given the
depleted defense.
"That win last time was a real mental hurdle we got over," said Andrew
MacDonald, who logged a game-high 29:19 of ice time. "They were taking it
to us, but we still felt like we had a chance. That was almost all due to
Nabby."
What comes next for the defense is another call-up, most likely. Hamonic
was released from the hospital only Tuesday and won't return for another
10 days at the minimum. Jurcina has resumed skating, so he could be
ready for tomorrow's game with the Canadiens, the first of three home
games in four days.
Matt Donovan, like Ness a first-year pro, is next in line for recall. Ness had
some jitters, including losing an edge to give the Flyers a golden chance in
the game's opening minutes, but he had some better moments later on in
his 14:25 of ice time.
"First Juice, then Travis, now Dylan," Capuano said, shaking his head.
"We're going to have to go back to the drawing board."
Newsday LOADED: LOADED: 02.08.2012
“I can’t say much. He won this game for us,” Nielsen said. “We didn’t play
well. He was incredible. He made some big saves for us.”
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Nielsen had another reason to celebrate. Before the game, he agreed to a
four-year contract reportedly worth $11 million.
Isles give Nielsen 4-year, $11M contract
“I’m proud to be part of it for another four years,” he said. “They have
treated me so good here and I can’t wait to be contenders again.”— AP
New York Islanders
By ARTHUR STAPLE
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New York Islanders
Nabokov gets shootout shutout over Flyers
By ARTHUR STAPLE
PHILADELPHIA -- Another night, another defenseman lost to injury during a
game.
PHILADELPHIA -- Frans Nielsen could have been an attractive chip with
the Feb. 27 trade deadline approaching and Nielsen facing unrestricted free
agency this summer. But the Islanders valued him more for the long term,
and general manager Garth Snow worked to ensure that the 27-year-old
center remained an Islander.
The team and Nielsen agreed to a four-year, $11-million contract Tuesday,
a huge raise for Nielsen, who is making $550,000 this season, the last of a
four-year deal. When he signed that contract before the 2008-09 season,
Nielsen was an untested player who had split time between the Islanders
and Bridgeport. Now he's one of the very few Islanders who plays in all
situations and works against the top line.
"Frans is a perfect example of what we're building on Long Island," Snow
said. "Our organization has set the goal to build through the draft, develop
our prospects and have them become a part of the young core of talented
players we have. He is one of those core players that has become one of
the best two-way forwards in the NHL."
Nielsen went first in Tuesday night's's shootout and scored in a 1-0 win over
the Flyers.
With the trade deadline 19 days away, the Isles' pool of attractive players
has shrunk. Teams will be asking about Evgeni Nabokov and P.A.
Parenteau, who are having solid seasons and will be unrestricted free
agents this summer. With the injuries on defense, it seems unlikely Snow
will make a major move there.
Rolston scratched again
Brian Rolston was a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game, with Rhett
Rakhshani keeping his lineup spot . . . Marty Reasoner (broken thumb) is
practicing with the team in anticipation of coming off injured reserve.
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New York Rangers
By DAVE CALDWELL
The starting lineups for Tuesday night’s game at Madison Square Garden
included the fourth-line tough guys Cam Janssen and Eric Boulton for the
Devils and Mike Rupp and Brandon Prust for the Rangers, who had 104
career goals and 3,215 penalty minutes among them.
As if choreographed, the four dropped their gloves within two seconds,
Janssen facing Rupp, Boulton taking on Prust. The pairs pounded each
other for a while, clearing the way for the Devils to post a taut 1-0 victory
behind goaltender Martin Brodeur.
“Those guys set the tone: we’re here to play tonight,” Devils Coach Pete
DeBoer said of Janssen and Boulton.
Brodeur stopped 30 shots for the 117th shutout of his career, but his first
this season. The Devils (31-19-3) won their fifth straight game, which
included a 4-3 shootout victory over the Rangers on Jan. 31 in Newark. The
Rangers (33-13-5) had won four of their previous five games.
That Brodeur beat the Rangers with Henrik Lundqvist in goal was not
insignificant to Brodeur. He had not beaten Lundqvist in a head-to-head
matchup since Feb. 3, 2011, when Lundqvist was pulled in the second
period of the Devils’ 3-2 victory. The shutout Tuesday was the first for
Brodeur against the Rangers since he beat them in a shootout, 1-0, on Jan.
12, 2010.
“It’s always fun to play well against these guys,” Brodeur said.
Brodeur pointed out that the Devils needed a perfect shot to beat Lundqvist.
David Clarkson scored his 21st goal of the season after squirming away
from Ryan Callahan with the Devils on the power play and taking a crisp
pass from Zach Parise, the Devils’ captain.
After the game, Parise seemed happier that he did not fritter away the lead
in the final seconds of the game when he gave away the puck while trying
to fire it into an empty net. The turnover led to a frantic final push by the
Rangers.
“I’ve got to have a little more clock awareness there,” Parise said.
Rangers forward Artem Anisimov scored what appeared to be the tying goal
on a rebound with 3.5 seconds left, but Brodeur had been bowled over by
Rangers forward Marian Gaborik just before Anisimov shot the puck.
Gaborik was penalized for goaltender interference.
Rangers Coach John Tortorella was irate after the call was made, but he
would not comment on it at his postgame news conference. The Rangers
outshot the Devils in the third period, 15-1.
“We struggled as far as our quickness early on,” Tortorella said, “but then I
thought we got going. I thought we played a pretty good game. We couldn’t
find a way to score.”
The Devils were ready to battle from the outset. The game-opening side-byside fights came one week after the Devils beat the Rangers at Prudential
Center. Boulton was not penalized for slashing Rupp early in the second
period that night, but the N.H.L. fined him $2,500 a day later.
Janssen had been a healthy scratch for 9 of the previous 12 games, and his
statistics this season included an assist and 55 penalty minutes in 36
games. Boulton had no goals or assists and 64 penalty minutes in 30
games. Both fights were draws, but the Devils got a jolt.
“They love that kind of stuff, and they support it,” Janssen said of his
teammates.
Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel was penalized for holding Clarkson at 7
minutes 24 seconds of the first period. The Devils needed less than a
minute to score.
Patrik Elias, in the corner to the right of Henrik Lundqvist, tapped a pass to
Parise, just behind the goal line. After breaking free from Callahan in the
slot, Clarkson took the pass from Parise and knocked a shot over
Lundqvist’s left shoulder at 8:14.
“I never picked up the puck until it was too late,” Lundqvist said.
The Rangers took the first three shots of the third period and forced DeBoer
to use his timeout. The stoppage gave the Devils a breather, and they
appeared content to sweep rebounds away from Brodeur the rest of the
game.
But the Devils might have won the game at the start, when Janssen and
Boulton challenged the Rangers to fights. First, Janssen said, he made sure
to ask Rupp if his sore thumb was good enough to go. Then they did.
“I believe that’s why the game went the way it did,” Clarkson said.
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New York Rangers
By BRETT LoGIURATO
DANBURY, Conn. — As a seventh grader, Pete Maro would be teased by
other youngsters while sitting in the stands at his brother’s varsity
basketball games. Maro’s new braces required round-the-clock
complementary headgear.
One day his father, Peter Maro Sr., spoke up. “Peter, why don’t you go get
me a Coke?” he said.
It was code for, “Go out in the parking lot and take care of business.” That
was the start of weekly scuffles that helped him develop the mentality to be
a hockey player who, relatives and teammates say, merely doubles as an
orthodontist.
Maro now runs Blue Wave Orthodontics in Rye, N.Y., and Darien, Conn.
And it seems appropriate that the Federal Hockey League’s Danbury
Whalers still call on him for spot-start duty in anticipation of a testy game.
Maro, 46, has been living his dream since spending long afternoons on
Magee’s Pond in Oradell, N.J. He spent time in college as a Devils workout
goaltender and had stints in the Devils’ and Rangers’ systems. Now he is
the oldest person — by seven years — to play in the two-year-old F.H.L., a
circuit full of castoffs, faded stars and young dreamers looking for a break.
“I want to be like Charles Schulz,” Maro said, referring to the creator of the
“Peanuts” comic strip. “He played hockey until the day before he died.”
Maro never lost the will to engage in a scrum — as he did in 2007, playing
with the New England Stars in Danbury. And he has never lost the will to
stand in front of a net, even for target practice as he did last summer with
the N.H.L. players Ryan Shannon, Martin St. Louis and Alexei Kovalev.
“How he even finds the drive and motivation to even want to still play at the
level we play at, I have no idea,” said Chris Seifert, a Whalers teammate
who has lived with Maro and his family for two and a half years.
Maro, who said he practiced with the Whalers every couple of weeks,
started in goal against the Cape Cod Bluefins on Dec. 4 to defuse a
potentially volatile situation. The night before, the Whalers and the Bluefins
engaged in two bench-clearing brawls. Danbury’s starting goaltender was
suspended, so Coach Phil Esposito called on Maro for his experience in
dealing with tension on the ice.
Brandon Prust (l.) and Eric Boulton get familiar with one another.
“I knew Pete had been in that situation more than a few times, and he
doesn’t mind it if it happens,” said Esposito, no relation to the former N.H.L.
star with the same name.
At least that’s how the referees saw it, disallowing Artem Anisimov’s goal
with 3.5 seconds remaining after Gaborik crashed into the crease in
desperation with Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov on his back.
Maro did not expect to play more than a few minutes, but he finished the
game and recorded 28 saves as the Whalers lost, 5-4. Asked what he
remembered of that night, Maro teared up and said he had thought of his
father, who died of pancreatic cancer four years ago.
The Garden crowd turned from delirious to venomous, with fans littering the
ice in disgust, and the Rangers lost, 1-0, on David Clarkson’s power-play
goal in the first period. It was the Blueshirts’ second loss in eight days to the
Devils (31-19-3), who have won all five of their games since the All-Star
break.
From his involvement in parking lot fights, Maro never minded a rumble.
Even as a goaltender trying to crack the N.H.L., he looked more like a
defensive enforcer.
He was a 6-foot-1, 210-pound goaltender when the Rangers invited him to
training camp in 1989. After two exhibition games, he was cut to make room
for another rookie, Mike Richter. “Probably the right choice,” Maro said.
He quickly latched on with the Devils, for whom he had served as a workout
goalie during summers home from SUNY in Potsdam and Geneseo. With
the Devils’ American Hockey League affiliate in Utica, N.Y., he served in
much the same role for two years.
“He was a good kid,” Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello said in a
phone interview. “It wasn’t a career sort of situation. It was more of an
accommodation for us, and also an enjoyment for him.”
Murray Brumwell, the Utica captain, had seen his dream evaporate after
playing in 102 games for the Devils over parts of five seasons. Brumwell
was stuck in the minors, but Maro had a scholarship offer from the
University of Louisville School of Dentistry.
Pursue your other dream, Brumwell said, before both slip away.
“Unfortunately, there were a couple guys with contracts in front of him,”
Brumwell said of Maro in a phone interview from his home in Montana. “He
was a very good goalie. I don’t know if it was great advice that I gave him or
the token advice, but I looked at the same thing. You can’t play the game
forever.”
Maro took Brumwell’s advice, but he kept finding places to play hockey:
with the Ice Hawks in Louisville and with the Molson Ice during his
orthodontic training at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
While with the Stars in 2007, Maro found himself in the midst of a brawl that
involved fans. Five people were arrested and three police officers were
injured. Maro, meanwhile, tangled with a 22-year-old who, Maro said, tried
to trip him.
Maro’s role has changed over the years. He is now a mentor to dreamers
like Joey Spagnoli, a 22-year-old backup goalie for the Whalers. Spagnoli
said Maro inspired him to “keep plugging away,” even as he commutes
twice a week from the University of Rhode Island.
One thing has not changed, though. When Maro is in net — he dressed as
the Whalers’ backup last month and Esposito said he could have more
opportunities this season — he is still the same boy who scuffled in the
parking lot and skated on Magee’s Pond.
Marian Gaborik tried to give the Rangers the extra push they needed
Tuesday night, but instead, he pushed Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.
Gaborik, however, disagreed with the goaltender-interference penalty
assessed to him on the Blueshirts’ last gasp. He was ready to play more
hockey.
“I tried to stop, and (Volchenkov) just pushes me into him,” said the
Rangers winger, who redirected Ryan Callahan’s shot into Brodeur’s pads
before falling forward. “If I had run him, I wouldn’t say a word, but I tried to
stop and he pushed me into Brodeur, so we could have been in overtime
right now.”
Volchenkov admitted he pushed Gaborik “a little bit,” but said he was trying
to make a play on Gaborik’s stick and did not push the Ranger hard enough
to cause him to barrel into Brodeur.
“We’ve got rules,” Volchenkov said. “You hit goalie, you get penalty.”
“We saw on the video it’s kind of obvious, he uses both of his hands and
hits my shoulder, kind of pushes me back and impairs (my ability) to make a
save,” said Brodeur, the NHL’s all-time shutout leader (117) who made 30
saves for his first shutout of the season. “I think it was the right call. I’m sure
they’d probably complain about it, but that’s kind of the nature of the beast.”
The Rangers (33-13-5) had the last-second opportunity because Michael
Del Zotto blocked Zach Parise’s shot at an empty net near the Rangers’
blue line. Del Zotto passed ahead to Brad Richards, who found Callahan
streaking into the left offensive zone for the shot that Anisimov tipped in on
Brodeur.
“That’s a tough play as a defenseman,” Marc Staal said of Del Zotto’s block.
“You don’t really know whether to charge at (Parise) because he’s such a
skilled player. (Del Zotto) did a good job waiting him out and didn’t give him
anywhere to go and made the block.”
Henrik Lundqvist (21 saves) lost to a team he has dominated in his career
without even seeing the shot that beat him. Clarkson scored with 11:46
remaining in the first period off Parise’s pass from behind the net that
slipped past Derek Stepan’s stick. The Devils were on that power play
because rookie defenseman Stu Bickel — who Tortorella left in the lineup
despite having Steve Eminger at his disposal, recovered from a separated
shoulder — committed a holding penalty on Clarkson 50 seconds earlier.
The Rangers were disappointed about getting no points, considering Ryan
McDonagh did a terrific job on Ilya Kovalchuk and Dan Girardi was his
steady self. The Blueshirts out-hit the Devils, 52-24, and after a slow start
got strong forechecking from the likes of Callahan, Gaborik, Carl Hagelin,
Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Brandon Dubinsky and John Mitchell.
But none of them could solve Brodeur — not Hagelin when the Devils
goalie swatted away a point-blank wrister with his glove at the end of the
second period; not Gaborik when Brodeur shouldered away a shot with the
clock winding down; and it turns out, not Anisimov, either.
611296
POWERLESS IN DEFEAT
“I’m still playing,” Maro said. “I’m just not getting paid for it. I’m still having
just as much fun as I did back then.”
New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist knows a lot goes into winning or losing a game, but he
also knows what made the difference in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Devils.
Martin Brodeur shuts out NY Rangers 1-0 at Madison Square Garden,
curious interference call on Marian Gaborik costs Blueshirts
By Pat Leonard
New York Rangers right wing Brandon Prust (8) fights with New Jersey
Devils left wing Eric Boulton (22) in the first period of the NHL game
between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils at Madison
Square Garden in Manhattan, NY Feb. 7, 2012.
“In the end, it just came down to special teams,” said Lundqvist, who was
screened on David Clarkson’s first period power-play goal.
The Rangers’ woes on the man advantage continued at the Garden as they
put just four shots on goal in six minutes of power-play time. Their 0-for-3
makes them 1-for-34 in their last 12 games, and that one goal was their
last-second overtime goal on the 4-on-3 in Boston, so it’s actually been 13
games since they’ve scored on a 5-on-4 advantage.
“It’s frustrating definitely,” Marian Gaborik said. “We just have to stay with it.
It’s been a long year. Obviously special teams are important to win games.”
The Rangers have a strong penalty kill (3-of-4 Tuesday), but that only goes
so far when the power play isn’t converting. It wasn’t completely off for the
Rangers, either. Derek Stepan’s line generated significant momentum on
the first advantage. Then in the third period, Brad Richards woke up when
John Tortorella abandoned the forward line-two defensemen strategy and
put Richards back at the point.
But the Rangers couldn’t break through.
FIGHT NIGHT
Just two seconds in on the game’s first shift, Brandon Prust and Mike Rupp
simultaneously dropped the gloves. Prust duked it out with the Devils’ Eric
Boulton as Rupp — with a broken left thumb — tussled with Jersey’s Cam
Janssen, who asked Rupp if he would fight with the injury before they
dropped the gloves.
New York Daily News LOADED: 02.08.2012
611297
New York Rangers
By MARK EVERSON
The main victim of the Rangers’ power play, their own All-Star goaltender,
lodged a more-than-justified complaint.
“One goal, and it’s the difference. We did a lot of good things on the power
play and had chances, but in the end, it is the difference,” Henrik Lundqvist
said after the Devils beat the Rangers 1-0 on David Clarkson’s power-play
goal last night at the Garden.
One 4-on-3 power play goal in 13 games is not the stuff that makes
champions, and this chance to run at the Cup doesn’t come very often.
Their 0-for-35 bankruptcy with the man-advantage should have rung alarms
long ago.
With Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, the Rangers’ extra-man outfit
should be frightening. Right now, general manager Glen Sather has to be
looking for a better backline quarterback/shooter before the trade deadline
19 days away.
The Rangers were blanked on three more chances — four shots on Martin
Brodeur — last night. The Devils, no great power-play shakes themselves,
stretched their winning streak to five on Clarkson’s winner in four powerplay tries, including the final one of 3.5 seconds’ duration.
How the Rangers can lead the Eastern Conference without being able to
score a single goal in more than an hour (62:16) of standard 5-on-4 power
play, in more than a month since Jan. 5, is a matter of marvel. It could also
be a matter of past tense if they don’t fix it fast.
“It’s going to be important down the stretch that we win the special teams
game. That’s going to be the difference,” Lundqvist said. “We have to get
both parts of it going because there are going to be a lot of tight games.”
They have scored all of four PPGs of any variety in their past 24 games,
since Dec. 11, on 67 tries.
“It’s beginning to show signs, but certainly not good enough,” Rangers
coach John Tortorella said. “The last couple of games there, I thought we
had some chances.
“But it’s just not getting done.”
If they don’t get it done, it will do them in.
By LARRY BROOKS
Two hours before they dropped the puck on the latest salvo in the Battle of
the Hudson at the Garden, Martin Brodeur talked about the State(s) of the
Rivalry that has been so compelling for so long.
“It’s us against the top team in the league,” the all-time goaltender told The
Post. “The way I look at it it’s not really the Devils against the Rangers, it’s
the Devils against the best team in the NHL.
“I don’t know if they look at the rivalry exactly the same as we do because
they have their rivalries against the Flyers and the Islanders where they
have targets on their backs, but I know that I always look forward to this and
especially with how well they’ve been playing all year.”
Brodeur and the Devils beat the Rangers 1-0 last night, with Brodeur
recording his 117th career shutout and first of the year by outdueling Henrik
Lundqvist in a memorable battle in which the Devils dominated early and
then withstood a furious onslaught in the third in which the Blueshirts
outshot their rivals 14-1.
It marked the Devils’ second victory in eight days over “the best team in the
NHL” following last Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout triumph at the Rock and fifth
straight overall, a streak also featuring victories over the Flyers and
Penguins.
Indeed, while the Rangers sustained their first regulation defeat in the last
six (4-1-1), the Devils moved into fifth place in the East, only two points
behind the Flyers and just six points behind the Blueshirts, though the
conference leaders hold two games in hand.
“I think right now we’re trying to stave off the people around us,” Brodeur
said. “I don’t think we’re looking at the top yet; we’re not there yet.”
One puck did actually get by Brodeur, an Artem Anisimov rebound of a
Ryan Callahan shot with 3.5 seconds to go, but what for a moment
appeared to be the tying goal was correctly negated because of a
goaltender interference call on Marian Gaborik, who rammed into Brodeur
after being nudged — but not shoved — by Devils defenseman Anton
Volchenkov.
Gaborik protested afterward, saying, “I don’t understand the call ... I tried to
stop and [Volchenkov] pushed me into [Brodeur] ... we should be in
overtime.”
Rangers coach John Tortorella, who was furious on the bench in the play’s
immediate aftermath, refused to comment when asked about it following the
match.
Lundqvist, who allowed only a power-play goal to David Clarkson at 8:14 of
the first, said: “If the goalie sells it, then there’s a good chance they’re going
to call a penalty.”
The Rangers got untracked in the third period, coming in waves after being
stymied for 40 minutes. Brad Richards, who was benched for much of the
third period in Sunday’s victory over the Flyers, was demoted to the fourth
line in the late going, flipping spots with John Mitchell.
Lundqvist, who entered the match a career 21-5-5 head-to-head against
Brodeur, a corresponding 10-16-5 against the King, was resolute in
recording 21 saves. His lone third-period save came on a semi-breakaway
by Jacob Josefson at 7:22 after he beat Dan Girardi wide on the left.
“He’s unbelievable,” Brodeur said of Lundqvist. “He goes without a shot for
20 minutes and then stops a breakaway like it’s nothing.”
Nothing — nothing that counted, that is — got by Brodeur, who will turn 40
on May 6.
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello said Travis Zajac is expected to undergo an
exam today on his Achilles tendon. Lamoriello said he doesn’t expect Zajac
to require further surgery. ... Defenseman Adam Larsson sat out his third
straight with a back bruise and center Brad Mills was returned to Albany.
Or as Yankees relief pitcher and hockey enthusiast Joba Chamberlain put it
to The Post as he stood outside the Rangers room: “The Ageless Wonder.”
611299
611298
New York Rangers
New York Rangers
Brodeur, red-hot Devils blank Rangers 1-0
Staff
Today, 7 p.m.
Martin Brodeur stopped 30 shots for his first shutout of the season and the
record 117th of his NHL career, and the New Jersey Devils beat the
Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers 1-0 on Tuesday night for
their fifth consecutive win.
Brodeur was sharp and steady throughout, despite going several stretches
without facing much action. David Clarkson gave him all the offense he
needed with a first-period, power-play goal. Brodeur made it stand for the
Devils, who didn't need any help from Ilya Kovalchuk, who had three points
in each of his previous three games.
The Rangers appeared to score the tying goal with 3.5 seconds left, but it
was disallowed because Marian Gaborik was called for goalie interference
when he crashed into Brodeur in the crease after being shoved from behind
by New Jersey defenseman Anton Volchenkov.
New Jersey is 5-0-1 in its past six games, including a shootout victory over
the Rangers last week at home. New York is 4-1-1 in its past six, with the
only blemishes coming against the Devils.
Henrik Lundqvist took the tough-luck loss, despite making 21 saves.
Lundqvist had won his previous four starts, allowing only four goals and
earning two shutouts. He had been tied with Brodeur for the most shutouts
(41) since the 2005-06 season.
Rangers rookie Carl Hagelin had two of the best chances against Brodeur,
once late in the second period and again in the opening minutes of the
third, but was denied each time. Gaborik also had a partial breakaway in
the middle frame, but his long drive was also turned aside.
New York put on the pressure early in the third, forcing the Devils to take a
few icings that led to New Jersey coach Pete DeBoer to use his timeout.
The Rangers also had their third power play of the night midway through
the third, but were again stonewalled.
The Devils grabbed the all-important lead 8:14 in when Clarkson scored a
rare power-play goal against the Rangers. New Jersey was already
dominating play on the shot board and finally cashed in on its eighth
attempt. Zach Parise sent a crisp pass from behind the net in front to
Clarkson, who quickly snapped a shot in from the slot for his career-best
21st goal.
New Jersey carried that lead into the second period, a key point because
the Rangers are 10-1-2 this season when ahead after one and 24-1-2 when
they score first. The Devils' power-play unit cracked the tough Rangers'
penalty-killers and notched just the fourth man-advantage goal against New
York in 18 games.
The Devils got much more of a lift from the fireworks off the opening faceoff
when New Jersey's Eric Boulton and Cam Janssen fought Brandon Prust
and Mike Rupp after only 2 seconds elapsed.
New Jersey recorded the first five shots of the game, before Hagelin got the
Rangers on the shot board 6:10 in, and carried most of the play in the
period. New York's best flurry came with under three minutes left in the first
when shots by Prust and Brian Boyle had Brodeur lunging and flapping his
arms and legs to keep the Devils in front.
Petr Sykora nearly doubled New Jersey's lead with 12 seconds remaining in
the period, but his shot from the right point during another power play
slammed hard off the left post.
NOTES: Brodeur is 45-27-20 against the Rangers with nine shutouts in 92
career games. ... Clarkson, who scored his previous career high of 17 goals
in the 2008-09 season, is two points shy of his best total of 32 in that
season. He appeared to injure a shoulder on a hit by Rangers D Anton
Stralman in the second period, but remained in the game. ... The Devils
held an 11-9 shots advantage through the first period and 21-15 after 40
minutes. ... The Rangers have beaten the Devils 99 times.
611300
New York Rangers
Up next: Devils at Rangers
Herald News
TV: MSG, MSG Plus 2
Radio: ESPN-AM 1050, WFAN-AM 660
Story line: The Rangers (33-12-5) and the Devils (30-19-3) play for the
second time in eight days after the Devils won a 4-3 shootout at New
Jersey on Jan. 31.
611301
New York Rangers
The Record
NEW YORK – Five games in eight days. Five wins, including two over the
team leading the Eastern Conference in points.
That’s quite a week for the Devils, who ran their winning streak to five with a
vintage performance from goaltender Martin Brodeur in a 1-0 victory over
the Rangers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Devils’ season-best winning streak began with a 4-3 shootout win over
the Blueshirts at Prudential Center the previous Tuesday. So, that’s twice
since the All-Star break the Devils have defeated the Rangers and now, all
of a sudden, they’re only six points behind the conference leaders. (Though
the Rangers have two games in hand).
“I think we answered some questions this week,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer
said. “One week doesn’t make a season, but we showed we can play with
anybody.”
That had been a question for the Devils coming out of the break. They were
a combined 1-6-0 against the Rangers, Philadelphia and Boston.
Since the break, though, they’ve defeated the Rangers twice, Philadelphia
once (6-4 on Saturday) and Pittsburgh (5-2 on Sunday) to climb from being
on the verge of falling out of the top eight in the East into fifth place, just two
points behind the fourth-place Flyers.
The Devils are still only six points ahead of ninth-place Florida, though.
That’s more the Devils’ focus right now than trying to catch the Rangers,
who they will face three more times over their final 29 games.
“I think we’re trying to shake off people around us more,” Brodeur said.
“Short term, we’re looking at people [directly] in front of us. I don’t think
we’re looking at the top teams, yet. Even though we’re playing well against
them, I don’t think we’re there, yet. It’s a work in progress and I think guys
are feeling it, but to do it is a different animal. We’re taking strides toward
being more of an elite team, but it’s going to take a [few] more efforts like
we did [Tuesday] and against Pittsburgh and then more consistency.
“Winning five in a row now, I think we start feeling it, but we’ve just got to
continue it.”
There’s been a lot of talk in recent seasons about Henrik Lundqvist’s career
record against Brodeur, which is now 21-6-5. Brodeur knows it takes almost
a perfect game to beat Lundqvist.
Brodeur did it with a 51-save performance in a 1-0 shootout at the Garden
on Jan. 12, 2010 and was just as good Tuesday night, making 30 saves,
including 15 in the third period.
“He’s unbelievable the saves he made,” Brodeur said of Lundqvist. “He
didn’t get a shot for like 20 minutes and he gets a breakaway and it seems
like it’s nothing. He played a hell of a game. It took a perfect shot to beat
him. We found a way to win [Tuesday], but against a team like that with a
goalie like that, that’s why you have to play well.”
Brodeur had said all season that he has plenty of shutouts and all he cares
about is wins. He admitted Tuesday, though, that the timing was perfect for
him to get his first shutout of the season.
“For me it is,” he said. “It’s always fun to play well against these guys. It’s a
big rivalry and shutouts on the road are always a little harder to get. So,
definitely to get my first one – even though I want to win games, it’s always
nice to be able to snap a shutout.”
611302
New York Rangers
Late goal waved off, so Brodeur post shutout in Devils' win over Rangers
“It’s a tough call,” Lundqvist said. “I think their guy pushed Gabby into the
net. I think it should have been a goal. If the goalie sells it that good, yeah,
they’re going to call it. There was some contact, but their guy pushed him. A
lot of time, they’ll let it go.”
While Lundqvist looked uncharacteristically shaky in the early going, the 39year-old Brodeur revived memories of his prime with back-to-back stops on
Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust at the crease at 18:00 of the first period.
611303
New York Rangers
By ANDREW GROSS
Brodeur shuts out Rangers
NEW YORK – It was everything to be expected from a vintage RangersDevils game, solid hitting, strong defense, particularly as the Devils
protected a third-period lead, and a great goaltending duel between Martin
Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist.
By STEVE ZIPAY
Plus some last-second controversy.
The Devils extended their winning streak to a season-high five games with
a 1-0 win Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden as their special teams’
play was better. Then, Artem Anisimov’s potential equalizer with 3.5
seconds remaining was waved off when Marian Gaborik was called for
goalie interference.
“I don’t understand,” said Gaborik, believing he was pushed by Devils
defenseman Anton Volchenkov. “It’s frustrating. If I would have run him, I
wouldn’t say a word. I tried to stop, but he just pushes me into Brodeur.”
“They’ve got rules,” Volchenkov countered. “The guy hits the goalie, you get
a penalty. I didn’t really push him; maybe a little bit of a push. But I didn’t
push so hard. It was a good call.”
Brodeur made 30 saves for the Devils (31-19-3) as he notched his first
shutout of the season while extending his NHL career record to 117. The
Eastern Conference-leading Rangers (33-13-5) were blanked for the sixth
time.
“We saw on the video it was kind of obvious,” Brodeur said. “[Gaborik] takes
both of his hands, and he hits my shoulder, kind of pushes me back and
impairs me to make a save.
A disputed call that disallowed an apparent game-tying Rangers goal with
3.5 seconds left in regulation Tuesday night left the Blueshirts steaming -and 1-0 losers to the streaking Devils.
With goaltender Henrik Lundqvist pulled for an extra attacker, Marian
Gaborik was jammed into the crease from behind by defenseman Anton
Volchenkov and Artem Anisimov's rebound went past a fallen Martin
Brodeur. But Gaborik, who appeared to be stopping, was whistled for
interference by referee Dean Morton, the goal was waved off and John
Tortorella was irate on the bench.
"I don't understand," Gaborik said. "I tried to get ahead of him [Volchenkov]
and tried to get my stick [down], open my legs for a pass and tried to stop. If
I would have run him, I wouldn't say a word, but I tried to stop, and I got
pushed into Brodeur. We could've been in overtime right now."
Devils coach Peter DeBoer disagreed: "I thought it was the right call," he
said.
Perhaps mindful of the $30,000 fine levied by the NHL for his pointed
critique of the officiating in the Winter Classic, Tortorella twice declined to
comment on the decision.
Rangers coach John Tortorella, mindful of the $30,000 fine he incurred for
criticizing the NHL and the officiating at the Winter Classic, would not
comment. But he did call Brodeur “the difference” in the game.
David Clarkson's power-play goal at 8:14 of the first period, with rookie
defenseman Stu Bickel in the penalty box for holding, and Martin Brodeur's
30 saves, including 15 in the third period, was enough for a fifth straight win
for the Devils, who climbed within six points of the first-place Rangers (71
points) in the Eastern Conference. It was Brodeur's first shutout of the
season and 117th of his career.
Lundqvist made 21 saves for the Rangers, who had a two-game winning
streak snapped while losing their second to the Devils in eight days despite
outshooting them, 15-1, in the third period as the Devils pulled back.
It was the sixth time the Rangers have been blanked this season and the
second in the last three games, sandwiched around a 5-2 defeat of the
Flyers at the Garden on Sunday afternoon.
“You could tell from the first shift that they were sitting back and waiting,”
said Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, adding, “you hate losing to the
Devils no matter how you lose.”
All recent Devils-Rangers matchups have been tight. Eleven of the last 15
games have been decided by two goals or fewer, but as Lundqvist said, the
special teams were the difference Tuesday night. The Rangers, 0-3 on the
power play, are mired in a 0-for-17 and 2-for-47 slump with the man
advantage and the continuing problem has the potential to drag them back
to the pack if it isn't solved.
“I’m sure they probably complained about it, but that’s kind of the nature of
the beast.”
The Devils moved into third place in the Atlantic Division, six points behind
the Rangers.
David Clarkson scored the lone goal at 8:14 of the first period on the Devils’
first power play and, at the time, the Devils held an 8-1 shot advantage.
The Devils went 1-for-4 on the power play and are now 7-for-22 over their
past six games. The Rangers wen0-for-3 and are now in a 1-for-34 funk
over their lpast 13 games even as their penalty kill has gone 35-for-39 over
that same stretch.
“It’s going to be important going down the stretch that we win the special
teams game,” said Lundqvist, who had his streak of consecutive regularseason starts against the Devils snapped at 32 in the Rangers’ 4-3 shootout
loss at Newark New Jersey on Jan. 31. “A lot of times, that’s going to be the
difference. We’ve really got to focus on getting both parts of it going.”
“[The power play] is beginning to show signs but is certainly not good
enough,” said Tortorella after the Rangers generated four shots with the
man advantage.
Meanwhile, Lundqvist had his own views on Gaborik’s penalty.
"It's going to be important going down the stretch here that we win specialteam games," Lundqvist said. "A lot of times that's going to be the
difference. Tonight, in the end, it was."
Said Tortorella, who clearly is frustrated by the failures: "It's beginning to
show signs . . . but certainly not good enough . . . it's not getting done."
One underachiever is Brad Richards, who has one goal and two assists in
12 games.
Lundqvist also thought that the goal that appeared to tie the game should
have counted. "I think their guy pushed Gabby into the net," he said. "It
should have been a goal. If the goalies sell it that way, they're going to call
a penalty. There was some contact, but I think their guy pushed him in; they
let it go a lot of times."
The Rangers had outscored the Devils, 7-4, in the first two games of the
series, including 5-2 in the third periods, and it was all Rangers in the final
20 minutes.
"The difference was Brodeur," Tortorella said. "He made some really good
saves in the third. You've got to give him credit."
611304
New York Rangers
Rangers, Devils fight at first puck drop
By STEVE ZIPAY
Devils forward Cam Janssen played for the first time since Jan. 21 and was
in the starting lineup. The reason? Simple. The Devils wanted some early
banging. Mission accomplished.
In 296 career games, Janssen, once referred to by Sean Avery as "that
meathead from New Jersey," had 730 penalty minutes, and as the puck
dropped, Janssen squared off with Mike Rupp, whose left thumb was
broken by Eric Boulton's slash last week in Newark.
On the other side of the faceoff circle, Boulton dropped the gloves with
Brandon Prust. The fights were draws, although Rupp seemed to be
favoring his hand heading to the box.
Eminger still scratched
Defenseman Steve Eminger, activated from injured reserve (separated
shoulder) on Saturday, was a healthy scratch for a second straight game.
He could play against the Lightning Thursday, replacing rookie Stu Bickel,
who was in the box for holding when the Devils scored the opening goal
Tuesday night. Henrik Lundqvist is expected to start Thursday against
Tampa and Saturday against the Flyers. Martin Biron would be in the net on
Sunday afternoon against Washington.
When asked what it felt like living in such a fishbowl, he smiled and replied:
“It’s definitely interesting. This kind media attention is to be expected here.
You’re in Canada and all eyes are on you, so it’s fun and I’ve enjoyed it so
far.”
Kane has certainly been in the limelight before. He was selected fourth
overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009, and immediately became the face
of the franchise – in part because he was named after Atlanta boxing
legend Evander Holyfield. When the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Kane
insisted on continuing to wear No. 9 even though it would lead to
comparisons with Jets legend Bobby Hull. (Kane did talk to Hull about it and
got his blessing.)
Kane is going through some harsh lessons in Winnipeg, Noel said.
“It’s tough lessons of life in a market that’s small,” the coach said. “I’m sure
it’s had an effect on him. I don’t know personally how it has. We’re trying to
work with him.”
Noel added the attacks on Kane have been unfair, “but that’s the world we
live in and, you know, sometimes you get humbled and it’s a tough lesson.
He’s dealing with it the best he can and we’re trying to help him. It’s tough.
Who likes to be criticized every time you turn around?”
But at times, Kane doesn’t help his cause. His reply on Twitter only fed the
restaurant rumour and he hasn’t been on the social media website much
since.
When a reporter asked if he planned to use Twitter regularly any more,
Kane replied: “I don’t know. Do you want to be my personal Twitter account
supervisor or what?”
Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 02.07.2012
611306
NHL
Staal aids juniors
Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, his brothers Eric and Jordan, and six
other NHL players who are natives of Thunder Bay, Ontario, are donating
120 complete sets of brand new hockey equipment to 11 minor hockey
organizations in the Thunder Bay area as part of a Scotiabank Hockey Day
in Canada celebration on Feb. 11. The equipment donation through the
NHLPA Goals & Dreams foundation is worth more than $60,000.
611305
NHL
paul waldie
Evander Kane has been learning some tough lessons about being a young
hockey star in a small city.
Winter Classic about to go big in Michigan for 2013
james mirtle
The big game at The Big House is about to be a done deal.
The NHL is expected to officially announce Thursday that the 2013 Winter
Classic will feature the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs and
take place at the home of the University of Michigan football team in Ann
Arbor, Mich.
The game is guaranteed to set the league’s single-game attendance record
with more than 100,000 in the stands, breaking the mark of 71,217 set at
the first Winter Classic in Buffalo in 2008.
The only remaining hurdle is the university approving a lease agreement,
something that will take place at a public meeting Wednesday morning.
Kane is a striking figure around Winnipeg. He’s a good-looking, 20-year-old
millionaire who leads the Jets in goals. But he has also become the target
of some nasty rumours, none proven and all vigorously denied.
“We won’t comment publicly on a proposal before it has been brought
before the board of regents and approved,” Michigan university spokesman
David Ablauf told The Detroit News on Tuesday. “That is a policy that our
athletic department has for all action items that go to them for a vote.”
First, there were reports early in the season that Kane wanted out of
Winnipeg and that he didn’t get along with head coach Claude Noel. Kane
shot down the suggestions and said he had no qualms with Noel.
NHL officials also declined to confirm an announcement was coming, but
it’s believed details of the press conference will be revealed once the lease
is approved.
Then, came recent rumours that Kane had left local restaurants without
paying, prompting someone to post on Twitter.com: “Dear Evander: Please
stop walking out on your bills. Sincerely, Winnipeg servers and
restauranteurs.” Kane replied via Twitter: “Ha, Ha. What a complete lie this
is but I really like the colours on the poster.”
It’s likely the event will also include an outdoor alumni game, to be played
elsewhere in the Detroit area, between former Red Wings and Maple Leafs
players.
The Jets looked into the allegations and said they didn’t stand up.
Compounding all of this has been Kane’s lack of production on the ice
lately. While he leads the team with 18 goals, he hasn’t scored since Dec.
29, and had missed seven games because of a concussion. He returned to
the lineup Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“All that [off-ice] stuff is false,” Kane said Tuesday. “It’s unfortunate that
rumours like that happen. I obviously care about my reputation and want to
have a strong reputation in the community, and it’s unfortunate that certain
people are creating kind of negative mood around that.”
The game will be the first Winter Classic to involve a Canadian team and
only the second between Original Six teams.
611307
NHL
Diagnosing sports injuries never an exact science
sean gordon AND david shoalts
The shot caromed off his skate in Tampa, but the real trouble started a
couple of weeks later in Philadelphia.
Former NHL defenceman Dave Babych had been traded to the Philadelphia
Flyers from the Vancouver Canucks a few weeks earlier, and in a 6-1 win
against the Tampa Bay Lightning took a puck off the foot.
That was seven games before the 1998 playoffs. As he took warm-up laps
prior to the opener of the Flyers’ first-round playoff series, the veteran had
trouble turning and thought: “This is a problem.”
Still others, believed to be in a minority, accept payment from medical
groups in the way NFL and major-league baseball teams do (the practice is
frowned upon in Canada).
“These are top doctors, and I am sure they are familiar with their ethical
obligations,” said Tim Caulfield, a health law and ethics expert at the
University of Alberta. “But given the environment, given the pressures, and
given the current and emerging concerns in society about these injuries, I
think this idea that athletes get independent advice … is at a minimum
where we need to go.”
He went to tell the team’s medical staff, and more pain-killing medication
was administered, to the point where, “I couldn’t really feel anything at all,
which is great until your whole leg turns purple a few hours after.”
Partly because of those concerns, a cottage industry has popped up of
independent specialists such as legendary knee and shoulder guru James
Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., and Canadian-born hip expert Marc Philippon
of The Steadman Clinic in Colorado.
Babych played the entire five-game series on a broken foot. It had been
misdiagnosed by the Flyers’ doctor at the time as a bone bruise.
Some teams, like the Penguins, even foot the bill when a player wants a
second opinion.
Playing, he was assured, wouldn’t cause any lasting damage. Yet in 2002,
after Babych had been forced into retirement, a Pennsylvania jury decided
otherwise and awarded him nearly $1.4-million (U.S.) in a malpractice suit.
“Every plane ticket, every operation, it doesn’t matter,” Shero said. “I’ll send
guys for third opinions because we want to be right and I want the players
to know they’re getting the best possible medical care.”
“You trust these people with your life,” Babych said. “You have to.”
Several player agents said they routinely recommend their clients seek
outside opinions on injuries.
That statement describes most people’s interactions with doctors, and while
Babych was at pains to insist “the vast majority of doctors and trainers are
amazing,” sports medicine can be a messy and immensely complicated
business.
Indeed, the National Hockey League Players’ Association hired its own
medical consultant for just that purpose – Toronto-based trauma specialist
John Rizos – more than a decade ago.
It was true when it came to figuring out what was wrong with Babych’s foot,
and remains so as the hockey world digests the latest developments in an
even higher-profile case: Sidney Crosby.
Hockey’s concussion epidemic has spurred the union to do more to provide
medical guidance to its players, Rizos and Michigan-based neurologist
Jeffrey Kutcher combined to tour all 30 NHL cities with NHLPA president
Don Fehr last fall.
Recent news that Crosby, who has played just eight games since suffering
a concussion a year ago, is suffering from mystery neck ailments has
baffled many.
It was the first time the union had gone to such lengths.
In addition to the speculation that Crosby and his family were unhappy at
the advice he received from the team’s medical staff – debunked by the
player – the affair prompted whispers in some circles about the competency
of the Pens’ doctors.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero took considerable umbrage at that
talk.
“People need to understand the long-term goal is the long-term health of
our players. We’re not putting any players at risk,” he told The Globe and
Mail.
Concussions have made a muddled picture even more complicated, Shero
added.
That’s the sort of gesture Babych, who discovered the true extent of the
damage to his foot on a visit to Vancouver in the fall of 1998, would
appreciate.
The 50-year-old, who now tutors defensive prospects in the Canucks
organization, said the medical situation in the league has changed since his
playing days – and since the lawsuit that shook the hockey world.
“Doors closed in a hurry,” Babych observed dryly. “But I thought if I don’t do
something, what do I tell my kids? What kind of a role model does that
make me?”
Babych’s foot still bothers him, as do several other body parts worn down
by 1,309 NHL games.
But there’s comfort in knowing his pain may eventually spare others.
“The league is trying to get it right but it’s an injury that is complex. It’s
confounding in terms of how guys respond,” he said.
“It’s not a life-threatening injury,” he said, “but it’s certainly been a lifealtering one.”
Crosby, who again skated with his teammates in Montreal on Tuesday but
is weeks away from a return, is a much-scrutinized figure; he is rich,
successful, and has all avenues of treatment open to him.
With reports from Allan Maki in Calgary, Robert Macleod in Toronto and
Anne McIlroy in Ottawa.
It doesn’t mean he is different from any other patient – we all seek advice
from those we trust.
As such, many of the practitioners who have looked at Crosby over the past
14 months have close links either to his agent, his trainer, or the team.
611308
NHL
Kiprusoff is the quiet milestone man
This is not especially unique, let alone sinister.
But Robert Gordon, a Toronto orthopedic surgeon who has worked with
athletes from several of the major sports leagues, said team doctors face
pressures from many directions: satisfying their employers, satisfying their
patients, and knowing a mistake can end an athlete’s career.
“One of my favourite doctors is Dr. Eastwood. Clint once said, ‘A man’s
gotta know his limitations,’” said Gordon, who is a medical consultant for the
ATP World Tour in Canada. “In America, doctors sometimes pay for the
privilege [of working for a team] and that’s a huge conflict. Say you can’t
treat a given problem . . . it’s difficult to send them off to someone else.”
At last count, 10 U.S.-based NHL teams had an “official medical provider,”
including Pittsburgh.
Arrangements differ across the league. Many teams pay their doctors a
salary, others accept pro bono services in exchange for perks that can
range from tickets to travel in the playoffs.
eric duhatschek
Miikka Kiprusoff’s NHL career began in the San Jose Sharks organization –
and it may well have ended there, in non-descript fashion, but for the events
of Grey Cup Sunday in 2003.
The Calgary Flames were casting about for goaltending help – again – and
kicked the tires on a number of possibilities. But Darryl Sutter did what NHL
general managers so often do and went for the familiar, a guy buried in his
previous organization’s depth chart.
The Sharks made Kiprusoff the odd man out, instead keeping Evgeni
Nabokov and Vesa Toskala, and in return received a second-round draft
choice in 2005 that was used on Marc-Édouard Vlasic, a serviceable NHL
defenceman.
But Kiprusoff went on to become a star, and the Sharks ultimately rued the
day they traded him to a rival, as it was Kiprusoff who backstopped the
Flames to an upset victory over San Jose in the 2004 Western Conference
final. The Sharks have not come closer to winning the Stanley Cup. For that
matter, Calgary hasn’t gone any deeper in the playoffs since that
memorable run, but it’s not because of Kiprusoff, who relentlessly, year
after year, props up an average team.
Now, some 8 1/2 years later, Kiprusoff returns to San Jose on Wednesday,
seeking to become just the 27th goaltender in NHL history to record 300
wins.
Kiprusoff, 35, is quiet, almost painfully shy, so getting anything beyond the
rudimentary observations out of him is difficult. But such a milestone clearly
doesn’t mean as much as career victory No. 277, which came in the
opening week of the season against the Montreal Canadiens. It pushed
Kiprusoff past Mike Vernon to become the Flames’ all-time wins leader,
now 285 and counting. (He had previously recorded 14 victories with the
Sharks.)
That night, Kiprusoff talked about his gratitude towards the Flames for
rescuing him from the goalie glut in San Jose that had him thinking about
returning to Finland. Calgary turned out to be the perfect fit, a chance to be
the defined starter, but he made the most of his opportunity, too.
The 18-year-old forward will be sidelined seven to 10 days, according to
team officials, who have called up Magnus Paajarvi from the AHL
Oklahoma City Barons.
Nugent-Hopkins had missed 13 games after originally injuring his shoulder
in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. On Monday night, during
Edmonton’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nugent-Hopkins was checked
into the boards in the third period. He went to the team’s dressing room and
did not return to action.
“It’s the same shoulder but a different injury,” Nugent-Hopkins told the
Edmonton Journal. “It’s not close to my first shoulder injury. I could feel it as
soon as I got hit — my shoulder kind of dropped.
“It can be frustrating but I’m trying to stay positive.”
Paajarvi, 20, was assigned to Oklahoma City on Jan. 24 and has a goal and
nine assists in 14 games with the Barons. In 33 games with the Oilers this
season he has four assists.
The Oilers play the red Wings in Detroit on Wednesday.
611310
NHL
Questions surround Evander Kane injury
Kiprusoff, according to winger Alex Tanguay, “gives you a chance to win on
a nightly basis. This is my fourth season with the Flames and I don’t think
I’ve seen him play better. He’s been outstanding all year. He’s kept us in
games. He’s made the big save and he’s made the timely save. He’s been
fun to watch and, hopefully, he keeps it going.”
paul waldie
Kiprusoff rarely gives up a bad goal and has an unflappable presence.
Post-to-post, there are few who move quicker or anticipate better. In terms
of flexibility, Kiprusoff is right there with Gumby.
The Winnipeg Jets will have their top scorer, Evander Kane, back in the
lineup tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but more questions have
surfaced about the injury that has kept Kane out.
Whenever the Flames go on the road in February, star winger Jarome Iginla
is generally the focal point, always obliged to address questions about his
future in Calgary. But Kiprusoff poses an interesting case, too, given his
age and the six-year, $35-million (U.S.) contract he signed after the 200708 season. It was one of the first of the heavily back-loaded, postlockout
contracts designed to circumvent the NHL salary cap – and it may also be
the first one that comes home to roost.
Kane has missed seven games because of a concussion. But on Tuesday
he revealed that he likely suffered the injury as far back as Dec. 20 when he
was hit during a game against the New York Islanders. He added that he
became more certain after his head hit the ice in a game against Buffalo on
Jan. 19. That means he played 14 games with what may well have been a
concussion.
This is Year 4 in the deal; and Kiprusoff earns $6-million. Next year, his
salary drops to $5-million and the final year is a bargain-basement $1.5million.
When he signed, it was assumed Kiprusoff, who’ll turn 37 at the start of that
2013-14 season, would walk away from the final year and quietly retire.
Now? Maybe not.
In the meantime, GM Jay Feaster quietly put a succession plan in place –
just in case.
Last month, the Flames acquired a possible heir apparent, 25-year-old Karri
Ramo, from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ramo is signed to play in Russia
through the end of next year – perfect timing for the Flames. They can park
him in an excellent development environment, with zero development costs,
and Ramo becomes available just as Kiprusoff’s future hits a critical point.
The challenge therefore is not to waste another fabulous, under-the-radar
season from Kiprusoff, whose play has once again kept the Flames on the
edge of the playoff race.
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“I think it happened in the Islander game a few months ago,” Kane said
Tuesday. “I kind of got my bell rung and it didn’t affect me too much.”
He added that “I don’t think it was affecting my play I think it was a long time
ago and I got over it quickly. But I just wasn’t feeling the same as I felt most
of the year. So I wanted to step back and rest up and get a little bit better.”
Kane leads the Jets with 18 goals this season and 13 assists. But he hasn’t
scored since Dec. 29, raising questions that he may well have been
affected by the concussion.
“I feel good. I feel well rested,” he said Tuesday. “I feel back to my old self.”
As for his lack of scoring, Kane expressed frustration. “Any time you go
through a stretch like that it’s never fun...I should be able to refresh and
regroup and I’m really excited about tonight. It feels like a fresh start.”
Coach Claude Noel said he will likely keep a close watch on Kane’s play
and limit his time on the ice. But he said Kane should help bring some badly
needed goal scoring for Winnipeg.
“We’ve certainly known that drought for the last little while so he’ll be a
welcome addition for us,” Noel said. “He struggled a little before,
Sometimes when you are out it enables you to reflect and brings some
enthusiasm to the game.”
Noel said Kane’s lack of scoring could be related to the hit on Dec. 20 even
if he didn’t believe he had a concussion at the time.
Oilers forward Nugent-Hopkins back on the injured list
“It could be part of it,” he said. “I don’t know. I could be.”
allan maki
Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is back on the injured list
after re-injuring his left shoulder.
The Jets face a tough task against the Leafs. Winnipeg has lost two straight
and hasn’t been able score more than one goal a game for the past six
games. Toronto has been on a roll, winning five out of their last six games
including a 6-3 victory over Edmonton on Monday.
Toronto “is a team that is going to force us to skate and to move,” Noel
said. “And I’m looking forward to that. It should be a fun game. I’m hoping
it’s a fun night.”
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Ottawa Senators
Crickets so far this NHL trade season
sean gordon
By Allen Panzeri
So is this the week the irrational exuberance kicks off?
The committee that awards the Nobel prize for economics has turned away
from rewarding free market types in recent years, it’s not known whether
the NHL trade market has played any role in that shift.
The Ottawa Senators fell deeper into uncharted territory on Tuesday night
with their seventh consecutive loss, 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues.
Because let’s face it, general managers do things at this time of year that
would put a dent in any rational expectations model.
That said, the various trade trackers have been mostly bereft of titillating
news over the past couple of weeks, the Mike Cammalleri/Rene Bourque
trade is the biggest splash of the last four or five weeks.
Since this skid started, the Senators have got just one point from a 2-1
overtime loss to the New York Islanders and are clinging to the No. 8
playoff spot in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, two
points ahead of the Florida Panthers.
Daniel Alfredsson got the only goal for the Senators (27-22-7), during a
power play early in the second period.
Past practice shows that things should heat up soon - the trade deadline
cottage industry at places like TSN and Rogers Sportsnet depends on it.
David Perron scored twice for the Blues (31-14-7), with Chris Porter getting
one.
This is the point in the season a year ago when a few horses broke from the
pack.
Craig Anderson, making his 18th consecutive start for Ottawa, was pulled
after allowing two goals on four shots in the first 3:49 of the opening period.
As usual, Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke was at the centre of the jostling,
shipping defenceman Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Joffrey Lupul
and prospect Jake Gardiner on Feb. 9, 2011 (from a Toronto perspective, a
very canny trade indeed).
It didn’t take much reading between the lines to see that Senators coach
Paul MacLean was steaming.
A few days later, Nashville and Ottawa did a deal involving centre Mike
Fisher, and then in the three-day period between Feb. 15-18, Boston got
hold of two forwards (Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley) who were crucial cogs
in a Stanley Cup run.
“You have to be ready at the start. We made one execution error on the first
goal, obviously, and on the second goal they just skated right through us,
so obviously we weren’t prepared to play the game.”
Around the same period, Burke also shipped Kris Versteeg out of town, and
got prospect Joe Colbourne and a first-round pick out of Boston for Tomas
Kaberle.
Other moves, like the L.A. Kings’ deadline-day decision to trade a firstrounder and a prospect for Dustin Penner, were somewhat less auspicious.
The biggest trades - including a blockbuster between Colorado and St.
Louis that has helped vault the Blues into the western conference elite - all
happened a week or more before the trade deadline.
So far this season? Crickets.
Part of the problem appears to be that most of the buyers don’t want to give
much up to get what they need - the bigger problem is that the pieces most
teams require just aren’t available.
The Philadelphia Flyers, for example, would love to grab hold of a stud
defenceman to fill in for the crocked Chris Pronger. But the usual trade
suspects, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter of Nashville, are unlikely to move
given the Preds are four points out of first in their conference.
Burke pines for a top-six forward and a big, strapping centre, but the Blue
Jackets’ Jeff Carter comes with a neon yellow caveat emptor tag along with
his 11-year contract (although as an aside, it’s hard to blame a guy who
signed that deal in Philadelphia to be unhappy at having to see it out in
Columbus or anywhere else).
“I don’t think we were ready to play the game,” MacLean said.
MacLean went on to say the Senators are at best stuck in neutral and at
worse slipping backwards.
“Our team has come out of the (All-Star Game) break and stayed the
same,” he said.
“The league has gone to another level, and we haven’t. We might even
have gone backwards, I’m not sure yet, but we certainly haven’t gone on to
the same level as everybody else in the league.”
Alex Auld, in his first appearance since Jan. 23 in Los Angeles, finished the
game and allowed one goal on 14 shots after replacing Anderson.
Blues goalie Brian Elliott made a triumphant return for a victory against the
team that drafted him and eventually traded him last season to the
Colorado Avalanche for Anderson.
He faced 29 shots for his 16th victory of the season.
Among the Ottawa players who had a tough night was defenceman Erik
Karlsson, who made a turnover in the second period that led to Perron’s
second goal.
The team is feeling the heat, Karlsson said.
“We’ve got to try to snap out of it as fast as we can,” he said.
“We know it’s going to be tough. This is where it will be decided if were
going to be in playoffs or not. We’ve just got to get back to a nice winning
streak.”
The fact that many teams are bunched closely in both NHL conferences
limits the number of sellers, and by definition the number of attractive
players.
To do that, the Senators will have to stop being their own worst enemies, as
they were on Tuesday night.
So expect people to overpay for players like Montreal’s Travis Moen, a role
player and former Cup winner whose contract is up this summer.
“It’s one thing if a team really puts a lot of pressure on us and dominates in
its own end and scores that way. You can handle that,” captain Daniel
Alfredsson said.
But when people are getting excited about the likes of Tuomo Ruutu and
Hal Gill, it’s hard to imagine at this point that anyone is going to get their
difference-maker for a price they can live with.
“But, when you give away easy goals, especially in our situation, it makes it
a pretty tough night, especially against teams like St. Louis that play good
defensively.
All of that is subject to change of course, but most GMs would be welladvised to read up on the Nobel winners of the past few years.
“It’s going to be tough to get goals.”
It doesn’t pay to do irrational things in what is anything but a free economy.
GAME FILE
WHY THEY LOST: Because instead of the fast start they were seeking,
they gave up two goals in the first four minutes, which turned out to be too
much to overcome.
STUD: Brian Elliott. He was the dud so many times last year that he
deserves this accolade. He didn’t have a difficult night, save for a good
chance by Kyle Turris in the third, but he was good enough.
DUD: Erik Karlsson. Remember when his value kept going up and up with
each point he got? Now it keeps dropping with every lazy turnover he
commits, like the one to David Backes that led to the Blues third goal.
THE DROPPING DIFFERENTIAL: Just two weeks ago, the Senators were
above the water line in plus-minus goal differential after spending much of
the first half on the negative side. But the losing streak has seen the
differential head deep into the red again. After Tuesday’s game, they were
minus-12.
Ottawa Citizen LOADED: 02.07.2012
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Ottawa Senators
If Auld — or someone — could chip in with a few quality starts, it could keep
Anderson fresher down the stretch.
“You have to have a high level of energy to play this position, and I think
rest and energy go hand in hand,” Hitchcock says. “Some guys can play a
lot and not let it affect them, but, from our standpoint, Jaro (Halak) is not a
big guy, and our view is he needs rest at times.”
Hitchcock feels that Elliott and Halak complement each other perfectly.
“Brian’s work ethic at practice has rubbed off on Jaro, and Jaro’s calmness
and demeanor on the day of the game has rubbed off on Brian,” Hitchcock
says. “I think it makes for a good pair.”
Hitchcock was convinced Elliott got rid of his “nervous energy” about
returning to Ottawa with his visit during the All Star Weekend.
PING PONG, ANYONE?
Hitchcock, an Edmonton native who has coached a Stanley Cup champion
in Dallas (1999) and been an assistant for two Canadian Olympic hockey
championships, 2002 and 2010, has a great mind for the game and doesn’t
mind sharing his thoughts on same.
Scanlan: Doing the goalie shuffle
In Hitch’s view, NHL hockey is almost spinning out of control.
Wayne Scanlan
“We tried to still play possession hockey after the lockout, and now it’s like
race-a-rrific hockey,” Hitchcock says. “Bang it up the ice, chip it in,
forecheck like hell. Bang it down the ice.
To coincide with Tuesday’s birthday of Charles Dickens, this is A Tale of
Two Cities, or at least, two goaltending situations.
At one end, there was Ottawa Senators workhorse Craig Anderson, who
has played in more games (51) and faced more shots (1,500-plus) than any
other goalie in the NHL this season.
At the other end was Brian Elliott, the former Senator swapped for
Anderson last February, now part of a St. Louis Blues tandem that shares
the crease almost equally. Elliott has appeared in 24 games, Jaroslav Halak
in 29.
“I was telling the coaches (Monday) night: It used to be tennis when we
came out of the lockout, now it’s like ping-pong. The game is so fast now.”
In two of their games since the all-star break, the Blues have had one
stretch of eight minutes 30 seconds without a whistle and another 5:35 with
no whistle. That’s a lot of continuous chip and chase.
“You never saw that before,” Hitchcock says. “It’s unbelievable how fast the
game is now, but it’s fast without puck possession.
“So it’s like forecheck, forecheck, forecheck. It’s really different. Sometimes
it feels like it’s organized chaos out there, to be honest with you. With no
red line and with teams playing three forwards high in the neutral zone,
you’re not going to get a puck possession game. You’re just going to have
to deal with it and get used to it.”
Mr. Solo versus the tag-team wrestlers, except that Anderson’s hockey
marathon came to an abrupt halt early in the first period, when the Blues
put a couple of pucks past him on fourth shots. It was Anderson’s 18th
consecutive start and one of his shortest, with just 3:49 played, the precise
time of David Perron’s goal for St. Louis. Anderson’s shortest appearance
came on Nov. 11, when he was pulled after two minutes.
Well, the man could use a break, and Alex Auld, who had seen all of 20
minutes playing time in the calendar year, needed to shake a bit of rust off
the goalie blades.
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Ottawa Senators
Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock prefers the two-man system, partly
because he has two effective stoppers and partly because of how the game
has changed.
By Allen Panzeri
“It’s a little bit what we have (in personnel) but I think, in the league now, the
goalies see more scoring chances than they’ve ever seen,” Hitchcock says.
“They see more quality scoring chances, more odd man rushes, more
bang-bang plays…”
Anderson can concur. Bang-bang and his team was down a pair.
According to Hitch, who has always had a keen sense of hockey trends and
coaching techniques, the speed of today’s game combined with the youth
on defence has made goaltending “really mentally challenging” and,
therefore, tougher than ever for one goalie to shoulder the burden.
Goaltending deployment is topical around here with Anderson feeling the
brunt of a Senators slump, getting precious little help from a team that has
looked tired since a long western swing and then the All-Star Game events
here.
With Auld producing just one victory while appearing in parts of 11 games
the entire season, Anderson has been lugging the ball, like a one-man
backfield. Most nights he has given the Senators a chance to win, but he is
going to need some rest eventually.
While there is plenty of chatter about prospect Robin Lehner in Binghamton,
the truth is he hasn’t played all that well and Senators gneral manager
Bryan Murray said Tuesday he’d like to see Lehner get more starts … at the
AHL level.
Craig Anderson will be in net for his 18th straight start as the Ottawa
Senators try to end a six-game losing streak tonight against the St. Louis
Blues.
Bobby Butler up front and Brian Lee on defence will be the two healthy
scratches for Ottawa.
One Senator will be celebrating a milestone: Milan Michalek will play his
500th game.
The Senators are coming off a 5-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With their 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, the Leafs have
leapfrogged the Senators in the standings and now sit seventh in the
Eastern Conference.
The Blues, fifth in the Western Conference, are coming off a 3-1 loss to the
Nashville Predators, who will visit Ottawa on Thursday.
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Ottawa Senators
Senators remain confident despite losing skid
By Allen Panzeri
Cheapseats: Spezza key for Sens
OTTAWA — However the Ottawa Senators got themselves into this mess
of a six-game losing streak, they’ve got to get themselves out of it before
their season slips away.
By Don Brennan
With 61 points through 55 games, they’re still in a playoff position, but their
hold on it is precarious. Heading into Monday’s action, they are in seventh
place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Toronto and only three
up on ninth-place Washington.
It’s no coincidence that both Jason Spezza and the Senators entered
Tuesday in six-game slumps.
Senators coach Paul MacLean doesn’t think what ails his team is much of a
mystery. His team simply isn’t skating as well as it did when it was winning
games.
Other teams have also seen that the Senators can be dangerous if they’re
allowed to skate, and have taken steps to slow them down.
“I just think, right now, we thought we’d come out of the (all-star) break and
hit the gas, and away we’d go,” MacLean said. “But it hasn’t happened that
way. That’s just a quirk. Sometimes you’re playing good, sometimes you’re
playing bad.
“Right now we’re not playing good. I think we’re getting better, but we have
to go game by game, day by day, and try to get better.”
Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said there’s no sense of panic. The
Senators are secure in the knowledge that they’re a better team now than
they were at the start of the year, when they were getting used to each
other and to a new coach.
As one goes, so goes the other. I know it, you know it, Spezza knows it.
“I haven’t scored, we haven’t won, I know I have to produce for us to win,”
Spezza said a few hours before facing the Blues Tuesday. “I’m definitely
putting pressure on myself to make sure I’m playing well this week.”
Spezza didn’t register a single point in the six games — which was double
the length of his longest previous drought this season and longest since a
seven-game dry spell from Nov. 24-Dec. 5 in 2010.
Four of the six, the Senators lost by a goal, so yeah, a less chilly Spezza
would have made a difference.
Spezza halted the slide Tuesday, as he felt he would, when he drew an
assist on Daniel Alfredsson’s second period power-play goal. Earlier, at the
28-second mark of the first, he had a chance from the slot that was stopped
by Brian Elliott. Later in the period, he had a 2-on-0 breakaway with Colin
Greening, but chose to pass. It was not the right decision.
Still, there are some obvious shortcomings.
“I played one of my best games of the year, I think, in Phoenix, and don’t
get a goal,” Spezza said in explaining what he was going through. “Then it
kind of snowballs, and you’ve gone three, four, five without a point ... so you
start thinking about it a little bit. I got sick there for a couple of days.”
They’re having trouble scoring goals — just eight in their past six games —
and their special-teams play has been poor.
Spezza doesn’t at all mind the heat that comes with being the Senators’
head chef.
They’ve scored just one power-play goal in 15 chances over the past six
games, while giving up five goals in 22 opposition man advantage chances
over the same span.
“In our locker room I’m looked upon to be a guy that’s scoring, contributing
offensively,” he said. “That’s the way you want it, that’s the way it is. You
have to identify it too. I’m not going to make excuses and say other guys
need to step up. I need to be the guy who steps up first. Your offensive
guys have to be your offensive catalyst. That’s when the team is doing
well.”
Plus, they keep making it difficult for themselves by having to play from
behind, giving up the first goal in five of their past six games.
Overall, they’ve given up the first goal in 31 of 55 games and have a 12-154 record in those games.
“Even though we know we can come from behind, we have to be better
early in games, and we have to be better as a team to do that,” Alfredsson
said. “I think we’ve done a really good job throughout the year playing hard
for 60 minutes. But when you’re in a situation like we are now, you need to
dig a little bit deeper.
“We need to make sure we get in front of the other team’s goalie better, so
we can get the point shot, get shots through.
“I think we’ve got away (from that) a little, because we were scoring goals
anyway, in a different ways.
“When you’re not, you have to fall back on the basics, grind it out and make
sure you don’t give up anything easy.”
That doesn’t mean they’re not confident. On the contrary, the bravado
remains intact. Even as they find themselves in a neck-and-neck race with
the dreaded Maple Leafs, no one has even the slightest inkling that the
season is slipping away from them.
“Not at all,” Senators centre Jason Spezza said. “We still have a lot of
hockey left. There’s a lot that can happen. All of a sudden you win two,
three games in a row and you feel like you’re comfortable again.
“There’s going to be ups and downs. You just have to avoid long losing
streaks, and that’s what we have to get ourselves out of.”
“We were lucky that we built ourselves a bit of a buffer. Now we’ve kind of
brought ourselves back to the pack,” he added.
“Now it’s going to be battle night in and night out. Every game is pretty
much going to be a must-win game for the rest of the year.”
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Ottawa Senators
For the Senators to get back on track, Spezza has to produce on a regular
basis again. So does his winger, Milan Michalek, who hasn’t scored in 11
games.
But as Spezza goes, so does he. And the rest of the Senators.
STARTS AND STOPS
Alfredsson was tied for the team lead in hits after 20 minutes, with two. I
counted three. Anyway, it was his most physical game of the season ... The
Senators should have been in much better shape after one period. Craig
Anderson should have stopped the first St. Louis goal, even though it was
off a deflection, and the second was him giving up a bad rebound and very
soft D-zone play by his mates ... At the other end, Kaspars Daugavins hit a
post and Greening was left holding his head in his hands after bouncing
one off the crossbar.
BETWEEN PERIODS
Ever wonder what tough guys talk about when they chat with the other
team’s tough guy while stretching at centre during the pre-game warmup?
Sometimes they socialize, sometimes they plan a scrap for later that night,
and sometimes they do both. Take it away, Zenon Konopka. “Some of
those chats can be pretty vulgar, and promoting for later in the night. When
I was talking with (Shawn) Thornton in Boston, I knew he went to Turks and
Caicos for the break and I was asking how the hotel was. We both know the
owner. He says it was pretty nice. He had a real nice time. That was nice.
When we played in Pittsburgh, I had a chat with (Matt) Cooke, then (Arron)
Asham came over, and I fought Asham first shift. What happened (in the
warmup) was, Cooke actually owes a buddy of mine a signed jersey, so I
told him he better get it to him or there’s going to be juice, and the juice is
running. Then Asham came over and said ‘Zee, what are you talking
about?’ I told him and he said, ‘Oh, OK, cool. So are we going tonight?’ And
I said, I’m willing if you are. So the first shift we go. Then we played
Philadelphia, and I saw that Zac Rinaldo, and I just told him, we’re going
tonight. And he’s like, ‘No we’re not.’ I said, that isn’t how it works. I’m the
older player. When I was your age, I didn’t ask questions, I just dropped my
gloves. We’re going tonight. And he said ‘OK, I guess,’ so later, we went.”
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM ...
Ready to return is Brian Lee, who has been out since Jan. 14 with either an
upper- or lower-body injury. Last season, Lee played through both — a
broken toe and a broken thumb — for 20 games. Now that tidbit may be a
year old, but it’s still a scoop ... Not often you see three members of the
1984 Memorial Cup-champion 67’s in the same house. But at this one were
Blues commentator Darren Pang, Blues assistant coach Brad Shaw and
Bruins scout Adam Creighton ... The ‘4’ painted behind both nets at SBP is,
of course, a tribute to Chris Phillips and his 1,000th career game, which
he’ll play Thursday.
O’BRIEN IN, BUTLER OUT
With seven goals and seven assists in 27 games, Jim O’Brien wasn’t
expecting to be recalled from Binghamton on the weekend. “I thought it was
going to be a regular day,” he said of the B-Sens game in Manchester. “It
was a good surprise.” O’Brien missed 6-7 weeks earlier this season with
broken fibula suffered while blocking a shot. “One of those things that
happens, it’s part of the game,” he said. “Took a while to get back from that,
but since I’ve been back and I’ve been playing good.” O’Brien has been
decent since getting here, too, having pushed Bobby Butler to a seat in the
pressbox.
The Blues had only 18 shots on the Auld/Anderson combo. David Perron
scored twice, while Chris Porter had one.
Presented with the Molson Cup for January, Anderson had better
rediscover that form. He was making his 18th straight start after MacLean
wanted to “sleep” on the decision. Many more nights like this and MacLean
will be sleepless. Florida is two points behind the eighth-ranked Senators
with four games in hand.
“It’s a frustrating game,” said Jason Spezza. “We’re not as strong on pucks
as we were when we were winning, we’re not burying chances and we’re
not as sharp as we were. That’s why we’re losing games.”
The Senators were down 2-0 before people had a chance to even get their
seats warm. While the Senators had talked in the morning about getting off
to a quick start, the message looked lost by the time they stepped on the
ice.
The Senators host Mike Fisher and the Nashville Predators in Chris Phillips’
1,000th game Thursday.
Ottawa Sun LOADED: 02.07.2012
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Ottawa Senators
WHAT’S THE HITCH?
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock says the NHL has changed rather dramatically
in the past few years. “It used to be tennis when we came out of the
lockout. Now it’s like ping pong,” he said. “The game is so fast now. We go
stretches ... we’ve come out of the break, played two games now, and we
played one game 8:30 no whistles, and then we played 5;35 no whisteles.
You never saw that before. It’s unbeliveale how fast the game is,but it’s fast
without puck possession. It’s like, forecheck, forecheck, forecheck. ... it’s
really different. Sometimes it feels like it’s organizaed chaos out there, to be
honest with you. It’s what it is. With no red line, and with teams playing
three forwards high in the neutral zone, you’re not going to get a puck
possesssion game. You’re just going to have to deal with it, get used to it.
It’s really different now. The last two years it’s changed even more.”
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Ottawa Senators
Elliott returns to KO slumping Sens
By Bruce Garrioch ,
Brian Elliott knows the empty feeling.
But there was no sympathy from the St. Louis Blues goaltender as he
returned to Ottawa, where he had his share of bad nights, and beat his
former team 3-1 Tuesday night at Scotiabank Place.
Senators goalie Craig Anderson was replaced by Alex Auld after two goals
on four shots 3:49 into the game. But Elliott made 28 stops in his first game
in Ottawa since being dealt a year ago.
“I don’t think we were ready to play,” said Senators coach Paul MacLean.
“You have to be ready at the start. We made one execution error on the first
goal and the second one they just skated right through us.”
Only captain Daniel Alfredsson was able to beat Elliott as the Senators’
spiral reached seven straight losses. The Senators haven’t won a game at
home since they knocked off the Flyers on Jan. 8.
MacLean hoped to change momentum when he yanked Anderson.
“I didn’t like the way the first two goals went in. I just felt if we changed the
goalie, it would change everybody’s attitude. It wasn’t a reflection on Craig,
it was more of a reflect on the team,” said MacLean.
It was the first time the Blues had won in Ottawa since Jan. 26, 2000 —
ending an 0-5 drought.
“I haven’t played in a little bit so just getting back out there and trying to do
my best for the guys, give us a chance to win, that’s what it really meant,”
said Elliott. “I mean, you really want to get back in that winning feeling.
Doing it here is pretty big for me.”
67's to play two seasons at Scotiabank
By Jon Willing ,Ottawa Sun
The Ottawa 67’s are expected to announce plans to play home games at
Scotiabank Place for the next two seasons while Lansdowne Park
undergoes a massive redevelopment.
City council was alerted Tuesday night that the 67’s are planning a news
conference to explain the team’s plans for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014
seasons.
The city and its development partner, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment
Group, held a technical briefing earlier Tuesday to unveil updated designs
of the Lansdowne project. Much was said about the stadium, but no
information was released about the arena. The arena renovations have
largely taken a back seat to the eye-popping design for the stadium. A new
report on the complete project is expected to be published by the end of the
week.
Randy Burgess, vice-president of the 67’s, sent a message to council via an
OSEG consultant saying the team’s intent is to “help expedite construction
timetables at Lansdowne and eliminate the need to work around the 67’s
schedule in the Civic Centre arena.”
Burgess tells council more details will be released Thursday at Scotiabank
Place, home of the Senators.
The Civic Centre is smack dab in the middle of the redevelopment. Frank
Clair Stadium is receiving a big facelift and the arena itself is slated for
work, including repairs to the structure, roof and exterior.
Together, the stadium, arena and new underground parking garage is
estimated to cost $129.3 million.
Past reports to council describe upgrades that would improve access to the
arena via elevators and stairs. Planners want to provide more direct access
to the facility through the main concourse. New plumbing fixtures and
energy-efficient lighting have also been part of the arena-specific plans for
the Lansdowne redevelopment.
The move could test the loyalty of 67’s fans. Part of the lure of the 67’s has
been the convenient central location of the Civic Centre, coupled with the
more intimate hockey setting smaller arenas are known for. The Civic
Centre seats about 10,000, while Scotiabank’s capacity is a bit more than
19,000.
Jeff Hunt, owner of the 67’s, is a partner in OSEG, which is also bringing
the Canadian Football League back to Frank Clair Stadium. A North
American Soccer League franchise is also coming.
Hunt could not be reached Tuesday night.
Senators president Cyril Leeder had no comment.
611319
Ottawa Senators
GARRIOCH: The better part of that story is Burke wasn’t alone. I’m told he
got a little backing from Geoff Molson at the board of governors meeting in
Ottawa during all-star weekend. Haven’t confirmed that, but that’s what I
heard.
Digital Faceoff: Good gig for Auld on bench
BRENNAN: I did think Cherry was full of crap when he said the only people
who don’t like fighting in hockey are reporters. There’s one columnist I know
who’s not big on it, but that’s it. And maybe the squirrel.
Staff
BAINES: Getting closer to the trade deadline ... any chance the Sens are a
seller, not a buyer?
TIM BAINES: Boys, I go away for a week and the Sens fall apart. 5-0 to the
Leafs? But, Don, I’m sure you are sticking with your playoff prediction.
BRUCE GARRIOCH: Welcome back. The 5-0 loss didn’t have anybody
jumping off the bandwagon. Don should stick with his playoff prediction.
They are really only battling Washington and Florida for the No. 8 spot.
DON BRENNAN: Sure. Did you see that Sportsstats.com or whatever that
site is has their chances at just over 49%? Wasn’t so long ago that they had
them at 91%. And that was when the little squirrel who covers the team for
the other paper wrote that if the Senators don’t make the playoffs, it will be
comparable to the Boston Red Sox’ collapse.
GARRIOCH: Tough stretch. Schedule is still in their favour. Gotta give
Craig Anderson a break. Clearly they have no confidence in Alex Auld. You
have to think Robin Lehner is going to get called up here sooner or later
and play.
BRENNAN: You sometimes forget about how good hockey players have it.
Then you remember that Alex Auld is making $1 million this season. Pretty
decent salary for practising and watching games from the end of the bench.
GARRIOCH: I don’t think Auld had any other offers last summer. My guess
is this is his last chance.
BAINES: Is there a chance they trade for a backup goalie? Nabokov?
GARRIOCH: I bet you Nabokov goes to Chicago as a starter. My guess
would be Lehner. Makes more sense. I don’t think Binghamton is in a
playoff position, are they?
BRENNAN: See Daniel Chopra had two hole-in-ones during the same
round at Pebble Beach? Twice as many games as Auld has won all
season.
BAINES: I’m not sure that’s how Auld looks at it, though. As an athlete, he
wants to play. He wants to be No. 1. He needs a big game to get some
confidence.
BRENNAN: I’m sure he does, Tim. How were your holidays? What did you
do?
BAINES: Thanks for asking, Don. Thanks to a week away in Jamaica, I will
say that Red Stripe has perhaps replaced Rolling Rock as my favourite
beer.
GARRIOCH: I’ve never been to Jamaica. I went to Barbados. I think they
had Red Stripe there, but I stuck with Corona (Molson plug here).
BRENNAN: Did you watch your beloved Leafs thrash the Senators from a
barstool in Jamaica? What a disappointingly dull game. There was not
nearly enough anger.
BAINES: Don, I was way too busy to watch my beloved Leafs from a
barstool. They need to put TVs overhead in the pool bars. I think I took 49
shots. And I’m not talking about shots on net.
BRENNAN: Overindulging with alcoholic beverages is bad for you.
GARRIOCH: Who knows? I still think they’ll be a buyer. My mind may have
changed by the time this appears
BRENNAN: I think they should deal Kuba and Gonchar, if they can.
GARRIOCH: That’s the same thing you said 12 months ago.
BRENNAN: At least I’m consistent.
611320
Ottawa Senators
Struggling Sens stick with Anderson in net
By Bruce Garrioch ,
The Senators are staying with No. 1.
Craig Anderson will make his 18th straight start in the club’s net Tuesday
night as Brian Elliott and the St. Louis Blues take on the Senators at
Scotiabank Place.
Anderson, who has started every game since Dec. 31st, was chosen ahead
of backup Alex Auld by coach Paul MacLean as the Senators try end a sixgame losing streak.
It doesn’t matter who is in the net, Ottawa needs a win.
“We’ve got to get some wins under our belt here,” said winger Chris Neil.
“It’s been a tough grind the last six games, but there’s a couple of games in
there we deserved a better fate and there’s games we deserved what we
got.
“The bottom line is we’ve got to come out and play the way we’re supposed
to play. We’ve just got to play a simple game and when we’re moving the
puck a lot better than we have been, we’re a pretty good team.”
MacLean won’t make any changes. Winger Bobby Butler will be a healthy
scratch for the third straight game which means Binghamton callup Jim
O’Brien stays in the lineup.
Winger Milan Michalek will suit up for his 500th game and it’s game No. 999
for defenceman Chris Phillips.
611321
Philadelphia Flyers
Briere returning; JVR speaks
Sam Carchidi
BAINES: So is texting while driving.
GARRIOCH: Hope you didn’t wear your Speedo.
BAINES: How about the 1-on-1 I scored with Don Cherry just before I left?
Geez, I love the guy. The Leafs may be my team, but I’m siding with
Grapes in the Cherry vs. Burke feud.
BRENNAN: Can I take a playful poke at you here, Bainesy? You had what,
10 questions for him? Eight? And one of them was: “What are your views
on fighting?” Seriously? You didn’t know? Are you Jamaican? Otherwise,
great score.
After missing six games because of a concussion, Flyers center Danny
Briere will return to the lineup Tuesday against the visiting Islanders.
Winger James van Riemsdyk spoke Tuesday for the first time since
suffering a concussion and said he is still dealing with headaches.
Ilya Bryzgalov (19-11-5, 2.86 GAA, .899 save percentage) will start against
the Isles, who will go with Evgeni Nabokov (11-12, 2.31, .920).
Briere, who has 13 goals and 17 assists, suffered a concussion Jan. 21
during a 4-1 win in New Jersey.
“Hopefully I can provide a little spark,” Briere said after taking part in
Tuesday’s morning skate. “It’s been a little tough since the break, especially
at home. I don’t like our record at home; it’s something we want to improve.
Hopefully, I can come in and help in that department.”
Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 02.08.2012
Overall, the Flyers are 12-8-4 at home.
611323
Briere, 34, said the decision to return was “all up to me” and that he cleared
a baseline test last week. The decision was made after he woke up without
any symptoms following a practice Monday in which he absorbed contact.
Flyers lose shootout to lowly Islanders
“It’s good to get Danny back in the lineup because it adds more depth and
balance to our attack up front,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “It makes it a
little more difficult (for opponents) to focus on one player or one line.”
By Sam Carchidi
As for van Riemsdyk, he said he was making small strides in his recovery.
“Some days are better than others, but not the way I want to feel,” van
Riemsdyk said. “I’m just trying to take it day by day, and that’s really all I
can do.”
Like Briere a couple weeks ago, van Riemsdyk said there have been days
when he has felt in a fog.
“It’s definitely one of those things where you have to stay in the moment,
stay positive and let the body heal itself up.”
He said he didn’t talk to the media until Tuesday because his symptoms
were changing daily. The left winger said he didn’t want to “place
expectations on when I want to be back. I just want to heal and be good” to
go.
anything like that - not going into the tough areas to score goals, I'm not
planning on changing that."
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers dominated Tuesday's game against the lowly New York
Islanders at the mostly quiet Wells Fargo Center.
It didn't matter, because Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov stole a win for his
pesky team.
611324
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Notes: Briere's return brings balance to Flyers' lineup
By Sam Carchidi
Added JVR: "I guess if I do look at now vs. when I first started (rehabbing), I
do feel a little bit better, so that's obviously encouraging, but it's been a slow
process. Hopefully, it starts to progress."
Here is how the lines may look tonight:
After missing six games because of a concussion, Flyers center Danny
Briere returned to the lineup Tuesday night against the New York Islanders.
Hartnell-Giroux-Jagr; Read-Briere-Voracek; Talbot-Schenn-Simmonds;
Sestito-Couturier-Rinaldo.
Briere, who began the game with 13 goals this season, suffered the
concussion Jan. 21 during a 4-1 win in New Jersey.
Breakaways. Milan Jurcina, one of the Isles' top-hitting defensemen, will
miss the game with a lacerated elbow.....The Isles are 10-11-3 on the road,
including a 4-1 win over the Flyers last month.
"Hopefully, I can provide a little spark," Briere said after taking part in
Tuesday's morning skate. "It's been a little tough since the [all-star] break,
especially at home. I don't like our record at home; it's something we want
to improve."
The Flyers took a 12-8-4 home record into the game.
611322
Philadelphia Flyers
Briere improves, JVR still iffy
Sam Donnellon
DANNY BRIERE skated, took shots and spoke clearheaded afterward.
James van Riemsdyk did the first two, then slid out a side door with no
comment, leaving a status update to Flyers general manager Paul
Holmgren, who hours later issued this through a club spokesman:
"James' status remains the same.
"Danny is day to day."
When it comes to concussions, the Flyers know the drill: All declarations
come from the tippy top, even when the tippy top declares nothing. Still
Briere, who was upgraded yesterday from indefinite to day to day - and is
incapable of lying in either of his two languages - seemed to hint his return
could come as soon as tonight's game against the Islanders, or at least
within this busy week of games, ending with Saturday's rematch with the
Rangers here.
It's a possibility," he said. "I wouldn't rule it out."
Briere has been missing since a Jan. 21 game against New Jersey, when
he became the latest Flyer to suffer a concussion. He said he cleared his
baseline testing and now must wake up clearheaded today, then see a
neuro physician for final clearance.
"One thing I can tell you is that I'm not worried about coming back," said
Briere, who has 13 goals in 43 games. "I won't be changing my game or
Briere, 34, started the night on a line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne
Simmonds, and he received cheers as he stepped onto the ice for his first
shift.
Earlier in the day, Briere said that the decision to return was "all up to me"
and that he had cleared a baseline test last week. The decision was made
after he woke up without any symptoms following a practice Monday in
which he absorbed contact.
"It's good to get Danny back in the lineup because it adds more depth and
balance to our attack," coach Peter Laviolette said. "It makes it a little more
difficult [for opponents] to focus on one player or one line."
JVR speaks
Left winger James van Riemsdyk said he has made small strides in his
recovery.
Speaking for the first time since he suffered a concussion last month, van
Riemsdyk continues to skate with the team, but there is no timetable for his
return. He said he sometimes battles headaches.
"Some days are better than others, but not the way I want to feel," van
Riemsdyk said. "I'm just trying to take it day-by-day, and that's really all I
can do."
Like Briere a couple of weeks ago, van Riemsdyk said he has days when
he feels as if he's in a fog.
"It's definitely one of those things where you have to stay in the moment,
stay positive, and let the body heal itself," he said.
Breakaways
The Flyers will wear their Winter Classic jerseys Saturday against the
Rangers. . . . Milan Jurcina, one of the Islanders' top-hitting defensemen,
missed the game with a lacerated elbow.
611325
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers lose in shootout to lowly Islanders
In the summer of 2010, while Nabokov was still with San Jose, the Flyers
were given permission to talk to the goalie's agent before he became a free
agent. The sides could not work out a deal.
611326
Philadelphia Flyers
By Sam Carchidi,
Nabokov stones Flyers, Islanders win 1-0 in shootout
The Flyers dominated the last two-plus periods Tuesday night, but it didn't
matter.
They dropped a 1-0 shootout to the New York Islanders despite outshooting
the visitors, 45-18, at the Wells Fargo Center.
Goalie Evgeni Nabokov notched his 52d career shutout, sending the Flyers
on a season-worst three-game losing streak.
Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored on the two shootout shots against
the Flyers' Ilya Bryzgalov, while Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds were
stopped by Nabokov.
By Rob Maadi
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Evgeni Nabokov made 45 saves and Frans
Nielsen and John Tavares scored on Ilya Bryzgalov in a shootout, helping
the New York Islanders beat the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 on Tuesday night.
two in the shootout.
The Flyers are 1-5 in shootouts this season and an NHL-worst 20-39 in
their history.
their past 18.
The last time the Flyers were in a scoreless tie that reached a shootout was
Dec. 6, 2005, when Antero Niittymaki and Calgary's Mikka Kiprusoff were
the goaltenders. The Flyers won that shootout, 1-0, as Mike Richards
produced the game-winner on home ice.
With 5 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Tavares made a great
move to split two defenders as he drove to the net, forcing Matt Carle to pull
him down with a hook. That gave the Isles their third power play of the
night, but they failed to capitalize.
Coming off losses to New Jersey and the New York Rangers last weekend,
the Flyers hoped to rebound against a team they used to dominate. But
they couldn't get one past Nabokov.
Danny Briere, Tavares fired one past Bryzgalov. Nabokov then stuffed
Wayne Simmonds to end it.
In the first two periods, the Flyers held a territorial edge, but Nabokov was
the great equalizer. Again.
Nabokov recorded his 52nd career shutout and second this season in his
return to the NHL after a brief stint in Russia. He registered his 305th win,
tying former Islanders great Billy Smith for 22nd on the all-time list.
Nabokov had a 2.01 goals-against average and .937 save percentage in his
first two games against the Flyers this season, and he continued his stellar
play Tuesday.
The Flyers were 6-0 against New York last year and 2-1 this season. The
Islanders snapped a 13-game winless streak in Philadelphia with a 4-1
victory last month.
Primarily because of Nabokov - whom the Flyers tried to acquire in June
2010 - the teams were scoreless after two periods.
Nabokov, runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1998, played part of last
season in Russia's KHL and declined to report to the Islanders after being
claimed off waivers. But he returned to the NHL this season and has played
well in the absence of No. 1 goalie Rick DiPietro. Nabokov entered with a
2.31 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. He improved to 1212.
First periods have haunted the Flyers recently, so it was almost a moral
victory that they were in a scoreless tie after the opening 20 minutes,
outshooting the Islanders, 10-7.
It marked just the second time in their last nine games that the Flyers had
outshot an opponent in the first period. They entered the night with just
three wins in their last eight games - and had been outscored, 7-2, in the
first periods of those five losses.
"We talked about being ready to play," coach Peter Laviolette said before
the game.
Briere returned after missing six games because of a concussion.
"He's a great centerman and he brings a little more depth to our offense,"
winger Matt Read said before the opening faceoff.
But even with Briere in the lineup, the Flyers didn't have many good scoring
chances in the first period. They became much more active in the second
period, outshooting the Isles, 15-7, and getting several quality chances.
Perhaps their best opportunity came with a little more than six minutes
remaining in the second. But Nabokov stopped Max Talbot on a
backhander while the Flyers were killing a penalty.
Nabokov, 36, made three saves against Jaromir Jagr in the final 4 minutes,
46 seconds of the second period, including a one-timer that he kicked away
with his left pad, and a point-blank shot with 23 seconds to go.
Scott Hartnell, one of Jagr's linemates, was stopped five times by Nabokov
in the first 40 minutes.
At the other end, Bryzgalov was solid, though not tested nearly as much as
Nabokov.
The Flyers entered the night with 23 wins over the Islanders in their last 25
meetings. The Isles, with Nabokov making 40 saves, scored a 4-1 win over
the Flyers on Jan. 19, their first victory at the Wells Fargo Center since
2007.
Nabokov stopped a pair of Scott Hartnell's one-timers in the first two
periods and stoned Claude Giroux on a rebound in front late in the period.
He also made a sprawling save on Max Talbot's short-handed breakaway
shot in the second and blocked Jaromir Jagr's point-blank slap shot a few
minutes later.
He made a couple more big saves on Philadelphia's power play in the
opening minute of the third, including a pad stop on Braydon Coburn's slap
shot from the point.
After being released by SKA St. Petersburg last year, Nabokov wanted to
play in North America. He signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Red
Wings in January. But NHL rules forced him to go through the waiver
process before going to Detroit and he was claimed by the Islanders.
Nabokov refused to report, choosing to stay home on the West Coast rather
than play for a non-contending team.
Bryzgalov's best stop was a kick save on P.A. Parenteau in the first period.
He stuffed Nino Niederreiter's backhander right after the Flyers killed off a
penalty in the second.
Notes: G Sergei Bobrovsky didn't start for Philadelphia despite a 7-1 career
record against the Islanders. ... Briere returned after missing six games with
a concussion, but James van Riemsdyk sat out for the 11th straight game
with his concussion. ... D Milan Jurcina (elbow) and D Travis Hamonic
(broken nose) didn't play for New York. ... The Flyers are 120-85-31 against
the Islanders. ... New York D Aaron Ness made his NHL debut. ... Tavares
has 11 goals and 15 assists in the last 18 games. ... Jagr has scored more
points against the Islanders (142) than any other team.
611327
Philadelphia Flyers
At practice yesterday, Lilja was wearing both pads under his right skate.
Laces can bite, too, Flyers are learning
Frank Seravalli ,
By the third period of every game, Flyers defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon
is ready to quit.
No, the opposition doesn't have him ready to scream "Uncle." A finely tuned
athlete, Bourdon isn't ready to throw in the towel because he is too tired or
worn down.
It's just that usually by that point in the game, Bourdon's ankles are burning
and throbbing so bad in his skates that he just wants to hustle to the locker
room to take the skates off.
Football players have turf toe. Construction workers endure sore backs.
Secretaries and journalists end up with carpal-tunnel syndrome. Hockey
players deal with a little-known injury called "lace bite," especially at this
point in the season.
Lace bite is the colloquial term for an inflamed extensor hallucis longus
tendon, better known as the lumpy tendon at the base of the front of the
ankle that runs from the big toe all the way up through the shin to the knee.
For hockey players, who are flexing, pushing and turning in their skates for
an average of 18 or 20 hours per week, the constant friction caused by
laces tied tightly on the same spot every day can cause a sharp pain or
pressure.
"It's really painful," Bourdon said. "It's burning. Sometimes it goes up from
your ankle to your knee, because your nerve is inflamed. It's really not a
good feeling. Every time you move, you feel it, because it's right in your
skate."
Bourdon estimates that nearly 80 percent of all hockey players experience
lace bite at some point or another in their career.
"Even if you have a pad there, it hurts," Lilja said. "There's just nothing you
can do about it."
Bryz finding direction
Ilya Bryzgalov swears nothing is different. He worked on his conditioning
during last weekend's All-Star break, but said he has made no major
alterations to his game.
"Same," Bryzgalov said. "Nothing's changed."
Whatever the case, Bryzgalov has earned the Flyers at least one point (3-02) in five straight starts. His save percentage is still 40th (.898) in the league
and his goals-against average is still 36th (2.87), but he's allowed only one
goal per game in four of those games. The one exception in that streak was
the five he allowed against Boston on Jan. 22.
So, Bryzgalov's goals-against average over his last five starts is only 1.74,
including the shootout loss to Boston.
"He looks really sharp to me," coach Peter Laviolette said. "He seems
focused in there. He's working hard in practice. His practices have been
solid. I think that, often times, your practice reflects your games and your
games reflect your practice. It's what you do on a day-to-day basis, you
take that into the game. That's typically what you'll get from it. So he's been
sharp in practice, and it's followed right through to the game."
The real question is whether Bryzgalov will be able to get on any sort of roll.
There are nine weekends left in the season. For five of those weekends, the
Flyers play on both Saturday and Sunday in back-to-back games. You have
to figure Bryzgalov might get one of those games off each weekend.
For now, with his continued stretch of decent starts, that question can be
tabled.
"I was sharp. I was playing very comfortable," Bryzgalov said. "We've all
improved our play around the net, 'D,' forwards, and me."
Concussion update
For most, the pain is manageable. It comes up in rare instances without
notice and dissipates after treatment and prevention. In rare cases, the
inflammation can lead to infection or a quick outpatient treatment to cut out
the damaged flesh.
James van Riemsdyk (out since Jan. 12) and Danny Briere (Jan. 21)
remain out indefinitely with concussions. Both players practiced on Friday
for the second consecutive day, though van Riemsdyk has yet to address
the media about his status.
Andreas Lilja, for instance, had lace bite pop up on his right foot on
Wednesday.
Briere, 34, had been concussed three of four times previously in his career
but had never felt the day-after effects like he has over the last 2 weeks.
"All of the sudden, it just shows up," Lilja said. "Now, anytime you tie them
up, it's there. It feels like someone is taking a knife and stabbing you in your
foot every time you are taking a stride.
"It can be a real pain in the ass."
"It's the first time I'm dealing with it, so I didn't really know what to expect,"
Briere said Friday. "I'm trying to go with what I'm hearing around from the
other guys and what they have gone through. But everyone is so different.
Everyone reacts differently. That's the tough thing about concussions, that's
why it's so tough to diagnose them."
Both Lilja and Bourdon had dealt with the injury previously.
"For me, it started last year," Bourdon said. "Once you get it, you really
can't get rid of it."
611328
Lilja said he's actually seen other players sit out a game or two because of
lace bite. That's a rarity in the NHL. Flyers equipment manager Derek
Settlemyre said he can remember that former Phantoms defenseman Jeff
Staples came down with an infection. It effects every player differently.
Lace bite is thought to be a key contributor to Peter Forsberg's foot
problems that caused him to hang up his skates prematurely after the 2007
season.
Unfortunately for players, the remedies are few. The only true fix is to stay
off your skates, something that doesn't happen until the offseason. Luckily,
the pain dissipates as soon as the skates are untied and removed. Since
sneakers and shoes are worn lower than skate boots, lace bite is not a
factor outside of the rink.
Some skate manufacturers have come out with an "anti-lace bite" tongue,
which Bourdon says "does nothing." Lilja said a worn-out tongue can be the
onset of pain, since there is less padding on the tendon.
That leaves Bourdon, Lilja and a slew of other players - such as Brayden
Schenn, James van Riemsdyk, Danny Briere and even Chris Pronger,
when he was playing - to put a gel "bunga" pad to act as a barrier. When
that isn't enough, a dense foam "doughnut" - which has a hole cut in the
middle - is placed between the bunga pad and the skate tongue. Players
follow up with an antibiotic ointment to help prevent infection.
Philadelphia Flyers
JVR still recovering but Briere is back
Wayne Fish
PHILADELPHIA - James van Riemsdyk says he's making small strides in
his recovery from a concussion but is still plagued by occasional
headaches.
The Flyers' third-year player gave no indication on when he might be able to
return to action.
Van Riemsdyk has been sidelined since suffering his head injury in a Jan.
12 game against the New York Islanders.
He spoke to the media for the first time on Tuesday.
"Some days are better than others, but not the way I want to feel," van
Riemsdyk said at the morning skate at the Wells Fargo Center. "I'm just
trying to take it day by day, and that's really all I can do."
There are days when JVR still feels like he's in a fog on some days.
"It's definitely one of those things where you have to stay in the moment,
stay positive and let the body heal itself up,'' he said.
him do whatever he wanted. We have to do a better job of screening the
goalie.''
Van Riemsdyk said he didn't talk to the media until Tuesday because his
symptoms were changing daily. The left winger said he didn't want to "place
expectations on when I want to be back. I just want to heal and be good" to
go.''
If not for the disappointing outcome in the shootout, the Flyers might be
feeling pretty good about themselves, especially their defense, which had
allowed a total of 11 goals in losses to New Jersey and the Rangers over
the weekend.
The New Jersey native has been skating daily, so at least he's not totally
incapacitated as some concussion victims are.
"I'm happy (with) the effort,'' Kimmo Timonen said. "I thought we played a
pretty decent 65 minutes. We had 45 shots ... we had chances to score,
their goalie played really well. If we play like that, we win a lot of games.''
"I guess if I do look at now vs. when I first started (rehabbing), I do feel a
little bit better,'' he said, "so that's obviously encouraging, but it's been a
slow process. Hopefully, it starts to progress."
The two teams battled through three scoreless periods as neither side
would give an inch.
Briere to play: Daniel Briere, sidelined for six days by a concussion of his
own, said he will play in Tuesday night's game against the Islanders.
Nabokov was particularly sharp, especially on a pair of Jaromir Jagr shots
in the second period.
"I feel ready,'' he said. "Things have been going well the last two and a half,
three days. It's time. No symptoms the last few days. We'll give it a go. I
know I feel excited.''
Like Giroux, Jagr didn't think the Flyers made life uncomfortable enough for
Nabokov.
The Flyers, trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season,
will welcome Briere back to the lineup.
"Hopefully I can provide a little spark,'' Briere said. "We don't like our record
at home, it's something we want to improve. Hopefully I can come in and
help in that department.''
Coach Peter Laviolette gets some reliable offense back in his lineup.
"Anytime you get pieces back in the lineup is good,'' he said. "I think it will
add to the offensive punch. You put a guy like Danny back in the lineup, it
makes it harder to defend against us.''
Burlington County Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
611329
Philadelphia Flyers
"A hot goaltender was probably the main reason, but another reason was
maybe we have to go a little bit harder on the shooting or concentrate more
when we have the chances,'' Jagr said. "Sometimes you get so many that
you don't take it serious because you know the next chance is going to
come -- and then all of a sudden the game is over.
"He was good, but I think we have to score on our chances, you have to
concentrate a little more and make sure you score when you have the
chance. We just didn't do that today.''
By the end, the Flyers couldn't complain about the performance. After all, it
goes into the records as a shutout.
"Certainly from the last time we played the Islanders (a 4-1 loss), where we
gave up too many chances, too many shots, we were able to close it down
a little bit,'' coach Peter Laviolette said. "We just couldn't get it past the
goaltender tonight.''
Almost a record
Flyers encouraged despite loss
By Wayne Fish
The 45 shots taken in a shutout loss were the second highest in Flyer
history, exceeded only by the 48 they took in a 3-0 defeat by Chicago on
Feb. 15, 1969.
Shootout blues
PHILADELPHIA -- Even near-perfection isn't good enough on some nights.
The Flyers played 65 minutes of shutout hockey on Tuesday night and
outshot the New York Islanders 45-17 through the end of overtime.
New York goalie Evgeni Nabokov just wouldn't give up anything, no matter
what the Flyers tried.
And then their old bugaboo, the shootout, came back to get them again.
They allowed two goals (Frans Nielsen, John Tavares scored), couldn't get
one of their own (Daniel Briere, Wayne Simmonds failed), and wound up
losing the game 1-0.
It marked the first time since Dec. 6, 2005 (a 1-0 shootout win over Calgary)
that the Flyers played a scoreless game and then had it decided by a
tiebreaker.
Ilya Bryzgalov's 25th career shutout, an NHL milestone, and the one point
gained in the standings were about the only consolations as the Flyers
dropped a third straight game for the first time this season.
Almost to a man, the Flyers were satisfied with the effort, just not the
outcome.
"To just get the one point, it's tough to take, it's disappointing,'' said Briere,
who returned to the lineup after missing six games due to a concussion. "At
least we're playing the right way.
"There are going to be times in the season when you play the right way and
you're not going to get points. When that happens, and you're playing well,
you have to keep your heads up. Go back to work and good things are
going to happen again.''
Claude Giroux said the Flyers needed to get more pressure on the net.
"We didn't put a lot of traffic in front of him (Nabokov),'' Giroux said.
"Obviously, he likes his room, likes to challenge shots. I think we kind of let
Bryzgalov is now 0-4 in shootouts and has allowed eight goals on 10 shots.
Overall, the Flyers are 1-5 in shootouts. The Flyers now have scored five
goals in 17 shootout attempts. Their opposition has 10 goals in 16 and that
number has to change. "I think we play very well, but it's a bad taste in the
mouth after losing in the shootout,'' Bryzgalov said. "Obviously, I've got to
work on this kind of thing in the practice more.''
Burlington County Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
611330
Philadelphia Flyers
Briere set to return to a Flyers lineup that sorely needs him (With Video)
By ROB PARENT
VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers might have a fresh face back in the lineup
tonight when the New York Islanders pay a visit.
Hoping for a comeback charge into Wells Fargo Center is Danny Briere,
who said Monday that he continues to feel “better and better” every day,
has been participating in contact drills on the ice and is cautiously optimistic
about returning to action against the Isles.
“It’s a possibility, yeah,” Briere said. “I haven’t ruled it out, but there’s a few
things we need to talk about first.”
Those discussions, Briere said, would be with Flyers doctor Gary Dorshimer
and therapist Jim McCrossin, both of whom will have a major say in the
decision of whether or not Briere’s ready to play after missing six games
with a concussion.
“I’ve been working out and doing more every day and having a little more
contact,” Briere said. “So at this point, yeah, it looks good. ... All I have right
now is it definitely feels better and better.”
Briere said it was the first time he remembered suffering a concussion that
caused symptoms.
“I felt like I was in a bubble the first week,” he said, referring to how he felt
after suffering the injury in New Jersey Jan. 21. “You feel like you’re in your
own world.”
Eventually, however, the fog lifted and Briere started to get serious in his
recovery. As of Monday afternoon, he indicated a clearance from the doctor
was all that was between him and a return to the ice to help a Flyers team
that just spent a weekend looking very out of step with the Devils and
Rangers.
“A big part of it is trying to be honest with yourself and with doctors; let them
know exactly how you feel so that you’re not putting yourself in a bad
position,” said Briere, who passed his baseline tests early last week. “I don’t
know, I remember when I was 21 years old and I had (a concussion). …
They kept me off the ice for a week but I didn’t have symptoms. And it’s so
long ago. I’m getting older.
The 36-year-old Nabokov stopped 45 shots through regulation and overtime
and brushed aside both shootout attempts while both Frans Nielsen and
John Tavares put pucks past Ilya Bryzgalov as the Flyers completed a fourday slump against New York-area teams in a 1-0 shootout loss to the
Islanders.
The defeat was the third straight for the Flyers, marking their longest losing
streak of the season. They’ve lost five of their last seven overall and five of
their last six at home.
Despite the downturn, the team was upbeat.
“The good news is we played well,” Claude Giroux said. “We were all over
them.”
“We just couldn’t get it past the goaltender tonight; he played a good game,”
coach Peter Laviolette said. “It wasn’t from a lack of effort. It wasn’t from a
lack of trying. It didn’t go in the net. It’s one thing when you’re not getting
the opportunity and looks, but there were opportunities. It just didn’t go.”
The Flyers’ latest defeat brought to the surface the team’s ineptitude in
shootouts. The Flyers are 1-5 in shootouts this season and an NHL-worst
20-39 since the shootout rule was adopted in 2005.
“One thing I can tell you is I’m not worried about coming back,” Briere
added. “I’m not changing my game or anything like that, going into tough
areas to score goals, I’m not planning on changing that.”
Both Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds were stopped on shootout
attempts while Bryzgalov was beaten on the only two shots he faced.
Bryzgalov has allowed eight goals on 10 shootout attempts this season.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette was a little more restrained in discussing
Briere’s recovery, perhaps because Laviolette usually is low-key.
“I think we played very well, but it’s a bad taste in the mouth after losing in
the shootout,” said Bryzgalov, who is 0-4 in shootouts this season.
“Obviously, I’ve got to work on this kind of thing in the practice more.”
Especially after the weekend he just had to endure.
Through regulation, both teams had fewer goals than the Mites on Ice.
While enough time had passed since the 6-4 loss to the Devils Saturday
that began with a six-deep deficit, Laviolette still was mulling a loss that
seemed more painful, the 5-2 beating they suffered at Madison Square
Garden Sunday.
While Nabokov was nothing short of sensational, his teammates weren’t
able to muster anything that resembled a cohesive offensive attack on the
other end. Bryzgalov faced just 14 shots through the first two periods.
“We have to be better with attention to detail of trying to prevent goals from
going into our net,” Laviolette said. “We’re all accountable. It’s my
responsibility to make sure we’re better defensively from a team point of
view right down to the goaltender.
Strengthened by the return of Briere, who missed six-straight games with
concussion symptoms, the Flyers offense had plenty of giddy-up. They
peppered Nabokov with shots and looked like a completely different team
than the one that went limp for most of the weekend against the New York
Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
“There are things that we could have done better as a team defensively. We
could have blocked more shots, we could have played with more
desperation, we could have scored more goals, we could have defended
better in our end, we could have gotten saves. There’s nobody exempt from
the loss (Sunday).”
But Nabokov single-handedly kept the Flyers in check, and the home team
was a little unlucky.
How happy was Laviolette over that Rangers game?
Five minutes into the third period, the Flyers had a 3-on-2 chance that
ended without a shot due to a bouncing puck. Five minutes later, Jaromir
Jagr reared back to fire off a one-timer, but his stick broke on the shot.
“It leaves a pit in your stomach,” he said. “But we’ve got a big game
(tonight). We’ve got to get past (the weekend); the last time the Islanders
were in here, they played a strong game and beat us in our building. So
you’ve got to shift gears and focus on what we can do to be better.”
Although the Flyers outshot the Islanders, 41-17, Nabokov went 41-for-41 in
regulation. The two teams skated into overtime without a goal, marking the
first scoreless tie through regulation the Flyers had played since Dec. 6,
2005, when they beat visiting Calgary in a 1-0 shootout win.
Delaware County Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
Nabokov, who emerged as the Islanders’ starting goalie after a gluttony of
injuries, has allowed one goal or less in five of his last six games. Heading
into Tuesday, he had allowed just 12 goals in his last eight games.
611331
Philadelphia Flyers
FLYERS: Flyers shut out in shootout loss
By RYAN LAWRENCE
“A hot goaltender was probably the main reason, but another reason was
maybe we have to go a little bit harder on the shooting or concentrate more
when we have the chances,” said Jagr, arguably the only Flyers player
critical of the team’s overall effort Tuesday. “He was good, but I think we
have to score on our chances, you have to concentrate a little more and
make sure you score when you have the chance. We just didn’t do that
today.”
PHILADELPHIA — After spending a decade on the West Coast, playing 10
seasons for the San Jose Sharks, Evgeni Nabokov returned to his native
Russia for the 2010-11 season.
Kimmo Timonen, the other sage veteran in the locker room, was optimistic
that the Flyers three-game losing streak wouldn’t extend any further if they
matched Tuesday’s intensity when they return to the ice Thursday against
Toronto.
But his stay away from the NHL came to an end shortly after the New Year
last season, when the Detroit Red Wings came calling. But Nabokov’s
hiatus from the NHL ice continued, as the New York Islanders claimed him
off waivers, blocking his path to a perennial playoff team in Hockeytown.
“If we play like that, we win a lot of games,” Timonen said. “That’s our
hockey. We skate, we hit. We had some chances today, but obviously he
made a lot of nice saves. But the effort was there for a full 65 minutes. I’m
confident if we play like that, we’ll get a lot of wins, a lot of points.”
What followed was a contentious battle between the two-time All-Star and
his new, moribund franchise with the fourth-fewest points in the NHL.
Nabokov never reported to Long Island and the team suspended him.
Nabokov and the Islanders made peace for the 2011-12 season, however.
And they continued to make life miserable for the Flyers Tuesday night at
Wells Fargo Center.
611332
Philadelphia Flyers
Briere set to return to a Flyers lineup that sorely needs him (With Video)
By ROB PARENT
Staff
VOORHEES, N.J. — The Flyers might have a fresh face back in the lineup
tonight when the New York Islanders pay a visit.
Talks of the Flyers acquiring Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Luke
Schenn (brother of Flyer Brayden Schenn) for James van Riemsdyk are no
longer a topic of discussion for the Leafs, according to a report.
Hoping for a comeback charge into Wells Fargo Center is Danny Briere,
who said Monday that he continues to feel “better and better” every day,
has been participating in contact drills on the ice and is cautiously optimistic
about returning to action against the Isles.
BroadStreetHockey.com has more on the news, explaining that JVR has
lost his appeal since his Jan. 12 concussion that’s left him off the ice for
almost a month.
“It’s a possibility, yeah,” Briere said. “I haven’t ruled it out, but there’s a few
things we need to talk about first.”
Bob McKenzie of TSN writes, “James van Riemsdyk has a concussion, he’s
not a factor for the Leafs at this point.”
Those discussions, Briere said, would be with Flyers doctor Gary Dorshimer
and therapist Jim McCrossin, both of whom will have a major say in the
decision of whether or not Briere’s ready to play after missing six games
with a concussion.
As the trade deadline nears, the Leafs seem less likely to make big trade at
all.
“I’ve been working out and doing more every day and having a little more
contact,” Briere said. “So at this point, yeah, it looks good. ... All I have right
now is it definitely feels better and better.”
Briere said it was the first time he remembered suffering a concussion that
caused symptoms.
“I felt like I was in a bubble the first week,” he said, referring to how he felt
after suffering the injury in New Jersey Jan. 21. “You feel like you’re in your
own world.”
Eventually, however, the fog lifted and Briere started to get serious in his
recovery. As of Monday afternoon, he indicated a clearance from the doctor
was all that was between him and a return to the ice to help a Flyers team
that just spent a weekend looking very out of step with the Devils and
Rangers.
“A big part of it is trying to be honest with yourself and with doctors; let them
know exactly how you feel so that you’re not putting yourself in a bad
position,” said Briere, who passed his baseline tests early last week. “I don’t
know, I remember when I was 21 years old and I had (a concussion). …
They kept me off the ice for a week but I didn’t have symptoms. And it’s so
long ago. I’m getting older.
“Three weeks to the deadline, and the Toronto Maple Leaf fans will hate to
hear this but there is a very real chance the team doesn’t make a significant
move between now and the trade deadline,” McKenzie writes.
For Flyers fans who want JVR to keep wearing orange and black, his
concussion could be the main reason for his stay.
611334
Philadelphia Flyers
Improving JVR finally talks concussion
Staff
While Danny Briere returns to the ice Tuesday after missing six games with
a concussion (see story), teammate James van Riemsdyk remains
sidelined with post-concussion symptoms.
Van Riemsdyk will miss his 11th straight game tonight against the New
York Islanders.
“One thing I can tell you is I’m not worried about coming back,” Briere
added. “I’m not changing my game or anything like that, going into tough
areas to score goals, I’m not planning on changing that.”
The good news? The Flyers’ 22-year-old wing is making progress and
appears far more upbeat than he was as recently as a week ago.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette was a little more restrained in discussing
Briere’s recovery, perhaps because Laviolette usually is low-key.
“It’s a pretty slow process, but I have to keep the good mindset,” van
Riemsdyk said after today’s morning skate. It was among his first
comments to reporters in weeks.
Especially after the weekend he just had to endure.
“That’s all I can do.”
While enough time had passed since the 6-4 loss to the Devils Saturday
that began with a six-deep deficit, Laviolette still was mulling a loss that
seemed more painful, the 5-2 beating they suffered at Madison Square
Garden Sunday.
It is believed JVR was concussed on Jan. 7 here in Philadelphia when
Ottawa’s Bobby Butler hit him.
“We have to be better with attention to detail of trying to prevent goals from
going into our net,” Laviolette said. “We’re all accountable. It’s my
responsibility to make sure we’re better defensively from a team point of
view right down to the goaltender.
“There are things that we could have done better as a team defensively. We
could have blocked more shots, we could have played with more
desperation, we could have scored more goals, we could have defended
better in our end, we could have gotten saves. There’s nobody exempt from
the loss (Sunday).”
How happy was Laviolette over that Rangers game?
“It leaves a pit in your stomach,” he said. “But we’ve got a big game
(tonight). We’ve got to get past (the weekend); the last time the Islanders
were in here, they played a strong game and beat us in our building. So
you’ve got to shift gears and focus on what we can do to be better.”
611333
Philadelphia Flyers
Are the Leafs no longer interested in JVR?
Van Riemsdyk played three more games before noticing concussion
symptoms.
The Flyers announced on Jan. 14 that he was out indefinitely with a
concussion. That day, in Nashville, JVR showed up at the rink for the
morning skate and was unable to go on the ice.
“I’ve tried not to let that word – frustration – seep into my vocabulary,” van
Riemsdyk said. “Just try to stay positive. Obviously, when you are in a
better mindset, it’s better for healing and getting better.
“That’s what I’m trying to focus on. Just little positive things every day, and
take it from there.”
Asked how he felt this week compared to last, he admitted that was “a
frustrating thing” because, “If you talk to me at different times of the day,
maybe I will feel a little better, sometimes than other [times] when I feel
really sick.”
This is the time of year when players are trying to prep mentally and
physically for a long playoff run. Van Riemsdyk has missed enough time
now that his in-game physical conditioning is going to suffer when he
returns.
“Yeah, yeah, that is something I can’t control,” he said. “I’m not too worried
about that. I’m worried about the here and now and getting better.”
611335
Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers vs. Devils, 7 p.m., CSN - Wells Fargo Center
With a chance to overtake the Rangers last weekend as the No. 1 seed in
the Eastern Conference, the Flyers came out flat in successive games
against New Jersey and the Rangers, losing both and losing ground in the
standings.
Tonight, they face the Islanders. The commitment to a faster start has been
on everyone’s mind.
Staff
Even rookie Matt Read called out his team on Monday saying players didn’t
show up mentally against the Rangers and it was unacceptable.
Flyers: 30-16-6 (second in Atlantic Division, fourth in Eastern Conference)
Islanders: 21-22-8 (fifth in Atlantic Division, 12th in Eastern Conference)
Previous games
The Flyers lost two in a row to division rivals the New York Rangers and
New Jersey Devils. After a day off on Monday, they will try to keep their
divisional losing streak from reaching three on Tuesday.
The Islanders’ last game went all the way to the shootout before Buffalo
handed them a loss. Nevertheless, the Islanders are 6-2-2 in their last 10.
Who’s hot?
Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds are hot for the Flyers. Schenn, the
20-year-old forward, has been on something of a scoring streak of late.
Three of his five goals this season have come since Jan. 24.
Meanwhile, Simmonds has managed to score in all of the Flyers’ last three
games, bringing his season total to 17 goals (his career high).
For the Islanders, Frans Nielsen managed to net two goals in their loss to
the Sabres, taking his season total to nine goals.
John Tavares has managed to be one of the Islanders’ most consistent
players. Although he was not able to score in either of the team’s last two
games, the always dangerous Tavares, who leads the Islanders with 53
points this season, will be someone to watch.
Storylines
Danny Briere, who missed six games with a concussion, returns to the ice
for the Flyers tonight. The team hopes his return provides a much-needed
spark.
Despite the Islanders’ last-place position in the Atlantic Division, they have
managed to stay competitive with the Flyers so far this season. The Flyers
currently lead the Islanders in their season series 2-1.
“To me, it begins with preparation,” veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen
said. “The game starts and you’re ready to go. Either you’re ready to go or
not. It’s pretty simple. You’re sleepy or ready to go. Those are the two
things.
“Obviously, we haven’t been sharp the first periods. It’s nothing to do with
the coaching staff or the team. It’s individual preparation. If you’re not ready
to go from the get-go, you’re not ready.”
Coach Peter Laviolette made that a focal point in discussions with the team
since coming back from Sunday’s 5-2 loss at Madison Square Garden.
That said, Laviolette reiterated that better starts were one of several things
he wanted to see improvement upon this week as the Flyers again play four
times.
“It comes off two first periods that we’re not happy with,” Laviolette said.
“Again, you are taking a snap shot in a year that can sometimes be long.
We’ve talked about getting ready to play.
“We had meetings [Monday] and talked about a lot of things. If we just focus
on the start and not worry about defensive zone coverage, we’ll be [in
trouble].
“There’s a lot of things that we need to be better. I said that earlier. We can
be better in a lot of different areas. But when the puck drops, be ready to
play.”
Loose pucks
Danny Briere (concussion) returns tonight against the Islanders (see story),
Briere has the second-most points – career-wise – of any Flyer against the
Islanders except Jaromir Jagr. Briere has 35 points (17 goals) in 38 games
while Jagr has a league-high (among active players) 142 points (59 goals)
in 94 games against them. ... Although goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is 7-0-1
against the Isles with a 2.01 lifetime goals against average, Ilya Bryzgalov,
the loser against the Rangers, will make the start tonight.
The Flyers and Islanders will meet twice more prior to the end of the
season, one game in Philadelphia and one in New York. The last time they
met, Jan. 19 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Islanders outplayed the Flyers
in every way, winning 4-1.
Injury update
611337
Philadelphia Flyers
Briere will return tonight vs. Islanders
Flyers: James van Riemsdyk (concussion)
Islanders: Milan Jurcina (elbow laceration, day-to-day), Travis Hamonic
(broken nose), Marty Reasoner (broken thumb)
Sound off
Will Briere's return provide a boost big enough for the Flyers to avoid losing
three in a row?
611336
Philadelphia Flyers
Staff
After a weekend of bad bounces, poor luck and disappointing outcomes,
the Flyers received some good news Tuesday morning.
As he’s hinted about in recent days, Danny Briere will return to the lineup
tonight against the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.
“I’m back in it,” Briere said after the morning skate. “Things have been
going well the last two and a half, three days. I feel ready. I feel like it’s
time. No symptoms the last few days, so we’ll give it a go. I know I’m
excited.”
Flyers know they need a strong start tonight
Staff
Briere hasn’t played since sustaining a concussion Jan. 21 against the New
Jersey Devils. The Flyers have gone 2-2-2 in his absence, including backto-back losses against the Devils and New York Rangers this weekend.
The Flyers’ center is optimistic his return can provide the team with some
extra energy.
Take a hit, give a hit.
That usually gets a player into it, and often leads to a good start in a hockey
game, as well.
“Hopefully I can provide a little spark,” he said. “It’s been a little tough lately,
at least since the break – especially at home. We don’t like our record at
home, it’s something we want to improve. So hopefully I can come in and
help out in that department.”
Briere has been back on the ice practicing with the Flyers since Jan. 30.
Despite having taken more than a week of rest – and not having seen game
action for more than two weeks – he isn’t concerned about his conditioning
or the possibility of nagging symptoms.
“I’m 100 percent,” Briere said. “It’s all about the symptoms. It’s not like a
knee or a shoulder where you’re finding your way back. Basically when you
don’t have symptoms, you’re ready to go. It’s not something that’s lingering
and preventing you from doing a few things. Whenever you’re symptom
free, you’re 100 percent. It shouldn’t be an issue.”
It’s been a bit of a slow year offensively for Briere, who has 13 goals and 17
assists in 43 games. But having the veteran return to the lineup isn’t just
about what he can bring to the score sheet.
“Danny has been great,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “He's a good
teammate and has a lot of experience. On and off the ice, that's valuable.”
Briere’s return, offered Laviolette, “adds more depth and balance to our
attack up front. It makes it a little more difficult to focus on one player or one
line.”
Last Friday, Briere began to look at the Flyers’ schedule and eye
possibilities for his return. Though he had been feeling better for a couple
days at that point, Briere thought returning over the weekend would be too
soon.
Just as it was for Flyers fans, it was tough for Briere to sit on the sidelines
and watch the Flyers’ two games this weekend (a 6-4 loss to New Jersey
and a 5-2 loss to the Rangers).
“The game against Jersey was very frustrating,” Briere said. “The way we
started the game. In New York, I really thought we deserved a better fate. I
really liked the effort the guys put in. The work, the fights – guys were
fighting for everything. We didn’t get some of the bounces, but I thought
overall it was definitely a game to build on.
“It wasn’t all negative, even though we lost the game. We come in with the
same fighting attitude tonight, we’ll be in good shape.”
The Flyers will face a tougher-than-you-think opponent tonight in the
Islanders. The Isles are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, and that includes the
last time they played in Philadelphia, an ugly 4-1 loss for the Flyers, who
were outplayed in every aspect of the game.
“They’re a dangerous team,” Briere said. “We saw what happened here the
last time they were in our building, basically embarrassed us. They’re a
team that’s tough to play against – they have nothing to lose at this point. …
“We said it after last game: you’re not ready to play against them, they’re
going to make you pay the price. We’ve struggled with our starts lately,
another reason for us to be ready when the puck drops.”
611338
Philadelphia Flyers
Jackson's Five: Flyers must avoid slump
JIM JACKSON
FOLLOW CSNPHILLY ON The first week out of the All-Star break did not
exactly go as the Flyers had hoped. A 1-2-1 week finished by back-to-back
regulation losses to the Devils and Rangers leaves the Flyers scrambling
some in the Eastern Conference standings, and peeking behind them rather
than looking up ahead. It can be a slippery slope if the losses start piling up
so the next week holds some importance.
Here are some issues that are catching my attention.
Avoid slump
The Flyers remain one of only two NHL teams to have avoided a threegame losing streak this season. The Vancouver Canucks are the only other
club. It is a very important note. If a team avoids a significant losing stretch,
its chances of being in excellent position in the standings come April are
very good.
The Flyers have been very resilient, posting a 15-5-1 record in games after
losses this season. However, with their lost weekend against the Devils and
Rangers, they will need a victory against a suddenly spunky Islanders club
on Tuesday to avoid their first three-game swoon. Get a victory and
perhaps then they can get greedy and try to build a winning streak.
Key saves
It seems this subject just continues to get attention. I am usually very
reluctant to point the finger at goaltending because I think many times
making goaltending the main issue is just oversimplifying the problem and
glossing over other weaknesses..
However, this season the Flyers’ goaltending has been very inconsistent.
The hope was that Ilya Bryzgalov had re-energized during the All-Star
break to set himself up for a great second half. Those hopes seemed
justified when he stopped 55 of his first 57 shots in three appearances out
of the break.
But then came Sunday with his struggles at Madison Square Garden and
there is the feeling that we are back to square one. Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t
been able to get on an extended run of excellence either. So, the waiting
game continues and two months remain to get one of these guys into a
significant groove.
Defensive desperation
In fairness to the goaltenders, the play in front of them over the weekend
was spotty at best, too. Against New Jersey, there were breakdowns early
on and Bobrovsky held the team in for most of the first period. Eventually,
the pucks started going in net. Sunday in New York, there did not seem to
be that defensive desperation that is necessary.
The Flyers have been a decent shot-blocking team for most of the season.
There wasn’t much of it at MSG. Both teams took 57 shots at net, but the
Rangers blocked 25, while the Flyers only got in the way of 10. The result?
A 38-23 disparity in shots on goal for the game, favoring the Rangers.
The Flyers need to do whatever it takes to help out their goaltenders and
that includes laying out in front of shots and checking desperately all over
the ice. Cut down on the turnovers as well and that goals against average
will start going in the right direction.
Power play clicking
One aspect of the game the Flyers have been able to count on recently has
been the power play. It has registered at least one goal in seven
consecutive games now, operating at over 30 percent in the process.
The high-low screens of Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds, combined
with the creative passing of Claude Giroux have made it difficult for enemy
penalty killers to put the clamps on the Philadelphia man-advantage unit.
Ironically, the unit has exploded minus one of the more productive powerplay performers of the last two decades, as Jaromir Jagr has either been
injured or on the second unit during this latest surge.
Simmering Simmonds
Speaking of Wayne Simmonds, he has quite possibly been the team’s best
player over the last seven or eight games. He has already set a new career
high for goals in a season and his work in the trenches along the boards
and in front of the net has been exemplary.
He enters this week with four goals in his last three games, a bunch of hits
and a fight. He has been performing like one of the league’s top power
forwards, moving up to the first power-play unit and potting some big goals.
If Simmonds is able to continue this type of performance the rest of the way
and Brayden Schenn maintains his progression, the Mike Richards trade to
Los Angeles is going to start looking very positive from a Philadelphia
standpoint, even if the Flyers’ former captain has a strong finish out west.
For the second straight week, the Flyers have four games in six nights with
some rather stiff competition this week. The Islanders have lost once in
regulation in their last eight games and seem rejuvenated. The Maple Leafs
are desperately battling for their playoff lives. Then, the weekend brings the
top two teams in the NHL in points, the Rangers and the Red Wings.
It’s a challenging week for sure. One gets the feeling we’ll have a much
better idea of what this club is made of a week from now.
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Philadelphia Flyers
Timonen pleased with Flyers' effort in loss
me and I thought for sure it’s a goal and he was there before I even shot it.
He was good tonight.”
Tim Panaccio
Maybe the only thing the Flyers didn’t do was generate traffic. That would
have helped.
While no one was particularly thrilled with losing yet another shootout, 1-0,
Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen accurately summed up something this
club can feel good about moving forward.
“We got to go a little bit harder or concentrate on the chances we got,” Jagr
said. “Sometimes you have so many you don’t take it serious because you
know the next chance might come and the game is over. He was good.
We’ve got to score on our chances.”
The Flyers did everything the right way. If they play like this the rest of the
season, they should be fine.
The upside is that the Flyers played a dominant game. Play like that down
the stretch and they’re going to pick up points.
“I’m happy with the effort,” Timonen said. “We played a pretty decent 60
minutes. Forty-five shots ... we had chances to score. Their goalie (Evgeni
Nabokov) played really well. You always want to get two points, but I’m
really happy with the effort they gave today.
“From the last time we played the Islanders where we gave up too many
chances and shots, we were able to close it down a bit,” Laviolette said.
“If we play like that, we’ll win a lot of games. That’s our hockey. We skate,
we hit, force other teams to turn the puck over and create offense. We had
some chances to put the puck in net. He made some nice saves ... the
effort was there for the full 65 minutes."
Overall, the Flyers outshot the Isles 45-18 and had 86 attempts at net.
Shootouts
The Flyers are 1-5 in shootouts this year and 20-39 lifetime. They remain
the worst team in the NHL in the shootout. Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov is 0-4 in
the shootout this year.
Bryz's 25th
He gets credit for his 25th lifetime shutout. He also becomes just the third
goaltender to reach that milestone in a Flyers uniform, joining Martin Biron
and Bernie Parent. It’s Bryzgalov’s second shutout of the season.
Loose pucks
“It was pretty steady. We got it behind them, got into the offensive zone and
grind it out a bit. We just couldn’t get it past the goaltender.”
It was the second-most shots the Flyers have ever had in a shutout loss.
They had 48 on Feb. 15, 1969 against the Chicago Blackhawks but lost, 30.
Frans Nielsen won it in the shootout where the Flyers are now 1-5 this
season. Bryzgalov is 0-4 in those six shootouts.
“First time in my career,” Bryzgalov said of notching his 25th shutout and
still losing, 1-0. “It’s much nicer when you win the game.
“We all played well tonight. Unfortunately, we can’t win. The other goalie
had big saves. Shut the door, too.”
The last time something like this occurred was Dec. 6, 2005 when Antero
Niittymaki and Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff went into a scoreless shootout,
which the Flyers won, 1-0, on a goal from Mike Richards.
The Flyers are now 3-5 this season when posting 40 or more shots and are
8-10-1 over the last two seasons when doing so ... Max Talbot was 10-for13 Tuesday on faceoffs (77 percent) while Claude Giroux was 14 for 24 (58
percent) … The Flyers had 86 attempts on net and 45 shots -- 24 shots that
were blocked and 17 that missed the net. Scott Hartnell had 12 of those
attempts.
All this aside, among the notables Tuesday, the Flyers welcomed back
Danny Briere, who missed the previous six games with a concussion.
“The first period was tough a little bit to get going,” Briere said. “The timing
and couple of plays you usually take for granted. I was hesitant at times. It
got better and better as the game went on. I felt great.”
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Philadelphia Flyers
He played with Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds, a move intended
to assist Briere by using two guys who are pretty hot now, while easing
Briere back into the lineup.
Flyers fall to Isles in SO for third straight loss
In yet another vote of confidence for Bryzgalov, Laviolette started him in net
over Sergei Bobrovsky, who was 7-1 lifetime against the Islanders with a
2.01 goals against average.
Staff
Again, if Bryzgalov is your confirmed starter, you have to keep going back
to him even when things go awry to get his confidence level up for the
playoffs. He’s here for the duration – nine years.
Talk about twisted irony.
Bryz faced very little in comparison to Nabokov, yet he didn’t falter. Thing
was, his Russian counterpart was unconscious in net.
Only in Philadelphia could beleaguered Flyer goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, trying to
find confidence, get his 25th career shutout and still lose.
And feel bad about it, too.
That’s because while Bryz was good in net, his counterpart at the other end
Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center, Evgeni Nabokov, was simply
sensational.
Nabby logged 45 saves as the Islanders defeated the Flyers, 1-0, in
another shootout.
It’s the first time this season the Flyers have lost three in succession, but
they picked up a point on the New York Rangers, who also lost, 1-0, to New
Jersey.
Shot after shot, player after player, period after period, Nabokov turned
aside everything thrown at him.
“You could see from our first shift we had the chances and could not score,”
said Jaromir Jagr, whose comments dripped of frustration, much like that of
his fellow teammates.
“We just could not score. Sometimes you dominate like that and don’t even
have a point … One time, four-on-four, Mez (Andrej Meszaros) gave it to
“[Nabokov] played well and made the saves he had to,” said Claude Giroux,
who had three official shots and two missed attempts. “We didn’t put a lot of
traffic in front of him. He likes to get his room.
“He challenged a lot of shots. I think we kind of let him do whatever he
wanted. We got to do a better job of screening the goalie.”
Flyer fans remember Nabokov. A couple summers ago, the Flyers got
permission from San Jose to try and sign him. Nabby, seeking huge dollars,
turned them down and finally ended up playing in Russia because he
overpriced his market value here.
Biggest mistake of his life.
Anyway, back to the present ... Laviolette and his players talked about
coming out strong and they did, getting the game’s first four shots on
Nabokov.
Still, it was the Islanders who had the better scoring chances in the period,
though they were outshot, 10-7. That was the only period the Isles got the
better chances.
Bryzgalov had a quality stop on P.A. Parenteau four minutes in and another
good save on Michael Grabner with five minutes left in the stanza.
Things turned toward Nabokov in the second period. First, he stopped Jagr
from the slot with Scott Hartnell screening him out rather nicely. How he
saw the puck was remarkable.
Lehtonen, who finished with 20 saves, was struck in the mask by a shot
from Phoenix's Adrian Aucoin just more than two minutes into the final
period. Lehtonen was stunned for a few seconds but stayed in the game.
“He was quick on any shots,” Jagr said. “He was reading the plays. He was
there even before you shot it. Give-and-go, cross ice pass, he was there. I
don’t know if he was that quick or read it very well.”
Torres scored his ninth of the season from the left circle at 5:41 of the third
period. Morris' first at 16:09 provided the Coyotes with a three-goal pad.
The Flyers generated some shorthanded chances, as well, and Nabokov
denied Giroux and Max Talbot on separate Islander power plays from close
range.
“Past few games, when you had the chance, they’re not going in,” Giroux
said. “You get games like that. The good news is we played well and were
all over them and Bryz played well, too.”
At four-on-four, Nabokov was just as strong. His pad robbed Jagr again on
a one-timer from just outside the crease. That was the shot Jagr referred to
earlier.
In the final minute of the middle stanza, the Flyers had a brief power play
and Nabokov stopped both Matt Read and Briere at his gate.
It was a scene repeated endlessly through the night.
The Stars have ridden Lehtonen's strong goaltending to stay on the fringe
of the playoff race, but Tuesday night's effort was one of their poorer ones
of the season.
"Awful, atrocious. I don't know," Dallas defenseman Sheldon Souray said.
"We've gotten by on a really good goaltender our last three or four games,
and it's just not good enough. We can talk about it and try to figure it out
and point fingers, but really, as a whole, we've really been letting ourselves
down, especially as important as this stretch of games is and what it
means."
Arizona Republic LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Canadiens prevail in lengthy shootout win over Penguins
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Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes defeat Dallas Stars, continue hot streak
Associated Press
DALLAS - The Coyotes' playoff push is well under way.
By Josh Yohe, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
MONTREAL — Strange things always seems to happen to the Penguins in
Montreal, and Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss was no different.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury gave up a soft goal — something that rarely
happens — star defenseman Kris Letang lost track of a forward on another
goal, and Fleury actually permitted three goals in a shootout that lasted
eight rounds.
Radim Vrbata scored his 25th goal, former Dallas backup Mike Smith made
28 saves and the Coyotes improved their playoff positioning with a 4-1
victory over the Stars on Tuesday night.
Of course, something else unusual also occurred.
tapped Rostislav Klesla's centering pass by goalie Kari Lehtonen.
"Obviously, it's a good point," said right wing James Neal, whose 28th goal
of the season evened the contest with 12:28 remaining.
Keith Yandle, Raffi Torres and Derek Morris also scored for the Coyotes,
who have won three in a row and four of five -- including Monday night's 3-1
Consider what the Penguins were facing entering the third period against
the Canadiens: They were trailing, 1-0, and not coming close to beating
nemesis Carey Price. Also, they were forced to kill a penalty at the
beginning of the third period.
for an eighth-place conference tie with Minnesota. The Wild lost 3-1 at
Columbus earlier Tuesday night.
"When you look at the standings, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11 teams want to
go (to the playoffs)," said Vrbata, who added an assist. "So, we've battled."
"This was a tight game and points we had to have against a team we
wanted to leapfrog in the standings," said Coyotes coach Dave Tippett,
once coach of the Stars. "Our guys came out and played accordingly."
of the season.
Yandle went to the locker room in the third after taking a puck to the knee
and did not return.
second to tie it at 1.
Dallas generated four shots during a four-minute power play midway
through the second period while Phoenix's Mikkel Boedker was serving a
double minor for high-sticking, but Smith had little trouble stopping all four.
"Our guys got enthused by that kill," Tippett said. "We used that as a
momentum builder. I thought from there we took the game over."
The Penguins were somewhat accepting of earning only one point against
the Canadiens.
Then, there's the reality that the Penguins looked tired, playing in their third
game in four nights.
"We would have loved to have gotten two points," Penguins defenseman
Zbynek Michalek said. "But down one goal, going on the PK, it was a tough
situation. It was a good effort by everyone."
The Penguins actually got a short-handed goal early in the third when
Quebec native Pascal Dupuis evened the game.
However, the Canadiens reclaimed the lead when Fleury allowed a bad
goal. Fleury anticipated that center Lars Eller was going to dump a puck
down the left wing boards. Instead, Eller flung it to the opposite post. The
puck clanged off the post before going in.
Although the goal wasn't a good one — Fleury was fuming following the
game — the Penguins hardly hold him responsible for the loss. Truth is,
Montreal enjoyed a lot of scoring opportunities in the first two periods, and
only Fleury's brilliance gave the Penguins a chance to steal a point.
"He's amazing," Michalek said. "It's crazy how he can play so many games
and still be this good every single night. I think he's the best goalie in the
league, by far."
Fleury and Price were each beaten twice in the first seven rounds of the
shootout, but Montreal's Tomas Plekanec scored the game-winner. Forward
Jason Williams was snuffed by Price to end the game.
Earlier in the shootout center Evgeni Malkin, who set up Neal's goal, scored
a highlight, spin-o-rama goal on Price. Fleury added some spectacular
saves, especially a sprawling glove save on winger Erik Cole in the second
period, but a victory simply wasn't in the cards for the Penguins.
"It's too bad," Neal said. "(Fleury) was great again."
611344
The Canadiens led, 1-0, through two periods on a goal by center Louis
Leblanc. Letang momentarily lost track of Leblanc, who skated down the
right wing and beat Fleury.
Visiting Penguins fall to Canadiens in shootout
Pittsburgh Penguins
"We just have some things we have to clean up," Neal said.
The Penguins return to action against the Winnipeg Jets at Consol Energy
Center on Tuesday.
By Josh Yohe,
"We played hard," said center Cal O'Reilly, who had a chance to end the
shootout following Malkin's spectacular goal. "Not a bad point."
MONTREAL — Tomas Plekanec scored in the eighth round of a shootout to
lead Montreal over the Penguins, 3-2, tonight. Evgeni Malkin and Chris
Kunitz scored in the shootout, Malkin's goal a brilliant one.
Scoring summary
Second period
Canadiens, 1-0 (11:21): C Louis Leblanc got a step on D Kris Letang,
skated down the right wing and ripped a wrist shot past G Marc-Andre
Fleury.
Third period
Penguins, 1-1 (1:03): C Joe Vitale threw a puck toward the net that glanced
off RW Pascal Dupuis' left skate and past G Carey Price.
Canadiens, 2-1 (3:00): C Lars Eller took a shot from the blue line that fooled
Fleury, bouncing off the post and in. Fleury thought Eller was going to dump
the puck in and had moved to leave the net.
Penguins, 2-2 (7:32): C Evgeni Malkin centered a pass from behind the net
to RW James Neal, who beat Price to the glove side with a high shot.
Tribune Review LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Jeffrey looks to hang at center after the Penguins get healthy
By Josh Yohe,
MONTREAL — When healthy, the Penguins are blessed with the finest
collection of centers in hockey.
Center Dustin Jeffrey would like to remain in the lineup when centers
Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal return, and that might require more
offensive punch than what he has produced so far. Jeffrey, who came back
too early from ACL surgery in October, is finally healthy.
The Penguins were awarded three power plays in the second period, but
produced nothing in the way of offense. Even worse, their poor work on the
power play ignited the Canadiens.
Center Evgeni Malkin had the only thing resembling an opportunity to score
with the man advantage midway through the second period when Montreal
goalie Carey Price stumbled by the left circle while playing the puck, leaving
the cage open. Malkin slid a shot toward the empty cage, but Canadiens
defenseman P.K. Subban made a sliding save.
Montreal defenseman Alexei Emelin then snatched the puck and launched
a lead pass to center Tomas Plekanec, who was denied by Penguins goalie
Marc-Andre Fleury on a breakaway.
Although the game was still scoreless at this point, it was clear that the
Penguins' poor special teams work had given Montreal momentum.
Shortly after Fleury stopped Plekanec — Fleury made a number of
exceptional saves during the middle 20 minutes — the Canadiens broke
through with the game's first goal.
Center Louis Leblanc got a step on defenseman Kris Letang and fired a
shot past Fleury. The play looked disjointed, and for good reason. Letang
was not on the ice with regular defense partner Brooks Orpik, but rather
was paired at that juncture with defenseman Deryk Engelland, who
exclusively plays on the right side. Letang, who normally plays on the right
side, appeared to instinctively break to the right side of the ice during the
two-on-two rush. This gave Leblanc all the room he would need to beat
Fleury.
The Penguins' goaltender held his ground brilliantly during the remainder of
the second period, as Montreal threatened to enhance its lead with a
number of quality opportunities.
Fleury's best save came late in the third period. A loose puck squirted
toward Montreal Erik Cole, who historically plays well against the Penguins.
Cole's shot was knocked away by a sprawling Fleury, who managed to
deflect the puck with his glove while flopping to the ice.
Now, he's waiting for the points to come.
Jeffrey has scored two goals and two assists in 18 games, and three of
those points came in a Jan. 20 game against the Canadiens.
"The legs aren't the issue now," said Jeffrey, who said his knee is 100
percent. "Being able to make plays and protect the puck, those are the
things I need to improve. I have to be better with the puck."
Jeffrey's defensive work has been solid, as evidenced by the fact that he
entered Tuesday's game in Montreal at plus-1 despite producing limited
offense.
"But I wouldn't say I'm satisfied," he said. "We need some secondary
scoring. I have to be better."
>> Centers Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal and defenseman Simon
Despres skated for almost an hour at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. The trio
took part in the team's optional morning skate, and then remained on the
ice for nearly 30 minutes following the workout. Crosby, who spoke with the
media Monday, will resume skating by himself starting this week. Staal
could be back in the lineup as early as this weekend, though a return next
might be a safer bet.
The Penguins evened the game early in the third with a shorthanded goal.
Center Joe Vitale threw a puck to the net, and it caromed off right wing
Pascal Dupuis' skate and in.
Less than two minutes later, the Canadiens reclaimed the lead when Fleury
allowed a bad goal, something that hasn't happened much this season.
Fleury anticipated that center Lars Eller was going to dump a puck down
the left wing boards. Instead, Eller flung a puck to the opposite post. The
puck clanged off the post before going in.
The Penguins, however, responded four minutes later. Their top line looked
tired much of the night, but center Evgeni Malkin managed to center a pass
to right wing James Neal, who buried his 28th goal of the season past
Montreal goalie Carey Price.
An entertaining overtime period resulted in no goals.
The Penguins return to action Saturday at 2 against Winnipeg at Consol
Energy Center.
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Pittsburgh Penguins
>> The Penguins still have not issued any information regarding the health
of right winger Tyler Kennedy, who returned to Pittsburgh after being injured
Sunday against New Jersey. Kennedy appeared to suffer a knee or leg
injury. The team is expecting more information regarding Kennedy's status
Wednesday.
Malkin shooting for much higher profile
By Dave Molinari,
Feb. 5, at New Jersey -- 22:19.
MONTREAL -- Evgeni Malkin has a Stanley Cup ring, an NHL scoring
championship and a playoff MVP award. What he does not have, at least in
parts of North America, is a public presence equal to his accomplishments.
Fellow Russian Alex Ovechkin got much of the attention in their draft year,
and Malkin has been overshadowed by Sidney Crosby much of their time
together with the Penguins, but it has gotten pretty tough to overlook Malkin
lately.
While Ovechkin is having a lackluster season and Crosby has missed all
but eight games because of a concussion and neck injury, Malkin entered
the Penguins game against Montreal Tuesday night at the Bell Centre as
the league's leading scorer. He also has been turning up in a lot of
conversations about the top candidates for the Hart Trophy, which is
awarded to the regular-season MVP.
While Malkin's place as one of the NHL's elite talents has been secure for
quite a while; coach Dan Bylsma said Tuesday Malkin might be ready for a
higher profile.
That's a lot of work, even for a guy who was averaging 26 minutes, 10
seconds before getting hurt Nov. 26 in Montreal.
Not that Letang seems to mind.
"When I said I was coming back, it was to play the same minutes I played
before," he said recently. "I don't want to watch the [game]. I want to be in it.
Tip-ins
Bylsma says he expects backup goalie Brent Johnson to play in "seven to
11" of the Penguins' remaining 28 games. ... Eighteen players participated
in the Penguins' optional game-day skate.
Post Gazette LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Pittsburgh Penguins
Long shot spoils Fleury's night / Canadiens 3, Penguins 2
"In terms of being out there, being with the media, having his face out there,
it's a long way from where it was three years ago," he said. "There's a
certain flair and personality with Evgeni that maybe you didn't see three
years ago. Certainly, there is some flair there. There's a lot of personality. I
think you're seeing more and more of that."
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Of course, Malkin's productivity, not his personality, is most important to the
Penguins.
MONTREAL -- Used to be that a bad game would rattle Marc-Andre Fleury,
causing him to follow it with one that wasn't much better.
"He's a great player and, certainly in the last month and a half, we've
needed him to be great," Bylsma said. "He's carried the load in a lot of
aspects for our team."
Not anymore, though.
Kennedy's injury not disclosed
He proved that again Tuesday night, when he did just about everything
possible to earn a victory for the Penguins against Montreal at the Bell
Centre.
The Penguins have not offered information about the nature or severity of
right winger Tyler Kennedy's injury.
He turned aside 28 of 30 shots in regulation, then five of eight in the
shootout that decided the game.
Kennedy hobbled off the ice late in the third period of a 5-2 loss Sunday in
New Jersey, and, subsequently, left the team to have his injury evaluated in
Pittsburgh. Bylsma said if the Penguins did not have an update on Kennedy
by Tuesday afternoon, which they obviously did not, word on his status
could come today.
Three stars
O'Reilly settling in
Center Cal O'Reilly appeared in his third game since the Penguins claimed
him from Phoenix on re-entry waivers a week ago and still has not entirely
settled in.
He said Tuesday, however, that he is getting acclimated to his new
teammates and surroundings.
"I'm starting to get comfortable with the systems and the way we play here,
the guys and the coaching staff," he said. "Every day, I get more
comfortable, and the confidence is growing."
Losing Kennedy, who had played on a line with O'Reilly and Steve Sullivan,
did not help.
"I thought we were playing pretty well, and we got better as the games went
along," O'Reilly said. "But that's the way it goes sometimes."
Letang likes heavy workload
Defenseman Kris Letang has not been eased back into the lineup since
returning from the concussion that forced him to sit out 21 games.
He played 24:17 in his first game back, Jan. 19 at Madison Square Garden,
and his workload has been consistently heavy since.
Here's a look at Letang's post-injury ice time heading into the game against
Montreal at the Bell Centre:
Jan. 20, Montreal -- 28:18.
1. Tomas Plekanec, Canadiens C: shootout goal
2. Louis Leblanc, Canadiens C: 1 goal
3. Carey Price, Canadiens G: 32 saves
But none of those saves -- many of them acrobatic and exceptional -- made
a difference because Montreal claimed a 3-2 victory.
It was the third loss in the past four games for the Penguins (30-19-5), who
are tied with New Jersey for fifth in the Eastern Conference. It also was the
third loss -- only one of which has come in regulation -- for Fleury in the
past 12 he has played immediately after being pulled from a game as he
was Sunday in the Penguins 5-2 loss in New Jersey.
He was not always able to rebound so quickly, and so well. Fact is, the first
nine times in his career Fleury was pulled from a game, he lost his next
start.
Now, he nearly always rebounds well, which he did against the Canadiens.
"[Fleury] was great again," Penguins winger James Neal said. "Huge saves
at the right times. It's tough when you don't pull one out in the shootout for
him because he made some great saves."
It is one Fleury did not make that might stay with him for a while.
Early in the third period, not long after Pascal Dupuis had scored a shorthanded goal to tie the score, 1-1, Lars Eller of the Canadiens carried the
puck across the blue line on the left side, then threw a harmless-looking
shot toward the net.
It got past Fleury's outstretched leg, then caromed off the right post. That bit
of good fortune for Fleury turned very bad when the puck then bounced off
him and into the net to put the Canadiens in front, 2-1.
Jan. 24, at St. Louis -- 24:27.
The Penguins got that goal back when Neal scored his 28th, a career high,
at 7:32, but they never did get a lead. Not, Dupuis said, that Eller's goal
decided the outcome.
Jan. 31, Toronto -- 24:41.
"We came back," he said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win that game."
Feb. 1, at Toronto -- 25:00.
Montreal had several leads over the course of the night and moved in front
to stay in Round 8 of the shootout, when Tomas Plekanec beat Fleury and
Jan. 22, Washington -- 27:09.
Feb. 4, at Boston -- 25:51.
Canadiens goalie Carey Price preserved the victory by stopping Jason
Williams, who had been recalled from the Penguins' team in Wilkes-Barre
earlier in the day.
Plekanec's goal and the stop on Williams guaranteed that the Penguins
would not post a 4-0 mark against Montreal in the season series for the first
time in franchise history.
Louis Leblanc of Montreal broke a scoreless tie at 11:21 of the second
period, when he beat Fleury from inside the right circle.
That was an ominous portent for the Penguins, who are now 1-11 in their
past 12 road games when giving up the first goal.
Fleury wasn't shaken and, with less than two minutes to go in the period,
turned in perhaps the best of his many outstanding saves. Canadiens
winger Erik Cole had an uncontested chance from the inner edge of the
right circle, but Fleury managed to get his glove on it to keep the Penguins
within a goal.
Dupuis pulled them even 63 seconds into the third when he drove to the
net, and Joe Vitale's centering pass from the right side hit his right skate
and got by Price.
But at 3:00, Eller put the Canadiens back on top with his improbable goal,
and the Penguins were not able to counter until 7:32, when Neal whipped a
shot by Price from the inner edge of the left circle for what proved to be the
final goal of regulation and overtime.
In the shootout, Rene Bourque scored for Montreal in the first round, Evgeni
Malkin for the Penguins in the second.
Fleury and Price stopped everyone until Round 5, when Eller and Chris
Kunitz traded goals.
Plekanec, though, got the deciding goal to kick off the eighth round.
Fleury, among the most media-friendly of the Penguins, still had not
appeared at his locker well after the game, so his thoughts are unknown.
His teammates, though, were understandably unhappy about losing to the
Canadiens, a team anchored well below them in the standings.
"It's unfortunate," Dupuis said.
"But I guess we'll have to deal with it."
611347
Pittsburgh Penguins
rejected Rene Bourque on the rebound. Shortly thereafter, Fleury used his
right skate to thwart Plekanec from inside the right circle.
The Penguins got another chance with the extra man when Plekanec was
sent off for slashing at 7:19, but couldn't get a puck past Canadiens goalie
Carey Price.
Their best chance came as the penalty was expiring and Price got caught
out of the net, but defenseman P.K. Subban blocked a shot headed for the
empty net and play went the other way, resulting in a Pleekanec breakaway
that Fleury was able to stop.
He had no such luck at 11:21, however, when Leblanc beat him from inside
the right circle to put Montreal in front, 1-0.
That was an ominous development for the Penguins, given that they were
1-10 the previous 11 times they gave up the first goal of the game on the
road.
Fleury wasn't shaken, however, and with less than two minutes to go in the
period, turned in perhaps the best of his many outstanding saves.
Canadiens winger Erik Cole had an uncontested chance from the inner
edge of the right circle, but Fleury managed to get his glove on it to keep
the Penguins within a goal.
The Penguins pulled even with a shorthanded goal 63 seconds into the
third.
Pascal Dupuis drove to the net, and Joe Vitale's centering pass from the
right side hit Dupuis' right skate and got by Price. It was Dupuis' 12th of the
season and first in 18 games.
Montreal got that goal by at 3:00, however, in an improbable way.
Eller carried the puck across the blue line on the left side, then threw a
harmless-looking wrist shot toward the net. It got past Fleury's outstretched
leg, but caromed off the right post.
That bit of good fortune for Fleury turned very bad when the puck then
bounced off him and into the net to put the Canadiens in front, 2-1.
The Penguins countered at 7:32, when James Neal whipped a shot by
Price from the inner edge of the left circle for his 28th, a career-high.
It was Neal's first goal in five games, and the one that put the game into
overtime.
The Penguins are off until Saturday, when Winnipeg will visit Consol Energy
Center at 2:08 p.m.
Penguins fall to Montreal, 3-2, in shootout
611348
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sharks fact box
MONTREAL -- Rene Bourque, Lars Eller and Tomas Plekanec scored
during a eight-round shootout to give Montreal a 3-2 victory over the
Penguins at the Bell Centre tonight.
By Mark Emmons
It was the third loss in the past four games for the Penguins (30-19-5), who
are tied with New Jersey for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Penguins played without forwards Tyler Kennedy and Richard Park.
Kennedy had returned to Pittsburgh to have an unspecified injury he
sustained Sunday in New Jersey evaluated, while there was no immediate
explanation for Park's absence.
Their spots were filled by Colin McDonald and Jason Williams, the latter of
whom was recalled from the Penguins' farm team earlier in the day.
Neither team scored during the first period. Louis Leblanc of Montreal had
the best chance when he broke down the right side of the slot unchecked,
but Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped him at 13:02.
The Penguins got the first power play of the game when Lars Eller of
Montreal was sent off for interfering with Fleury at 2:33 of the second, but it
was the Canadiens who got all of the prime scoring chances while he was
in the box.
Fleury had to deny Tomas Plekanec during a three-on-one break after
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang fell to the ice at the other end, then
San Jose Sharks
SHARKS VS. CALGARY
Faceoff: 7 p.m. at HP Pavilion
TV/Radio: CSNCA, NBCSN; 92.1, 98.5, 102.1
Flames update: Former Sharks G Miikka Kiprusoff is one win short of
career victory No. 300. He was denied the mark Monday when the Flames
(24-22-7) lost 3-2 in Anaheim in a shootout. The 2006 Vezina Trophy
winner has a 2.29 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. RW
Jarome Iginla leads the Flames with 42 points, and C Olli Jokinen has 41. "I
think we're going to be a playoff team," Iginla told reporters Monday. "I
believe that."
Sharks update: G Antero Niittymaki, who cleared waivers last week, has
been loaned to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. Also RW Andrew Murray
cleared waivers Tuesday and has been assigned to Worcester. LW Ryane
Clowe has one goal and three assists in his first two games back from facial
fractures.
Flames injuries: W/C David Moss (ankle), D Derek Smith (high ankle
sprain), LW Curtis Glencross (left knee) and RW Lee Stempniak (high ankle
sprain) are out.
Sharks injuries: RW Marty Havlat (hamstring), D Jason Demers (lower
body) and RW Tommy Wingels (upper body) are out.
San Jose Mercury News: LOADED: 02.08.2012
611349
San Jose Sharks
But a bigger factor is that he's always has seen himself as a playmaker -much the way fellow Canadian and Santa Clara product Steve Nash, who
leads the NBA in assists at age 38, is on the basketball court.
"Steve shoots not as much as LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, but he's still
so effective," Thornton said.
Sharks: Even dad wants Joe Thornton to shoot the puck more
Nevertheless, dad has been encouraging Thornton to take on a greater
share of the scoring duties because the Sharks' forward corps has been
hampered by injuries -- especially to winger Marty Havlat. He would like to
see his 6-foot-4, 235-pound son bully his way around the net more.
By Mark Emmons
"I always tell him, 'You're a big guy, do a wraparound,'" Wayne Thornton
said last weekend before returning home to St. Thomas, Ont.
Whenever Wayne and Joe Thornton talk hockey, the advice from father to
son is always the same.
This week, Thornton said he has been hearing that for years. He related
how the two spend a lot of time of the phone, just chatting about hockey
strategy.
Shoot the puck.
"Pretty much before every game I have to remind him," Wayne Thornton
said. "But he doesn't shoot enough. He never has."
Joe Thornton continues to be one of the NHL's preeminent passers. At the
same time, he can be unselfish to a fault. San Jose coach Todd McLellan
long has pressed Thornton to be more aggressive about challenging
goaltenders himself.
"Some players are shooters and some players are passers," Thornton
countered, "and I guess I'm just a passer at heart. I enjoy setting guys up."
But maybe his father's words had greater impact when they were delivered
in person last week as Wayne Thornton took part in the annual dads' trip.
Over the last three games, his son has taken 12 shots and the result has
been three goals to go along with three assists. That has helped the Sharks
(29-15-6) break out of their offensive doldrums with 14 goals.
So, is this the start of a trend?
"I doubt it," Wayne Thornton said, laughing. "Joe will play three games and
have two shots on net. The goalies know that if he's going down on a twoon-one, they need to watch the other guy because Joe's not going to shoot.
It would be better if he would just change it up a little bit."
Make no mistake: Thornton is the engine that drives the Sharks offense. He
leads the team with 44 points and his 33 assists were tied for
eighth-best in the NHL before Tuesday night's games.
Thornton, 32, has an uncanny ability to wait until just the right moment
when a teammate finds a patch of open ice and then deliver the puck with a
magician's sleight of hand. He's a key reason why San Jose leads the
league in shots on goals with 34.8 a game.
The Sharks captain also has drawn praise for becoming a more complete,
three-zone player. His 59 takeaways rank seventh in the league and are a
testament to his greater attention to defense.
But there's still that curious reluctance to be a goal-scorer himself.
Sharks defenseman Brent Burns noted last Saturday after a 5-3 loss to
Phoenix, where the Coyotes scored two goals on ricochets, that NHL
players now are taught to fire pucks at the net and hope something good
happens.
And it's why McLellan has tried to push Thornton out of his pass-first
comfort zone.
"If I had that answer, then we'd be able to solve it," McLellan said when
asked about Thornton's hesitancy to shoot. "Only he can answer that. One
of the tasks that we're working on is his shooting and net presence. There is
a reward to shooting the puck, and we always remind him of that."
But during a recent three-game trip to Canada, Thornton had only one shot
on goal. Even with his current binge, he ranks just seventh among the
Sharks with 100 shots on the season.
Thornton said he's simply playing to his, and the team's, strengths. Ever
since he arrived in San Jose in 2006, he has been surrounded by strong
finishers, including former Shark Jonathan Cheechoo, Patrick Marleau and
Joe Pavelski.
"He watches so many games and his point always has been the more shots
you get, the better chance you have for one to go in," Thornton said. "And
he likes Pavs and Patty going to the net and getting some rebounds."
But Thornton added: "Then I'll have a nice pass and he's like: 'Oh, good
passing there.'"
611350
San Jose Sharks
Former Sharks captain Owen Nolan announces his retirement
By David Pollak
Three days before his 40th birthday, Owen Nolan formally hung up his
skates Wednesday afternoon,...
Former Sharks captain Owen Nolan hung up his skates Tuesday, retiring
with the organization where he made his biggest impact in the NHL.
"I guess I've known this day was here for a while," said Nolan, three days
shy of his 40th birthday. "When your body won't do what your mind and
heart are willing to do, it's time to move on."
Nolan played 568 of his 1,200 games with San Jose in a career that saw
him wear seven different NHL jerseys. But in teal he came to personify the
team itself — a feisty bunch coached by Darryl Sutter with a star player who
reflected that same, no-holds-barred approach.
"To be a power forward in the NHL is much like being a running back in the
NFL. You hand out a lot of punishment, you take a lot of punishment," said
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson. Nolan's accomplishments, he
added, "come from the fortitude that's within you."
The first player taken overall in the 1990 draft by the then-Quebec
Nordiques, Nolan was traded to the Sharks from the Colorado Avalanche in
October 1995 for defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh. By the time he was sent to
the Toronto Maple Leafs in March 2003, his 206 goals and 451 points with
San Jose were franchise bests.
Nolan played one full season in Toronto, then had stints with the Phoenix
Coyotes and Calgary Flames before finishing his playing days in 2009-10
with the Minnesota Wild.
Accepting that as the end, however, proved difficult. Nolan played one year
in
Europe, then reported as a tryout to training camp with the Vancouver
Canucks last fall. He didn't make the cut.
"It's tough to give up something you love," Nolan said. "We're all
programmed to keep doing it."
Nolan was at center stage for three of the most memorable moments in
franchise history and, after the formal ceremony, he talked about each.
His shot from the neutral zone with 10 seconds left in the first period ended
up as the winning goal in a Game 7 upset of the top-seeded St. Louis Blues
in the first round of the 2000 playoffs.
Nolan said the only reason he took that shot was because he had seen
Blues defenseman Al McInnis do the same many times.
"It's tough to give something up when your heart and mind want to keep
doing it," Nolan said. "But the body can't keep up and I had to accept that."
"Those long distance shots -- sometimes they skip or whatnot and goalies
don't see them at a long distance," Nolan said. "So time was running out
and I don't even know if I can get it to the net, but I was just going to take a
shot. Luckily it went in."
"Retiring into the Sharks family," as Nolan put it, didn't involve a one-day
deal with the club or anything official of that nature. He told Wilson of his
decision about a month ago, Wilson expressed interest in making it an
event, and they sealed the reunion with a handshake.
His crushing hit on Dallas Stars goalie Ed Belfour during the 1998 playoffs
at a time when Belfour was the No. 1 villain among Sharks fans.
"It was something he wanted, something we wanted badly," Wilson said.
"This is his home."
"At the time it seemed right," Nolan said, smiling. "Maybe it was wrong. I got
to know Eddie and Eddie's a great guy. You do things in the heat of the
moment that you look back and say, 'Oops' or 'Maybe I shouldn't; have
done that.' . . . That was just frustration over him getting the better of us."
Along with Wilson, on hand for the announcement were former Sharks
teammates Mike Ricci, Jamie Baker, Dave Lowry and Scott Hannan, former
Wild teammate Brent Burns and former Flames teammate Jarome Iginla.
Pointing at netminder Dominik Hasek and calling his shot for a hat-trick goal
in the 1997 NHL All-Star game at HP Pavilion.
Nolan said he was watching TV recently when they showed a replay.
"I looked at it and I'm going, 'What the hell was I thinking?' " he said. "You
know, when you get one of those things that just seemed right at the time. If
it doesn't work, well, it's a different story."
After leaving the Sharks, Nolan seemed particularly determined whenever
his new team faced San Jose, especially in the 2008 playoffs when Calgary
forced the Sharks to a seventh game.
"I won't lie," Nolan said. "I did get fired up."
The Flames were in San Jose early for their Wednesday night game and
captain Jarome Iginla attended Tuesday's event along with two others with
San Jose connections — defenseman Scott Hannan and assistant coach
Dave Lowry.
Four Sharks also were there — two other captains, Joe Thornton and
Patrick Marleau, as well as Brent Burns and James Sheppard, teammates
of Nolan in Minnesota.
San Jose has been Nolan's off-season home even after being traded away
and now he will be living here year-round. He and his wife, Diana, are
raising their two children in a home south of San Jose, and his local
business interests include the Brittania Arms pubs.
Nolan left open the possibility of taking a hockey-related job at some point
— just not yet.
Nolan was the first overall draft pick in 1990, by Quebec, over a number of
future Hall of Famers, including Jaromir Jagr and Martin Brodeur. After the
Nordiques moved to Colorado in 1995 and became the Avalanche, Nolan
was traded nine games into the 1995-96 season to San Jose for Sandis
Ozolinsh. His retirement is a bookmark for the franchise that drafted him; he
was the last player in the NHL to have played as a Nordique.
Nolan served as San Jose's captain from 1998 to 2003 and provided a
number of iconic moments for the franchise: "calling his shot" against
Dominik Hasek to complete a hat trick in the 1997 All-Star Game in San
Jose; running Dallas Stars goalie Ed Belfour in the 1998 playoffs; scoring
the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Sharks' first-round upset of the topseeded St. Louis Blues in the 2000 playoffs.
When he was traded to Toronto in 2003, Nolan was the Sharks' career
leader in goals, assists and points. He is still in the top three in goals,
assists, points, games and penalty minutes, among other categories. He
scored 206 of his 422 career goals and 451 of his 885 career points and
played 568 of 1,200 career games as a Shark.
Wilson called Nolan a "type of player that doesn't exist anymore" - and a
type the GM is constantly on the lookout for, the type who can make
opposing players take a short shift. Changes in the rules of the game have
rarefied that prototypical power forward. Wilson also marveled at Nolan's
ability to play the grinding style as long as he did, 18 NHL seasons.
It went by too fast for Nolan, who choked up after making his retirement
official and offered this advice for today's young players: "Twelve hundred
games might seem like a lot, but it goes by fast, so enjoy every minute of it."
Sharks tonight
Who: Flames (24-22-7) vs. Sharks (29-15-6)
"I'm still trying to gear down from the competitiveness," Nolan said. "It's
tough when you watch it on TV — you're still twitching and questioning why
guys do certain things. I'm trying to tone down from that and accept the
retirement side, but at some point I'd like to go back in."
Where: HP Pavilion
TV/Radio: CSNCA/98.5, 102.1
611351
Owen Nolan career stats
San Jose Sharks
When: 7 p.m.
Season
Team
PIM
GP
G
A
Pts
+/-
1990-91
Quebec
109
59
3
10
13
-19
1991-92
Quebec
183
75
42
31
73
-9
Owen Nolan plans on returning to hockey in some capacity eventually, but
he has a few things planned first:
1992-93
Quebec
185
73
36
41
77
-1
Time with his wife and two kids. Check in on his various business ventures
in San Jose. And two mandatory vacations, advised by Sharks general
manager Doug Wilson.
1993-94
Quebec
8
6
2
2
4
2
1994-95
Quebec
46
46
30
19
49
21
1995-96
Colo./Sharks
-33
146
81
33
36
69
1996-97
Sharks
155
72
31
32
63
-19
1997-98
Sharks
144
75
14
27
41
-2
1998-99
Sharks
129
78
19
26
45
16
Owen Nolan, a Sharks great, calls it a career
Jake Leonard
"The first day of the playoffs, go away," Wilson said he told Nolan. "And the
first day of training camp, go away."
That's when Nolan will feel the absence. That's when he'll realize his
playing days are over.
Nolan went out as a Shark, announcing his retirement as expected Tuesday
in a news conference at HP Pavilion five days shy of his 40th birthday. The
former San Jose captain hadn't played in the NHL since the 2009-10
season, in which he scored 33 points in 73 games for the Wild, but had
continued to pursue the game, as a training-camp participant and last
season playing in Switzerland.
1999-00
Sharks
110
78
44
40
84
-1
(which may move before it gets the chance, making them the new California
Seals).
2000-01
Sharks
75
57
24
25
49
0
And if you’re going to retire players by signing them to one-day deals, you
should be preparing for the next step.
2001-02
Sharks
93
75
23
43
66
7
2002-03
Sharks/Leafs
-3
107
75
29
25
54
Doug Wilson, being a bluff old traditionalist, is probably loath to retire a
number just to retire a number. He may want a Stanley Cup banner before
he starts honoring individual players, but the standard is flexible. The
Washington Capitals retired Yvon Labre’s 7 because he was Yvon Labre.
2003-04
Leafs
110
65
19
29
48
4
2006-07
Coyotes
56
76
16
24
40
-2
2007-08
Flames
71
77
16
16
32
6
2008-09
Wild
26
59
25
20
45
5
2009-10
Wild
40
73
16
17
33
-12
1,200
422
463
885
-40
Career
1,793
San Francisco Chronicle LOADED: 02.08.2012
611352
San Jose Sharks
And there are candidates. Arturs Irbe was sort of a fans’ pet, and his return
as an assistant coach with Carolina was greeted with a huge ovation. He
could be Yvon Labre. Mike Rathje is the only player other than Marleau to
play a full decade in San Jose, though he could be a frustrating favorite.
Mike Ricci did seven years here, represents the team’s first renaissance,
and is still in the organization. Wilson’s been on board since the beginning,
though he is unlikely to submit to such an honor for years to come yet.
More likely, though, the first Shark to get his number retired will be Marleau,
because 14 years with one team not only gets your number retired, it often
gets you into the Hall of Fame. And there’s a better-than-average chance
that he won’t have to sign a one-day-finish-as-a-Shark deal, which given the
number of times fans have demanded he be traded is a feat in and of itself.
By then, Anaheim will have retired Selanne, Florida’s new ownership might
have figured out how to celebrate 20 years of existence, Nashville will
probably salute its last original Predator, David Legwand, Tampa will take
care of Lecavalier and St. Louis, and Columbus will probably be in
Newfoundland.
In the meantime, a salute to Owen Nolan is well earned. Maybe if the
Sharks decide to exchange ad space for a ring of honor at the arena, they
can put him there as well.
Is it time for the Sharks to retire Nolan's number?
Read more: Is it time for the Sharks to retire Nolan's number?
(AP)
Tune to SportsNet Central at 6, 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet
Bay Area for more on this story
PROGRAMMING ALERT: The Owen Nolan Sharks press conference will
be streamed live on CSNCalifornia.com at 2:30 p.m..
Owen Nolan is retiring as a San Jose Shark today, which means he is
signing a one-day contract which will not require him practicing even once
for Todd McLellan. And if it helps, he retires as the best Nolan in NHL
history.
And to be honest, Nolan was a good servant to the club in his eight years.
He bounced around after being traded to Toronto in 2003, and never quite
reached the heights predicted of him when he broke with the supremely
talented but oddly underfunctional Quebec Nordiques, but he was a good
Shark.
You may argue if he is the best Shark, and that answer will doubtless
change as Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and the younger classes hit
retirement age, but he is getting a reward for eight years (six full, and parts
of two others) helping build a franchise, and being a credit to the club when
it was going through its obvious growing pains.
However, Nolan’s honor, being paid today, reminds us that the Sharks
remain one of six active NHL clubs who have not yet found a number to
actually retire, and frankly, the race not to be the last turkey in the shop
should be more pressing than it seems to be.
611353
San Jose Sharks
Sharks face daunting schedule over final months
AP
SAN JOSE – There are exactly two months left in the regular season for the
San Jose Sharks, and what a two months it will be.
The team gets to enjoy a three-day break between games last Saturday in
Phoenix tomorrow’s home matchup with the Calgary Flames. After that, the
rest and the practice time will be scarce, but the games will come one after
another after another.
In total, San Jose has 32 games left in 59 days, or one every 1.84 days.
There are just three separate breaks of two days between games, and six
back-to-back instances.
[RELATED: NHL standings]
(At this point, we should mention that this is sarcasm, and that retired
numbers aren’t what they used to be. The Minnesota Wild retired the
number 1 on the opening day of its existence in honor of the fans it didn’t
actually have yet, thus lowering the bar for rafter enshrinement
considerably).
For the Sharks, there’s no time to even complain about it.
Oh I suppose technically the Sharks can say they retired Wayne Gretzky’s
99, since that was a league-wide decision, but that’s sort of cheating. And
Mario Lemieux’s 66 was unofficially retired, at least until Calgary’s T.J.
Brodie wore it for three games last year before being upgraded to 7.
Every NHL team has quirks to its schedule, but San Jose’s has been
quirkier than most. The club played opening night on Oct. 8 and had five
complete days off before its second game, had another four-day break in
mid-November, and then played just five times in a 16-day span in late
December and early January. As the standings sit on Tuesday morning, no
team in the NHL has played fewer games than have the Sharks (the New
York Rangers have also played just 50).
Point is, the Sharks still have none, putting them in with Anaheim (which
presumably will retire Teemu Selanne and Chris Pronger), Florida (which
probably should have retired John Vanbiesbrouck’s by now), Tampa Bay
(which is just waiting for Vincent Lecavalier or Martin St. Louis to stop being
good), Nashville (which has a number of tepid candidates) and Columbus
“It’s the way the schedule is. We got to be at home for Christmas and New
Year’s, and now we’re paying the price for it,” Marc-Edouard Vlasic said on
Monday. “It’s the way the scheduling goes. Other years we’ve had it packed
at the beginning, and this year it’s packed at the end.”
Is it better to have longer breaks at the end of the season as opposed to the
beginning?
“Yeah, but the reality is we just don’t,” Joe Thornton said. “We’ll work these
two days, and we’re going to get busy in the next two months. It would be
nice to have these in April, but we don’t. We’ll take it, and work on things we
have to do right now.”
Monday for the Sharks was called a “work day” by coach Todd McLellan,
after the team enjoyed its annual father’s trip to Phoenix and then a day off
for the Super Bowl on Sunday. Tuesday’s practice will feature more
systematic strategy.
All essentially echoed Wilson’s words of praise for the former first overall
pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.
“We’ve probably got upwards of 20 real good practices left this year and
that’s it, with the amount of travel and how much we’re going to play on the
road,” McLellan said. “When we do get them, we have to take advantage of
the time.”
[RATTO: Is it time for the Sharks to retire Nolan's number?]
McLellan was asked again about the schedule after Saturday’s 5-3 loss in
Phoenix, and it’s safe to say he’s not going to use it as any kind of excuse if
the team falters in the coming weeks.
“I don’t want to hear about it anymore. I want our group to come to the rink
and get prepared to play one game at a time,” he said.
“The part that I was really worried about was the part before All-Star break,
when we played nine games in 15 days. We’ve slowly caught up, and we
should be able to handle ourselves.”
Despite practice time being at a minimum, the Sharks are determined to
improve their game as another the postseason appearance approaches.
“We’ll fine-tune, but try to get better, as well,” Vlasic said. “We still have 32
games left until the end of the year so I think guys still want to improve.
Guys are getting out there [before practice] 15 and 20 minutes early. You
have to keep the stamina going and work on some things, because
everybody wants to get better.”
Murray clears - Sharks forward Andrew Murray has cleared waivers,
according to a tweet from TSN's Bob McKenzie. He'll be reassigned to the
club's AHL affiliate in Worcester.
Read more: Sharks face daunting schedule over final months
Tune to SportsNet Central at 6, 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet
Bay Area for more on this story
611354
San Jose Sharks
Emotional Nolan hangs up skates
“He was one of the rare, prototypical power forwards that had enough skill
to beat you either way,” Wilson said. “You look in this business, everybody
is trying to find that type of player now. They just don’t exist. To play that
role – it’s a physical role and very tough on your body and tough mentally –
and have the talent to do the other things, too, is rare.”
He was also among the toughest and hardest players of his era to play
against.
“He was one of those guys that, he wasn’t a dirty player at all, but if you
crossed him, if he felt like he needed to get you, he had no problems doing
it,” Ricci said.
“He was extremely competitive,” said Marleau, who broke into the NHL in
1997, the year before Nolan was named captain. “When he was at the top
of his game, he was one of the most feared guys out on the ice. Not only
could he score goals, he could lay you out with a body check or even drop
the gloves and take care of it that way.”
After getting traded by the Sharks to Toronto in 2003, Nolan spent time with
the Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild.
He was originally drafted by the Quebec Nordiques and moved with them to
Colorado for just nine games before he was traded to the Sharks on Oct.
26, 1995.
He tried out for Vancouver this past September after spending last season
in Switzerland, but the Canucks decided not to sign him. About a month
ago, he ran into Wilson and the two talked about him retiring with the
Sharks’ organization.
“The ultimate thing was to have him retire as a San Jose Shark,” Wilson
said. “It was something that he wanted and we wanted badly. We’ve used
today as a celebration and appreciation for what he’s done for this
franchise. It means an awful lot to us, and to see him and his family here is
very exciting for us and very well deserved.”
“It was certainly a great gesture on their part,” Nolan said.
Despite getting traded out of San Jose, Nolan kept his house, with plans to
retire in the area one day.
“I knew pretty well that come retirement time I was going to stay out this
way,” he said. “My wife is from here, kids were born here, and I love it here.
It was a pretty easy decision.”
That didn’t make it any easier for him to actually hang up his skates,
though.
Staff
SAN JOSE – After exactly 1,200 NHL games, 422 goals, 885 points and
almost 1800 penalty minutes, former Sharks captain Owen Nolan wanted to
remind his mother of another accomplishment when he announced his
retirement from professional hockey in a press conference at HP Pavilion
on Tuesday.
“I think back to when I broke into the league, my mom said jokingly to me,
‘you better not lose any teeth, or you’re in trouble, mister.’ Well, mom, 1,200
games later I still have them all,” Nolan joked, with his immediate family
sitting in the front row.
One of the most effective power forwards of his era, an emotional Nolan,
who spent eight seasons with the Sharks from 1995-2003, sat beside
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson and fought back tears.
“When your body won’t do what your mind and your heart is willing to do,
it’s time to move on,” a choked up Nolan said after a 15-second pause to
collect himself. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and had the opportunity to
play with some great teams and some great teammates.”
Among the players in attendance were current Sharks Joe Thornton,
Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns, former teammates Mike Ricci, Dave
Lowry and Scott Hannan, as well as Flames captain Jarome Iginla, who is
in town for the Sharks-Calgary matchup on Wednesday night and who won
gold with Nolan on Team Canada at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Nolan also received congratulatory phone calls from Bryan Marchment, his
agent Mike Barrett, and Bob Nicholson, the C.O.O. of Hockey Canada.
“It’s tough to give up something you love doing. I think I knew the time was
already here. I think I knew it was here a little while ago, but the heart and
mind just wants to keep doing it. We’re all programmed to do it, and to try
and gear down and accept that you’re not what it once was…
“The fire is still there, you want to compete, but the body just can’t keep up.
I had to accept that, and finally realize that it was time to move on.”
611355
St Louis Blues
Third Period: Blues 3, Senators 1
By DAN O'NEILL
Just over four minutes to play and it looks like the Blues will hang on (cross
fingers). Brian Elliott has had a heckuva game in his return to Ottawa.
A ridiculous call puts Berglund in the penalty box for hooking. The Ottawa
player grabbed Berglund's stick and fell down to get the call.
Elliott great save on Erik Karlsson with 11:58 remaining.
Ottawa has a 21-13 edge in shots, but the Blues will take a two-goal lead
into the third period.
Perron gets his second of the game on a nice setup by David Backes. The
goal at 6:34 re-establishes a two-goal lead for the Blues. Backes made a
great play to send Perron in and he backhanded a shot into the upper part
of the net. T. J. Oshie also gets an assist.
The Senators get back in it with a power-play goal 56 seconds into the
period. Daniel Alfredsson re-directs a shot by Sergei Gonchar for his 18th
goal to trim the Blues' lead to 2-1.
The Blues carry a 2-0 lead into intermission. Ottawa will be on a power play
when the second period begins.
Matt D'Agostini suffered an upper-body injury and will not return.
Chris Porter-Vladimir Sobotka-Chris Stewart
B.J. Crombeen-Scott Nichol-Ryan Reaves
Defensemen
Barret Jackman-Kevin Shattenkirk
Carlo Colaiacovo-Alex Pietrangelo
Kris Russell-Roman Polak
Goalie
Brian Elliott
Elliott just made a terrific save as the Senators came in on a two-man
breakaway.
ARNOTT SEEKS THERAPY
David Perron picks up a big rebound off a Patrik Berglund shot and swoops
around Anderson to score his fifth of the season. The Blues lead 2-0 just
3:49 into the period.
Blues center Jason Arnott, who will miss his second game tonight with a
shoulder injury, left the team today to receive therapy in Toronto. He's
expected to rejoin the club in New Jersey, but the timetable for his return
remains uncertain.
The Blues got off to a rough start, as netminder Brian Elliott has to make
several early saves. But Chris Porter tips Roman Polak's shot past Craig
Anderson for his second goal in two games. The Blues take the lead one
minute 48 seconds in.
St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: 02.08.2012
611356
St Louis Blues
Elliott not expecting Halak-style treatment in return
"He's not ready," Hitchcock said. "I guess he's still day to day but he's
certainly not going to play (Tuesday) and then we'll see. It's just not coming
around like we thought it would. Its the type of injury where you can't play if
you can't fully protect yourself."
HUSKINS RETURNING?
Hitchcock said today that defenseman Kent Huskins, who has been out
since October with an ankle injury, is 90-95 percent healthy and "almost
ready to go."
As far as the plan when Huskins returns, Hitchcock said he doesn't intend
to put the defenseman into the lineup as soon as he's available.
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD
OTTAWA - Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak set the standard in Montreal last
month, leaving the ice to a standing ovation from the opposing fans when
he shut out his former club, 3-0.
It was mentioned to former Ottawa Senator Brian Elliott that anything less
than a standing ovation tonight at Scotiabank Place wouldn't be accepted.
"I don't think so," Elliot said, smiling. "I don't think you can expect anything
like that. It was cool to see that in Montreal."
Elliott, who leads the NHL with a 1.69 goals-against average, will be making
only his second start in the Blues' last nine games. He's made one start in
the past 25 days, a 3-2 shootout loss to Pittsburgh.
Coming out of the NHL all-star break, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock gave
Halak the nod against LA and he posted a 1-0 shutout, leading to the start
Saturday in Nashville. But Hitchcock had planned all along that Elliott would
play tonight in Ottawa, where he spent parts of five seasons.
"Same deal as Halak," Hitchcock said. "Brian played here and he wants to
put on a good show and we're going to give him that obligation and see
how he does. I've said before, we coach people that play hockey ... we just
don't coach hockey."
The Senators, who are 0-5-1 in their last six games, will be hungry for a
goal. They put 49 shots on net Saturday against Toronto, but fell 5-0 to the
Maple Leafs. Their scoring drought entering into tonight is 82 minutes, 48
seconds.
"Ells is a great story, but for us today, it gets thrown on the back burner,"
Ottawa forward Jason Spezza said. "It was great to see him over the AllStar break, and we're happy for the success he's had, but for us, it's really a
non-issue. We're worried about playing the St. Louis Blues. We're focused
on the game."
If Elliott picks up the shutout, but not the standing ovation, he would make
Blues' history. The Senators are the only team in the NHL the Blues have
never blanked.
TONIGHT'S LINEUP
Forwards
Jamie Langenbrunner-David Backes-T.J. Oshie
David Perron-Patrik Berglund-Matt D'Agostini
"I think if a (defenseman) gets hurt or we're not happy with a guy, then we
wouldn't hesitate to play him," Hitchcock said. "But the six guys have done
a great job here. And I think that unless somebody pushes his way out, then
Husky will have to wait his turn. And then when it's his turn, I'm sure he's
going to take advantage of it."
PERRON IMPRESSES STORE CLERK
On Monday night, Blues forward David Perron went out to dinner with family
and afterwards walked into a local hockey store in Ottawa. He stopped in
the stick department and browsed for a few minutes before seeing a
shooting alley with a net.
"I got in there for probably a half-hour just ripping pucks," said Perron, who
has a blister on his hand to prove it. "The guy there was pretty impressed
with my shot. He said, 'You've got a helluva shot.' I just started laughing and
said, 'Thanks.' He probably thought I was some junior guy that played a
while back and stopped playing. It was pretty funny. I never told him who I
was. I'm not going in there to get recognized."
Teammate Kevin Shattenkirk wasn't buying the last part - that Perron didn't
want to get recognized.
"He definitely dropped his name, there's no doubt about it," Shattenkirk
said. "He said, 'I'm David Perron, I'm coming to shoot pucks. He probably
got them all around him to cheer him, too ... he doesn't do anything under
the radar."
BLUES-SENATORS CONNECTION
There are three former Blues (and Peoria Rivermen) on the Ottawa
Senators' coaching staff.
Head coach Paul MacLean was selected by the Blues in the seventh round
of the 1978 NHL draft and played two full seasons in St. Louis at the end of
his career in the late 1980s and early '90s. Assistants Mark Reeds and Rick
Wamsley also played for the Blues - Reeds was a fifth-round pick in '79 who
played several seasons in the 1980s. He and Wamsley were teammates for
three seasons.
MacLean and Reeds also coached Peoria, the Blues' IHL affiliate at the
time, for three seasons in the 1990s. Wamsley worked behind the Rivermen
bench for part of the 2009-10 season.
"I don't think it was planned that way...," MacLean said. "Reeder and I go
back a long way. We actually played in Salt Lake City together in 80-81 and
we coached together in Peoria for three years, so there's definitely a
relationship there that was forged a long time ago."
Regarding Wamsley, MacLean joked that they were bound to cross paths
because, "Wammer has played for a lot of teams. It just means he was
good, I guess."
Told of MacLean's comment, Wamsley replied: "All the sudden, he's played
for one team..."
611358
St Louis Blues
Blues have biggest output since victory on Jan. 21
MacLean played for Winnipeg, Detroit and the Blues.
ODDS & ENDS
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD •
- The Blues are 9-0-2 against the Eastern Conference this season.
- The Blues are 1-4 in their last five road games.
- The Blues are 13-5-2 following a loss this season.
611357
St Louis Blues
OTTAWA • The night before the Blues faced the Senators, David Perron
visited a local hockey goods store in Ottawa. After spotting a shooting alley
inside, he grabbed a stick and, remaining unidentifiable to the sales clerk,
ripped shots for a half-hour.
D'Agostini leaves after taking blow to his head
"He said, 'You've got a helluva shot,'" Perron said. "I just started laughing
and said, 'Thanks.' He probably thought I was some junior (hockey player)
that played a while back and stopped playing. It was pretty funny. I never
told him who I was."
By JEREMY RUTHERFORD
One of several of the Blues' struggling offensive players, Perron made his
presence known Tuesday, scoring twice in the team's 3-1 victory over the
Senators at Scotiabank Place.
OTTAWA • Blues forward Matt D'Agostini left Tuesday's game after
receiving a blow to the head, and while he hasn't been diagnosed with a
concussion, the team is preparing to call up a forward from Peoria.
D'Agostini took a couple of hits in the first period from Ottawa's Jared
Cowan, one behind the Senator's goal that appeared to catch D'Agostini
high. He left the game and doctors didn't clear him to return.
Already without Jason Arnott, who traveled to Toronto on Tuesday for
therapy on his shoulder, the Blues are left with 11 healthy forwards as they
headed to play in New Jersey on Thursday. The club is expected to call up
either Evgeny Grachev or Adam Cracknell in time for that game.
This marks the second time this season D'Agostini has left a game after a
blow to the head. He was hit on Dec. 10 against the San Jose Sharks and
exited without returning. With four days between games at the time,
D'Agostini missed a couple days of practice, but no games.
The Blues already are without Alex Steen and Andy McDonald because of
concussions. Steen and McDonald aren't on the team's three-game trip, as
the club opted to keep them in St. Louis for extra rest to help clear their
symptoms.
The potential of another injury would put the Blues in a bind, especially after
learning that Arnott's injury might be worse than originally feared.
Arnott was injured Friday on a hit by Los Angeles' Dustin Brown. He missed
his second game Tuesday, and after missing a couple of days of practice,
the Blues sent him to Toronto for further evaluation. He's expected to meet
the team in New Jersey.
"He's not ready," Hitchcock said before the game Tuesday. "I guess he's
still day to day, but he's certainly not going to play (Tuesday) and then we'll
see. It's just not coming around like we thought it would. It's the type of
injury where you can't play if you can't fully protect yourself."
HUSKINS RETURN?
Blues defenseman Kent Huskins, who has been out since October with an
ankle injury, is 90-95 percent healthy and "almost ready to go," Hitchcock
said.
As far as the plan when Huskins returns, Hitchcock said Tuesday that he
doesn't intend to put the defenseman back into the lineup as soon as he's
available.
"I think if a (defenseman) gets hurt or we're not happy with a guy, then we
wouldn't hesitate to play him," Hitchcock said. "But the six guys have done
a great job here. And I think that unless somebody pushes his way out, then
Husky will have to wait his turn. And then when it's his turn, I'm sure he's
going to take advantage of it."
BLUENOTES
The Blues' victory was their first in Ottawa since Jan. 26, 2000, and they
had lost five in a row going into Tuesday's game.
"I guess I'll have to find a store in New Jersey, too," joked Perron, as the
Blues packed their bags for the final game of the three-game trip Thursday
against the Devils.
The Blues also picked up a goal from Chris Porter, breaking the two-goal
plateau for only the second time in their past 10 games and helping the club
leave town with an important road win — its first win in Ottawa in 12 years.
Starting Saturday in Nashville, Blues players began wearing T-shirts around
the locker room that read: "2012 Road Warriors." They entered the game
Tuesday with a mark of 8-11-3 on the road, losing four of their past five on
foreign ice.
In order to change that, the Blues need more production from players such
as Perron, David Backes and T.J. Oshie, who each entered the game
Tuesday pointless in their past four games.
"You're going to have to get that if you're going to win on the road," Blues
coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Your best players have to score. We've
struggled in that area here lately, but tonight was big."
All three players contributed on Perron's second goal of the game, giving
the Blues a 3-1 lead at 6 minutes, 35 seconds of the second period. Oshie
stripped Ottawa's Erik Karlsson of the puck, which trickled to Backes. He
fed Perron, who skated past the crease and flipped a shot past goalie Alex
Auld.
"It was good to get in the (celebratory) huddle again," Oshie said.
The Blues' protected the two-goal cushion with a strong penalty-kill in the
third period, following a hooking penalty against Patrik Berglund with 8½
minutes left in regulation. The team finished with 20 blocked shots,
including four apiece by Barret Jackman and Roman Polak.
Blues goalie Brian Elliott made his first appearance against Ottawa since
the team traded him last season. And while there was no standing ovation
from Senators' fans afterwards, ala Jaroslav Halak in Montreal, Elliott was
solid despite playing for the first time since Jan. 24. He picked up his 16th
victory of the season with 28 saves, including a third-period stop on the
Sens' Kyle Turris with the game hanging in the balance.
"I haven't played in a little bit, so just getting back out there and trying to do
my best for the guys and give us a chance to win — that's what it meant,"
Elliott said. "You really want to get back in that winning feeling and ... doing
it here is pretty big for me."
The Blues chased Ottawa starter Craig Anderson from the game after he
allowed two goals on four shots.
Only 1:37 into the game, Porter deflected a shot by Polak, giving Porter his
fourth goal of the season and two in a row for the Blues after Saturday's
tally in Nashville.
"Porter chips in again," Hitchcock said. "Porter is really helping us right now.
He's really playing well."
Perron put the Blues ahead 2-0 with the first of his two goals. Berglund put
a shot on net and Anderson allowed a big rebound, giving Perron room to
crash the crease and score his fifth goal of the season.
611360
Ottawa inserted Auld and early in the second period trimmed their deficit to
2-1 on a power-play goal by Daniel Alfredsson. That ended the Senators'
overall scoring drought at 103:04.
Stingy Kings defense too much for Lightning
But Perron followed with No. 6 with 13:25 left to play in the second period,
saying afterwards: "It's good to get a couple of goals offensively. Even
better when you get two points like we did tonight. I thought maybe we
would need more shots, but I felt like our shots were quality shots and that's
what we need."
The Senators outshot the Blues 29-18, but the Blues scored their most
goals since a 4-2 win over Buffalo on Jan. 21.
"Hopefully, we're back on track with a little more depth in scoring," Backes
said. "We're not going to complain how it happens. The fact is, we got two
points out of the night, and we'll move on to another tough place to play in
New Jersey."
611359
Tampa Bay Lightning
Bolts notes: D Oberg's arrival sparks speculation
By Erik Erlendsson
TAMPA For each of Tampa Bay Lightning D Evan Oberg's six recalls earlier
in the season, the 22-year-old was brought up mainly as insurance against
nagging injuries to Tampa Bay's other defensemen.
When Oberg was again called up on Tuesday, however, it appeared to be a
curious move as the Lightning have eight healthy defensemen with the
pending return of D Marc-Andre Bergeron, who has been out since Jan. 13
with a back issue. Oberg's presence gives the Lightning nine defenseman
on the roster, creating speculation a trade was on the horizon.
But head coach Guy Boucher and general manager Steve Yzerman put a
quick end to that.
"There are no trades or anything you would love to hear or speculate on,''
Boucher said. "We don't say everything. Bergeron might be able to come
back, but there are other guys in our lineup that have boo-boos that we're
not sure about, so it's just a precaution thing.''
As he yo-yoed back and forth between the Lightning and the team's farm
club, the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League, Oberg garnered
plenty of frequent flier miles but found his way into only one game, logging
1:21 of ice time on Jan. 24 against Columbus.
Malone skating
LW Ryan Malone skated with the team on Tuesday morning for the first
time since sustaining an unspecified upper-body injury against Phoenix on
Jan. 21. Malone skated in a yellow (injured) jersey, which means limited
contact. Malone could be ready to return to the lineup during the upcoming
road trip.
Birthday boy
Tampa Bay Lightning
By ERIK ERLENDSSON
The crowd roared to life and the Tampa Bay Lightning showed some spark.
After just tying the game Tuesday night, Tampa Bay earned a power play
and the energy was evident. With play in front of the Los Angeles Kings net,
the goal horn sounded, just for a brief instant. However, a moment later
momentum vanished, silencing the announced crowd of 16,489.
Kyle Clifford came racing out of the penalty box and took a long pass for a
clean breakaway. His goal through the legs of Dwayne Roloson midway
through the second period helped Los Angeles to a 3-1 victory, snapping
the Lightning's string of seven consecutive games with at least a point (6-01) and dropped Tampa Bay below the .500 mark.
The Lightning lost ground in a playoff chase that already has proved an
uphill battle. Tampa Bay is nine points behind Southeast Division leading
Washington and 10 points behind eighth-place Ottawa.
Roloson made 17 saves in just his second start in the past nine games
while Steven Stamkos, who turned 22 on Tuesday, notched his leagueleading 35th goal of the season that tied the game at 7:49 of the second
period.
But Tampa Bay will lament some missed opportunities, as well as the
momentum-killing power play which went 0 for 3, including two chances in
the third period. The Lightning continue to be mired in a 6-for-63 slump with
the man advantage.
It was the one power play in the second, however, that proved costliest.
Victor Hedman had a chance to score on a rebound off his backhand that
hit just outside of the post. An itchy trigger finger up above sounded the
goal horn and may have drowned out some on-ice communication as the
power play time dwindled.
"Whether (the horn had an effect) yes or no, we have to be aware of it,
there was 10 seconds left and we have to keep an eye," Lightning head
coach Guy Boucher said. "The guy is coming out of the box, the time is
there, Hedman almost scored and everybody thought it was going in. I
guess everybody focused in on that and we didn't pay attention to the guy
coming out of the box and he gets his puck on the stick at the right time.
"We didn't make many mistakes tonight, but it almost seemed like every
one we made cost us."
The Kings, one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league allowing just
2.03 goals per game, are tough to beat when they score two goals. After
Dustin Penner took advantage of an open chance from the slot with 2:14
left in the second, the task became near impossible as the Kings were 13-01 this season prior to Tuesday when scoring at least three goals.
"We didn't generate anything and that's on us," Stamkos said. "We haven't
been very good (on the power play) all year and it has cost us a few games
in the past and it certainly cost us a chance to get back in this game."
It made it even more difficult when the Kings were playing a game of dump
and defend for most of the third while protecting the lead.
Lightning C Steven Stamkos, who leads the league in goals, celebrated his
22nd birthday on Tuesday and his teammates ensured the day did not go
unnoticed. Toward the end of the morning skate, Steve Downie and Malone
conspired to give Stamkos a shaving cream pie to the face.
"They tighten down in the defensive zone and you don't have any openings
at all in their zone," Roloson said. "They limit your time and space, they
don't give you chances and they capitalize on your mistakes.".
Nuts and Bolts
611361
RW Adam Hall has been given the green light to return to the lineup nearly
a month ahead of schedule. Hall tore a biceps muscle in his left arm during
a fight against Ottawa's Matt Carkner on Jan. 5 and was expected to miss
two months. … LW Brett Connolly and D Matt Gilroy were the last two
players off the ice, indicting they could be scratched. Boucher did not say
what the lineup will look like, instead making his decisions after pregame
warm-up.
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 02.08.2012
Tampa Tribune LOADED: 02.08.2012
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning road trip watch parties
Staff
The Tampa Bay Lightning has scheduled watch parties for its next three
road games: Feb. 9 at the Ranegrs, Feb. 11 at Buffalo and Feb. 12 at
Piitsburgh.
Here is the announcement from the team:
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that it will host watch parties for
select upcoming road games, beginning with the February 9 matchup
against the New York Rangers, and continuing with subsequent parties on
February 11 versus the Buffalo Sabres and March 26 against the
Philadelphia Flyers. Each watch party will be held at Champions Sports
Bar, located within the Marriott Waterside Hotel across the street from the
Tampa Bay Times Forum, and will begin at 6 p.m.
As a special incentive for fans, Marriott will be offering great deals on
discounted food and beverage purchases including $8 wings and nachos
and $10 domestic beer buckets. Thunderbug and the Lightning Girls will
also be present to help usher in the excitement and provide fans with great
chances to score a number of giveaways and prizes. Complimentary
parking will be available in the VIP West lot of the Times Forum.
With wing Ryan Shannon looking energetic and speedy since his return
from a knee injury, Boucher said he will continue to use him on a line with
St. Louis and center Vinny Lecavalier. Shannon, while appreciative, said a
player can't live and die based on reward and being in the dog house. "It
becomes a roller coaster, and I don't think that's good for your psyche," he
said. "I just want to try to build my game up and regardless of who I'm
playing with just try to build on the foundation of my game." And that is? "In
order to be successful," he said. "it's got to be my speed. Sometimes when
you're struggling, you try to do too much, and if I'm trying to do too much I'm
trying to be a little too fancy with the puck. If I simplify my game and think
about my speed and covering the ice and being responsible with the puck,
plays build off that foundation."
St. Petersburg Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
611363
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning loses 3-1 to Los Angeles Kings
611362
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning calls up D Evan Oberg for 8th time; brass says no
other moves in works
By Damian Cristodero,
TAMPA — The Lightning power play is so inept, even fans have seen
enough.
As the players repeatedly tried and failed Tuesday night against the Kings
to simply cross the blue line into the offensive zone, boos filled the arena.
Staff
On the surface, it seemed an odd move. The Tampa Bay Lightning with
eight healthy defensemen (assuming Marc-Andre Bergeron's bad back is
ready to go), called up defenseman Evan Oberg from AHL Norfolk.
That this is Oberg's eighth call-up from the minors and he has played a total
of 1 minute, 21 seconds in one game is always a fun fact of which to keep
track. But this being the trade season, and with the Feb. 27 deadline
looming, you have to forgive inquiring minds who thought this might be a
prelude to a trade.
But coach Guy Boucher and general manager Steve Yzerman said the
move was an insurance policy because Bergeron hasn't played since Jan.
13 and there apparently is another defenseman who is at least nicked up.
"There are no trades or things that you would love to hear," Boucher said.
"There is nothing to speculate on. We don't say everything and some of our
defensemen -- Bergeron might be able to come back -- but there are other
guys in the lineup who have little boo-boos, so it's just a precaution thing.
So, if something happens, it will be something that comes out of the blue."
Added Yzerman: "We have to make sure we're dressing seven healthy
(defensemen)."
Other stuff from the morning skate: As expected, Dwayne Roloson gets the
start in net tonight against the Kings. It is his second start in the team's past
nine games. ... It appears right wing Adam Hall will play tonight after
missing 12 games with a left biceps injury. He is the team's top penaltykilling forward with an average 3:17 of ice time while Tampa Bay is
shorthanded. His recovery has been somewhat remarkable given he was
supposed to be out until at least the beginning of March. "They give you
guidelines and you put it in your mind that you want to comeback as soon
as possible," Hall said. "You've got to credit our entire training staff and the
things they do." ... Center Nate Thompson appears as if he will play. He
apparently had an MRI test on an undisclosed injury that forced him to
leave Monday's practice early. ... No official word, but it seems right wing
Brett Connolly and defenseman Matt Gilroy will be scratched. Gilroy has
played just 9:36 and 8:02 in his past two games. Boucher said that has
been more a function of other players doing well and claiming some ice
time, particularly Bruno Gervais and Brendan Mikkelson, who have been an
effective pairing. ... Boucher said the team is "grooming" Mikkelson for more
of a power-play role. ... Center Steven Stamkos turned 22 today and on the
ice received a shaving cream pie in the face courtesy of Steve Downie.
Teammate Marty St. Louis, standing next to Stamkos at the time, got hit as
well and didn't seem too happy about it. ... Left wing Ryan Malone, out four
games with an upper-body injury and shooting for a return Saturday at
Buffalo, skated with the team for the first time but with a yellow jersey; not
quite a red no-contact jersey but still more of a restriction than if Malone
had on a regular jersey. Think of it like a yellow (caution) traffic signal. ...
"Just to set it up was hard," captain Vinny Lecavalier said.
The Lightning lost 3-1 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, and there was
plenty of blame to go around from defensive lapses to missed scoring
chances. But nothing was as frustrating as the power play that generated
just two shots while going 0-for-3 and is in a 6-for-63 slump that seems to
defy solutions.
Converting any of its three power-play chances would have changed the
game for the Lightning, maybe even won it.
Instead, Tampa Bay (23-24-5) lost its 6-0-1 points streak to the league's
lowest-scoring team and fell nine points behind the first-place Capitals in
the Southeast Division.
"It's been frustrating all year," center Steven Stamkos said. "We needed it
to at least give us some momentum, but we didn't generate anything. It's on
us. We haven't been good all year and it's cost us games. It certainly cost
us a chance to get back in the game (against Los Angeles)."
Consider that 19 seconds after Stamkos scored his league-best 35th goal
to tie the score 1-1 7:49 into the second period, Tampa Bay went on a
power play when Kyle Clifford was called for roughing.
The Lightning did not even get a shot on goal. Worse, it lost track of
Clifford, who took a pass out of the penalty box and beat goaltender
Dwayne Roloson on a breakaway with a backhand for a 2-1 lead.
It was a strange play as the arena horn that signals a Lightning goal blew
briefly when a shot from defenseman Victor Hedman hit the side of the net
just as the power play expired.
"I guess everybody was focused on that and didn't pay attention to the guy
coming out of the box," coach Guy Boucher said.
But Lecavalier said, "We knew (the shot) wasn't in so the horn didn't have
any part in it."
"We've just got to be more aware," Stamkos said. "Even the guys on the
bench, myself included, should have been screaming the guy was coming
out of the box."
Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, the Lightning got two power plays in
the first eight minutes, but two combined shots did nothing except confirm
the power play's No. 26 league ranking.
"It's frustrating," Lecavalier said. "Just to get one power-play goal can make
a difference in the game and a huge difference between winning and
losing."
Tuesday night was a prime example.
Kings
1
2
0
3
Lightning 0
1
0
1
First Period—1, Los Angeles, Kopitar 17 (Greene, Williams), 2:47.
Penalties—Kubina, TB (interference), 18:05.
Second Period—2, Tampa Bay, Stamkos 35 (Purcell, Brewer), 7:49. 3, Los
Angeles, Clifford 4 (Scuderi), 10:16. 4, Los Angeles, Penner 5 (Richards,
Stoll), 17:46. Penalties—Downie, TB (tripping), 2:17; Clifford, LA (roughing),
8:08.
Third Period—None. Penalties—Penner, LA (holding), 3:50; Williams, LA
(high-sticking), 7:03. Shots on Goal—Los Angeles 6-6-8—20. Tampa Bay
10-4-11—25. Power-play opportunities—Los Angeles 0 of 2; Tampa Bay 0
of 3. Goalies—Los Angeles, Quick 23-13-9 (25 shots-24 saves). Tampa
Bay, Roloson 7-11-2 (20-17). A—16,489 (19,204). T—2:19.
ODDS AND ENDS: The Lightning and representatives for C Dominic Moore
have had at least preliminary discussions about a new contract. … C
Steven Stamkos turned 22 and got a shaving cream pie in the face from
teammate Steve Downie. … Oberg, RW Brett Connolly and D Matt Gilroy
were scratched. … Watch parties for the next three road games are at
Champions restaurant at the Marriott Waterside Hotel, 700 S Florida Ave.,
Tampa.
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Toronto Maple Leafs
What is Mikhail Grabovski worth?
611364
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman in no hurry as trade deadline
nears
james mirtle
If there’s a Toronto Maple Leafs player who’s a little underappreciated
around the league, it’s probably Mikhail Grabovski.
Although you can make an argument for Carl Gunnarsson, too.
By Damian Cristodero,
But when some of those trade rumours began to start up last month with
Grabovski’s name included, it appeared perhaps he was underappreciated
by Leafs management as well.
TAMPA — Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said Tuesday he is no closer to
determining whether he will be a buyer or seller at the Feb. 27 deadline.
Brian Burke, however, was quick to dispel that talk, saying that even though
Grabovski was a pending unrestricted free agent, that didn’t necessarily
mean he was going anywhere.
Yzerman had said he believed clarity would come after the homestand that
ended against the Kings. But with the team still on the edge of the playoff
conversation, there is no longer a clear timetable, though the upcoming
three-game road trip that starts Thursday against the Rangers likely will be
key.
"The team is playing well," Yzerman said before Tampa Bay's 3-1 loss
stopped its 6-0-1 points streak. "We're winning games. There's still lots of
time left. … Let this play itself out."
There was a minor stir when for the eighth time D Evan Oberg was called
up from AHL Norfolk. With Marc-Andre Bergeron in the lineup after missing
nine games with a back injury, Tampa Bay has nine healthy blue-liners.
That sparked thoughts of a pending trade.
But Yzerman said Oberg was insurance for a team that wants to dress
seven defensemen and see how Bergeron's back reacts.
"No trades or things that you would love to hear; nothing to speculate on,"
coach Guy Boucher said. "It's just a precaution thing. If something happens,
it will be something that comes out of the blue."
If you listen to Yzerman, that does not seem likely.
"The trade market dictates what, if anything, we're going to do," he said. "At
this point there's nothing that makes any sense that is the right thing to do
whether it's short or long term."
hall BACK: Expected to be out two months, RW Adam Hall cut that in half
when he returned Tuesday after missing 12 games with a left biceps injury.
Hall, Tampa Bay's most-used penalty killer among forwards, played 5:30 in
the game with two hits.
MORE MEDICAL MATTERS: LW Ryan Malone (upper body) skated with
the team and said he is shooting for a Saturday return at Pittsburgh. … C
Nate Thompson played after having an MRI exam on an undisclosed injury
that forced him to leave Monday's practice early.
LINEUP: While getting two assists in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Panthers,
W Ryan Shannon got time on a line with C Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St.
Louis. That continued against the Kings.
"As a player, if you live and die based on reward and being in the doghouse
it becomes a roller coaster and I don't think that's good for your psyche,"
Shannon said. "Regardless of who I'm playing with, I just want to build the
foundation of my game."
For Shannon, with a disappointing two goals, nine points in 28 games, that
is speed.
"If I simplify my game and think about my speed and covering the ice and
being responsible with the puck, plays build off that foundation," he said.
And looking at what he’s done of late, you have to wonder how the Leafs
can do anything but re-sign him on a long-term deal.
Last season, when a lot went wrong for Toronto early on, Grabovski was
the team’s best player, rising to the occasion with a career year both
offensively (29 goals and 29 assists) and defensively (a team leading plus14).
After a slow start this year, the 28-year-old Belarussian has again been the
best Leaf on the ice over the last 15 games, with 12 points in his last six
and 20 during Toronto’s 10-4-1 run since the start of 2012.
His scoring pace is now better than it was a year ago – 31 goals, 68 points
over 82 games – despite the fact he’s spent most of the season with a bit of
an anchor on his line in Nikolai Kulemin.
While Grabovski doesn’t play with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, there’s not
really any argument that he isn’t Toronto’s best centre right now – and
that’s a position where this team needs to add rather than subtract.
And he’s definitely not underappreciated by his teammates, who look at him
as one of the team’s on-ice leaders.
Consider what Tyler Bozak, one of the team’s young centres, has to say
about Grabovski’s value to this team and how he looks up to him.
“He does everything pretty much,” Bozak said. “He plays good defensively,
he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s got a good shot. He makes great passes. He’s a
complete player who’s great at everything.
“He’s 100 per cent a top two [line] centre in the league. He does everything
right. He’s not the tallest guy, but in the league these days, you don’t have
to be tall. You’ve just got to be strong and have good balance and he’s got
all of that.
“I don’t think I can do half the stuff he does. Those Russian guys have
some pretty nice tricks up their sleeves. He’s got some moves, and he’s got
a lot of patience. It’s just fun to watch guys like that.”
That ties into what’s interesting about Grabovski and that’s just how
deceptive his value is. He’s not big, he doesn’t win many faceoffs and,
being from the Russian development system, he’s not a member of a group
of players traditionally known for being more than one-way scorers.
(Aside from Pavel Datsyuk...)
But Grabovski’s puck control skills and ability to get through the neutral
zone have put him first on the Leafs in terms of possession statistics (like
Corsi) two years in a row now, and he’s accomplishing that while getting the
tough checking assignments like his recent back-to-back nights against
John Tavares and Evgeni Malkin.
He fares well on the production side, too. Grabovski is tied for eighth in
goals by a centre (47 in 128 games) in the last two seasons, putting him
ahead of Eric Staal, Brad Richards, Anze Kopitar and other very well paid
pivots.
The issue is going to be defining what some of those intangible qualities are
worth and putting a dollar figure on Grabovski’s value, even as it appears to
rise with every strong game he has.
The No. 1 comparable I’ve seen referenced these days is Tomas Plekanec
of the Montreal Canadiens, who is making $5-million a season on a six-year
deal that started last season.
(A few other names are those of David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, both
with the Bruins and both making relatively similar money to Plekanec.)
That puts Grabovski in the $4.5-million to $5.5-million range and likely
means Burke will have to move out another body to free up that kind of
raise.
Grabovski’s agent, Gary Greenstin, has been in Toronto of late, but he has
kept negotiations relatively quiet. What’s clear is that Grabovski would like
to stay, as his partner is from the GTA and they have two infants at home.
So my sense is they’re going to get a deal done before he becomes a free
agent in July, but then again, there’s always the chance he asks for more
than management considers reasonable.
The pull of those UFA dollars can be tough for some players to avoid,
especially given Grabovski could be the top centre available.
So how high do you go on a contract for a player like that? And if they lose
Grabovski, how then do the Leafs replace those minutes at centre?
611366
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jets stifle Leafs' offence in return to MTS Centre
paul waldie
The Winnipeg Jets managed to find their scoring touch Tuesday, sort of,
and pulled off a 2-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the MTS Centre.
“Well it wasn’t a Picasso but it was a win,” Jets coach Claude Noel said
after the game.
“I didn’t think we gave them a whole ton. I thought we did some good things
but it was a good win for us.”
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Canucks play fifth extra frame in a row, beat Preds
Jets’ goalie Ondrej Pavelec was more blunt: “It would [have been] really
bad if we lost.”
The Jets had been struggling on offence lately, netting just five goals in
their last six games heading into Tuesday. Winnipeg also had lost two in a
row and were quickly falling out of the playoff race in the Eastern
Conference. The Leafs arrived in town from the opposite direction, coming
off a 6-3 victory Monday over the Edmonton Oilers, giving them five wins in
six games and a strong hold on a playoff berth.
The Jets had hoped the return of their leading goal-scorer, Evander Kane,
would help generate some offence. Kane missed seven games because of
a concussion he thinks may date as far back as Dec. 20, 2011. Kane didn’t
score and looked rusty at times, but he held his own on the ice and played
just under 14 minutes.
things like that,” said Leafs’ coach Ron Wilson. “We just didn’t scramble
them up enough.”
It looked early on like the Leafs would keep on rolling. Toronto took the lead
in the first period on a goal orchestrated by their power duo of Joffrey Lupul
and Phil Kessel. Lupul fired a long pass to Kessel, hitting him in full stride
and far beyond the reach of nearly every Jets player. Kessel quickly fired a
wrist shot that easily beat Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec. The goal was
Kessel’s 30th of the year.
But Winnipeg didn’t fold and came back three minutes later, on a flashy
back-hand shot by Chris Thorburn that beat Jonas Gustavsson. It was just
Thorburn’s second goal of the season. His first came last week against the
Philadelphia Flyers, making him the Jets’ leading goal-scorer of late.
(Considering that up until then, Thorburn hadn’t scored in 60 games dating
back nearly a year – a clear sign of just how bad the Jets’ overall scoring
has become.)
Noel joked afterward that he now calls Thorburn “sniper”. “It was good goal,
nice to see him score again,” the coach said. “That’s good for him because
he’s endured enough for the first 50 games. It’s nice to see him get some
success.”
Thorburn said he was gratified that his line, which also includes Tanner
Glass and Jim Slater, kept control of Kessel after he scored.
“It's really rewarding as a line. We went against Kessel's line, and we
thought we did our job defensively, and we were able to get a goal,” he
said. “It's definitely a challenge. Tonight was a case where they scored
early on us and as a line we said, 'We've got to do better.'" So, we did that.”
The Jets went ahead in the second period for good on a goal by Bryan
Little, marking the first time Winnipeg had scored two goals during
regulation time in seven games.
The Jets looked far more aggressive overall, crashing the net frequently
and firing more accurate shots on goal. The Leafs, on the other hand, faded
as the game wore on and repeatedly had trouble getting out of their own
end.
While Wilson praised the team’s penalty killing, which has gone 16 games
without giving up a goal, he was less charitable toward Toronto’s power
play, which failed on both chances. “We're doing a great job on the [penalty
kill]. But our power play let us down," he said. "We didn’t really even get a
shot on goal I think tonight and we had a couple of opportunities. They kept
us on the perimeter but we didn’t move the puck as quickly as we need to.”
Added Leaf defenceman Luke Schenn: “I think tonight we were better than
we were in here last time [the Jets won that game 3-2 on Dec. 31]. But I
think we passed up too many shot opportunities and tried to get a little bit
too fancy, make that extra play.”
Winnipeg is now 25-24-6 with 56 points – still not good enough for a playoff
position, but within four points of the Washington Capitals, who lead the
Southeast Division. Those two teams meet Thursday in Washington.
“We haven't been good on the road, but hopefully this win sets it in motion,”
said Little. “We have another big road trip coming up, and we need these
points. It's getting to that time where every game is going to be important for
us.”
The Leafs (28-20-6) sit seventh in the Eastern Conference and head to
Philadelphia to meet the Flyers on Thursday.
Before the game, Noel tried to play down his team’s scoring troubles,
saying better overall play would produce goals. “For me, the focus is more
how you play the game. The results will come,” he said.
He was right, on this night anyway.
611367
Toronto Maple Leafs
Two goals isn't exactly the power surge Winnipeg was hoping for, but it was
enough to win Tuesday. The Jets also outshot Toronto 29-18 and outplayed
the Leafs for much of the latter half of the game.
paul waldie
“They did a good job in their zone but we didn’t direct enough pucks
towards the net; we were trying to make an extra play, an extra pass and
Evander Kane has been learning some tough lessons about being a young
hockey star in a small city.
Kane is a striking figure around Winnipeg. He’s a good-looking, 20-year-old
millionaire who leads the Jets in goals. But he has also become the target
of some nasty rumours, none proven and all vigorously denied.
First, there were reports early in the season that Kane wanted out of
Winnipeg and that he didn’t get along with head coach Claude Noel. Kane
shot down the suggestions and said he had no qualms with Noel.
Then, came recent rumours that Kane had left local restaurants without
paying, prompting someone to post on Twitter.com: “Dear Evander: Please
stop walking out on your bills. Sincerely, Winnipeg servers and
restauranteurs.” Kane replied via Twitter: “Ha, Ha. What a complete lie this
is but I really like the colours on the poster.”
The Jets looked into the allegations and said they didn’t stand up.
Compounding all of this has been Kane’s lack of production on the ice
lately. While he leads the team with 18 goals, he hasn’t scored since Dec.
29, and had missed seven games because of a concussion. He returned to
the lineup Tuesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“All that [off-ice] stuff is false,” Kane said Tuesday. “It’s unfortunate that
rumours like that happen. I obviously care about my reputation and want to
have a strong reputation in the community, and it’s unfortunate that certain
people are creating kind of negative mood around that.”
When asked what it felt like living in such a fishbowl, he smiled and replied:
“It’s definitely interesting. This kind media attention is to be expected here.
You’re in Canada and all eyes are on you, so it’s fun and I’ve enjoyed it so
far.”
Kane has certainly been in the limelight before. He was selected fourth
overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2009, and immediately became the face
of the franchise – in part because he was named after Atlanta boxing
legend Evander Holyfield. When the Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg, Kane
insisted on continuing to wear No. 9 even though it would lead to
comparisons with Jets legend Bobby Hull. (Kane did talk to Hull about it and
got his blessing.)
Kane is going through some harsh lessons in Winnipeg, Noel said.
“It’s tough lessons of life in a market that’s small,” the coach said. “I’m sure
it’s had an effect on him. I don’t know personally how it has. We’re trying to
work with him.”
Noel added the attacks on Kane have been unfair, “but that’s the world we
live in and, you know, sometimes you get humbled and it’s a tough lesson.
He’s dealing with it the best he can and we’re trying to help him. It’s tough.
Who likes to be criticized every time you turn around?”
But at times, Kane doesn’t help his cause. His reply on Twitter only fed the
restaurant rumour and he hasn’t been on the social media website much
since.
When a reporter asked if he planned to use Twitter regularly any more,
Kane replied: “I don’t know. Do you want to be my personal Twitter account
supervisor or what?”
611368
Toronto Maple Leafs
didn’t finish. In fact, they looked like they’d rather stickhandle or pass than
shoot.
For a young club that has found offence easy to come by in recent games,
that’s a troubling sign, an indication they perhaps would rather show off
their talent than do the kind of hard work that got them into a playoff spot.
They had a chance to tie a season-high with what would have been a fourth
win in a row.
They might have been able to make the case they were tired — they had
played on Monday night, coming away with a 6-3 win over Edmonton. But
that excuse could get old quickly considering they are just two games into a
span in which they play 15 games in 31 days — a playoff pace.
While the penalty kill continued to be perfect for 2012, the power play needs
some fine tuning.
It went 0-for-2 against Winnipeg. It was the third time in four games the
powerplay went scoreless. The penalty killers have killed off 24 straight
penalties in their last 16 games, with two penalties taken Tuesday night.
“We did a good job on the PK but our powerplay let us down,” said coach
Ron Wilson. “We didn’t even get a shot on goal tonight.”
Forward Joey Crabb agreed, saying the Leafs got too fancy.
“We had a lot of puck possession time but not a lot of shots to show for it,”
said Crabb.
Phil Kessel scored Toronto with Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak assisting. It’s
the third game in a row Kessel, Bozak and Lupul have each registered at
least a point.
Bryan Little and Chris Thorburn scored for the Jets.
For Kessel, it’s the fourth year in a row he has scored at least 30 goals.
The Jets came into the game on a bit of a downer, having lost two in a row
and four of their past six. Yet they feel they are in the playoff hunt. They
came into the game seven points behind eighth-place Ottawa but only five
behind third-place Florida. In their minds, winning the Southeast Division —
and earning the third seed in the playoffs — seems an easier task than
climbing into eighth.
Coming into the game, the Leafs had won three in a row and earned 11 of a
possible 12 points in their last six games. And they felt strongly in both
goalies, with James Reimer winning three in row and Gustavsson having a
solid January in picking up seven wins.
“We’re healthy. That’s the first thing you look at,” Lupul said before the
game. “We’ve got our full lineup right now. We haven’t had that for the
entire season.
“And solid goaltending from both guys regardless of who plays. We’re
getting more scoring up and down the lineup.”
The first period was a fast-paced affair and it ended 1-1.
Kessel opened the scoring on a long pass from Lupul off the boards.
Kessel’s quick release as he crossed the blue line fooled Ondrej Pavelec at
11:06.
Thorburn tied the game on a backhander, beating Gustavsson for just his
second of the season at 14:16.
Winnipeg Jets shoot down Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1
Kevin McGran
Little put the Jets up 2-1 with the only goal of the second period. The Jets
came down on the rush and Little beat Matthew Lombardi to a loose puck in
the crease with Gustavsson sprawled helplessly.
Toronto Star LOADED: 02.07.2012
611369
Toronto Maple Leafs
This is where things get interesting.
The Maple Leafs flew into Winnipeg riding a hot streak but it was the lowflying Jets that came away with a victory.
Reality check: Tuomo Ruutu and the Maple Leafs trade rumour of the day
The Jets, a low-scoring team struggling to stay in the playoff race, produced
just enough offence to ride off with a 2-1 win Tuesday night over the Maple
Leafs.
Bob Mitchell
The season series ended 2-2-0, with both teams perfect at home. The
Leafs head to Philadelphia for a game Thursday.
The question for the Leafs is whether this loss is just a blip on the radar or a
problem that could grow. They skated hard and they made plays, but they
Like most teams, the Maple Leafs could use a big, gritty forward, who can
score.
Tuomo Ruutu fits that peg nicely.
With the Feb. 27 trade deadline fast approaching, the 28-year-old Carolina
Hurricanes winger continues to be mentioned as a player, who could soon
be on the move.
In recent weeks, various Internet reports have the Leafs among the teams
kicking the tires on the 6-foot, 205-pound physical centre/forward, who
leads the Canes in goals with 16 this season.
“You have to go through a hard time to realize what it takes to win,” said
James Reimer, the Leafs goaltender, who won his third straight start. “I
think when we struggled there in December, it really taught us how to win.
We could see first-hand what we were doing wrong.”
MORE MAPLE LEAFS INTERNET TRADE RUMOURS
It doesn’t hurt, of course, that these past few weeks have marked the first
moment all season when it seems as though both the Leafs’ options in goal
are viable starters. And though that doesn’t preclude the possibility that
either or both of Reimer or expected Tuesday starter Jonas Gustavsson
could revert to the less-than-stellar versions of their current selves, it’s
certainly nice for Leaf fans to know that simultaneous prosperity is an actual
possibility.
Ruutu, who turns 29 on Feb. 16, is an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He
and Carolina GM Jim Rutherford were to meet again this week to discuss
whether the Olympic bronze medalist (2010 in Vancouver) with Finland has
a future in Raleigh past this season.
The dressing-room chemistry, it’s been acknowledged by everyone from the
coach to the captain to the rank and file, is one of the team’s best assets.
Moving in new personalities, messing with that mixture, is a risk. It always
is.
If there’s no chance he’ll return, then he’ll most likely be traded.
“We’re playing well, we’re having fun and we’ve got a lot of accountability,”
Reimer said. “When you have chemistry, you’re clicking and things are
going well and then you are accountable. But accountability is almost more
(important than chemistry). It takes something inside. You look across the
room and you know you don’t want to let that guy down.”
The former first-round pick (9th in 2001 draft) of the Chicago Blackhawks is
the kind of energetic two-way player, who could make a difference for a
team looking to go deep in the playoffs.
The scuttlebutt has Rutherford seeking a late first-round pick or a blue-chip
prospect for Ruutu, who is currently playing on the team’s top line with Eric
Staal and Jiri Tlusty, but that might be too much for most teams to pay for a
20- to 25-goal scorer, who’s about to hit the open market this summer.
WHY IT COULD HAPPEN
Ruutu would be a good, solid piece for the Leafs. He can hit, skate, score
and provide playoff toughness. Leafs can afford to deal one of their young
assets from the Marlies — one of Joe Colborne or Nazem Kadri have been
mentioned as potential trade possibilities. As for a first-round pick, the Leafs
do seem to be trending towards the back half of the draft.
WHY IT WON’T HAPPEN
Trading for Ruutu might be just too much of a gamble for Leafs GM Brian
Burke unless he’s absolutely certain he can sign him before he becomes a
free agent. He’s likely going to ask for $5 million per season, a contract
similar to what Mikhail Grabovski will likely command.
The gamble becomes even larger if Ruutu walks at the end of the season
and Burke loses one of his promising young players such as Colborne or
Kadri. Also, would Ruutu make that much of a difference to the Leafs?
Coach Ron Wilson has all four lines clicking and the dressing room is pretty
tight.
611370
Toronto Maple Leafs
Feschuk: Toronto Maple Leafs’ win over Edmonton Oilers raises trade
questions
Monday’s was the kind of game in which these finesse-first Leafs thrive.
There wasn’t a lot of hitting. There wasn’t a single penalty taken, the first
time the Leafs have partaken in such a contest since March of 2001. It was
speed against speed, rush stacked upon rush, complete with the occasional
bit of not-so-graceful goaltending. (Oilers ’tender Devan Dubnyk’s
attempted poke check on the Tyler Bozak goal that made it 4-2 for the
Leafs early in the second period seemed to appear straight out of a 1980sera highlight reel.)
Certainly one of the players most often mentioned in Leafs trade rumours
spent another night making a case that he’s an immovable piece. Mikhail
Grabovski’s two assists set up Toronto’s first two goals, by Clarke
MacArthur and Jake Gardiner, respectively, both of which came in a flurry
of a first period that ended with the teams deadlocked at 2-2. Grabovski, an
unrestricted free agent at season’s end, didn’t register another point, but he
was the best Leaf on the ice for most of the evening. After scoring a
combined 19 points in October, November and December, he has a
combined 20 points in January and the first six days of February. If Burke
was thinking of trading him, these past five weeks add up to one mother of
a timely showcase. If Grabovski wants to stay in Toronto for the long haul,
as his agent has said he does, it’s one heck of a case that he’s too good to
lose.
That’s not to say the Leafs couldn’t use more size; that’s not to say a trade
mightn’t make sense. If the playoffs commenced on Tuesday, after all, their
first-round opponent would be the jumbo-sized Boston Bruins. But as
Joffrey Lupul, the Leafs winger, was saying on Monday: These Leafs aren’t
thinking about playing the Bruins in the playoffs, they’re of the mindset that
they’re capable of catching the Bruins in the race to the post-season.
Dave Feschuk
611371
Toronto Maple Leafs
There were about 30 NHL scouts at the Air Canada Centre for Monday
night’s Leafs-Oilers game. There are less than three weeks remaining until
the Feb. 27 trade deadline.
Leafs still looking good to crash the playoffs
The talk of swap, the gossip of possibility, is only beginning to round into its
annual crescendo.
By Rob Longley ,
But there’s some slightly less predictable noise threatening to drown out the
din of would-be deals. The Maple Leafs banged off their 10th win of 2012
on Monday. And given that their 6-3 win over a previously hot Edmonton
club brought Toronto’s record to a sparkling 10-4-1 since the turn of the
annum, it’s a distinct possibility that, contrary to the popular thrust, Brian
Burke’s best pre-deadline trade will be the one he doesn’t make.
That’s not to say the Leafs couldn’t use that long-sought big body to bolster
the forward ranks. That’s not say this isn’t a team with weaknesses. But it’s
also a team that, a little more than four months into the season, seems to
have rounded into its best form yet. In the wake of a December that saw
them lose nine of their 12 games — and had Leafs Nation convinced that
big changes were necessary if the blue and white had any hope of making
a post-season appearance for the first time in eight years — Toronto visits
Winnipeg on Tuesday night looking for its second four-game winning streak
of the new year.
We’ll let them lock up a playoff spot before we get to the crazy talk, but how
high should the mostly hot Leafs be aiming the rest of the way?
Not only is the Eastern Conference playoff tight at the bottom, it’s getting
that way in the middle as well, meaning that an extension of their recent
form could allow the Leafs to put some heat on a few teams in front of them
as well as holding off those chasing.
Though they let one get away in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets,
their second game in as many nights, the Leafs only lost a point on
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, two teams not so far in front.
Thanks to the continuing free fall of the Ottawa Senators, the Leafs
remained in seventh with 62 points, just three behind the Pittsburgh
Penguins and New Jersey Devils.
Next up is the Flyers at 67, a gap the Leafs can narrow with a win in Philly
on Thursday night.
Sure, it’s probably just wishful thinking for Leafs fans at this point, given the
team is early in a 15-games-in-31-nights stretch that will test them. But with
a full and healthy roster and momentum from a strong post all-star break
run, it certainly has to be a goal for the team.
Finishing in sixth avoids a likely first-round date with either the New York
Rangers or Boston Bruins. Fourth place gets not just a playoff series for the
first time in seven years, but home ice for a round.
The Leafs are going to lose their share like they did on Tuesday. But the
team’s ability to avoid sustained losing streaks all season gives them
reason to aim as high as they can.
GAME ON
Great stick-handle and delay move by Phil Kessel to throw off Jets goalie
Ondrej Pavelec for the Leafs’ lone goal. It was 30 for Kessel in 54 games
which has him on pace to easily hit 40 for the first time of his career. In his
32-goal season last campaign, Kessel didn’t hit the 30 mark until game 79
... Leafs needed much more from the big line though as Kessel, Joffrey
Lupul and Tyler Bozak managed just one shot on goal ... There are some,
namely opposing coaches, who would claim there is no way this should
happen. But when Kessel took a silly relatiation slash penalty in the second
period, it ended a stretch of more than 138 minutes that the Leafs had gone
without a penalty. Credit to the disciplined play, but there must have been
something in there that could have been called ... Stop it with the James
Reimer should have had the start talk. Even when (if?) there is a clear No. 1
and No. 2, most coaches would share some of the workload in a four-game
work week ... Jonas Gustavsson struggled early — and should have
stopped the Jets first goal — but settled down later ... On the Jets second
goal midway through the middle period, Bryan Little out-hustled speedy
Matthew Lombardi to bury a rebound that no Leafs defender was alert
enough to clear ... With the Little goal, it was the incredibly the first time in
seven games that the Jets had scored more than one goal in regulation
time ... Wise plan of attack by the Jets who came into the game determined
to match the Leafs speed and hope the visitors were too weary from the
game in Toronto the night before ... The Leafs power play certainly could
use some work. On a crucial man advantage midway through the third and
trailing by a goal, the unit couldn’t manage a shot on net.
MORE SCORE
Good stat from @randynumbers on twitter: Kessel is just the second Leaf to
score 30-plus goals in each of his first three seasons with the team. Ed
Olczyk was the other, from 1987-89 ... Lost count of how many times the
Leafs tried to make the one extra pretty pass rather than firing ... Leafs
captain Dion Phaneuf was big-game hunting from the start, almost knocking
Evander Kane’s block off early in the first. Good thing for both that the flying
elbow hit nothing but air. It was Kane’s first-game back after sitting out
seven with a concussion ... In the second, Phaneuf didn’t miss with a
rocking open-ice hit on Zach Bogosian ... While it was a big game for both
teams, the Jets needed it most having gone 5-10-1 since their big New
Year’s Eve win against the Leafs. Though some of it is out of their control,
the Jets are such a drastically different team on the road than they are at
home that its going to be tough for them to stick around the playoff race.
With the win, their record at the MTS was bumped to 16-8-2 and insured a
season split with the Leafs. The home team prevailed in all four meetings ...
The Leafs killed off both Jets penalties to push their success streak to 24 in
a row. The previous time the penalty kill unit was violated was in their
previous visit to the MTS Centre on New Year’s Eve.
Toronto Sun LOADED: 02.07.2012
611372
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jets cool off Leafs
here on New Year’s Eve, the low-scoring Jets hung on 2-1. Prior to that,
their scores in 2012 had looked liked they’d come from the English
Premiership.
With points in six straight games and seven of the past eight, this was one
of the few times this season when faced with back-to-back games, that the
Leafs looked like the travel had caught up. Mistakes were evident, though
Toronto was also guilty of over-passing — “too many pretty plays,” said
winger Joey Crabb — and the result was an ugly finish where the Leafs
couldn’t pull goalie Jonas Gustavsson cleanly in the final minute.
“The Jets did a good job in their zone, but we didn’t direct enough pucks to
the net,” coach Ron Wilson said of managing just 18 shots on goal. “We
were trying to make the extra pass, the extra play. We didn’t scramble
things enough.”
Wilson tried some line changes at the end of the game to no avail. This was
the second of 15 games in 31 nights for Toronto, which had idled in seventh
place in the Eastern Conference when results from around the National
Hockey League came in.
“The back-to-backs are never easy, but everyone has to do them,”
defenceman Cody Franson said. “That’s no excuse tonight. They sat back
and trapped us up and we had a tough time getting through it.”
After a couple of close calls for Toronto when it had 3-on-1’s down low, the
“horse race” that Jets coach Claude Noel had feared from the Leafs broke
from the gate. The Leafs won a scrum in their zone with Joffrey Lupul
sending a perfect bank pass to a streaking Phil Kessel. He shook Tobias
Enstrom and snapped in his 30th of the year. That kind of hustle led to a
few early chances for the Leafs.
Kessel has now cracked the 30-mark in all three of his seasons as a Leaf, a
feat last accomplished by this Saturday night’s special guest at the Air
Canada Centre, Mats Sundin. Kessel didn’t speak to the media afterwards
about his milestone.
“He’s in a position now where he should get 40 goals,” Wilson said.
Kessel and Crabb later tested another Leafs mark, when they both served
minors. But the Leafs killed the penalties, their 23rd and 24th consecutive
since last allowing a power-play goal on New Year’s Eve at MTS. That also
took them through 16 clean slate games, the most since 1940-41 for a
Toronto team and within three games of a league mark set the 1969
Chicago Blackhawks.
How dialed in are the Leafs when down a man? When they left two Jets
open at the side of the net, the duo almost tripped over each other and
missed the tap in.
“We did a great job on the PK, but our power play (0-for-2, with a chance
late in the third) didn’t get the job done,” Wilson said.
Crabb came out of the boxafter his penalty and made a great play to send
Matthew Lombardi away, but Ondrej Pavelec didn’t flinch.
Toronto’s 1-0 lead held for three minutes, until Chris Thorburn went outside
on defenceman Luke Schenn and fired a backhand into a gaping hole
Gustavsson left for him on the far side. The Jets moved ahead on a similar
looking play midway through the game, Blake Wheeler skirting Franson and
though Gustvasson made the save, Lombardi couldn’t stop Bryan Little
from stuffing in the rebound.
The Jets, meanwhile, have been starving on offence, six goals in their
previous six games and never more than 30 shots on goal. It would have
been a good time for Nikolai Kulemin to get on the bandwagon with centre
Mikhail Grabovski and left winger Clarke MacArthur, but he was among the
misfiring Leafs.
The Leafs will hop a plane Wednesday for a match in Philadelphia on
Thursday where brothers Luke and Brayden Schenn will be banging
helmets, no doubt amid more trade talk surrounding Luke.
By Lance Hornby ,
611373
The Maple Leafs points’ streak was sucked into the Jet stream on Tuesday
night.
Sundin a great teacher: Antropov
For the second time in five weeks, the newly minted seventh Canadian
team drained the Leafs’ flow at the MTS Centre in a one-goal result. Badly
needing some traction after winning just five times since the Leafs were
By Lance Hornby ,
Toronto Maple Leafs
When Nik Antropov came to the Maple Leafs in 1999-2000 as a shy
newcomer from Kazakhstan, Mats Sundin was there to help him adjust to
North American life.
The transplanted Winnipeg Jet couldn’t be happier that Sundin’s No. 13
banner will be raised on Saturday at the Air Canada Centre, prior to the
Leafs’ game against the Montreal Canadiens.
“Obviously, he was a great role model for everyone he played with, from old
guys to young guys,” Antropov said Tuesday. “I learned a lot from him on
ice and off the ice. The way he takes care of people, I haven’t seen so
many guys do that. The Toronto market is tough to play in, and some guys
were hiding from the media and stuff like that.
“He was a great person and a great hockey player. I talk to him once or
twice a year through e-mail.”
Tuesday, Sundin took part in an autograph signing and public interview
session at the Leafs’ Real Sports Apparel downtown store.
BURKIE AND THE JETS
When Toronto general manager Brian Burke welcomed “our brethren” from
Winnipeg back to the National Hockey League at last summer’s draft, he
had a housewarming present. Toronto executives gave the Jets permission
to use a red maple leaf as part of their main fighter plane sweater design.
Though the national symbol can’t really be owned by anyone, as far as the
NHL was concerned it was Toronto’s property and the Leafs needed to sign
off on it before the Jets were rebranded.
Nor would the indifferent fans on Peachtree St. have raised much fuss if he
tried to play through concussion symptoms. How about a smattering of
gossip about misbehaviour off-ice? He’d still have to go a long way to knock
Michael Vick off the front page.
But in his new home of Winnipeg, where the Jets are under constant
scrutiny, the 20-year-old team leading scorer is much bigger news. So
when all of the above was raised the past few days, Kane had to face one
of the biggest media mobs since the team came north,
Tuesday was the re-activated Kane’s first game and first public comments
since Jan. 20th, when the team announced a concussion had sidelined him.
But Kane said he’d been feeling out of sorts since a Dec. 20th game
against the Islanders, begging the question why he’d continued in the lineup
for a month and fuelling a local rumour that the head injury was the result of
a recent off-ice dust-up.
Kane and coach Claude Noel addressed the topics before the game against
the Leafs, who were in the unusual position of being ignored on a Western
Canadian stop.
“I got over it quickly,” Kane said of getting his “bell rung” in the Islander
game. “It wasn’t affecting my play (just three goals in 12 games followed),
but I just wasn’t feeling the same as I’d felt earlier in the season. It was the
normal symptoms that come along with a concussion.
“The week I came to terms with maybe having a concussion were the
games in Ottawa and Buffalo. I hit my head on the back of the ice (in
Buffalo on Jan. 19) and didn’t feel too good. I took a bit of a spill, hit the
back of my head on the ice and felt my brain rattle a bit.”
“We owe a great deal of thanks to the Leafs, because that is obviously a
very, very important image for them,” Jets chairman Mark Chipman said at
the time.
The uncertainty about the injury and Kane’s apparent attempt to hush it up,
put the team and its medical staff on the spot in a season where head
injuries are such a hot topic in the NHL.
“They graciously granted us their permission to use it as we have.”
“Our trainers are good, but athletes are athletes,” Noel said of Kane’s
reluctance to level with the staff. “It’s something we’ve addressed.
Burke and Chipman are friends from when the Vancouver Canucks based
their Manitoba Moose farm team in Winnipeg a decade ago.
It’s expected the Jets will have a third jersey in 2012-13 that emulates the
last design prior to that team’s departure for Phoenix in 1996.
TAKE IT OUTSIDE
Investors Group Field is quickly taking shape on the outskirts of Winnipeg
near the University of Manitoba. With seating for more than 33,000 for the
CFL Blue Bombers, it’s no secret that the Jets soon will propose hosting an
NHL outdoor game along the lines of a Canadian-based Heritage Classic.
Their preference for a partner team would be the Leafs.
Presumably, cold weather won’t be an issue.
LOOSE LEAFS
During one of their busiest stretches of the season, the Leafs did not have a
morning skate on Tuesday in Winnipeg and were planning a light off day on
Wednesday in Philadelphia ... Every game at the MTS Centre this season is
a sellout of 15,004 ... Following the lead of the Leafs and other Canadian
teams, the Jets are going to a reception at the embassy in Washington prior
to playing the Capitals this week. Canadian ambassador Gary Doer is a
former Manitoba premier ... With the Jets scoring just six times in six games
before Tuesday, radio voice Dennis Beyak took some ribbing from
Winnipeg writers for not being able to let loose with very many loud goal
calls during games. “He practices those in the warm-up to stay sharp,”
quipped a scribe.
“If you’ve ever had a concussion, you’re not sure either. Is it just a
headache? You wake up fine and don’t get anything until a couple of weeks
later. (The player) has to bring it up to the staff and say ‘I don’t feel right.’”
Kane, who has never had a concussion before, was asked to clarify the
nature of the injury in the wake of town gossip that he was hurt in a public
altercation.
“It was not an off-ice injury,” Kane said. “I have not had an off-ice injury
since I was five-years-old.”
It’s been a tough few weeks for Kane, who has also heard mutterings in the
local service industry that he hasn’t treated restaurant staff fairly in
establishments he and the team frequent. No one has stepped forward to
substantiate any of the tales.
“Tough lessons of life,” Noel said of all the speculation around Kane. “It’s
not fair, but that’s the world we live in. Sometimes, it’s humbling.”
611375
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs’ hot streak ends with loss to Jets
By Howard Berger
611374
Toronto Maple Leafs
Kane under microscope in Winnipeg
WINNIPEG — It would have been a long overnight trip to Atlanta last
season, but re-location of the Thrashers added 40 minutes in the air and
one time zone to the journey.
By Lance Hornby ,
That may be enough to provide the Toronto Maple Leafs a mulligan for
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets here at MTS Centre — the Leafs’
first regulation-time defeat in seven games — which busted a 5-0-1 streak.
The visitors chartered here immediately after a 6-3 win over Edmonton at
home on Monday and flying more than 2 1/2 hours for consecutive-night
encounters is extremely rare.
As an Atlanta Thrasher, Evander Kane could probably escape the public
eye while in a scoring slump.
Still, the Toronto players were not in the mood for excuses.
“The back-to-back games weren’t a factor,” defenceman Luke Schenn
insisted after the loss. “We didn’t have to come to the rink in the morning
and got plenty of rest all day. Give the Jets credit. They played well tonight.”
Added forward Joey Crabb: “I thought we had pretty good legs. If anything,
we didn’t get into the dirty areas around the Winnipeg net. It was a scrappy
type of game and we didn’t do enough.”
Despite losing, the Leafs maintained their remarkably unblemished record
while playing shorthanded in 2012, adding a 23rd and 24th consecutive
penalty kill — and 16th straight game — to the streak. The last power-play
goal Toronto yielded was here on New Year’s Eve in a 3-2 loss to the Jets.
This defeat could largely be blamed on the Leafs power play, which flubbed
on a pair of opportunities in the tight-checking match, including once
midway through the final period. That enabled Bryan Little’s goal at 9:47 of
the middle frame to stand up as the winner. Little hustled to beat Matthew
Lombardi to a rebound and plant it behind Toronto goalie Jonas
Gustavsson.
Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec preserved the victory by stopping Lombardi on
solo chance with 4:39 left in regulation.
Gustavsson started for the first time in February after James Reimer played
(and won) three consecutive games. Though he was not tested often,
Gustavsson allowed a fairly soft goal late in the first period that tied the
match, 1-1. Chris Thorburn of Winnipeg sped past Schenn and fooled the
Toronto netminder with a backhand shot from a tough angle.
“I gave him about five percent of the net to shoot at and he hit it,” said
Gustavsson. “Of course, it’s a shot I want to stop – especially in a tight
game like this. I thought he was maybe going to cut in front and I opened up
a bit on my glove side.”
The Leafs were in a shambles when they last left here — flying home in
10th place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto had dropped three
consecutive games on the road and appeared more than lost when playing
shorthanded. It was almost as if an emotional disability had gripped the
club, as penalty killers went against the grain in every respect — screening
the goalie, re-directing shots with their sticks and legs, failing to execute
simple manoeuvres in clearing the zone, and looking way more confused
than a professional team should.
It led to a finger-pointing session by coach Ron Wilson, who lambasted his
players after the game for poor execution — suggesting they should know
better than to block the view of goalie James Reimer.
Exactly what happened in the 70 hours between the loss here in Winnipeg
and the puck-drop at home against Tampa Bay on Jan. 3 is a mystery. How
a team could go from dreadful to infallible on the penalty kill defied
comprehension.
The Jets, conversely, have struggled in the opening weeks of 2012. After a
3-0 whitewash in Montreal on Sunday afternoon, a Monday headline in the
Winnipeg Free Press read “NEW NAME, SAME TEAM: Jets are what they
are — Thrashers north,” an uncomplimentary reference to the franchise
forerunner in Atlanta. Six games on the road before last night yielded a 2-40 record with leading goal-scorer Evander Kane missing the entire trip while
recovering from a concussion.
After misfiring on an early power play, the Leafs opened the scoring at
11:06 of the first period when Phil Kessel cut to the slot and beat Pavelec to
the stick side for his 30th goal of the season. Kessel remains well on pace
to join Rick Vaive, Gary Leeman and Dave Andreychuk as the only Leafs to
reach the 50-goal plateau; Andreychuk was the last to do it, in 1993-94.
Winnipeg drew even just more than three minutes later when Chris
Thorburn sped past Luke Schenn and fooled Gustavsson with a stopable
backhand shot from a tough angle.
Leafs stayed here overnight before flying to Philadelphia for Thursday’s
important conference encounter with the Flyers.
National Post LOADED: 02.07.2012
611376
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs look like real deal in win over Oilers
By Michael Traikos
TORONTO — The other day Carl Gunnarsson was talking about what is
different about how the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing these days
compared to two months ago. It is simple, he said. The team has formed an
identity.
“We know what kind of team we are,” said the defenceman. “We know we
have to use our speed and make quick passes and be aggressive. It’s just
doing it every game.”
Consistency really has been the key for the Leafs, who defeated the
Edmonton Oilers 6-3 on Monday night. Since the calendar turned to 2012,
the team has gone 10-4-1 and climbed into seventh place in the Eastern
Conference standings.
It is still far too early to call the Leafs a playoff team. But with only four
points separating the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers from Toronto, homeice advantage is now a realistic possibility, especially if they keep getting
these types of efforts.
Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul, who combined for three goals against the
Oilers, remain among the top-five scorers in the NHL.
Mikhail Grabovski, who had two assists, leads a second line that has
combined for 25 points in the last six games. And James Reimer, who
made 27 saves on Monday, has allowed only three goals in his last three
games — all of them Monday.
Right now, the Leafs look for real. They are fast on the forecheck,
dangerous in the offensive zone and, with a completely healthy roster,
turning in a workmanlike effort from start to finish.
“I think it’s accountability and playing honest,” Reimer said. “I think all of us
are going hard and there’s no weak links. I think we’re really focused on
being good …. When we were going through these slumps in December, it
taught us how to win.”
The only question, of course, goes back to what Gunnarsson said: Can the
Leafs continue this type of play night in and night out? Can they do it for the
final 29 games? Can they do it when the competition gets tougher and they
go through inevitable lulls?
The Oilers headed into the game on a bit of a hot streak, having won their
previous two games. But they were still 13th in the Western Conference
and considered a beatable opponent. If there was something encouraging
about how Toronto played, it was that after giving up a goal 21 seconds
after the puck was dropped, the Leafs never veered from their game plan.
“It’s absolutely not the start we wanted,” said Tyler Bozak, “but we like the
way we responded.”
Indeed, when Jordan Eberle put Edmonton up 1-0 after he intercepted an
errant pass from Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf, the Leafs quickly battled back on
back-to-back goals that Mikhail Grabovski set -up to extend his point streak
to six games. He has three goals and 12 points during that span.
Eberle would tie the game late in the first period on a nifty give-and-go
passing play with Jeff Petry. But in a game that was more backyard shinny
than a structured defensive gem, filling the back of the net was not a
problem for the Leafs, who went ahead 5-3 in the second period.
It was quite the display of offence, even if it made the coaching staff
nervous.
“That’s what Edmonton wants you to do, get you into a back-and-forth
game,” said head coach Ron Wilson. “It’s hard not to listen to the Pied
Piper.”
Kessel, who also had an empty-net goal in the third period, scored the
game-winner when he finished off a pretty tic-tac-toe passing play with
Matthew Lombardi and Tim Connolly. A few minutes later, Bozak picked
Cam Barker’s pocket to put Toronto ahead 4-2.
A point shot through traffic from Petry made it 4-3, but the Leafs regained
their two-goal goal when Lupul gloved a wobbly point shot from Phaneuf,
before dropping it to the ice and scoring his 21st of the season.
That was really all the Leafs needed. Reimer, who stretched across his
crease to rob Ben Eager on a two-on-one opportunity late in the game, was
perfect in the third period.
“We’ve come together,” said Reimer. “You look across the room and you
don’t want to let that guy down.”
611377
Toronto Maple Leafs
Leafs goaltender James Reimer credits all-star break for improved play
By Michael Traikos
Bahamas or British Columbia? Sun and sand or two-a-day training sessions
inside a gym?
Putting on the Bitz, Lord Byron, Bitzkrieg. There were plenty of one-liners
being bandied about after Bitz blitzed the Predators.
"It's special," Bitz said. "To score like that, to get a goal is nice, but like I
said last game there are some things that I did well and some things I need
to work on. It's a function of time and I just have to keep pressing forward."
Bitz's goal was his first since March 2010. Not much good has happened
since then, as his career was derailed by a series of hip and abdominal
injuries. He had to endure four surgeries, including one during training
camp, and a long road of rehabilitation followed.
Those were the choices James Reimer had when the Toronto Maple Leafs
goaltender headed into the all-star break. Despite what his wife wanted
(“she loves the sand,” he joked) Reimer decided to skip the vacation.
After a brief stint last month with the AHL's Chicago Wolves, Bitz was called
up to replce the injured Chris Higgins and made his Canuck debut Saturday
afternoon in Denver. The Canucks like his big body -- he's six-foot-four and
215 pounds -- and hope he can add some grit. Any offence he can provide
is a bonus.
And with back-to-back shutouts last week, it turned out to be the right move.
Bitz insisted he didn't spend the afternoon fretting about his promotion.
“I tried to get into better shape and worked on a few things,” said Reimer,
who was named the NHL’s third star of the week and who will also get the
start against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. “But the main thing is
the principle of it. Try to do what’s right and do things right. Usually, if you
do that, more than not you’re going to be rewarded for it.”
"You guys don't really know me out here, you have never really seen me
play," he said. "But in Boston in the playoffs I played with David Krejci and
Michael Ryder for a couple of games and Marc Savard and Blake Wheeler
at times. So I try not to change my game. I don't try and dipsy-doodle, I try
to get pucks deep and get on them and be smart positionally."
Reimer stayed off the ice during his time in Vancouver. Instead, he and his
trainer worked out twice a day, treating the five days off as a sort of minitraining camp.
Bitz only played part of the game with Henrik. With the game on the line,
coach Alain Vigneault reunited the twins late in the third period. Bitz logged
12:36 of ice time and finished plus-two on the night.
The 23-year-old said it was necessary after he missed a month earlier this
season with a head and neck injury. During that time, he was mostly unable
to exert himself.
"We are just starting to get to know Byron and what he can bring," Vigneault
said. "Obviously he has been off for a long period of time and hopefully as
he practises and plays more he will be able to maintain the tempo. I thought
tonight he had a couple of big plays where he was on one able to finish and
on the other make a nice play to Danny. That's really good for our team and
really good for him."
The other reason was because he had to do something to get out of the
funk he was in on the ice.
“You see the drive the great goalies have,” said Reimer. “[J-S Giguere] had
that drive. He was so intense every day, he’d do anything to stay in the
league. He do anything to keep pucks out of the net. I wanted to do some
things over the break. I didn’t want to sit there and do nothing.”
Bitz, who acknowledges he still has a way to go before he is fully over his
injury, credited some of the Canuck veterans with helping him feel
comfortable.
The extra work has paid off. Last week, Reimer made 25 saves in a 1-0 win
against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He followed it up with a 49-save
performance in a 5-0 win against the Ottawa Senators.
"To play with Danny and Hank and Mase, those guys are easy to play with,"
he said. "Even sitting in the room between periods they are humble guys
and made it easy to talk to them about stuff I should be doing differently and
just reading off them. They made it real easy."
“I was a little off, but I don’t know how I got that way,” said Reimer, who had
lost four straight heading into the break.
Now that he has back-to-back shutouts, Reimer was asked if he was
superstitious about his routine.
“I hate superstitions,” he shot back. “I think that superstitions cheapen
everything about an athlete. If it takes a pair of socks to win, then why do I
work my butt off?”
611378
Vancouver Canucks
The goal and assist were big, he said, but not as big as his teammates'
reaction to them.
"The most special part is the way everyone treats me here," Bitz said.
"Guys are genuinely happy for me, so that's big, too."
"Big game for him," Ryan Kesler said of Bitz. "He's still, I'm sure, a little bit
rusty, but he's playing well for us right now and we're happy for him
because it's obviously been a long road to recovery."
STREAK SNAPPED: "They both battled for pucks and made some great
saves. They were testing each other and showing off to each other -- 'I
make one; you make one.'" Nashville coach on goaltenders Pekka Rinne
and Roberto Luongo.
Byron Bitz a fast fit with Canucks
Rinne had his 11-game win streak snapped by the Canucks.
By Brad Ziemer,
IT WORKED: Canuck defenceman Alex Edler is a man of few words. Here
is what he had to say about his shootout winner, a shot that beat Rinne
stick side.
NASHVILLE - In Byron Bitz's mind his career is still in the dumper, but at
least he's kicked off the trash can lid.
"Yeah, now it's gravy," Bitz said after scoring one goal and setting up
another in the Canucks' 4-3 shootout win Tuesday night over the Nashville
Predators. "I am playing up here and really after everything I have been
through, I don't have anything to lose.
"My career is in the garbage can and I am in the process of trying to pull it
out of there."
It was quite the Tuesday for Bitz, who learned at the morning skate that he
would be on a line with Canuck captain Henrik Sedin and Mason Raymond.
Then about eight hours later he scored a goal off the rush and 23 seconds
after that set up Daniel Sedin's goal that gave the Canucks an early 3-1
lead.
"I knew what I was going to do. I wasn't sure it was going to work, but it
did."
ICE CHIPS: The Canucks are scheduled to practise this afternoon in
Minnesota, where they meet the Wild on Thursday night. They close out
their four-game trip with a stop in Calgary on Saturday night. . .Defenceman
Dan Hamhuis played in his 600th NHL game Tuesday night, while fellow
blueliner Kevin Bieksa logged game No. 400. . .Vancouver winger Dale
Weise left the game in the first period with an undisclosed injury, but
returned midway through the second. . .Henrik Sedin missed a couple of
shifts in the first period when he was struck on the right ankle by a Kevin
Klein shot .
Vancouver Sun: LOADED: 02.07.2012
611379
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks work overtime - again - to down Predators
By Brad Ziemer,
floater hit Mike Fisher in front and the puck trickled through the pads of
Luongo.
"The second one, I could have done a better job on it," Luongo said.
In the shootout, Alex Burrows and Alex Edler beat Rinne, while David
Legwand was the only Predator to put a puck past Luongo.
NASHVILLE - Apparently 60 Minutes is not the favourite television show of
the Vancouver Canucks.
It was far from a perfect game for the Canucks, who were outshot 40-31.
But the players saw progress.
For the fifth straight game and eighth time in their last 10, the Canucks went
to overtime Tuesday night before prevailing 4-3 over the Nashville
Predators in a shootout that lasted six rounds.
"I think in tonight's case, the shots were a little bit deceiving," Kesler said.
"They were putting a lot of pucks on net, they were coming over the blue
line and putting pucks on net and (Luongo) steered those to the corner.
The Aquilini family is happy NHL players don't get double-time for working
overtime because it would be costing them a fortune.
Byron Bitz was the early star and Roberto Luongo came up clutch down the
stretch as the Canucks moved to within one point of the Western
Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings.
611380
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks Game Day: Sedins split, likely to start Predators game on different
lines
Bitz, who was thrust into the spotlight when coach Alain Vigneault split up
the Sedin twins and put him on a line with Henrik Sedin and Mason
Raymond, scored a goal and set up another 23 seconds later to give the
Canucks an early 3-1 lead.
By Brad Ziemer,
But it was Luongo who helped preserve the win. He made big saves off
Shea Weber and Colin Wilson in overtime and then stopped five of six
Nashville shooters in the shootout to help the Canucks win their 33rd game
of the season.
NASHVILLE — It’s the biggest split in Nashville since Brooks & Dunn
parted company.
That's eight shootout saves in nine attempts for Luongo in the last two
games. A guy could actually start to like these shootouts.
"Unbelievable," a smiling Luongo said after the game. "They're fun when
you win."
Luongo's shootout record, which is now 27-32, has been something of a
blemish on his resume and he has been working to try and improve in that
area.
"I am always trying to improve that, I've been practising a bit more in
practice and in games. Sometimes you feel confident and in a rhythm and
right now I have been able to make a few saves."
Vigneault juggled his top three lines to start the game in an effort to kickstart a Canuck team that hasn't been playing as well as its record would
indicate. Daniel Sedin joined Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows, while David
Booth skated on the third line with Cody Hodgson and Jannik Hansen.
There was considerable pre-game chatter about the decision to move Bitz,
a career journeyman who was playing just his second game as a Canuck,
onto a line with Henrik Sedin. But Bitz made Vigneault look like a genius
when he combined with both twins to give the Canucks their first two-goal
lead in nearly a month.
Bitz and the Sedins found themselves on the ice together after the Canucks
had killed a tripping minor assessed Booth late in the first. Off the rush,
Henrik fed a pass to Bitz in the slot and his shot beat Nashville goalie
Pekka Rinne stick side at the 18:21 mark.
"It was a three-on-two and I gave him (Henrik) a holler and he laid it right
into space and I got to shoot it quick and got it up over his shoulder," Bitz
said.
Bitz then did some nice work behind the net, where he won a puck battle
with Predators forward Nick Spaling and fed a backhand pass to Daniel
Sedin, who beat Rinne from close range.
For the 11th straight road game, the Canucks scored first. Kesler extended
his goal-scoring streak to four games when he took a pass from Burrows
and put a shot from the right faceoff circle under the left arm of Rinne at
11:42 of the first period.
That lead only lasted two minutes. After Vancouver defenceman Aaron
Rome couldn't clear the puck at his own blue line, Wilson beat Luongo from
the left circle to tie things up at 13:47.
The Canucks, once again, were terrible in the second period, and the
Predators got two quick goals of their own to pull even. Luongo didn't look
great on either goal, but both shots were deflected.
A Kevin Klein shot from the right point went off the right skate of Sergei
Kostitsyn and past Luongo at the 4:14 mark. Just 1:02 later, a Shea Weber
Tonight, when the Vancouver Canucks take on the Nashville Predators (5
p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040), Daniel and Henrik Sedin will likely
start the game on different lines.
At this morning's game-day skate at Bridgestone Arena, Henrik was on a
line with Mason Raymond and Byron Bitz. Yes, Byron Bitz.
Daniel was skating with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler.
Coach Alain Vigneault said he and his assistant coaches would spend the
afternoon deciding if that's the way they'd start tonight's game, but it seems
very likely.
Vigneault said the Sedins' games have been suffering for a month now and
clearly wants to try and shake things up.
"I have split them up a few times during (my) six years for short amounts of
time just to sometimes create a little something new," he said. "But at the
end of the day those guys are better together, I think we all know that and
we all agree.
"But right now, basically if you look at the Boston game (Jan. 7), it's been a
month where they have been a little bit off. We have got the afternoon to
decide if a month is enough."
The twins had been split up late in the last two games, but it's been a long
while since they have not begun a game together.
Henrik Sedin tried to downplay the significance of the move.
"We have done this before," he said. "Two or three years ago we did it for
10, 15 games and it's happened before and I'm sure it's going to happen
again. It's not a big deal. If it's for one game, three games or whatever it is,
if we win games and start playing better we are all for it."
Henrik insisted he was not startled by the move.
"I wouldn't use the word wake-up call," he said. " It's more something new,
it's a long season. Like I said before, I have played in I don't know how
many games, 850- plus games, and I think 840 of those have been with my
brother. So I think that is more remarkable than a game here or there where
we are not playing together."
If Henrik was not particularly surprised, Bitz certainly was. Tonight's game
will just be his second with the Canucks after being called up to fill in for the
injured Chris Higgins.
Bitz admitted to doing "a little bit of a double-take" when he saw the new
lines on the dressing room board. He knows he has been presented with a
terrific opportunity to make an impression.
"Absolutely, I mean to play with an all-star and an elite player in this league
is something that is a very good opportunity," he said.
And it's not entirely unfamiliar territory for Bitz.
"In my career I played a little bit with Marc Savard, a little bit with David
Krejci in Boston," he said. "When I get a chance to move up I try to keep
playing the same way. I can't start toe-dragging guys and doing stuff that is
not part of my game. I have to take care of the puck, be smart and be
physical."
David Booth was skating this morning on the third line with Cody Hodgson
and Jannik Hansen. The fourth line of Manny Malhotra, Max Lapierre and
Dale Weise remained unchanged, as did the defensive pairings. Roberto
Luongo will start in goal for the Canucks.
The Canucks face a Nashville team that is playing extremely well in the
NHL's tough Central Division, where they have a divisional record of 12-2
against the likes of the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and St.
Louis Blues.
"I am not surprised at all by what they are doing," Vigneault said today of
the Predators. "You look at the goaltending they get on a nightly basis, they
probably have the best duo of Ds in the league and you look at their
forwards, they have got four or five guys who can put the puck in the net
and the remainder of their guys are really solid two-way players."
Tonight's game features the NHL's two best power plays. The Canucks and
Predators are in a virtual dead heat in power-play efficiency percentage,
with the Canucks at 22.3 per cent and the Preds at 22.2.
"Both teams have to stay out of the box and I think traditionally both teams
do," said Nashville coach Barry Trotz. "We're not a high penalty-minute
team and Vancouver traditionally isn't, either. But we have to stay out of the
box. They have got a good power play."
The Predators are no longer than goal-starved team that won its games by
scores of 2-1. Nashville is averaging 2.76 goals per game, which is sixth
best in the Western Conference.
But Trotz said not everyone has noticed.
"Out East, they don't know much about anything past the Eastern
Conference or past New York City limits," he said. "They go, ‘You can't
score, you can't do this.' It is a little bit tough and I go 'well, we are not a
low-scoring team' and they look at me and I have to go through the stats
with them."
• PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne takes an 11-game winning streak into
tonight's game. He was pulled in both of his starts earlier this season in
Vancouver.
Vancouver centre Ryan Kesler has a season-long three-game goal-scoring
streak and will play tonight with new linemates Daniel Sedin and Alex
Burrows.
• INJURIES:
The Canucks are missing forwards Chris Higgins (flu), Aaron Volpatti
(shoulder) and Andrew Ebbett (collarbone).
The Predators have no injuries.
ICE CHIPS: The Canucks beat the Predators 5-1 on Oct. 20 in Vancouver
but dropped a 6-5 decision Dec. 1 at Rogers Arena … Tonight’s game is
the first meeting in Nashville between the two teams since last season's
playoff series, which the Canucks won in six games. Vancouver won all
three games at Bridgestone Arena in that series … The Canucks head to
Minnesota on Wednesday morning and meet the Wild on Thursday night (5
p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040).
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Vancouver Canucks
Ten active former Canucks that could still help the team
Harrison Mooney,
A couple weeks ago, Richard Hodges, a blogger for Northwest Sportsbeat,
wrote an interesting post titled, 5 Ex-Canucks that could help the team right
now:
Pretend that Kyle Wellwood, noted enigma and probable polymath, spent
his time in Vancouver tinkering in his secret underground workshop
underneath Rogers Arena. No one realized it at the time but in between
trips to Subway, Wellwood was working on a time machine.
In Hodges’ scenario, Mike Gillis finds the device and discovers he can
retrieve any former Canuck from the bowels of history and plug him into the
current roster. Unfortunately, he can only do this once because Welly’s time
machine only has enough power for a single use (and no surprise that
something belonging to Kyle Wellwood is a little low on energy). So who
does he get? Trevor Linden? Cam Neely? Matthias Ohlund? It’s a fun
question, although Hodges’ Kirk McLean suggestion reeks of judgmentclouding nostalgia. I mean, sure, he’s good for a pad stack or two, but he’d
be number three on the depth chart, Richard.
Anyway. Thing is, you don’t need a time machine to find one-time
Vancouverites that can contribute; there are a handful of active ex-Canucks
that could help the team right now. Granted, in some cases, the cap
implications and cost to acquire would be too much to make any move
feasible, but I’m not making trade proposals here, nor am I advocating them
— I’m just playing around with the concept. With a nod to Richard for the
idea, here are 10 active former Canucks that could help the team this
postseason in no particular order.
Yep. Still dreamy.
1 | TAYLOR PYATT
During Pyatt’s three seasons here, Canuck fans learned that the former 6th
overall pick simply would never become the top-six power forward Dave
Nonis was hoping he would. However, as a third- or fourth line-winger,
Pyatt would provide a lot of what the Canucks are missing. He’s a big body
with decent defensive skill and the ability to occasionally chip in offensively.
Yes, for the love of all that is good, keep him off the first unit powerplay, but
Pyatt would be an acceptable depth winger. Plus he’s still got the best set
of baby blues in hockey.
2 | WILLIE MITCHELL
Mitchell’s been good in Los Angeles, seeing top-pairing minutes with Drew
Doughty and continuing to flourish as a shutdown d-man. The knock
against him is that he doesn’t really drive the play forward, and the Canucks
have certainly improved since Dan Hamhuis, who can thread an outlet
pass, took his place. But, if Hamhuis were to go down with another injury
this postseason, Willie’s a guy that could step into the shutdown pairing with
Kevin Bieksa and give the Canucks a unit that kills plays like Julie Taymor.
3 | ADRIAN AUCOIN
Aucoin’s no spring chicken — consider that he was a member of the
Canucks organization for nine years before being traded to the Tampa Bay
Lightning for Dan Cloutier — but he can still contribute. He’s averaging over
20 minutes a game for the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes right now,
most of it in a top pairing role alongside Keith Yandle. He doesn’t put up a
whole lot of points, but he provides a steady, gritty, stay-at-home presence,
allowing Yandle the occasional foray into the offensive zone. He’s also
right-handed. Hey, you know who could use a reliable, physical, veteran,
right-handed partner? Alex Edler.
4 | CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF
Speaking of guys that worked with Alex Edler… Granted, Ehrhoff’s contract
is a non-starter, but he could still help the team, and not just as Edler’s
partner. The powerplay is struggling right now, as are the Sedins, and
Ehrhoff was often an offensive spark for both. Plus the return of the flail
snail can’t happen soon enough.
Three years ago, did you ever think there'd be a photo of Samuelsson and
Kris Versteeg hugging?
5 | MIKAEL SAMUELSSON
And speaking of powerplay options… Samuelsson was a much-maligned
powerplay quarterback by the time he left town, but the backlash never
really made much sense. Samuelsson made smart passes, he held the
puck at the blueline, he didn’t surrender rushes the other way, and the unit
actually hummed along at a higher clip with him than without him last
season. At even-strength, Samuelsson would flesh out the Canuck forward
units and give Alain Vigneault a plug-in option for all four lines. Plus he
could always be counted on for unexpected goals and comments. Dudes
like that are fun times.
6 | MIKE WEAVER
Weaver played 55 games with the Canucks during the 2007-08 season as a
depth defenseman, and now he plays that same role for the Florida
Panthers. He’s a little guy, measuring at only 5’9″, and he doesn’t exactly
light the lamp with regularity (he’s posting career-high totals in Florida this
year with 2 goals and 13 points), but he’d be a welcome addition to the
Canucks’ defensive depth chart. He’s strong on his skates, he’s reliable, he
plays bigger and tougher than he is, and he’s also a right-sider. Weaver
would be the lowest of the low-key additions, but I’d be down.
Tuesday wasn’t the first time Bitz has played with good players. “In the
playoffs, I played with David Krejci and Michael Ryder for a couple games
and with Marc Savard and Blake Wheeler at times,” Bitz said. “I try not to
change my game. I try not to dipsy-doodle. I get pucks deep and get on
them.”
BEST STAT
Since last year, the Canucks are 40-2-3 when Ryan Kesler scores (via TSN
Research).
BEST NICKNAME
“European Vacation” for Jannik Hansen (via twitter.com/JoaoApita).
7 | TANNER GLASS
Vancouver Province: LOADED: 02.07.2012
Speaking of low-key, Tanner Glass remains one of the most genuine,
likable, low-key guys in the NHL, so consider my opinion coloured by a proGlass bias here. That said, Glass is playing third line minutes in Winnipeg
(no third line for Glass!), he’s tied his career-high in goals with 4, he’s set a
new career-high in points with 12, and he picked up his first-career Gordie
Howe hat trick this season. In short, he’s grown a little. Sure, Vancouver
fans soured on him some after he was downright invisible in the
postseason, but he’s been there, he’s tough, and he’s familiar with the
Canucks’ system. But seriously, keep him off the third line.
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Vancouver Canucks
Canucks beat Nashville in yet another shootout
By Jason Botchford,
8 | MATT COOKE
And if it’s more experience you want, how about Lady Byng candidate and
Stanley Cup winner Matt Cooke? Swallow your bile for a moment and
consider that former Canuck Cooke is reformed, provides grit and agitation,
can play on a shutdown line, is offensively skilled enough to jump up to the
second line with Ryan Kesler in a pinch, is familiar with Alain Vigneault, and
has been to the Stanley Cup Final twice. As much as it pains me, Cooke
could help this team.
9 | MICHAEL GRABNER
This one’s a no-brainer. Since the Canucks traded him to the Panthers for
Keith Ballard, Grabner has scored 48 times in 126 games. He’s a pure
goalscorer. Granted, he’s a minus-15 this season and he’s got some pretty
spotty possession numbers, so he’s also purely a goalscorer, but still. Goals
are good.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The last time the Sedin twins were split for any length
of time was March 2008.
They were on a monster of a slump. Their fourth game apart was the
beginning of a remarkable collapse which would see the Canucks lose
seven of eight, miss the playoffs and, as a result, forever change the
direction of the team by ushering in the Mike Gillis era.
Alain Vigneault has since suffered from Sedin separation anxiety, always
saying he believes they are better together. But the the coach got over it
long enough Tuesday to tear down his lineup and rebuild it with a flair for
the odd, including his decision to split the Sedins to try to ignite them.
But you just knew it couldn’t last. Byron Bitz is thrilled it didn’t even take 20
minutes for the Sedins to enjoy a reunion.
10 | TODD BERTUZZI
Using two shifts with the Sedins late in the first, Bitz scored his first goal in
two years, and then set up another with a no-look pass from behind the net,
a play which was dripping with uncanny Sedin elegance.
Speaking of pure goalscorers, that’s no longer what Todd Bertuzzi is. Red
Wings’ coach Mike Babcock has cultured the defensive side of Big Bert’s
game beautifully, and his hands remain slick enough for him to live on a line
with Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen. Bertuzzi is a big, mean, detestable,
skilled, two-way player and, as much as it pains me to admit, the Canucks
could use a guy like that.
In a bizarre game which saw the Sedins on different lines, the best and
worst of Roberto Luongo, a six-round skills competition, and the fifth
consecutive overtime for Vancouver, the Canucks' 4-3 shootout win should
be remembered for what it represents to Bitz. He is a player who has
poured his guts into pulling his career off the ledge for two years.
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Vancouver Canucks
Van Provies nightly awards: Canucks vs. Predators
“Now, this is all gravy. After everything I’ve been through, I don’t have
anything to lose,” Bitz said. “My career was in the garbage can and I’m in
the process of trying to pull it out of there.
“I’m going to make mistakes. But hopefully, the good I do out there
outweighs the bad.”
It remains unclear where Bitz’s future is with the Canucks. But it’s not in a
garbage can.
By Jason Botchford,
BEST REMINDER
In a 1-1 game in which Nashville had all the momentum, skill and puck
possession early, the hulking Bitz found himself trailing late on a 3-on-2 with
Henrik Sedin.
The back page above from The Province in March 2008.
“I gave him a holler and he laid it right into space so I could shoot it quick,
and I got it up over (Pekka Rinne’s) shoulder,” Bitz said.
It marks the last time the Sedins were separated for any length of time.
Daniel played consistently with Alex Burrows and Ryan Kesler, much like
the way the game started last night. Henrik played several combos. One
was Mason Raymond and Taylor Pyatt.
It was pretty sweet, but nothing like what happened 23 seconds later. Bitz
went Sedin with a behind-the-back setup to Daniel which put the Canucks
up 3-1 18:44 into the first.
It lasted six games.
BEST QUIP
“You can tell these guys to beat it, eh? I don’t know how they do it in
Boston, but here you just tell them to get lost.” — Kevin Bieksa to Byron
Bitz during his media scrum
BEST REALITY
“I don’t know which one of them cycled it down, but one of them rolled to
the net and I knew he was going there,” Bitz said. “And he had a step on
the guy. I threw it to him, and he banged it in.
“It’s special to score like that, to get a goal is nice. But there were things I
did well, and some things I need to work on.”
Bitz never got a chance in the shootout, where Luongo made five of six
stops, enough to allow Alex Edler to pocket the winner.
“You don’t want to see me in the shootout,” Bitz warned. “I’ll take a slap
shot.”
When it was over, many of the Canucks had kind words for Bitz,
understanding, at least a little, what he’s been through -- four surgeries in
about a year for essentially the same issue.
None meant more than this: “He can play,” Daniel said.
“We see that. He’s a big body who can skate and he made some beautiful
plays out there. It’s good to see him come back, and I hope he can stay
because he’s good enough to be a big part of this team, and a good player
in this league.”
Bitz hopes he’s right. The sports hernia-hip labrum issues which have
plagued him are not behind him. He shows up to the rink three hours before
games to begin treatment, using stretching techniques to get to a point
where he’s comfortable on the ice.
The Predators were driving the bus and appeared ready to run the Canucks
over with a fourth goal. And with 9:40 left in the second, Luongo was down
and out, knocked over with bodies darting in and out of his crease, leaving
his net open.
He desperately kicked his leg up to make a ferris wheel toe save on what
could have been a game-winning Colin Wilson goal.
“Thank God I wear a size-15 boot. I was able to get a toe on that,” Luongo
said.
“It was a jam play. Three or four guys fell in the crease and I wasn’t quite
sure where the puck was. It just squirted out to their guy and I was just
trying to make myself as big as possible.”
It was brilliant. It was fun. And it was lucky, which nicely completed
Luongo’s trifecta Tuesday. Good, bad and lucky.
“I thought I had it fixed four times,” he said, referring to the surgeries. “It’s a
combination of treatments which has got me to the point where I could
make headway.”
Luongo’s start was sensational. Without him, Patric Hornqvist could have
been showered with hats. His end was improbable. Luongo didn’t flinch,
staring down a point-blank Shea Weber torpedo late in overtime. It looked
like the type of shot which could have blown through metal.
Bitz, however, didn’t exactly overshadow the drastic overhaul to the
Canucks lines. Before the game, Vigneault explained his motivation was
rooted in his desire to kick start the Swedish stars.
“Thank God I don’t have time to process that in my brain when he’s winding
up,” Luongo said. “He’s got a cannon, but I think he took a little off, just
because we are ex-teammates (at the Olympics).”
“Basically if you look at the Boston game (Jan. 7), it’s been a month where
(the Sedins) have been a little bit off,” Vigenault said. “We (had) to decide if
a month is enough.”
Then, Luongo made a sprawling glove save on a Wilson buzzer beater.
But the moves looked DOA early. The Predators played like they were from
Detroit not Nashville. Within minutes, they were leading in shots 9-3.
Still, it was the Canucks who scored first. Ryan Kesler, playing on a
revamped power play unit with David Booth and Alex Burrows, scored his
fourth goal in four games.
The puck tucked under Rinne’s arm from about 30-feet out. It was a little
ugly, but Luongo gave the McSofty back just 2:05 later when Colin Wilson
bounced one off the goalie’s arm and in the net.
From there, things got crazy. Henrik shook off a Kevin Klein blast that left
him limping, and Bitz become Lord Byron.
But with a 3-1 lead, instead of keeping Bitz and the Sedins together,
Vigneault went back to the lines which started the game for the second.
“I wanted to pursue the experience, sometimes I can be a little bit stubborn,
as some of you may know,” Vigneault said.
“I could hear the crowd, but I didn’t know exactly how many seconds were
left,” Luongo said. “For some reason, I thought that time would expire
before that shot.
“Luckily, I got a piece of it.”
Then, he made five of six saves in the skills competition.
In the middle? Well, that was a mixed bag.
Luongo served up two McSofties — the first and third goals he gave up —
in addition to his 37 saves. “I think there was a couple of those goals he
might want back,” head coach Alain Vigneault said. “But he made some big
saves at the key time.
“Another big shootout, and he did a great job.”
At least Luongo and the Canucks are proving one thing. Practising the
shootout helps the shootout. They have been in four of them in two weeks,
and won three.
“We’re starting to figure it out, finally,” Ryan Kesler said.
The Predators quickly came back. Sergei Kostitsyn used his skate to
redirect a Klein slap pass into the net. And then, 1:02 later, Luongo made a
save on a bouncing puck, but as he kicked his legs closed in the butterfly
position, he knocked it in to make it 3-3.
Luongo is enjoying the heavy workload. Good thing, because the Canucks
have played in five straight overtime games, and eight in 10.
Nice? Luongo is supposed to loathe the shootout, long believed to be one
of the great weaknesses of his game.
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Vancouver Canucks
“The last couple have been the shootout, which is nice,” Luongo said.
Luongo shows his good, bad and lucky sides in game-winning performance
“I’m always trying to improve it,” he said. “I’ve been practising it a bit more.
In practice and in games. Sometimes, you feel confident and in a rhythm,
and right now I’ve been able to make a few saves.”
By Jason Botchford,
As great as some moments were, the Mike Fisher goal which tied the game
was a low point. Luongo had made a save, but ended up swinging the puck
into the net when he closed his butterfly.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Henrik Sedin was getting treatment post-game for
his ankle after he took a slapshot off it in the first period.
“It was a knuckleball from the blueline that was tipped in front,” he
explained. “I got a piece of it with my stick and thought it bounced up in the
air for some reason.
He was unavailable for an update.
“I couldn’t find it. It was actually between my legs. I accidentally just pushed
it in.”
But before the game, he said the Canucks were looking to win one without
needing their goalie to stand on his head.
He got his wish.
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Vancouver Canucks
Roberto Luongo did about everything but in a save that kept the Canucks
afloat. It was Tuesday’s signature wow moment, and during it, Luongo was
riveting.
Game Day: Canucks vs. Predators
Midway through the second, the Predators were in control of a game that
was slipping through the Canucks’ fingers. A 3-1 Vancouver lead had
vanished. The third Nashville goal had been an ugly one.
By Gord McIntyre,
Canucks (32-15-5) at Nashville Predators (32-17-4)
5 p.m., Bridgestone Arena
By Jason Botchford,
TV: Sportsnet Pacific
Radio: TEAM 1040
The Setup
The Canucks: It's getting about time for the Canucks to wake up before the
third period and extra time: They're 6-1-2 their past nine games, but the last
four and seven of those nine have required overtime or shootout.
The Predators: Nashville is coming off a hard fought, goalie-dominated 3-1
win over St. Louis on Saturday, in which they had 17 shots stopped in the
second period by Jaroslav Halak, then required Pekka Rinne to stop 19 of
20 in the third.
Three things to watch
Rinne, who has won 11 in a row, was scrambling to his right then had to
dive to his left, stabbing his glove outward with 11 minutes to go in the third
period on Saturday to known down a puck fired by Blues defenceman Kris
Russell, who'd been looking at nothing but net from 10 feet out.
Everyone knows the Predators rely on their twin towers on defence (Shea
Weber and Ryan Suter), Rinne in net and everyone drinking Barry Trotz's
Koolaid. But their scoring isn't bad, ranking 13th in the NHL in goals-scored
(2.76/game). The Canucks are third (3.14/game)
But the Preds aren't doing it 5-on-5, they're relying on what might be the
league's best power play at the moment. Nashville has crept up to second
on the PP (22.2 per cent), just behind the Canucks' 22.3. And at home the
Preds PP is 24.2 per cent. At even strength, the Preds are 13th in scoring,
the Canucks sixth.
By the numbers
0: No Predators player has suited up for all of the club's 53 games – Patric
Hornqvist and Matt Halischuk come closest with 52 each – but the
Predators currently have no one injured and Trotz is juggling 14 healthy
forwards.
Leaderboard
Canucks
Goals 22 D.Sedin
Assists 44 H.Sedin
Points 55 H.Sedin
PIM 96 Lapierre
In Net Luongo 21-10-5
Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault believes the Sedins are better
together.
He's said it regularly and reiterated it Tuesday. That was just after he split
them up. Again.
Vigneault called what he did to his lineup tinkering. If that's tinkering, then a
cinder block to the face is subtle.
When the Canucks took to the ice Tuesday morning, they looked nothing
like the team that you've seen at any point this year. Daniel Sedin was on
Ryan Kesler's wing, along with Alex Burrows and Henrik Sedin was lined
with Byron Bitz and Mason Raymond.
The Sedins have been split up in consecutive games, but they started
together in both tilts.
What can Bitz, who has played 11 hockey games in two years, possibly do
to be successful with Henrik?
"Good question," Vigneault said.
And that really says it all. Vigneault put his lineup through the wood chipper
to try and see if the pile he creates can spark the twins. Vigneault said he'll
take the afternoon to think about the lineup he'll start the game with, but it's
unlikely he's going to make changes before game time.
"Basically if you look at the Boston game (Jan. 7), it's been a month where
they have been a little bit off," Vigenault We have got the afternoon to
decide if a month is enough.
"We didn't have a full group out there on (Monday). I couldn't tinker with
things. A morning skate is usually not the best time to do that, but I wanted
to take the time to look at couple of things."
Henrik said he thought it was a good idea, because the team was playing
like it needed change.
"No one on here is happy with the way we've played," he said. "That's no
secret. We're getting wins because of good goaltending and individual
efforts but that's not the way we want to do it.
"Our goalie is standing on his head for the first 40 minutes and after that we
start to play a little more with urgency.
"I wouldn't use the word wake-up call, but it's something new ... You get a
new start maybe, a fresh start. Play with some different guys."
Henrik said he was not startled by the drastic changes when he showed up
at the rink.
Predators
"I played I don't know how many games, 850 games in this league, and 840
of those have been with my brother," Henrik said. I think that's more
remarkable than a game here and there where we're not playing together."
Goals 15 2Players
Vigneault said he has split them up over the years to create something new.
Assists 27 Erat
"But at the end of the day, those two guys are better together, I think we all
know that and we all agree," Vigneault said.
2.39 GAA/SV% .920
Points 31 Fisher
PIM 66 Tootoo
In Net Rinne 30-11-4
2.37 GAA/SV% .925
Injuries
Bitz said he never thought a few months ago, when he was considering his
career could be over, he'd be playing with the Canucks in February on a
line with Henrik.
"This is not something I've ever thought about," Bitz said. "I'm just going to
go out there and try to enjoy myself."
The Lines:
Canucks: Chris Higgins (flu), questionable; C Andrew Ebbett (collar bone),
out for the season; LW Aaron Volpatti (shoulder surgery), out for the
season; ; RW Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), out for the season.
Bitz-Henrik-Raymond,
Daniel-Kesler-Burrows,
Nashville: No injuries reported.
Booth-Hodgson-Hansen
Malhotra-Lapierre-Weise
611386
From the rink Tuesday morning:
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks update: Vigneault implodes, splits Sedins, puts Bitz with Henrik
The Canucks who showed up for a full morning skate looked nothing like
the team you’re used to.
Head coach Alain Vigneault imploded and rebuilt his lines. For the morning
skate, the Sedins were split up and Byron Bitz was on Henrik’s wing.
The coach was cryptic after Monday’s practice, tipping his hand when
asked about the David Booth-Ryan Kesler duo.
“There is something there but you have to be able to perform with anyone,”
he said. ”Good players make others look good.”
It remains to be seen if he actually uses these lines in a game.
How it looked at the skate:
Byron Bitz-Henrik Sedin-Mason Raymond
Daniel Sedin-Ryan Kesler-Alex Burrows
David Booth-Cody Hodgson-Jannik Hansen
Manny Malhotra-Max Lapierre-Dale Weise
On defence:
Dan Hamhuis-Kevin Bieksa
Alex Edler-Sami Salo
Keith Ballard-Aaron Rome
611387
Vancouver Canucks
Gallagher: Kudos to Vigneault for giving Sedins the day off
Three thoughts for Tuesday, Feb. 7, ahead of tonight’s Canucks-Predators
game:
1. The Sedin drought – It’s alarming, unless you’re a fan of magic tricks, the
disappearing act being performed by Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
Henrik, although he had an assist in each of his last three games, hasn’t
scored since a power-play goal against Boston and in his past 10 games is
just 0-6-6.
Daniel has at least scored, but is just 4-1-5 his past 10 games.
But in the big picture, this shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Two years
ago, bridging the Olympic break, Henrik was 0-5-5 in 10 games, around this
same time of year. It took an empty-netter in, yes, Nashville, to get him
scoring again.
He only won the scoring race that year.
Daniel, around the same time, was also struggling, going 11 games without
a goal in a similar stretch leading up to and following the Olympic break.
More worrying is if the twins have another one of these dry spells in the
playoffs.
2. The power play – Take away that Boston game – I guess we won’t stop
talking about that game until playoffs begin – in which the Canucks power
play was 4-of-11, and the league’s leading power-play has been a wet
noodle.
Not counting Boston, in their last 17 games the Canucks have not scored
more than one power-play goal in a game and are 6-of-51 over that span. A
power play that was clicking at just about 25 per cent has been half that
good since Dec. 23, scoring at around 12 per cent since then.
Tony Gallagher
3. Who are you and what have you done with Jannik Hansen – Canucks
fans haven’t seen a player try to change his role so dramatically since
Donald Brashear tried to reinvent himself as a goal-scorer.
Province Sports columnist Tony Gallagher writes:
Hansen’s play, which he admits he’s tried to change to fit in with Cody
Hansen and Mason Raymond as opposed to the two defensive specialists
he played with last season, has been rewarded by Alain Vigneault with long
stints on the bench.
As a scribbler who often throws brickbats in the direction of Alain Vigneault,
you have to give credit where it’s due. Or at least when the effort is there.
In dealing with this non-slump – that really is a pretty significant slump, if
you worry about “the process,” which Vigneault always claims to be doing
— giving the Sedins an extra day off on Monday seemed to be absolutely
the right thing to do. That way, in terms of the possible causes of their
current drought, Vigneault is doing the most he can to eliminate one of the
most likely causes: fatigue.
While the Detroit Red Wings are smart enough to figure out that Nick
Lidstrom needs to get the flu one game before the all-star break, to make it
a total week away from the sport, the Canucks at least managed to give
Hank and Daniel Saturday evening, Sunday and Monday off skates in an
attempt to get them back to being themselves. It may not be a long enough
break, but given the rigours of an NHL schedule, it’s pretty much all you can
wangle, and Vigneault managed it at just the right time.
Going into tonight’s game against Nashville, the Sedins are looking at a
strange situation. While we all remember them doing absolutely nothing in
the Nashville playoff series last year, while Ryan Kesler carried the team on
his back to the conference final, the twins this season have been very
successful against Pekka Rinne and the Preds in two games earlier this
season. Daniel has five points in two games against the Preds, Henrik four
and maybe just taking another look at that jersey will get them feeling good
again.
By the way, against the stingy Predators, one point from each of the Sedins
would constitute success in a game that isn’t expected to produce much in
the way of offence.
611388
Vancouver Canucks
Canucks hat trick: Where are the Sedins, where is the power in their play,
where has Jannik Hansen gone?
Gordon McIntyre
On Saturday, Hansen played just 8:04, his lowest ice time in two years; he’s
used to getting 13 to 17 minutes a game.
611389
Vancouver Canucks
After failing to catch on with Canucks, Owen Nolan to retire as a San Jose
Shark?
By Jonathan McDonald
Owen Nolan is holding a press conference Tuesday afternoon in San Jose,
where it is expected he will announce his retirement. Nolan, interestingly
enough, hasn’t played for the Sharks since they shipped him to Toronto at
the trade deadline in the spring of 2003. Of course, the last time he tried to
make an NHL team, last fall at the age of 39, it just happened to be here in
Vancouver. Here’s what The Province’s Ben Kuzma wrote on Sept. 25, just
hours before the Canucks released the veteran forward …
Whether out of respect or reality, Alain Vigneault put Owen Nolan’s tryout
fate with the Vancouver Canucks into its proper perspective Sunday. He
didn’t dump on the veteran winger, but he wasn’t about to sugar-coat a
preseason in which the 39-year-old Nolan has been slowed by a groin
strain and missed a practice.
“Can the body hold up the pace and can his body sustain it on a consistent
basis?,” Vigneault asked before his club faced the San Jose Sharks at
Rogers Arena. “You have to be able to practise and play to maintain a high
tempo. He’s playing today. Is he going to be able to practise tomorrow?
That’s part of the the body being able to hold up at that age. He’s been able
to follow the pace and has brought the skill he might still have — those
hands are still there — and he goes to the net hard.
“That power forward type of player, if we could add it to our group we
would.”
Jason Botchford reports from Nashville before the Canucks-Predators
game …
Read between the lines and it’s easy to conclude it’s more than just another
preseason game for Nolan. The former first-overall pick by the Quebec
Nordiques in the 1990 draft has two points in two games and has used the
brain more than the body to get to the right places at the right time. And
because it’s uncertain whether Nolan can help the Canucks in a top-six or
bottom-six capacity — especially with Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler
out indefinitely and Manny Malhotra getting back up to speed after two
offseason procedures on his injured left eye — he can’t lean on his
pedigree of 1,265 career games to earn a roster spot.
Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault believes the Sedins are better
together.
“You want to stand out and not just blend in and be blah,” said Nolan, who’s
expected to play with Andrew Ebbett and Antoine Roussel against the
Sharks. “I’m not going to go wild and start running through the boards and
fighting every guy on the ice. I’m going to do what I usually do, play an allround game and be smart and make sure I’m not caught out of position and
just do everything the way I’m supposed to.”
Nolan admitted that time isn’t on his side but he showed on Thursday in
Edmonton that he can still fight for position in tipping home a Mark Mancari
centring pass in the slot.
“I know I’m not 20, but the willingness to compete and still do that is there
and playing physical has been part of my career and I’m not going to stop,”
added Nolan, who had 26 points in 24 games with Zurich of the Swiss
league last season. “Sometimes you lose a step, but the longer you play the
smarter you get. You learn to read certain situations and how to react to
them so you don’t get caught out of position.”
611390
Vancouver Canucks
Henrik Sedin points finger at Canucks forechecking
He’s said it regularly and reiterated it Tuesday. That was just after he split
them up. Again.
Vigneault called what he did to his lineup tinkering. If that’s tinkering, then a
cinder block to the face is subtle.
When the Canucks took to the ice Tuesday morning, they looked nothing
like the team that you’ve seen at any point this year. Daniel Sedin was on
Ryan Kesler’s wing, along with Alex Burrows; and Henrik Sedin was lined
up with Byron Bitz and Mason Raymond.
The Sedins have been split up in consecutive games, but they started
together in both the loss to Detroit and the win over Colorado.
What can Bitz, who has played 11 hockey games in two years, possibly do
to be successful with Henrik?
“Good question,” Vigneault said.
And that really says it all. Vigneault put his lineup through the wood chipper
to try and see if the pile he creates can spark the twins. Vigneault said he’ll
take the afternoon to think about the lineup he’ll start the game with, but it’s
unlikely he’s going to make changes before game time.
“Basically if you look at the Boston game (Jan. 7), it’s been a month where
they have been a little bit off,” said Vigneault. “We have got the afternoon to
decide if a month is enough.
“We didn’t have a full group out there on (Monday). I couldn’t tinker with
things. A morning skate is usually not the best time to do that, but I wanted
to take the time to look at couple of things.”
Henrik said he thought it was a good idea, because the team was playing
like it needed change.
By Jason Botchford
“No one on here is happy with the way we’ve played,” he said. “That’s no
secret. We’re getting wins because of good goaltending and individual
efforts but that’s not the way we want to do it.
The tendency for an NHL team when slumping is often to sit back, because
of the predictable concern about making mistakes.
“Our goalie is standing on his head for the first 40 minutes and after that we
start to play a little more with urgency.
It’s a symptom that is plaguing the Canucks right now, according to their
captain Henrik Sedin.
“I wouldn’t use the word wake-up call, but it’s something new … You get a
new start maybe, a fresh start. Play with some different guys.”
When asked about the team’s defensive play – the Canucks have given up
128 shots in three games – Henrik quickly turned the question on its ear.
Henrik said he was not startled by the drastic changes when he showed up
at the rink.
To get out of the team’s ongoing slump, Henrik said the Canucks have to
be aggressive, and push tempo.
“I played I don’t know how many games, 850 games in this league, and 840
of those have been with my brother,” Henrik said. “I think that’s more
remarkable than a game here and there where we’re not playing together.”
“Our defence comes from a good forecheck,” Henrik said. “We’re getting
pucks deep but we have one guy forechecking. We have no pressure from
our defencemen and our forwards are in the wrong position.
Vigneault said he has split them up over the years to create something new.
“(Opponents) have an easy out and all of a sudden, they’re coming at us
three-on-three. Three guys coming right at us.”
“But at the end of the day, those two guys are better together, I think we all
know that and we all agree,” Vigneault said.
Henrik pointed out at that too often that one forechecker is trying to chip the
puck in and retrieve it himself.
Bitz said he never thought a few months ago, when he was considering his
career could be over, he’d be playing with the Canucks in February on a
line with Henrik.
“To support him, we get no pressure and no help from linemates or the
defence,” Henrik said. “It starts in the offensive end.
“This is not something I’ve ever thought about,” Bitz said. “I’m just going to
go out there and try to enjoy myself.”
“We have what? 30 games before the playoffs. We have to get the feeling
back, that we don’t need miracles to win games. We have to be able to win
games by being ourselves.”
The lines, as they currently stand:
611391
Vancouver Canucks
Bitz-Henrik-Raymond
Daniel-Kesler-Burrows
Booth-Hodgson-Hansen
Malhotra-Lapierre-Weise
Vigneault: Sedins have “been a little off” for a month, ponders brief split
611392
Washington Capitals
By Jonathan McDonald
Dale Hunter: Capitals’ matchup with Florida ‘like a playoff game’
Alzner-Carlson
By Katie Carrera
Hamrlik-Orlov
Goal
The stakes in the Washington Capitals’ meeting with the Florida Panthers
tonight are high. With a win, Washington moves into first place in the
Southeast Division, third in the Eastern Conference. With a loss, the
Capitals, who enter the contest three points out of eighth, will remain out of
the playoff picture in ninth place as Florida widens the gap between the two
teams.
No one needs to remind Coach Dale Hunter how critical this game is.
“It’s like a playoff game tonight,” Hunter said. “If you want to call a regular
season [game] a playoff game, tonight is the night.”
It’s a busy night on the NHL schedule as teams continue to jockey for
position in the Eastern Conference standings.
The tight race in the East is a large part of why Brooks Laich, who suffered
a left knee injury Sunday, wants to be back in the lineup even if he’s not
completely healthy. Contests against division foes are doubly important,
given that only one Southeast Division team might make the playoffs.
“We can’t miss any games; we can’t miss any points,” Laich said. “You can’t
predict the future but I think it’s going to be tight coming down to the last
week of the season. We have to have a sense of urgency in every game,
whether it’s a Monday nighter in Carolina or a Saturday night at home. We
need to play the same way, and we have to have points every night.”
Laich and the Capitals are trying to muster a sense of urgency these days.
They haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game streak Jan. 1115, and the players know they need to kick things up a notch.
“It could be better, I think,” Karl Alzner said when asked what he thought of
the Capitals’ effort at this point in the season. “By that, I mean we could be
winning all these games and making sure that we’re bearing down. There’s
still times where we let up or don’t come out as strong as we need to.
Maybe that clicks in the further we go when it gets down to the last 20
games, 15 games. Right now, we could do a bit better of a job so we can try
to secure something earlier on.”
Washington Post LOADED: 02.08.2012
611393
Washington Capitals
Vokoun
Neuvirth
Scratches: Jay Beagle and John Erskine.
Injured reserve: Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike Green (sports
hernia) on LTI.
NHL Scoreboard
Florida
By Post Sports Editors
There is a lot at stake Tuesday night as the Capitals host the Florida
Panthers in a battle for first place in the Southeast Division, so much so that
Coach Dale Hunter compared it to a playoff game.
Brooks Laich took rushes in warmup and will play tonight despite suffering a
left knee injury on Sunday against Boston. He skated with the fourth line,
which will allow the Capitals to manage his minutes but still allow for him to
see power play and penalty kill time.
Chat about the game in the comments section below and check back here
before faceoff for Washington’s lineup.
Faceoff: 7 p.m., Verizon Center | TV: CSN | Radio: 1500 AM
Final
Washington
4
Minnesota 1
Final
Columbus 3
NY Islanders
1
Philadelphia
0
New Jersey
1
NY Rangers
0
St. Louis 3
Final
Ottawa
F-SO
Final
1
Los Angeles
3
Tampa Bay
1
Pittsburgh 2
Int
Final
Montreal 2
Vancouver3
9:48
3rd Pd
Nashville 3
Toronto
Open thread: Capitals vs. Panthers
0
1
2nd Int
Winnipeg 2
Phoenix
2
Dallas
1
Chicago
2
2nd Int
12:39
2nd Pd
Colorado 2
611394
Washington Capitals
Dale Hunter: Capitals’ matchup with Florida ‘like a playoff game’
By Katie Carrera
Based on warmup here is what the lineup should look like against the
Panthers:
Forwards
Ovechkin-Johansson-Brouwer
Chimera-Perreault-Semin
Hendricks-Halpern-Ward
Knuble-Laich-Aucoin
Defense
Schultz-Wideman
The stakes in the Washington Capitals’ meeting with the Florida Panthers
tonight are high. With a win, Washington moves into first place in the
Southeast Division, third in the Eastern Conference. With a loss, the
Capitals, who enter the contest three points out of eighth, will remain out of
the playoff picture in ninth place as Florida widens the gap between the two
teams.
No one needs to remind Coach Dale Hunter how critical this game is.
“It’s like a playoff game tonight,” Hunter said. “If you want to call a regular
season [game] a playoff game, tonight is the night.”
It’s a busy night on the NHL schedule as teams continue to jockey for
position in the Eastern Conference standings.
The tight race in the East is a large part of why Brooks Laich, who suffered
a left knee injury Sunday, wants to be back in the lineup even if he’s not
completely healthy. Contests against division foes are doubly important,
given that only one Southeast Division team might make the playoffs.
“We can’t miss any games; we can’t miss any points,” Laich said. “You can’t
predict the future but I think it’s going to be tight coming down to the last
week of the season. We have to have a sense of urgency in every game,
whether it’s a Monday nighter in Carolina or a Saturday night at home. We
need to play the same way, and we have to have points every night.”
Jay Beagle took part in extra work with the assistant coaches, which is
usually reserved for scratches, along with John Erskine and expected backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth. Hunter said if Laich is unable to play tonight,
though, that Beagle will be ready to go despite the additional skating.
611396
Washington Capitals
Brooks Laich taking part in Capitals’ morning skate
Laich and the Capitals are trying to muster a sense of urgency these days.
They haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game streak Jan. 1115, and the players know they need to kick things up a notch.
By Katie Carrera
“It could be better, I think,” Karl Alzner said when asked what he thought of
the Capitals’ effort at this point in the season. “By that, I mean we could be
winning all these games and making sure that we’re bearing down. There’s
still times where we let up or don’t come out as strong as we need to.
Maybe that clicks in the further we go when it gets down to the last 20
games, 15 games. Right now, we could do a bit better of a job so we can try
to secure something earlier on.”
Less than two days after he hobbled out of Verizon Center on crutches with
an apparent left knee injury, Capitals forward Brooks Laich is on the ice in
full pads taking part in Tuesday’s morning skate.
611395
Washington Capitals
Brooks Laich feels good after skate, may play against Panthers
By Katie Carrera
As Brooks Laich buzzed around the ice surface Tuesday morning at KCI it
was tough to tell that just two days earlier he suffered a left knee injury that
prevented him from finishing a game.
Laich said after the skate that he felt good on the ice and although he
hopes to play in the Capitals’ matchup against the Florida Panthers the
forward wouldn’t go so far as to guarantee he will be in the lineup tonight.
Coach Dale Hunter was equally cautious, saying that the decision largely
depends on how Laich feels closer to game time.
So while there’s reason to believe Laich will suit up to face the Panthers, it’s
too early to tell for certain.
“I felt good on the ice. Turning, pivoting, everything felt pretty good,” Laich
said. “Usually the decision isn’t up to the player, it’s whether the coaching
staff [allows it]. You’ve got to try and convince them sometimes. Hopefully,
we’ll see tonight.”
Laich said he didn’t want to go to the doctor on Monday, that he would have
rather participated in practice. Laich called the outcome of the evaluation
“very positive” without going into details of the injury, but the forward made
it sound as though he couldn’t worsen the injury by playing.
“I don’t think so,” Laich said when asked if he could hurt himself further by
playing. “It felt good out there this morning. I know the position we’re in but I
also understand there’s a lot of hockey left in the year. I’m going to try and
play if I can. But if I think I’m going to do more damage or anything like that
-- that’s what the appointment was for was to rule anything like that out.”
The 28-year-old zipped around the ice Tuesday morning with no apparent
limitation as he tested out his knee, which is a good sign for the Capitals.
Washington, already without Nicklas Backstrom (concussion) and Mike
Green (sports hernia), hosts the Florida Panthers in a battle for first place in
the Southeast Division Tuesday at Verizon Center.
There is now some optimism and reason to believe that the Capitals may
have Laich in the mix for the important contest, which is no small
development. He averages 2 minutes and 35 seconds on the penalty kill
and 2:24 on the power play and draws some of the toughest matchups..
Laich, who has appeared in 397 of Washington’s last 401 games, dating
back to Feb. 21, 2007, was crunched into the end boards by Bruins
defenseman Dennis Seidenberg with eight minutes remaining in the second
period of Washington’s 4-1 loss to Boston Sunday. He didn’t return to the
contest and was on crutches afterward, wearing an immobilizer brace on
his knee.
— In other news, Mike Green, who underwent sports hernia surgery on Jan.
17, skated this morning, according to a team spokesman.
611397
Washington Capitals
Caution for Capitals: “Bubble teams” usually don’t go far in the playoffs
By Neil Greenberg
The Washington Capitals currently sit one point behind Florida for the lead
in the Southeast Division, and if the season were to end today they would
not be eligible for the post-season.
It is an unfamiliar situation for Washington, which has not seen any real
uncertainty when it comes to its playoff hopes in recent years.
“I think it is good battling going in,” said Jason Chimera. “You realize how
hard it is to get in [the playoffs]. We kind of knew we were in since January
a lot of times in the past couple seasons. It is a good thing for our team.”
Given Laich’s reputation for playing through minor to mid-range injuries it’s
not all that surprising to see the 28-year-old raring to be in the lineup for
such an important contest against Florida.
It sounds plausible that a team going through adversity — specifically,
fighting its way in to the playoffs — makes it more “battle tested” and thus
increases its chances at playoff success. However, that is more narrative
than fact.
“You know tonight could be the most important game of our year, a team
that we have to beat,” Laich said. “Everybody seems to keep winning… It’s
a big week for us. Not only tonight’s game, but it’s a big week. I want to be
in there for certain.”
If we look at post-lockout teams that were on the bubble for a playoff spot,
defined here as within five points of the eight seed (both ahead and behind)
as of March 1st, 34 of the 77 (44 percent) did not qualify for the postseason.
That said, the Capitals’ coaching staff and athletic trainers will be cautious
for Laich. But if the forward feels strong later this afternoon, don’t be
surprised to see Laich in the lineup as though nothing ever happened.
Of the 43 teams that did qualify, 24 failed to make it out of round one and
another 12 didn't make it past round two. That means almost 84 percent of
those teams have not made it past the Conference semifinals. Hardly the
(familiar) result Washington is looking for.
“They know the importance of the game and you’re gonna want to play,”
Hunter said. “It’s always how it feels. He skated so now we have to wait and
see what it feels like in five, six hours.”
The lone Cup winner from this group of "bubble teams" is the 2008-09
Pittsburgh Penguins, who fired coach Michel Therrien after 57 games and
replaced him with Dan Bylsma. However, that team had a healthy Sidney
Crosby and Evegni Malkin, two of the games best players at the time,
making it more the exception than the rule.
The best success came from those who were at least 12 points ahead of
the eighth seed once March started, with four of the past six champions
coming from this group. And as you can see, teams with this type of
cushion also tend to go farther in the playoffs than those without.
Vokoun looked calm and collected against his former team, coming out far
to challenge shooters and cut down on angles, picking up pucks through
traffic and containing rebounds. Vokoun’s poise allowed the Capitals to
carry the two-goal edge into the second period and build upon it.
He has a shutout in each of his last three appearances in a CapitalsPanthers game — twice for Washington this season and once at the end of
the 2010-11 season when he was still a Panther.
In other words, yes, a lot needs to go right to win a Cup in the post-lockout
era, but it all starts with making sure there is no question that you will be in
the playoff picture.
At the start of the second, Washington was forced to kill off the remaining
1:40 of a penalty to Dennis Wideman, but the disadvantage didn’t provide
much of a hindrance.
A rush up ice caught the Panthers off guard, and Matt Hendricks dropped
the puck back for John Carlson. Clemmensen stopped the defenseman’s
shot but couldn’t do anything to prevent an unguarded Chimera from
swatting the rebound in to make it 3-0 just 61 seconds into the middle
period.
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Washington Capitals
Capitals vs. Panthers: Alex Ovechkin’s two goals help vault Washington
past Florida, 4-0 and into first place in division
By Katie Carrera,
With nearly 12 minutes elapsed in the second, Ovechkin made it 4-0 and all
but clinched the win with a snap shot above the circles at center ice. The
puck seemed to curl in midair, beating Clemmensen high inside the left
corner of the net.
While the Capitals would let up, allowing Florida to outshoot them, 32-14, in
the final 40 minutes, Vokoun’s flawless performance rendered it irrelevant.
Before his Washington Capitals hosted the Florida Panthers on Tuesday
night, Coach Dale Hunter compared this February meeting to a playoff
game. While that was an exaggeration, the Capitals responded in kind.
Tomas Vokoun recorded a 42-save shutout and Alex Ovechkin scored a
pair of goals to lead Washington to a 4-0 victory over the Panthers in one of
its most consistent outings and thorough wins in recent memory.
With the victory the Capitals (28-21-4, 60 points) leapfrogged Florida (2417-11, 59) for first place in the Southeast Division, which pushes them from
ninth place to third in the Eastern Conference. Players were quick to point
out that this back-and-forth between the two franchises is far from over,
though, with the Panthers having a game in hand on Washington.
“If you look at the game, you look at the first 30 minutes, Tomas makes a
half-dozen excellent saves where the game could have been a lot closer
than what it was,” said Brooks Laich, who played 9:28 in a limited role
because of the left knee injury he suffered on Sunday. “So there are some
areas of our game that we have to clean up. We did some good things, but
the difference maker was Tomas.”
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Washington Capitals
Tomas Vokoun makes 42 saves, shuts out Panthers in Capitals’ 4-0 win
“We don’t want to kind of be bubble team and sitting there. It’s not going to
be easy. Every game’s going to be tough,” Vokoun said.
“We want to win our division and that’s what we kind of set our goal as,” he
continued. “It’s not going to be easy, because you can see Florida’s pretty
good team. . . . It’s not going to be easy, but we know now we’re in a
dogfight and we’ve got to play every night hard.”
Unlike when these teams met six days earlier, the Capitals came out with
intensity that spoke to the importance of the contest. On the first shift of the
game, Mathieu Perreault scored to put Washington up 1-0 only 13 seconds
in. Jason Chimera had chased the puck behind the goal line and fed it to
Perreault in the slot, whose wrister marked the fastest goal to start a game
for the Capitals this season.
By Katie Carrera
In each of Tomas Vokoun’s last three appearances in a game between the
Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers, two as the goaltender for the
former and one for the latter, he has shut out the opposing club.
The latest was a 42-save dazzler in the Capitals’ 4-0 win over Florida on
Tuesday that propelled them back into first place in the Southeast Division
and third in the Eastern Conference.
That forecheck would be a sign of things to come as the Capitals continued
to barrel into the offensive zone, pushing Florida players off pucks and
trying to test backup netminder Scott Clemmensen (20 saves).
“Tomas was sharp all night. We might have not had the lead after the first
period if it wasn’t for Tomas,” Coach Dale Hunter said. “We gave up
breakaways and he came up big for us in the first period. He played a great
game and he was one of the main reasons why we won.”
While there were defensive breakdowns on both sides, Washington showed
a fire that had been lacking in recent contests. The difference was apparent
in Ovechkin, who in his third game back after a three-game suspension
discovered the high-octane level that has been absent too often this
season. The star left wing created space and opportunities for himself and
his linemates throughout the contest, and shot the puck from anywhere.
The 35-year-old Czech has grown increasingly consistent since New Year’s
and has recorded a pair of shutouts in his last three starts. Tuesday against
the Panthers at Verizon Center, the Capitals provided early goal support —
Mathieu Perreault scored 13 seconds into the contest and Alex Ovechkin
made it 2-0 before 10 minutes had elapsed — that allowed Vokoun to settle
into a rhythm as he was increasingly pressured by shots.
“It was very important game for us,” Ovechkin said. “Especially when we
play against the team who [now] behind us, we just want to make a huge
gap between us and different teams in our division.”
Vokoun was appreciative of the cushion.
Almost 91 / 2 minutes in, Ovechkin made it 2-0 with the Capitals’ first
power-play goal in eight games. Ovechkin snuck past the penalty killers,
sped down the left wing boards and fired a wrister that beat Clemmensen,
snapping an 0-for-17 drought for the team’s power play.
“It’s easier on goalie, especially when you get a couple goals,” said Vokoun,
who played four season for the Panthers before joining the Capitals this
offseason. “You can never relax, but you’re not in pressure situation every
save. It was big. When we got up 3-0, even they got some power plays after
that, you can just relax and play your game. [If] they score one goal, we still
have two-goal lead.”
Washington maintained the forechecking pressure as it moved forward but
started to commit more turnovers, giving the Panthers opportunities to cut
into the two-goal lead.
Florida outshot the Capitals 42-24, including a staggering 32-14 edge in the
final 40 minutes, but Vokoun rarely looked out of place or unprepared for a
chance. He challenged shooters, controlled rebounds and found pucks
through traffic.
“Tomas was sharp all night. We might have not had the lead after the first
period if it wasn’t for Tomas,” Hunter said. “We gave up breakaways and he
came up big for us in the first period. He played a great game and he was
one of the main reasons why we won.”
“It’s easier game,” Vokoun said of seeing so many shots. “It depends on the
game, too, but you’re in the game and you see the puck, you’re touching
the puck and you don’t have as much time to stand there and think. It felt
good and it was a pretty good game all around.”
The Capitals, while showing much more intensity than they did six days
earlier when the teams met in Sunrise, Fla., did not suffer from any
delusions that their outing was perfect. There were breakdowns and
enough opportunities for the Panthers that Washington needed Vokoun to
have a strong night. He came through.
“If you look at the game, you look at the first 30 minutes, Tomas makes a
half-dozen excellent saves where the game could have been a lot closer
than what it was,” Brooks Laich said. “So there are some areas of our game
that we have to clean up. We did some good things, but the difference
maker was Tomas.”
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Washington Capitals
"He has to answer how he's feeling, but we've all seen what happens if you
put a guy in too early or if he's not feeling right and it's just potential for a lot
more energy and potential for turning a mole hill into a mountain," veteran
right wing Mike Knuble said. "It's smart. It's a good idea. It's January. It's not
like it's a do-or-die game."
The Caps lost to the Sharks 5-2.
Jan. 8 -- Backstrom was not on the ice for practice, and neither was
defenseman Mike Green, who left the Sharks game early. Hunter had no
real update to provide.
Jan. 9 -- With the Caps in Los Angeles for a game against the Kings, news
came out that Backstrom and Green were both sent home to the D.C. area.
"Right now, it's no sense having an all-night flight and you get them home
early and get a workout in tomorrow and some treatment tomorrow," Hunter
said. "Basically day-to-day. We're being cautious with both of them."
Without Backstrom and Green, the Caps lost to the Kings 5-2.
Timeline: Concussion sidelines Caps’ Nicklas Backstrom
By Stephen Whyno
Jan. 3 -- In the third period of the Washington Capitals' 3-1 victory over the
Calgary Flames at Verizon Center, Rene Bourque lifted his right elbow up
and struck Nicklas Backstrom in the jaw. Backstrom stayed in the game
briefly but had to come out.
"We just removed him from the game," Caps coach Dale Hunter said that
night. "It was precautionary, and he's getting evaluated right now. We'll
know more tomorrow."
Backstrom's teammates were less than pleased with the elbow.
"The puck isn't even close, and it's very, very unnecessary," fellow Swede
Marcus Johansson said.
Jan. 11 -- The Caps placed Backstrom on injured reserve, retroactive to
Jan. 3.
"We're being cautious with him still," Hunter said. "He's not feeling 100
percent, so we're being careful."
The Caps' coach added there was no time frame "right now" for Backstrom
to return to skating.
Jan. 12 -- A sure-fire All-Star based on his stats, 13 goals and 29 assists,
Backstrom was not on the roster announced by the NHL. Dennis Wideman
and Alex Ovechkin got the nod for the Caps, and the idea seemed to be
that Backstrom's uncertain status was the reason for his being left off.
At night, the Flames traded Bourque to the Montreal Canadiens, who were
coincidentally on the Caps' schedule for the following week.
Jan. 17 -- Addressing reporters to talk about Green's sports hernia surgery,
general manager George McPhee did not rule out Backstrom returning
before the All-Star break.
Jan. 4 -- Backstrom did not skate as the Caps held an optional practice. His
brother, Kristoffer, posted on Twitter that Washington's leading scorer
underwent concussion testing to determine whether the injury was that or
an aggravation of migraines. Kristoffer Backstrom tweeted that it was
inconclusive.
"Nick's doing really well," McPhee said. "He feels good. I'm, I guess, happy
to report that he's progressing."
Jay Beagle, who suffered a concussion in October, called the elbow
"uncalled for," and Troy Brouwer said "it kind of sucks because we're not
able to play [Bourque and the Flames] again this year."
Jan. 18 -- John Erskine, Hunter and the Caps said all the right things the
morning before facing Bourque about needing points more than
retribuation, but Matt Hendricks needed only nine seconds into the
Canadiens forward's first shift to challenge him to a fight. Hendricks
probably lost the fight, but teammates lauded him for stepping up.
Later that day, the NHL suspended Bourque five games for what VP of
player safety Brendan Shanahan called a "reckless" and "indefensible"
play.
Jan. 5 -- Backstrom took the ice with his teammates for practice, doing line
rushes and smiling and laughing like everything was all right.
"I felt pretty good out there. I'm just following all the steps that has to be
made," an upbeat Backstrom said. "I'm doing what they tell me to do, so
we'll see."
Asked if Bourque made contact with his jaw, Backstrom said, "I just felt it in
my whole head."
He added that the Caps were going to be "real careful because we want
this to be a one time thing and something we never have to worry about
again."
"That's the game of hockey. There's consequences that you have to pay for
actions. He followed the code. I asked him and that was it," Hendricks said.
"He said yep. I'm sure he wanted to get it over with as early as he could as
well."
Jan. 23 -- Backstrom stepped onto the ice by himself wearing a hat, red
hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. Not taking shots, he stick-handled a bit
and appeared to be skating at half speed.
He came off after just five minutes.
Soon after, Hunter sounded relieved when saying "it's better than we
thought, which is good for us." Backstrom boarded the team charter to
California for the Caps' two-game road trip at San Jose and Los Angeles.
He was not made available to speak to reporters.
Jan. 6 -- Backstrom was not on the ice as the Caps stepped on for practice
at HP Pavilion in San Jose, and a team spokesman said he was still being
evaluated. Sure enough, he came on about 15 minutes late, switched into
the right jersey for his line and shrugged off concern.
Backstrom has not skated since. Those five minutes represented his only
time on ice in the past month, as he has missed 15 straight games.
"I feel pretty good, actually," Backstrom said. "I think I'm ready to go. That's
my thoughts."
611401
"Yeah, he skated," Hunter said. "So that's good. He's back on the ice and
we'll go from there."
Washington Times LOADED: 02.08.2012
Washington Capitals
Hunter admitted "it's looking good" for Backstrom to play the next night
against the Sharks.
Laich: ‘We’ll see’ about playing vs. Panthers
Jan. 7 -- Backstrom was conspicuously absent from the morning skate, as
the Caps went through line rushes with it looking evident that he would be
out. Hunter confirmed soon after that Backstrom was indeed being held out.
By Stephen Whyno
More than any other Washington Capitals player, Brooks Laich shrugs off
injuries and wants to stay on the ice.
“I love to play hockey. It’s what I want to do,” he said. “If you can’t do it that
day, it’s disappointing and upsetting.”
So when Laich suffered a left knee injury Sunday and couldn’t skate
Monday, his teammates didn’t believe his claim of getting right back out
there Tuesday.
“We were all just laughing at him because he’s hobbling around,”
defenseman Karl Alzner said.
But there was Laich at Tuesday’s morning skate, in full equipment looking
like nothing was wrong. He might even play Tuesday night against the
Florida Panthers in a game with first place in the Southeast Division on the
line, though he and coach Dale Hunter weren’t ready to declare him in for
sure.
Laich gave it the old “We’ll see.”
“For myself, I’m preparing to play,” he said. “I want to play every game. And
especially tonight could be the most important game of our year — a team
that we have to beat.”
Hunter said the Caps “have to see what it feels like in five, six hours.”
Naturally, the thing Laich was most worried about was convincing the staff
to let him play.
A doctor visit Monday turned out “very positive,” though that’s where
convincing Laich was the bigger deal.
“I didn’t even really want to go. But the trainers’ job sometimes are protect
you from yourself,” he said. “They insisted on it. Everything was what we
thought it was, and it was very positive.”
Laich sure sounded like a guy who was going to play against the Panthers,
possibly because he can’t make the left knee injury worse. He took rushes
on the fourth line, but Jay Beagle did extra work after practice, a duty
usually reserved for scratched players.
But Hunter cautioned that, if need be, “Beags is ready to go. We just give
him a little extra; not much.”
“But those two points were good. And I got a couple bounces; they miss a
couple opportunities in the first period that could’ve went in. You need that
as a goalie. You need a little bit luck on your side, too.”
The Panthers, who dropped to ninth in the Eastern Conference as the Caps
reassumed the third seed seemingly reserved for the Southeast leader, did
blow some chances. But when they put the puck on net (which they did a
lot), Vokoun was more than steady.
In fact, he made it look easy.
“It never is. But with him, I think it’s positioning. When it’s on, it’s on. His
rebound control was very good tonight,” forward Matt Hendricks said. “He
was always square to the puck, square to the shooter. We love it, and we
love it when he’s feeling it. He’s been doing it a lot for us lately.”
This was Vokoun’s fourth shutout of the season, and though it might not
have been his best overall performance, it was exactly what the Caps
needed.
But this was a tailor-made game for Vokoun, who got exactly what he
needed when Mathieu Perreault scored 13 seconds in, and he got to coast
with a lead for the rest of the way.
“It’s easier on goalie, especially when you get a couple goals. You can
never relax, but you’re not as in pressure situation every save.” Vokoun
said. “It was big. When we got up 3-0, even they got some power plays
after that, you can just relax and play your game. [If] they score one goal,
we still have two-goal lead.”
But Florida couldn’t crack Vokoun on this night, which was a perfect chance
for him to take the Caps on his back like he did so many times with the
Panthers.
And the veteran netminder understood just how important it was for him to
do that.
“It was a huge game for us. If we lose the game we were three points
behind them with they have one game in hand on us. So this way at least
we’re in better situation,” he said. “Especially losing at home that would be
really even more than the statistic it would be more confidence
discouraging. Losing to them at home it would be tough.”
It likely won’t come to that, unless Laich’s knee swells up during the
afternoon or early evening. Obviously a decision could be made just before
game time, but the 28-year-old has missed only four games with injury
during his NHL career.
“As a part of a team, I think everybody wants to be in every game,” Laich
said. “I’m the same way. It’s something I take a lot of pride in, actually.”
Capitals crush Panthers, move back into first in Southeast
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Washington Capitals
By Stephen Whyno
Washington Capitals
Vokoun solid against former club
It’s Feb. 7 on the calendar, but Dale Hunter’s theme of the past week, all
about warm weather and important hockey, continued Tuesday.
By Stephen Whyno
“Well, it’s a playoff game, and I think both teams are treating it that way,”
the Washington Capitals‘ coach said before a showdown with the Florida
Panthers for first place in the Southeast Division.
Tomas Vokoun turned in a lot of spectacular performances during his four
seasons with the Florida Panthers, often being just about the only reason
they won on various nights. Vokoun was feeling it again Tuesday night in
the Washington Capitals' 4-0 rout of the Panthers to pass them for first
place in the Southeast Division, his second shutout of his former team is as
many chances this season.
“I thought Tomas has a great game. They threw a lot of pucks from all
angles. He had to be sharp all the time, and plus we give up some
breakaways,” coach Dale Hunter. “I thought Tomas was first star.”
Indeed Vokoun was, making 42 saves to turn in a goose egg for the third
straight Caps-Panthers game he has played in. He insisted there wasn’t
anything particularly special about putting on this show against the
Panthers, but there might be some subconscious motivation to factor in.
“It’s a different team. There’s probably four guys since I played there. There
are different coaches, different everything,” Vokoun said. “Some nights you
have better game, some nights you don’t have so good. It’s nice to get a
shutout, definitely. I won’t lie to you.
Whether that, Brooks Laich’s presence or something else motivated the
Caps, they played as if this was the biggest game of the season, blasting
the Panthers 4-0 Tuesday at Verizon Center to move back atop the
Southeast and back into the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s always better winning,” Hunter said afterward. “We know what’s on the
line tonight. It’s four-point games and they’re playoff games and we’re
battling with Florida. That’s our team we’re battling head to head, with other
teams right around us. Every two points mean a lot.”
It had been a while since the Caps put together a complete, 60-minute
effort and the kind of all-around performance they or any team would need
to win an actual playoff game. But this was it, with Mathieu Perreault
scoring just 13 seconds in and the Caps kept up the pressure for the
duration.
Whenever the Panthers made a blunder, which was often, Washington
pounced. Whether it was Perreault taking advantage of goaltender Scott
Clemmensen’s turnover and a breakdown in front or Alex Ovechkin flashing
some MVP form, this was as close to a statement game as a team could
make with just over a third of the season remaining.
“Big game for us. Obviously they were ahead of us, plus they get a game in
hand. Very desperate situation, but we came out great, score a goal 13
seconds in and that was big – especially at home, get the fans going,” said
goaltender Tomas Vokoun, who shut out his former team for the second
time in two tries this season.
It was complete domination in the fashion the Caps were very unable to find
during a two-game Southeast swing at Tampa Bay and Florida last week.
Karl Alzner pointed out that sometimes it’s hard to get up for games at the
Panthers, with the crowd not quite as enthusiastic as that of Verizon Center.
That wasn’t an issue this time. Even though it was far from a full house, the
Caps fed off the quick start and perhaps the mere presence of Laich in the
lineup despite a left knee injury that put him on crutches Sunday.
Jetcetera: Jets logo seems to be everywhere
By: Geoff Kirbyson
If there was a Winnipeg Jets drinking game, where you had to slam back a
shot every time you saw a Jets logo in town, the Winnipeg economy would
screech to an immediate halt.
Think about it. Have you experienced a single day since last fall where you
haven’t seen something, anything, with a Jets logo on it?
“You see a guy sucking it up and doing what he can for the team,” Hunter
said. “I played him, but I didn’t play him a lot like his usual minutes, but he
gave us everything we can.”
Nobody seems to know for sure how many items have been branded with
our version of the Nike Swoosh, but most estimates are in the thousands.
Laich did not figure into the offense in the blowout of the Panthers, but he
did kill penalties as part of his limited playing time. And Ovechkin made the
most out of his substantial ice time, scoring twice for just the fifth time this
season and first time since New Year’s Eve.
There’s the basic hats, T-shirts and flags but take a walk through any of the
major sports merchandise retailers in town and you’ll see more than a few
surprises. How about slippers, shot glasses, piggy banks, night lights,
doughnuts and tattoo sleeves?
Vokoun turned in yet another brilliant performance against the team he
played for the past four seasons. He shut the Panthers out for the second
time in this building this season, making 42 saves. Hunter called Vokoun
undoubtedly the “first star” of the win.
Oh yeah, the logo can even be found on jerseys.
Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 02.08.2012
611406
Winnipeg Jets
“With him, I think it’s positioning. When it’s on, it’s on. His rebound control
was very good tonight,” forward Matt Hendricks said. “He was always
square to the puck, square to the shooter. We love it, and we love it when
he’s feeling it. He’s been doing it a lot for us lately.”
Little's luck all Jets need
Most of Florida’s efforts toward the net were not of what Vokoun calls the
“Grade-A” variety, the 35-year-old goalie had a handful of very quality stops
and plenty of routine ones to go with it.
By: Tim Campbell
He left no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Caps were going to cruise in this
game and into first place.
“I think everybody was responsibility today was pretty good,” Ovechkin said.
“We have petty good start, and after that Tomas play unbelievable today.
He gave us a chance to win the game.”
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Winnipeg Jets
Jets lead Leafs 2-1 after two periods
A five-year-old could do this arithmetic, it's so simple, and the Winnipeg
Jets picked a very good night to go back to this fundamental -- two is better
than one.
The Jets managed to score more than one actual goal for only the second
time in seven games and made them both count for a 2-1 victory over the
Toronto Maple Leafs before 15,004 ecstatic fans at the MTS Centre on
Tuesday night.
John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg defenceman Tobias Enstrom
battles for puck with Toronto�sDavid Steckel.
Enlarge Image
John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg defenceman Tobias Enstrom
battles for puck with Toronto�sDavid Steckel. (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)
By: Ed Tait
An ‘explosion’ would be the wrong term to describe it, but the Winnipeg Jets
will carry a 2-1 lead into the third period against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It marks the first time in seven games the Jets have scored twice in
regulation. Now the question is can they finish the deal for the customary
full house at MTS Centre and exit with a victory?
Phil Kessel opened the scoring for the Leafs, notching his 30th of the
season, but the Jets countered four minutes later when Chris Thorburn
scored his second, and second in the last five games, with a perfect
backhand past Toronto netminder Jonas Gustavsson.
Bryan Little gave the Jets their first lead midway through the second,
stuffing home a rebound after a brilliant rush by Blake Wheeler. It was
Little’s 13th goal of the season.
The Jets, shut-out Sunday in Montreal by the Canadiens, are trying to end a
two-game win streak and remain in the Eastern Conference and Southeast
Division playoff picture. Washington knocked off Florida 4-0 tonight to take
over first in the Southeast with 60 points. The Panthers have 59 points and
the Jets have 54.
Plenty has changed since the Leafs last left town on New Year's Eve, also
with a one-goal loss. Toronto has gone 10-5-1 since then and is in an
Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The Jets have sagged from a share of sixth place that night to tenth thanks
to a miserable January of 4-8-1. Their win Tuesday at least pulled them
back closer to the playoff line with 56 points, now just five points back of the
eighth-place Ottawa Senators and six back of Toronto.
Winnipeg, however, has another avenue in play, at least today. It is only
four points out of first place (and the third conference seed) in the
Southeast Division and meets the team that occupies the spot, the
Washington Capitals, Thursday night in the U.S. capital.
"We needed this, especially at home," said Jets winger Blake Wheeler, who
keyed the game-winner midway through the second period by driving the
net from the left wing, setting up linemate Bryan Little for a rebound goal.
"It's against a team we're trying to chase. Getting the win is huge but getting
it in regulation is better, keeping them off the board."
Chase was a great description of Tuesday's plot.
The Jets had their hands full, as most teams do, with Toronto's excellent
speed.
The Jets have outshot the Leafs 17-13 through two periods.
611405
Winnipeg Jets
"I think we tried to play with our speed, too," Wheeler said of his team's
counter-play.
"These guys are dymanic, play with a lot of speed and we're capable of
doing the same, exact thing."
2. Winnipeg, Thorburn (Bogosian, Slater) 14:16
Penalty -- Antropov Wpg (cross-checking) 6:43.
"We're a good-skating team but obvioiusly that line of (Phil) Kessel,
(Joffrey) Lupul and (Tyler) Bozak have a lot of speed," said Jets
defenceman Zach Bogosian.
SECOND PERIOD
"I just thought we did a good job of tracking back. A few times in the second
we got caught over backchecking but we did a better job in the third.
Penalty -- Kessel Tor (slashing) 2:00.
"We're a quick team and I think people underestimate us."
The Jets actually bested the Leafs in the four-game season's series, five
points to four.
"It wasn't a Picasso, but it was a win," Jets coach Claude Noel said after his
team moved to 25-24-6.
3. Winnipeg, Little (Wheeler, Oduya) 9:47
THIRD PERIOD
No Scoring.
Penalties -- Crabb Tor, Oduya Wpg (fighting) 1:54, Burmistrov Wpg (highsticking) 10:17, Crabb Tor (holding) 13:10.
Shots on goal by
"We're happy about that. Our power play struggled but I thought we looked
tired coming off a road trip.
Toronto678--21
"I didn't think we gave them a whole ton, but we did some good things. It
was a good win for us."
Goal -- Toronto: Gustavsson (L,16-11-1); Winnipeg: Pavelec (W,19-18-6).
After Kessel staked the 28-20-6 Leafs to a first-period lead, it was Chris
Thorburn's second goal of the season -- sniping with a backhander from his
off-wing -- that got the Jets back on even terms.
The Leafs pressed in the second but the perfect play was never there and it
was the Jets who capitalized on what they had.
Wheeler, like Thorburn, also went down his wrong wing, going around
Toronto defenceman Cody Franson. It was Little who dashed in to clean up
the rebound for his 13th goal of the season.
Winnipeg9812--29
Power plays (goals-chances) -- Toronto: 0-2; Winnipeg: 0-2.
Referees -- Mike Leggo, Brad Meier. Linesmen -- Mike Cvik, Mark Wheler.
Attendance -- 15,004 (15,004)
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 8, 2012
D2
611408
Winnipeg Jets
Little has scored two goals in the last three games after going 14 games
without a goal through mid-season and an injury.
The Jets then defended the lead through the third and bumped their record
to 20-2-1 when leading after two.
They also held the Leafs to just 18 shots on goaltender Ondrej Pavelec,
only the fourth time all season Toronto has generated less than 20 shots.
Winnipeg managed to direct 29 shots towards Toronto netminder Jonas
Gustavvson.
611407
Winnipeg Jets
Highlight Reel
By: Staff Writer
Big picture
Silly to call it a 'must-win' what with so much hockey yet to be played. So
let's refer to it as a 'really, kinda-needed-it' victory. The Jets couldn't afford
to slip further from the Eastern Conference/Southeast Division picture and
these two points allowed them to keep pace with Washington and gain on
Florida.
Little picture
The two goals constituted an eruption for the Jets, but we were more
impressed with the defensive effort. The Jets limited the Leafs, fifth in the
NHL in scoring, to just one goal and only 18 shots.
Game-breaker
The Jets are holding on to a 2-1 lead with less than five minutes remaining
when goaltender Ondrej Pavelec stones Matthew Lombardi on a partial
break to seal the deal.
Free Press 'Ö'Ö'Ö
111222333SUMMARY
FIRST PERIOD
1. Toronto, Kessler 30 (Lupul) 11:06
Kane needs to avoid smoke, start creating fire on ice
By: Gary Lawless
Evander Kane has made a lot of noise since arriving in Winnipeg. Some
good and some bad. It's time for him to roar again now that he's back in
action but there's no more room for the chatter that seems to follow his
every off-ice move.
No more low-end cash-for-tweet deals, no more unpaid bills gossip and no
more bar fight rumours. Headlines? We got 'em. But Kane needs to force us
to save them for on-ice exploits. Hat-tricks and game-winning goals, not
TMZ trash.
Kane controls it all. He is in charge of his play and what this community
says about his behaviour away from the rink. Maybe we fan the flames but
if there's no spark there's no fire. Most of what's been said about Kane has
been smoke but its hung around all season.
No one is expecting him to be a hermit. He's a young man with money in his
pocket and should be free to enjoy what our city has to offer. But there's a
way to roll and heavy doesn't do anyone, in particular Kane, any good.
Sure, Winnipeg is a fishbowl but there are plants and fixtures to stand
behind. Kane's teammates have all figured a way to slip out for dinner, a
date or a drink and not have it dominate the next day's news cycle. He
needs to do the same.
The Jets leading goal-scorer returned to action last night after missing
seven games with a concussion. Kane told the media on Tuesday morning
he believes he suffered the injury back on Dec. 20 in a game against the
New York Islanders and then played in 14 games while fighting symptoms.
He also stated his injury was not the result of an incident away from the
rink.
"No. The last time I suffered an off-ice injury I was five years old. It was not
an off-ice injury," said Kane, who has been dogged by rumours he was
injured in a bar fight.
Kane's return to action was mostly ordinary highlighted by a couple of
dangerous shifts but little in terms of productivity.
The 20-year-old is enjoying his best season with 19 goals and appears on
the cusp of a breakout. This summer the Jets will need to determine what
they want to do when Kane's entry-level contract expires. Try to sign him to
a long-term deal or go with a shorter bridge contract so they can continue to
assess his potential.
"I'm pretty much ready to go, but it's the kind of injury where the last couple
of days is the first time I've felt really good," Stapleton said Tuesday. "I think
I need to be careful because I could tweak it again."
For the Jets to commit big dollars and enter a lengthy deal they'll need to be
certain they're getting a player they can build their team around. Is Kane
that player today? Difficult to say.
Now, it turns out nobody was more excited to see the Jets return home -even if it was just for one game -- than Stapleton. Sitting at home in
Winnipeg all by his lonesome wasn't much fun.
Likely he'll fall under the same category as Zach Bogosian did last summer
when the Jets needed to re-sign the third-year defenceman but weren't
compelled to give the player more than a wait-and-see two-year deal.
"It's terrible, especially when they're on the road and I'm stuck in Winnipeg
all by myself," said Stapleton. "I try to keep myself busy. I like it here, but
like I said it's tough with the team gone. I'm excited everyone's back. I
actually can't stop smiling because everyone's back. I'm pretty happy."
Is Kane a future 40-goal man and a leader in the dressing room? Maybe.
Maybe not.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will need to make that assessment but based
on what we've seen and heard this season there isn't enough data for a
confident evaluation. Kane will have to show more in terms of production
and maturity.
Just 20 and already in his third year in the league, Kane has enormous
upside. But potential is a difficult thing to bet on and the Jets hold most of
the leverage in this case and can afford to wait.
Kane will be a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights. He has two
choices: sign a deal offered by the Jets or sit out.
Cheveldayoff won't be pressured into a pact with a player he's unsure about
and Kane has allowed doubt to creep in. He has time to convince
Cheveldayoff and the Jets he's worth betting on but don't be surprised if
they elect to hedge.
611409
Winnipeg Jets
Outdoor game a possibility
By: Ed Tait
The National Hockey League is doing its homework as to the viability of
Winnipeg playing host to a Heritage Classic outdoor game at the new
Investors Field.
A source has told the Free Press the league has taken the next step in their
study by contacting Environment Canada seeking data on weather patterns
in Winnipeg for January and February. Now, while that may seem like a
given -- most Winnipeggers would offer up their own forecast as cold with
the chance of more cold -- it does indicate how seriously the NHL is
considering the Manitoba capital as a future site for a Heritage Classic
outdoor game, perhaps in 2014.
There have been two previous Heritage Classic games held in Canada -not to be confused with the Winter Classics staged on New Year's Day: the
first was in Edmonton in 2003 when the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens
played in front of 57,167 at Commonwealth Stadium and the second was
held last year in front of 41,022 fans at Calgary's McMahon Stadium
between the Flames and Habs.
Also worth noting here is MTS Centre chief engineer Derek King spent
three weeks in Philadelphia before this year's Winter Classic helping NHL
icemaker Dan Craig ready Citizen's Bank Park for that game between the
Flyers and New York Rangers.
The NHL said last fall Winnipeg would be a good candidate to host a
Heritage Classic because of its weather and the new facility at the
University of Manitoba. And in January, True North Sports & Entertainment
chairman Mark Chipman told the Free Press: "If the opportunity came
along, it's something we would certainly explore. But it's not something
we're looking to do next year by any stretch," he said. "I don't even know
when the next (Heritage Classic) would be available. I think people would
be very enthusiastic (in Winnipeg). The Heritage Classics have been big
successes whenever they've been held."
-- TRAVEL MANITOBA, YOUNG MAN: Jets forward Tim Stapleton, who
has been battling a 'lower-body' injury and has missed the last eight games,
may get the green light to return for Thursday's game in Washington.
Asked how he killed time when the team was away -- maybe going bowling
or by heading out to museums -- Stapleton said: "I haven't gone to any
museums yet... I like museums, I just didn't know they had any here. What
have I done? I've been at the rink a lot just kind of rehabbing and trying to
stay here as much as possible. Being home I've been watching the games
and that's been frustrating, but being that we've been playing a lot it's given
me something to do. I've just been resting and hanging out and trying to
make friends and enjoy the time."
Told there were museums in Winnipeg and an art gallery, Stapleton -- who
has a wry sense of humour -- added: "I heard there was a couple and I
actually want to check them out. And there's Internet, too.
"It's something where maybe I'm going to have to do a few more things
around here rather than sit around my house."
-- CHECK IT OUT: In the wake of Evander Kane's concussion woes -- and
the fact he believes he may have suffered it as far back as the game
against the New York Islanders on Dec. 20 -- coach Claude Noel said
Tuesday players are reminded to report any symptoms to their staff.
"We've mentioned that and our trainers are good in the fact that they do
that," Noel said. "But athletes are athletes and if you've ever had a
concussion it's strange because you're not really sure, either. Is it a
headache? There's a lot of emphasis on it now and it's something we've
addressed.
"Concussions are out there. It's one of those things... sometimes you wake
up and you're fine. Sometimes you don't get anything until a couple days
later. Anything now, though, you've got to bring it up to the staff and say, 'I
might not be quite right here.' That's the only thing you can do."
Kane played on a line Tuesday with Nik Antropov and Kyle Wellwood and
the Jets cleared a roster spot for him by returning forward Spencer
Machacek to the St. John's IceCaps.
611410
Winnipeg Jets
Jets, Leafs tied 1-1 after first period
By Kirk Penton ,Winnipeg Sun
The Winnipeg Jets have a 2-1 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs through
two periods of play on Tuesday night at MTS Centre.
The Jets, who have lost two in a row, took the lead midway through the
second when Blake Wheeler roared down the left side and cut in front of the
net. Jonas Gustavsson made the stop, but Bryan Little was there to bury
the rebound for his 13th of the season.
The Leafs, winners of three in a row, opened the scoring when Phil Kessel
buried his 30th on a long wrist shot past Ondrej Pavelec. That could have
given the visitors a 2-0 lead, but Joey Crabb missed a wide-open net just a
few minutes earlier during a goal-mouth scramble.
The Jets bounced right back, however, when Chris Thorburn notched his
second goal in a week ˜ and second of the season ˜ when he raced down
the left side, past Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn, and wired a backhand
past Gustavsson.
If was the first time eight games that the Jets scored in the first period.
The Jets got some bad news before the puck even dropped. Winger Kyle
Wellwood, who has arguably been Winnipeg‚s best player lately, was
scratched because of the flu. Eric Fehr, who was destined to be a healthy
scratch for the second straight game, replaced Wellwood on the second
line.
Kane has gone one further: shutting it down, altogether, leaving some
68,000 followers hanging.
The Jets have 17 shots, while the Leafs have 13.
“I just haven’t had anything to say,” he said, with only the hint of a smirk.
Evander Kane is back in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 19, but he
hasn‚t had much of an impact. He doesn‚t have a shot in just more than
eight minutes of ice time.
He didn’t have much to say in his return to the lineup, either.
Winnipeg Sun LOADED 02.08.2012
611411
Winnipeg Jets
Playing on the left side with Nik Antropov and Eric Fehr, Kane didn’t register
a shot on goal as the Jets ended a two-game slide by beating the Leafs, 21.
“He looked a little rusty,” Noel said. “It looked like he hadn’t practised with
us for a while.”
All eyes on Kane
Of course, expecting Kane to single-handedly solve the Jets offensive woes
wouldn’t have been realistic. Not in his first game back.
By Paul Friesen ,
But he’s going to have to break what is now an 11-game goal drought,
soon.
Because the Jets can’t expect to keep winning 2-1 games, at least not
enough of them to challenge for a playoff spot.
It turns out the mystery of Evander Kane’s concussion goes back even
further than we thought.
Kane’s return to the Winnipeg Jets lineup Tuesday night was marked by the
revelation he may have been hurt as much as seven weeks ago, and that
he played another 14 games before finally being diagnosed and told to stay
away from the rink.
In his first public comments since being sidelined Jan. 20 Kane said his
best guess is a series of hits did the damage.
They need Kane to be more like his old self, the one that threw down 13
goals in the 20 games before his slump.
There’s no mystery in that.
611412
Winnipeg Jets
“The hit that probably rung the bell the most was against the Islanders a
while ago (Dec. 20),” Kane said. “It didn’t really bother me too much. I got
over it the next day. No symptoms or anything.”
Jets Snapshots: Tight checking recipe for win
A month later, Kane says, he hit his head on the ice against Buffalo, a
relatively “harmless” hit that made his brain “rattle a little bit.”
By Ted Wyman ,
At the time, he’d gone 10 games without a goal.
The way the Winnipeg Jets have been checking lately and with the great
goaltending they’ve been getting, they don’t need many goals to get a
victory.
“I don’t think it was affecting my play,” he said. “I got over it quickly, but I
just wasn’t feeling the same as I felt most of the year. It was probably best
to go get examined and evaluated. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Obviously, neither did the Jets.
Kane’s case underlines exactly how tricky concussions can be. You only
have to look at the case of Sidney Crosby to see that even the best experts
don’t have a handle on the brain.
“Sometimes you don’t get anything until a couple days later,” Jets head
coach Claude Noel said. “Anything now, though, you’ve got to bring it up to
staff and say, ‘I might not be quite right, here.’
The offensively challenged Jets only managed two goals, which seemed
like an offensive explosion given their recent woes, but it was enough to
earn them a 2-1 win over the red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night.
Playing their first game on home ice in more than two weeks, the Jets did
the little things right, clamped down on the Leafs high-powered forwards for
the most part and buried a couple of their chances to give their sagging
playoff hopes a big lift.
“We’ve mentioned that. But athletes are athletes. And if you’ve ever had a
concussion, they’re strange. What is it, a headache?”
Ondrej Pavelec made some timely saves, Blake Wheeler was once again
the Jets most electrifying forward and grinder Chris Thorburn continued to
show leadership, scoring his second goal of the season to get the Jets on
the board in the first period.
If Kane thought his hockey headache was bad, the one he’s experienced
through social media and gossip sites hasn’t exactly been a walk in
Assiniboine Park, either.
Once again the playoffs are within reach, but it’s going to take a lot more
than one win to get the Jets there. This team needs to go on a streak and
has a chance to really close the gap when it visits Washington Thursday.
It seems everybody has a friend who knows somebody who saw, firsthand,
the real story about Kane’s concussion. I’m pretty sure those same people
know somebody whose friend saw the CIA agent shoot JFK.
The Jets have had a few chances to get close to first place in the Southeast
Division this season and have come up short on each occasion.
Oh, and when Kane wasn’t busy getting cold-cocked in a bar, he was
running out on tabs.
“It’s definitely interesting,” Kane said of the, uh, attention. “This kind of
media attention is to be expected here. You’re in Canada, all eyes are on
you. It’s fun and I’m enjoying it so far.”
Sure he is.
“It’s tough lessons of life, in a small market,” Noel said. “It has affected him.
The way they’ve got him portrayed is really unfair. But that’s the world we
live in. And sometimes you get humbled, and it’s a tough lesson.
“He’s dealing with it the best he can, and we’re trying to help him. Who
wants to be criticized every time you turn around?”
One of the things the Jets have suggested is Kane tone down his presence
on Twitter.
The Capitals currently occupy top spot (and the accompanying third seed in
the East) and are just four points ahead of the Jets.
At some point the Jets are going to have come up huge and win on the road
in a critical situation such as this. At some point they’re going to have to
start stringing wins together.
Now would be the perfect time for both.
RARE EARLY TALLY
When Thorburn scored midway through the first period on a nice power
rush off the left wing, it marked the first time in eight games that the Jets
found the scoreboard in the opening frame. In the first half of the season,
when the Jets were winning with more regularity, the Jets’ best period was
the first. That can’t be coincidence ... When they directed 12 shots at Jonas
Gustavsson in the third it was the first time in 17 periods that the Jets
managed to hit double digits. This team still directs a lot of shots at the net
but misses far too often. They missed on 24 attempts in Montreal Sunday,
but were much better in that department Tuesday ... Evander Kane made a
nice move to avoid a big hit from Dion Phaneuf but still was taken hard into
the boards after almost beating out at icing call early in the first. The Jets
needed to see that Kane can handle the physical play after sitting out seven
games with a concussion that has been bothering him since late December
... For the most part Kane looked like a non-factor in the game, but with the
way his linemates Nik Antropov and Eric Fehr have played lately, that’s
hardly a surprise ... The Jets got a good save and some luck early when
Pavelec turned aside Tim Connolly after a beautiful passing play by the
Leafs. A few seconds later Joey Crabb had a wide open net, but somehow
swept the puck just wide.
BLAKE SHOWS WHEELS
A year ago Wheeler was a third liner for the Boston Bruins, but there he
was Tuesday night leading all Jets forwards in ice-time with 20:29. Wheeler
went off favouring his right leg one minute and the next he was streaking
down the left wing and making his signature power move to the net, which
resulted in a rebound goal for Bryan Little. Wheeler, one of the best skating
forwards in the league, is fantastic coming off the left wing and is a threat
almost every game ... The Jets have had great defence and goaltending for
the last month. Even though he has a 4-5-1 record in the last 10 games,
Pavelec has a .921 save percentage and has improved his numbers across
the board ... Love the effort of the GST Line, especially when it contributes
a goal like Tuesday night, but sometimes Jim Slater, Tanner Glass and
Thorburn look like they are killing penalties when at even strength.
JETS FINISHED STRONG
Terrific last two minutes by the Jets, who kept the Leafs completely
hemmed in their own zone and didn’t allow any late chances ... The Jets
fourth line of Alex Burmistrov, Antti Miettinen and Aaron Gagnon looked
dangerous again. If they can put a few pucks in the net it could be huge for
the Jets down the stretch ... Phil Kessel scored a sweet first-period goal,
working off the left wing and using Toby Enstrom as a screen to beat
Pavelec with a low shot. Kessel is exactly the type of sniper the Jets need.
Someone who can get you goals even if the defenceman makes the right
play and the scoring chance isn’t that great ... Thorburn, who is suddenly
the Jets hottest player with a modest two goals in the last five games, tied it
at 1-1 in the first after a great rush by Zach Bogosian, who used his great
skating ability to shake a forechecker behind the net before setting up the
play ... It looked like Phaneuf left his feet to hammer Bogosian after he had
released the puck in the second period. Bogosian left the ice looking
injured, but was just winded. Phaneuf’s a great hitter but many of his hits
are borderline ... The Jets have now gone seven games without a power
play goal ... The Leafs actually took two minor penalties, which is rare for
that team. They don’t take many penalties, which seems to be their strategy
for combating the fact they have the second-worst penalty kill in the league
... All the Jets hard work could have been wasted had it not been for a
brilliant save by Pavelec off Matthew Lombardi in the third period. Terrific
job by the Jets goalie to stay with the attacker, who had a partial breakaway
... The Jets were livid when Gustavsson played the puck outside the
trapezoid on a delayed penalty call against the Leafs but wasn’t given an
extra minor. Should have been an easy, automatic call for the referees.
611413
Winnipeg Jets
Jets Kane played concussed
By Kirk Penton ,
The events surrounding Evander Kane’s concussion raised a few eyebrows
on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old figures he first suffered his injury on Dec. 20 against the
New York Islanders, but he played for the next month before aggravating it
on Jan. 19 versus Buffalo. He fell backwards and hit his head on the ice
against the Sabres, and that’s when he knew for sure something wasn’t
right.
Kane scored three goals in the four games after first banging his head, and
then he went on a 10-game scoring skid before the concussion was
diagnosed. He doesn’t think the concussion and the slump were related,
however.
“I don’t think it was affecting my play,” he said. “It was a long time ago, and I
got over it quickly. I just wasn’t feeling the same as I felt most of the year,
so I kind of wanted to take a step back and rest up and get a little better.”
Kane’s concussion simply emphasizes the need for players to report any
head problems to the trainers as soon as it happens.
“You gotta bring it up to staff and say I might not be quite right here,” Noel
said. “That’s the only thing you can do.”
STAPLETON NOT READY
While Kane returned from his injury that kept him out for seven games,
centre Tim Stapleton did not and instead missed his eighth straight contest
with a lower-body injury.
There’s a chance Stapleton could be back in the lineup on Thursday night
in Washington against the Capitals.
To make room for Kane on the roster, the Jets assigned left-winger
Spencer Machacek to the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps on Tuesday morning.
SEE NO EVIL, FEEL NO PAIN
Winger Tanner Glass is either extremely focused on the task at hand or a
good fibber. When asked about Winnipeg’s place in the standings and the
impending trade deadline, Glass pleaded ignorance on both accounts.
“What’s February 27th?” he asked, unaware that was the last day teams
could swap players and draft picks. “If you told me the trade deadline was
coming I might know, but I didn’t know the date. It’s not something I can
worry about.”
Glass also claimed he glances at the NHL standings only about once a
month.
“I’m just not one to really check it out,” he said. “You know who’s good. I
watch the scoreboard every night for who’s winning and who’s losing. You
can kind of get a sense of who’s up there by wins and losses.”
611414
Websites
ESPN / Owen Nolan goes home to say goodbye
By Scott Burnside
"I guess I've known this day was here for a while," Nolan said when
announcing his retirement. "When your body won't do what your mind and
heart are willing to do, it's time to move on."
When your hockey journey has lasted18 NHL seasons and always took you
through guys instead of around them, there is perhaps never a good time to
walk away. But as it turns out, there is a right way to walk away and here's
to Owen Nolan and the San Jose Sharks for finding that right way.
Nolan didn't begin his hockey odyssey a Shark -- he was the first overall
pick of the Quebec Nordiques back in 1990 -- nor did he end his career in
San Jose, at least not technically.
But on Tuesday afternoon, as Nolan was surrounded by friends, family and
the entire Sharks organization, current San Jose captain Joe Thornton and
former captain Patrick Marleau presented Nolan, also a former Sharks
captain, with a current Sharks jersey to mark his official retirement from the
game.
In other words, the Sharks invited Nolan home to say goodbye.
Head coach Claude Noel noted it’s not unusual for a player to not know
when his concussion occurs.
"To have Owen Nolan sit here and retire as a Shark means an awful lot to
us," GM Doug Wilson said.
“If you’ve ever had a concussion, it’s strange,” Noel said. “You’re not really
sure either. Is it a headache, or what is it? There’s a lot of emphasis on it
now, but it’s something that we’ve addressed.”
"To me he is a San Jose Shark."
Nolan finished his career with 1,200 regular-season games to his credit. He
scored 422 times and collected 1,793 penalty minutes. He spent the first
five seasons of his career with the Nordiques, who selected the big winger
ahead of such luminaries as Jaromir Jagr, Petr Nedved and former Sharks
teammate Mike Ricci.
By Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun
Owen Nolan
In the fall of 1995, though, the recently relocated Colorado Avalanche dealt
Nolan to San Jose for defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh. The Avs would go on
to win the Stanley Cup the next spring while Nolan would go on to become
one of the pivotal figures in building an identity for the Sharks, who had
come into the league in the 1991-92 season.
Nolan would never win a Cup, but he did score one of the biggest goals in
Sharks history, the winning goal in Game 7 over the Presidents' Trophy
winners from St. Louis in the first round of the 2000 playoffs. Wilson
referenced the long Nolan bomb that eluded Blues netminder Roman Turek
from somewhere near the center red line on Tuesday.
"For us to win that series, Game 7, it was a gut check for the whole
organization," Wilson said. "The guy that scored that goal is sitting right
here beside me."
While Nolan would be denied having his name inscribed on the Cup -- in
fact he never played in more than 12 postseason games in any one season
-- he did win an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2002. In fact, his
presence around the league was so great at that time that he was among a
group of players named early to the team known as the Elite Eight, part of a
lengthy marketing plan leading up to the Salt Lake City Olympics.
Among those who joined in feting Nolan on his retirement day was the head
of Hockey Canada, Bob Nicholson, who chided him gently about racing to
the Team Canada dressing room with about a minute to go in the goldmedal game to get his camera so he could record the celebration that
marked Canada's first gold-medal win in 50 years.
"We still wonder why you went to the dressing room to get that camera
when Pat Quinn wanted you to be on the ice for that last shift, but I guess
you got the best pictures," Nicholson said.
Nolan, of course, wasn't ever in any danger of winning any Lady Byng
trophies for sportsmanlike conduct. As a player he was always more prickly
than warm and fuzzy. He was suspended for 11 games back in 2001 after
seemingly trying to decapitate Grant Marshall of the Dallas Stars. He
flattened Ed Belfour one night during the 1998 playoffs, although the two
would later share the Olympic stage together.
Owen Nolan
Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun discuss the Leafs' playoff push, the
Oilers' trade options and the Lightning's decisions at the deadline.
Scott Burnside: Greetings, mon ami. You saw a pretty interesting hockey
game Monday night in Toronto, where the Leafs bested the streaking
Edmonton Oilers (OK, streaking is a relative term when it comes to the
Oilers) by a 6-3 count. I found it interesting that in the past, this kind of
game always seemed to trip up the Leafs. Toronto had won two straight,
but the plucky Oilers had won three and been the object of much attention
with Sam Gagner’s eight-point explosion against Chicago last week. And
sure enough, the Leafs gave up a goal 21 seconds in (with scoring dynamo
Gagner drawing an assist on Jordan Eberle’s 23rd of the season).
Previous incarnations of the Leafs might have folded their tent. This team
has shown almost no resolve since the lockout -- a period that has seen
them miss the playoffs six straight seasons. Yet Monday night against an
Edmonton team playing pretty good hockey, the Leafs battled back. They
got goals from five different players (Phil Kessel had two, the second into
an empty net), and James Reimer overcame that early goal to stop 27 of 30
shots. The Leafs got two points that in the past might have slipped through
their grasp. The win moved the Leafs into seventh place in the Eastern
Conference, and although they are certainly not assured of their first
postseason berth since the lockout, they must be feeling pretty good about
themselves as they head to Winnipeg for a tilt Tuesday night against a team
that is rapidly fading from the playoff picture. That's a journey the Leafs
have been all too familiar with in recent years.
LeBrun: Scotty, this is the best stretch (11 of 12 possible points) I’ve seen
the Leafs play under Ron Wilson as head coach, at least when the games
still matter.
Last Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, you wondered how the Leafs would react
after blowing a 4-1 lead and losing in a shootout. Well, they’ve won three
straight games, outscoring their opponents 12-3 and showing signs that this
club should be playoff-bound.
But what really caught my eye Monday night was the play of 21-year-old
defenseman Jake Gardiner, who scored his second goal of the season. He
was incredibly noticeable, rushing the puck up the ice and forcing the Oilers
back on their heels in doing so, finding teammates with pinpoint passes and
playing a sound defensive game.
San Jose's current captain Joe Thornton and former captain Patrick
Marleau presented Nolan, also a former Sharks captain, with a current
Sharks jersey to mark his official retirement from the game.
Head coach Ron Wilson sat Gardiner out for four games in mid-January -demoting him for one AHL game -- because he felt the rookie had hit a wall.
But Ricci, who was on hand for Tuesday's announcement, said Nolan didn't
get enough credit for his skill set.
"And now, he just seems to be energized again," Wilson said after Monday
night’s victory. "Because his whole game is skating. If he’s not skating, he
gets into trouble. Now you see him start to move his feet again. He’s a
pretty effective player and hard to play against when he’s skating."
"He could stick handle in a phone booth," Ricci told ESPN.com. "He had
great hands for a big guy."
The two were good pals off the ice, but Ricci also knew that Nolan was a
fierce competitor on the ice.
"In the dressing room, he was very intense," Ricci said. "He didn't like
anyone messing with his routine. He was all about winning and as a
teammate you appreciate that."
For all that ferocity, though, Tuesday revealed an Owen Nolan who seemed
overwhelmed by all of it, not just the finality of the moment, but the fact that
his hockey road had brought him in a sense home.
He paused in his brief remarks, noticeably emotional, as he talked about
coming to terms with the fact his body could no longer keep up with the
competitive spirit that still burned hot within him.
Asked if he could pick one highlight of his eight seasons in San Jose, Nolan
-- who will turn 40 next week -- said that if he picked one, he knew that 30
seconds later he'd think of another.
"I would just have to say the overall experience was awesome," he said.
ESPN LOADED: 02.08.2012
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ESPN / Daily Debate: Decision time for Oilers, Bolts
Gardiner, acquired with Joffrey Lupul in the Francois Beauchemin deal with
Anaheim last February, has seven points (2-5), is plus-11 in the nine games
since coming back into the lineup and has been a factor almost every night.
The difference now is that he’s even more aggressive on his rushes, going
deeper into the opposition's zone instead of just dumping the puck in after
skating halfway up the ice.
"That’s seeing the game, it’s probably slowing down a little bit for him,”
Wilson said. "When you first play in the NHL, it’s so doggone fast. I think the
play has slowed down for him. We’ve been on him like crazy to shoot
pucks. He’s been very unselfish. He wants to pass to other people. The last
couple of weeks, he’s started the puck to the net, and things are
happening."
Burnside: Apart from the scoring exploits of Mr. Gagner, whom you spoke
to before Monday night’s game (as well as his dad, former NHLer Dave
Gagner), the Oilers are a team of great interest around the NHL because
they are headed for yet another year sans playoff games, so other teams
are looking to pick over the carcass. Gagner’s name features prominently
because of his recent surge in production, but he’s been an overall
disappointment in Edmonton, falling down the team's depth chart. You
wonder whether GM Steve Tambellini views Gagner’s role differently now
or he sees this as an opportunity to capitalize on a hot commodity in making
a deal to perhaps bolster the team’s woefully thin defensive ranks moving
forward.
I’ll be surprised if Gagner’s moved, but another name of interest to a
number of teams is veteran winger Ryan Smyth. He made headlines when
he lobbied to be traded back to his first NHL home in Edmonton, but with
the Oilers going nowhere vis-à-vis the playoffs, Smyth’s gritty style of play
and veteran presence would be a welcome tonic to, what, 10 or 12 teams
around the NHL? And there’s nothing to stop Smyth, who can become an
unrestricted free agent July 1, from agreeing to a trade before the Feb. 27
deadline, then re-signing again with the Oil. I know your relationship with
Smyth dates back many years to the many world championships you
covered. (Sorry, I had to yawn a bit there when I typed world
championships.) How do you think this will play out?
"It’s still a bit early for that in light of the fact that our team is playing
reasonably well," Yzerman said. "The timing isn’t right to look at it that way.
We have to keep seeing if we can keep climbing into this. ...
"We’ll see how we do in the next few games. We’ll see how it all plays out.
There’s no rush to do anything. There haven’t been any difficult decisions to
make at this point because any potential [trade] opportunities really haven’t
made sense for us, short-term and long-term."
Until tomorrow, Scotty, and lay off the worlds.
ESPN LOADED: 02.08.2012
LeBrun: I’m going to ignore your jab at the men’s worlds because I know
your lack of education on the subject makes you say silly, unjustified things
about the wonderful tournament. But yes, I chatted with Smyth before the
game Monday night at Air Canada Centre and asked him about the
speculation that a few playoff contenders might be interested in his
services.
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"Obviously, it’s very flattering from that front, but I haven’t been approached
at all, and this [Edmonton] is where I wanted to come back to,” Smyth said.
"Time will tell, but I’m enjoying myself with the Oilers."
Dave Scheiber
Given how difficult and stressful it was for Smyth and his family when he
forced the Kings into moving him to Edmonton this past summer, he can
hardly turn around now and ask the Oilers to move him. I spoke with
Tambellini as well Monday night, and he relayed that he had no intention of
going down that path with Smyth, either.
BREAKTHROUGH BOLTS: The Lightning look to use their upcoming
schedule to play their way back into the playoff picture.
I guess what neither Tambellini nor Smyth can control is, say, a contender
calling Feb. 27 with an offer neither can refuse, but the sense right now is
that Captain Canada will finish the season and -- hopefully -- his career
where it all started. Smyth said he’d like to re-sign with the up-and-coming
Oilers, where his leadership has been keenly welcomed.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's veteran right wing notched the fifth hat trick of
his 11-career tenure with the team – and his first since 2006 – to power a 63 victory over intrastate rival and Southeast Division-leading Florida on
Saturday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
"Obviously that would be the ultimate for sure, to re-sign with these guys,
no question," Smyth said.
Burnside: OK, let’s agree to disagree on the world’s longest, least
compelling hockey tournament and take a look at one of 11 tilts on tap
Tuesday night in the NHL. The Los Angeles Kings, who again have fallen
perilously close to the end of the playoff ladder in the Western Conference
(they are just four points ahead of ninth-place Dallas and have played two
more games than the Stars) will visit the surging Tampa Bay Lightning.
When I was doing the Power Rankings this week, I suggested that if there
was a team that could come from the back of the pack to steal a playoff
berth, it would be Tampa. With the NHL’s top goal scorer in Steven
Stamkos, Hart Trophy nominee from last season Martin St. Louis and Victor
Hedman back and healthy on the blue line, the Bolts’ recent play is much
more reminiscent of the team that went to the seventh game of the Eastern
Conference finals this past spring than the one that stumbled through the
first half of this NHL season.
Heading into Tuesday’s home date with the Kings, the Lightning are 10
points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, but they have four
games in hand on slumping Ottawa. As intriguing as that is, they are just
eight points behind Southeast Division-leading Florida, although both teams
have played the same number of games (51). The team’s strong play of late
-- it is 6-0-1 in its past seven -- has clouded the issue for GM Steve
Yzerman. He is no doubt fielding calls on forwards Ryan Malone and
Dominic Moore and defenseman Pavel Kubina. But does he sell out key
players from a team that could get back in the hunt? Yikes. Tough decisions
ahead for Yzerman, whose every move worked out to near perfection last
season, but who has seen his team struggle mightily for much of this
season.
LeBrun: I spoke with Yzerman on Monday morning, Scotty, and it was clear
that at this point, they believe they’re still in this. As you pointed out, the
Southeast Division title race is not completely out of the question, although
Washington and Winnipeg are also ahead of Tampa. As of this week,
Tampa is not ready to pull the plug and start selling off assets. It wants to
see how far this run takes it first.
"Our team is winning,” Yzerman told ESPN.com. "My approach is that if
there’s any deal that potentially can be done which makes our team better
now or a better team in the future that’s worth doing, I’m prepared to do it.
But at this point, nothing has made sense from my point of view."
There are 11 games between now and the trade deadline. Yzerman knows
that at some point before then, he’ll need to make that call, especially with
his UFAs such as Moore and Kubina.
Websites
FOXSports.com / Hat trick comes at perfect time for St. Louis
Martin St. Louis picked the perfect way to celebrate his 900th game in the
National Hockey League – with a quintessential tip of the hat.
"You play this thing from the beginning and just try to find your way, and to
be in the league for that many games, I'm proud of that," said the 36-yearold undrafted star out of the University of Vermont. "Tough start to get
going, but once I got going I really felt that I wanted to be here for a while."
"I worked hard to be here," he continued, his three young sons by his side.
"And now I get to share these moments with my three boys. There's nothing
like it."
St. Louis' heroics came less than two months after being struck in the face
by a puck during practice, sustaining several fractures and missing 13 days,
including what would have been his milestone 500th consecutive regular
season game on the day of the injury.
But there was no denying this landmark. His effort helped give the Lightning
(23-23-4) a much-needed win against the best team in the Southeast
Division and raise its record to 6-0-1 in the last seven games, renewing the
Bolts' hopes for a second-half run at the playoffs.
"It's only fitting," said Lightning head coach Guy Boucher. "It couldn't have
happened on a better night. … (Steven) Stamkos could have shot that; it's
just a tribute to the kind of people we have on our team: real unselfish
people; people who care about the group."
In many respects, the Lightning and Panthers have been polar opposites
lately.
While the Lightning soared into the All-Star break with four straight wins
following a frustrating opening act in 2011-12, the Panthers stumbled
through January with a mark of 2-7 after a stellar start to the season.
Coming out the break early this past week, it was the Cats who got back on
track with a pair of victories to regain the division lead over the Washington
Capitals – while the Lightning watched its five-game winning streak end
Thursday at home against Winnipeg in a 2-1 overtime loss.
But Saturday, the state rivals once again found themselves on opposite
ends of the spectrum as Tampa Bay short-circuited Florida's recent surge
before an electrified sellout crowd of 19,204.
The first two of St. Louis' scores came in a four-goal second period, which
featured a handful of other noteworthy offensive showings. There was the
early tie-breaking goal by team captain Vinny Lecavalier in the pivotal
period – marking the 12th time in his 13-year career he has reached the 20goal mark in a season.
The score was knotted 1-1 early in the second when right wing Ryan
Shannon forced a turnover. Moments later, Lecavalier flicked a wrist shot
over the glove of Florida goalkeeper Scott Clemmensen at the 18:18 mark –
and the Lightning never lost the lead after that.
Along the way, NHL leading scorer Stamkos scored his 34th goal of the
season – maintaining his impressive status as the player who has scored
more career goals (153) than any active player prior to his 22nd birthday –
ahead of Sidney Crosby (132), Jaromir Jagr (111), Iyla Kovalchuck (108)
and Alex Ovechkin (98).
The Panthers threatened to get back into the game in the closing moments
of the second period when ex-Lightning standout Sean Bergenheim – a key
performer on last season's playoff team – scored to make it 5-3 with 46
seconds remaining. But the Bolts kept the visitors at bay after that,
eventually improving to 4-1-1 this season over the Panthers.
"We had a tough second period to say the least," said Panthers head coach
Kevin Dineen. "We got off to a tough start, and I think we were our own
worst enemy. That was certainly the difference – the push they put on in the
second period."
In the process, the Bolts set a season high with six goals Saturday night
and have points in seven straight for the first time since 2010. They also
finished with nine points against the Panthers, the most they've ever
accumulated in one season against them. More important, they're eight
points back of Florida with 31 games remaining, plenty of time to make up
that ground the way they're playing.
"It's a huge two points," said Shannon, who contributed two assists. "We
knew they had a game last night, so we wanted to wear them down and we
did that. And it opened up the way for Marty's hat trick in his 900th game.
And we climbed a couple of more points in the standings."
"Maybe it's a little fatigue back to back," said Florida's right wing Mikael
Samuelsson, whose team defeated Winnipeg 2-1 Friday night. "But we
should have been able to make a big push in the third. Still, we had a
couple of chances, but they played good."
Repeated head trauma has shortened the careers of Pat LaFontaine, Eric
Lindros, and Keith Primeau. Currently, concussions are threatening the
careers of Pittsburgh Penguin’s superstar Sidney Crosby and the
Philadelphia Flyers’ Chris Pronger. Three enforcers, Derek Boogard, Rick
Rypien, and Wade Belak, whose primary job was to protect teammates by
throwing fists at the heads of opponents, have died in the past year. It’s
certainly possible the brain trauma they received on the ice from their fellow
combatants played a significant role in their deaths.
You can read the full text of Nader’s letter here.
This isn’t the first time Nader’s publicly challenged a major-league
commissioner. He’s taken runs at NBA head honcho David Stern — once
criticizing referees (then criticizing them again in the wake of the Tim
Donaghy scandal) and once questioning the scheduling of Christmas Day
games.
NBCSports.com / LOADED: 02.08.2012
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NBCSports.com / Winnipeg activates Kane from IR, will face Toronto
tonight
Mike Halford
The Jets have activated leading goalscorer Evander Kane from injured
reserve for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs, marking the first time
the 20-year-old will have suited up since Jan. 19.
In the end, the Lightning outshot the Panthers (24-16-11) 34-20, and Florida
goalkeeper Clemmenson was pulled briefly in the explosive second period
after allowing five goals on 25 shots (following Nate Thompson's goal in the
first).
While Kane went on IR in mid-January, it’s believed he suffered the
concussion against the New York Islanders on Dec. 20. He played the rest
of the Isles game and 14 more before the concussion symptoms worsened.
Clemmenson was back in the net in the third period when St. Louis notched
goal No. 3 for his memorable hat trick, extending his point streak to nine
games – the longest by a Lightning player this season.
“I don’t think it was affecting my play,” Kane told the Winnipeg Free Press.
“It was a long time ago. I got over it quickly. I just wasn’t feeling the same
as I was most of the year so I wanted to try to take a step back and rest up
and get better.”
"It was great," Lecavalier said of his longtime teammate. "He played great
tonight; he really battled; he deserves it. He had a great game, he really
helped us out and obviously that 900th game makes it that extra special for
him."
But St. Louis didn't miss a beat when asked about his three boys by his
side: "That's the best hat trick I've ever had."
FOXSports.com LOADED: 02.08.2012
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According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Kane will skate on a line
with Nikolai Antropov and Kyle Wellwood.
The return couldn’t come at a bigger time for the Jets as they look to stay
alive in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. One of the teams Winnipeg’s
chasing is Toronto — currently in 7th place with 62 points — while another,
Washington, will host the Jets on Thursday. The Caps sit ninth in the East
with 58 points, though they’re just one back of Southeast Division-leading
Florida.
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NBCSports.com / Ralph Nader asks Gary Bettman to ban fighting in the
NHL
NBCSports.com / No charges for Sharks fan that knocked a 16-year-old
brain tumor patient unconscious
Mike Halford
Mike Halford
Ralph Nader
Political activist and five-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader has taken
the NHL to task on his sports reform website, League of Fans.
In An Open Letter to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman: It’s Time to Ban
Fighting, Nader asks “the leader of the most influential hockey organization
in the world” to “take immediate steps to ban fighting and outlaw all blows to
the head.”
More, from League of Fans:
Fighting in hockey can no longer be a long-debated issue pitting those who
find it barbaric and unsportsmanlike and those who argue that it’s an
integral part of the fabric of the game. The growing mound of research on
sports concussions and brain injuries has taken the fighting issue to an
entirely different level. We’re talking about short-and-long-term damage to
the brain, the very foundation of who we are as people.
Maggie Herger
The San Jose Mercury News is reporting South Bay prosecutors won’t file
charges against a Sharks fan that knocked a 16-year-old brain tumor
patient unconscious during a San Jose-Vancouver game in late December.
Maggie Herger, a Bay Area Canucks fan, was hit on the back of the head
after celebrating a goal during Vancouver’s 3-2 overtime victory on Dec. 28,
allegedly by an intoxicated female Sharks fan sitting directly behind her.
More, from the Mercury News:
Officials said they did not find sufficient evidence to prove the drunken
woman behind Herger hit her on purpose. Herger’s sister, who was sitting
next to her, heard the fan tell an usher that she had brought her hands
down on Herger’s head accidentally in celebration of a Sharks goal.
Because everyone in the section was standing and cheering with their eyes
trained on the ice during the celebration, no one else actually saw the
woman hit Herger. Even Maggie, whose back was turned to the woman,
didn’t witness it, though the teenager said she had been verbally harassed
by the Sharks fan because of her Canucks shirt.
As she was being loaded into the ambulance, more Sharks fans yelled at
the girl, including one who screamed at her to “suck it up.”
Herger’s mother, Jaynie, said the family incurred several medical bills
related to the incident, including a $1,300 charge for the ambulance ride,
and still don’t know the identity of the woman that hit her daughter. Jaynie
also stated the family was disappointed to hear Santa Clara County
assistant district attorney David Howe wouldn’t be pressing charges.
“Our hearts go out to the young woman and her family,” Howe said in a
statement. “No fan should worry about their safety at a sporting event.
However, the evidence is insufficient to establish who committed the act
that resulted in the teen’s injury and whether that act was intentional or
accidental.”
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / CNN/Sports Illustrated / VIEW FROM THE ICE
Red Wings need answers in net
Darren Eliot
Last week, Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland commented that he likes his
team and is comfortable as the February 27 trade deadline approaches. His
club has the most points in the NHL right now, validating his position. And
there has been much to like about his team thus far.
• Valtteri Filppula has already passed his personal best in points (40, in
2008-09) and linemate Jiri Hudler has produced more consistently during
the past two months. Both developments were hoped for coming into the
season.
• The Red Wings have had solid depth scoring and they've improved
defensively overall -- again, elements that were listed as needs coming out
of training camp.
• Putting them over the top to date is Pavel Datsyuk's MVP-quality season,
the ridiculously consistent excellence of captain Nick Lidstrom, and the AllStar caliber play of goaltender Jimmy Howard.
But now, Howard is on the shelf for what he says will be two weeks, even
though doctors pegged the recovery time for healing his injured finger at 4-6
weeks. With that, does Mr. Holland still stand pat? Can he afford to?
The answers depend on the ability of veteran backup Ty Conklin. Early in
the season, Howard missed a couple of games when his wife delivered
their first child. Conklin did not seize the moment and the team went on to
endure a six-game skid. He wasn't the goalie of record in all of them, but his
shaky showing played a part.
The Wings have played so well since then that it is easy to forget that dark
stretch of games. Howard's brilliance over the subsequent three months
rendered Conklin's role to one of spot duty, and Conklin has been credited
with just three of the team's 35 victories.
coach, thus his short stint in net before being sent to the bench. Babcock
then turned to MacDonald on Monday night in Phoenix, but the Wings fell 31. With a six-game home stand looming, is more than Detroit's 18-game win
streak at Joe Louis Arena on the line with Howard on the shelf?
I mean, can the Wings truly keep their standing in the ultra-competitive
Central Division and Western Conference with Conklin and MacDonald in
tandem for a significant stretch? Doesn't Holland have to look at available
goaltenders -- particularly since the coach hasn't seen the necessary puckstopping from Conklin to make him feel comfortable?
Opting to start MacDonald in Phoenix indicates a need in the short-term
beyond who is on the roster. Now it becomes Holland's decision to weigh
the merits of adding a goaltender for the stretch drive against the long-term
cost of dealing prospects, picks and/or players as the core of his team gets
older.
Yet, the list of candidates who could step in and make a difference is short
and sketchy. Marty Turco is playing in Europe and can opt out of that
contract if he receives a NHL offer prior to the trade deadline. The Islanders
have Evgeni Nabokov -- a logical but potentially pricy option, as well as Al
Montoya. Michael Leighton is staying sharp in the AHL, but is he any
different than MacDonald?
Ken Holland's reality is that he needs Conklin and MacDonald to piece
together six solid outings on home ice and hold the Red Wings' position in
the standings. Both have won in the NHL before, and with no real upgrade
available, this is their time. And it will be manageable if indeed Howard
returns in two weeks as he predicted.
Any longer than that, Holland's decision gets tougher, as does the
challenge for the Red Wings to stay atop the Central Division without their
All-Star netminder.
CNN/Sports Illustrated LOADED: 02.08.2012
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CNN/Sports Illustrated / INSIDE THE NHL
Adrian Dater
After a couple weeks away, the Power Rankings are back. The time after
the NHL All-Star break is commonly referred to by hockey insiders as when
the "big boy" hockey is played. The pace picks up, and there is a tangible
uptick in the sense of urgency around NHL dressing rooms. More than one
Hall of Fame player I've talked to over the years has essentially put it this
way: "The good teams don't really start playing until after the break."
A DISCLAIMER (of sorts): These rankings are based not just on each
team's record, but an empirically tested formula that includes a) realistic
near-term future expectations; b) consensus talent level and payroll
considerations and; c) whatever the Magic 8-Ball I've had since I was seven
years old tells me will happen. One more thing: Rest assured that I don't
have it in for your team. OK, so I once hated the Philadelphia Flyers with a
passion bordering on the psychotic, but that was 30-something years ago
and Dave Schultz has long since retired. I welcome your emails to the link
attached to my name above, and I always respond -- even to the ones that
start with "Dear Idiot."
With that sentiment in mind, let's move on with our new rankings:
Saturday night in Edmonton, though, it was all about establishing a base for
playing a block of games as the go-to guy in Howard's absence. It couldn't
have gone much worse, as Conklin and the Wings yielded three goals,
trailed 3-1 after one period -- with the third tally coming just after Detroit had
pulled to 2-1 and just before the final tick of the clock sent the teams to
intermission. The timing of both -- the late goal and Conklin's tentative
performance -- clouded Detroit's course of action in the big picture.
NHL Power Rankings
In the short-term, Joey MacDonald came in -- freshly recalled from Grand
Rapids in the AHL -- to begin the second period. He played with poise and
confidence, allowing the Wings to come back and get a point although they
lost their first shootout of the season. He played exactly the way coach Mike
Babcock was looking for from Conklin.
If they lose some games they shouldn't during the next couple of weeks
(like Monday against Phoenix), it'll probably be because goalie Jimmy
Howard is still sidelined with a broken right index finger. But for now, my
index finger is still held high for these Wings as No. 1. Howard will get a
nice rest and come back fresher. His injury could be a blessing. That's my
story and I'm sticking to it. Besides, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg
will dial up the meter to help cover for Howard's absence. Last week: 2-1-1
Babcock's quick hook of Conklin didn't feel as if it was solely rooted in the
moment. Conklin's body of work as the backup hasn't endeared him to the
1
Detroit Red Wings
Last Week: 1
Detroit Red Wings (35-17-2)
2
Nashville Predators
Last Week: 7
rumor to you and we haven't spent any time talking about those players or
wanting to move them. Ninety-five percent of it is fabricated or created for
hype." Last week: 2-1-0
8
Nashville Predators (32-17-4)
They're 12-2-2 against teams in the tough Central Division (Columbus,
notwithstanding, of course). "Coach (Barry Trotz) does a great job preparing
us for these games," goalie Pekka Rinne told The Tennessean. "We start to
get ready in the meeting room and then we get ready mentally." Look for
the Preds to get a good scorer at the trade deadline. With their defense,
goaltending and team concept, that could be all that's needed for their first
Cup. Last week:: 3-2-0
3
New York Rangers
Last Week: 3
New Jersey Devils
Last Week: 14
New Jersey Devils (30-19-3)
They have very quietly gotten back into the conversation again at 7-2-1 in
their last 10 and Zach Parise en fuego with goals in each of their last four.
It's hard to believe he could be an unrestricted free agent this summer. If
he's available July 1, those beep-beep-beeps you'll hear will be the money
truck backing up for this guy. Last week: 4-0-0
9
Pittsburgh Penguins
Last Week: 11
New York Rangers (33-12-5)
The West has one really bad team (Columbus), one fairly bad team
(Edmonton), and the rest are at least very respectable. The East has four,
maybe five, pretty bad teams. That helps explain why the Rangers' record is
so good, but let's agree on one thing: these Blueshirts are a nice, solid
team -- the best in the East according to these here rankings. But they're
not the best team in the league. Last week: 3-0-1
Pittsburgh Penguins (30-19-4)
4
10
Vancouver Canucks
Injuries continue to plague this formerly charmed team (valuable role player
Tyler Kennedy was the latest to go down, at New Jersey on Sunday), but
they nonetheless have won eight of 10. And Sidney Crosby is skating
again. Hope remains alive. Last week: 3-2-0
Philadelphia Flyers
Last Week: 4
Last Week: 8
Vancouver Canucks (32-15-5)
Philadelphia Flyers (30-16-6)
They probably get a little bored in the soft Northwest Division where they
lack the kind of rival that keeps them looking over their shoulder, so offnights can happen as a result. But the Canucks are right on schedule for a
top-four Western finish, and don't count them out for a run at another
conference flag. Last week: 3-0-1
Daniel Briere's continued absence due to a concussion is taking a toll. The
Flyers have lost two in a row and are 4-4-2 in their last 10. Ilya Bryzgalov
has a good game, then a bad game. But they'll make the playoffs, and the
good news is that Briere seems well on the road to recovery. Look for Philly
to get a defenseman or two at the deadline. Last week: 2-2-1
5
11
Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks
Last Week: 2
Last Week: 6
Boston Bruins (33-16-2)
Chicago Blackhawks (29-17-7)
Some complacency seems to have crept in lately (only five wins in their last
11 games). But at least Tim Thomas got out of his hotel room in
Washington this last time around and shut down the Caps to keep Boston
well within range of the Rangers for the conference crown. Look for the
Bruins to get a veteran forward at the deadline. Someone to fill a Mark
Recchi-type role is needed. Last week: 2-3-0
They took an 0-4-1 streak into Denver for Tuesday's game against the
Avalanche, who also had an identical mark in their last five. Somebody's
gotta win. Chicago's goaltending duo of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery
continues to be spotty of late, and Patrick Kane has one goal in his last 13
games. Last week: 0-3-1
12
6
Last Week: 16
St. Louis Blues
Toronto Maple Leafs
Last Week: 5
Toronto Maple Leafs (28-19-6)
St. Louis Blues (30-14-7)
It's beginning to be a bit disconcerting that they are still having trouble
scoring goals. With a puck-possession style and a stable of young, quick
forwards, there should be more illumination of red lamps by the Blues'
sticks than we've been seeing. Ten other Western teams have scored more
goals than St. Louis (126). Of course, no team in the West has allowed
fewer (105). Last week: 1-1-1
7
Ron Wilson's team has looked terrific since the All-Star break. Goalie
James Reimer has won three straight, including two shutouts. After six
straight non-playoff seasons, Toronto is looking like a good bet to make it to
the postseason dance. Last week: 4-0-1
13
Los Angeles Kings
Last Week: 10
San Jose Sharks
Last Week: 9
Los Angeles Kings (25-18-10)
San Jose Sharks (29-15-6)
Too bad they couldn't take their clock-keeper on the road with them,
because they dropped two straight to start a six-game trip. OK, a bit of a
cheapie there, but the Kings need another kick in the butt. Their inability to
score goals has been one of the NHL's more puzzling stories. Yet, they are
a still good bet to make the playoffs. We think. Last week: 1-2-0
They've been treading water all season it seems. When are they going to
reel off eight wins in a row, like they're capable of doing? Yet, their record is
still real good. There have been trade rumors , but coach Todd McLellan
had this to say on the subject to the San Jose Mercury News: "(GM) Doug
(Wilson) and I talk every day. Then you go home and somebody mentions a
14
Minnesota Wild
Last Week: 19
Minnesota Wild (25-19-8)
Dany Heatley isn't scoring like he used to (17 goals, 38 points in 52 games),
but he has drawn very good notices in St. Paul for his hustle and positive
attitude. He seems to enjoy playing on a scrappy team after a few years of
regal living in San Jose. The Wild should get captain Mikko Koivu back this
week. Last week: 2-1-1
15
Phoenix Coyotes
Last Week: 21
Phoenix Coyotes (24-21-8)
These guys just keep hanging around. A nice win over Detroit on Monday
got coach Dave Tippett's team into 10th place in the West, just two points
out of eighth. Veteran Ray Whitney, who will be 40 in May, is on a tear. He
had two assists in the win over the Wings, and has eight points in his last
five contests. Last week: 3-1-0
16
Ottawa Senators
Forward Matt Duchene is still probably a couple of weeks away from
returning from his knee injury. Last week: 0-3-1
21
Calgary Flames
Last Week: 18
Calgary Flames (24-22-7)
Brent Sutter's squad did well to grab a point Monday in Anaheim after falling
behind 2-0, but they hurt themselves at the end of regulation with a typical
sloppy special teams play -- a too-many-men violation on their own power
play. Because of stuff like that, you get the feeling they just don't have what
it takes to get to the playoffs. Last week: 1-2-2
22
Tampa Bay Lightning
Last Week: 27
Tampa Bay Lightning (23-23-5)
Last Week: 13
Guy Boucher's team is coming on (6-3-1 in its last 10), but it's probably too
late for a playoff spot. The Bolts are still 10 points out of eighth place in the
East and their goaltending just doesn't inspire confidence that a sustained
run is possible. Last week: 3-0-1
Ottawa Senators (27-21-7)
23
Mustachioed rookie coach Paul McLean's team is skidding : 3-6-1 in their
last 10. Jason Spezza's icy play has coincided with that. Red hot previously,
he has not recorded a point in six straight games. He and the Sens seem to
have a hangover from hosting All-Star Weekend. Last week: 0-3-1
Last Week: 23
17
They've been the very definition of mediocrity all season long, and it doesn't
seem like anything will change before the end of what has still been a feelgood (for the most part) return to the cold Canadian city. The part that hurts:
Injuries have plagued coach Claude Noel's team, as the Jets have lost 233
man-games to them. Thankfully, young standout forward Evander Kane
should return this week from a concussion, possibly Tuesday against
Toronto. Last week: 2-3-0
Washington Capitals
Last Week: 15
Washington Capitals (27-21-4)
Despite turmoil and a bunch of injuries (valuable forward Brooks Laich
suffered a knee injury on Sunday and may be out a while), the Caps can
move from ninth to third in the East with a victory over Florida on Tuesday
night. We're very tentatively hitching a wagon to their Southeast title drive.
Last week: 2-2-1
18
Dallas Stars
Last Week: 20
Dallas Stars (27-22-2)
Goaltender Kari Lehtonen is looking like his old self again. He's won his last
three starts and has Dallas starting to think about the playoffs again. The
Stars' lineup is too iffy to get really excited about, but Lehtonen is certainly
capable of getting as hot as the summer Texas heat and carrying everyone
on it. Last week: 3-1-0
19
Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets (24-24-6)
24
Anaheim Ducks
Last Week: 22
Anaheim Ducks (20-24-8)
Look out for these guys. They're 7-2-1 in their last 10, and with all that
offensive talent up front -- plus Jonas Hiller playing very well again -- a
playoff spot is not out of the question yet. Yeah, it'll be tough, but when
these guys are hot, they're hot. And they've got cupcakes Carolina and
Columbus in two of their next three games, plus they'll get Detroit without
Jimmy Howard in the other. Last week: 2-2-1
25
New York Islanders
Last Week: 26
Florida Panthers
Last Week: 17
New York Islanders (21-22-8)
Florida Panthers (24-16-11)
They keep taking little baby steps, with the accent on little. At least they
have become a respectable team again, and if John Tavares can get redhot again like he recently was, you never know what they're capable of
doing. Last week: 2-0-2
They seem primed for a slow fade, with too much inconsistent play of late.
But they remained division leaders entering Tuesday's "showdown" with the
Caps. These guys are just quirky enough that they might blow Washington
out and go on a mini-tear. Or vice-versa. Last week: 2-1-1
20
26
Buffalo Sabres
Last Week: 28
Colorado Avalanche
Last Week: 12
Colorado Avalanche (26-25-3)
They were a train wreck after the All-Star break last year, and are trending
downward again. Colorado has outshot its last three opponents by doubledigit margins, but putting the biscuit in the basket remains a daunting task.
Buffalo Sabres (22-24-6)
Poor Lindy Ruff. As if things haven't been bad enough for him trying to coax
wins out of his team, now he's got guys breaking his ribs in practice. On
Monday, Ruff suffered three after being knocked off his feet accidentally by
Jordan Leopold. That's going to make it tougher to screaming at his players,
which he's done a lot this season. But the Sabres are showing signs of life
again. Last week: 3-0-1
27
Carolina Hurricanes
Last Week: 25
was either holding back just a little, perhaps out of shyness, or maybe it
was the rigors of a tough NHL schedule compared to the more paced
routine of playing in the NCAA were taking a toll. He played the previous
three years at the University of Wisconsin.
Carolina Hurricanes (20-25-9)
Leafs coach Ron Wilson has his theory.
They are definitely playing better again (6-2-2 in their last 10), but the
playoffs look just too far away. That's what a horrible first half will do to a
team. For what it's worth, Cam Ward is heating up in net, with shutouts in
two of his last six starts. Last week: 2-1-0
"I think it's simple," Wilson said. "He just ran out of gas and hit a wall.
Whereas you're thinking might be, 'Send him to the minors,' what would be
the point of doing that? He'd have to keep on playing when he has no gas
in the tank. So we didn't play him for two-and-a-half weeks and got him
ready to go again by putting him in one minor league game. Now he seems
to be energized again. His whole game seems to be skating. If he's not
skating, he gets in trouble and now you're seeing him start to move his feet
again. He's a pretty effective player and hard to play against when he's
skating."
28
Montreal Canadiens
Last Week: 24
Montreal Canadiens (20-24-9)
Well, Scott Gomez did it. He managed to go a full calendar year without
scoring a goal. Over 59 games and 122 shots, he laid a goose egg in the
scoring column every time out. But don't worry Habs fans, he's only making
$7.5 million for this and the next two seasons. Last week: 2-3-0
29
Edmonton Oilers
Gardiner didn't complain about being a healthy scratch in four straight
games and five of 11, but that didn't mean he liked it. At the same time, he
understood his team has a lot of depth on the blue line and if you aren't
bringing it consistently, you won't play. Also, he admits he was indeed
getting a little tired.
"When you don't play it's always frustrating, but it was nice to get a little rest
and then get a game with the Marlies to get a little confidence back," he
said. "Then to get back up here with our team playing well has been fun."
Last Week: 29
Edmonton Oilers (21-27-5)
Wilson encourages his defencemen to get involved in the offence and
Gardiner looks like a player who will one day put up big numbers. Wilson
has noticed a little maturity creeping into Gardiner's game.
They're going nowhere, but at least Sam Gagner gave everybody in
Edmonton and the rest of the world a jolt with his incredible eight-point
game against the Blackhawks last week, followed up by a three-point effort.
Who knew that this guy would be trending worldwide on Twitter for a while?
Last week: 3-1-0
"He's getting in and making plays and that's part of seeing the game,"
Wilson said. "The game is probably slowing down a bit for him. When you
first play in the NHL it's so doggone fast and I think the play has slowed
down. Also, we've been on him to shoot the puck more. He has been very
unselfish; he wants to pass the puck to people and the last couple of weeks
he has started to put the puck to the net and things are happening."
30
Gardiner agreed.
Last Week: 30
Columbus Blue Jackets (14-32-6)
The only drama left for this dismal team is what will happen to it at the trade
deadline. Will Rick Nash and Jeff Carter be on the move? Things certainly
haven't worked out too well with them on the roster this season, so, hey,
why not blow it all up and start over with the bounty they'd surely bring in?
Last week: 1-3-0
CNN/Sports Illustrated LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Websites
Sportsnet.ca / Gardiner gets second wind
Mike Brophy
On a night when you could make the case it wasn't one you'd want to own
up to being a defenceman, young Jake Gardiner might just beg to differ.
The 21-year-old rookie defender notched his second goal of the season and
was plus-3 as he passed Adam Larsson of the New Jersey Devils to take
over the rookie defenceman scoring lead in the NHL in a pond-hockeyish 63 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Aside from Gardiner's successful evening,
it was a sloppy effort by both teams in their own ends, but entertaining
nonetheless.
"I think as the year goes on I've been getting more comfortable," Gardiner
said. "I'm focusing on defence first knowing I'm going to get my chances
and things are going my way now so it has been good. In the first half I
would look for the pass most of the time and I know I have to shoot more,"
Gardiner said. "I was a passer in college and they want me to start shooting
the puck more."
For Leafs goalie James Reimer, who also happens to be finding his game
after a frustrating first half during which he missed six weeks with a
concussion and then lost his starter's job to Jonas Gustavsson, he thinks
Gardiner's sudden spurt is a case of a young player becoming aware of his
potential and taking advantage of an opportunity.
"I think he's just finding himself," Reimer said. "He had been playing well
and yes, he may have hit the wall, but part of it was he still hadn't got that
first goal and once he got it, it was just a matter of him keeping on working
hard. He sat out a few games and watched from up top and the good thing
is we have a lot of good D-men that he can learn from; guys like Mike
Komisarek, Dion Phaneuf and John-Michael Liles. If he can sit up there and
do his homework watching those guys and see what makes them
successful, he can add some of those characteristics into his game and
maybe that's what he did because he's playing pretty well now."
The win for Toronto was its third in a row and fifth in six games. It bumped
the Leafs up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference and a win in
Winnipeg Tuesday would put a 10-point margin between Toronto and the
Jets who are in 10th place with 54 points.
Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 02.08.2012
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Websites
It was only a few weeks ago that Gardiner was banished to the press box
and then sent to the minors for a game, but since his return, he has gotten
back to demonstrating the promise he displayed during the pre-season. In
his last eight games he has two goals and seven points. Overall, the 6-foot1, 175-pound speedster has two goals and 17 points in 46 games and is an
impressive plus-10.
USA TODAY / NBC's Super Bowl feed sets online record for live sports
Not bad for a guy the Anaheim Ducks gave up on after choosing him 17th
overall in 2008. Throughout most of the first half Gardiner offered glimpses
of great things to come, but there was always the nagging feeling that he
NBC's live stream of the Super Bowl netted 2.1 million unique users who
watched the Patriots and Giants battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
By Michael Hiestand
That hoary notion has been replaced by the idea that viewers will migrate to
the best available screen. Duh. As consumers buy TVs that couldn't pass
steroid tests, they want to use them, and only watch online when they can't
get to them.
Thus, this disparity: NBC's Super Bowl feed online Sunday drew 2.1 million
unique users — while the game averaged 111.3 million TV viewers.
That 2.1 million is a U.S. record for online traffic for live sports, breaking the
mark of 1.1 million users for a BYU-Florida NCAA men's basketball
tournament game in 2010, before CBS/TNT joint coverage last year put
every NCAA game on national TV. The pattern is that big events online
draw crowds, but not like their bigger-screen brethren.
Consider that ESPN's Alabama-LSU Bowl Championship Series title game
drew 523,000 unique users online last month, while TV coverage averaged
about 24.2 million.
Daytime weekday events — like early-round golf — always will have some
demand online, given that office work rarely sets you free to watch TV. And
online coverage usually gives you stuff to fidget with, like letting users
choose online-only camera angles. The Super Bowl produced 1.8 million
user-generated online camera switches.
Sunday's traffic suggests there might have been some online/TV
cannibalization but not what TV networks used to worry about: Sandvine,
an online traffic tracking firm, reports total Internet traffic declined as much
as 20% as NBC aired the most-watched Super Bowl ever.
Next up: With NBC planning unprecedented live online action from the 2012
Summer Olympics, will its taped prime-time TV action draw the usual giant
ratings? Probably.
Spice rack:TNT analyst Charles Barkley recently said, "I can't believe how
bad the NBA is right now." But ratings are up, led by TNT (+29%), ESPN
(+27%), ABC (+18%) and NBA TV (+78%, albeit with the smallest
audiences). And those are all up from healthy levels last season, when
LeBron James was developing his role as a mediagenic villain. One
possible explanation, given the NBA's lockout: Fans, in various sports,
would like shortened seasons.
USA TODAY LOADED: 02.08.2012

sport-scan daily brief

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